The Culling
"It is with great pleasure that I announce which Clan shall become home to my heart and the hearts of those Kerenskys who will follow. The Clan I have chosen possesses a collective intelligence I admire, the burning passion of true hunters that I desire, and, above all, is blessed with the spirit which will serve as a beacon to all the rest. I choose to mingle my blood legacy with Clan Wolf."
-ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky
Clan Jade Falcon's hopes for ultimate glory died when Nicholas Kerensky chose to tie his destiny to Clan Wolf. Publicly, the Clan reacted to the announcement by swearing anew their undying loyalty to the ilKhan and his new command. Privately, they reeled with shock and outrage.
Nicholas Kerensky delivered a second announcement at the same time, revealing that the Pentagon worlds were now divided into Clan-ruled spheres of control, known as enclaves. Clan Jade Falcon received large portions of Dagda and Eden to rebuild and shape in keeping with Nicholas Kerensky's dream. The ilKhan provided a few general orders for the reconstruction of the worlds, then returned to Strana Mechty.
The warriors of Clan Jade Falcon harbored a deep resentment toward Nicholas Kerensky for passing them over for the Clans' greatest honor, and a common refrain ran through the rank and file, "Did we not fight more often and with greater skill than the Wolves; have we not given our very lives to prove our worth?" Discontent spread, and some warriors went beyond questioning the ilKhan's decision to also question the validity of his dreams of a caste-driven society.
More than a year passed, during which Khans Hazen and
Buhallin made little effort to stop the growing discontent, perhaps a sign of their
personal misgivings. The malcontents, emboldened by lack of punishment, carried their
argument to its logical conclusion and declared that if the ilKhan failed to see the
superiority of Clan Jade Falcon, then perhaps they should strike out on their own.
Within days of that statement, the ilKhan sent a message to Eden announcing his arrival to
meet with the leaders of Clan Jade Falcon. The Khans' indecision finally ended in furious
action.
The Khans and high officers of Clan Jade Falcon fell upon the rank and file in what came to be called "The Culling," referring to the falconry practice of casting out immature falcons too small or frail to be trained. Those who questioned Clan Jade Falcon's role in Kerensky's society were subjected to severe physical punishment or were sent to explore marginally habitable worlds in the Kerensky Cluster. The ringleaders of the insurrection, two officers and ten enlisted personnel, were executed and their bodies put on display.
By the time the ilKhan arrived on Eden, to be ceremoniously greeted by the Khans and command staff of Clan Jade Falcon, the Culling was over. No Clan record hazards even a guess at whether Nicholas Kerensky knew of the growing unrest and announced his trip to galvanize the Clan's leaders into action (easy to believe, considering the timing of his visit) or whether those events were coincidental.
Whatever the intent, the effect of the ilKhan's visit to Clan Jade Falcon was clear then, and still visible today. Of all the Clans, Jade Falcon considers itself the most loyal to the ways of the two great Kerenskys. Conservative in action and in word, the post-Culling voice of Clan Jade Falcon consistently demands that all the Clans remain in line with what the Kerenskys intended. Of course, they also claim to be the only Clan that understands exactly what the Kerenskys had in mind. So narrow is their interpretation of the Clans' destiny and the Kerenskys' intentions that anyone who raises the least question concerning either is punished with a severity that shocks even other conservative Clans.