Author Topic: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox  (Read 89853 times)

Kojak

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #60 on: 08 February 2012, 06:08:38 »
PERSONNEL

Headquarters Lance


Born: 6-27-3036
Homeworld: Bonneau, Federated Suns
Rank: Colonel (Commanding Officer)

Colonel Jean Graves is possessed of what superstition calls a sixth sense; doctors would call it schizophrenia. Jean doesn't know what to call his problem, he just knows that what he sees in his head is more often right than not. It has taken time, but Jean has developed a darkly risqué humor and sense of style as an effective defense mechanism against his dreams; with his madness now somewhat under control, he has proven to be a great leader. His first ride, a customized Penetrator, was well suited to his mobile, improvisational style of fighting, mounting Clantech particle cannons and a light fusion engine salvaged from a rebel Marauder during the civil war. Additional salvage from the battle with the Jade Falcons on Tomans allowed Jean to upgrade the rest of the weapons array and the electronics suite to Clan specifications. In the wake of the massive windfall that was the Giausar campaign, Jean upgraded to a heavily-modified Mad Cat Mk II (which cost as much as a company of advanced heavy and assault ‘Mechs), and the Penetrator was stripped for parts, its Clantech used to upgrade the ‘Mechs of several company and lance commanders.


Born: 3-30-3031
Homeworld: Acamar, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant

Albert Murphy, or “Big Al”, as he has been called throughout his Mechwarrior career, is formerly of the 3rd Davion Guards. A veteran of Operation Bird Dog, he was part of the company-sized force known as Allen’s Animals, which was dispatched in mid-May of 3059 to wage a guerilla campaign against Clan Smoke Jaguar on the world of Luzerne. Only one lance was recovered from the operation – and his wasn’t one of them. When his Clantech-equipped Atlas was shot out from under him by a trueborn Star Captain from the 6th Striker Cluster, he was taken bondsman and forced to work as a laborer for nearly two months until the planet was officially liberated on the 8th of August. Bitter from what he saw as abandonment and incompetence on the part of the AFFS, he left House Davion’s service, and settled in for a quiet and anonymous life on Acamar, only to be caught up in the chaotic civil war that overtook the planet just a few months later. Joining up with the mercenaries dispatched there as part of the bit of corporate adventurism known as Operation Stiletto, he helped to secure a stable government for the war-torn world. For the next four years, the small mercenary force remained on Acamar on a cushy garrison contract with the planet’s fledgling government. In 3066, Big Al and the other mercs were scattered by Olson’s Rangers, a mercenary regiment in the employ of the Capellan Confederation and intent on installing a pro-Liao government. The Capellan mercenaries were driven from the planet by Cunningham’s Commandos, a mercenary unit sent by Duke George Hasek, just a few weeks after their landing, but Big Al decided he’d had enough of the quiet life. When Graves’ Dancers arrived on Acamar, Big Al contacted Jean Graves and offered his services, and his extensive resume landed him the spot recently vacated by Eric McClair. Big Al now pilots a stealth-armored Victor salvaged during the Dancers’ previous assignment on Styk.


Born: 3-16-3021
Homeworld: Huntress, Clan Homeworlds
Rank: Mechwarrior

Robert Kotare is an old man by Clan standards. Operation Revival began shortly after he tested out of his sibko and into the 267th Battle Cluster, of Clan Smoke Jaguar’s vaunted Beta Galaxy. He gained both the rank of Star Captain and a Bloodname over the course of the Jaguars’ blitzkrieg drive into the heart of the Draconis Combine. But the historic Battle of Tukayyid would prove his undoing. The rest of his Clan regarded the survivors of Tukayyid as cowards and weaklings, and an upstart Star Commander challenged Kotare for command of his trinary and won. Disgraced and dishonored, Kotare was transferred to the 7th Garrison Cluster, a sinkhole unit at the back end of the Jaguar Occupation Zone. Having been relegated to the dregs of the Jaguar warrior caste, Kotare’s career was effectively over. When Operation Bulldog swept the Smoke Jaguars out of the Inner Sphere, the 7th was one of the last units to fall, and its warriors were mostly taken bondsman by the 22nd Dieron Regulars. As a Bloodnamed warrior, Kotare was “debriefed” by the ISF and then thrown into a Marduk labor camp to rot. He spent three years doing hard labor and reflecting on his past, and he came to the conclusion that if he ever escaped he would become a Mechwarrior again no matter what the cost. The opportunity arrived in 3063, when an invasion of Marduk by the 1st Chisholm Raiders prompted a mass breakout from the labor camp. Kotare managed to slip away in the confusion, and soon found a way offworld, where he made his way to Solaris VII, having heard of other Clansmen making names for themselves on the Game World. He joined Huntsmen Stables, which hosted a number of renegade Clansmen, and quickly befriended Tucker Case, finding a strange kinship with another man who found himself so out of place in his surroundings. When Tucker’s drunken hijinks resulted in his rapid exodus from Solaris, Kotare decided to leave with him, the revelation of the Huntsmen’s mafia connections being too much for him to stomach. Like Tucker, he joined Graves’ Dancers, where he was given the Templar that once belonged to Colonel Darrel Duke of the One-Eyed Jacks. Customized with Clan weaponry and improved jump jets, Kotare has proven to be an absolute terror at its controls, pouncing on his enemies and tearing them apart like a true Smoke Jaguar.


Born: 4-4-3033
Homeworld: Solaris VII, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior

Tucker Case is a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy’s body, a math and physics whiz who nevertheless made his living as a gladiator for Huntsmen Stables, a Solaris stable of moderate fame. While not necessarily his chosen vocation, Tucker knew his good looks and skills in a ‘Mech would guarantee him far more money, fame and women than a programming job could ever get him. But when he accidentally demolished his stablemaster’s hoverlimo during a drunken liaison, he swiftly found himself on the run from his mob-connected ex-bosses’ goons. Fleeing to Galatea with a fellow former member of Huntsmen Stables, Robert Kotare, he found there was only one employment opportunity left for them: mercenary work. Signing on with Graves’ Dancers due to both their generous pay and rising reputation in the merc community, Tucker brought with him the highly-customized ‘Mech he had “borrowed” from his infuriated former employer. His Sasquatch is outfitted with, among other things, a deadly Long Tom artillery cannon, and Tucker’s savant-like skill with mathematics gives him incredible aim with the weapon due his understanding of trajectories and differential calculus. This has earned him a space in the new Headquarters Lance, where he uses his unusual ‘Mech to dig out entrenched enemies with surprising ease.



1ST COMPANY

Command Lance


Born: 10-22-3035
Homeworld: Woodbine, Federated Suns
Rank: Major

Eric McClair met Jean Graves at Point Barrow Military Academy, where they both studied. Born on Woodbine, his parents were simply another pair of miners, but McClair managed to earn a scholarship that financed his time at Point Barrow. When he and Jean graduated, they were both assigned to the Addicks DMM, and Graves managed to have him transferred to his company’s command lance. McClair has been a loyal follower of Graves ever since. He is, like the others in his unit, an ardent Loyalist to Katrina –- his disdain for Victor Steiner-Davion turned to hatred when his parents were killed in the fighting on Woodbine in 3063. After the raid on Styk, McClair was promoted to command of his own C3-equipped lance, designed to give more hard-hitting firepower to a unit more dependent on maneuver warfare than overwhelming force. Leading them to success after resounding success, McClair was rapidly promoted to Captain and then Major. He is now third-in-command of the Dancers, after Jean and Hawkeye, often overseeing the administration of the unit when Jean is away.


Born: 2-23-3035
Homeworld: Imbrial III, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant

Few Mechwarriors have been bounced from one unit to another as many times as Leftenant Andrea Reimer. Then again, not many have the nervous tics and hyperactive nature that earned Reimer her nickname along with so many transfers. Out of a ’Mech, she looks and acts like someone with an adrenaline or sugar high coupled with a caffeine or amphetamine overdose -- a fact confirmed by the accidents that seem to follow her around. Once inside her Stealth -- “Lightning” --she seemingly melds with the ’Mech and is nearly unstoppable, though curiously her ’Mech takes on many of her unique mannerisms. She was eventually reassigned to Eric McClair’s Striker Lance, her modified ‘Mech now serving as the spotter for the rest of her C3-equipped lancemates.


Born: 3-24-3042
Homeworld: Numenor, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Deandra Voss is the youngest daughter of Angela Voss, the Major General who commands the Davion Light Guards infantry brigade. Raised in the staunch military tradition of the Voss line, Voss was trained to be a Mechwarrior from the age of twelve. After graduating from the prestigious Albion Military Academy, she was assigned to the 8th FedCom RCT, just in time to get caught in the conflict on Kathil that kicked off the Federated Commonwealth civil war. A terrible meatgrinder that consumed multiple regiments on both sides, Voss saw most of her fellow soldiers captured or killed as the 8th FedCom was pounded to pieces from years of being at the forefront of the Loyalist offensives. After almost three years of continuous conflict, the Loyalist remnants on Kathil finally surrendered to the rebel forces, ending one of the biggest battles of the civil war. Released from a prisoner-of-war camp at the conclusion of the war, Voss left the AFFS to pursue a career as a mercenary. Months on Outreach without a job left her despairing, but when she saw a MercNet ad for Graves’ Dancers, whose exploits she had heard about from her comrades on Kathil, she jumped at the chance to join up with such a storied Loyalist unit. She now pilots a Salamander in Eric McClair’s Striker Lance.


Born: 2-5-3025
Homeworld: Skye, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior

Ian Sharpe was born on Skye into a large family, all of whom had close ties to the Free Skye movement. These connections, in addition to his high scores on martial aptitude tests, got him admitted to the Sanglamore Academy. After graduating in 3047, he was assigned to the elite 17th Skye Rangers. Just a few years later, the Rangers were caught in the voracious maw of the Clan Invasion, facing off against the Jade Falcons on Barcelona and then again on Black Earth. The second time nearly resulted in Sharpe’s death, when his Zeus was disabled by Elementals. In an attempt to resist the battle-armored soldiers with his service pistol, his femoral artery was severed by a ricochet in the cramped confines of the ‘Mech cockpit. The Skye Rangers overran his position just moments later, and a medic was able to get to him in time to save his life, but at the end of the Black Earth campaign he was given an honorable discharge for medical reasons. Retiring to Skye, he was revered as a war hero and eventually took a job as a consultant for Cyclops Incorporated, the largest producer of military-grade hovertanks in the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth. He also maintained an unofficial role as a training officer at the Sanglamore, where he gained quite a reputation for turning out disciplined and skillful soldiers. When the Skye Jaegers began to coalesce in late 3059, soon-to-be Colonel Steve Pitcher visited Sharpe to recruit him for a position as Hauptmann of one of the unit’s six BattleMech companies. Sharpe accepted the offer, and it was largely due to his rigorous training regimen that resulted in the Skye Jaegers being the first Jaeger unit to reach combat-ready status. When the Free Skye uprising began in the latter part of the FedCom civil war, Sharpe and the rest of the Jaegers were eager participants. But after the drubbing the Jaegers received at the hands of the Arcturan Guards while the Fourth Skye Rangers sat back and watched from the sidelines, Sharpe became disillusioned with the Free Skye movement, and left the service of the LAAF. Deciding to seek his fortunes as a mercenary, Sharpe joined up with the Dancers during their final stopover on Outreach. He now pilots a Thunderbolt in Eric McClair’s Striker Lance, which has seen numerous battles since its formation. He has also become, alongside Hawkeye, one of the primary trainers for the Dancers’ Mechwarrior battalion, where his experiences with the formation of the Skye Jaegers have proven to be an invaluable asset.



Fire Lance


Born: 5-7-3027
Homeworld: Algedi, Draconis Combine
Rank: Leftenant

A fierce Azami warrior formerly of the 15th Dieron Regulars, Ukla Mauok initially piloted a nearly 200-year-old Dervish that one of his ancestors captured. Languishing in the disgraced unit for years, Mauok felt little loyalty to the DCMS, and when his ‘Mech was crippled by Jean Graves in combat on Addicks in 3065, he leapt at the chance to escape the Combine and joined the Dancers (the Dancers had returned to the system for a jump recharge at nearly the same time as the DCMS flotilla hit the opposite jumppoint, and the Dancers dropped on-planet to support the DLC against the Combine aggressors; of course, they immediately fled as soon as the Davion Assault Guards arrived in-system). He then upgraded the ‘Mech to the DV-8D standard, but bizarrely, his near-surgical precision with the Dervish’s medium lasers made him a terror at close range. During a raid on Lyons, an Axman thought little of a Dervish at close range and tried to make quick work of him. After chopping at the Axman’s armor with his missiles for several minutes, Mauok closed and finished the Davion warrior off toe-to-toe. After the losses taken during fighting on Solaris, Mauok was promoted to command of the 1st Company’s Fire Lance to fill the slot vacated by the slain Leftenant Mykelby. He also was given a Black Hawk-KU, gifted to the Dancers by the Duke of Skye himself, pre-loaded with the popular Echo configuration. After the Giausar campaign left the Dancers with a moderate amount of salvaged Clan weaponry, Mauok’s Black Hawk was reconfigured with Clan lasers and electronics, some stripped from Colonel Graves’ old Penetrator. With the deadly Ukla Maouk at its joysticks, it will certainly cut a swath of destruction through any that stand in his way.


Born: 3-12-3029
Homeworld: Taygeta, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant

Known for his tenacity and rugged pursuit of opponents, Matthew “Rawhide” Francis is formerly of the Caph Rowdies, a mercenary company that frequents both sides of the Capellan March. He is probably known best for his reported chasing down of a fleeing Shadow Hawk across 350 kilometers of the Salazaar desert on Bromhead. After Leftenant Mykleby’s death and Sergeant Maouk’s elevation to his position, Rawhide was likewise promoted to take Maouk’s place.


Born: 11-3-3041
Homeworld: Northwind
Rank: Mechwarrior

Michiko McCloud was born of liaison between a Northwind Highlander and a DCMS samurai, but although she was trained as a Mechwarrior at the Northwind Military Academy, she decided to strike out on her own rather than continue either of her parents’ martial traditions. After stints with the Lone Wolves and Hampton’s Hessens, she took a position with Graves’ Dancers mostly for the chance to pilot the venerable Dervish once piloted by Ukla Maouk.


Born: 7-21-3042
Homeworld: Delacambre, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

The youngest member of the original Dancers, Cartago native Manny Calavera, is so brash and cocky that it makes everyone who meets him want to slug him as soon as he opens his mouth. His only saving grace is that the young hotshot is nearly as good a Mechwarrior as he claims to be. A crack shot with his gauss rifle, Calavera holds the unit record for the most enemy pilot kills, although when engaged in his continual bragging he grossly inflates the number. He also takes it upon himself to personally assist in the upkeep of his Enforcer III, “Grim Fandango”, although he usually is more a headache to the techs than a boon. He takes great pride in “Grim Fandango”, and has painted a motif, depicting a dancing reaper holding a scythe in one hand and a castanet in the other, across the ‘Mech’s chest.



Hunter Lance


Born: 7-22-3034
Homeworld: New Damascus, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant

William Sanderson made his name as an expert city fighter with Hansen's Roughriders.  When his beloved Warhammer was destroyed, his regimental commander offered him a captured Wolfhound.  Grateful that he did not join the ranks of the Dispossessed, but determined to capture a heavy 'Mech, Sanderson is a very aggressive fighter; a trait which, unfortunately, led to his being “let go” by the Roughriders. His Wolfhound bore the scars of several near-disastrous encounters, but since joining the Dancers, his behavior has been reined in a great deal. During the latest reorganization of the ‘Mech battalion, Sanderson was promoted to Leftenant of the newly-renamed Hunter Lance and given a customized Wolverine captured from the 6th Ghost Regiment to replace his battered Wolfhound.


Born: 5-20-3037
Homeworld: Tsamma, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant Major

Frederick Jacob “Red” Nelson is a native of Tsamma. His nickname comes from both his first name and his fiery hair. He grew up working on his family’s homestead, and has a farmhand’s barrel chest; he stands two meters tall, weighs 150 kilograms, and easily lifts over twice his weight! Fortunately, Red is usually a gentle giant; he is gregarious, loyal to his friends, and enjoys showing off his strength. Red’s one notable flaw is his general lack of sophistication. He is actually fairly bright, but his simple mindset reflects his humble origins, and often makes him a "straight man" for the rest of Graves’ Dancers. But as with most of life, Red just takes the role in stride.


Born: 7-3-3040
Homeworld: Novaya Zemlya, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Sasha Kovelevsky is the little sister of Major Pavel Kovelevsky, the commanding officer of the Dancers’ airmobile 3rd Battalion. Like her older brother, she attended the New Avalon College of Military Sciences, and due to the political climate at the time, she was assigned to the Bremond DMM, just prior to the outbreak of the FedCom civil war. The Bremond DMM would go on to become part of the nucleus of the First Royal Cavaliers, who fought for the Loyalists against the First and Third Crucis Lancers on Tsamma. Like the rest of her unit, she was cleared of any war crimes charges at the conclusion of the war, but nevertheless she felt she could no longer serve in the AFFS. When her brother contacted her with an offer to join Graves’ Dancers, she immediately accepted. She now pilots a heavily customized No-Dachi salvaged during the fighting on Benjamin.


Born: 9-12-3034
Homeworld: Sadurni, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior

Furio Castelluccio was born on Sadurni into a family that owned a small but well-regarded winery in the Avellino region of Katerini. When he was eight, Castelluccio’s parents were killed in a car accident, and he was left in the care of his uncle, a drunk who verbally and physically abused him on a regular basis. At the age of sixteen, Castelluccio ran away from home, hitchhiking his way to the capital city’s spaceport and stowing away aboard a cargo DropShip bound for Solaris VII. One of his cousins was a Mechwarrior with Fitzhugh Stables, and got him a job as an astech. It was during this time that Castelluccio first began to develop a fascination with the Mechwarrior lifestyle. He began to spend his nights (and paychecks) using the ‘Mech simulators incessantly, and took night classes on the weekends. Finally, after years of honing his skills, Castelluccio began to petition Andre Fitzhugh to allow him to join the Stable as a Mechwarrior. With his cousin vouching for him, Fitzhugh had him tested against the Stable’s veterans, and he passed with flying colors. He soon became a successful fighter on the Class Three circuit, and at the height of his career he was considered one of the best medium ‘Mech pilots on Solaris, having made it into the Top Twenty for his Class during four different seasons. Over the years, however, Andre Fitzhugh’s feud with Bromley Stables grew more and more obsessive, with accusations of inter-stable sabotage surrounding almost every match between the two rivals. Several Mechwarriors from Fitzhugh Stables became fed up with the situation, and Castelluccio was one of them; he spent his accrued winnings on a ticket to Outreach, hoping to find employment as a mercenary. He was one of several Mechwarriors hired by Graves’ Dancers during their most recent layover at Outreach, and was given the vacant slot in Hawkeye’s Scout Lance. The advanced PXH-7M Phoenix Hawk he now pilots meshes well with his combat style, which alternates between hit-and-fade strikes and extremely aggressive brawling attacks.
« Last Edit: 16 February 2012, 15:05:06 by Kojak »


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Kojak

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #61 on: 08 February 2012, 06:08:52 »
2ND COMPANY

Striker Lance


Born: 9-9-3013
Homeworld: Kirklin, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain (Executive Officer)

Alan Hawkins, or “Hawkeye”, as he insists everyone call him, is a disgruntled veteran Mechwarrior from Kirklin, and the Dancers’ XO. Formerly of the 22nd Avalon Hussars, he was sent to the Addicks DMM after being wounded during the Clan Invasion. During their time together in the DMM, Hawkeye became Graves’ mentor, of sorts, teaching him to appreciate the tactical and strategic value of the mobile raiding tactics the Dancers came to specialize in. His experience and cynicism balance Jean’s more instinctual, holistic style; together, they make a good command team. Hawkeye projects the old school attitude and barking voice of a drill sergeant; he chain smokes cigars, and is an unrepentant alcoholic. But beneath his gruff exterior, Hawkeye has a sensitive streak; he genuinely likes the other Dancers, and does all he can to support them, both as a public leader and private counselor.


Born: 1-26-3035
Homeworld: Dabih, Draconis Combine
Rank: Leftenant

Aisha Nasir is an Azami and an unusual one at that. A hellion from a young age, she soon fell in with the local yakuza gangs, and in the rebuilding of the DCMS that followed wake of the Clan invasion, she was recruited by her gang to join the 6th Ghost Regiment, a unit known for its unusually high proportion of female warriors compared to the average DCMS force. Aisha’s tenacity earned her a promotion to Chu-i by 3061; she later led her lance in the Dominion War, fighting the 5th Bear Guards on Schuyler and capturing a Clint IIC 2 in the process. When the 2nd New Ivaarsen Chasseurs, backed by Graves’ Dancers, made a deep strike against the prefecture capital of Benjamin, the 6th Ghost was waiting for them. Though they fought savagely, the AFFS and mercenary forces proved too much for them, and Aisha was captured by an SAR team from Graves’ Dancers. Knowing her gender would always hold her back as long as she remained a DCMS warrior, she offered to sign on with the Dancers if they would allow her to retain her rank and her Clint. Jean agreed, and Aisha was made XO of the newly-reorganized second ‘Mech company.


Born: 3-19-3036
Homeworld: Cavanaugh II, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior

As part of a strike lance in the First Bolan Jaegers, Jason Bouchard earned himself a commendation for valor from Margrave Richard Steiner at the battle for Cavanaugh II (his homeworld) during the FedCom Civil War. Though the commendation came well-earned -- Bouchard had personally accounted for five kills with his LNX-9R Lynx, including a Cataphract from the Forty-second Avalon Hussars -- Steiner’s summary execution of Jaegers commander Megan O’Heron in the face of her calls to seek a cease-fire with allied forces prompted Bouchard to join the legions of those who defected when the battle turned against the Loyalist forces. Arriving on Outreach with his Lynx in tow, he was hired by Captain Graves almost immediately.


Born: 9-8-3038
Homeworld: Delacambre
Rank: Mechwarrior

Like Eric McClair, Isabelle Rodriguez was a member of Graves’ command lance in the Addicks DMM. She inherited her Japanese mother’s beauty, including long black hair and a petite, athletic build. She grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the poor parts of Delacambre, and her rough childhood taught her to conceal her sensitive side under a “bad girl” mask. Isabelle gained admission to the Kilbourne Academy by virtue of her cleverness, and was assigned to the Draconis March Militia after her graduation. Isabelle is a hotshot and gambler, and has never lost a quickdraw contest. She is also an incorrigible tease, and enjoys using her “feminine wiles” on the Dancers’ male members. But if she has any genuine romantic interests, she is keeping them to herself for now.



Backboard Lance


Born: 8-18-2977
Homeworld: Metis Habitat, Sol System
Rank: Leftenant

Jack McClintock is, by all appearances, in his early forties. Unbeknownst to all but a few, however, he was actually born in 2977.  A native of the Trojans, one of the main Belter colonies in the Terran system, he is the son of a member of ruling Metis Commission and a beneficiary of the finest in Belter medicine and genetic engineering. McClintock was uninterested in following his father’s footsteps into politics, and after a falling-out with his parents over the subject, he left to find his fortune among the stars. After stints as a lostech prospector and arms broker, he decided to try his luck as a mercenary Mechwarrior. Training at the Blackjack School of Conflict gave him the skills he needed for his new career, and after graduation, he drifted from merc unit to merc unit. Along the way, he participated in almost every major war from the 4th Succession War to the Clan Invasion to the FedCom Civil War. During his most recent stop on Galatea, recently freed from his latest contract with the Lone Star Regiment, he met Eric McClair and became one of the first of many new recruits during the Dancers’ massive expansion. His connections among arms dealers and the military-industrial complexes throughout the Inner Sphere were the key factor in acquiring the equipment and manpower that were used to equip nearly a full battalion of new troops. McClintock himself took to the controls of a factory-fresh Guillotine GLT-8D, yet another advantage of his myriad network of contacts. Following Lieutenant Crawford’s death in the fighting on Giausar, McClintock was elevated to command of Backboard Lance, and by the end of the campaign his Guillotine had been replaced with a captured Night Gyr. Jean hopes his lengthy experience will provide him with the skills he needs to hold together a lance that has already seen the deaths of two pilots.


Born: 1-17-3043
Homeworld: Summer, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Sergeant

Gina Conlon grew up on Summer, inducted into the Free Skye movement in her teen years. When the group began to splinter following the failure of the Third Skye Rebellion, Conlon, who’d since become a pilot for the Summer Militia, left for Galatea. She soon found work with the Wilde Turkeys, a relatively small-time mercenary unit. The Turkeys were shattered by Graves’ Dancers on Giausar, but Conlon decided to use this as an opportunity, and offered to join the Dancers following her capture by Marik SAR teams. She now pilots the Cataphract formerly piloted by Kevin Tsang and Bryce Crawford, a ‘Mech many in the Dancers are beginning to consider cursed.


Born: 12-21-3036
Homeworld: Bonneau, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Max Reynaud is from Bonneau, like the commander of the Dancers. He is a veteran of the Remagen CrMM, and was there to see the final battle of the civil war in the fighting on New Avalon. Like so many other Loyalists who mustered out of the AFFS following the end of the war, he decided to try his hand as a freelancer. He was also a fellow student at Point Barrow, and when he found out his former classmate had founded a successful mercenary unit, he offered his services and joined the Dancers during one of their recruiting runs.


Born: 5-7-3044
Homeworld: Acamar, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Jerome Thomas is a former employee of Contard Mining who got his start with the Dancers during their time on Acamar. A lone Duan Gung from the Lafayette Legion had slipped past the rest of the unit and was headed toward the nearby mining facilities that were the target of the pirate raid. Only Thomas and his MiningMech were standing between it and the company’s outpost. Using only the rudimentary sensors and the tracking skills he had learned during his time in the Acamar militia, Thomas managed to spring an ambush on the pirate ‘Mech. By spraying industrial lubricant across a hastily prepared chokepoint, he managed to cause the Duan Gung to slip and fall; he then pinned the ‘Mech to the ground with the weight of his MiningMech and sawed off its legs with a rock-cutter. Impressed by this display of bravado, Jean Graves offered Thomas employment with the Dancers, which he eagerly accepted. He threw himself into the Mechwarrior lifestyle with vigor, and spent hours in simulator pods trying to bring his skills up to those of the other Dancers. His performance on Giausar showed that his efforts have paid off, and following the conclusion of that campaign Thomas was given his lance commander’s old ‘Mech, a GLT-8D Guillotine.



Skirmisher Lance


Born: 7-24-3036
Homeworld: Drosendorf, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Leftenant

Dietrich Hoffmann is the youngest son of the Duke of Drosendorf, Ludwig Hoffmann. Trained for military service as a Mechwarrior from the time he was old enough to shave, he eventually graduated from the War College of Buena OCS with perfect grades and the rank of Leutnant. He was given command of his own lance in the storied 2nd Donegal Guards, where he remained for several tours of duty. After gaining the attention of his superiors during the Guards’ operations in the Draconis Periphery, hunting down remnants of the shattered Smoke Jaguar Clan, he was given a factory-fresh Griffin and a transfer to the prestigious 3rd Royal Guards. When the FedCom civil war erupted, Hoffmann and the Royal Guards were sent to Dalkeith, a world which would become a meatgrinder to rival Kathil and Tikonov. Over the course of nearly four years, Loyalist and Allied forces pounded away at each other in a brutal slugfest that eventually ended in a Loyalist victory. With the outcome of the war, however, the victory was a hollow one; after fighting for so long, Hoffmann could not stomach serving under Archon Peter Steiner-Davion, and left the service of the LAAF with his Griffin in tow. After his arrival on Galatea, he read up on Graves’ Dancers on MercNet, and decided to apply for employment based on their Loyalist credentials. Leading Skirmisher Lance, Hoffmann has molded them into a cohesive combat force which fought in several decisive engagements during the Giausar campaign.


Born: 10-20-3033
Homeworld: Exeter, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant

Noah Levine is one of the few survivors of the 3rd Robinson Rangers, one of the Loyalist units which fought in the cataclysmic Battle of New Avalon at the end of the Federated Commonwealth civil war. His time spent in POW camps after the war cemented his eventual decision to take up a career as a mercenary, and as a staunch Loyalist he eagerly joined up with the Dancers shortly after his arrival on Galatea.


Born: 11-16-3031
Homeworld: Grumium, Free Rasalhague Republic
Rank: Mechwarrior

Carl Sigurdsson is an expatriate from the Free Rasalhague Republic’s Kungsarme, specifically the 3rd Drakons. Sigurdsson had deserted from the Kungsarme when his lance was cut off from the rest of their unit by Clan Wolf forces during a raid on Thun. He managed to escape by paying a local resistance movement to smuggle him and his ‘Mech out of the Occupation Zone, and made his way to Galatea to search for work. As with several of the other new Dancers, Sigurdsson contacted the unit because of a MercNet ad, and was hired almost immediately after the interview. Like many of the 3rd Drakons’ ‘Mechs, his Beowulf has been customized with a hatchet. Sigurdsson has made a number of other modifications as well, outfitting it with triple-strength myomer and a sophisticated electronic warfare suite. In battle his ‘Mech is always at the head of any charge, tearing into nearby enemies with a berserker fury.


Born: 9-24-3028
Homeworld: Augustine, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior

Quinn Dexter is technically not a member of the Dancers at all: he is in the midst of trying to join Romanov’s Crusaders, and is dedicated to the ideals of chivalry and heroism. He petitioned Jean Graves to join the unit after deciding it the best way to discover the nature of his “quest”, an expedition that all potential Crusaders must go on before they are allowed to join the unit. With their travels across the Inner Sphere, Dexter is certain to find his true path to Knighthood.
« Last Edit: 16 February 2012, 15:28:00 by Kojak »


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #62 on: 08 February 2012, 10:34:23 »
3RD COMPANY

Juggernaut Lance


Born: 5-26-3027
Homeworld: Tikonov, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain

Ivan Surikov is a born-and-bred Tikonovian, who grew up in a staunchly patriotic middle-class family in the heart of Tikograd during the height of the short-lived Tikonov Free Republic. After graduating from the Mechwarrior program at the Tikonov School of Military Discipline, Ivan was recruited by the 3rd Republican Guard, where he spent the next eighteen years. He initially met Jean Graves when he fought side by side with the Dancers, first on Algol and then on Tikonov, during the civil war. With the disbandment of the Republican Guards at the end of the war, Ivan decided to retire to the quiet backwater world Smolensk. However, he discovered that retirement did not suit him, and in late 3067 contacted Jean Graves to offer his services and expertise. Graves promptly offered him the command of a lance of freshly salvaged ‘Mechs, and Ivan accepted immediately. When the unit was expanded to a full regiment, Ivan was given command of the 'Mech battalion's third company. Leading from the cockpit of a deadly Yu Huang assault ‘Mech, Ivan’s Juggernaut Lance is built to shatter heavier enemy units that stand up to the initial charges by the rest of the Dancers. Off the battlefield, he shares Hawkeye’s affinity for fine cigars and strong liquor, and the two of them can often be found drinking together in the nearest bar.


Born: 11-1-3038
Homeworld: Ironhold, Clan Homeworlds
Rank: Leftenant

Anna Pryde is a complicated woman, a rebel from a Clan that demands conformity. Part of the same sibko as Brian Pryde, protégé of Loremaster Kael Pershaw, Anna passed her Trial of Position with two kills, and her skills both as a pilot and as a leader gained her an assignment to the 2nd Falcon Jaegers. Unlike the vast majority of the Jade Falcon warrior caste, however, Anna was an outspoken Warden; the apparent perfidy of Khans Crichell and Chistu during the Refusal War only hardened these views. Though her incredible talent and years of experience secured her the rank of Star Captain and, eventually, the Pryde Bloodname, her politics kept her from ever advancing further within the Clan. Only the support of Star Colonel Taman Malthus, who valued her expertise as an officer, stopped endless Trials of Grievance from the more conservative warriors under his command. Nevertheless, as time passed, Anna began to chafe at the limits of her stymied career, bitter at the knowledge that her honest opinions, and not her martial abilities, were her only real barrier to promotion. When her Trinary was dispatched to Tomans as part of a “seasoning” raid to give the newest members of her unit some combat experience, Anna was expecting a cakewalk. Instead, the Falcon force was shredded in a stand-up fight against Graves’ Dancers, and she and nearly half her Trinary were taken as bondsmen by the mercenaries. Impressed by Jean Graves and his Dancers, and recognizing this as an opportunity to escape her dead-ended life within Clan Jade Falcon, Anna promised to serve her new masters faithfully if Graves would allow the rest of the captured Falcons to return to their Clan. Jean agreed, and Anna Pryde now pilots a captured Night Gyr in Ivan Surikov’s Juggernaut Lance. While still a Clanner behaviorally, she has lived in the Inner Sphere (albeit largely in the Occupation Zones) for most of her life, and she has shown a marked interest in learning about its profusion of cultures and lifestyles. She has even taken to cornering random members of the Dancers and interrogating them about their homeworlds, a practice most find off-putting in the extreme but which they have learned to accept as one of Anna’s many “quirks”.


Born: 6-21-3036
Homeworld: Clipperton, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior

Dominic Yamamoto, Dom to his friends, is a former Irian test pilot who was hired by the Dancers on the recommendation of Jack McClintock. Dom doesn’t speak much about his past, although his bearing and demeanor indicates he was an FWLM vet. He is also an avid rugby player, and has been attempting to organize an intra-unit league ever since joining the Dancers.


Born: 8-28-3026
Homeworld: Genoa, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Giovanni Agnelli hails from a Genoa, a rocky and mineral-rich world. Growing up in the vast but cramped underground cities of his homeworld, he yearned for the chance to see other worlds, and signed on with a passing mercenary unit as soon as he got the chance. Giovanni saw years of grueling combat all across the Chaos March, working his way up from the infantry ranks to become a Mechwarrior after he led his platoon in the downing of a Capellan Vindicator. But when the mercs signed on with the Word of Blake, Giovanni resigned from the unit, refusing to work for an employer he saw as dangerously fanatical. The Dancers found him on Galatea in 3068, and hired him to take the slot of the late Felipe Deleón. Giovanni is still learning the ropes on his new Axman, which is by far the largest and most advanced ‘Mech he has ever piloted.



Cavalry Lance


Born: 11-25-3037
Homeworld: Wroxeter, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant

Cheyenne Black was a fellow member of the Addicks DMM. Unbeknownst to any of the other Dancers, she was also Jean’s lover during their time in the service. She was on Addicks at the onset of the civil war, but unlike Jean and the original Dancers, she was not one of those who escaped the onslaught of the Davion Assault Guards. After the surrender of the remaining Loyalists, Cheyenne sat out the war in an Allied POW camp. For years, she heard stories of the Dancers and their exploits, both during and after the war. After her release, she was hesitant to approach Jean because of their relationship before the war; hence her surprise when Jean himself contacted her, asking her to lead a fire support lance in the Dancers’ third company. Whether or not they will resume their old relationship remains to be seen.


Born: 1-28-3039
Homeworld: Rexburg, Free Worlds League
Rank: Sergeant

Ross Barrett started his career in the 6th Marik Militia. A troublemaker and rabble-rouser, Ross’ disdain for the chain of command and military protocol in general always kept him one step away from a dishonorable discharge. Only his skills in a BattleMech stopped his superiors from such an action, but Ross knew he did not mesh with the strictures of the FWLM, and voluntarily mustered out after his second tour of duty. Stints in corporate security and test pilot work likewise proved dissatisfying, and so Ross leapt at the chance to exercise his skills when Eric McClair offered him a slot in the then-newest BattleMech company of the Dancers.


Born: 4-7-3037
Homeworld: Aitutaki, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior

Sanjiv Singh fought on Hyner against the Smoke Jaguars during Operation Bulldog. A Mechwarrior in the 1st Regulan Hussars, he helped to crush the 3rd Jaguar Cavaliers when they marched straight into the SLDF’s guns. Returning to Regulus, he quickly grew tired of the politics of the FWLM, and the continual disregard of the Hussars by the LCCC particularly galled him. Desiring the freedom the mercenary lifestyle offered, Singh ended up on Galatea, like so many others. Hired by the Dancers in mid-3068 as part of their third ‘Mech company, he fits in well with rest of his unit, feeling he is finally part of a unit free of the depredations of politicians and noblemen.


Born: 2-16-3039
Homeworld: Sian, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Mechwarrior

Tommy Zhào grew up on the streets of Sian, and his disgust with the authoritarianism and corruption of the Capellan government led his eventual membership in the Free Capella organization. As a Mechwarrior in the Blackwind Lancers, he helped hold off the Confederation Reserve Cavalry in the grinding siege of Ambergrist during the St. Ives War. Following the fall of the Compact, Tommy decided to try his luck as a gun-for-hire. Taking jobs wherever he could, he joined the Dancers largely for the prospect of steady work in a (semi-)respectable mercenary unit.



Pursuit Lance


Born: 4-25-3035
Homeworld: Sakhalin, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Leftenant

Omar Little, another lance commander who came on Jack McClintock’s recommendation, is the sort of the mercenary who straddles the fine line between soldier and pirate. He is wanted on over a dozen worlds for such crimes as bank robbery, grand theft and wanton destruction of property, and has no compunctions about killing those who get his way. Nevertheless, Omar is possessed of a keen tactical mind and fine leadership skills, and his talents at the controls of his Wraith are unparalleled. The freewheeling nature of the Dancers appealed to him, and he struck a deal with Jean to rein in his excesses in exchange for a free hand with the tactics of his lance. Omar’s defining feature is the facial scar that cuts from his left temple down to the side of his mouth, a souvenir from a near-fatal run-in with a bounty hunter.


Born: 5-20-3037
Homeworld: Furillo, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Sergeant

Tina MacArthur was just another Dispossessed Mechwarrior looking for a job on Galatea when she took her current position in the Dancers. She was formerly a recon specialist in the Fighting Urukhai’s 8th Striker Regiment, until that unit was devastated and ultimately disbanded during the DCMS counter-assault on the Draconis March. After taking various jobs in the Chaos March, she ended up on Galatea looking for work, and the Dancers hired her to pilot a Cicada in Pursuit Lance, where her scouting proclivities work well the CDA-3G’s sophisticated active probe system.


Born: 10-14-3032
Homeworld: Fletcher, Chaos March
Rank: Mechwarrior

Marlowe Freeman is a native of Fletcher, a planet that “went dark” in 3057 following the destruction of its HPG by Zhanzheng de Guang guerillas during an uprising against the FedCom-loyal government. The planetary government dissolved, and eventually city-states and two-bit warlords established a new “equilibrium” in which vast stretches of territory became lawless no-man’s-lands. It was in this environment that men like Marlowe thrived; he became a bodyguard-for-hire, guiding others through the wastes and protecting them from the predations of bandits and rogue mercenaries with his skills as a Mechwarrior. After years in this profession, he realized his skills could net him more lucrative work than the low-paying jobs available on Fletcher. To that end, he hitched a ride to Galatea, and there he found work with the Dancers, ecstatic at the chance to pilot a highly advanced Spector as part of the new Pursuit Lance.


Born: 6-20-3034
Homeworld: Corydon, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Xavier Davis was once an AFFC leftenant, but went AWOL with his Javelin when Operation Guererro transformed the Sarna March into the Chaos March. For nearly fifteen years, he hired himself out as bodyguard and extra muscle for any petty baron that could pay. He ultimately landed in Graves’ Dancers during a stint on Galatea, where the promise of an upgrade to a brand-new Osiris was too tempting an offer to refuse.
« Last Edit: 30 May 2012, 22:15:01 by Kojak »


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #63 on: 08 February 2012, 10:34:43 »
4TH COMPANY

Battle Lance


Born: 8-29-3017
Homeworld: Luthien, Draconis Combine
Rank: Captain

The newest Captain in Graves’ Dancers, Peter Takeda is a man with a past as checkered as it is storied.  Just another orphan fending for survival on the streets of Luthien, Takeda fell in with a yakuza gang at a young age, where his combination of tenacity, street smarts and leadership skills ensured his rapid ascent through the ranks. As a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, a venerable yakuza clan over a thousand years old, he was one of the initial candidates selected for membership in Theodore Kurita’s nascent Ghost Regiments. Takeda first saw action against the AFFS in the war of 3039, where his unit, the Second Ghost, was ultimately shattered by the Gray Death Legion on Altais. Like the other survivors, he was transferred into the Third Ghost to help bolster the understrength regiment. Just a year later, the regimental oyabun, Yasir Nezumi, was executed following a failed assassination attempt against Takashi Kurita, and any latent loyalty that the Third Ghost might have had to the DCMS died with him. In the wake of Operation Bulldog, the regiment was moved to Dumaring, along the new Ghost Bear border, where they languished for several years. During the Dominion War, the Ghosts attempted to raid the world of Marawi and were demolished by the Bears’ Seventeenth and Thirtieth PGCs. Takeda himself was taken bondsman by the Bears, and once again he fought his way up through the ranks. Becoming a member of the warrior caste, he managed to get his hands on a salvaged Sunder, which he customized with Clan omnipods shortly before escaping from the Bears during a raid on Shirotori. From there he smuggled his new ‘Mech to Galatea, where he was recruited by Jean Graves’ to head up the fourth and final company of Dancers’ reinforced First Battalion. With over thirty years of combat experience and a powerful assault ‘Mech with which to lead his new company, Jean is certain that Takeda will quickly shape Fourth Company into a force to be reckoned with. Takeda is covered in elaborate tattoos from his neck down to his ankles, a mark of his time in the yakuza. He is also a firm believer in keeping one’s body in peak condition, and leads his company in calisthenics drills every morning.


Born: 1-7-3033
Homeworld: Glengarry, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Leftenant

Gerard Ventress is one of the few survivors of the Gray Death Legion, the famed Lyran mercenary force that was almost completely wiped out holding off the Free Skye assault against the Defiance Industries complex on Hesperus II. He was one of the most talented Mechwarriors in Hassan’s Assassins, the Legion’s elite second battalion. A Glengarry native who’d joined up with the Legion at the age of eighteen, the deaths of most of the Legion hit Ventress hard. He retired to Glengarry, where he found a job as a “security consultant” for Gray Death Technologies. In 3068, he decided to once again take up the mercenary profession, and traveled to Galatea. Hired to be the new fourth ‘Mech company’s executive officer, Ventress pilots a heavily-modified Avatar that mounts several pieces of Clan weaponry and advanced electronics. On the battlefield he is a patient hunter, wearing down his opponents at range before leaping in for the kill with a lethal pointblank barrage.


Born: 3-3-3036
Homeworld: Cerillos, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior

Rosa Morales hails from the “southwestern” world of Cerillos, a hardbitten frontier world on the anti-spinward end of the Free Worlds League. She is a tough and skilled fighter, a veteran of the Sixth Orloff Grenadiers who has seen combat against both the Lyrans and the Circinians. As a fiercely independent woman, she left the FWLM due to their constant attempts to stamp out the unique traditions of the Orloff regiments. Mercenary life suited her well, and she drifted through various mercenary units until her recent hiring by the Dancers.


Born: 12-29-3037
Homeworld: Labouchere, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior

Renard Duval is a man who lives by the motto “Fight smart, not hard.” A LoaderMech pilot turned merc, he prides himself on having never once been shot out of his ‘Mech. He prefers to be the backboard of his lance, staying toward the back of formations and laying down long-range support rather than closing in. Some might consider it cowardly; Duval just sees it as the smart way to make a living.



Vanguard Lance


Born: 10-25-3034
Homeworld: Hardcore, Magistracy of Canopus
Rank: Leftenant

Sofia Carter grew up on Hardcore, a glitzy entertainment world in the Magistracy of Canopus. Her mother was a BattleMech gladiator who’d achieved some minor success in the arenas of Hardcore, and she brought up her daughter to follow in her footsteps. After training under her mother to become a Mechwarrior, she enlisted in the MAF, but her lack of monies and social connections resulted her being relegated to the 3rd Canopian Light Horse, a sink unit left to fester at a dead-end posting on Andherlwin. Like so many dissatisfied soldiers before her, she eventually resigned from the MAF, and freelanced her way to Outreach and then Galatea. That was where the Dancers found her, and in the rigorous testing prior to formation of First Battalion’s new Fourth Company, her skills both in command and at the controls of her Warhammer secured the leadership of the new Vanguard Lance.


Born: 10-17-3040
Homeworld: Markab, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant

Alexander bin-Harud is another Addicks DMM veteran who spent the war as POW in the wake of the DMM’s surrender at the war’s outset. Due to two separate escape attempts, bin-Harud was cashiered from the AFFS when the civil war concluded. Quickly burning through what little savings he had remaining, bin-Harud used what was left to get to Galatea, where he offered to join the Dancers after learning of their pedigree.


Born: 5-2-3038
Homeworld: Tantara, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Mechwarrior

Athena Zhai is a St. Ives expatriate, a former member of Aliesha’s Mounted Fusiliers. Her dislike of House Liao turned to hatred when her husband and two young sons were killed in the horrific Black May nerve gas attacks. When the Compact rejoined the Confederation following the conclusion of the Xin Sheng War, she was one of the many SIMC soldiers who mustered out, unable to serve under the enemy she had fought so hard against. With only her skills as a Mechwarrior to live on, she turned to the mercenary trade. Now a member of Graves’ Dancers, Zhai pilots her Falconer with the reckless abandon of someone who has nothing left to lose.


Born: 2-7-3024
Homeworld: Circinus, Circinus Federation
Rank: Mechwarrior

Zbigniew Kowalski, better known as “Z-Big”, is a Circinian pirate turned Solaris gladiator turned mercenary ‘Mechjock. A Circinus native, he tried to join the Black Warriors but was rejected in the final phase of his hazing. In spite of this setback, Kowalski managed to gain passage to Solaris to ply his skills as a Mechwarrior in the Game World’s famed arenas. Although he never achieved much fame (or success, for that matter), Solaris proved to be an excellent test of his mettle, sharpening his skills and giving him enough of a reputation to gain the attention of several mercenary recruiters. After several stints with various merc units, he ended up with Graves’ Dancers, hired to round out Vanguard Lance.



Force Recon Lance


Born: 7-29-3039
Homeworld: Sheridan, Clan Homeworlds
Rank: Leftenant

Ezra Graves’ relation to Graves’ Dancers is complicated, to say the least. Born on the Clan Star Adder capital world of Sheridan into a Mechwarrior sibko, he experienced the brutal upbringing that all Clan warriors undergo. His sibko was bred directly from the legacy of Ezekiel Graves, founder of the Graves Bloodhouse and twin brother of Jeremiah Graves, of whom Jean is a direct descendant. Ezekiel, always the more adventurous of the two brothers, had left with Aleksandr Kerensky and the SLDF, but Jeremiah elected to stay behind and return to his homeworld. Ezra’s sibko trainers often remarked that he was possessed by that same wandering spirit, a portent of things to come. He won his Trial of Possession with two kills and was assigned to the 73rd Adder Cavaliers, who were immediately thrown into the frenzied fury of the Absorption War. Leading the charge on Priori, the Cavaliers smashed the Blood Spirits’ 12th Blood Drinkers and then swept through the remnants of the 19th and 65th Assault Clusters. Ezra personally downed eight Blood Spirit ‘Mechs in the course of the campaign, including an audacious zellbrigen duel where he simultaneously challenged two Spirit assault ‘Mechs in his Grendel and emerged victorious. Following the fighting on Priori, Ezra was sponsored for and won the Graves Bloodname, cementing his place in the Adders’ genetic program. The Cavaliers were then reassigned to Marshall, where the Adders were in the middle of a major territorial war with Clan Goliath Scorpion. Ezra, now a Star Captain, led his Trinary in a series of stunning victories that attracted the personal attention of Galaxy Commander Colin Yeh, the highest-ranking Scorpion officer on Marshall. Yeh sought him out on the battlefield, and after a vicious duel, Ezra found himself a bondsman of the Galaxy Commander. Yeh saw a great deal of potential in Ezra, and after declaring him abtakha, he took Ezra under his wing and taught him the ways of the Goliath Scorpions. Yeh also helped induct Ezra into the Seeker movement, where his restless ways proved an excellent fit. He soon set out on a necrosia-inspired quest to the “paradise” worlds of the Inner Sphere, searching for artifacts related to his Bloodhouse founder. When a newsfeed he was monitoring made a passing reference to Graves’ Dancers, Ezra knew he had finally found what he was looking for, and immediately sought out Jean Graves, hoping to test his mettle against a man who seemed to be his genetic equal. The duel that followed was the most challenging of his life. For the second time in his career as a warrior, he found himself taken bondsman; Ezra was quickly adopted into the Dancers and given command of the newly-formed Force Recon Lance. Though young, Ezra has more battlefield experience than many officers twice his age, and his phenomenal skills at the joysticks of a BattleMech are matched only by Jean’s own.



Born: 3-6-3036
Homeworld: Thermopolis, Free Worlds League
Rank: Sergeant

Giorgos Georgousopoulos, better known by his nickname “Gorgeous George”, is a former Oriente Hussar who was cashiered from the FWLM for participating in illegal underground boxing leagues while stationed on Van Diemen IV. His skills in a boxing ring were equaled by his skills at the controls of a BattleMech, and he soon found himself fighting in the arenas of Solaris. He was off-world when the Word of Blake struck the Game World in mid-3068, and when he got word of the situation, he knew his career as a gladiator was over. Turning to mercenary work, he signed on with the Dancers shortly after they left Giausar. Gorgeous George firmly believes in the old boxing adage “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, and uses his swift Bloodhound to make repeated passes at his opponents, wearing them down until they are forced to retreat or fall.


Born: 9-22-3023
Homeworld: Inarcs, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior

Callum Cochrane is the son of a lostech prospector from the far reaches of Lyran space, near the old Rim Worlds Republic. His father struck big in 3037, when he found the wreckage of an old SLDF Hussar built as a testbed for what would become the Royal model. Cochrane’s father spent the rest of his savings (and life) rebuilding the machine by hand, and when he died of heart failure in 3056, Cochrane decided to finish what his father had started. By 3063, he had restored it to fully functional status and began hiring himself out as a professional scout for lostech hunters throughout the near Periphery. He was hired by the Dancers through Jack McClintock’s vast network of contacts, and now pilots his hyper-advanced light BattleMech as part of the new Force Recon Lance.


Born: 6-15-3040
Homeworld: Markesan, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Daphne Bristow is yet another ex-Loyalist scooped up the Dancers. A veteran of the 15th Deneb Light Cavalry, Daphne saw combat on Algol and Tikonov, fighting alongside the Dancers on both worlds; when the Cavalry made their last stand on Marlette, she was among the final bitter holdouts who were taken prisoner by the Allied forces at the end of the civil war. Like many of the other former Loyalists in the Dancers, Daphne left the AFFS after the war; she now rounds out the 4th Company’s Force Recon Lance, using the jamming capabilities of her Hermes to sneak behind enemy lines and strike at vulnerable support units and supplies.
« Last Edit: 08 February 2012, 23:15:48 by Kojak »


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #64 on: 08 February 2012, 10:35:00 »
DANCERS AIR


Born: 3-16-3033
Homeworld: Macintosh, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain

Norm Houston is a graduate of the Armstrong Flight Academy. Or at least, that’s what he leads most people to believe. In actuality, Houston was expelled from the famed institution during his last semester after he was caught taking an instructor’s fighter for a “joyride”. But in spite of his expulsion, his talents landed him a job as a test pilot for Jalastar Aerospace. Taking part in the Battle of Panpour during the FedCom civil war, Houston earned his biggest claim to fame when he single-handedly shot down a half-dozen fighters from the Islamabad CrMM before he was forced to make an emergency landing on a freeway on the outskirts of Kantara. Deciding he’d tired of such a relatively quiet life after getting a taste of adventure, Houston headed for Galatea to find employment as a mercenary. Hired by Jean Graves to head up the Dancers’ newly-expanded aerospace contingent, Houston is eager to once again take to the skies, this time with his new wingmates at his side. In the recent contract on Benjamin, his Stuka was shot down and scattered to pieces along a hillside, but in a stroke of incredible luck, Houston managed to survive with nothing more than cuts and bruises despite the malfunction of his ejection seat.


Born: 7-27-3026
Homeworld: Hobbs, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant

“Little John” Washington is yet another veteran of the FedCom Civil War. He was a fighter pilot with the 5th Syrtis Fusiliers, and fought in the infamous Battle of Axton, where the 5th FedCom RCT deployed nuclear weapons against the Hasek forces. Little John is a giant of a man; dwarfing every other member of the Dancers, he is often assumed to be a former Clan Elemental. His size befits the massive Stuka he pilots, which he handles with a deft grace unusual for such a bulky craft.


Born: 5-27-3019
Homeworld: Australia, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Leftenant

Beauregard Travis is one of the few survivors from Storm’s Metal Thunder, the corporate mercenary unit that fought for the Loyalists during the FedCom Civil War and was annihilated in the Jade Falcon assault on Blue Hole in 3064. His brusque mannerisms and disheveled appearance made it difficult for him to find new jobs, but Graves’ Dancers was more than willing to overlook his eccentricities in order to put him on the payroll, as he is a lifelong Corsair pilot.


Born: 3-12-3044
Homeworld: Praxton, Outworlds Alliance
Rank: Pilot

Aaron Whittaker started his career as a cropduster on his homeworld of Praxton, just like his father and his before. But his adventuresome spirit yearned to travel across the stars, and to that end, Aaron enlisted in the Alliance Military Corps. What he’d assumed would be a star-spanning romp, however, turned out to be exactly the opposite: he was assigned to the Alliance’s 4th Wing, permanently stationed on the iceball world of Lushann, the primary source of petrochemicals for the Outworlds Alliance. Realizing that the skills his training had bestowed on him would make him a valuable commodity as a freelancer, Aaron mustered out of the AMC after his first tour of duty, and for the next few years he wandered across the Inner Sphere, taking escort contracts with merchant fleets to pay his way. When he ended up on Galatea, he took a job with Graves’ Dancers, the lure of steady pay and constant travel being too much for him to resist.


Born: 9-7-3038
Homeworld: Drozan, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Leftenant

Yulia Chelekova is formerly a member of Hell’s Black Aces, one the most famed (and feared) aerospace-based mercenary groups in the Inner Sphere. She is the granddaughter of one of the original Aces, one Vasily Chelekova, and grew up around aerospace fighters and fighter pilot culture. However, following the conclusion of the Xin Sheng War, the Black Aces became closer and closer to the CCAF; those who did not desire reintegration with House Liao slowly began to resign from the unit, and Yulia was among them. She joined Graves’ Dancers on Galatea during their post-Tomans recruiting run, and now pilots her nimble Sparrowhawk with deadly precision.


Born: Unknown
Homeworld: Unknown
Rank: Pilot

Rafael Herrera is something of an enigma; no one else, save Jean Graves, knows about his past. Suffice to say that he produced some form of credentials that satisfied Jean, for he has thus far decided to respect Rafael’s privacy. Rumors within the unit speculate that he is a former pirate or perhaps even a renegade Blakist. What is known is that he is a crack fighter pilot, and that is more than enough to gain him acceptance from the rest of the Dancers.



OTHER NOTABLE PERSONNEL


Born: 4-20-3024
Homeworld: Mizar, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Major

John Purcell was formerly a Sergeant-Major in the Wolf’s Dragoons’ Home Guard, but with the decimation of the Home Guard during the recent uprising in Temptown, he decided to seek employment elsewhere. A cynic and a sarcastic misanthrope, Purcell’s attitude meant he was always just one step away from being fired (he had once been a Captain in Beta Regiment’s Long Riders, but was sent to the Home Guard for “attitude problems and insubordinate behavior”). When Jean Graves offered him command of his own company of hovertanks, he jumped at the chance for such a big promotion. He has already begun to put the new company through its paces, and his irreverent command style meshes well with Graves’ own quirky sense of tactics. Off-duty, Purcell is an enthusiastic musician, whose love of rock music led to him installing a music system in his Regulator on which he plays his tunes of choice during missions – usually with the volume turned all the way up. Purcell's first outing with his new company was a wash: his Regulator was responsible for decapitating the Capellan commander's Victor, but his crew was killed when weapons fire from a Crusader penetrated the cabin. Purcell himself was badly injured, nearly losing his right leg. He now walks with a limp, and must take powerful painkillers multiple times a day. This has not begun to affect his leadership yet, but it certainly has not improved his disposition, either.


Born: 11-9-3029
Homeworld: Novaya Zemlya, Federated Suns
Rank: Major

Pavel Kovelevsky is the commander of the Dancers’ Third Battalion, an airmobile battalion of Achileus and Puma suits with air support from a combination of Karnov and Hawk Moth VTOLs. Kovelevsky himself is a Novaya Zemlya native who was one of the early graduates of the New Avalon College of Military Sciences’ battle armor program. Like Leftenants Hawkins and Crawford, he is a hardened veteran of the 22nd Avalon Hussars, where he commanded a company of the 3rd Avalon Armored Infantry.


Born: 2-22-3020
Homeworld: Sabanillas, Federated Suns
Rank: Chief Technician

Angus MacGyver is the Dancers’ master technician. He comes from Sabanillas, though his brogue has been diluted by his technical education. He has been working on machines since he was old enough to turn a wrench; as a child, he once took apart his father’s farm tractor just to see how it worked! He is precise in technical matters, but his strange sense of humor often makes others question his sanity. Angus might be crazy, but he is certainly not stupid, and his ability to improvise complex repairs with only minimal resources makes him the Dancers’ most valuable supporting asset.


Born: 5-8-3025
Homeworld: None
Rank: Commodore

John Armstrong Brannigan has been a spacer his entire life; he is descended from a long line of JumpShip captains. Ever since the hull of the Toorna Prophet was laid down in 2683, a Branngian has been at its helm. In 3056, John was thrust into command of the Prophet when his parents were killed while attempting to fend off a pirate raid on the ‘Ship. Brannigan managed to lead the crew to fight off the last of the pirates and make an emergency jump out of the system. In the intervening years, the Prophet mainly plied the spacelanes along the FedSuns-Combine border. Finding themselves over Addicks when the initial fighting of the civil war broke out, the Prophet was commandeered by the Dancers in their haste to escape the onslaught of the Davion Assault Guards. The relationship between the Dancers and the Prophet’s crew was extremely tense at first, but as the years went on Jean and his soldiers showed themselves to be honorable and fair. Branngian and his crew managed to eventually reach an accord with the Dancers, and when Jean decided to make his force a mercenary unit, he promised to provide the Prophet’s crew a sizable percentage of a profits, far more than they ever made as merchants or couriers. As the Dancers’ senior naval officer, Brannigan’s word carries nearly as much weight as Jean’s, although he does not usually exercise that authority, preferring instead to trust that his immediate subordinates can accomplish whatever tasks he sets them to.


Born: 2-28-3031
Homeworld: New Avalon, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain

Noah Mountford’s childhood dream was to become a DropShip captain in the Federated Suns Navy, and he spent his entire adolescent life striving toward that goal. Eventually graduating from the premier Armstrong Flight Academy on Galax, he was assigned to the Addicks DMM’s naval group, and by the outbreak of the civil war had worked his way up to command of the Union-class Charon; this was the ship responsible for the transport of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Company, also known as Graves’ Dancers. Like many among the DMM, Mountford was an ardent Loyalist, and in the chaos of the attack on Addicks, he was more than willing to escape with the Dancers in tow. Mountford has been ultra-loyal to the Dancers ever since that day, and still dresses in his FSN naval uniform when on duty, enforcing the same strict standards among his crew. While a taskmaster, Mountford’s cleverness at the helm of his ship is undeniable, and his quick thinking has saved the Dancers’ bacon in more than a few combat drops.


Born: 9-21-3030
Homeworld: Uzghorod, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Captain

Sidorova Darenkov has long been a DropShip-captain-for-hire. She has traveled to every major state in the Inner Sphere and Periphery, and even the Clan Occupation Zones; she lost her right eye during an encounter with Clan Jade Falcon in the late 3050s. Commanding the Overlord-class Royal Flush at the time of its capture on Giausar by the Dancers, she was more than happy to sign on with her would-be captors as long as she retained her command and her pay.
« Last Edit: 30 May 2012, 22:08:47 by Kojak »


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Kojak

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #65 on: 08 February 2012, 10:35:26 »
ROLLS OF HONOR



Born: 11-9-3020 (Died 6-16-3068)
Homeworld: Terra
Rank: Leftenant

Robert Mykelby, a Terran from the British Isles, joined the Com Guards a few years before Operation Serpent. Assigned to the Second Division, he witnessed firsthand the bloody fighting on Huntress. Unlike most of his comrades, he survived, but barely, and with serious emotional scars. No longer able to stomach the leadership of “the incompetent dwarf”, to use his words, he left the Com Guards with his Falconer, looking for mercenary work on Outreach. On the battlefield, he and his ‘Mech were a force to contend with. Off the battlefield, he was a vociferous opponent of Victor Steiner-Davion, whom he blamed not only for the deaths of his friends on Huntress, but also for ComStar losses during the FedCom Civil War. After the uprising in TempTown on Outreach, Mykelby’s Falconer was damaged beyond repair, but it was replaced by a brand-new Warhammer of the WHM-9D model. Mykelby was one of those killed in the fighting on Solaris, his BattleMech decapitated by a heavy gauss shell from a Blakist Demon tank.


Born: 12-2-3028 (Died 6-16-3068)
Homeworld: Kittery, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant

Kevin Tsang was born in Can Fu City on Kittery during the opening months of the Fourth Succession War, and his parents were killed in a suicide bombing by a member of the Kittery Tong when he was only an infant. Spending his childhood in a series of state orphanages, Kevin proved to be an extremely self-reliant individual, and he devoted all of his energy to pursue his dream of becoming a Mechwarrior. Years of hard work and good grades paid off when he was accepted into the St. Ives Academy of Martial Sciences. Kevin was a model student, and earned Compact citizenship while also slaving away at his coursework. Upon graduation, he was accepted into the ranks of the Chevaux Legers, one of the workhorse regiments of the St. Ives Compact. A dozen years of service with the unit ended when they were shattered on Indicass by Star League “peacekeepers” at the beginning of the Xin Sheng War. Embittered by the Capellan Confederation’s absorption of his adopted home at the conclusion of that conflict, Kevin decided to make his fortunes on Galatea. Fortunately, he did not arrive until just after Group W had brought an end to the fighting that had engulfed the planet for the past eighteen months. Taking various small jobs to get by, he was finally hired by Graves’ Dancers when he responded to an ad on MercNet. He piloted one of the ‘Mechs freshly salvaged from Acamar, a heavily modified Cataphract. Sadly, he was killed on Solaris when a man-pack SRM fired by some Blakist infantry pierced his ‘Mech’s cockpit.


Born: 5-12-3030 (Died 6-16-3068)
Homeworld: Colorado, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Jane Danton had often been called “Crazy Jane” throughout her career, though no one would ever do it to her face. A lifelong mercenary, she had been ejected from no less than seven other mercenary units for everything from “striking a superior officer” to actually firing on a fellow Mechwarrior in combat for, in her words, “crowdin’ me.” Were it not for her talent at the controls of a BattleMech, she likely would have found herself unemployed, but Jean felt that the more relaxed environment of his Dancers would give her the space she felt she needed to do her job. Tragically, she was killed in the fighting on Solaris when a Blakist Nightsky stove in her cockpit with its hatchet.


Born: 4-13-3035 (Died 8-1-3068)
Homeworld: Exeter, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior

Danica Weiss was a cousin of Sergeant Noah Levine, and was also a member of the 3rd Robinson Rangers. She had retired from the AFFS following the conclusion of the Civil War, but when a spot opened up in Backboard Lance, Levin contacted her and convinced her to join with the Dancers. Danica piloted the Enforcer formerly piloted by Sergeant Crawford. She was killed in action on Tomans when laser fire from a Fire Falcon vaporized her cockpit.


Born: 8-19-3034 (Died 9-2-3068)
Homeworld: Saginaw, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant

Bryce Crawford, like the Dancers’ XO, fought with the 22nd Avalon Hussars, and also like many of the Dancers, was a veteran of the civil war. During the end of the brutal fighting on Talon, Crawford was flash-blinded by laser fire. Crawford used nearly all of his savings in order to have sight-restoring implants surgically embedded in his eyeballs. This had the side-effect of giving his eyes an eerie, electric-blue glow which most people found fairly unnerving. Crawford was just grateful to still be a Mechwarrior, and figured that a life as a mercenary would be the best way to put a few C-bills back into his emptied bank accounts. With his recent promotions to Sergeant and then to Leftenant, he had gotten that much closer to his goals. Sadly, he was killed shortly after the start of the Giausar campaign, when a particle bolt from a militia Myrmidon penetrated his Cataphract’s cockpit.


Born: 10-5-3033 (Died 9-2-3068)
Homeworld: Hesperus II, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior

Felipe Deleón was formerly a pilot in the Defiance Self-Protection Force; they were nearly destroyed to the man during the Free Skye assault on Hesperus II. A vicious close-in fighter who specialized in urban combat, he liked to slowly stalk his opponents and then eviscerate them in a single sneak attack. The Axman he piloted perfectly suited his methodical style. He died in the fighting on Giausar when the neurohelmet feedback from an ammunition explosion knocked him unconscious. Unable to keep his ‘Mech upright, it toppled to the ground, and in the fall Deleón’s neck was fatally broken.
« Last Edit: 09 February 2012, 17:45:02 by Kojak »


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Sir Chaos

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #66 on: 08 February 2012, 13:26:08 »
Do I need new glasses, or is your Pegasus variant really not carrying any ammo? :o
"Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl."
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Hawkeye Jim

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #67 on: 08 February 2012, 16:10:25 »
You need new glasses. It's listed with 80 reloads.

Sir Chaos

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #68 on: 08 February 2012, 16:38:17 »
Ah, okay... I didn´t realize that ammo wasn´t shown as a separate line.

 :-[
"Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl."
-Frederick the Great

"Ultima Ratio Regis" ("The Last Resort of the King")
- Inscription on cannon barrel, 18th century

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #69 on: 08 February 2012, 19:14:26 »
Hey, can somebody with HMVee do a small favor? I can't get my copy to work, and I need the data output (similar to the Pegasus) for my custom Manteuffel variant. It uses a gauss rifle in the turret with two tons of ammo, two forward-facing ER medium lasers and AMS, and the body carries an Angel ECM and Beagle probe. If somebody could plug that into HMVee and then PM me the readout, I'd really appreciate it.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Moonsword

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #70 on: 08 February 2012, 19:26:54 »
Please post fan designs in the appropriate boards.

Kojak

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #71 on: 08 February 2012, 20:25:26 »
I'm sorry, my understanding was that an exception had been carved out for customs on the Non-Canon Units board.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Moonsword

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #72 on: 08 February 2012, 20:51:12 »
Not that I know of but it's possible I haven't heard about it.  I can contact the admins (or you can, for that matter) to see if an exception was made on that point if you'd like.

If there's not an exception, please rest assured you're not in any sort of trouble.

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #73 on: 08 February 2012, 21:20:08 »
I vaguely recall it being raised as an issue back when they first established that rule, and I could've sworn the admins said posting customs to this board would be okay since they couldn't look at this board anyway, but I may be misremembering.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Deathknight69

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #74 on: 12 February 2012, 19:50:18 »
Hey Kojak, Any chance on see-ing the custom mods you've done? If you need to, pm them to me.

D69
"Remember kids, Ammo explosion's are as much fun as friendly fire and incoming fire has the right-of-way." - ShadowSeraph
Avatar by Wombat, Thanks again to the blue fuzzy marsupial of wanton destruction.
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Quote from: DarkSpade on August 10, 2022, 15:23:40
If you think about it, the perfect merc lives long enough to complete the objective, but not long enough to get paid.
Well, there's an Obi-Wan level point of view comment for you ...  xp
« Last Edit: August 10, 2022, 15:35:06 by Wolf72 »

Kojak

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #75 on: 13 February 2012, 08:18:05 »
Oh, damn, I forgot to post the link for that. My bad.

Here they are.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #76 on: 13 February 2012, 10:07:19 »
Part of me is considering swapping the second and third lances of Second Battalion's  Fourth Company for eight more Manteuffels, and then configuring the second lance so that it's identical to the first and the third lance with Arrow-IV. Any thoughts, anyone?


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

iior

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #77 on: 13 February 2012, 11:00:51 »
Wow Kojak, you have some amazing stuff here. The level of detail is astounding!
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The Tukayyid Campaign 3047, now re-booted to 3049.

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #78 on: 13 February 2012, 20:26:20 »
Kojak, just remember the old saying.
Too much artillery is never enough. O0
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Growing up is optional.
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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #79 on: 13 February 2012, 22:25:59 »
Hey, if there is anyone out there with HMBA that would be willing to work a couple of things up for me, please contact me by PM.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #80 on: 20 February 2012, 20:13:10 »
sweet unit
Federated Suns fan forever, Ghost Bear Fan since 1992, and as a Ghost Bear David Bekker star captain (in an Alt TL Loremaster)

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #81 on: 20 February 2012, 21:06:44 »
I like The Dancers because I'm detail oriented. Too much detail is about half enough for me. Having the pictures with the bios is a nice bonus.

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #82 on: 17 March 2012, 06:08:34 »
Just finished the latest campaign battle, this time a defensive fight on Tohelet. The details will be posted in the next night or two.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #83 on: 20 March 2012, 02:06:26 »
[Striker One]: “HQ, I’m getting an odd signal over the horizon. Really bizarre.”
[HQ]: “Patch it through.”
[Striker Three]: “Sure bet someone’s coming and wants us to know it. Looks like those kooks in the Coterie were right after all.”
[HQ]: “Boys, that’s the worst rendition of ‘Baby Mack Attack’ I’ve ever heard. Didn’t know it even still existed.”
[Striker Four]: “Nuevodiscola should’ve died with the damn dingo.”
[HQ]: “Well, e-com analysis shows it’s a modified ECM wave. Whoever it is, they’re coming in to play.”
[Striker One]: “Roger that, HQ. Hunter Lance, prep for high-angle scanning run on vector two-four-oh. Pass and scan, people. No heroics.”


SITUATION
Mather Swamp, Lowellstowne
Tohelet, Free Worlds League
6 May 3069


Subcontracting work out is tough, but pays off in spades if the timing is right. As a company of the Dancers passes through the Free Worlds League, a member of the mysterious Coterie contacts them to assist with defenses in the apparently defenseless Rim Commonality. Seems the Eighth Orloff is the only unit in the area, and several pirates and hard-luck mercs have taken advantage of that fact by executing heavy raids. The bandits have absconded with enormous amounts of foodstuffs and basic supplies, more than those groups would normally require. This means someone’s coordinating the raids, and piling up a large amount of the fundamentals for an army or a world in crisis. The Dancers haven’t heard of any planets in crisis around here, so most likely someone is building an army.

The Coterie seem to think that the large peat farms outside Lowellstowne make a viable target, so here they sit, babysitting some hardened muck. Ah, the mercenary life!

Victory!
-------------------

Winner is: TEAM #1

Graves' Dancers: 33152 BV remaining (from 42140 initially) 0 BV fled
Tohelet Militia: 6747 BV remaining (from 9880 initially) 0 BV fled
Reed's Brew: 1511 BV remaining (from 54343 initially) 0 BV fled

Survivors are:
Templar TLR1-OGD (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Major Eric McClair [2/3]
Kills : 3

Stealth STH-2DG (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Leftenant Andrea Reimer [3/2]
Kills : 1

Salamander PPR-7SG (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Deandra Voss [3/4]
Kills : 0

Thunderbolt TDR-10SEG (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Ian Sharpe [3/4] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 0

Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Leftenant Ukla Mauok [2/3]
Kills : 6

Dervish DV-8D (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Sergeant Matthew Francis [2/4]
Kills : 3

Dervish DV-8D #2 (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Michiko McCloud [3/4]
Kills : 1

Enforcer III ENF-6GD (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Manny Calavera [2/3]
Kills : 1

Wolverine WVR-8KX (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Leftenant William Sanderson [2/4] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 1

Bishamon BSN-3KG (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Sergeant Major Frederick Jacob Nelson [3/4] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 1

No-Dachi NDA-2GD (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Sasha Kovelevsky [3/2]
Kills : 3

Brutus Assault Tank (LRM) (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0

LRM Carrier (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 1

Bulldog Medium Tank (LRM) (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0

Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 1

Drillson Heavy Hover Tank (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0

Condor Heavy Hover Tank (Liao) (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0

Plainsman Medium Hovertank (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0

Main Gauche Light Support Tank (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0

Main Gauche Light Support Tank #2 (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #3 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #4 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #6 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #7 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #8 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #9 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #10 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #11 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #12 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #13 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #14 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #15 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #16 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0

Lineholder KW1-LH3 #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : McGrath Pollock [4/3]
Kills : 0

MechWarrior Cody Rajput (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Cody Rajput [2] ( 5 hit(s) )
Kills : 0

MechWarrior Captain Samuel Smada (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Captain Samuel Smada [2] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 0

MechWarrior Joshua Junejo (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Joshua Junejo [2] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 0

MechWarrior Lieutenant Skye Solas (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Lieutenant Skye Solas [2]
Kills : 0


The following units are in retreat:
MechWarrior Bayani Macababbad (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Bayani Macababbad [3]
Kills : 0


Graveyard contains:
Vedette Medium Tank (Liao) (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by pilot error.

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #5 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4] ( 6 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Watchman WTC-4M (Reed's Brew)

Komodo KIM-2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Simion Ene [3/3]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Bishamon BSN-3KG (Graves' Dancers)

Jackal JA-KL-55 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Mircea Hament [3/3] ( 6 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Templar TLR1-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

Chameleon CLN-7W (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Lieutenant Aleksander Hanna [3/4] ( 6 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Templar TLR1-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

Watchman WTC-4M (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Sharif Palijo [4/3] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 1
Destroyed by pilot error.

Komodo KIM-2 #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Jude Tiwontschik [4/3]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by No-Dachi NDA-2GD (Graves' Dancers)

Awesome AWS-9Q (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Cody Rajput [2/5] ( 5 hit(s) )
Kills : 0

Gunslinger GUN-1ERD (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Captain Samuel Smada [2/3] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

Apollo APL-1M #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Magtanggol Hadac [2/4] ( 6 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by No-Dachi NDA-2GD (Graves' Dancers)

Apollo APL-1M (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Mellal Dhoruba [2/3] ( 6 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

Javelin JVN-10F "Fire Javelin" (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Jeffrey Mier [4/3]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by LRM Carrier (Tohelet Militia)

Penetrator PTR-4D (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Lieutenant Aaron Carrick [4/3]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

Firestarter FS9-S1 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : John Wurfel [4/3] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun (Tohelet Militia)

Jump Platoon (Rifle) #2 (Tohelet Militia)
Gunnery Skill : Tohelet Militia Troopers [4]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by pilot error.

Spider SDR-8M #4 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Falala Ogunkeye [2/4]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

Spider SDR-8M (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Lieutenant Skye Solas [2/3]
Kills : 0

Drillson Heavy Hover Tank #2 (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Axman AXM-1N (Reed's Brew)

Grasshopper GHR-6K #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Nancy Chiba [2/4] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 1
Destroyed by Stealth STH-2DG (Graves' Dancers)

Spider SDR-8M #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Quincy Martin [2/5]
Kills : 0

Phoenix Hawk PXH-7M (Graves' Dancers)
Pilot : Furio Castellucio [3/3] ( 3 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Axman AXM-1N (Reed's Brew)

Axman AXM-1N (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Oliver Mirwald [3/3] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 2
Destroyed by Dervish DV-8D (Graves' Dancers)

Lineholder KW1-LH3 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Viet Djojopoespito [2/4] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Wolverine WVR-8KX (Graves' Dancers)

Chameleon CLN-7W #3 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Sebastien Grandjean [2/3]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by No-Dachi NDA-2GD (Graves' Dancers)

Gallowglas GAL-1GLS (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Captain Carlotta Cilento [2/3] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Templar TLR1-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

Chameleon CLN-7W #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Lieutenant Johannes Meier [2/4] ( 1 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

MechWarrior Quincy Martin (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Quincy Martin [2]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by pilot error.

Spider SDR-8M #3 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Graham Culley [4/4]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by pilot error.


The following utterly destroyed units are not available for salvage:
Huron Warrior HUR-WO-R4L (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Lieutenant Dylan Park [2/3] ( 6 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Dervish DV-8D #2 (Graves' Dancers)

Huron Warrior HUR-WO-R4L #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Bayani Macababbad [3/5]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD (Graves' Dancers)

MechWarrior Lieutenant Dylan Park (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Lieutenant Dylan Park [2] ( 6 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by pilot error.

Longbow LGB-7Q #2 (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Jonathan Calip [3/5] ( 6 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Enforcer III ENF-6GD (Graves' Dancers)

MechWarrior Jonathan Calip (Reed's Brew)
Gunnery Skill : Jonathan Calip [3] ( 6 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by pilot error.

Longbow LGB-7Q (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Joshua Junejo [2/5] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Dervish DV-8D (Graves' Dancers)

Vedette Medium Tank (Liao) #2 (Tohelet Militia)
Driver : Tohelet Militia Tank Crew [4/5] ( 6 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Grasshopper GHR-6K #2 (Reed's Brew)

Grasshopper GHR-6K (Reed's Brew)
Pilot : Olaf Lengnisch [4/4] ( 6 hit(s)  )
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Dervish DV-8D (Graves' Dancers)


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Kojak

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #84 on: 20 March 2012, 02:07:09 »


Mission: Brew-Ha-Ha
Location: Tohelet, Free Worlds League
Optional Bonuses: Brute Force (+150 WP), Sharpshooter (+250 WP)
Outcome: Total Victory
Payment: 48,000,000 C-bills

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AFTERMATH
The battlefield hadn’t even cooled before several small cargo craft bearing members of the Coterie arrived on-station to assess the damage. While the Dancers were tangling with the “Beer Can Brigade,” another merc force hammered Lowellstowne and “liberated” several containers of seed and cattle from one of the giant land train terminals. The fighting started several fires that took most of the next day to corral.

As for Graves' Dancers, the Coterie representative just smiled, handed them the confirmed transfer order and politely asked them to leave. While they had no problem complying, they couldn't help but wonder what was going on...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
« Last Edit: 20 March 2012, 02:19:14 by Kojak »


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

snakespinner

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #85 on: 20 March 2012, 02:32:35 »
Never did like Reed's Brew. Poor quality beer, not fit for drinking. }:)
You did a very good job on Reed's Brew. Now what are the Coterie up to.
I wish I could get a good grip on reality, then I would choke it.
Growing old is inevitable,
Growing up is optional.
Watching TrueToaster create evil genius, priceless...everything else is just sub-par.

Kojak

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #86 on: 20 March 2012, 04:02:14 »
Ukla Maouk was definitely the MVP of this fight; he carved his way through four enemy 'Mechs, lost his Black Hawk's left arm, and then killed another two before the battle ended. Sasha Kovelevsky was a close second; that modded No-Dachi she pilots is a monster. With the TSM active, the mace hits for 38 points of damage, and with the Direct Blow rules on she was sometimes hitting for 40 points or more. There was a four-turn stretch where she killed or crippled an enemy 'Mech every single turn.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Dave Talley

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #87 on: 20 March 2012, 08:05:17 »
but really, the Toilet Militia?

I have heard of crappy troops before......
Resident Smartass since 1998
“Toe jam in training”

Because while the other Great Houses of the Star League thought they were playing chess, House Cameron was playing Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker the entire time.
JA Baker

Cidwm

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #88 on: 20 March 2012, 11:34:06 »
but really, the Toilet Militia?

I have heard of crappy troops before......

This gave me a good laugh.  :D

Hawkeye Jim

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Re: Graves' Dancers: Crazy Like a Fox
« Reply #89 on: 20 March 2012, 13:35:25 »
Makes you wonder how much drinking went into the selection of names for the units and mechwarriors....