Magyari's Irregulars (3145-era Mercenary unit)

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The decline and fall of the Steel Wolves

(From Conflicts of the Post-Blackout Era, Galatean Free Press)

The Steel Wolves were one of the first of the so-called Splinter factions to emerge following the HPG blackout. Originating in the Bright Fang and Wolf Trap militia clusters under the command of Prefect Kal Radrick, the Wolves quickly grew to be the largest of the factions. At their peak, the Steel Wolves boasted between six and nine clusters of troops (the actual number is hard to find due to a number of reasons, not the least of which is the high turnover of ranking Steel Wolf officers), although only three of those possessed any actual BattleMechs.

Much of this early growth came from the large number of non-Wolves who flocked to the Steel Wolves banner. While many of them were from elsewhere in the Republic, some came from as far away as the Taurian Concordat. The Steel Wolves also soaked up a number of failed Wolf in Exile cadets, offering them a second chance at being Warriors that they would not have otherwise had.

Initially one of the most aggressive of the splinter factions, the Steel Wolves soon had carved out a small number of worlds for their own from Prefectures III and IV, centered on their capitol of Tigress. However, this initial aggression quickly stalled after their defeat on Achmar, with the Wolves switching largely to small raids of questionable value. The death of Kal Radrick at the hands of Anistasia Kerensky, followed by her taking command of the Steel Wolves, served to reinvigorate the faction.

Her first act was a bold one, an attempt to take Northwind with a limited force and use it as a stepping stone to Terra. While the attempt failed, it also served to embolden her command and prompted a second attempt at Northwind. While she was aided by the treacherous black Paladin, Ezekiel Crow, Kerensky was again driven off-world, but at the same time, the damage had been done.

With distrust and confusion rife among the ranks of the Republic Command, the Steel Wolves launched an assault on Terra, aimed at taking the homeworld of humanity for the Steel Wolves. This assault saw the commitment of the entire Steel Wolf force, both in her main attack in Siberia as well as other attacks across Europe and the Americas aimed at tying up the Republic defenders. The result was a failure, with the Steel Wolves driven back by the combined forces of the Republic and Tara Cambpells’ Highlanders.

The failed assault on Terra cost Kerensky heavily, both in terms of manpower and equipment as well as morale. Victories against the Falcons on Skye and then Ryde helped regain some of that, which combined with the immunity she won from Countess Campbell, helped repair her standing with her troops somewhat. Following their defeat in the second battle of Skye, the Wolves retreated to Galatea to lick their wounds, flaunting their freedom from Republic Law.

What started as a layover grew and stretched out, especially after Anastasia Kerensky was severely injured in a BattleMech accident. Months of inactivity saw discontent grow among the remaining Steel Wolves, especially as questions and rumors began to circulate among the Wolves as to her plans for their future. Her announcement of the formation of the Wolf Hunters in June 3135, transforming the would-be Clan into a Mercenary unit, proved to be the last straw for many.

Over the next few weeks, the bulk of the Steel Wolves simply left her command. The defections ranged from individual warriors to entire clusters of troops, many angered over what they saw as Kerensky's betrayal of their ways. Defections were especially high among the "adoptees” who had joined the Steel Wolves; having given up their old lives to become Clan, they were especially bitter at having that taken away from them without having a say in the matter.

Ironically, many of those former Steel Wolves would become mercenaries themselves. Left on Galatea with no way off, they lacked any other viable options. Many of them joined other units in groups or as individuals, while a few of them tried to form their own units. The Steel Wolf Corps, composed entirely of armour and infantry, was a typical case of the latter. Few of these units would last, as many of the Warriors in them, lacked the savvy and business skills to actually run a mercenary command.

While the Steel Wolves fell apart, their “empire” likewise collapsed. With the entire Steel Wolf force away, the worlds they had taken were divided between the Cappellan advance and the pro-Davion Swordsworn forces. Tigress itself peacefully joined a pro-Federated Suns protectorate through the negotiation of Erik Sandoval-Grossel; the result was the Steel Wolf holdings had all but vanished by the end of 3135.

Of the Steel Wolves who had chosen to leave, the largest concentration consisted of a pair of Clusters that had defected wholesale. Star Colonel Varnoff Fetladral commanded a mixed cluster of BattleMechs, Armour and Infantry, while Star Colonel Xera had command of nearly all of the Steel Wolves’ Aerospace assets, as well as several Dropships and a Jumpship. The pair of them formed an alliance under Fetladral’s control, intending to retake Tigress and rebuild the Steel Wolves.

The new Steel Wolves took a winding path through Prefectures VIII and VII, skirting around Fortress Republic while engaging in raids on former Republic worlds in order to build up their strength. Along the way, Fetladral began to separate out Xera’s loyalists, aiming to weaken her strength while also skirting around the borders of Clan honour.

Matters came to a head in October 3136 when Fetladral’s Steel Wolves caught up with Anastasia Kerensky’s Wolf Hunters over New Canton. Kerensky offered a Trial of Grievance between the two to resolve their conflict. Fetladral agreed to the trial, while plotting to instead betray Kerensky and destroy the Wolf Hunters. Learning of his treachery, Xera broadcast his intent across the Steel Wolf force, publicly revealing his plans.

Xera’s actions effectively ousted Varnoff Fetladral from command of the Steel Wolves; while several loyalists chose to leave with him, the majority remained under Xera’s command. However, realizing that the goal of retaking Tigress and the rebuilding of the Steel Wolves’ holdings had become impossible, Xera was forced to surrender to the inevitable. As an irony, the last of the Steel Wolves became mercenaries as well, becoming the very thing they had fought against turning into.

While the Steel Wolves have survived the last decade, their numbers have continued to wither. Existing as a mercenary unit with Clan trappings, recruitment has been difficult, resulting in losses taking their toll on the unit’s strength. By 3145, the Steel Wolves consisted of a single under strength Cluster under Xera’s command, presently employed by the Free Worlds League. Advisedly, the League has been sure to station them away from the Wolf Empire, while also ensuring that they remain isolated from the Clan Protectorate.

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Quitting while you're ahead, or just plain quitting?

From Solaris City Sunrise, 27 October 3144

Chet Robwell: Now in Games news, the big story of the morning is the sudden resignation of Carrie Bull, not only from Team Red Truck but the games as a whole.

Joe Esposito: That’s right. Red Truck manager Pete Vogel announced her resignation at a press conference this morning. What’s interesting is not just that Bull didn’t give a reason for her resignation, but that she wasn’t even at the conference at all. Now while we can’t say for sure, rumour has it that she has already moved out of the TRT compound, so it looks like she’s really gone.

Robwell: If you ask me, it looked like Vogel himself was caught by surprise there. There are many words that I could use to describe his performance out there this morning, but ‘polished’ and ‘practiced’ are not among them.

Esposito: You and me both, Chet. In fact, I’d say he was about as surprised as everyone else was with this development.

Robwell: And he can’t be happy. He just saw Red Truck’s strongest prospect  since the, uh, change in management here on Solaris waltz off with nary a word to be said. Let’s be fair here, the last few years have not been kind to that team.

Espositio: No they haven't, Chet. Red Truck saw a number of its members defect to the impromptu reborn SHDL during the Wolf Empire's invasion. Those who did obviously are no longer able to compete-

Robwell: -one way or another-

Esposito: -but  regardless, it cost them several hot prospects.

Robwell: Do you think there's any truth to the rumour that Kelly Noburu is still out there?

Esposito: Her and Blacksting, Chet [Laughs]

Robwell: And after that, Red Truck lost several more who simply left in the mass-exodus after Solaris became a part of the Empire. Now, Carrie was known to be rather unhappy with the Wolf management of Solaris, and didn't mind saying it.

Esposito: It'd be hard to forget her spiel after she beat Beauregard Wolf in the Factory last year. She really wasn't holding back there.

Robwell: No she wasn't, but I'm beginning to think that this wasn’t why she left, Joe.

Esposito: I've got to agree there. If Carrie Bull had left over that, then she would have let everyone know. We wouldn't just have a politely worded statement; no she'd have been at the press conference herself. And I'm pretty sure the bleepers would have been running overtime on that [Laughs]

Robwell: You and me both, Joe. No, I don't think that was the problem at all. Rather, I have to wonder if there wasn't something else involved?

Esposito: Foul play, in the Solaris Games? Never!

Robwell: It's a crazy thought, Joe, but it wouldn't be the first time, would it?

Esposito: Definitely not. Myself, I'm reminded of Pedro Baer's infamous disappearance back in '32. The night before his big match with Max Nogomo and he abruptly vanishes without a word, and no explanation given.

Robwell: I remember that to, Joe. There were a lot of questions asked as to what had happened there, and a lot of angry people looking for answers and preferably a piece of his hide. [Laughs]

Esposito: And then things got a little out of control with the Blackout and all, and missing Solaris gladiators were the least of everyone's concerns.

Robwell: Did anyone ever find out what happened to him or why he left?

Esposito: Well the story I heard, Chet, was that he ended up working for Bannson's Raiders. And that worked out well for everyone involved, didn't it just?

Robwell: Indeed it did. Not if I recall, Pedro also absconded with his 'Mech. Has that happened here?

Esposito: We don't have any word as yet, but personally I'm inclined to say no. For all its customisation, Carrie's signature 'Mean Machine' was still owned by Red Truck. I suspect that if she'd taken off with it, Vogel would have a lot more to say.

Robwell: True that. And even if she doesn't have a 'Mech of her own, Carrie Bull is still a talented MechWarrior on her own. So until we know otherwise, all I can say is that I wish her luck.

Esposito: Likewise, Chet. Speaking of wishing people luck, though, I have to wonder where this leaves Team Red Truck. Without her, that's pretty much locked them out of the Tharonja's Big Bacon Cup.

Robwell: Unless Kim Pak-Oon can manage to pull off something spectacular in his match against "Leaping" Lanny Lopez tomorrow, it looks like they're out of luck. On the other hand, Bat Country Stables must be happy given that "Sheep Nuker" O'Shea just got a bye.

Esposito: Indeed they will. And for breakdowns of last night's matches that actually happened, let's cross over to Jackson Jones at the arena desk.

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From the personal journal of Cecelia Stanley

You know, some days I hate those guys in the assault lance. And some days I love 'em

They're an assault lance. Their job's to stand there and get shot at. I do get that, and I appreciate all that. It does mean that they give me a lot of work to do. Nikola's Carronade seems to come back from every damned fight minus most of its armour and an arm. Not even the same arm each time, either. And don't get me started on trying to keep the Vulture together. I swear, the Foxes must have purposefully engineered it only to use proprietary parts.

But then they also have their moments of genius, and I'm not just talking about Randy's taste in drinks (which is, incidentally, impeccable. I don't know if it’s something he learned in Journo school, but the guy can pick a drink for every occasion). Like take what they came up with today which was genius and might just have been the breakthrough we've been looking for in ending this trainwreck of a campaign.

We 'acquired' a huge stash of parts from the Royals when we retook the base from 'em. Most of it was the usual crap that you find lying around, but there was also some new stuff that had, apparently, been a down-payment for their double-crossing us, the bastards. I'd given it a quick once-over to check that it was usable and compatible, and been pretty happy with what I found. Good quality gear built to Star League standards. What more could a tech ask for?

But Randy gave me a suggestion, and I thought it was worthy following up. He threw the idea of checking the serial numbers at me, and that turned up an interesting result. All the parts had a common serial numbering system, which is both good and bad. Good because it means they all came from the one place, and bad because damn it, they're like nothing I've ever seen before.

They all start with "OB1", and then go off to an insanely long alphanumeric code, longer then any other damned numbering system I ever saw. I couldn't even begin to guess what it actually means, mind you, only that it means that they call came from the same manufacturer and, presumably, the same place. I mean, hell, I could probably throw them through a detailed isotopic analysis to confirm that, but right now, I figure that they're all coming from the one factory.

I've never seen an "OB1" code before, and It doesn't appear in any of my guides either. I've certainly never seen a number system like this either, which doesn't tell me where the hell it's come from. All I can say is that OB1, whoever, they are, definitely are a quality manufacturer who I'd buy from again. Well, presumably, if I knew who they were to begin with.

But that brings me to paint number two. Some bright spark (again, pretty sure it was Randy) cane up with the idea of running a Geiger counter over them. I hadn't given that a thought, simply because the Royals hadn't seem to taken any special precautions with handling or storing them or the like. But it was a bright move, as there was an ever so slight but definitely there to see increase in the radioactivity of the parts.

It's not enough to kill you or give you cancer or whatnot, but I definitely wouldn't recommend licking 'em or the like. However, it also suggests to me (and Nikola) that these parts could have been stored somewhere with a higher then normal background rad count. And here we are on a continent where the north half of it was full of old SLDF ruins that got that way after the League nuked 'em back in the first Succession War.

Now if you ask me, it's pretty clear what we've got here. Star League-era parts (Could even be SLDF itself), probably sourced from some long-forgotten manufacturer who had an arcane code that fell off the record books. It makes sense, and there's plenty of precedent; after all, who remembers Merryweather?

My bet is that they were left in a SLDF storehouse and forgotten (or even deliberately hidden) during the exodus. The Eagles then nuke the base, but the cache survives in a storehouse or whatever else for hundreds of years. Pelzer then finds this place while he's planning his coup and figures he can use SLDF-quality parts to buy off Mercs for his cause.

However, it also tells me (And Randy and Nikola) that Pelzer's operating from out of one of these ruins, possibly one that's less collapsed or mostly underground or the like. A couple of centuries should have been enough for most of the background radiation to have decayed, making it safe to use - just not actually inhabited, because the northern half of the continent is still pretty damned desolate. It also means that we could have a lead on finding this bustard and flushing him out.

So yeah, today I love those guys. Strange how these things happen.

PS: On a later inspection of the pile, I found a couple that had "OB3" codes instead of OB1. They still had the same super-long and convoluted system of characters afterwards. So maybe they're different branches of the same thing, or even different sites in the same system or world.

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From the personal journal of Carrie Bull

I haven't updated this in a long time. I've had a lot of things on my mind, and that's left me with not much time to think. Though, in truth, I noticed that I wasn't that succinct in keeping it up to date before now.

I admit now that I didn't know Uncle Charlie that well. We hadn't seen each other in years, and we weren't that close. I didn't realise that I was his closest living relative either, so it did come as a shock to me to learn that he'd died and left me his BattleMech. His only wishes were that I use it as I saw fit, but there was a certain logic to joining the Irregulars, and taking his spot in the command lance. It was a chance at a regular paycheck, something that has been in short supply since I left Solaris. Besides, I think he'd be happy that I did. His Scourge may not be Mean Machine, but it’s a pretty sweet ride no less.

The Irregulars are an interesting bunch, certainly. I really haven't had much time to get to know them so far, given how fast we turned around between my hiring and the launch of this campaign. Irisz certainly is a character; she's confident enough that she could stare down some of the big guns on S7, and I think she could actually take them too. Hell, I'd put good money on her in a fight any say. I'm just not sure if she's joking about the eye or not.

Working with a unit has also been a learning experience too. I'm more used to one-on-one duels, and it's been quite a change to adjust to being in a team and working alongside others. I've done a few team battles, true, but that still wasn't a thing like what a real battlefield turned out to be like. I'm learning, and I think I've got some good teachers.

That being said, I’m guessing that this has been a pretty screwy campaign for them so far, what with the betrayal by their so-called allies and the game of Dropship Tag that followed up. I have to admit that I should have seen some of this coming. A few days before the screwjob, I was approached by a guy from the Royals, a suit by the name of Stein. He offered me a contract with them, moving with all the skill and sleaze of a Solaris City agent. I declined, and he seemed to be okay with that.

Except then he came back to me a few days later, and suggested that I might want to either switch sides or just stand down full stop. Again, I felt like I was back on the Game World, only this time facing down with a mobster who was suggesting what might be good for me. I don’t ever want to go back there.

After all that crap, it felt good to actually be in a simple, straight-up battle. I was seconded to the assault lance as they’re still down their commander. Recon had spotted a group of Incinerators heading south;  they weren’t sure if they were trying to hook up with the remaining Royals who were at large or if they were trying to distract us by going after civilians, but either way the boss wanted them stopped. I was glad to oblige.

That being said, I got the idea why they were called the Incinerators. We were fighting a mixed force of ‘Mechs, tanks and VTOLs (plus some Battle Armour units that were stashed in one of the IFVs), and I swear, everything in that force was packing a plasma, flamers, infernos or all of the above. They also weren’t holding back with them; this one Shadow Hawk IIC was bathing Zhen’s Vulture in plasma fire pretty much non-stop. Given that he was carrying infernos himself, that must have been hella uncomfortable for him.

We managed to slow them; of their attack force, only one IFV and a Calliope managed to break through, and they weren’t in the best of shape either. Most of the other Incinerators were either shot up or surrendered when we cut them off. Randy’s Uziel took the leg off that Shad, which means that it’s added to the salvage pool. So all up, not too bad looking for us.

So I think I’m getting the hang of this Merc thing. I just hope that it’s not always as dirty as this contract has been. It’s like I’m back on the game world or something…

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Victoria Planetary News Internal Memo

From: Frank J. Harris II (Programming department)
To: Randy R. Georges

Subject: Expanding the scope

Randy, we just (well, as of me sending this, which could mean anything to you!) got the first package of material you sent back. The boys were looking at it, an, well, we love it. There's some great stuff in there. Very raw, very visceral, very dynamic material that's bound to grab the attention of the viewers and the sponsors. You've done a great job there so far, and this project has a lot of potential.

Also, that bit you pulled with the VTOL and claiming to be a government spook? Great stuff.

Now here's the thing. The boys at programming love it and they're definitely going to use the material you've sent us, but they also want more. Obviously we'll use whatever you send us, but we'd like to see a little expansion of the scope to give us more source material. Don't get me wrong, the unit you're with are great stuff, but obviously we need to inject more material in order to keep the ratings going for a full season.

So what I'm suggesting is that you should try to poke around some other merc units. I'm not saying jump ship of course, but rather if you could try to find members of other units for interviews and the like. Find their experiences, get some tales of their past campaigns and all that sort of stuff. I've been thinking that we could 'spice up' each episode with a few extra bits from other points of view and such.

That provides some variety and gives us something to hook the viewers in with - "tune in next week to see what sort of crazed, grizzled, combat-scarred veteran we can find, and hear their tales". It allows us to show a cross-section across the entire trade (of course) and add fresh perspectives (of course) but also provide a list of colourful characters that the audience are going to want to see more of.

Keep up the good work, and I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what you send us

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From the personal journal of Irisz Magyari

"It's inevitable that your employer will go behind your back and pull something without letting your know in advance what they're doing. The only real question is when it will happen and how bad it will be".

I don't remember if that was from Sel's journals, or one of Sonya Brie's terrible pulp novels. Either way, it's a depressing truth of the mercenary trade, as we've learned today. The only good side to this is that it's an employer stunt that hasn't immediately hurt us.

I'll get to that in a minute, however. The good news is that the Royals are no longer a threat to us. I'm not going to lie here; I didn't like Royale from the moment I met him, and when they turned on us there was a part of me that had suspected this would happen all along. I'm also going to admit that the opportunity to deliver a little payback for what he did to us felt good, to say the least.

Following the Incinerators' less then brilliant attempt to reinforce Royale's position, we had tracked his command lance to Oybin, a nice little island resort town on the south coast of Saxony. I led command and Assault Lances in the attack (Recon and the Air Cav acting as pickets to warn us of any potential intrusions from the north) as well as two squads of Maria's Battle Armour troopers (Her “Mexicans” as she insists on calling them).

Royale had reinforced his lance with the survivors of the failed Incinerator Breakthrough as well as what was likely the last of his Battle Armour forces, and tried to dig in to the town. On paper, they had a better position, allowing them to snipe at us as we single-filed our way down the single bridge that approached the town. However, we also had our own advantages in the form of far superior long-range fire. I ordered the bulk of our force to hang back, allowing us to take potshots at them from outside the range of most of their weapons.

We forced the Royals to come to us, with Royale himself leading from his monstrous Mad Cat Mk II. However, somebody (Either Nikola or Zhen) landed a fluke hit early in the battle, effectively crippling him and eliminating his mobility (EDITOR'S NOTE: Single cluster hit TAC to the gyro), reducing his improved jump jets to twenty-four tons of useless junk. Randy, as always, helped to break up their advance as well as threatening Royale himself along the way.

With Royale effectively sidelined, their force ran into a solid wall of superior firepower that they couldn't respond to. We quickly crippled a Hammerhands, as well as putting down a Calliope and Blackjack (sadly, neither of which were salvageable). Then Royale himself went down, which pretty much killed their assault. The rest of their force fell back, losing a Hunchback for the deal before the survivors managed to retreat.

And for all that, we took only a single casualty, and even then it wasn't to enemy fire. Larry slipped on a corner while crossing a bridge, his Shockwave falling off it and into the water. Unfortunately, he landed on his cockpit, breaching it and drowning before he could escape. I really don't know what to say to that.

There was one other disquieting moment, however. After his Mk II went down, I sent Maria to try and grab Royale himself. When she found him, he was dead, but not of injuries sustained in the battle. Rather, he'd been shot after he bailed out from his disabled 'Mech. I'm still waiting on Doctor Cartwright's autopsy report, but his death concerns me. A part of me thinks it’s somebody trying to tie up a loose end, but who and what is the big issue.

Well, that and I’d have liked to see him squirm in captivity a little after what he did to us. Either that or have taken him out myself  (Mad Cat to Mad Cat and all)

That brings me back to my comments about our employers. It seems that while we were off fighting the Royals, the Lyrans were using it as cover for an operation of their own. They'd managed to pull a number of Lyran loyalists from captivity in the capitol and spirit them away while everyone was focused on the goings on here on Saxony. This has allowed them to build their own militia force, one they're equipping with the 'Mechs and Vehicles we've salvaged so far on the campaign. On one hand, I'm glad for the additional support and the fact that we're no longer going it alone. On the other, itd have been nice if they had told us about this first.

Plus we lose on the salvage front, although Kommandant Gilles has offered the Royals' supplies as compensation. Personally, I'm hoping to do some sort of deal over their two dropships, but negotiating with Lyrans over financial matters is never easy. It's the only thing they're good at, after all.

Still, progress. We've dealt with the unexpected problem (the surviving Royals are no longer a threat. They're mercs, they're not going to fight a lost battle) and we've gained additional support. Hopefully we can bring this dropship wreck of a campaign to a close soon.

[Deadborder]

LIC Force Report 6459-8-D/Kamenz (extract)

Based on confirmed battlefield losses and cross-referenced with the known force strength at the point of hiring, it is considered that the Liberty City Royals no longer represent a credible threat or a viable combat force. A brief summary of their current situation is given below in order to elaborate on this assessment.

At present, the Liberty City Royals are believed to possess the following combat assets:

*Six BattleMechs; HMH-6E Hammerhands (Badly damaged, no longer combat effective), CRD-5K Crusader (Moderately damaged), BZK-D1 Hollander III, BLD-7R Blade, MLR-B2 Mjolnir, Koshi 3
*A seventh BattleMech, a PXH-4W Phoenix Hawk was known to be in their possession but has not been seen since they fled the spaceport
*Two Winterhawk APCs
*Two squads of Battle Armour

In addition, no officers higher than the rank of lieutenant are known to be at large (or, in fact, alive) leaving the Royals without an effective command structure. Furthermore, their supplies and technical support crews have been located and captured (See appendix for details on salvaged supplies including possible points of origin), leaving them with little ability to repair or rearm their units. Additionally, the Royals lack any air support. Finally, the Royals completely lack transport assets, their dropships having been captured and remaining in our custody.

Given their last known location in Oybin, the Royals are effectively geographically isolated from the bulk of the Kamanez Rebel forces. Any attempted breakthrough would be hampered by their having to do such through a much larger force. With the activation of our own reserve force (see attached files for detailed force listing) we will be able to secure the spaceport as well as the local area against any such attempt.

The Royals may attempt to flee or relocate by alternate means; surface shipping would be one option, however air transport would be out of the question unless they chose to abandon their equipment. However, at this stage, it is considered to be highly unlikely that they will be able to mount any form of effective assault, and represent only a minimal threat to our future operations. Likewise, while the remaining Kamenez rebel forces may attempt another breakthrough to link up with them, given the losses sustained in the last attempt for very little tangible benefit, it is seen as unlikely that they will attempt to do such.

Therefore, it is our considered assessment that the Liberty City Royals be declared "combat ineffective" and as such, given a low priority for future planning. The current suggested course of action is a moderate intensity psychological campaign to encourage surrender ("Cut your losses") rather than direct military action.

[Deadborder]

From the personal journal of Carrie Bull

On Solaris, it was all too often the case that the outcome of a match would be decided before the fight. I’m not talking ludicrously one-sided matches where it’s obvious that one side doesn’t have a chance (see the infamous Carl “Bossmonster” Kaled versus Herbert Wilks match, for example) but those where someone had a vested interest in seeing one side or the other lose and was going to do everything he could in order to make it happen. Usually that somebody is a criminal, and usually they’re very unsubtle when they decide to lean on their target to make it happen.

Eckhart Stein may not have been a criminal (may) but he certainly was on the slimy side of things. His offer to me seemed innocuous enough, but his second one definitely was the sort of “gentle persuasion” one associates with Solaris Mobsters, even if the threat wasn’t immediate. So when we found out that the Royals were hiding out in some resort town, I was actually hoping that he’d be there with them, if only so I could give him a little bit of a ‘talking to’ about things.

Unfortunately, it seems that I was out of luck. Stein had been in town, yes, but he’d gotten out of there before we arrived. On the surface, this seemed to make sense to me, but when I dug a little deeper, things got a little bit strange.

While they were in town, the Royals engaged in a non-stop looting spree, aiming to load up on and run off with anything that was even remotely valuable. (Bunch of charmers, huh?). They ended up dumping almost all of their loot before they ran off (though the Hunchback we captured had the spare space in its cockpit packed out with valuables, and I suspect the other ‘Mechs did too). Stein, however, didn’t.

What he did do was apparently spend most of his time in a hotel room (the nicest one in town, I have no doubt!) and order lots of room service (Not paid for. This guy is a world-class bum). However, from what I heard from the staff there, he spent most of his time on the communicators as well as the Kamenz InterWeb. When his room service arrived, he was almost allways talking to somebody; on the few times he left his room, he would go outside to talk to somebody. He probably had his communicator in the shower.

Now on one side, this reminds me a lot of your average Solaris agent or manager when there’s something big going on. God alone knows Pete Vogel spent a lot of time glued to his communicator, and probably had it surgically attached after I quit the team. From what I gathered, that’s kind of an appropriate comparison. Stein seemed to be the actual brains behind the Royals, while Lucas Royale himself was their face but not the sharpest tool in the shed.

But then factor in what he tried to pull with me and we get back to the back-room scumbag, the sort who’s trying to make sure that regardless of who wins the fight, he’s the one who comes out on top. Now if you ask me, that’s what was going on here. Maybe he’d seen this whole deal with backstabbing us go south and he was trying to find a way out or the like.

What’s really interesting, however, is the timeline. It seems like he quit town at some point early in the morning two days before we arrived. That also means that he was out of there before the Incinerators and their hair-brained rescue mission. Did he have no faith in his people or them? Or was this all one big set-up? I mean, if you wanted to be stupidly paranoid about it, he could have called for help from the Incinerators knowing that they’d give away the Royals location and all.

Thinking too hard? Probably.

One thing’s for certain. He wasn’t the one who shot Lucas Royale. One question answered, many more raised

[Deadborder]

The Long Road Back

From Mercenaries in the 32nd Century,  Galatea Free Press

One of the MRBC’s more controversial and ill-advised decisions during the Word of Blake Jihad was to outlaw any units working for the Word of Blake and their allies. Any unit that was doing such faced not only an immediate ban by the MRBC, but was then subject to punitive bounties on the heads of their officers and select members. While this move was intended to discourage units from ‘jumping ship’ to the Word’s employ, it ended up doing more harm than good.

The blacklists and bounties served to discourage any unit that was wavering in its commitment to the Word from out and abandoning their employ or breaking contract. Such a unit would not only be still wanted by the MRBC, but also now have nowhere else to go. It also served to further ‘lock in’ those units that had been coerced or blackmailed into serving the Word, such as Blanc’s Coyotes, knowing that they’d receive no help from any outside agency. Finally, it seemed to only serve to encourage other banned units to actively join the Word’s cause; after all, if they were already wanted criminals, then being wanted criminals with a steady source of income could only be an improvement.

In the end, however, very few such bounties were ever paid. The MRBC’s power to enforce them was severely curtailed by its decapitation following the fall of Galatea, which also served to further muddy the issue of which units were actually on the Word’s payroll. Added to this, most of the mercenaries in the employ of the Word and their allies were simply destroyed wholesale by the Coalition forces (or the rampaging Capellans) in the fall of the Protectorate, many of which fought to the end simply knowing that they had no better option. Save for a few that fled or managed to switch sides (such as Granadin’s Crusaders or Deliah’s Gauntlet), those units simply ceased to exist. In the rare cases where they surrendered, such as the aforementioned Coyotes, the members of those units were tried by the newly formed Republic of the Sphere, and not the MRBC.

However, this mistake by the MRBC would have further long-lasting consequences. While most mercenary units that fled the fall of the Protectorate would survive as bandits, a few managed to maintain their coherence and continue to openly operate. Taking refuge in remote corners of the Inner Sphere and beyond (the Taurian Concordat, seen as a ‘rouge state’ and the last of the Word’s allies was a particular favourite for this) some of these units would continue to function for years and decades after the Jihad. Both Bronson’s Horde and the Black Cobras (formerly Burr’s Black Cobras) were still openly active following the HPG blackout, well after both units managed to survive the Jihad.

How they have been legally able to do such has proven to be an interesting study in the legalities of the mercenary trade in action. The restrictions placed on the MRBC by the Republic of the Sphere, combined with the long winnowing of the mercenary trade in the late 31st and early 32nd centuries eroded much of the MRBC’s influence and, with it, their ability to enforce such actions. In many cases, so-called rogue units were able to operate openly and as long as they didn’t sign on with the MRBC, faced no risk of punishment for their past actions. The rise of Herotitus as a Periphery hiring hall, one outside of the MRBC’s influence, only served to further erode that power and influence.

In other cases, Mercenary units were able to have their outlawed status and any extant bounties on their heads removed simply due to the passage of time. King’s Tigers serve as a good example of this process in action. Once in the employ of the Word, the Tigers fled in the face of the CCAF in 3078, albeit at the cost of much of their strength and their commander, Jackson King. Resurfacing a few years later in the periphery, the Tigers entered a contract with the Taurian Concordat, who were willing to accept any force they could take regardless of its background.

The Tigers continued to serve the TDF with their contract being repeatedly renewed over a period of years and eventually decades. However, after Lanie King (Jackson’s granddaughter) inherited command of the unit in 3129, she decided to revitalise the unit by breaking it away from the stagnation it had been locked into for nearly fourty years. King chose not to renew their contract, and instead bought the Tigers to Galatea to register with the MRBC.

Upon arrival, King and her officers were arrested due to an outstanding warrant on the unit, dating back to the Jihad. Lanie King challenged the validity of the warrant, pointing out that it had been posted on officers who were no longer a part of the unit and, in almost all of their cases, no longer alive. The resultant court case, MRBC versus King’s Tigers, was a victory for King and her command. The MRBC repealed the ‘outlawed’ status on the unit and registered them as a legitimate command. In addition, the MRBC was forced to pay compensation to King and her staff for their arrest and legal costs.

The result of the case was to provide a ‘way back’ for many who had been left as fugitives by the MRBC’s punitive measures during the Jihad. While most of these would be individuals who were descended from wanted criminals or had once been a part of outlawed units, in some cases entire commands would appear using the names and colours of those that had been previously outlawed for one reason or another, even if many of those had no actual connection beyond that. This outcome also had the net result of opening up the MRBC to a host of claims from other mercenaries who alleged that they had been similarly mistreated by the Commission over other past deeds. Many of those proved to be frivolous, but it also served to further erode the MRBC’s authority.

[Deadborder]

From the personal journal of Violette Juste

I arrived on Kamenez in pursuit of Lee Zhen based on known good information on his movements. Since he had been last known in the employ of Magyari’s Irregulars, it stood to reason that he would still be with the unit. My only concern was that he might have been already killed in action, which would have rendered this entire expedition somewhat pointless. Fortunately, such was not the case.

After making planetfall, it was relatively easy to make contact with Connor Carson. As expected, he was open to negotiation and willing to make a deal, especially in light of the reversals he and his unit had suffered in the last few weeks of operations. Carson was looking for a victory, and saw me as a way to achieve that. At the same time, he would give me the means to deal with that target and his allies. We both win.

Analysis of Zhen gave some insight into his actions and what to expect. The lance he is a part of is equipped with a quartet of powerful BattleMechs (only an idiot would discount that Uziel) and his own Vulture Mk IV is an advanced Clantech machine, which presented a pair of severe obstacles to any hit. While the Akuma had been absent for some time, the belief was that it was due to the pilot being incapacitated, as there was no indication that the ‘Mech itself had been destroyed or disabled. I just simply assumed that it would return to the field at some stage, and planned for its presence.

The positive of it came through an analysis of their tactics. Zhen often used himself as bait, relying on his ‘Mech’s armour and speed to help protect it. That served my purpose well, as it was him alone that I was after.

I agreed to travel with Carson’s command lance (actually an amalgamation of fragments of two lances) to use them as a way to flush out Zhen. I wasn’t disappointed, making contact within a few days. As expected, the two forces engaged with Zhen taking a lead in the attack. Once they were committed, I powered up and joined the fray, with Shocker closing in on Zhen. Figuring I had a good shot at him, I hit him with my TSEMP cannon.

It was an outstanding success, given that the TSEMP is known to be a touchy weapon. Zhen’s Vulture Mk IV shut down, leaving it easy prey for myself and Carson’s modified Ostsol. Carson obligingly pummelled it with his TSM-enhanced physical attacks, ensuring that the Vulture stayed down while the rest of his lance attempted to keep Zhen’s allies at bay. In this regard, they were less successful. Not only did Carson draw a lot of fire, crippling his BattleMech, but a Ghost under his command was quickly incapacitated and left combat ineffective.

Unfortunately, this put me in a disadvantageous situation. While we still held numbers, the enemy had weight and firepower in their favour. We had barely dented the Akuma or Carronade, and with Carson effectively out of action, we had little way to do such. I threw a desperation gamble, offering to take Zhen and then leave the rest of the unit be. As expected, Takahashi Oda, the leader of the lance, refused my offer. Realising that I was not going to be able to get any further, I chose to cut my losses and withdrew.

Without my support, Carson very quickly folded. He made his own offer, providing the Irregulars with the location of their base of operations in exchange for being allowed to withdraw and leave the world unharmed. Oda agreed, and the remaining Carnivores were soon following my own ‘Mech. It was, in my opinion, a good deal. Carson got to preserve his force (and especially himself), while Oda won a major intelligence coup.

And it turns out that there’s also a bounty on Oda’s head. Interesting, but not surprising. Should we meet again, I shall have to find a way to reel in both of them.

[Deadborder]

Violette Juste, MRBC Report

Irisz - found the identity of the hunter who came after Zhen. While I was able to identify them courtesy of their distinctive BattleMech, I still don't know who hired them. I'm wondering if it might not be connected to Eckart Stein, however, given his actions so far. On the other hand, it also seems that there are bounties on the heads of two of the Assault Lance now
 -NK


Juste, Violette
Date of Birth: 14/04/3110
Homeworld: June, Federated Suns
Affiliation: Independent/Bounty Hunter
Rank: None

Background:
A long-time believer in the idea of fighting smarter rather than harder, Violette Juste seemed to be an expert in applying those philosophies. Enrolled in a prestigious Federated Suns military academy, she was one of the top performers in her class with consistently good marks in her exams and seemingly brilliant analysis and execution of scenarios.

Everything came crashing down when the secret of her success was discovered; she had been using her electronics skills to access the academy’s systems and cheat on her exams. Violette was drummed out of the academy and any chances she had of a career with the AFFS were torn apart. Undeterred, she simply chose to apply her skills and knowledge elsewhere, becoming an independent mercenary with a sideline in bounty hunting.

Violette prefers to take a methodical approach to her targets, stalking them and getting to know them before engaging. When she does, she will do such when she feels she has the advantage, using her BattleMech’s mobility to exploit cover to her advantage. Where possible, she will try to shut down an opponent with her TSEMP and force a surrender early rather than risk dragging out a battle for too long.


Serial Number: KH8541-43N
Chassis: Arc Royal z33/8
Power Plant: VOX 280 Light
Cruising Speed: 43 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64 km/h
Jump Jets: Leviathan Enhanced
                Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armour: Durallex Heavy
Armament:
                1 Maxwell X-pulsion Large X-Pulse Laser
                1 Matabushi Stunner Tight-Stream Electromagnetic Pulse Cannon
                3 RAMTech 1500Z Extended Range Medium Lasers
Communications System: K9-C
Targeting and Tracking System: Type V Bloodhound

Dating from the last years of the Star League, the Grasshopper is a rugged and reliable ‘Mech that is often overlooked in favour of other, seemingly flashier designs. The GHR-7P model is a sophisticated update of the design, using a torso-mounted cockpit and other systems to further enhance the ‘Mechs durability and capabilities.

Serial KH8541-43N was purchased new by Violette Juste from Arc-Royal and was further modified to suit her needs. Substituting a TSEMP weapon for one of the large lasers allows her to take down her targets quickly, disabling their ‘Mechs and leaving them at her mercy. In the off-chance that the TSEMP doesn’t work, she uses her Grasshopper’s mobility to evade harm while the cannon recharges.

Violette’s tactics have so far worked well for her, the combination of ruggedness and an unexpected modification making her Grasshopper a difficult opponent to fight and defeat. Consequently, she and “Shocker” have been a successful team so far, allowing her to score a number of victories against supposedly superior opponents.

[Deadborder]

Audio Log File #75267-Rho

Major Irisz Magyari: So they’re off?

Nikola Kardos: Apparently so. Air defence command tracked the launch of a single dropship from somewhere north of us, headed into space. While there was no solid ID on it, given the timing I think it’s safe to assume that was Carson.

Magyari: Agreed. It’s also what I would have done if I was in his position. He got to leave with most of his unit intact before he was at the devastating, unrecoverable losses stage. And I have no doubt that he pillaged as many of their supply caches as he could find before he left as well. Again, what I’d do.

Kardos: Speaking of, Stanley had a look at the cache we found his men at. It’s the same stuff; high-quality parts of standard manufacture. And while most of it was your normal, open-market stuff, there was a quantity of the mysterious ‘OB1/OB3’ stuff there as well.

Magyari: Interesting. We’ll have to look into that further, but for now I think we should focus on more pressing matters.

Kardos: Like the fact that two of the assault lance have bounties on their heads?

Magyari: There is that (chuckle). In this line of work, having somebody out to get you seems to be inevitable. And while I don’t know who it is who wants Zhen that badly, I agree with you that it’s likely tied to Stein.

Kardos: You’re not too concerned by it?

Magyari: If I ditched a member of this unit every time they had personal drama, then it’d probably be just you and me, if that. Like I said, this sort of thing is inevitable. I’d like you to look into it, but as long as this doesn’t become a regular occurrence or directly impact our operations, then we’re fine. (pause) Besides which, anyone who wants me dead died long before I was born.

Kardos: Very true that. I suspect I can pin this to the whole Stein-Royale investigation as well. There are a lot of things that are lining up there which makes me think that there might be some connection.

Magyari: So we’re going with the theory that Stein ditched the Royals and got out of town before we got to them?

Kardos: Yes. And we’re also assuming that whoever killed Royale did such on Stein’s orders. While we don’t have any solid proof, it does serve to nicely tie up loose ends for him. My going theory is he saw the Royals as a losing deal and got himself out of it.

Magyari: Speaking of which, did you see the final report on the autopsy?

Kardos: I haven’t had the chance to yet.

Magyari: LIC matched the bullet to the weapon that fired it. Apparently it was a Minolta 9000, a weapon designed for ands used almost solely by the Death Commandos.

Kardos: Interesting. Do you think that there might have been a Capellan connection?

Magyari: Given that their last major action before this one was an unsanctioned raid on Tybalt, it’s possible. But at this stage, who can say? It could just be that the sniper was surprisingly well-equipped.

Kardos: Worth looking into, regardless.

[Door]

Kommandant Angus Gilles: Major, Lieutenant.

Magyari: Kommandant. What do you have for us?

Gilles: I looked into the information you provided about where Carson claimed he was operating from.

Magyari: Anything interesting?

Gilles: Ja. Mount Sokol does match up with our information. It’s an extinct volcano, one that was long dead before humans ever set foot on the world. There was a large SLDF facility at the base of the mountain, one that was a centrepiece of their holdings on the world.

Kardos: And that the League nuked in the first Succession War.

Gilles: Also correct. The facility was abandoned as a total loss, and the ruins should have been left to decay long ago. However, it was also a very large facility, one that admittedly we still lack a full accounting of. It’s possible that a portion of it could have survived or have been excavated.

Magyari: A Sparsely populated, little-travelled section of the continent would mean you could do a lot of work with nobody to bother you.

Kardos: And it would fit with their having access to a large supply of apparent SLDF-issue parts that are ever so slightly radioactive.

Gilles: Agreed. All the signs suggest that Pelzer is there. I think that it’s high time that we ended this civil war.

[Deadborder]

The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, an overview (part 1)

From Mercenaries in the 32nd Century, Galatea Free Press

With breach of contract being a regrettably common (almost inevitable) part of the mercenary trade, the need for a Board of Inquiry to handle such affairs was an obvious necessity. When Wolfs’ Dragoons created the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, such a body was created in order to handle such affairs. As originally created, the MRBC Board consisted of eight members; a representative from each of the great houses, as well as ones from the Free Rasalhauge Republic, ComStar and Wolfs’ Dragoons, the latter representing the mercenary trade while also serving as a chair of the board. Between the MRBC’s founding and the dawn of the Jihad, this final position was held solely by Jamie Wolf

An actual commission inquiry panel had four members. Two were drawn from the great houses, as well as one each from ComStar and Wolf’s Dragoons. Neither the employing house, nor any other house that may have been involved in the dispute, could serve as representatives on the panel. Additionally, the unit under review has the right to veto and replace one of the panel members if they feel that member may exhibit undue prejudice against them. The sole exception was the Wolfs’ Dragoons representative, who was to be present for all hearings in their function as chair.

For example, in McKinnon’s Marauders vs ComStar, the Marauders were hired by ComStar. The unit was accused of breaching contract and crimes against humanity (In this case, destroying a HPG on Brerenson in the Free Worlds League) by ComStar. As such, there were no ComStar or Free Worlds’ League representatives on the Inquiry Panel.

This system did have its flaws. First, there was no provision for representation of Periphery States, minor powers or non-governmental employers. This also included the Word of Blake, even though the latter became a de facto equivalent to Comstar after it took control of Terra, and then a power in and of itself after the formation of the Word of Blake Protectorate. The second was the issue of Jamie Wolf’s position as a moderator of the board, especially in cases that involved Wolf’s Dragoons or their allies. In such a case, Jamie Wolf would be asked to rule on his own unit, a clear and obvious bias.

This became especially problematic after the formation of the Allied Mercenary Command (AMC), a collection of units under the command of Wolfs’ Dragoons and dedicated to stopping Word of Blake, Capellan and League  expansionism in the Chaos March. In the advent of any disputes involving the AMC, Jamie Wolf would not only be expected to rule on units that he in effect controlled, but the Word of Blake had no actual avenue for representation to the MRBC. Unsurprisingly, any dispute involving the AMC was ruled in their favour.

The destruction of Outreach (and death of Jamie Wolf) in the opening days of the Jihad shattered the MRBC. While the commission relocated to Galatea, much of its administration was gutted, leaving the management of the commission to a more ad-hoc system with little capacity for review and enforcement. When the Word of Blake captured Galatea and in effect took control of the MRBC, they simply instituted their own review system designed to keep the units in their employ firmly under their control.

It was not until after the end of the Jihad and the formation of the Republic of the Sphere that the MRBC’s board of inquiry was properly reestablished. However, the reformed MRBC was no longer controlled by Wolf’s Dragoons, but now by the Republic of the Sphere, a government that had no love for the mercenary trade. Devlin Stone saw mercenaries as being counter to everything he hoped to achieve with his reforms, and had wanted to disband the entire mercenary trade. However, while such a thing was little more than a pipe dream, he still did what he could to weaken its strength and influence.

The new MRBC had a smaller board. The chair was now a representative of the Republic of the Sphere, even if the Republic did not hire mercenaries itself. With the Free Worlds League having dissolved, its position on the board was removed for practical reasons, as the alternative would have been to add a half dozen new members. Likewise, with the Free Rasalhuage Republic no longer in existence after its merger with the Ghost Bear Dominion, its seat was also removed.  The result was a definite political swing in the MRBC, going from being decidedly pro-mercenary to distinctly pro-employer, one that only fuelled the withering of the Mercneary trade during the golden age of the Republic.


The HPG Blackout and the chaos that ensued would again change the MRBC, and almost bring about it’s demise

[Deadborder]

The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, an overview (part 2)

While serving the Mercenary trade, the revised, Republic-lead MRBC had also served to weaken the power and influence that the mercenaries held. This, combined with the shrinking size of commands (the multi-regiment commands of the pre-Jihad era being all but extinct) and more commands becoming inactive then new ones registering, had lead to a winnowing of the mercenary trade itself. By 3130, the mercenary trade was at its weakest ebb since the Third Succession war, an objective that the Republic of the Sphere had deliberately worked towards.

The Periphery powers had gotten around their lack of representation by using Herotitus as their main hiring hall. While not controlled by the MRBC, the generally poor quality of the units based there, as well as the limited technology and economies of the Periphery, served as a brake on those commands. The result was again a weakening of their influence, as well as limiting their capabilities. The sole exception to this was the Magestry of Canopus, who would often use the Capellan Confederation as a go-between for hiring units.

Grey Monday and its aftermath, however, destroyed this new stability a number of ways. Almost overnight, innumerable new commands sprang up out of nowhere, registering with the MRBC. While many of these units were dubious at best, often made up of converted InsustrialMechs or infantry, their numbers swelled the depleted ranks of MRBC. Many existing commands also expanded as a response to the growing chaos and uncertainty within the Republic. The rate at which this happened was dramatic; in 3132, many Mercenary Commands boasted a single lance of BattleMechs. A mere five years later, even bottom-tier commands were boasting multiple BattleMech companies.

The second problem was a severe undercutting of the MRBC’s ability to regulate the industry, one that was attributable to a number of causes. The first and most obvious was an inability to communicate and coordinate, as well as gather information. Without the HPG network, the MRBC was as blind as everyone else to goings on, and entirely dependent on secondary communication sources such as jumpship couriers. It quickly became near impossible for the MRBC to know what was going on, and investigating reported breaches and disputes became a lengthy process, requiring months to simply gather evidence. The result was that merely bringing a dispute to the MRBC would be en expensive and time-consuming affair.

This problem was exacerbated by the MRBC’s effective financial collapse in 3133, the result of the Republic Senate blocking emergency funding to the organization. Without funds, the MRBC was unable to effectively operate, and it’s regulatory abilities were severely compromised. The MRBC was unable to investigate potential employers or newly formed units, and registration of new commands often consisted of simply rubber-stamping a unit and moving on. Likewise, unit rosters and records would often be months out of date, and could even be deliberately falsified.

The net result was almost an air of suspicion between employer and employee. Mercenary commands had no way of knowing if their employer  was legitimate, if their mission brief or contract was legitimate, if they were even capable of playing and so on. Likewise, an employer had to assume that the unit had the strength and capability that they claimed, that they were capable of fulfilling the mission goals or the like. An employer that abandoned a unit in the field, or unit that simply cut and run or switched sides could do such with a lot less risk then they would have faced before the blackout.

With the MRBC crippled, word of mouth became the new status quo of the mercenary world. The reputation of a unit or an employer became dependant on trust rather then known facts and the assumption that anything said and reported about them was the truth. MRBC ratings became almost worthless and impossible to maintain, with the only significant note being if a unit was banned or wanted.

The MRBC board was also effectively crippled by events. The Republic withdrew its representative prior to the formation of Fortress Republic, leaving the board without its chair. Attempts to further reform the board were hampered when ComStar also pulled out due to the organizations’ own near total collapse, as well as their diminished role and crippled infrastructure. Finally, the Capellan Confederation pulled out of the MRBC after the last of their extant mercenary contracts expired. Their place on the diminished board was taken by the reformed Free Worlds League, but by this point the board’s actual power was almost non-existent.

The recent formation of the Galatean Defense League may prove to be the final death knell for the MRBC. The GDL was built out of un-contracted units as well as individuals that were present on Galatea, but was done without any authorization or alliance with the MRBC. Any mercenaries that wish to join the GDL are so far free to do such, but are subject to scrutiny by the GDL’s leadership before they are approved. However, again this is done outside of the MRBC, with that organization having no influence over the process. Should the GDL begin enforcing the mercenary community in addition to protecting the League’s worlds, then the diminished MRBC may well find itself without a reason to exist.

[Deadborder]

From the personal journal of Irisz Magyari

I think the nicest thing that I can say about the Kamenez campaign is that it's over.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. The Royals being destroyed as a unit is a nice bonus, although given the circumstances that caused it to happen, it's a bit of a mixed blessing.

The fall of Pelzer's fortress was a bloody battle, but all things being considered, it could have gone a lot worse. We had a lot of 'Mechs battered to within an inch of their lives. My own Mad Cat was near-naked, and it was not the only one that was torn up. It's amazing that we didn't lose anyone, but again, there were a lot of things going for us.

Pelzer's army was down to its last gasps. His personal guard represented the only 'Mech force he had left under his control, and they lacked the skills, equipment and coordination to effectively stop us. Don't get me wrong, they were no pushovers, but they also were clearly basing their strategy on having the Carnivores or Incinerators (or the Royals) supporting them or, at least, having done more damage to us.

They were supported by both a contingent of tanks as well as turrets that were built into the mountain. As crazy as it sounds, it seems that Pelzer's base of operations was a hidden SLDF facility built into an extinct volcano (I look back at that and it reads like something from one of Sonya Brie's crap novels. The lives we lead) that he had reactivated. It certainly goes a long way to explaining why nobody was able to actually find him.

Fortunately, we were able to break up their forces a little with judicious use of artillery, both from Captain Dae-Hoon and the ship. That was enough to keep the turrets under control, although Perez's Mexicans also did their fair share through taking the turrets out from within. That was enough to force them to retreat into the tunnels, and we followed them in.

They did their best to slow us down, staging ambushes with some of the units that had retreated from the surface. They hurt a little but ultimately didn't slow us down as much as they'd hoped and definitely weren't able to stop them. We managed to beat our way to the main chamber of the fortress where we confronted Pelzer himself.

That turned out to be somewhat anticlimactic. Pelzer was riding in a Defiance, which should have been a threat. Rather, it crumpled rather quickly under attack from myself and Takahashi. When it went down, the rest of his force surrendered (although by that point his forces largely consisted of a few battered light 'Mechs). We took Pelzer prisoner, along with his second and co-conspirator, Major Helga van Strakken.

From here, it’s in the Lyrans' hands. There are still a few stray 'Mechs and vehicles on the loose, but they don't represent an organised threat. (For that matter, there are still a few of the Royals unaccounted for as well). Their leaders are captured and their base of operations is in our hands, and they have no reserves to fall back on. Save for some clean-up, we're finished here.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions that need to be dealt with. We don't know why the Royals switched teams, but 'money' is always a good answer. We also have no idea who killed Royale or why, and there's still no good leads on that one. I could question Lee and Carrie over the issue, but I doubt they could add anything to the matter.

Unfortunately, we also have our own problems to deal with. One of the artillery rounds landed perilously close to a battle armour team by accident. Maria was understandably unhappy and now the pair are all but at each other's throats. Given that Maria was also one of the people on my side after I took over the unit, I have to wonder if there's more to this then just a one-off incident.

In the meantime, however, it’s down to the minutiae of filling in forms, filing reports and lodging salvage claims. The life of a mercenary commander is many things, but “glamorous” is rarely one of them. And while I’d love to take a break once we’re away from here, reality, as allways, dictates otherwise.

[Deadborder]

LIC Intelligence Report 6571-8-Q/Kamenez

As a part of the Bolan Thumb group of worlds, Kamenez was expected to be at the forefront of any conflict between the Free Worlds League and the Lyran Commonwealth. As such, the SLDF already maintained a considerable presence on it and other worlds in the thumb. In the early 28th Century, SLDF theatre command chose to increase its level of preparation for what was ever-increasingly seen as an inevitable conflict.

One stage in that preparation was improving the facilities that the XXXI Corps of the SLDF Thirteenth Army would be operating from. This project took on two stages. The first was the upgrading of existing bases across the worlds of the thumb. The second would be the construction of a covert facility that the SLDF could operate from without the knowledge of either the Lyrans or the League.

After an extensive survey of worlds in the Thumb, the SLDF chose Mount Sokol on Kamanez as the site for the proposed facility. An extinct volcano, the mountain was chosen for a number of reasons. The first was convenience, as the Saxony continent of Kamenez was already home to several SLDF facilities. The second was that the mountain offered an excellent site that could be used to conceal a large SLDF formation with minimal external changes. Finally, outside of the SLDF, the rest of the continent was sparsely inhabited, providing a greater level of security for the project.

The site was given the code-name RED PYRAMID by the SLDF, with construction to be handled by the Department of Mega Engineering (DoME). As they had done in other cases (such as the Helm cache), DoME were able to successfully mask the construction of the facility, leaving no evidence that they had even gone near Mount Sokol. Neither the FWLM garrison nor LIC observers ever became aware of exactly what they were doing.

RED PYRAMID itself was built using the extinct volcano as its base. The now empty core of the mountain was expanded to provide room for extensive command and maintenance facilities, capable of supporting an SLDF division. Access to this core was provided through a series of tunnels that were adapted from existing lava tubes, with concealed entrances placed across the mountain's surface. Finally, a small drop-port was added, although due to its concealed nature (built into the mountain with a retractable launch bay) it was only capable of handing Spheroid ships.

While secrecy was key to RED PYRAMID's operations, the SLDF also were aware that the facility could be compomised. In order to protect it, the designers installed numerous turrets across the mountain, of which were designed to be retractable and concealed until needed. Additionally, secret tunnels were constructed to link RED PYRAMID to the nearby Fort Sokol to allow the SLDF forces to covertly move equipment.

For all its preparation, however, RED PYRAMID was never required to fulfill its operational intent. Rather, the facility was stripped of most of its personnel following the Amaris coup, as the Thirteenth Army was redeployed to the Rim Worlds Republic. RED PYRAMID was used as a resupply station for forces en-route and later as a supply cache, but was never again home to an active fighting force. Following Amaris' defeat, the forces that had been previously assigned to the facility never returned, rather remaining to try and stabilise the rapidly disintegrating Hegemony.

In the preparation for the Exodus, RED PYRAMID was mothballed by the SLDF. Stripped of most of its supplies, the facility was shut down and secured in order to prevent it from falling into the FWLM's hands. A number of its defensive systems were dismantled, while the tunnels linking it to Fort Sokol were deliberately collapsed and concealed. When the final SLDF forces left the base, it was entirely dark and undetected.

This operation was clearly successful; when the FWLM occupied Fort Sokol, they had no idea of what lay near the facility. Similarly, the DoME's design was proven during the FWLM's retreat from Kamenez and subsequent nuclear attacks on the Saxony continent. While the other former SLDF facilities were destroyed, RED PYRAMID remained untouched and stayed that way for centuries.

At some stage, the facility was rediscovered by the Word of Blake. When exactly this occurred is unknown; it is possible that like Gabriel, it was something a section of ComStar knew of for centuries but never saw active duty. Regardless, during the early 3060s, RED PYRAMID was partially reactivated for use as a waystation for units travelling between Terra and Circrinus.

The Word chose only to reactivate portions of the facility; only a few of the Access tunnels were needed (mostly on the south face of Mount Sokol), the rest being barricaded to prevent external access. Likewise, only a few of the turrets were restored to operational condition. RED PYRAMID did, however, boast extensive supplies of parts and equipment, enough to support a large, mobile Word of Blake force and allow them to re-arm and re-equip between operations.

It is believed that the word used RED PYRAMID as a base of operations during the Jihad to conduct operations into Lyran space. Several different units seem to have passed through the facility, with the 50th Shadow Division being among them. At some point after the fall of Terra, the Word abandoned the facility, apparently in some haste. They made only minimal efforts to secure or mothball the facility, and left large stockpiles of BattleMech parts behind. As with many things the Word did in the final days of the Jihad, their motives can only be guessed at.

Unlike the last time it was abandoned, RED PYRAMID did not remain idle for very long. During the early 32nd century redevelopment of the Saxony Continent, the facility was apparently rediscovered by an expedition backed by then-Margrave Gustav Pelzer. Margrave Pelzer chose to keep the existence of RED PYRAMID a secret, not only from the Lyran Government, but from most outside his personal supporters, for reasons that remain unclear. (See attached document for an analysis of the possible connections between the Pelzer family and the Word of Blake)

The facility sat largely idle until after the blackout. Faced with escalating tensions and uncertainly across the Inner Sphere, Landgrave Karl Pelzer began reactivating the base while stockpiling equipment within it. The recovered Word of Blake supplies were used as payment to help build up his personal forces. Only those loyal to him were given access to the facility; few outside of his personal guard and highest ranking officers were actually allowed to know of RED PYRAMID's existence.

As a result, once Pelzer launched his coup, he had not only a secure base of operations, but one that very few knew about the existence of. After the coup, he was able to operate without any risk of LIC interference. In addition, had REDPYRAMID been discovered, the facility (even with its depleted defenses) would have likely been able to withstand anything short of a regimental assault. The Irregulars' attack on the facility only succeeded due to the massive depletion of Pelzer's forces. The defection of Carson's Carnivores made the assault possible not only in terms of providing the location of the base, but removing a large number of experienced, well-equipped troops from Pelzer's strength.

With the destruction of the Kamenez Archonette, the LCAF has taken possession of RED PYRAMID. The facility suffered realtively little damage in the assault, save for its turrets which could be easily replaced. (The facility lacked adequate defenses against Battle Armour as a consequence of its origins) RED PYRAMID could potentially give the LCAF a secure base of operations against the Wolf Empire or FWLM. That very few know of the facility's existence, let alone its locations, could prove to be valuable.

[Deadborder]

The Battle of Fort Sokol and the fall of the Kamenz Archonette

(From Brush Conflicts of the Post-Republic Period; Galatean Free Press)

The desertion of Carson's Carnivores from the Kamenz Archonette had been a boon to the Lyrans on two fronts. First, and most obviously, it removed a large portion of the Archonette's force from play. The Carnivores' departure cost the Archonette an experienced, well-equipped battalion, drastically reducing their overall capacity at very little cost to the Lyran forces. While the Archonette still could boast several more units under their command, none of them had the capability to match up to Magyari's command.

The second was the intelligence that Major Carson provided as the ransom for his escape. Until this point, one of Landgrave Karl Pelzer's greatest assets had been the security in which he had been able to operate, with his headquarters unknown to Lyran intelligence and the on-world forces. Intelligence provided by Carson indicated that Pelzer was operating out of the ruins of fort Sokol in the largely deserted northern region of the Saxony continent. Pelzer's forces had excavated and renovated portions of the facility, allowing them to shelter their forces from detection.

With the Liberty City Royals effectively shattered and the southern Saxony region secured by Lyran loyalists, Major Magyari chose to strike at the heart of the rebel movement. Facing her were elements of the Leipzig Light Guards, commanded by Helga Van Strakken, Pelzer's second and most loyal supporter, as well as Pelzer's personal bodyguard unit, the Lusatanian Highlanders. The Highlanders represented the sole remaining BattleMech force available to the Archonette, and while composed mostly of older designs, still represented a sizable threat.

In addition, Pelzer's forces had well prepared for such an attack. They had dug in to the terrain, using the ruins to shelter their forces, provide tank bunkers and cover for hidden forces. Furthermore, they had set up a number of vintage weapons turrets to supplement their forces, providing significant obstacles to any assault.

The Irregulars advanced under the cover of artillery fire, with VTOLs leapfrogging their main force to drop Battle Armoured troops behind enemy lines. This served to disrupt the defenders and their forces, taking out a number of the turrets and flushing vehicles from their shelters. A number of the Highlander BattleMechs tried to stand their ground using the ruins as shelter, only to be subjected to massive return fire from the Irregulars. The battle quickly swung against the defenders, forcing them to retreat to the excavated tunnels underneath the base.

With the surface secured, the Irregulars followed the remaining defenders into the tunnels in order to root them out. The Kamenez forces staged ambushes in order to slow the Irregulars' advance, but largely to little effect. Instead, they often found lone BattleMechs suffering massed counter-attacks and beign quickly dispatched or falling back. The remaining Highlanders (as well as a few Guards tanks) rallied in a central warehouse, led by Landgrave Pelzer in his Defiance in order to make a final stand against the invaders.

Pelzer himself was quickly taken down by Major Magyari and her forces, which had a shattering effect on the morale of the remaining defenders. With their leader disabled, the survivors quickly surrendered, effectively ending resistance on-world. Both Pelzer and van Strakken were captured by the Lyrans, while the remaining rebel forces were stood down. Save for a few stray BattleMechs that had fled the battle, the fight for the world was over.

In the aftermath, the next step was to set up a functional planetary government and to ensure the planet's ongoing loyalty to the Lyran state. Baron Otto Szleig, a minor noble who had none the less proven loyal through the crisis, was promoted to the rank of Landgrave and leader of the reformed government. Conversely, the Pelzer family were stripped of their titles and lands, and subjected to an extensive investigation in order to determine the depth of their involvement with the coup. Likewise, pro-Pelzer elements of the government were discretely removed.

The planetary defense forces were restructured, with both the Leipzig Light Guard and the Lusitianian Highlanders both disbanded (although the latter was more of a Pelzer family private unit to begin with). In their place, the Kamenz government raised a new unit, the Kamenz Guard, composed of both surviving units and mercenary salvage. As a final irony, given the importance that mercenaries had played in both sides of the civil war, the planetary government hired several Infantry Mercenary commands to shore up its strength while it rebuilt.

[truetanker]

Would love to see the RED PYRAMID stats...  bigger than the Devils Tower Castle Brian?

TT

[Deadborder]

Would love to see the RED PYRAMID stats...  bigger than the Devils Tower Castle Brian?

TT

Truth is, I have no idea. I didn't do any hard stats for it at the time. All I can say is that the name is my attempt at a clever reference.

[truetanker]

So basically the Entire Map Set #9 built underground, eight sets complete, with each set a max Level 6 height?

Cool....

TT

[Deadborder]

So basically the Entire Map Set #9 built underground, eight sets complete, with each set a max Level 6 height?

Cool....

TT

And I used the Ishyama maps from the Solaris Mappack as the approaches

[Deadborder]

Message Tap File #75298-Rho

Your timing is perfect. The target unit arrived back on world only a couple of days after you left, and they’ve since taken off again. I’m sending you this little message to let you know what happened while they were here.

First things first; they got back from their last contract with relatively light casualties. I did observe Primary Target in the hiring halls shopping around for new recruits. They did pick up one that I tailed a bit to get some info on, but they did seem rather elusive and, more to the point, sharp-eyed. I had to drop back for fear that they might have made me, but I will investigate further.

More importantly, Primary Target also went searching for contracts with very little downtime. They picked up one, which I was able to wrangle some information about. It’s a raiding contract for the AFFS, targeting Fletcher. Apparently, the goal is to get set-up on world and then go to ground, while doing their best to harass the CCAF forces on-world. They want to tie them down, keep them busy and prevent them from being able to attack the FedSuns some more.

Oh, and because you are going to ask; yes, there’s a CCAF line unit on-world. The 1st Liao Guards are one of those Hidden Lion units that they’ve been pulling out of the woodwork these last few years. The 1st are well-equipped and have seen action against the AFFS, and are currently split between Fletcher and Ruchbah. There’s also a planetary guard unit, which is built up from the old RAF Planetary Guard.

At a guess, I’d say that Fletcher was a target because of the Clantech manufacturing that the Wolves set up during the Republic era. The Cappies hold those factories, and the FedSuns would like to have them. The targets ain’t going to be able to drive them off the world, but they can definitely do a lot to deny those assets to the Cappies. And, if I were a betting man (and you know I’m not), I’d say that the AFFS is paying a bonus for any salvage or supplies they can pull off-world to feed their forces. The Feds are hurting, and they wouldn’t say no to the help after all.

One other interesting note. Not too long after they accepted the contract, the Snake went for another meeting with the Combine Cultural Attaché. What does this mean? Well, if you ask me, our Snake’s a spook, and he’s gotten some new orders regarding their new assignment.

I think things are gonna get interesting on Fletcher. Glad I’m not there.

[Deadborder]

Fletcher Planetary Guard

AFFS Force Brief 01-01-3145

History

Like many other Republic Planetary Militias, the Fletcher Planetary Guard was hard hit by the events of the Blackout and its aftermath. Like many of the Planetary Guard units, its strength and preparedness had waned over the long decades of peace. Located deep in Prefecture III, the world was far from any hostile border and, as such, was lacking in any immediate threat to serve as a motivation. Much of its equipment was mothballed or transferred elsewhere, while the amount of training time dropped considerably.

However, other forces made the situation even worse. Much of the guard’s strength actually came from the Bright Fang Militia Cluster, one raised from the planet’s large Wolf Clan population. With the formation of the Steel Wolves following the Blackout, the cluster simply defected wholesale to the newly formed pseudo-Clan, immediately gutting the Planetary Militia’s strength. To make matters worse, the Wolves then began seizing equipment from the militia, be it by Clan trials or simple assault. When the Wolves left Fletcher for their assaults on Northwind and then Terra, they took that strength with them.

For the next few years, the militia struggled to get by with what it could, limping along with its greatly reduced strength and capabilities. The withdrawal of the RAF and formation of fortress republic proved to be another severe blow, triggering another wave of defections and desertions from the unit. Using the situation as a pretext, Baron Victor Godfrey, one of the planet’s nobles, stepped in and effectively took control of the weakened and demoralized unit.

Godfrey was a powerful and influential figure within planetary politics. His family had held its title since the time of the Terran Hegemony, and had managed to retain its power despite numerous shifts in the planet’s control. Added to that, Godfrey had a record of military service, albeit as a part of the Planetary Militia, this gave him an air of practicality as a commander. When Fletcher fell under the control of the Federated Suns as a part of Erik Sandovell-Grossel’s so-called Tiknov March, Godfrey gladly switched his allegiance to the new government.

For the next half-decade, Godfrey focused on rebuilding the militia’s strength while also securing his powerbase. Using his political connections, he reshuffled the command to ensure that the officers in charge of the militia were personally loyal to him, while weeding out any with lingering Republican leanings. At the same time, he managed to acquire more weapons for the unit from various sources, including BattleMechs, which served to further reinforce his power.

With the Capellan push into the Federated Suns beginning to swing towards Fletcher, Godfrey used the situation to further cement his control over the command while also preparing them for the seemingly inevitable invasion. With the Capellans clearly intent on reclaiming every world lost to them, it was clear that Fletcher would be in the line of fire sooner or later. It was clear that Godfrey intended to be ready for that eventuality.

When the Capellans invaded in 3144, Godfrey’s preparations paid off, albeit in a way that few had expected. Confronted with the CCAF forces, the Fletcher Planetary Guard offered only limited resistance and in some cases outright surrendered without firing a shot. It soon became apparent that Godfrey had no intention of fighting the Capellans, and instead effectively aided them in seizing control of the world. Clearly a calculated move, the result was that Godfrey was able to retain his position, his title and his lands under the new Capellan regime. The Capellans likely agreed to these terms in order to gain easy access to Fletcher’s revitalized industries, something that would be essential for their already stretched military.

At present, the Planetary Guard are focused on protecting key military and command targets across the world. While Fletcher is presently home to at least one CCAF line regiment, it appears that the planet is being used as a staging ground for attacks into the Federated Suns, thus leaving the planetary guard to shoulder much of the burden of defending the world.

Force Structure

Due to its origins, the Fletcher Planetary Guard is more akin to a collection of smaller units under a common banner then a single unified command. Godfrey’s reforms, as well as liberally reshuffling the command structure and filling it with loyal officers, have somewhat streamlined the command. However, many of the sub-commands are tied to specific locations and lack transportation assets, limiting their ability to respond.

The draw-down in troops during the long peaceful years of the Republic, as well as the subsequent raiding and defections crippled the Fletcher Planetary Guard’s strength and capabilities. While Godfrey has done a lot of work in rebuilding, vehicles, conventional infantry and Battle Armour dominate the force. What few BattleMechs are possessed by the unit are mostly concentrated in the hands of the most loyal units, or those defending the most important targets. Most of the unit’s equipment is RAF-vintage (With some dating back to the Jihad), but has been supplemented by purchases from the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation. Converted IndustrialMechs and MillitaMechs have also been used to bolster the unit’s strength.

The Planetary Guard lacks aerospace assets, being largely equipped only with conventional fighters for air support. Likewise, it lacks sufficient Dropship assets to effectively move large parts of its command. As a result, Dropship transport is usually reserved for the best equipped portions of the command, such as those with BattleMechs.

Training and Morale

While it is hard to see Godfrey’s taking command of the Fletcher Planetary Guard as anything but a naked power grab, the result has been a generally positive effect on the unit’s morale. On the other hand, given how badly that command had suffered in the years before then, such would not be hard. In general, morale across the command is good, even if the average soldier is less loyal to the Confederation as they are to their world.

The quality of training across the command is incredibly uneven due to its nature. While some units are staffed by military veterans and those with extensive training, others consist of reservists and weekend warriors with little practical experience. Overall, the command are a Green unit, but some individual elements would be considered Veteran in quality. This is especially true of its BattleMech units, which tend to be only manned by the best personnel available.

Colours and Insignia

The Fletcher Planetary Guard use a modified version of their old Republic era colours, being painted in olive drab with a Liao green trim. The unit’s insignia depicts the planet Fletcher set against a green field.

[Deadborder]

Major Joseph Peitre, AFFS Quatermaster Command

(After the mess that was Kamenez, I thought it would be wise to know a little more about our liaison officer and where all the loot will be going. The AFFS tends to be good to their mercs, but with the situation they’re in, it’s still wise to be careful – Nikola)

Joseph Peitre
Age: 37 (born 3108)
Homeworld: Exeter
Position/Rank: Major; AFFS Quartermaster Command

Joseph Peitre’s family had served the AFFS for generations, even down to his two older siblings. Despite a childhood of ill health and poor eyesight, he was determined to follow in their footsteps. A keen analytical and a skill for numbers mind aided him, Joseph was able to find a place serving in the AFFS’ quartermaster corps. While not the most glamorous of assignments, Joseph well understood the need for strong logistics chain and enjoyed the challenge of his work.

The Blackout and its aftermath presented its own unique set of challenges as the AFFS was forced to hurriedly rearm. Years of peace and easy relations with the Republic had worn down its preparedness, and skilled men like Joseph were needed in order to help bring the military back into order. The challenge was considerable, but Joseph seemed to thrive on it.

Unfortunately, Caleb Davion’s mismanagement of the AFFS and the Combine invasion of the Federated Suns saw much of that work undone. With the AFFS gutted, the Draconis March all but destroyed and both Robinson and New Sytris fallen, an air of desperation has set in. In response, members of the Quartermaster Command such as Peitre have begun searching for options that could turn the situation around, or, at the very least, slow the enemy. This has seen him take to the field, even if in an advisory or administrative role, looking for anything that could be used against the enemy.

Peitre is no combatant, and he knows it. He has enough training to competently operate an armoured vehicle, but that is less a combat skill and more an option of last resort. However, he is also adept at locating resources and finding ways to use them, be they weapons, ammunition or other less tangible assets. In the field, he best serves as an advisor or administrator, aiding a combat command rather then actually participating in the fighting.

[Deadborder]

MI3 communications intercept FLETCHER-8543/21-K

To: Ying-zhang Leon Savage; 1st Liao Guards
From: Si-ben-bing Tu Xiasheng
Subject: Incident at Supply Depot 48-Bravo

I apologise in advance for the delay in presenting this report. As you will understand after reading it, there are reasons for this lack of punctuality.

At 0843 hours this morning, a lance of BattleMechs from an as yet unidentified force dropped onto Supply Depot 48-Bravo. While we had some warning from space traffic control, their use of a pirate jump point and the daring nature of their assault gave us little time to prepare. Rather, the enemy forces brazenly used the very depot we were tasked with defending against us, taking cover behind the buildings only to open fire on them when circumstances favored it.

Pai-zhang Loh Weizhe staged a counterattack, leading our brave janishi against the enemy force. Bravely using his Tian-Zong as bait, he tried to draw out the enemy force into our guns. Coordination between Ban-zhang Nzuyen Vong and San-ben-bing Nick Paules allowed the addition of missile fire to his assaut.

Unfortunately, this proved to be insufficient. The attackers massed their fire on Pai-zhang Weizhe, badly damaging his 'Mech and driving him away from the depot. Attempts by San-ben-bing Paules to disrupt the enemy force met with only limited success before his own Elyuka was badly damaged. This gave the enemy an opening to escape the depot, but not before inflicting further damage on our force. Pai-zhang Weizhe was killed when both his ‘Mechs Gauss Rifles detonated, while Ban-zhang Vong was critically injured ejecting from his destroyed Shen Yi.

While the enemy force did not linger to pillage supplies, the damage they did was considerable. In addition to destroying two BattleMechs and badly damaging a third, the attackers liberally used infernos on the buildings within the depot. This resulted in extensive damage and a loss of supplies, further exacerbating the situation. While damage recovery crews now have the fires under control, the loss of material is considerable.

The enemy force fled westwards, using the heavy forests as cover. The arrival of a thunderstorm prevented any use of aerospace assets to track them, while due to the damage to his BattleMech, San-ben-bing Paules was also unable to pursue the enemy force.

Examination of BattleROMs suggests that the lance was made up of the following; AKU-1X Akuma, CRN-7M Carronade, Vulture Mk IV and UZL-8S Uziel. In addition, the lance was supported by a single squad of as-yet unidentified Battle Armour, believed to be Inner Sphere standard. The relevant material has been submitted for analysis and possible identification of this force.

[Deadborder]

From the personal journal of Irisz Magyari

All things considered, today didn’t go that badly. If you wanted to be generous, then you could call our first day of operations on Fletcher a success. (My great-grandmother unquestionably would have, but that’s her for you)

AFFS intel had put two main units on Fletcher; the now-Cappelanised Planetary Guard, and the 1st Liao Guards. The latter had been using the world as a staging ground for attacks into the FedSuns’ Terran corridor, which had left the Fletcher PG shouldering most of the ‘heavy lifting’ of defending the world and the assets we were targeting. As such, we were largely expecting to be facing a mix of vehicles and Battle Armour, with some second-rate ‘Mechs as support.

The plan was to drop each of the BattleMech lances on a different site, do some damage to both the facilities and the defenders and then get the hell out of there.  Naturally, that’s not what happened at all. Instead, at each of the three sites we dropped onto modern, front-line BattleMechs with skilled pilots. In other words, the Liao Guards were there, not the Fletcher PG as expected.

The only good news is that they were apparently as surprised as we were. That allowed us a chance to do some damage and make a break to the rendezvous point. It wasn’t nearly as much as I’d have liked, either in terms of the Capellan losses or the property damage we did.

On the upside, we didn’t suffer any losses, even if Dimitri’s Archer is pretty much a wreck and will need a lot of work before it’s useful again. Ransom, the newest member of the lance, performed exceptionally well, his Black Knight managing to badly wound a Cappie Lu Wei Bang during the battle. Assault lance also did plenty of damage, taking down two ‘Mechs without loss, while using infernos to spread damage across the target

Only Recon Lance didn’t do so well. They faced a much heavier force then their own, and had no option but to try and flee. They escaped mostly intact, but Will definitely didn’t like it.

For all that, however, we do have a problem. Something has seen the Liao Guard pulled from raiding duty, and then reassigned to guarding the same targets we were going to hit. We need to find out what that is before we continue our operations. In order to do that, I’m getting boots on the ground to sniff out the situation.

I’ve had a few volunteers to do some on-foot intel and recon. Takhashi, Randy and Lee are good at this sort of thing and have produced some great results in past, so I’m confident that they will be able to do the same here. Bruce spent some years on Fletcher in the past, and at the very least can be a guide and might also know a few things. Finally, Ransom has also put his hand up; he’s still new to the unit, but he’s definitely no amateur. It’ll be interesting to see what he finds in particular.

[Deadborder]

SIS File 54371a-3133-A

I know this is a bit old and not exactly informative, but I felt that it would be useful to our ‘Lion hunting’ files. It was ‘borrowed’ from our friends at MIIO; after reviewing the contents, you can understand why they were reluctant to share.

As one of the worlds captured from the Taurian Concordat during Operation MATADOR, Norman’s World had faced a series of raids from TDF forces in the subsequent decades. As an effort both to discourage raiding while also providing a stabilizing force along the border, the 12th Highland Gryphons, a mercenary unit with a long history of service to the Federated Suns, were assigned to the world. Acting as both a garrison and a ready response force, they had served as an effective deterrent to Taurian adventurism.

This only makes what happened to them even more inexplicable.

At approximately 0200 hours local on August 8, 3132, an unidentified force dropped onto the 12th’s position at Fort Matilda. The incoming craft had gone largely undetected, having come from a well-concealed pirate point and having expertly mingled with civilian traffic. A complete communications blackout, aided by a combination of ECM coverage and likely sabotage, resulted in nobody outside of the unit knowing what was going on.

At the same time, two aerospace fighters, identified as Lightnings, attacked the HPG in Krasner City. Within a minute, the two craft had destroyed the HPG transmitter/receiver before breaking contact and dropping off air traffic control radar. Subsequent investigation has not revealed if the HPG had been effected by the “Grey Monday” blackout or not due to the complete destruction of its equipment.

The planetary defense command attempted to contact the 12th, only to find communications completely cut off. Scout units were sent to investigate, but also fell victim to the same communication blackout. Eventually, a scout returned, having discovered that both the mercenaries and the attacking unit had seemingly vanished. Fort Matilda had clearly been attacked with many of the structures deliberately destroyed or badly damaged.

However, no trace of either unit could be found. The 12th, as well as their supporting personnel and dependants had apparently vanished. In addition, the unit’s DropShips had also departed along with the attackers. While some debris was found that could be matched to the 12th’s units, there was far less of it then would be expected, and not enough to account for the entire unit’s strength. No traces of bodies could be found, either from the 12th and its dependants or the Fort Matilda garrison and staff.

While most of Fort Matilda had been destroyed, detailed investigation found some surviving security surveillance footage that served to confirm that a battle had indeed taken place. However, this failed to shed any light on the identity of the attacking forces or what exactly had unfolded. The few units identified were of designs that did not point to a specific attacker (Warhammer, Black Hawk, Standard Battle Armour), with the units also being completely unmarked. Detailed analysis suggests that the unit was not Taurian in origin. We have a complete enough picture of TDF troop movements at the time to show that there are no units unaccounted for in whole or part that could have been used in the attack.

As such, both the identity of the unit that attacked Norman’s World and the fate of the 12th Highland Gryphons currently remain open. Given the timing of the assault and the destruction of the Krasner City HPG, it can be fairly assumed that the attack was a part of the broader “Grey Monday” operation. However, why the attacking force went so far as to deliberately target the 12th remains unknown, as the unit’s destruction would seem to be external to that objective.

[Deadborder]

Underground Dueling on Fletcher (part 1)

(From Off the Circuit - Illegal BattleMech Duels, Free Galatea Press)

The first incarnation of Fletcher's BattleMech dueling circuit has its origins in the collapse of the world's central government in the early 3060s. Coinciding with the world's rise as a hiring hall for less than reputable mercenaries amid the ongoing wars between its city stares, many of the early duels were far from organised affairs. Rather, they often resulted from disagreements between mercenaries, both units and at the individual level. The combination of an abundance of military grade hardware and a lack of central authority (the Fletcher hiring hall was largely self-regulated) often made violence the first option for resolving such clashes.

Within a few years a somewhat organised competition had grown up, populated mostly by mercenaries that had been drawn to the local trade. While not officially sanctioned by any of the City States, at the same time the competition proved profitable through betting and associated side businesses. For the most part, the City States themselves stayed out of the competition proper, but supplies destined for their militaries often wound up finding their way into the hands of competitors instead.

Within the competition, the conditions were usually rather primitive and bare bones. There were few organizations or stables, with individual warriors largely looking out for themselves. Likewise, most of the arenas were anything but, consisting instead of improvised venues such as forest clearings or ruins left over from the Succession Wars. It was not uncommon for competitors to be injured or killed in matches, with the lack of medical support often as dangerous as weapons fire.

And yet, for all that, the interest in the competition was considerable, enough to sustain it for several years. As the civil war on Fletcher intensified during the late 3060s, as well as the escalation of the fighting in the Chaos March, more warriors were drawn to the world. These in turn fed the competition, providing both warm bodies and equipment. The riots that effectively shut down Solaris city several times during the civil war didn’t hurt either, with the Fletcher league providing an alternative to the unstable competition. Tapes of fights soon were circulating within the Chaos march, distributed by merchant ships to nearby worlds.

The end of the competition came when the Word of Blake annexed the world and absorbed it into the Protectorate in late 3067. The Word’s campaign targeted each City State in turn, taking them out one at a time with overpowering force. While some of the competitors joined in the fighting, most chose to either lay down their guns and simply fade away or ride it out and try to pick up their game afterwards.

Neither plan worked out. After the fall of Royce, the Word shut down the planet’s Mercenary trade, turning the hiring hall (the world’s former HPG compound) into a detention centre for its former users. After securing the World, the Word’s forces invested time and effort into shutting down any remnants of the competition and detaining (or killing) the fighters. By mid 3068, the competition was dead, although by that point with the Jihad billowing out of control, few would have noticed.

Several sources suggest that some of the competitors may have survived and joined anti-Word resistance movements. No indications were found of any after the world’s liberation in late 3077, though given that agencies were more focused on locating Word of Blake survivors and sympathizers it is possible that they could have simply slipped through the net.

[Deadborder]

From the Campaign Journal of Major Jospeh Petrie

Following the unexpectedly heavy resistance encountered to our initial landings, Major Irisz Magyari opted to conduct further investigations of the disposition of the CCAF forces on Fletcher. Her agents were able to infiltrate Royce and uncover a number of leads as to what exactly was going on with the Capellan forces. Their discoveries confirmed our suspicions that the 1st Liao Guard had dug in on-world and assumed an entirely defensive stance.

While there were no known CCAF movements, the mercenaries did make one curious discovery. The Capellans had been importing large amounts of heavy machinery onto the world, and then distributing it to different places without actually using it, and rather stockpiling it for unknown reasons. Several locations were identified as destinations for this equipment; among them was Fenris Keep, a former Wolf Clan (and later Steel Wolf) enclave on the world. Another location identified was a shipping facility on the shores of the Arevass River.

Major Magyari opted to launch an attack on the Arevass facility in order to both determine what the CCAF were doing with these supplies as well as attempt to discover more about their forces. The attack was carried out by the Irregulars’ assault lance, while the rest of the unit were performing distracting attacks on other targets. In addition, any supplies located would be targeted for extraction.

It is fair to say that the operation was a success on both counts.

The Assault Lance made contact with a hostile unidentified force at the facility. Consisting of an Augmented Lance, the defending force had no markings and made no attempts at identification. However, as three of the designs were of Capellan origin (Thunder, Agrotera, Warhammer 5L) while the others were Clan designs that are in use by the CCAF (Rifleman IIC 8 and Bellona), the conclusion can be reached that this was a CCAF force, likely from a Warrior House unit.

The defenders attempted to stop the mercenary force but were ultimately unsuccessful. Both the Thunder and Warhammer were destroyed (the with latter salvageable) as well as one of the Bellonas. While the others escaped, both ‘Mechs were heavily damaged. The Thunder’s MechWarrior did survive the destruction of his ‘Mech, complications from his injuries prevented further questioning. (EDITOR’S NOTE: A two on a Medtech roll to treat a pilot with five hits)

The Irregulars suffered no losses in the attack, although two of their BattleMechs did suffer some system damage, though nothing that will sideline them for an extended period.

Investigation of the facility, however, revealed the truth behind the unusual movements of the imported supplies. The packaging crates earmarked as construction equipment instead contained older-model but still serviceable CCAF-issue equipment. This included small arms, body armour, explosives, ammunition, Battle Armour and even ‘Mech-scale weapons and equipment, possibly for use in converting IndustrialMechs. In addition, more empty shipping crates and supporting manifiests were found corresponding to several Federated Suns shipping lines.

Based on these discoveries, it is theorized that these units were being routed via Fletcher to supply pro-Cappelan insurgent units on Federated Suns border worlds. Based on this evidence, it is likely that the Augmented Lance was from Warrior House Ijori, who have used such tactics on other Federated Suns and Republic worlds. Their presence would explain why the Liao Guards have taken up a more defensive posture.

We had enough time before the arrival of Cappelan reinforcements to salvage a good portion of the stored supplies, which have been earmarked for relocation to AFFS units (A destination that has a certain irony to it to my mind). The rest of the facility and its supplies were torched to deny their use to the Capellans.

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Paleontology in the 32nd Century

From  Scientific Avalonian, March 3115

The science of paleontology is one that had remained rather under-developed and under-utilized during Mankind’s expansion across the stars. While understanding the origins and past of life on Terra had always been a source of fascination for humanity, the same could not be said of the myriad of other worlds that he touched. While it could be said that humans had a vested interest in their homeworld’s past, it is clear that those other worlds they inhabited did not have the same attachment.

It is estimated that the fossil records of less than one percent of all the inhabited worlds in the Inner Sphere have been even adequately explored. Even then, much of that exploration has been very shallow, only providing a cursory glance at their evolutionary pasts. Worlds that have supported life for billions of years have pasts that are largely unknown, and with very few who are interested in exploring them further.

And yet, Archaeology is the key driver of expeditions to the unknown as well as the search for the past. When you consider mankind has only been in space for a millennium, it seems strange that the drive to recover relics of that comparative instant would be more important than the epochs that came before it. However, if one digs deeper – pun intentional – there are a number of reasons for this disparity.

The first is the obvious one stated above; mankind has no biological attachment to any world but Terra. While mankind has spread over countless stars, on every world but one he is an alien, an introduced species. The pasts of those worlds do not affect where he came from or how he came to be, and as such, removes much of his drive to understand them. The stories of those worlds are not humanity’s story; to them he is but an outsider, an oft-disinterested spectator.

This factor leads to the second point, which is mankind’s approach to those worlds he inhabits. Without trying to turn this discussion into a soapbox, it has allways been humanity’s approach to try and change those worlds he inhabits into something better suited to his needs. Massive terraforming and eco-structuring efforts are probably the most visible examples of these, but hardly the only ones.

In many cases, the native life of worlds colonised by humans were swept away when it was deemed to be incompatible  with human habitation. Once removed, Mankind could replace it wholesale with those creatures and plants he bought from his home. In other cases, the natives were unable to compete with the invaders, and were simply displaced or rendered extinct by the new arrivals. The tragic (and yet darkly amusing) tale of the Calloway Wildebeest is the perfect example.

Given that in so many cases humans had relentlessly exterminated those creatures in the name of progress, it should be of little surprise that there has been very little interest in the pasts of those worlds. After all, who wants to dedicate their career towards the ancestors of a pseudo-rodent that died out within a century of first contact?

This process has often been exacerbated by the development of those worlds colonised by humans. It was a rare case where fossils and other such evidence were not simply destroyed in the process of colonising a world. Consider how many planets were initially colonised for mining or resource extraction, and you can see the source of the problem.

Which brings us to the third problem that hampers the cause of planetology. Consider the Branths of Lopez. Flying reptiles that resembled the Dragons of Terran myth, and completely unique of all the species discovered in the Inner Sphere. The evolutionary tale of how these creatures came to be would have been a fascinating one that had remained only lightly explored. While much of this was due to environmental concerns (any sort of development of Lopez was difficult due to the world’s unusually sensitive ecosystem), the biggest single impediment to the exploration of Lopez’ past came from humankind. In 3080, Lopez was rendered uninhabitable by a series of asteroid strikes, artificial in nature. With it not only went the Branth as a species, but its entire past as well.

Lopez may be the most tragic example of this problem in action, but it is far from the only one. Consider the Tabarinths of Jardine, a world that was ‘killed’ twice in its history, and today is buried under volcanic basalt. Or Caph, where its dinosaur parallels were rendered all but extinct by the Succession Wars. Exploration of their pasts had been also rendered impossible, as those continents were contaminated and hazardous to all life.

In these cases as with so many others, warfare has served as an impediment to the cause of paleontology. Given how many worlds have died due to humanity’s influence, it is impossible to determine how many of them had records of their past left to be discovered. Will we ever know what swam in the seas of ancient Vanataa or flew in the skies of Zara in times past? What of Versailles or Sharpe and whatever secrets their past might have held? Unfortunately, we will never know.

Finally, there has been one last obstacle to overcome, and that is the simple perception of paleontology as a science. Due to the factors mentioned above, paleontology has become sidelined and marginalised, a science that is rarely considered and certainly rarely funded. Often, when it is given attention, it comes in two forms, and it is debatable which can be worse.

The first is in the form of high-profile, attractive or ‘sexy’ research in the name of specific goals or high-profile objectives. The Nagashima expedition of 3049 is an excellent example, aimed solely at exploring the fossil history of the Kyotan Armour Bear. Run more as a media circus then an actual scientific expedition, the result was a veritable explosion of junk science accompanied by lurid recreations of extinct life-forms. Very little serious work went into the expedition, resulting in it possibly doing more harm then good.

The second of these comes in the form of fringe science, which paleontology often serves to support. In this case, the motivations behind the research can often be bizzare, the products of seemingly deranged minds or massive leaps of logic. Many of these expeditions are driven to search for things that do not exist or have been long since discarded by the scientific community, such as the search for fossil remnants of extinct sentient life forms. The quest for “ancient astronauts” has become almost a universal joke, and yet remains a persistent source of funding.

Other examples of such ‘junk’ science include attempts to ‘prove’ the existence of prehistoric spacefaring races through the spread of animals across the Inner Sphere. These usually take the form of trying to find fossils that ‘prove’ that a species was translocated from one world to another by whatever means. A typical example was again the Tabarith, with the fringe trying to claim that they were descended from Terran felines (or vice-versa). Of course, the inability to prove such claims due to Jardine’s destruction only fueled such nonsense.

Regardless, Paleontology does remain a viable science, even if one that exists on the fringes. Interstellar Expeditions has funded a number of expeditions, albeit often in support of their more conventional archaeological ones, that have yielded valuable results. And in an age of peace, this may be the time for mankind to finally, after so long, get to better know the universe he lives in.