Society of Mandarins

The Society of the Mandarins was a secret organization within the Terran Confederation consisting of Terran traitors who supported the Kilrathi Empire during the Terran-Kilrathi War. Their main goal was to assist the Empire in defeating humanity.

Origins

The Society of the Mandarins was known to be active since at least the 2650s and was comprised of humans who had become disillusioned with the ideals of the Terran Confederation. It is possible that the Mandarins had no faith that the Terrans would win the Kilrathi War, and instead sought political asylum with the Kilrathi so that they would be spared when the Empire won the War. It is also made mention that said traitors were promised high positions within the Kilrathi Empire if they agreed to help the Kilrathi to defeat the Confederation.

The term "Mandarins" is said to have originated from the ancient Mandarins of the region on Earth historically known as China, which was constantly invaded by the Mongols in the northern regions of Asia. The Mandarins were said to have defeated the Mongol threat by converting the Mongols over to their own society and lifestyle, just as the Mandarin spies managed to convert many of their comrades to Imperial Kilrathi rule.

Activities

The network of Mandarins extended across the entire Terran Confederation and possibly into the Union of Border Worlds. The group grew to the point where it was considered a grave threat to the Terran war effort and established a base of operations on Ayer's Rock, a secret facility hidden deep within an asteroid field in the Ayer's System.

The Mandarins were eventually successful in establishing an alliance with the Kilrathi Empire, and since then became some of the Kilrathi's most prized series of agents. The Mandarins posed as ordinary Confederation personnel, and therefore were able to work behind the scenes easily without prying eyes. They adopted a campaign of murder and terrorism, destroying Terran vessels by luring them out into the open or keeping the Kilrathi informed of their movements. They murdered any pilots or servicemen who could threaten their plans, and did everything in their power to impede humanity's war efforts.

History

The first Mandarins were discovered in 2655 on the TCS Winterrowd, a Terran fleet carrier. Two Terran personnel accused of disloyalty were found to be Mandarin agents, a discovery which shocked many Terran personnel. This initial discovery passed without incident, however, revealing little about the true extent of the Mandarin network.

In 2655, Major Zachary Colson of the TCS Austin became disillusioned with the Terran Confederation following the destruction of Goddard in 2654. In that attack, the Kilrathi destroyed the Goddard Colony using an experimental prototype of the Particle Acceleration Cannon, which left the entire population dead. Among the victims was Colson's brother, a loss that had a profound effect on his loyalty towards humanity. Colson eventually learned that the TCS Tiger's Claw had been in the vicinity of Goddard at the time of the attack, but failed to prevent it because they had detoured to destroy a Kilrathi troopship beforehand. Convinced that the Claw had betrayed his brother and the people of Goddard to the Kilrathi, Colson silently swore allegiance to the Kilrathi Empire, and enacted his plans for revenge.

In 2656, Colson put his plans in motion when the Tiger's Claw was reassigned to the Enigma Sector to locate and destroy the Kilrathi Sector Command at K'Tithrak Mang. Colson leaked the coordinates of the vessel to the Kilrathi, who sent a large force of stealth fighters to destroy the Claw. The Claw was completely destroyed in an overwhelming torpedo attack, dealing a heavy blow to the Confederation war effort in the sector. Colonel Christopher Blair was the only witness to the attack, so Colson stole his flight recorder to discredit his claims of stealth fighters, marking him as a traitor to the Confederation. Though the charges could not be proved without evidence, Blair was nonetheless demoted and reassigned to In-System Security, effectively removing him from the Kilrathi War.

From the 2650s into the 2660s, the Mandarins continued to hamper the Terran war effort, with Colson eventually gaining distinction as the most lethal Mandarin agent in the network. By 2665, he was serving on the TCS Concordia, the flagship of the Terran Confederation Navy and command ship of Vice Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn. Colson continued to operate on behalf of the Mandarins through the Enigma Sector Campaign, while maintaining a mask of innocence and concern in front of his comrades.

Colson's reign of terror made itself evident once again after the unexpected arrival of Christopher Blair on the Concordia. During operations at Niven, Colson transmitted classified data to the Kilrathi in the vessel's communications room, and murdered Comms Specialist McGuffin when the later interrupted the transmission. He then framed pilot Dirk "Stingray" Wright for the murder, throwing off suspicion on him. He was responsible for numerous acts of sabotage and terrorism on the ship, which led to several more injuries and hampered the Concordia's operations.

In 2667, Colson anonymously offered pilot Mariko "Spirit" Tanaka an opportunity to join the Mandarins, and when she refused, he blackmailed her with the life of her long-lost fiancee Philip, who was a prisoner of war to the Kilrathi. Tanaka refused to join and did not report the incident in full, prompting Colson to retaliate by sabotaging her fighter. Colson informed the Kilrathi of the Concordia's imminent attack on the Heaven's Gate Starbase, forcing the Terrans to assault early and then retreat. Tanaka and Blair carried out the attack, but Colson detonated the bomb on Tanaka's fighter, killing her gunner and damaging her craft. Rather than eject, Spirit rammed the starbase, taking her own life and destroying the station in the process.

Colson's campaign took a new turn at K'Tithrak Mang when the Concordia was sent to attempt a second assault on the main Kilrathi base. During the assault, Colson leaked intelligence to the Kilrathi and tracked incoming Terran warships. However, his treachery was finally discovered by Colonel Jeanette Devereaux when he mistakenly revealed more knowledge of the operation than he otherwise should, and promptly fled after a failed attempt to murder the Colonel. Blair was ordered to intercept Colson while still on patrol, and after a one-on-one engagement he shot down and captured Colson, ending his treacherous actions on the Concordia. Blair was cleared of guilt in the Claw's destruction after security recovered the flight recorder from the attack, and Colson was later formally charged with murder and treason against humanity.

The Morningstar Project

Despite Colson's arrest and his failed effort to disrupt the attack on K'Tithrak Mang, the Mandarins continued to harass the Confederation. In 2668, the F-95 Morningstar was introduced as the most advanced starfighter in the Confederation. Eager to acquire it for their Kilrathi allies, the Mandarins made plans to steal a prototype.

Zachary Colson was eventually found guilty of all charges at his tribunal, and was subsequently sentenced to death. The Mandarins learned he was to be executed on Earth, and launched a rescue operation. Mandarins agents posing as ordinary Confederation crew hijacked Colson's prison ship, and simultaneously distracted its escorts by staging an attack on a civilian convoy. Colson resumed his services to the Mandarins and enlisted several Mandarin sympathizers with the task of capturing a Morningstar.

(To be continued)