Cavalli’s Cavaliere

[Deadborder]

Could be worse.

I once read a really, really bad novel where two of the characters were introduced as twins. The very next paragraph states that there's three years age gap between them

[Nav_Alpha]

Once again showing the importance of an editor. (Irony: I am one, professionally)

[Deadborder]

Once again showing the importance of an editor. (Irony: I am one, professionally)

The book in question had never been near one. I didn't pay a cent for it, and I still feel ripped off.

Also, very OT

[Nav_Alpha]

Always the best, yeah?
Sounds like your were reading Gor or soemthing similar. THERE was a series that made me wonder if blinding myself was an option...

[snakespinner]

I thought you were automatically blinded if you read the Gor series.
That was bad.

[Sir Chaos]

I thought you were automatically blinded if you read the Gor series.
That was bad.

I only read one of those. Might be the reason why I need to wear glasses.

[Nav_Alpha]

Deployment as of October 6, 3067

In the past decade Cavalli’s Cavaliere have gone from strength to strength. After scratching out a meaner existence fighting for various petty Chaos March powers they entered the FedCom Civil War as free agents in the mid 60s.
This more high risk playing field (the Cavaliere suffered several casualties) allowed them to expand considerably as well as upgrading much of their equipment.
A string of successes during the Civil War fighting for both sides means the unit now boasts a full Battlemech company, backed by a short armour lance, a light infantry company for security and aerospace support.

In June Felix Cavalli signed a contract with Cyclops Incorporated on Skye and currently garrison it's New Aberdeen facility. The Cavaliere are particularly popular in Skye space (ironically most of the unit hails from the FWL) following its work across the Arc Royal Defence Cordon and work for pro-Skye Separatists on nearby Eaton.

Most recently Force Commander Felix Cavalli and a small cadre of troops departed for Outreach. The trip is threefold: Supplies are to be picked up, long term unit member is heading to Harlech to retire and of course, Cavalli needs to finalise his divorce.

OFFICERS: Force Commander  Felix Cavalli has matured from the firebrand he once was. Some say a failed marriage and the reunion with his long lost children (who are now mechwarrior apprentices) matured him. Others surmise he's just seen so much combat in the past decade.
Either way, he leads a tight ship - although his personal life has provided plenty of fodder in recent years.

Captain Capri Francesca Palma has developed into an excellent XO and staff officer in the past few years. While her CO struggles with the paperwork, she excels. Unfortunately, those skills never translated into the cockpit and she typically hangs back in combat.

Lieutenant Josef Paige is undoubtably the unit's best warrior - he has however rode three separate mechs into the ground during his career with the Cavaliere.
His marriage to armoured lance commander Amber Paige has produced three children and he often operates as a father figure for many unit members in need of guidance.

Mira Fowler-Jenkins leads the aerospace lance which consists of herself and her husband. Both provide close tactical support and cover from their Eagle fighters.
Unfortunately their relationship has gotten exceptionally strained of late. Outside of the cockpit they hardly speak - apart to yell abuse at each other.

Tactics: Cavalli's tactics typically revolve around jumping attacks and fast moving cavalry style assaults.

[Nav_Alpha]

Felix Cavalli journal entry - Oct 6, 3067
We're burning in for Outreach - I can't believe it's been almost two years. Well. The Civil War is finally over and some level or normality might return to the Inner Sphere. Maybe.
I've got Rufus and Georgia Calosso with me. He's retiring and she's having some issues with her Vindy's coolant seal. Gustav couldn't fix the damn thing, so we'll get some Dragoon techs to look at it at massively inflated prices and tell us they can't fix it.
I brought my mech along just out of habit - it's not like we're going to need them!
Not with three mechs and two vehicles (we're going to sell off the ancient Harrassers and upgrade them) but I guess you never know...

[Nav_Alpha]

So a question: obviously as the Jihad approaches, a small portion of the Cavaliere is going to caught on Outreach and will fight through some tracks there.
The rest of the unit is on Skye, which gets hit about three months later.

Should I have Felix and co arrive back on skye in time for the Blakist attack? Or fight out the two mini campaigns with the unit broken up.
Outreach tracks would have access to three mechs, two tanks.
While skye would have the rest of the resources but would suffer an initiative penalty as its missing its CO.

Thoughts?

[Deadborder]

I like splitting them, simply because it's a 'fun' time to be on Outreach

[Nav_Alpha]

Yeah, I was thinking something similar. Felix and his lancemates save a Blackwell VP and then find themselves trying to help out all the while the Goons are basically "shoot first! Shoot again!"
Meanwhile, back at the ranch the rest of the unit goes head to head with the Sirian Lancers/Word.

Come to think of it - was it ever clarified if it was purely Blakists (posing as the FWL) attacking Skye or if the Sirians were actually duped into attacking?

[truetanker]

Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?

Check your PM...

TT

[Nav_Alpha]

Hung over and packing less than half a load of ammo and we're rolling out. Gre-eeeeat. Rogue mercs are throwing themselves at the Dragoons. We were on hand when that Blackwell VP got on the comm screaming for help. Unfortunately we happened to have just finished Rufus' retirement party and didn't get a chance to reload.
Also, most of us are spewing our guys out or holding our heads. Hell, I think one of the harasser crews is still drunk...
- Felix Cavalli personal journal, October 10 3067

So, that was brutal.... Ran the Another Day Another C-Bill track, using the nasty departure rules that saw us roll out wth next to no Ammo
A nasty slugfest amid the towering skyscrapers saw us ambushed by a Dark Panzer Jäger mech lance, backed by a reinforced armour lance.
We got hit by half the force on front, while the rest of the jaegers tried to flankmua.
Quickly, the mechs got bogged down in a close range slugfest... but the Cav's tow harassers boxed in the hover limo carrying our VP and whisked him away.
The two Blackwell Badgers ended up sacrificing themselves as part of the breakout.
We won... but lost one mech.

Rufus Le Marquid bought it during the fight with Panzer Jagers. Thirty years in the saddle, he comes back to Outreach to retire and dies in a side mission the day after his retirement party. People are saying the Word is responsible for this whole thing. Bastards.
We salvaged a Thunderbolt and an LRM Carrier but that was some bitter pill to swallow.
Blackwell is again footing the bill - we're going to puppy walk the head honcho and some of their equipment out to the main Blackwell compound out in the badlands.

Later: Son of a- ok, looks like trouble follows us. Looks like some independent mercs looking to score an easy payday are inbound.

[Nav_Alpha]

Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?

Check your PM...

TT

That THING... that is horrid

[truetanker]

That THING... that is horrid

Why? You chicken to go against them... ;D

You could always replace the TAU Infantry, all variants, for Standard G-class Tornados. ( Being mostly G-13's with a Squad or two of G-17's. ) As always I prefer a more custom Squad layout: 2 David, 1 each per Level I. ( Tho a strike would have 2 GL, using Inferno Grenades, +1 each. )

TT

[Deadborder]

Rufus Le Marquid bought it during the fight with Panzer Jagers. Thirty years in the saddle, he comes back to Outreach to retire and dies in a side mission the day after his retirement party.

And to think. He made it past three days from retirement...

[Nav_Alpha]

And to think. He made it past three days from retirement...

I know, right!
Actually - jokes aside it was a rough moment losing the old Banshee pilot. I'd always imagined him as a bit of a character and it's just not going to be the same without him

[Nav_Alpha]

"Knight one, I make three - no, make that four, MAD scans moving out of the rocks at us,"
Felix Cavalli could barely hear his lancemate's warning over the harsh hiss of static squeling over his neurohelmet's headphones.
The Dark Panzer Jeager had managed to clip his cockpit with a full burst of laser fire, slagging the whole thing around him.

Not to mention the gaping hole over his left torso or the ER Large Laser that flickered between operational and offline.
"Alright, I see them Georgia. You push forward with the convoy. I'll see if I can draw them off," he said/

She started to protest but he cut her off.

"Do it. That convoy is more important than me getting out of here."

Even as he uttered those words he was grimly reading off the alphanumeric codes flooding his scanners.
Archer, Warhammer, Crusader, Hunchback.
All older designs by the looks. But even jackals could pull down a wounded and battle weary lion.

There was a high pitched whine as one of the blowers in the convoy lifted off. Glancing out through his cracked cockpit glass Felix could see the Cavaliere Harasser keeping pace with the pair of hover APCs.
A beat up truck followed behind. All of the vehicles were battered, paint scratched back to bare metal and sacks and luggage strapped willy-nilly to their sides.

A Blackwell VP, a half a dozen techs, some civilians and whatever poor mercs who got caught in the middle of this, he mused.

As the gaggle of vehicles shot forward he turned to face the approaching lance.
But then - he saw them, just the barest sensor reading off into the distance.

And then there it was again - two readings. Each with WLF-DGOON-HME_GRD traced around them.
Maybe help was at hand?

So, we managed to just pull out another win. A full lance of rogue mercs seeking to capture the convoy faced off our Cavaliere pair and luckily a Dragoon Home Guard Uller and Hoplite happened to happen upon us.

It was a classic chase scenario and we managed to keep the convoy just away from the pursuing mercs.

With the Dragoons now stomping the utter hell out of everyone, the Cavaliere surrendered and rode it out - thankfully with Blackwell vouching for them - and are preparing to return to Skye where the rest of the unit remains.

[Nav_Alpha]

"Mercs pay respect to fallen comrades"
December 19, 3067, Skye Post-Dispatch

 Cavalli's Cavaliere formally announced a chance in insignia as part of a short ceremony in honour of fellow mercenaries lost fighting the Word of Blake on Outreach earlier this year.
Elements of the Cavaliere, including CO Felix Cavalli, only recently returned to Skye after fighting on Outreach against rogue mercenaries in the Word's employ. Following that brutal clash most of the Allied Mercenary Command lifted for Terra as some sort of retaliatory strike.
However, Force Commander Cavalli declined to go with them, instead shepherding an unlikely gaggle of survivors to Skye.
Those survivors include Candace, a Lieutenant in the recently destroyed Battle Magic mech-tech outfit (rumoured to be a former Clanner), a group of dispossessed vehicle crews and well know Harlech hiring agent Reyda Johnston.
Today, Cavalli announced the Cavaliere would officially change its stallion rampant insignia to a Knight chess piece - grey on maroon - in honour of Lindon's Battalion, which was destroyed on Terra.
"This is about honouring fallen friends - including the men and women of Lindon's Battalion who we had served with on several occasions and counted as true comrades in arms," he told the service.
"It's also about committing to the coming fight and showing we're ready and willing.
"This is not over."

[Nav_Alpha]

4th February, 3068

With everything going down the toilet across the Inner Sphere i knew it was just a matter of time before we got dropped into it.
A couple weeks back I evacuated all our dependents to one of Cyclops' smaller sites out in the boonies. Seems the Lyrans had a similar idea - a 4th Skye Rangers armoured battalion and elements of a light infantry battalion rolled into our position the next day.
Yesterday we got word from command that our contract with Cyclops was officially being superseded by the Duke - report in with Lyran high command and wait out.
Then the sky light up like Sian on Chinese New Year - a serious battle was going on in the upper atmosphere.

I checked in with one of the Lyran tankers who claimed the Sirian Lancers were burning in hard. Marik? Here! Yeah.. sure.
We're saddling up for action - looks like the "Sirians" are landing nearby and we're officially under the command of Lyran high command now.

I ran through a  probe scenario, followed by the Skye is Falling Track.

Command lance, backed by an assault lance of Skye Rangers. Heavy damage all around but we salvaged an almost intact Awesome.
I'm also loving this new Thunderbolt salvaged off Outreach.

[Nav_Alpha]

Shaky camera swings around showing a quick, blurred scene in a mechbay: two children, ages about 10 with dark hair and tiny, tailored grey coveralls sit before a giant hulking man missing an arm who appears to be lecturing them, a female tech stands before a mech's giant foot reading from a datapad, warning klaxons blare.

The camera moves around to settle on a short, stocky man with dark curly hair and a well manicured beard.
"We're shipping out for the Free Worlds League at the head of a Lyran invasion fleet. Not how I imagined returning to the League after all these years. Either way - that Sirian attack has got the Duke very pissed and he's ready to make them pay."

Off screen the klaxons have stopped and someone can be heard playing a violin. There's muffled laughter and a baby's wail briefly drowns out the music.

"We're leaving all our dependants here on Skye, along with an infantry platoon. But not all of us are coming. Capri has decided to depart the unit. She can't come at fighting the League and she's worried about her family back on Andurian. Travis will accompany her back.
"That means we're reorganising into two mech lances and Joe will step into the XO role."

Behind the speaker a tall woman with classically Germanic blonde features in a Lyran uniform steps into the bay.

"Here comes the brass. Word is we're going in for Thermopolis with the 4th Rangers and the Skye Jaegers."

[truetanker]

Reminds me of the newsfeed from Starship Troopers... just insert Arachnids!

TT

[Nav_Alpha]

***SKYE NEWS BROADCAST****

Scene cuts to a sea of green: close to 100 soldiers sit crossed legged or kneel. It's obviously inside a dropship - there's bare steel bulkheads about. A giant Lyran mailed fist has been painted on the far bulk head.
A tall, heavy set man who could be straight off a Lyran recruiting poster is standing before the gathered crowd: his eyes are icy blue and his blonde crew cut is starting to streak with silver.
His close fitting uniform is littered with dozens of decorations.

Reporter's voice: And we're back, this is Gordo Tallisq in bound for Thermopolis with Task Force Crusader. Colonel Steve Pitcher is having a bull session with his Skye Jaegers. Let's have another look.

The blonde Colonel is speaking into a mic, grinning.
"And then I said, that's not a wienerschnitzel, Hauptmann!"

Thunderous laughter from troops.

"But seriously, it's great to be rolling into the League - but what's my battalion actually gunna do when it gets dirtside?"

There's a thunder as more than 100 pairs of boots hit the deck. "KICK SOME LEAGUER ARSE, SIR!"

The Colonel shakes his head sadly. "Bullshit, sound off like you gotta pair - you lads sound like you're straight off Sian."

"KICK SOME LEAGUER ARSE, SIR!"

Scene changes as the camera comes around a bulkhead corner. This corridor is older looking - rust stains much of the wall and roof.

"A key element of the task force burning into League space is a battalion sized contingent of mercenaries. Now, rather than the stereotypical money grubbing guns for hire, these mercs are true helpers of Skye."

Camera shows a gathering inside what appears to be a converted hanger. A hulking woman with long red hair and a chest and muscular pair of arms covered in a fine web of intricate tattoos is doing press ups in one corner. A small man with an giant moustache is tinkering with a mymor bundle and in the centre a bearded man plays cards an ebony skinned giant who's right arm is replaced  by a bionic claw.

"Now, we can see elements of Cavalli’s Cavaliere  and the 51st Armoured Blitzkreig - Kommondant Cavalli, can you confirm your mercenary commands will be striking Thermpolis' southern continent?"

[Nav_Alpha]

LIC intelligence briefing - Thermopolis

- it would be impossible to discuss Thermopolis without mentioning the Hells Gates Hot Springs National Park on the Petros northern continent. The sprawling national park includes hundreds of naturally fed hot springs and mud baths, all of it protected by interstellar law.
South west of the park is Thermopolis' capital (sharing the planet's name), set out on a series of terrace-liked hills overlooking Wide Bay and the Aegen Sea. The capital is the primary port of commerce for Petros, handling iron ore and other minerals mined in the far north and lumber and foodstuffs  from the southern Saronic continent.
The city and bay is also home to a large commercial fishing operation - the Aegen Spearfish and the smaller Nixos are considered deliicies across the FWL-Lyran border region.
Most of Petros is arid, flat and warm, with little annual rainfall and almost year around hot conditions.
This combined with the hot springs, makes Thermopolis the centre of a major tourism hot spot.

The southern Saronic continent is much greeners and home to nine tenths of the planets agriculture production. Missick serves as the continental capital and is surrounded by think jungle and large swaths of farming land -
A

[Nav_Alpha]

A little after action report!

"WAR Comes to Thermopolis! Clashes near Zariah Hot Springs, Saronic Coast as Lyran invadera arrives!"

There have been numerous reports of clashes between the 5th Fusiliers of Oriente and invading Lyans early this morning, with dozens of dropships landing across the southern continent.
Reports from the Zariah Hot Springs near Missick point to a running battle amid the boiling water and mud pools as off world mercenaries battled elements of the Fusiliers.

So, pursuit lance faced off a Marik scout lance (backed by some Vedette tanks). And we won.

Winner is: TEAM #1

Cavalli's Cavliere: 4507 BV remaining (from 5415 initially) 0 BV fled
FWL: 1146 BV remaining (from 4986 initially) 820 BV fled

Survivors are:
Lynx LNX-9Q (Cavalli's Cavliere)
Pilot : Asha Akouayn [4/3]
Kills : 0

Vindicator VND-3L (Cavalli's Cavliere)
Pilot : Georgia Calosso [4/5]
Kills : 0

Panther PNT-10K (Cavalli's Cavliere)
Pilot : Jinpachi Nezu [3/5] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 1

Wolfhound WLF-2 (Cavalli's Cavliere)
Pilot : Connor McBride [4/5]
Kills : 0

MechWarrior Bayani Chikuda (FWL)
Gunnery Skill : Bayani Chikuda [4]
Kills : 0

MechWarrior Dónall Barnstaple (FWL)
Gunnery Skill : Dónall Barnstaple [4] ( 3 hit(s) )
Kills : 0

MechWarrior Zakaria Nilu (FWL)
Gunnery Skill : Zakaria Nilu [4] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 0


The following units are in retreat:
Apollo APL-1M (FWL)
Pilot : Jesús Herrera [4/5]
Kills : 0

Vedette Medium Tank (LB-X) (FWL)
Driver : Jardar Banfi [4/5]
Kills : 0

Vedette Medium Tank (LB-X) #2 (FWL)
Driver : Soo-Jin Sykora [4/5]
Kills : 0


Graveyard contains:
Hermes HER-1A (FWL)
Pilot : Dónall Barnstaple [4/5] ( 3 hit(s) )
Kills : 0

Wraith TR1 (FWL)
Pilot : Zakaria Nilu [4/5] ( 2 hit(s) )
Kills : 0


The following utterly destroyed units are not available for salvage:
Hammer HMR-3M (FWL)
Pilot : Bayani Chikuda [4/5]
Kills : 0
Destroyed by Panther PNT-10K (Cavalli's Cavliere)

[snakespinner]

When you mentioned small man with giant moustache I was a bit under the weather from Melbourne cup celebrations.
I thought you had written Giant moustache with small man. ::)

[Nav_Alpha]

That would be a giant 'stash!

You win anything?

[snakespinner]

Yes $10 each way on almandine.
Paid for my state of drunkenness. :D

[Nav_Alpha]

I managed to get nada in the sweep. One of the guys who works for me cleaned up about $2500 by getting a trifecta though. We pretty much forced him to stand drinks at the pub...

[snakespinner]

Hopefully you still have him there buying more drinks. :D