Operation: Thor's Hammer was a military operation conducted by the Terran Confederation from 2654 to 2655 in the middle stages of the ongoing Terran-Kilrathi War. During that operation, the TCS Tiger's Claw followed the Kilrathi fleet deep into the Empire of Kilrah space. The star systems were code-named according to the Norse mythology.
However, the SNES Wing Commander: The Secret Missions cart, the game places the events starting around 2656.289. There is no explanation for this...
Note: On most versions of the game starting the campaign just defaults to the 2654.110 date. Some manuals such as the one for the Super Wing Commander also just recycle that date but include Secret Mission character biographies claiming they were on board Tiger's Claw that early.Christopher Blair's specific actions during this period have never been published. The most detailed accounts originate from the memoirs of the likes of Jason Armstrong and Carl T. LaFong and there actions during the battle.[1]
Details of Blair's involvement during this period are largely limited a few offhand references in The Kilrathi Saga manual, and Biographies: Commodore Christopher "Maverick" Blair in the WC5 hintbook but nothing specific.
The main exception is a reference to WC2 events at the end which are generally considered to be Blair's involvement (though LaFong claims to take part in many of those as well).
Overview[]
The Terran Confederation conquered the Kilrathi presence in the Vega Sector. At the end of the bloody Vega Campaign a Space Navy fleet led by the TCS Tiger's Claw infiltrated the Kilrathi defense perimeter around Venice and destroyed the Kilrathi Sector HQ, the nerve center for the entire Kilrathi fleet in the Sector. With the loss of their command center, the Kilrathi fleets retreated back to Kilrathi space, allowing the Terran to liberate every Kilrathi-controlled planet in the sector.
Their remaining single planet, Warhammer XII, was the Kilrathi center of military research and development, and the scientists had just completed work on the first prototype of the Graviton Weapon, capable to increase a planet's gravitational field by 137 times, killing all life on the planet and destroying every structure standing. Crown Prince Gilkarg nar Kiranka, Kalralahr of the Kilrathi Fleet, decided to use this weapon to blast his way through human space so that he could wipe out their colonies one-by-one, and eventually, destroy Earth. He commissioned a newly-constructed Dreadnought, the KIS Sivar, to deploy the weapon against the Terrans.
After the weapon was attached to the Sivar, the Terran Space Navy moved in to conquer Warhammer XII. Gilkarg anticipated this and used the new weapon to destroy the planet, thereby covering up the evidence of Kilrathi activity. By the time the Terrans arrived, Warhammer XII had been eradicated: Its surface was devoid of life and technology. Gilkarg then prepared for the first attack on a human colony.
The Goddard Disaster[]
A few weeks following the mysterious destruction of Warhammer XII, the crew of the Claw received a distress signal from the frontier world of Goddard, a human colony with a population of 250,000 people. They reported that a large Kilrathi fleet had arrived and were deploying a new superweapon, prompting Confed High Command to intervene. The nearest Terran vessel, the Claw was ordered by Admiral Deke Stover to proceed to Goddard immediately. The Claw also escorted other nearby vessels to the planet such as the TCS Marciano and the TCS Hickok. Before jumping to Goddard, The Claw and her pilots detoured to destroy a Kilrathi troopship that was attempting to escape. After the transport was destroyed, all Terran forces jumped into the Goddard System.
When the Terran Space Navy arrived at Goddard, they discovered that they had arrived far too late. Goddard had been completely destroyed, and the colony's 250,000 colonists were dead and the Kilrathi Armada had left. Several companies of Terran Space Marines were sent to Goddard's surface to search for survivors, but it quickly became obvious that nobody survived. Every structure and city on the planet was destroyed, and all other life on the surface had been exterminated.
News of Goddard's demise spread quickly throughout the entire Terran Confederation, and billions were eager to seek revenge against the Kilrathi. Confed High Command decided that in order to prevent other colonies from meeting a similar fate, they had to hunt down the Kilrathi Armada and destroy the superweapon that destroyed Goddard. Thus, Operation: Thor's Hammer had officially begun. The Tiger's Claw was assigned to this mission, in which it would pursue the Kilrathi Fleet into Imperial airspace with only minimal assistance from Terran frontier forces. Before departing Goddard, the Claw dealt with any Kilrathi stragglers that remained in the vicinity and rendezvoused with the Reavers, an elite division of Scandinavian marines. They would serve on board the Claw during this crisis. After collecting the troops, the Claw jumped into Kilrathi space, knowing all too well that their chances of returning were slim.
Operation: Thor's Hammer[]
Upon arrival in the Kilrathi-controlled Midgard System, the Claw was informed that the TCS Falstaff, a Drayman-class that was stationed at Goddard, was captured during the attack. The vessel was a courier ship carrying battle specifications, tactical maps, codes, etc. The loss of such materials would jeopardize the success of the mission, so the Claw went in to destroy the TCS Falstaff. Fortunately, it was destroyed by Major Carl T. LaFong and Kien Chen before the Kilrathi could intercept the data. Unfortunately, the loss of this valuable vessel alerted the Kilrathi to the presence of the Terrans, so they moved in to destroy them. Meanwhile, the Reavers captured a Dralthi Medium Fighter, which was taken to Tactical for analysis. The Claw then proceeded to Jotunheim. By this point, the Reavers had taken severe losses and the survivors had to retreat back to Terran airspace immediately. After they departed, the Claw carried on alone.
Analysis of the captured Dralthi revealed Kilrathi specifications on their Graviton Weapon, which was pinpointed as the weapon that annihilated Goddard. The weapon was unstoppable once it was deployed against a planet, but it was useless against starships or starfighters. The new data gave the Claw a better idea of what they were facing. Afterwards, the Kilrathi attempted to ambush and destroy the Claw at Jotunheim. The Claw caught on to this and took the bait, destroying all attackers in a three-pronged retaliatory strike. Afterwards, the TCS Johann, an Exeter-class destroyer, wandered into Kilrathi space and was promptly ambushed. Two pilots, Major LaFong and Mariko Tanaka, raced to the aid of the Johann, only to discover that it was the TCS Gwenhyvar, a long-lost vessel rumored to have been captured by the Kilrathi for their own usage. The rumors proved true and the vessel launched Terran fighters against the two pilots. Fortunately, the trap failed and the Gwenhyvar was swiftly destroyed. The Claw then continued its pursuit.
Upon arrival at the Bifrost System, Confed discovered the presence of a supply depot in the system, and figured that the enemy fleet would probably head their to resupply. After destroying the depot, Major LaFong discovered the massive Kilrathi dreadnought, later identified as the Sivar. LaFong was unable to attack the vessel due to her superior weaponry, but now the Claw was in hot pursuit. High Command adopted a "no survivor" policy: All Kilrathi vessels within the Sivar's vicinity were to be destroyed before they could send a distress signal to the vessel. The Tiger's Claw proceeded to pick off the Sivar fleet one-by-one, as they would surely be deprived of fuel. In addition to this, the Claw destroyed any refueling ships that that arrived to aid the Sivar.
The Claw finally tracked down the Sivar in the Vigrid System, as the ship was almost fresh out of fuel. However, the Kilrathi were sending a fleet to drive them out, so the Terrans launched their strike. After wiping out the remnants of the Sivar escorts, the Claw deployed a wave of fighter pilots at one nav point while it proceeded to a second point to launch a second wave, resulting in a two-pronged attack on the Sivar. Carl T. LaFong and Joseph Khumalo reached the ship first, and launched the final assault. Despite the fierce resistance, the two pilots destroyed the Sivar and with it, the Graviton Weapon. All pilots then returned to the Claw which then returned to Terran airspace.
Aftermath[]
Operation: Thor's Hammer ended in success for the Terrans despite the odds for failure. The loss of the Graviton Weapon served as a major setback for the Kilrathi Empire, as they no longer had the means to exterminate the Terran colonies or the Earth itself in their planned offensive on the Confederation. Crown Prince Gilkarg nar Kiranka, who led the fleet, was recalled to Kilrah, where he was arrested and brought before his father, the Emperor. Gilkarg knew the price of his failure and was subsequently executed by disintegration, leaving his son Thrakhath as the sole heir to the throne.
The Goddard Disaster would effect humanity's war efforts for years to come. Among the victims of the Goddard attack was the brother of Major Zachary Colson, a pilot in the Terran Space Navy. Colson was deeply affected by the loss of his brother, and eventually came to the conclusion that Confed failed to save him because the Tiger's Claw detoured to attack a Kilrathi troopship before reaching Goddard. Lusting for revenge, Colson joined the Terran traitor group known as the Society of the Mandarins, and launched a campaign of murder and terror against the Terrans. Colson was directly responsible for the destruction of the Claw in 2656, as he leaked the ship's coordinates to the Kilrathi. This is turn proved a major setback to Confed's war efforts in the Enigma Sector, as the Claw was trying to destroy the Kilrathi Sector HQ at the time of its destruction. Colson's crimes and his desire for revenge after the Goddard tragedy would prove disastrous for Confed until he was finally killed by Christopher Blair in 2667.
References[]
- ↑ Star*Soldier, pg 26