The Capellan Confederation Reserve Cavalry originated as a source of replacement personnel and emergency reinforcements for front-line CCAF units. Over time, they became more regular garrison units, and by the time of the FCCW often patrolled several worlds. After successful operations against St Ives Confederation forces, aiding the "Big Mac", the unit was rotated for internal security work. To quote from the unit's official history,
In 3064 the 5th Reserve faced pirates while on regular rotation to Zanzibar. While the regiment was on Zanzibar raiding actions by the Shen-sè Tian pirate band forced the Cavalry to redeploy in battalion strength. A green battalion of the Cavalry subsequently fought two battalions of pirates commanded by Pirate-major Kerry Wung on Muridox and handily defeated them using combined armed tactics.
This is this battalion force.
The unit was led by
Sang-Wei Barbara Thistlewaite, an ex-Solaris gladiator who had answered the Chancellor's call for
Xin Sheng, bringing her Spatha with her. Thistlewaite had been a competent Class IV performer, obtaining several minor titles, before joining the CCAF. She had worked her way up to company command, before being given the opportunity to lead the pirate-hunting force.
Sang-Wei Thistlewaite's lance is led by her deadly but fragile Spatha SP1-X. Her "praetorians" are responsible for guarding her back, and letting her concentrate on either leading, or deadly melee - a Thunerbolt TDR-7SE, Crusader CRD-5M, and Hunchback HBK-4SP.
Fire support comes from a Blackjack BJ2-OB, Catapult CPLT-C4C, and Archer ARC-7L. A Blackjack BJ-3 acts as bodyguard.
Very effective recon work is done by two Cicada CDA-3Gs, a Raven RVN-4L, and an Assassin ASN-23.
The recon lance is assisted by a platoon of Regulator hover tanks, with their potent Gauss Rifles.
While fire support comes from a lance of missile carriers - half LRM, half LRM.
Finally, a platoon of rugged and reliable Bulldog tanks round off the armour company.
The 5th, like most of the Reserve Cavalry, is not running top-shelf equipment. The infantry company for this force comprised two platoons of laser infantry, and two platoons of SRM infantry - the latter, with their Inferno rounds, having a potent effect on ambushed pirates.
This was a lightning job - I started them after I finished the Marik Guard, so about a fortnight. As mentioned elsewhere, I had to top up my paint supplies. The brown & green were Mr Hobby paints - I hadn't had good experience with them before, found them gluggy, but these ones were very nice to work with, and gave great cover.
The paintscheme - the reserve do "appropriate camo" with a metal trim (bronze for the 5th), was going to be winter MERDC. But my attempts to make that work failed repeatedly. Then I saw a Soviet camo - similar to forest MERDC, dating to the 1980s - and decided this was one I could do. The Soviet-Capellan thing was just icing (green icing!) So
- base green
- blotches of brown, about 25% of the area
- black metallic areas, and add the black line to one side of the blotches
- drybrush metallics
- brown ink (Citadel's Nuln Oil. Citadel inks - industry best practice!)
A nice simple job, after the grinding of the Cavaliers.
Comments as always welcomed,
W.
