The mighty Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar was a troubled man, whose ambition was always thwarted by his own ego and his military’s lack of military excellence. Lincoln Osis was known as a man who used whatever tools necessary to achieve his goals. For the longest time, he had the talent to achieve such a thing until the later part of Operation REVIVAL. Following the loss at Tukayyid, he descended into delusional madness, seeing enemies where there weren’t and refused to acknowledge the Clan Reformation led by ilKhan McKenna.

Early Life

Lincoln Osis was the biggest Elemental in his sibko from the very start and quickly learned that might makes right. A ristar from a very young age, he worked as hard as he possibly could to keep his status and prove everyone who doubted him wrong. He was quickly picked out as a competent leader and excelled in both physical and academic fields. During his Blooding, he achieved the position of Star Commander, a feat rarely imitated by Elementals.

Military Career

The Quiet Days

The early career of Lincoln Smoke Jaguar happened during the tense time before the Clan Invasion which some still call “the Quiet Days”. Reports from the Wolf’s Dragoons were used to create simulation of engagements against Inner Sphere foes and test warriors in speculative fighting, but there was no major engagement between the Clans. Star Commander Osis quickly took to the Crusader philosophy, seeing that the Inner Sphere could never be ready for his own might. By 3036, Lincoln Smoke Jaguar had reached the position of Star Colonel after a fight with Clan Nova Cat proved his bravery and cunning.

Growing in popularity, he was asked to participate in various Trials of Bloodright for the Osis bloodname, but he refused. There was one particular Osis bloodname Lincoln was interested in, and it was the one related directly to Franklin Osis which was mainly coveted by MechWarriors. When the right Bloodright became available in 3039, Lincoln Smoke Jaguar challenged for it, defeating as many MechWarriors as he could in augmented combat.

Preparing for the Invasion

Lincoln Osis, now a Star Colonel, was part of the inner circle of Leo Showers as they prepared for the upcoming invasion of the Inner Sphere. Even amongst the Crusaders, Osis was seen as far more aggressive and pushing for the invasion to be done sooner than later. There were multiple calls by Osis for the establishment of an ilKhan as early as 3042, as an example. The capture of the Outbound Light by Clan Smoke Jaguar allowed the Crusader ideals to finally triumph in the High Council, leading to the election of Leo Showers to the position of ilKhan.

Star Colonel Osis took this opportunity to challenge Sarah Weaver, the then saKhan of the Smoke Jaguars, for the position of Khan in the Clan. The fight on the spine of the CSJS Sabre Cat is used as a reference for how an elemental can fight a larger BattleMech in difficult environments in training ever since.

As Khan, Lincoln Osis presided over the placement Trials for Operation REVIVAL. His aggressive strategies and bidding practices won him the day against their dreaded rivals, the Nova Cats, but also again Clan Coyote and Clan Ghost Bear. Khan Osis was happy to bid for an invasion corridor going against the Draconis Combine, which were seen as the most “Clan-like” of opponents and potentially the most glorious of victory.

Failings of the Osis Doctrine

Unfortunately for the Smoke Jaguars, fighting the Draconis Combine was not as easy as they first expected. While the “core regiments” of the Combine still played by the rules of bushido, their militia and support units did not. Theodore Kurita’s reorganization of the DCMS during and post the War of 3039 posed a lot of problems to the Khan’s forces. After the massacre on Idlewind, Osis was first called up to the Council to explain his actions, which he rationalized as fighting a dishonorable enemy.

Things further escalated after Galaxy Commander Cordera Perez performed an orbital bombardment on Turtle Bay’s capital of Edo. This led to the bidding out of warships during the remainder of the invasion by the Clans, weakening their position of strength. It also furthered proved that the aggressive position some Crusaders took would not work well against an entrenched Inner Sphere enemy.

The death of Leo Showers obviously changed the game once again. Lincoln Osis attempted to use Phelan Wolf as a pawn in his political game, but he was outplayed by Ulric Kerensky. To many upper level Clan politicians, this proved that Osis was not quite the man Leo Showers had been and nowhere near as influential. Osis’s further defeats on Luthien cemented Osis’s position as “not good enough” in the eyes of many other Khans and saKhan, including the upcoming Brandon Howell.

Refusing the New Order

After the Truce of Tukayyid, Lincoln Osis attempted a bid to become ilKhan in the footsteps of Leo Showers and after the removal of Ulric Kerensky. His bid was cut short by the various non-Invader Clans pointing out just how awful the Smoke Jaguar’s performance had been during Operation REVIVAL, focusing on the biggest failures like the Battle of Wolcott and Luthien. Lincoln Osis went all the way to threatening violence on other members of the High Council during the debate leading to the ilKhan’s election, which had him receive a reprimand from the group leadership.

With the ascension of ilKhan Lynn McKenna, Khan Lincoln Osis progressively became more bellicose and paranoid. He refused almost all requests from the ilKhan to start reforming the Clans and their military into a more unified task force. Only through Trials and extremely aggressive trade deals were the Smoke Jaguars accepting things like opening Brian caches and mobilizing additional personnel. While still ardently Crusader in outlook, many of the Smoke Jaguar’s top Galaxy Commanders and Star Colonels began distancing themselves from Osis’s positions, even embracing some Warden ideals just to not be regarded in the same light as their leader.

Fallout of Santander and Death

Clan Snow Raven requested of Clan Smoke Jaguar the planet of Santander, which ilKhan McKenna wanted to make her capital in the Inner Sphere. Lincoln Osis was quick to refuse such a demand. Even with significant trade concessions, the Jaguar Khan balked at the request and repeatedly told the Snow Raven to “hit the road”. As ilKhan McKenna moved Gamma Galaxy to take Santander, Khan Osis mobilized his Psi Galaxy and their new ProtoMechs to defend the world.

By August of 3060, the Smoke Jaguar forces on Santander had surrendered and were granted hegira. As the results of the battle were read to the Clan High Council, Lincoln Osis decided to take the offensive and challenge ilKhan McKenna to a trial for her position as ilKhan, quoting that she had broken the rules of engagement she herself had created. The other assembled Clan leaders originally laughed at the request before realizing Osis was serious. The Jaguar’s saKhan, Brandon Howell, distanced himself from Lincoln Osis and denounced him, leading to a fist fight between the two men. After being ejected from the Council Room, Khan Osis heard Brandon Howell admit defeat on Santander.

As the council broke, Osis attacked Howell again, which led the MechWarrior to challenge the Elemental to a trial, with the title of Khan being put on the line. The fight was performed the next day, with Howell disintegrating Lincoln Osis with a clean ER PPC shot.

Personal Life

Personal life was never really a thing for Lincoln Osis, who had always put his military career ahead of anything else. His ambition and goals were all that mattered to him and he took any insult or perceived slight as direct attacks against him. It seemed to most that his only hobby was beating up other warriors in a Circle of Equal, using no specific martial arts or skill to do so, just raw power. Behind closed doors, many within Clan Smoke Jaguars resented Khan Osis’s position and wished him to be removed.

Lincoln Osis’s Battle Armor

Lincoln Osis preferred to use an Elemental Battle Armor equipped with a small laser.

ROM Intelligence Report

“Lincoln Osis was a dangerous man both on and off the battlefield. ComStar adepts who dealt with him directly reported early on that he had a particularly short temper and a bad attitude, which apparently was exacerbated after the defeat on Luthien and at Tukayyid. His death at the hands of his own second-in-command is probably the best thing that happened for the civilian under Smoke Jaguar occupation.”