Author Topic: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita  (Read 3578 times)

Precentor Scorpio

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Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« on: 17 January 2018, 14:08:19 »
For the story line,  FASA needed the Wolf Dragoons to leave Kurita service and defend the Federated Suns/ Federated Commonwealth at the 4th Succession War.  So, my question is, why did Wolf's Dragoons leave the Lyran Commonwealth early.  Has anyone considered Wolfnet finding out about the wedding?
Did Hanse Davion convince Katrina Steiner to let the Dragoons go in 3022/3023 so the Davions or Steiners could have a chance at hiring the Dragoons just before the wedding?   
If either of these options exist I will lean towards Hanse manipulating the events.

Frabby

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #1 on: 17 January 2018, 14:37:27 »
Jaime Wolf drops a few cryptic words about the short Steiner contract in Wolves on the Border. It's not spelled out, but my guess is the Dragoons pulled out of a company store ploy.
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Wotan

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #2 on: 17 January 2018, 17:48:48 »
The old WD SB only have speculations for that, too. But it is mentioned that Takashi offered the highest price ever paid for a mercenary contract. This and the honor showed by Minobu Tetsuhara (remember in the end Jaime is a Clan warrior) might be a good reason to change sides.

Chinless

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #3 on: 18 January 2018, 09:09:17 »
For the story line,  FASA needed the Wolf Dragoons to leave Kurita service and defend the Federated Suns/ Federated Commonwealth at the 4th Succession War.  So, my question is, why did Wolf's Dragoons leave the Lyran Commonwealth early.

The Mercs Handbook 3055 p32 has the answer; "Under orders from his Khan to accelerate the Dragoons' pace in testing the Successor States' military strength, Wolf chose to accept Takashi Kurita's generous offer."

Chris

Wotan

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #4 on: 18 January 2018, 09:22:55 »
The Mercs Handbook 3055 p32 has the answer; "Under orders from his Khan to accelerate the Dragoons' pace in testing the Successor States' military strength, Wolf chose to accept Takashi Kurita's generous offer."

Chris

Good find

YingJanshi

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #5 on: 18 January 2018, 14:54:45 »
Hm, both could actually be correct: orders from the Khan would be the real reason, but Wolf could have also dropped hints about the company store shenanigans as the public reason.

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GhostCat

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #6 on: 28 January 2018, 12:35:10 »
It's been a long while since I read it, but the Commonwealth forces did not especially welcome the Dragoons, and treated them like any other Mercenary group.  Badly.  The company Store ploy was common in all the Great Houses, but Steiner Commanders added the extra twist of depleting the Dragoons with missions causing Heavy Attrition.  Then Kurita made an offer that was very appealing and the Dragoons accepted the Contract.  With the usual disclaimer that they not fight the previous employer. 

Of course, the Combine had their own ideas of how to get their hands on the fabulous equipment the Dragoons had.
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PsihoKekec

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #7 on: 29 January 2018, 01:32:52 »
I think some of the LCAF leaders were still sore about their Hesperus fight.
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Dayton3

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #8 on: 20 March 2018, 09:03:41 »
I was also under the impression that a Grand Council vote on Strana Mechy about whether to invade the Inner Sphere was approaching and the Wolf Khan wanted the Wolf Dragoons "recon" of the Inner Sphere completed before then.

Note,  Jaime Wolf must have anticipated this move as the Dragoons contract with the Lyran Commonwealth was the only one with an "early opt out" clause which allowed the Dragoons to leave early in the first place.

Also, it is obvious that Wolf anticipated the Dragoons leaving Kuritan employment and turning around and fighting them as the Dragoons contract with the Combine was the first one they signed that did not have them agreeing not to fight against their immediate former employer.

grimlock1

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #9 on: 21 March 2018, 10:56:54 »

Also, it is obvious that Wolf anticipated the Dragoons leaving Kuritan employment and turning around and fighting them as the Dragoons contract with the Combine was the first one they signed that did not have them agreeing not to fight against their immediate former employer.
Granted their departure from Marik service didn't engender warm fuzzy feelings, the end of the Dragoons Kurita contract was the only contract where they had a serious beef with their former employer. Yeah, the Lyrans treated them kinda crappy and pulled the company store routine, but that was merchant caste asshattery. Samsonov tried to control them, but when that didn't work, he tried to KILL them.  Takahashi didn't do his part, not until it was too late.  What could have been just some sour grapes and butthurt to hash out in the next contract negotiation became a genuine grievance.   And we all know how the Dragoons settle a grievance back home.
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Frabby

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #10 on: 21 March 2018, 12:42:32 »
The Mercs Handbook 3055 p32 has the answer; "Under orders from his Khan to accelerate the Dragoons' pace in testing the Successor States' military strength, Wolf chose to accept Takashi Kurita's generous offer."
That can't be right. Khan Kerlin Ward had secretly ordered the Dragoons to cut their ties with the Clans and prepare the Inner Sphere for the upcoming Clan invasion during the Dragoons' 3019-3020 resupply run between the Marik and Steiner contracts. The Dragoons had even purged their jump data to the home worlds upon returning. They weren't scouting anymore when they entered Lyran and later Kurita employ.
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roosterboy

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #11 on: 21 March 2018, 14:21:47 »
Also, it is obvious that Wolf anticipated the Dragoons leaving Kuritan employment and turning around and fighting them as the Dragoons contract with the Combine was the first one they signed that did not have them agreeing not to fight against their immediate former employer.

That was the contract they signed with the FedSuns after leaving Combine employ. The contract with the Combine, like all their previous contracts, specified they wouldn't fight their immediately previous employer, in that case, the Lyrans. A contract couldn't prevent the unit's future actions taken after the contract's expiry date.

grimlock1

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #12 on: 21 March 2018, 14:43:00 »
That was the contract they signed with the FedSuns after leaving Combine employ. The contract with the Combine, like all their previous contracts, specified they wouldn't fight their immediately previous employer, in that case, the Lyrans. A contract couldn't prevent the unit's future actions taken after the contract's expiry date.
I don't see why not.  There are non-compete clauses in contracts. The clause couldn't be indefinite, but for the next 5 years or so?  Seems reasonable. Otherwise the current employer takes a big risk of handing an enemy a huge cache of intel.
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Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #13 on: 21 March 2018, 14:45:18 »
When you're a merc with 5 regiments of mechs AND have established your rep, you can largely tell employers what your terms are to accept their employment.


Dayton3

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #14 on: 21 March 2018, 16:23:10 »
I thought in the Wolf Dragoons sourcebook it was implied that the Dragoons insisting on the clauses that their new employer couldn't be used against their most recent old employer was in part because of the extremely good experience the Dragoons had in their initial dealings with the Federated Suns.

Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #15 on: 21 March 2018, 16:25:00 »
I thought in the Wolf Dragoons sourcebook it was implied that the Dragoons insisting on the clauses that their new employer couldn't be used against their most recent old employer was in part because of the extremely good experience the Dragoons had in their initial dealings with the Federated Suns.

That was surely the public explanation, and it may have even been mostly true.  But also, they were secretly spying on the inner sphere.  Don't underestimate the impact of the unreliable authorship factor of the original Wolf's Dragoons SB.

Saying "no missions against House Davion" means offensive missions only over into the FWL.. so no duplication of spying efforts as they've just had 5 years to learn everything they wanted about the AFFS.

grimlock1

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #16 on: 21 March 2018, 18:14:38 »
When you're a merc with 5 regiments of mechs AND have established your rep, you can largely tell employers what your terms are to accept their employment.
After 5 years of handing the Cappies their butts, Jamie and Joshua were in a good position to say, "You know exactly how good we are.  You've learned the hard way. We're looking for a new gig, and hear you're hiring, but there's a couple caveats...."
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Wotan

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Re: Wolf Dragoons left the Lyrans early to fight for Kurita
« Reply #17 on: 22 March 2018, 11:33:59 »
While the WD were no longer scouting for the Clans and were on their own - they maybe had no idea by when the Clans would arrive. So speed up your employer shifting rate is a good way to go out of most likely invasion corridor.  ;)
That ways they sit safe at Outreach when the Clans arrived and could look from their homeworld while the IS had to fight the new enemy. What if the Clans arrived while they were on duty for Kurita? Kurita would have forced them to fight the Clans. Only way to avoid that would be to break the contract - but then having no homeworld to flee for.
3050 they also break their contracts - but have a homeworld far from the front.

 

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