Mech Warrior 3
In the beginning, there was chaos. Mech pilots fought each other with no purpose, other than bravado. Personal glory was the only motivation. Warriors banded together in groups to gain the assistance of numbers. Many saw that such association was pointless, as warriors traded sides and loyalties with the fickleness of a woman scorned. Some tried to form tighter knit groups, they were called clans. This was obviously more formidable than ever tried before. Clans formed tactics and elite corps, to face the increasingly difficult situation of staying alive. Surely, mech tactics had reached its pinnacle.... or had it? Tactics stagnated. No advances in weapon layout or mech design was made. War was pointless. The only hope was the birth of fresh ideas. Those ideas came. And with them came the Black Knights. This is their story.
Born from a simple idea, they came. Like the hand of God, wrath followed in their wake. Theirs was a juggernaut of force. Never had the Inner Sphere seen the like. To be sure, the Knights suffered loss in combat, minor annoyances. Nothing slowed their pace...
It started with the idea of fire team based tactics. Focusing on team skill, rather than individual skill. Two brothers, one a skilled leader and the other a brilliant tactician, created this fire storm. Many warriors listened to their ideas. Few agreed. Those that followed the brothers, perfected the art of teamwork. They became known.
Those who faced the Black Knights did so with laughter on their lips. They died with their faces contorted in anguish. To late they realized the skill of the Black Knights. The Knights moved as one, sweeping aside their enemies as if they were simple chaff. Soon, it became evident that the brothers who had formed the Black Knights were right. No one, it seemed could defeat these warriors. Faced with humiliation, other clan leaders gathered for a council to decide how best to deal with these upstart Knights. All realized the futility of open combat. It was decided to cause the demise of the Black Knights from the inside. All recognized the fact that the Knights would have to be continually pressed from outside, as the cancer spread on the inside. So, the Black Knights faced the oncoming tsunami of combatants. When the onslaught was over and the dust settled, the Knights still stood. But the ploy had worked. The seeds of the disease had been planted. Slowly, the Knights began to die. Agonizing was their death, much to the pleasure of their enemies. Finally, with a final gasp, the Knights ceased to be. The surviving Knights fled, their heads hung low. This humiliation was indeed terrible. Somehow, they stayed alive. Theirs was an existence of futile hope. Hopes that were fueled by the remembrance of the past glory and the dreams of the future... was there any reason to hope?
Much time passed. Few remembered the legend of the Knights, though, from time to time, whispers of their prowess were heard. Then the unexpected happened. Quite by accident, several of the Knights met in battle. They remembered. They decided to press the brothers to rebuild the once infamous clan. Hesitant, at first, the brothers withdrew to consider the implications of this move. It would indeed have dire consequences. Dire consequences for the enemies of the Knights. Thus, the clan/brotherhood of the Black Knights was reborn. Slowly, at first, the Knights began to return. All but a few once again donned the uniform of the Black Knights. Rumors spread like wildfire. The Black Knights have return.Their old enemies were shocked. At first, the outsiders attempted to laugh off what they saw. But, reality soon set in. Imagine their terror as they saw the banner of the Black Knights unfurled, as they heard the trumpet call that sounded the attack, and as they were once again destroyed. Once again, the Knights proved to be almost unstoppable. This time, however, the outsiders have no way to plant the necessary seed for inner destruction. This time, they must face the Knights in battle. This time, they know the sense of utter helplessness. They have sensed the obvious. The Knights have only been made stronger by their trials. The conspirators have only succeed in making their worst nightmare worse. With far greater skill, immeasurable honor, and steel like sense of comradeship, the Knights move as one. Nothing can stop the Black Knights. No one has the skill, the honor, or the courage needed. It is their time. Welcome to the era of the Black Knights.
Story written by: BK Phalanx 1999
