Fanfic / Heir to the Bruce Quest

Welcome to Somerset, Clanner Scum. We've been waiting for you. Have you met The Bruce, young Rhiannon? As far as the offworlders are concerned, she's the 'Duchess,' but nobody cares much about that around here. She'll be your guide during your brief visit, showing you to such lovely locals as 'Crushing Defeat Canyon,' 'The Mountains of Massacre,' and you can expect your passage through our atmosphere to be marked by attrition. She's a little hellion, our Rhiannon, and has very special ways of dealing with uninvited guests. Don't take our word for it, you'll learn soon enough.

— intro to the first thread

Heir to the Bruce is a BattleTech Forum Quest by the Spacebattler Lordsfire where you play as Rhiannon The Bruce, Duchess of Somerset, who has recently inherited the title after the death of her parents when they fight off rogue Ronin from the Draconis Combine. The Quest begins in the year 3018 and you have to guide Rhiannon through her life as the head of a planet and a massive clan. The Quest is now on its fifth thread and is now into the aftermath of the Fourth Succession war.

Links: (First thread, Second thread, Third thread, Fourth thread, Fifth thread)

Heir to the Bruce Quest provides examples of:

• Ace Pilot: Rhiannon became an Ace in a day with 8 kills against the Draconis Combine. The 36th Dieron Regulars jumped into Thorin in the Lyran Commonwealth ambushing her convoy during her transfer trip to New Avalon. Even though the 36th brought an Achilles and Vengeance the convoy fended off the ambush and captured both Dropships and shocking victory.
  • Notably her convoy stacked the deck as despite their numerical disadvantage, there were a lot of handpicked elite pilots from the LCAF and at least two of the top aces from the AFFS in the allied force. Rhiannon was flying a Lostech Royal Command Stuka and her bodyguards in her flight also had Lostech Royal Command birds, the capabilities of which Rhiannon exploited ruthlessly. While the Combine force were simply an average line unit with numbers. But even so, it was enough that even Takashi Kurita later acknowledged her skill and remarked it was a shame she had chosen the path of a lowly pilot and not a Mechwarrior...
  • Rhiannon subsequently becomes a *triple* Ace with an additional 7 kills in her very first engagement as an official fighter pilot (as opposed to a cadet). Her insane luck results in her *blindly* running directly into the enemy dropship formation in the middle of atmospheric reentry, then *somehow* shooting down two out of three Combine interceptors that are trying to chase down her lone, crippled, barely controllable Royal Stuka. She is literally down to one point of armor by the end of the battle - the joke is that at the point she landed, her flight suit had more armor than what was left of her Stuka.
  • By the end of the Fourth Succession War, Rhiannon is a double ace-of-aces with 57 confirmed kills and has gotten multiple medals for battlefield valor and skill in ASF combat. It's noted that while she is not the overall top ace (Maverick, Angel, Maniac, and Vagabond of the AFFS along with Elden Berardinelli of the DCMS and Cassandra Blake of the FWLM all have higher overall kill counts), she perhaps reached a double ace-of-ace kill-count the fastest of any of them thanks to a combination of talent, intense training, skill, natural ability, a deadly Lostech ASF, and consistently winding up in what is known as a 'target rich environment' with several hundred enemies.
• Action Girl: Many of them. Rhiannon herself always jumps head first into events, but so do other people around her including Melissa Steiner, Aifric Mc Henry and plenty of others.
• Affably Evil: At the wedding on Terra, the core Kuritan characters such as Takashi and Yorinaga Kurita are at their maximum affably civilized state - and are more amused than anything by Rhiannons clear contempt for them.
• Amazon Brigade: Training units at the Nagelring are gender segregated - and given their very high performance, unsurprisingly Kitten Platoon qualifies as they kick ass and take names.
• Armor Is Useless: Strongly averted; Battletech armor applied to infantry via the new Battle Armor technology is a complete paradigm changer. As now each infantry target takes enormous small arms fire or heavy anti-mech weapons to put down one by one.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: The DMCS; when in doubt, ATTACK. Causes a great many problems for them in many battles until they finally figure out these Lyrans are NOT the Lyrans of a few decades ago.
• Badass Family: The Bruce Clan, The Steiners and The Davions (and many others from canon) as well as plenty of new families on Somerset and off it.
• Badass Teacher: Two of the three top AFFS fighter aces in Maniac and Angel (expies of their Wing Commander selves) serve as Rhiannon's primary flight and combat instructors.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Downplayed. Rhiannon losses part of her arm and is injured in a bombing, but a lifelike replacement artificial arm keeps her looks at the level of a supermodel.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: Rhiannon likes to combine her food into things that should not mix together much to the horror of people that see her eat for the first time.
  • Darkly becomes an attack vector against her when an assassination attempt on Terra introduces a binary poison in the entire parties lunch by correctly guessing only Rhiannon would combine two specific types of food on offer.
• Blood Knight: A LOT of DCMS Mechwarriors fall under this category - and plenty of their officers.
• Boot Camp Episode: Rhiannon goes through basic training in summer 3025 at the Nagelring where she was apart of the Kitten Platoon. She then proceeds through officer and aerospace pilot training - including an exchange year at the NAIS. Which while convenient for political reasons, she earned the position entirely through merit.
• Broken Pedestal: The Star League, unusually for Battletech. Primarily due to Rhiannon (and the questers) far more negative opinion on the Star League breaking through much of the 'rose tinted glasses' Hanse, Katrina, Melissa and other Inner Sphere nobility hold the League in. Downplayed though as they were aware it wasn't perfect. But it is a major factor in both pushing the Federated Commonwealth powers to formally announce their repudiation of any membership in it as well as helping to bring other Periphery nations (like the Taurians who loathe the Star League) into the allied camp.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Several characters veer into this at times. Shoshannah most often.
• Cannon Fodder: In the 4th Succession War, both the Draconis Combine and Capellan Confederation throw badly trained infantry units in the path of Battlemech and Power Armor units, with generally the results one would expect.
  • Although we do see DCMS infantry who are smart enough to both fight as well as they practically could, know how to game orders so as to not get shot for refusing to fight a hopeless battle and to actually do what damage they can before getting the hell out of dodge.
  • The Confederation on Sian throw infantry in underground tunnels which might have actually been able to hold their ground somewhat against other better equipped conventional infantry, given the defensive advantage of their positions. Against Steiner power armor units? It becomes a complete slaughter to the point that some of the Lyran Soliders have PTSD from the events.
• Child Prodigy: Rhiannon's younger sister, Iona Bruce is a math genius so much so that she enters Tharkad University at twelve years old. She transfers to NAIS after needing specialized medical care due to an industrial accident and stays at the Inner Spheres premier university as a protege of Dr Banzai of Team Banzai fame. She later invents double heat sinks that are functionally identical to clan double heat sinks ... at 14!
• A Child Shall Lead Them: Rhiannon becomes Duchess-in-Waiting of Somerset after her parents die at the tender age of seven. She actually becomes Duchess at fourteen as an emancipated minor by order of Katrina Steiner.
• Cold Sniper: Deconstructed: Shoshannah is actually a graduate of AFFS sniper school (which gives her cadet platoon a hideous advantage in their infantry exercises) but she emphatically is not emotionally this kind of person and so strongly dislikes this role, moving instead into an artillery command.
• Corrupt Politician: A distant relative of Rhiannon's, Flurry Bruce is behind a tax theft scheme and an assassination attempt on Rhiannon and her family and friends when her regent, her uncle Thomas notices discrepancies in the planet's treasury. Flurry also becomes her regent when her uncle Thomas is put into a coma by the bombing but he is stopped a few months later after he panics when investigators get close to uncovering the conspiracy by trying to kill Rhiannon again, failing and getting arrested.
• Cool Plane: Rhiannon and several classmates build and prototype the first ASF fighter in 200 years for their major class engineering project.
  • Rhiannon's 'Butcher Bird' Royal Stuka with four Extended Range PPCs for long range and an Autocannon-20 for short range and dropper chopping plus a trio of 5cm lasers. Extremely heavily armed, extremely heavily armored, and at the top-tier of maneuverability for a strike fighter.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Oh Good Lord yes;
  • Rhiannons first battle was actually as a cadet where a 'regular' DCMS strike team intercepted their convoy to the Federated Suns ... without knowing there was a considerable amount of Lostech fighters in the convoy, a number of LCAF pilots short listed for a new elite unit and two of the absolute top AFFS aces. Curb stomp barely describes it.
  • The 4th Royal Guards issue one to the 5th Sword of Light. Not just pushing them back across the world, but outfighting and outthinking them, so that they retreat badly mauled with barely a quater of their unit escaping Freddy Steiners trap.
  • The 3rd Royal Guards do one better than their sister unit under Roman Steiner and quite literally destroy the 2nd Sword of Light to the last soldier. The 2nd Sword being considered pretty much the single most prestigious unit in the entire DCMS and 'banner carrier' of the DCMS as representing the 'Pillar of Steel'.
  • The Battle of Sian, the deciding battle of the Capellan Confederation wasn't entirely one sided - but the sheer combat power and technology of the 4th Royal Guards more or less shattered the planned defense in the air, on the ground and under it.
  • The 4th Succession War as a whole was really this for the Fed Com powers; the Capellan Confederation was destroyed with the remains absorbed into the FWL and Federated Suns and the Dracons Combine was forced to give up every single world it conquered since the fall of the Star League, plus having the DCMS beaten like a base drum by the LCAF with a little help from the AFFS.
• Cyborg: Mildly so; Rhiannon is one thanks to loosing her right hand and forearm. She has a number of arms she can put on ranging from incredibly lifelike replicas that are near impossible to tell apart even at close range to extremely an extremely heavily reinforced grapple arm and everything in between.
• Dance of Romance: How Minobu Tetsuhara is able to confirm that Melissa's cover identity is, in fact, Melissa as he notes that "Mary Bruce" and Hanse Davion always dance together at social events on New Avalon that Rhiannon and her party are invited to.
• Death from Above: Rhiannon has engaged in air-to-ground support actions multiple times, which isn't surprising given that its one of the primary missions of her strike fighter. She's had mixed success though and in fact lost her fighter to the enemy AAA units over Sian, albeit in exchange for suppressing the enemy artillery long enough to let the ground pounders carry the battle.
• Defensive Feint Trap: The Royals and Sky Rangers on Altar pull a spectacular one off against the 5th Sword of Light. Freddy correctly reading his opponent as being someone determined to attack no matter the cost and using it to pull them into a trap that cost the Sword of Light the battle and the Combine the planet.
• Hero of Another Story: The 3rd Royal Guards, for centuries the best and most elite field force of the LCAF are somewhat overshadowed by the return and restoration of the 4th Royal Guards. But for all the legend and lostech the 4th have, the 3rd arguably perform the greatest feat of martial strength in the war as they obliterate the 2nd Sword of Light, the DCMS's own banner carrier for their entire military, at the outset of the 4th Succession War.
• Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: Played straight AND Averted. During the pre-wedding festivities on Terra for Hanse and Melissa's wedding, Yoringa Kurita warns Romano Liao in mandarin to behave herself and stop insulting Janos Mariks girlfriend. Romano of course promptly replies that she actually wants Bronwen Rafsani killed. Then Bronwen asks Rhiannon calmly what Romano just said, with neither Yoringa nor Romano having known Rhiannon speaks fluent mandarin...
• Hilarious in Hindsight: When the Fourth Succession War begins, William, who is stressing over Rhiannon fighting an enemy ace from the 5th Sword of Light (one of the most elite DCMS regiments), tells her that "I’ve decided to try and take a long-term perspective on this. You’re fighting The Sword of Light as your first deployment after graduation. That’s the most elite enemy force it’s possible to face, and you’re only going to get better from this point on. We’ve been thrown into the deep end, but the enemy air wing is already down, so it’s all downhill from here.” The joke is on him since Rhiannon and her unit promptly wind up facing no less than two more 'enemy best of the best' campaigns against the Red Lancers and Warrior Houses of the CCAF over Sian and then the hand-picked Elite Genyosha, equally Elite 18th Dieron Regulars, further Sword of Light regiments and the Coordinator's handpicked bodyguards of the Otomo in the Battle of Skye. Poor William.
• I Can't Hear You: Palmer Conti on Altar simply shuts off his radio to ignore the lawful orders of the Warlord of Dieron to fall back in favor of trying to win the battle on his own with a head on attack.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Romano Liao. Oh God, Romano Liao. Her 'spectacular' missteps on Terra pretty much lead to the destruction of the Capellan Confederation and it being divided between the Free Worlds League and Federated Commonwealth. The Questers, only half jokingly, often suggest Hanse and Katrina should send medals to her prison cell on Terra in thanks for her outstanding contributions to the Federated Commonwealth.
• Nuclear Weapons Taboo: Played straight and averted in the orbital engagement around Sian. For the first time in the fic, Nukes are pulled out as the capital of a Successor State is invaded. But even then, they are brought out in a very narrow window over 75,000 kilometres from the planet in line with the defunct but still generally respected Ares Conventions which thus avoids any kind of retaliation strikes.
• One-Man Army: Both played straight and subverted.
  • Morgan Kell and Yoringa Kurita certainly qualify. The later in fact is single handedly winning the Draconis Combine Civil war without the need for an army by challenging rebel units leaders to duels he always wins for control of the unit, letting Theodore reclaim much of his military for minimal losses.
  • Maniac, Maverick and Angel on the AFFS side show they are this in a fighter.
  • Rhiannon herself has carved her way through enemies before - Altir being the ur-example.
    • On the other hand, Rhiannon also tried this on Sian to take out an enemy artillery park solo on a time critical strike - and promptly got thwacked by a massive AAA barrage that forced her to eject.
• Power Armor: Rhiannon's Ducal Guard has a set of Nighthawk Power Armour for guard details. First seen as part of the Ducal Guard on New Avalon after an assassination attempt against Rhiannon and Iona. Nighthawk Armor is a "light" power armor that was originally developed by the SLDF and later rediscovered by Rhiannon and company when they miss-jump into Draconis Combine space.
  • From the SLDF Nighthawks (which remain limited issue to the bodyguard units of the Archon, First Prince and Rhiannon), the Lyran Commonwealth develops and puts into production two heavy-combat suits that are essentially full-blown (if light) Battle Armor as seen in canon in the 3050s. The 'Mud Leg' (an up-armored suit that can take direct hits from Mech scale weapons) and the 'Steiner Hawk' which has lighter armor, but retains jump jets. The NAIS has additional Nighthawks in low rate production (at great expense) for special operations, bodyguard and intelligence work post 4th Succession War.
  • The 'Pilot-Hawk', a flight capable power armour unit designed for pilots, makes its debut in the 4th Succession War. Designed by Iona to try and keep her sister safe, Rhiannon ejects over Sian when her Stuka is blown out of the sky. It proves proves its utility in spectacular fashion by letting Rhiannon evade further AAA fire directed at her as she flew out of range before hitching a lift on a friendly aerospace fighter that passed through, which dropped her back at base.
  • The Steel Leg is the next generation Battle Armor under development at the NAIS. Using Triple Strength Myomer to give it both huge increases in strength and the ability to carry more and better armour, it's also three times as expensive as a Mud Leg.
• Princess Incognito: Melissa Steiner travels from Somerset (where she was visiting Rhiannon) back to Tharkad to attend the Nagelring in disguise as "Mary Bruce" a supposed distant cousin of Rhiannon. From an outsider's point of view, it is simply a cover identity. For Rhiannon and the people of Somerset in on her real identity, it is a very real adoption into Clan Bruce taken very seriously. Melissa uses the opportunity to change considerably from canon with a massively expanded circle of friends and is able to grow considerably as a person by pushing herself in new ways outside of the microscope of the court. It also gives both her and Hanse (thanks to Kitten Platoon being transferred to NAIS for their final year of training) a considerable amount of time to get to know one another in private before their wedding which helps to establish Melissa as a much more powerful personality in her own right compared to canon.
  • Melissa (while pregnant) sneaks into her assault tank during the assault on New Avalon to participate, strongly feeling as a serving officer in the 4th Royal Guards it is her duty to do so. Hanse (who is also fully on the front lines) is not happy about this when he finds out. It also turns out her tank crew had direct orders from the Archon to pull her out of the line and withdraw to a secure bunker the second her tank comes under fire - and Melissa is NOT happy when she finds this out as they withdraw her from the battle after a single long range glancing hit.
  • Estoc Ddraig is revealed to be Estoc Marik through some still unknown means that somehow wound up on Solaris long before her father Anton Marik's rebellion.
• loads and loads of characters: The current cast of Bruce Quest Canon characters now numbers over 50 characters and counting, And not Counting all of the Canon Battletech Characters that appear. And now Melissa and Rhiannon are in a competition to have more kids than the other...
• Mentor Archetype: Hanse Davion himself mentors Rhi in how to maneuver in court and rulership when she is staying on New Avalon for medical treatment.
  • Notably on Terra when she is almost killed, again, he admits to himself that he's come to see her almost as a surrogate daughter.
  • Dr Buckaroo Banzai is this for Iona, helping to make sure she doesn't burn out or become overwhelmed by the environment at the NAIS, including making sure she picks up a hobby or two outside of work.
• Off Screen Moment Of Awesome: Estoc Ddraig and Akio Matsumoto of the Somerset Ducal Guard after Slaughtering DCMS Boarders on the Grim Memory took one of the Boarding shuttles and tricked their way onto the enemy Achilles Dropship by claiming they had a VIP prisoner on board.
  • Fixed in a side story commission.
• Side Bet: A LOT of these. And a high percentage are about what Rhiannon is going to stumble onto next. Melissa Steiner generally serves as the commissioner and overseer of all wagers from the extended group.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Lien Daoshu defects on Terra from the Capellan Confederation, unknowingly doing so at the best possible time. And while she COULD go home again, it's also clear she doesn't value said home and is vastly happier with her new job in the Federated Commonwealth as Melissa's secretary.
• You Have Failed Me:
  • Palmer Conti's decision to launch an attack (into what turned out to be a trap) and doing so by ignoring the orders of his lawful superior to fall back into line results in the Combine loosing both the battle AND the planet. Takashi Kurita gave him a very matter of fact one by telling him he would be allowed to kill himself cleanly to atone for the failure, despite admitting he was very tempted for less clean endings.
  • Romano Liao got a double barrel version from her father in light of the almost indescribable series of fuckups she had managed to engage in.
  • A LOT of ROM personnel get this from the Primus and First Circuit, most especially Precentor ROM, after the conga line of fuckups Com Star suffer over the Terran wedding arc.
• You Look Familiar: An enormous number of the supporting cast of new characters are expies of various games, movies, anime series and other media.