On 2005-04-10 14:44, StarRaven wrote:

Don't forget that New Avalon is the heart of the Federated Suns. (Yes, I know about the Death Commando raid. Can someone tell me the specifics of that, though?) \

FASA wrote in the Comstar Sourcebook:

Precentor Dieron, Myndo Waterly, was determined to ascend to the Primacy of Comstar. Three weeks prior to her explosive call for Tiepolo's expulsion, she (along with the Precentor ROM) ordered a battalion-size strike force assembled. As in the Sarna framing {something covered earlier in the book}, the ComStar Guards and Militia forces were repainted and reconfigured. This time they were made to resemble the elite forces of the House Liao Death Commandos in order to throw any MIIO agents attempting to trace their origins off the scent.

All troops for the mission volunteered. They knew that the mission was a one-way attack and that under no circumstances must they be taken prisoner. The Precentor ROM provided all the ComStar Mechwarriors with a quick-acting poison to use if they were captured by the opposing forces. Their mission was clearly defined: it was either death or success. No middle ground was acceptable. The fanatics who volunteered were more than willing to fight under such terms.

{The next paragraph is apparently a bunch on Wobbie gobbledy-gook put into the book for flavoring. I'll spare you from reading it.}

The interdiction of the Federated Suns slowed the Davion War machine, but failed to stop it. With Tikonov completely under the thumb of the Federated Suns, House Liao was nearly crushed. Meanwhile, in mid-August 3029, Precentor Waterly dropped a bombshell on the First Circuit. She had received evidence that a copy of the Star League memory core recovered by the Gray Death Legion had found its way to the NAIS. With the precious information in the hands of the great minds gathered there, ComStar faced an uparalleled threat - the loss of its technological superiority.

Precentor Waterly pressed for an attack against the NAIS to destroy or capture the core. She also used the incident to call for the First Circuit to expel Primus Tiepolo. In the middle of the expulsion debate, the Primus suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the Hilton Head medical center. The First Circuit agreed to Waterly's proposed attack on the NAIS, as long as ComStar could not be blamed for the incident. Two days later Primus Tiepolo suffered a massive stroke and was kept alive only on life support systems in the hospital.

{More Wobbie babbling.}

Having readied her troops weeks earlier, Precentor Waterly was able to strike quickly against the NAIS. On September 10, 3029, the ComStar "Death Commandos" attacked New Avalon Institute of Science. Dropping onto the campus proper they expected only light resistance but were shocked that Team Banzai managed to rally a stern defense. Even Prince Davion himself waded into the fray in his BattleMaster. NAIS Security responded, too, and the battle lasted more than two full hours. When it was over, the ComStar force had been destroyed to the last BattleMech. The memory core remained intact and in the hands of the Federated Suns scientists. The Clandestine mission ended in dismal failure, but the First Circuit did not blame Precentor Myndo Waterly. Because Primus Tiepolo had failed for so long to make any kind of move against the Federated Commonwealth, Waterly's failure with a bold move could be excused. No one on the First Circuit doubted her personal power or devotion to the word of Blake, and Waterly's star was on the rise.