Jason Bondarevsky: Difference between revisions
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'''Jason Bondarevsky''' was a | '''Jason Bondarevsky''' was a war hero for both the [[Terran Confederation]] and [[Free Republic of the Landreich]]. His name appears in the context of many noteworthy events during the late 27th century. He is best remembered for his roles in [[Operation Back Lash]] in 2667 and during the [[Battle of Terra]] the following year. | ||
==Enlistment and the Academy== | ==Enlistment and the Academy== | ||
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Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky was born in the Russian Colony on Razin, [[Alpha Centauri]] in [[2641]]. His father was Russian, his mother (maiden name Houston) was Australian. Jason had a single older sibling,[[ Joshua Bondarevsky]] who joined the [[Confederation Marines]] and later died during the defense of [[Khosan]] in [[2661]]. His contact with his father was limited as a result of the war as his father was a pilot with Confleet. His father was killed in combat in [[2657]] when Jason was only 16. Enraged by this, Jason stole a birth certificate from his local clerk's office and doctored it so that he could enlist with Confleet. | Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky was born in the Russian Colony on Razin, [[Alpha Centauri]] in [[2641]]. His father was Russian, his mother (maiden name Houston) was Australian. Jason had a single older sibling,[[ Joshua Bondarevsky]] who joined the [[Confederation Marines]] and later died during the defense of [[Khosan]] in [[2661]]. His contact with his father was limited as a result of the war as his father was a pilot with Confleet. His father was killed in combat in [[2657]] when Jason was only 16. Enraged by this, Jason stole a birth certificate from his local clerk's office and doctored it so that he could enlist with Confleet. | ||
He was a | He was a [[Second Class Flight Deck Mate]] on his first cruise. Two years later he went on to the Academy, where he met [[Janice Parker]] and [[Svetlana Ivanova]], with whom he sparked a romantic relationship with. Unfortunately, she failed her [[Advanced Spaceflight and Jump Point Physics]] course and washed out of the Academy. Eager to prove herself against the Kilrathi Svetlana transferred to the [[Confederation Marines]] where she eventually reached the rank of Major and the position of air-to-ground coordinator for the [[First Marine Commando]] battalion. | ||
==Early Career== | ==Early Career== | ||
After gradutation, Bondarevsky was assigned to the [[Waterloo-Class Cruiser]] ''[[TCS Gettysburg]]'' as a pilot. It was also during a mission flown off of the Gettysburg in [[2664]] that Bondarevsky met Captain [[Grierson]] of the destroyer ''[[TCS Intrepid]]'' for the first time. Having been forced to eject during combat, Bondarevsky was tractor beamed in by Grierson while having several Kilrathi destroyers in hot pursuit. This initial meeting between the two men paid off later during the events of Operation Back Lash as both were assigned to [[Strike Force Valkyrie]]. | |||
On 2667.072, after encountering unarmed Kilrathi civilian transports in the [[N'Tanya]] system, Commodore [[Cain]], commanding officer of the Gettysburg, ordered his pilots to destroy the transports. The pilots refused and trigged a mutiny that successfully removed Cain from command. However, soon after the crew split into two divergent groups. One group under Colonel [[Ransom]] wanted to continue a career of terrorism and piracy and forget about returning to the fleet. The other group was led by Lt. Colonel [[Poelma]] and Lt. Bondarevsky and they sought to rejoin Confleet as quickly as possible. | On 2667.072, after encountering unarmed Kilrathi civilian transports in the [[N'Tanya]] system, Commodore [[Cain]], commanding officer of the ''Gettysburg'', ordered his pilots to destroy the transports. The pilots refused and trigged a mutiny that successfully removed Cain from command. However, soon after the crew split into two divergent groups. One group under Colonel [[Ransom]] wanted to continue a career of terrorism and piracy and forget about returning to the fleet. The other group was led by Lt. Colonel [[Poelma]] and Lt. Bondarevsky and they sought to rejoin Confleet as quickly as possible. | ||
As the debate on what to do waged on the Gettysburg jumped from N'Tanya system to [[Rigel]] where they then staged a raid on the [[Rigel Supply Depot]]. The raid was led by Colonel Ransom and was successful in capturing the depot intact, however during the raid a prisoner attempted to escape and what followed has been described as a massacre of the Kilrathi by the Colonel's team. This event caused the opposition group to leave Ransom's team on the depot | As the debate on what to do waged on the Gettysburg jumped from N'Tanya system to [[Rigel]] where they then staged a raid on the [[Rigel Supply Depot]]. The raid was led by Colonel Ransom and was successful in capturing the depot intact, however during the raid a prisoner attempted to escape and what followed has been described as a massacre of the Kilrathi by the Colonel's team. This event caused the opposition group to leave Ransom's team on the depot. They turned it into a temporary headquarters until he could retake the ‘’Gettysburg’’. | ||
The Gettysburg crew then sent out a signal to the [[TCS Concordia]] informing them they were willing to negotiate. Bondarevsky was selected to fly out and meet a representative from the Concordia. He was met by Colonel [[Christopher Blair]] who then escorted him back to the Concordia for debriefing. Upon arrival he was interned in the brig because | The ''Gettysburg'' crew then sent out a signal to the ''[[TCS Concordia]]'' informing them they were willing to negotiate. Bondarevsky was selected to fly out and meet a representative from the ''TCS Concordia''. He was met by Colonel [[Christopher Blair]] who then escorted him back to the ''Concordia'' for debriefing. Upon arrival he was interned in the brig because of the situation. During that time, Bondarevsky met Admiral [[Geoffrey Tolwyn]], an encounter that would have long lasting effects on Bondarevsky’s career. Colonel Blair then rendezvoused with the ''Gettysburg'' and informed the crew they have been given a full pardon for their actions. Bondarevsky was eventually released and transferred aboard the ‘’Concordia’’ where he completed one tour of duty before being promoted and transferred to the ''[[TCS Tarawa]]'' as its new [[Wing Commander]]. | ||
==Operation Back Lash== | ==Operation Back Lash== | ||
The TCS Tarawa was one of the original nine medium transports that were converted into [[Wake Class Escort Carriers]] three quarters of the way through their construction. They were intended as quick fix for the horrible losses that | The ''TCS Tarawa'' was one of the original nine medium transports that were converted into [[Wake Class Escort Carriers]] three quarters of the way through their construction. They were intended as a quick fix for the horrible losses that Confleet had suffered during [[2666]]. They were designed with several missions in mind, but the Tarawa was the first to be committed to a deep penetration raid straight into the [[Kilrah]] system. | ||
Bondarevsky was one of the youngest Wing Commanders in the fleet at | Bondarevsky was one of the youngest Wing Commanders in the fleet at. He went from Second Class Flight Deck Mate to Wing Commander in 8 years. He owed the speed of his ascent to his own skills and abilities as a pilot and because of a referral by Tolwyn to Admiral [[Bainbridge]] who wanted a talented officer to occupy the position as Wing Commander on the ''Tarawa''. Tolwyn was not informed until later on why he had been asked to choose some of his best people for assignment to the ‘’Tarawa’’. Bondarevsky also chose some of his colleagues from the ‘’Concordia’’ to serve with him on the ''Tarawa'' including [[Janet McCullough]] / [[Sparks]], [[Etienne Montclair]] / [[Doomsday]] and [[ Janice Parker]] / [[Starlight]]. There were other seasoned personnel on the ''Tarawa'' as well, however the vast majority of men and women serving aboard her on this first tour were fresh out of the Academy and boot camp. | ||
The first orders he gave to his new pilots was that they would be returning to square one of spaceflight. They were to work their way from flight basics to advanced maneuvers. He hoped to teach them every trick he had learned fighting the Kilrathi to ensure that as many of them as possible would survive the critical early missions. If they survived through them their chances of survival jumped enormously. | |||
Not only were most of the pilots fresh out of the Academy, the commanding officer of the ''Tarawa'', Commodore [[Thaddeus O’Brian]] was an officer who had been transferred in from transport design and had no prior combat experience. The relationship between Commodore and Wing Commander was rocky from the moment Bondarevsky first landed on the ''Tarawa'' in a [[Ferret]]. O’Brian thought Bondarevsky’s landing was “a bit shaky, yes indeed, a bit shaky it was.” Bondarevsky had been sight-seeing a bit too much and had landed a bit hard. However, Bondarevsky noted to himself, “Not a great landing, he had to agree, but it had nothing to do with shakiness.” | |||
The | The first mission of the ''Tarawa'' was a cover that involved the redeployment of some of the best Confederation Marine units to a ground assault exercise at[[ Khartoum Station]]. The [[First Marine Commando]] battalion, one of the most elite units in the Confederation was part of this convoy as well. [[Svetlana Ivanova]], Bondarevsky's former lover had become a member of the Commando battalion and was known as the "Talker" because of her role as air-to-ground coordinator. After meeting with the marine transports the convoy turned around on 2667.157 and made a high speed run for [[Vukar Tag]] in the Vukar Tag Sector where the marines are to stage an assault on the planet. The ''[[TCS Sevastapol]]'' joined the Tarawa before the jump into Vukar Tag. | ||
The two escort carriers and marine transports launched a full strike against space and ground based targets on the planet of Vukar Tag. The ''Sevastapol's'' fighters and bombers handle space-based threats while the Tarawa's wing had pulled the atmospheric missions. The main target of the marine assault was the ancestral home of the Emperor's Mother, [[Dowager Empress Graknala]]. The structure was in Bondarevsky's own words "was beautiful, almost like a fairy-tale medieval fortress of polished limestone, complete to minareted towers." The entire commando battalion was committed to taking it by direct assault. The assault and subsequent demolition of the fortress was captured on vid and sent via [[ burst signal]] to Kilrah. The listening post that sent the message was allowed to stay active for this specific purpose. It was an integral part of [[Operation Back Lash]]. Twelve hours after the assault on Vukar Tag began the ''Tarawa'' along with the commando battalion are recalled to the [[Niven Sector]] where they are briefed on their true role in Operation Back Lash. | |||
Operation Back Lash was an offensive planned in the six months prior to the assault on Vukar Tag by [[Confederation HQ]] in order to cause enough damage to the Kilrathi Imperial forces that it could possibly cause a dynastic civil war and give the Confederation an edge. The taking of Vukar Tag was the opening move in the larger operation. ''[[TCS Concordia]]'', ''[[TCS Wolfhound]]'', ''[[TCS Trafalgar]]'' and ''[[TCS Gettysburg]]'' along with over seventy other ships had massed in the Niven Sector in order to meet the Kilrathi response to the fortifying of Vukar Tag by Confederation forces. Confleet were to ambush the Kilrathi fleet as it attempted its planetary assault with the hopes of catching them geared entirely for space-to-ground operations and little to no expectation of a fleet action. | |||
The | The ''Tarawa'' had a unique role in [[Operation Back Lash]] as the main unit in [[Strike Force Valkyrie]]. Along with the ''[[TCS Intrepid]]'' under Captain [[Grierson]], ''[TCS Kagimasha]]'' under Captain [[Teng]] and the [[First Marine Commando]] battalion under Colonel [[Merrit]] the task force was assigned the mission of penetrating into the Kilrah system itself and attacking the second moon of Kilrah, which was known to be a massive military installation. The strike force used a set of jump lines that the Kilrathi did not know the Confederation was aware of. They were then to let the Kilrathi find the task force, thereby putting the Kilrathi in a dilemma. The situation at Vukar Tag demanded a response for the sake of honor but the strike force represented an interloper deep inside the Empire. The Confederation hope and actual result was for the Home Fleet to be split into two sections. Three carriers were to break off and intercept the ‘’Tarawa’’ while seven carriers continued to Vukar Tag. This gave the Confederation the numerical ratio it needed to increase the chances for success at Vukar Tag. | ||
Bondarevsky allowed a lone [[Sartha]] to escape with footage of the strike force as per the mission guidelines, however Commodore O'Brian had other ideas as he was more concerned with saving his own life instead of completing the mission as outlined by Bainbridge. If not for | Bondarevsky allowed a lone [[Sartha]] to escape with footage of the strike force as per the mission guidelines, however Commodore O'Brian had other ideas as he was more concerned with saving his own life instead of completing the mission as outlined by Bainbridge. If not for a series of actions on the part of Captain Grierson following Bondarevsky's return to the ‘’Tarawa’’ things could have gone very differently, however Grierson's intervention pushed the task force to flank speed for the heart of the Empire. | ||
The transit time from Niven until the reveal point deep within the Empire allowed Bondarevsky to further train his pilots along with rekindle the romantic relationship with Captain Ivanova. The time allowed for further training was very important to Bondarevsky as far as he and the other senior officers were concerned, their mission was essentially a one-way trip. He wanted the people under his command to still have the best chance of surviving the raid. | |||
==Battle of Kilrah== | ==Battle of Kilrah== | ||
The [[Battle of Kilrah]] began as soon as Strike Force Valkyrie entered the Kilrah system | The [[Battle of Kilrah]] began as soon as Strike Force Valkyrie entered the Kilrah system. The first Kilrathi response was twenty plus fighters and three corvettes that were met and destroyed by the ‘’Tarawa's’’ fighters. During this action, Bondarevsky noticed the massive shipyard facilities on [[Largkza]], the second moon of Kilrah that Bainbridge had mentioned in the initial briefing as a primary target. Six carrier construction slips, each with a carrier within, a cruiser construction yard as well as research and development facilities. Bondarevsky transmitted his gun camera footage back to the ''Tarawa''. Merritt originally estimated 30 hours to fully destroy the entire facility. Largkza had been converted by the Kilrathi into a massive military base that would require considerable time to completely destroy. | ||
After a tense moment between Merritt and O'Brian the order was given to prepare for an assault on | After a tense moment between Merritt and O'Brian the order was given to prepare for an assault on Largkza. The ''Intrepid'' and ''Kagimasha'' bombarded the surface of Largkza for an hour before a strike of eight Sabres and four Rapiers along with the ten landing craft was launched. Each Sabre was carrying four brand new "air-to-ground anti-radar missiles each of which broke into 50 submunitions that locked onto individual radars, radio links, laser trackers, point defense guidance systems, and subspace transmitters." The large amount of these missiles being launched required a special command system that was mounted on Montclair's Sabre that reassigned priority targets if missiles were shot down. Fourteen hundred anti-matter warheads made their way to the surface. Hundreds were lost, but hundreds got through knocking out a large portion of the Kilrathi defensive network. The landing craft then made their own assault to the surface. | ||
As the Marines landed on | As the Marines landed on Largkza, stealth fighters began an attack on the ''Tarawa''. They had been launched from a fleet carrier that arrived on the opposite side of the system. Upon learning of the new contacts, O'Brian decided that withdrawal was the best decision, without the Marines on the ground. Bondarevsky got into a heated argument with O'Brian before the conversation ended with Bondarevsky slamming the comm channel off. | ||
Upon landing, | Upon landing on the ''Tarawa'', Bondarevsky made straight for the bridge, however en route a terrific explosion shook the ship. The bridge had taken a Kilrathi [[kamikaze]]. The entire bridge crew was killed, including O'Brian, whose lower half was completely gone. Bondarevsky was then ranking officer on the carrier and immediately setup a temporary bridge in Flight Control and countermanded O’Brian’s withdrawal order. He wanted to make sure the marines had enough time to full wire the moon and get back. He then brought the Tarawa and her escorts back into the fight. Crown Prince Thrakhath commanded the Kilrathi fleet that was moving to intercept the Tarawa. One fleet carrier, two cruisers, four destroyers and two corvettes barreled at Strike Force Valkyrie. The other two carriers with Thrakhath had been sent to other systems to cut off potential escape routes. | ||
Confederation forces held the Kilrathi at bay while the marines placed mines in six carriers, a cruiser assembly building and numerous other production facilities. During the evacuation, Bondarevsky witnessed his love interest, Svetlana Ivanova, die while detonating the mines after her landing craft was hit during its ascent. This episode had long lasting emotional effects on Bondarevsky who never quite forgave himself for her death. | |||
The raid destroyed the facilities on the second moon of Kilrah including the six carriers, cruiser construction facilities, berths and a team of the Kilrathi's best designers who were visiting the installation at the time. Compared along with the victory the Confederation won at Vukar Tag at the same time, Operation Back Lash was the largest Confederation victory since 2665. | |||
The | ==The Withdrawal== | ||
Through the use of the gas giant [[Igrathi]] in the Kilrah system, the ''Tarawa'' and Bondarevsky were able to elude Prince Thrakhath for some twenty hours. During that time, repairs were undertaken to both the ‘’Tarawa’’ and fighters onboard. After the ''Tarawa'' lifted out of the gas giant's atmosphere it made a course for Kilrah. Using a Ferret and landing craft armed with nuclear weapons as decoys, Bondarevsky used the ''Tarawa’s'' tractor beams on Kilrah to slingshot the ''Tarawa'' towards a jump point leading out of system. However during the maneuver, the ''Kagimasha'' was lost when it collided with a Kilrathi fighter. | |||
The tractor beam maneuver impressed even Prince Thrakhath who remaked that it was "damned good." The jump point Bondarevsky had taken did not lead directly back to the Confederation so a stern chase against a heavy cruiser developed. Forced with the decision to either fighter the cruiser or continue onto the [[Jugara System]], Bondarevsky chose to continue forward. | |||
The | The ''Tarawa'' and ''Intrepid'' faced Prince Thrakhath's three heavy carriers in the [[Baragh System]], one jump from the Jugara System. In the ensuing engagement, ''Intrepid'' was lost in a mutual torpedo exchange with an enemy cruiser. ''Tarawa'' was subsequently rescued by the ''Concordia'' which had made the trek after the [[Battle of Vukar Tag]] to aid in the ''Tarawa's'' withdrawal. Admiral Tolwyn had neglected orders and pulled the ''Concordia'' out before Vukar Tag was fully secured in order to aid in the rescue of the ''Tarawa''. Bondarevsky respected Tolwyn for the rest of his life for this effort on the Admiral's part. | ||
==Rest & Refit on Earth== | |||
After returning to Confederation space, Bondarevsky and Merritt | After returning to Confederation space, Bondarevsky and Merritt received the [[Medal of Honor]] for their actions during the Kilrah raid. ''TCS Tarawa'' was sent to dry dock for refit and repair while Bondarevsky made a stint as an instructor at the Academy as well as learning about Kilrathi psychology at the Naval War College. During this period the holovid ''[[First to Kilrah]]'' was released. Despite being promised by the producers it would be a “straight forward documentary honoring those who had served,” the movie had little to do with the actual raid spending most of the screen time on his doomed relationship with Svetlana. He took the money the producer had given him for the holovid and donated every credit to a scholarship fund for the Marine and naval personnel lost in the raid. | ||
==The Sixth Battle of Munro== | ==The Sixth Battle of Munro== | ||
TCS Tarawa was back in action after undergoing almost a year of repair and refit. She was working | ''TCS Tarawa'' was back in action after undergoing almost a year of repair and refit. She was working alongside the ''TCS Concordia'' and several other ships in reoccupying [[Munro]], a critical jump nexus both into the Confederation and the Empire. During the engagement a Kilrathi light carrier was destroyed, however this action took place after Admiral Tolwyn had received the tentative cease-fire order. This action would be used to secret him out of the service and into a position to undertake the [[Free Corps]] mission in the Landreich several months later. | ||
==The Armistice== | ==The Armistice== | ||
Bondarevsky and Ian St. John accompanied Tolwyn to the | Bondarevsky and Ian St. John accompanied Tolwyn to the armistice ceremony to the irritation of Tolwyn's aides who thought they were being shunned from the historic event. Following the ceremony, Bondarevsky brought ''Tarawa'' into its docking station for storage. He was hand delivered a note from Admiral Banbridge which read: “Never in the annals of the fleet has so much been accomplished by a ship such as yours. I am proud to have served with you. The name ''Tarawa'' will not be forgotten, God bless you all.” Kevin Tolwyn gave the commissioning pennant of the Tarawa to Bondarevsky for a day he may need to hang it back up again. | ||
Following the Tarawa's decommissioning, Bondarevsky went to the [[Vacuum Breathers]] bar on Luna to meet with several former comrades. Hunter, Doomsday and Bear all discussed the current situation in the Confederation when [[Kirha]], the Kilrathi that had sworn allegiance to Hunter almost fifteen years ago, entered the bar and caused a stir between the former military officers and a academic. The situation ended with Kevin Tolwyn entering and asking | Following the Tarawa's decommissioning, Bondarevsky went to the [[Vacuum Breathers]] bar on [[Luna]] to meet with several former comrades. Hunter, Doomsday and Bear all discussed the current situation in the Confederation when [[Kirha]], the Kilrathi that had sworn allegiance to Hunter almost fifteen years ago, entered the bar and caused a stir between the former military officers and a academic named Dr. [[David Torg]]. The situation ended with Kevin Tolwyn entering and asking Bondarevsky, St. John and Montclaire to join him at his uncle's home on at [[Windward]] at the Shetland Islands on Earth. | ||
==The Free Corps Mission== | ==The Free Corps Mission== | ||
After taking a shuttle to Tolwyn's estate at Windward, Bondarevsky was surprised to see a collection of former Confederation officers sitting in Tolwyn's home. James Taggart among them, who Bondarevsky had believed dead. The situation was that Tolwyn's court martial was a way to remove him from the chain of command and put him in place for the Free Corps mission. Four [[Wake-Class Escort Carrier]]s were to be sold to the Landreich along with fighters and spare parts. These forces would be used to mount a recon mission into Kilrathi space and search for a hidden installation or other signs of the Kilrathi ignoring the armistice. TCS Tarawa, TCS Wake, TCS Normandy and TCS Iwo were the carriers chosen to be sold. Bondarevsky enlisted with Tolwyn and made ready for the Tarawa to leave. | After taking a shuttle to Tolwyn's estate at Windward, Bondarevsky was surprised to see a collection of former Confederation officers sitting in Tolwyn's home. James Taggart was among them, who Bondarevsky had believed dead. The situation was that Tolwyn's court martial was a way to remove him from the chain of command and put him in place for the Free Corps mission. Four [[Wake-Class Escort Carrier]]s were to be sold to the Landreich along with fighters and spare parts. These forces would be used to mount a recon mission into Kilrathi space and search for a hidden installation or other signs of the Kilrathi ignoring the armistice. ''TCS Tarawa'', ''TCS Wake'', ''TCS Normandy'' and ''TCS Iwo'' were the carriers chosen to be sold. Bondarevsky enlisted with Tolwyn and made ready for the ''Tarawa'' to leave. | ||
The small fleet left Confederation space to arrive at the military headquarters of the Landreich, Hell Hole. After an introduction to President Kruger, Bondarevsky was given the mission of infiltrating Kilrathi space with new Confederation technology and a new friend to run it. Admiral [[Vance Richards]] was head of Confederation Intelligence and a legend amongst the Fleet, [[D 3S 5]] was the latest Confederation technology used to listen to Kilrathi burst transmissions. The information gained from D 3S 5 was used to discover the Hakaga fleet in Hari space. It allowed James Taggart and Ian St. John to enter the Hari | The small fleet left Confederation space to arrive at the military headquarters of the Landreich, the [[Hell Hole System]]. After an introduction to President [[Kruger]], Bondarevsky was given the mission of infiltrating Kilrathi space with new Confederation technology and a new friend to run it. Admiral [[Vance Richards]] was head of Confederation Intelligence and a legend amongst the Fleet, [[D 3S 5]] was the latest Confederation technology used to listen to Kilrathi burst transmissions. The information gained from D 3S 5 was used to discover the [[Hakaga]] fleet in Hari space. It allowed James Taggart and Ian St. John to enter the [[Hari System]] and record information on the[[ Hakaga-Class Super Carrier]]s. | ||
Bondarevsky | Bondarevsky took the ''Tarawa'' deep into Kilrathi space while waiting for the return of James Taggart and Ian St. John. At one point he went so far as to land the escort carrier on a greenhouse gas world under a cliff overhang. The subterfuge of hiding the carriers worked until Taggart and St. John arrived. The Kilrathi had already moved into the system days before and forced the ''Tarawa'' and ''Normandy'' to hide on the planet. When the human forces exchanged the vital information about the Hakaga fleet a small battle erupted during which Ian St. John was killed by IFF missiles. | ||
Tarawa and Normandy returned to the Landreich following an intense stern chase given by the Kilrathi. Upon return, Bondarevsky demanded to rejoin Confederation forces then assembling to counter the Hakaga | ''Tarawa'' and ''Normandy'' returned to the Landreich following an intense stern chase given by the Kilrathi. Upon return, Bondarevsky demanded to rejoin Confederation forces then assembling to counter the Hakaga fleet’s move toward Sol. Kruger instead awarded Bondarevsky the [[Order of Nova with Diamonds]] and promoted him to Commodore in the Landreich Navy. Bondarevsky was not amused and wanted to join Tolwyn at [[Sirius]]. Kruger had to defend the Landreich and the four Wake carriers were his only bet. They would make a stand at Hell Hole. | ||
==Second Battle of Hell Hole== | ==Second Battle of Hell Hole== | ||
Bondarevsky participated in one of the most unique engagements of the war. Four Wake-Class carriers conducted a fleet action with a Kilrathi heavy carrier in the [[Second Battle of Hell Hole]]. The result was the loss of the ''[[TCS Gallipoli]]'' and crippling damage inflicted upon a Kilrathi heavy carrier. It was the only time that escort and heavy carriers engaged in a fleet action during the war. During the engagement, ''Tarawa'' was damaged when Kruger used an unorthodox maneuver to fool the Kilrathi and produce the fleet action. He jumped between Hell Hole and the neighboring system quickly and nicked the ''Tarawa'' coming through. The damage was not severe but did buckle several bulkheads. | |||
==Run to Earth== | ==Run to Earth== | ||
After Hell Hole, Bondarevsky convinced Kruger to let him run to Earth. Kruger led the fleet and they arrived in Sol just in time to destroy the cruisers assigned to | After the battle at Hell Hole, Bondarevsky convinced Kruger to let him run to Earth. Kruger led the fleet and they arrived in Sol just in time to destroy the cruisers assigned to launch the 500 megaton [[Strotnium-90]]-clad warheads into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Antimatter warheads were launched before Landreich forces could intercept them. More than a dozen cities on Earth were vaporized as a result, however the planet was saved from total annihilation by the rapid pace in which Kruger brought the forces from the Landreich. His high speed approach to the final jump point to Sol would become legendary in the violation of jump point policy and jump entry velocity. | ||
==TCS Coventry and War's End== | ==TCS Coventry and War's End== | ||
Following the [[Battle of Terra]], Bondarevsky was given command of Destroyer Squadron 67 which | Following the [[Battle of Terra]], Bondarevsky was given command of [[Destroyer Squadron 67]] which included ''[[TCS Ajax]]'', a [[Tallahassee-Class Heavy Cruiser]], ''[[TCS Sheffield]]'' and ''[[TCS Conventry]]'', [[Southampton-Class Destroyer]]s. They were to form the screening force for the ''[[TCS Victory]]''. | ||
During the [[Battle of Loki]], in which the [[TCS Behemoth]] was destroyed, the Conventry struck a | During the [[Battle of Loki]], in which the ''[[TCS Behemoth]]'' was destroyed, the ''Conventry'' struck by a Kilrathi missile. The missile hulled the bridge killing everyone and it was only because of [[Sparks]] heroic efforts that Bondarevsky survived with only the loss of his right arm. His injury caused him to be at [[Moonbase Tycho]] at the time of the [[Temblor Bombing of Kilrah]] when he heard the news of the raid on [[ISN]]. | ||
Following discharge from | Following discharge from Confleet, Bondarevsky retired to a recently purchased seaside home in Odessa with Sparks. Nothing romantic ever developed between the two, as Sparks remained a faithful aid to Bondarevsky. | ||
==Project Goliath== | ==Project Goliath== | ||
In 2670, Bondarevsky received a call from Admiral Richards for a proposition to join the [[Free Republic of the Landreich Navy]]. He met Richards and Tolwyn on Tycho | In 2670, Bondarevsky received a call from Admiral Richards for a proposition to join the [[Free Republic of the Landreich Navy]]. He met Richards and Tolwyn on Moonbase Tycho on 2670.275. After a brief conversation, Bondarevsky, along with Sparks, join the FRLN. They took the recently refurbished ex-Confederation cruiser ''TCS Andromache'' purchased by the Landreich, now ''[[FRLS Themistocles]]'' back to Landreich space. During the voyage he befriended Lieutenant Aengus Harper who was operating as the shuttle pilot for the ''Themistocles.’’ Harper would later transfer into the wing to be headed by Bondarevsky. | ||
The Presidential Palace of the Landreich was located in the city of [[Newburg]] on the planet [[Landreich]] in the [[Landreich System]]. It was here that the three recent Landreich recruits met with President Kruger to discuss their mission. Bondarevsky learned that part of the reason for his enlistment was to help bring a Kilrathi [[Bhantkara-Class Heavy Carrier]], disabled a year prior in the [[Vaku System during a fight with two Confederation cruisers, back online. A small task force centered around ''[[FRLS Independence]]'', formerly ''TCS Tarawa'', was sent to the Vaku system to begin repairs on the ''[[KIS Karga]]''. | |||
The small task force entered the Vaku System on 2670.313 after being led there by the civilian captain who had found the derelict, Captain [[Wenona Springweather]]. Securing the derelict proved to be difficult. The carrier itself was in orbit of a brown dwarf within the star’s radiation belt. After conducting a brief survey, the salvage crews were called off when survivors were discovered and informed the task force that the Karga’s self destruct system was still active and would initiate if power was restored. The survivors had made it to the barely habitable moon of Vaku VII. Vaku VIIa or "[[Nargrast]]" as it was known to the survivors was a hostile place. The Kilrathi and Terran survives were forced to work together less they all die on the moon surface. Throughout the rest of Project Goliath several of the Kilrathi and Terran survivors proved indispensible in overcoming various hurdles facing the refit effort. | |||
The refit effort took many months with Bondarevsky focused on training his pilots with their new Kilrathi fighters with the help of some of the Kilrathi survivors. [[Jorkad ''lan'' Mraal]], the senior pilot among the survivors was a major aid in constructing simulators for the Terrans that replicated the Kilrathi fighters accurately. Commander [[Alexandra Travis]] named Bondarevsky’s command, Flight Wing 137 (FW-137), "[[The Black Cats]]" during a Christmas party on 2670.358 (Christmas Eve) in the Flight Wing Lounge on ''FRLS Karga.'' | |||
On 2671.011 [[The Guild]] improvised escort carrier ''Bonadventure'' staged a strike on the ''FRLS Karga'' using information obtained from Captain Springweather. The goal was to disable the tender ''Sindri'' and then seize control of the ''Karga.'' Bondarevsky’s pilots were able to fight off the Guild ships, however ''[[FRLS Sindri]]'', the tender providing power and other support to the ''Karga,'' was lost during the attack. ''Karga'' was further along in the refitting process than [[Zachary Banfeld]] anticipated as its shields were functional at a marginal level. Lt. [[Eric "Viking" Jensson]] and the ''FRLS Sindri'' were lost during the attack. Later that day Admiral Tolwyn held a ceremony on the flight deck where the ‘’Karga’’ was renamed ''FRLS Mjollnir'' in honor of the ''Sindri'' who was named after the mythical Norse god Thor’s powerful hammer crafted by the craftsmen Sindri. | |||
On 2671.030-31 ''Mjollnir’s'' engines are brought online and the carrier is moved into orbit around Nargrast. | |||
On 2671.033 ''Mjollnir'' receives orders to move out following intelligence received that [[Ragark]] is moving to attack the Landreich and has acquired a major fleet asset in the [[Hvar'kann-class Dreadnought]] ''[[KIS Vorgath]].'' | |||
On 2671.036 the ''Mjollnir'' leaves the Vaku system bound for the [[Baka Kar System]]. | |||
On 2671.041 the ''Mjollnir'' arrives in the Vordan System where Bondarevsky’s participates in a boarding action against a Kilrathi picket ship in the system. During the raid, Alexandra Travis is injured while storming the bridge. Bondarevsky touches her breast while administering first aid and the contact leads to a humorous exchange that results in a dinner date plan after the action. Travis becomes a more serious love interest for Bondarevsky from this point on. | |||
==Battle of Baka Kar== | |||
[[category:characters]] | [[category:characters]] | ||
[[category:Terrans]] | [[category:Terrans]] | ||
Revision as of 05:54, 15 August 2010
| Jason Bondarevsky | |
|---|---|
| 2641 - | |
 | |
| Callsign | Bear |
| Place of birth | Razin, Alpha Centauri (2641) |
| Allegiance | Free Republic of the Landreich / Terran Confederation |
| Service/branch | Navy/Space Forces |
| Years of service | Confederation Space Forces - 2657 - 2667, Confederation Navy 2667 - 2669, FRLN 2668, 2670- |
| Rank | Rear Admiral - FRLN, Commodore - Confleet |
| Commands | Wing Commander - TCS Tarawa (2667), Captain - TCS Tarawa (2667-68), Commander - DesRon 67 [Flag on the TCS Coventry] (2668-69), Wing Commander - FRLS Mjollnir (2670), Commander - FRLN CVE Fleet (2671-72) |
| Battles/wars | Gettysburg Mutiny (2666), Invasion of Vukar Tag (2667), Kilrah Raid (2667), 6th Battle of Munro (2668), Free Corps (2668), 2nd Battle of Hell Hole (2668), Battle of Terra (2668), Battle of Loki (2669), Battle of Baka Kar (2671), FRL-Confederation Conflict of 2671-72 |
| Awards | Terran Confederation Medal of Honor Free Republic of the Landreich Order of Nova with Diamonds Golden Sun |
Jason Bondarevsky was a war hero for both the Terran Confederation and Free Republic of the Landreich. His name appears in the context of many noteworthy events during the late 27th century. He is best remembered for his roles in Operation Back Lash in 2667 and during the Battle of Terra the following year.
Enlistment and the Academy
Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky was born in the Russian Colony on Razin, Alpha Centauri in 2641. His father was Russian, his mother (maiden name Houston) was Australian. Jason had a single older sibling,Joshua Bondarevsky who joined the Confederation Marines and later died during the defense of Khosan in 2661. His contact with his father was limited as a result of the war as his father was a pilot with Confleet. His father was killed in combat in 2657 when Jason was only 16. Enraged by this, Jason stole a birth certificate from his local clerk's office and doctored it so that he could enlist with Confleet.
He was a Second Class Flight Deck Mate on his first cruise. Two years later he went on to the Academy, where he met Janice Parker and Svetlana Ivanova, with whom he sparked a romantic relationship with. Unfortunately, she failed her Advanced Spaceflight and Jump Point Physics course and washed out of the Academy. Eager to prove herself against the Kilrathi Svetlana transferred to the Confederation Marines where she eventually reached the rank of Major and the position of air-to-ground coordinator for the First Marine Commando battalion.
Early Career
After gradutation, Bondarevsky was assigned to the Waterloo-Class Cruiser TCS Gettysburg as a pilot. It was also during a mission flown off of the Gettysburg in 2664 that Bondarevsky met Captain Grierson of the destroyer TCS Intrepid for the first time. Having been forced to eject during combat, Bondarevsky was tractor beamed in by Grierson while having several Kilrathi destroyers in hot pursuit. This initial meeting between the two men paid off later during the events of Operation Back Lash as both were assigned to Strike Force Valkyrie.
On 2667.072, after encountering unarmed Kilrathi civilian transports in the N'Tanya system, Commodore Cain, commanding officer of the Gettysburg, ordered his pilots to destroy the transports. The pilots refused and trigged a mutiny that successfully removed Cain from command. However, soon after the crew split into two divergent groups. One group under Colonel Ransom wanted to continue a career of terrorism and piracy and forget about returning to the fleet. The other group was led by Lt. Colonel Poelma and Lt. Bondarevsky and they sought to rejoin Confleet as quickly as possible.
As the debate on what to do waged on the Gettysburg jumped from N'Tanya system to Rigel where they then staged a raid on the Rigel Supply Depot. The raid was led by Colonel Ransom and was successful in capturing the depot intact, however during the raid a prisoner attempted to escape and what followed has been described as a massacre of the Kilrathi by the Colonel's team. This event caused the opposition group to leave Ransom's team on the depot. They turned it into a temporary headquarters until he could retake the ‘’Gettysburg’’.
The Gettysburg crew then sent out a signal to the TCS Concordia informing them they were willing to negotiate. Bondarevsky was selected to fly out and meet a representative from the TCS Concordia. He was met by Colonel Christopher Blair who then escorted him back to the Concordia for debriefing. Upon arrival he was interned in the brig because of the situation. During that time, Bondarevsky met Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, an encounter that would have long lasting effects on Bondarevsky’s career. Colonel Blair then rendezvoused with the Gettysburg and informed the crew they have been given a full pardon for their actions. Bondarevsky was eventually released and transferred aboard the ‘’Concordia’’ where he completed one tour of duty before being promoted and transferred to the TCS Tarawa as its new Wing Commander.
Operation Back Lash
The TCS Tarawa was one of the original nine medium transports that were converted into Wake Class Escort Carriers three quarters of the way through their construction. They were intended as a quick fix for the horrible losses that Confleet had suffered during 2666. They were designed with several missions in mind, but the Tarawa was the first to be committed to a deep penetration raid straight into the Kilrah system.
Bondarevsky was one of the youngest Wing Commanders in the fleet at. He went from Second Class Flight Deck Mate to Wing Commander in 8 years. He owed the speed of his ascent to his own skills and abilities as a pilot and because of a referral by Tolwyn to Admiral Bainbridge who wanted a talented officer to occupy the position as Wing Commander on the Tarawa. Tolwyn was not informed until later on why he had been asked to choose some of his best people for assignment to the ‘’Tarawa’’. Bondarevsky also chose some of his colleagues from the ‘’Concordia’’ to serve with him on the Tarawa including Janet McCullough / Sparks, Etienne Montclair / Doomsday and Janice Parker / Starlight. There were other seasoned personnel on the Tarawa as well, however the vast majority of men and women serving aboard her on this first tour were fresh out of the Academy and boot camp.
The first orders he gave to his new pilots was that they would be returning to square one of spaceflight. They were to work their way from flight basics to advanced maneuvers. He hoped to teach them every trick he had learned fighting the Kilrathi to ensure that as many of them as possible would survive the critical early missions. If they survived through them their chances of survival jumped enormously.
Not only were most of the pilots fresh out of the Academy, the commanding officer of the Tarawa, Commodore Thaddeus O’Brian was an officer who had been transferred in from transport design and had no prior combat experience. The relationship between Commodore and Wing Commander was rocky from the moment Bondarevsky first landed on the Tarawa in a Ferret. O’Brian thought Bondarevsky’s landing was “a bit shaky, yes indeed, a bit shaky it was.” Bondarevsky had been sight-seeing a bit too much and had landed a bit hard. However, Bondarevsky noted to himself, “Not a great landing, he had to agree, but it had nothing to do with shakiness.”
The first mission of the Tarawa was a cover that involved the redeployment of some of the best Confederation Marine units to a ground assault exercise atKhartoum Station. The First Marine Commando battalion, one of the most elite units in the Confederation was part of this convoy as well. Svetlana Ivanova, Bondarevsky's former lover had become a member of the Commando battalion and was known as the "Talker" because of her role as air-to-ground coordinator. After meeting with the marine transports the convoy turned around on 2667.157 and made a high speed run for Vukar Tag in the Vukar Tag Sector where the marines are to stage an assault on the planet. The TCS Sevastapol joined the Tarawa before the jump into Vukar Tag.
The two escort carriers and marine transports launched a full strike against space and ground based targets on the planet of Vukar Tag. The Sevastapol's fighters and bombers handle space-based threats while the Tarawa's wing had pulled the atmospheric missions. The main target of the marine assault was the ancestral home of the Emperor's Mother, Dowager Empress Graknala. The structure was in Bondarevsky's own words "was beautiful, almost like a fairy-tale medieval fortress of polished limestone, complete to minareted towers." The entire commando battalion was committed to taking it by direct assault. The assault and subsequent demolition of the fortress was captured on vid and sent via burst signal to Kilrah. The listening post that sent the message was allowed to stay active for this specific purpose. It was an integral part of Operation Back Lash. Twelve hours after the assault on Vukar Tag began the Tarawa along with the commando battalion are recalled to the Niven Sector where they are briefed on their true role in Operation Back Lash.
Operation Back Lash was an offensive planned in the six months prior to the assault on Vukar Tag by Confederation HQ in order to cause enough damage to the Kilrathi Imperial forces that it could possibly cause a dynastic civil war and give the Confederation an edge. The taking of Vukar Tag was the opening move in the larger operation. TCS Concordia, TCS Wolfhound, TCS Trafalgar and TCS Gettysburg along with over seventy other ships had massed in the Niven Sector in order to meet the Kilrathi response to the fortifying of Vukar Tag by Confederation forces. Confleet were to ambush the Kilrathi fleet as it attempted its planetary assault with the hopes of catching them geared entirely for space-to-ground operations and little to no expectation of a fleet action.
The Tarawa had a unique role in Operation Back Lash as the main unit in Strike Force Valkyrie. Along with the TCS Intrepid under Captain Grierson, [TCS Kagimasha]] under Captain Teng and the First Marine Commando battalion under Colonel Merrit the task force was assigned the mission of penetrating into the Kilrah system itself and attacking the second moon of Kilrah, which was known to be a massive military installation. The strike force used a set of jump lines that the Kilrathi did not know the Confederation was aware of. They were then to let the Kilrathi find the task force, thereby putting the Kilrathi in a dilemma. The situation at Vukar Tag demanded a response for the sake of honor but the strike force represented an interloper deep inside the Empire. The Confederation hope and actual result was for the Home Fleet to be split into two sections. Three carriers were to break off and intercept the ‘’Tarawa’’ while seven carriers continued to Vukar Tag. This gave the Confederation the numerical ratio it needed to increase the chances for success at Vukar Tag.
Bondarevsky allowed a lone Sartha to escape with footage of the strike force as per the mission guidelines, however Commodore O'Brian had other ideas as he was more concerned with saving his own life instead of completing the mission as outlined by Bainbridge. If not for a series of actions on the part of Captain Grierson following Bondarevsky's return to the ‘’Tarawa’’ things could have gone very differently, however Grierson's intervention pushed the task force to flank speed for the heart of the Empire.
The transit time from Niven until the reveal point deep within the Empire allowed Bondarevsky to further train his pilots along with rekindle the romantic relationship with Captain Ivanova. The time allowed for further training was very important to Bondarevsky as far as he and the other senior officers were concerned, their mission was essentially a one-way trip. He wanted the people under his command to still have the best chance of surviving the raid.
Battle of Kilrah
The Battle of Kilrah began as soon as Strike Force Valkyrie entered the Kilrah system. The first Kilrathi response was twenty plus fighters and three corvettes that were met and destroyed by the ‘’Tarawa's’’ fighters. During this action, Bondarevsky noticed the massive shipyard facilities on Largkza, the second moon of Kilrah that Bainbridge had mentioned in the initial briefing as a primary target. Six carrier construction slips, each with a carrier within, a cruiser construction yard as well as research and development facilities. Bondarevsky transmitted his gun camera footage back to the Tarawa. Merritt originally estimated 30 hours to fully destroy the entire facility. Largkza had been converted by the Kilrathi into a massive military base that would require considerable time to completely destroy.
After a tense moment between Merritt and O'Brian the order was given to prepare for an assault on Largkza. The Intrepid and Kagimasha bombarded the surface of Largkza for an hour before a strike of eight Sabres and four Rapiers along with the ten landing craft was launched. Each Sabre was carrying four brand new "air-to-ground anti-radar missiles each of which broke into 50 submunitions that locked onto individual radars, radio links, laser trackers, point defense guidance systems, and subspace transmitters." The large amount of these missiles being launched required a special command system that was mounted on Montclair's Sabre that reassigned priority targets if missiles were shot down. Fourteen hundred anti-matter warheads made their way to the surface. Hundreds were lost, but hundreds got through knocking out a large portion of the Kilrathi defensive network. The landing craft then made their own assault to the surface.
As the Marines landed on Largkza, stealth fighters began an attack on the Tarawa. They had been launched from a fleet carrier that arrived on the opposite side of the system. Upon learning of the new contacts, O'Brian decided that withdrawal was the best decision, without the Marines on the ground. Bondarevsky got into a heated argument with O'Brian before the conversation ended with Bondarevsky slamming the comm channel off.
Upon landing on the Tarawa, Bondarevsky made straight for the bridge, however en route a terrific explosion shook the ship. The bridge had taken a Kilrathi kamikaze. The entire bridge crew was killed, including O'Brian, whose lower half was completely gone. Bondarevsky was then ranking officer on the carrier and immediately setup a temporary bridge in Flight Control and countermanded O’Brian’s withdrawal order. He wanted to make sure the marines had enough time to full wire the moon and get back. He then brought the Tarawa and her escorts back into the fight. Crown Prince Thrakhath commanded the Kilrathi fleet that was moving to intercept the Tarawa. One fleet carrier, two cruisers, four destroyers and two corvettes barreled at Strike Force Valkyrie. The other two carriers with Thrakhath had been sent to other systems to cut off potential escape routes.
Confederation forces held the Kilrathi at bay while the marines placed mines in six carriers, a cruiser assembly building and numerous other production facilities. During the evacuation, Bondarevsky witnessed his love interest, Svetlana Ivanova, die while detonating the mines after her landing craft was hit during its ascent. This episode had long lasting emotional effects on Bondarevsky who never quite forgave himself for her death.
The raid destroyed the facilities on the second moon of Kilrah including the six carriers, cruiser construction facilities, berths and a team of the Kilrathi's best designers who were visiting the installation at the time. Compared along with the victory the Confederation won at Vukar Tag at the same time, Operation Back Lash was the largest Confederation victory since 2665.
The Withdrawal
Through the use of the gas giant Igrathi in the Kilrah system, the Tarawa and Bondarevsky were able to elude Prince Thrakhath for some twenty hours. During that time, repairs were undertaken to both the ‘’Tarawa’’ and fighters onboard. After the Tarawa lifted out of the gas giant's atmosphere it made a course for Kilrah. Using a Ferret and landing craft armed with nuclear weapons as decoys, Bondarevsky used the Tarawa’s tractor beams on Kilrah to slingshot the Tarawa towards a jump point leading out of system. However during the maneuver, the Kagimasha was lost when it collided with a Kilrathi fighter.
The tractor beam maneuver impressed even Prince Thrakhath who remaked that it was "damned good." The jump point Bondarevsky had taken did not lead directly back to the Confederation so a stern chase against a heavy cruiser developed. Forced with the decision to either fighter the cruiser or continue onto the Jugara System, Bondarevsky chose to continue forward.
The Tarawa and Intrepid faced Prince Thrakhath's three heavy carriers in the Baragh System, one jump from the Jugara System. In the ensuing engagement, Intrepid was lost in a mutual torpedo exchange with an enemy cruiser. Tarawa was subsequently rescued by the Concordia which had made the trek after the Battle of Vukar Tag to aid in the Tarawa's withdrawal. Admiral Tolwyn had neglected orders and pulled the Concordia out before Vukar Tag was fully secured in order to aid in the rescue of the Tarawa. Bondarevsky respected Tolwyn for the rest of his life for this effort on the Admiral's part.
Rest & Refit on Earth
After returning to Confederation space, Bondarevsky and Merritt received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Kilrah raid. TCS Tarawa was sent to dry dock for refit and repair while Bondarevsky made a stint as an instructor at the Academy as well as learning about Kilrathi psychology at the Naval War College. During this period the holovid First to Kilrah was released. Despite being promised by the producers it would be a “straight forward documentary honoring those who had served,” the movie had little to do with the actual raid spending most of the screen time on his doomed relationship with Svetlana. He took the money the producer had given him for the holovid and donated every credit to a scholarship fund for the Marine and naval personnel lost in the raid.
The Sixth Battle of Munro
TCS Tarawa was back in action after undergoing almost a year of repair and refit. She was working alongside the TCS Concordia and several other ships in reoccupying Munro, a critical jump nexus both into the Confederation and the Empire. During the engagement a Kilrathi light carrier was destroyed, however this action took place after Admiral Tolwyn had received the tentative cease-fire order. This action would be used to secret him out of the service and into a position to undertake the Free Corps mission in the Landreich several months later.
The Armistice
Bondarevsky and Ian St. John accompanied Tolwyn to the armistice ceremony to the irritation of Tolwyn's aides who thought they were being shunned from the historic event. Following the ceremony, Bondarevsky brought Tarawa into its docking station for storage. He was hand delivered a note from Admiral Banbridge which read: “Never in the annals of the fleet has so much been accomplished by a ship such as yours. I am proud to have served with you. The name Tarawa will not be forgotten, God bless you all.” Kevin Tolwyn gave the commissioning pennant of the Tarawa to Bondarevsky for a day he may need to hang it back up again.
Following the Tarawa's decommissioning, Bondarevsky went to the Vacuum Breathers bar on Luna to meet with several former comrades. Hunter, Doomsday and Bear all discussed the current situation in the Confederation when Kirha, the Kilrathi that had sworn allegiance to Hunter almost fifteen years ago, entered the bar and caused a stir between the former military officers and a academic named Dr. David Torg. The situation ended with Kevin Tolwyn entering and asking Bondarevsky, St. John and Montclaire to join him at his uncle's home on at Windward at the Shetland Islands on Earth.
The Free Corps Mission
After taking a shuttle to Tolwyn's estate at Windward, Bondarevsky was surprised to see a collection of former Confederation officers sitting in Tolwyn's home. James Taggart was among them, who Bondarevsky had believed dead. The situation was that Tolwyn's court martial was a way to remove him from the chain of command and put him in place for the Free Corps mission. Four Wake-Class Escort Carriers were to be sold to the Landreich along with fighters and spare parts. These forces would be used to mount a recon mission into Kilrathi space and search for a hidden installation or other signs of the Kilrathi ignoring the armistice. TCS Tarawa, TCS Wake, TCS Normandy and TCS Iwo were the carriers chosen to be sold. Bondarevsky enlisted with Tolwyn and made ready for the Tarawa to leave.
The small fleet left Confederation space to arrive at the military headquarters of the Landreich, the Hell Hole System. After an introduction to President Kruger, Bondarevsky was given the mission of infiltrating Kilrathi space with new Confederation technology and a new friend to run it. Admiral Vance Richards was head of Confederation Intelligence and a legend amongst the Fleet, D 3S 5 was the latest Confederation technology used to listen to Kilrathi burst transmissions. The information gained from D 3S 5 was used to discover the Hakaga fleet in Hari space. It allowed James Taggart and Ian St. John to enter the Hari System and record information on theHakaga-Class Super Carriers.
Bondarevsky took the Tarawa deep into Kilrathi space while waiting for the return of James Taggart and Ian St. John. At one point he went so far as to land the escort carrier on a greenhouse gas world under a cliff overhang. The subterfuge of hiding the carriers worked until Taggart and St. John arrived. The Kilrathi had already moved into the system days before and forced the Tarawa and Normandy to hide on the planet. When the human forces exchanged the vital information about the Hakaga fleet a small battle erupted during which Ian St. John was killed by IFF missiles.
Tarawa and Normandy returned to the Landreich following an intense stern chase given by the Kilrathi. Upon return, Bondarevsky demanded to rejoin Confederation forces then assembling to counter the Hakaga fleet’s move toward Sol. Kruger instead awarded Bondarevsky the Order of Nova with Diamonds and promoted him to Commodore in the Landreich Navy. Bondarevsky was not amused and wanted to join Tolwyn at Sirius. Kruger had to defend the Landreich and the four Wake carriers were his only bet. They would make a stand at Hell Hole.
Second Battle of Hell Hole
Bondarevsky participated in one of the most unique engagements of the war. Four Wake-Class carriers conducted a fleet action with a Kilrathi heavy carrier in the Second Battle of Hell Hole. The result was the loss of the TCS Gallipoli and crippling damage inflicted upon a Kilrathi heavy carrier. It was the only time that escort and heavy carriers engaged in a fleet action during the war. During the engagement, Tarawa was damaged when Kruger used an unorthodox maneuver to fool the Kilrathi and produce the fleet action. He jumped between Hell Hole and the neighboring system quickly and nicked the Tarawa coming through. The damage was not severe but did buckle several bulkheads.
Run to Earth
After the battle at Hell Hole, Bondarevsky convinced Kruger to let him run to Earth. Kruger led the fleet and they arrived in Sol just in time to destroy the cruisers assigned to launch the 500 megaton Strotnium-90-clad warheads into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Antimatter warheads were launched before Landreich forces could intercept them. More than a dozen cities on Earth were vaporized as a result, however the planet was saved from total annihilation by the rapid pace in which Kruger brought the forces from the Landreich. His high speed approach to the final jump point to Sol would become legendary in the violation of jump point policy and jump entry velocity.
TCS Coventry and War's End
Following the Battle of Terra, Bondarevsky was given command of Destroyer Squadron 67 which included TCS Ajax, a Tallahassee-Class Heavy Cruiser, TCS Sheffield and TCS Conventry, Southampton-Class Destroyers. They were to form the screening force for the TCS Victory.
During the Battle of Loki, in which the TCS Behemoth was destroyed, the Conventry struck by a Kilrathi missile. The missile hulled the bridge killing everyone and it was only because of Sparks heroic efforts that Bondarevsky survived with only the loss of his right arm. His injury caused him to be at Moonbase Tycho at the time of the Temblor Bombing of Kilrah when he heard the news of the raid on ISN.
Following discharge from Confleet, Bondarevsky retired to a recently purchased seaside home in Odessa with Sparks. Nothing romantic ever developed between the two, as Sparks remained a faithful aid to Bondarevsky.
Project Goliath
In 2670, Bondarevsky received a call from Admiral Richards for a proposition to join the Free Republic of the Landreich Navy. He met Richards and Tolwyn on Moonbase Tycho on 2670.275. After a brief conversation, Bondarevsky, along with Sparks, join the FRLN. They took the recently refurbished ex-Confederation cruiser TCS Andromache purchased by the Landreich, now FRLS Themistocles back to Landreich space. During the voyage he befriended Lieutenant Aengus Harper who was operating as the shuttle pilot for the Themistocles.’’ Harper would later transfer into the wing to be headed by Bondarevsky.
The Presidential Palace of the Landreich was located in the city of Newburg on the planet Landreich in the Landreich System. It was here that the three recent Landreich recruits met with President Kruger to discuss their mission. Bondarevsky learned that part of the reason for his enlistment was to help bring a Kilrathi Bhantkara-Class Heavy Carrier, disabled a year prior in the [[Vaku System during a fight with two Confederation cruisers, back online. A small task force centered around FRLS Independence, formerly TCS Tarawa, was sent to the Vaku system to begin repairs on the KIS Karga.
The small task force entered the Vaku System on 2670.313 after being led there by the civilian captain who had found the derelict, Captain Wenona Springweather. Securing the derelict proved to be difficult. The carrier itself was in orbit of a brown dwarf within the star’s radiation belt. After conducting a brief survey, the salvage crews were called off when survivors were discovered and informed the task force that the Karga’s self destruct system was still active and would initiate if power was restored. The survivors had made it to the barely habitable moon of Vaku VII. Vaku VIIa or "Nargrast" as it was known to the survivors was a hostile place. The Kilrathi and Terran survives were forced to work together less they all die on the moon surface. Throughout the rest of Project Goliath several of the Kilrathi and Terran survivors proved indispensible in overcoming various hurdles facing the refit effort.
The refit effort took many months with Bondarevsky focused on training his pilots with their new Kilrathi fighters with the help of some of the Kilrathi survivors. Jorkad ''lan'' Mraal, the senior pilot among the survivors was a major aid in constructing simulators for the Terrans that replicated the Kilrathi fighters accurately. Commander Alexandra Travis named Bondarevsky’s command, Flight Wing 137 (FW-137), "The Black Cats" during a Christmas party on 2670.358 (Christmas Eve) in the Flight Wing Lounge on FRLS Karga.
On 2671.011 The Guild improvised escort carrier Bonadventure staged a strike on the FRLS Karga using information obtained from Captain Springweather. The goal was to disable the tender Sindri and then seize control of the Karga. Bondarevsky’s pilots were able to fight off the Guild ships, however FRLS Sindri, the tender providing power and other support to the Karga, was lost during the attack. Karga was further along in the refitting process than Zachary Banfeld anticipated as its shields were functional at a marginal level. Lt. Eric "Viking" Jensson and the FRLS Sindri were lost during the attack. Later that day Admiral Tolwyn held a ceremony on the flight deck where the ‘’Karga’’ was renamed FRLS Mjollnir in honor of the Sindri who was named after the mythical Norse god Thor’s powerful hammer crafted by the craftsmen Sindri. On 2671.030-31 Mjollnir’s engines are brought online and the carrier is moved into orbit around Nargrast.
On 2671.033 Mjollnir receives orders to move out following intelligence received that Ragark is moving to attack the Landreich and has acquired a major fleet asset in the Hvar'kann-class Dreadnought KIS Vorgath.
On 2671.036 the Mjollnir leaves the Vaku system bound for the Baka Kar System.
On 2671.041 the Mjollnir arrives in the Vordan System where Bondarevsky’s participates in a boarding action against a Kilrathi picket ship in the system. During the raid, Alexandra Travis is injured while storming the bridge. Bondarevsky touches her breast while administering first aid and the contact leads to a humorous exchange that results in a dinner date plan after the action. Travis becomes a more serious love interest for Bondarevsky from this point on.
