Clan Nova Cat



Clan Nova Cat is a member of the Warden clans in the sci-fi BattleTech universe created by the FASA Corporation. The Clan has a deeply spiritual side that guides most of their actions.

Founding
The Clan's totem is the Dagda feline. It has a mane of tipped, poisonous barbs that shoot up suddenly, if alerted. It is admired for its alertness and ferocious attacks.

Unlike all of the other Clans, the Nova Cats had non-military founders. Peter Drummond had left the Star League Defense Force and was a scientist, while Anne Rosse was part of the Merchant Caste. This is very unusual and made them suspicious to the other Clans. Anne Rosse had become a deeply spiritual person during the Amaris Civil War and believed in rituals and visions. These beliefs transferred over to her Clan through her daughter, seen as the true Founder, Sandra Rosse. The practices instituted by Sandra shaped the actions of the Clan throughout its existence. Most notable of these institutions was the office of Oathmaster, which aided the Clan in its spiritual well being. Following her sweeping changes, Khan Sandra Rosse wrote the Ways of Seeing, a compilation of all her and her mother's visions so that it may guide the Clan.

The Golden Century
The Golden Century proved very good for the Nova Cats. Driven by their Scientist and Merchant Castes, which had been given free rein, they quickly moved into a leading spot among the Clans. Where other Clans were developing better 'Mechs and Elementals, Clan Nova Cat developed Long Range Lasers which would prove extremely advantageous in the years that followed. Clan Nova Cat made extensive use of lasers on their main 'Mech, the Nova Cat, which featured "lasers, lasers, and more lasers."

Return to the Inner Sphere
The Nova Cats fought furiously for a spot in the invasion force of the Inner Sphere, and were granted a place in the reserves along with Clan Steel Viper.

After the death of ilKhan Showers, the new ilKhan Ulric Kerensky activated the Nova Cats, but they were forced to share the invasion corridor with their hated enemy, Clan Smoke Jaguar.

Clan Nova Cat invaded many worlds after joining the invasion force but was humiliated in a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Draconis Combine on Luthien, losing the better part of two whole Galaxies. On Tukayyid, the Nova Cats failed to achieve their objectives and the failure of the other Clans forced them off the planet in defeat. The Clans' loss forced them to abide by a fifteen year truce wherein they could not advance towards their ultimate objective, Terra.

The Great Refusal
After the Clans' defeat on Tukayyid, the Nova Cats turned inward to better themselves and rebuild. Guided by visions, they opened talks with the Draconis Combine. When Prince Victor Steiner-Davion revived the Star League Defense Force and invaded the Clan Homeworlds, the Nova Cats sided with the SLDF and fought against their fellow Clan, Clan Ice Hellion. This resulted in the deaths of both their Khans, but the SLDF was victorious. Because of their participation in the Great Refusal, Clan Nova Cat was Abjured and attacked on all sides by the Clans. The Nova Cats were decimated, losing three whole Galaxies so that the Clan could escape to the Inner Sphere.

Shattered and broken, the Nova Cats have been effectively integrated into the Draconis Combine because of their help in the Great Refusal, and granted a few worlds known as the Irece Prefecture. In order to better facilitate relations between the two powers, Coordinator Theodore Kurita's youngest son Minoru joined the Clan and subsequently became the Oathmaster.

Star League
When Clan Ghost Bear launched an invasion of the Draconis Combine in retaliation for an unauthorized strike by rebellious elements of the Combine's military at the Ghost Bear capital, the Nova Cats were caught in the middle. They gave as good as they got and were able to stand down following the cease fire.

When the Star League was disbanded in 3067, the Cats were baffled and betrayed. They had turned their backs on their old way of life to become a part of the new Star League and it disappeared before they knew what was happening. In order to contemplate this turn of events, the Cats withdrew all of their forces into the Irece Prefecture to seek a new vision.

Blackout
After unknown forces disabled the HPG grid that allowed planets to talk to each other in 3132, the new Republic of the Sphere began to break down into factions. One of these factions were the Spirit Cats. Led by Galaxy Commander and Senator Kev Rosse, the Spirit Cats were largely a group of expatriate Nova Cats. Following Rosse's assassination, most of the Spirit Cats were absorbed back into the Clan. A cluster sized force, lead by Rikkard Nova Cat, have formed an alliance with Clan Sea Fox and claimed Marik as a shared home word. The alliance has found them participating in the defense and liberation of the newly reformed Free Worlds League, including Operation Homefront in 3139.

Another of these factions were the Dragon's Fury, a group that wanted to return worlds that had been a part of the Draconis Combine to the Coordinator. The leader of the Fury, Katana Tormark, convinced the Nova Cats to send help as a way of fulfilling their obligation for troops to the Combine. The Cats' faith in Tormark was proven when Coordinator Vincent Kurita named her Warlord of the newly-reconstituted Dieron District.