Braddock's Wild Cats (Jihad era Mercenaries)

[Jamil Nate]

Braddock's Wild Cats

After Anton Marik's rebellion collapsed in early 3015, Captain Richard Braddock of the Fifth Regulan Hussars gathered the remains of his company along with other survivors from the Fourth. His band of former rebels then hijacked a jumpship and fled the Free Worlds League, escaping capture and prosecution. With a fate worse than death awaiting them back home should they ever return and a lack of other options, Braddock's unit made its way to Galatea to offer their services as mercenaries.

Braddock's Wild Cats slowly grew from a mech company to a battalion in the following decades, working alternatively for House Davion and Kurita, mainly with pirate hunting and raiding contracts. After the Fourth Succession War, the Wild Cats began to hire themselves only to the Concord of Kapteyn powers after a Davion attempt at company store gone wrong. The coming of the Clans, the formation of the Chaos March and a new leader (Charles Braddock, Richard's eldest son) would mark the return to an all-opportunity hiring policy.

By 3062, Braddock's Wild Cats were a fairly upgraded reinforced battlemech battalion with a good reputation for getting the job done with a minimum of fuss.

Unfortunately, this wouldn't save the Wild Cats from being mauled during the FedCom Civil War. Under contract with duke Sandoval, they were part of his ill-advised offensive in the Draconis Combine. When the dust settled, the new Draconis March duke was not sympathetic with their woes, terminating their employment without paying compensation of any sort. Even appealing to the MRBC didn't arrange matters.

Forced to liquidate many of their assets to clear their debts, recruit replacements and repair the damage they had taken, Braddock's Wild Cats are now reduced to a mere battlemech company, a dropship and its aerospace fighter escort.

Sean Braddock, youngest son of Richard Braddock from his second marriage, has now inherited command of his father's unit. Along with several third-generation Wild Cats, a few veterans and other newcomers, he hopes he can turn the tables and save his unit from bankruptcy. The fact that he has been forced to work for the Word of Blake on several short-term contracts to make ends meet and upgrade his mechs since then is a sign of his growing desperation.

As the year 3067 comes to a close, captain Braddock is reasonably confident of the viability of his command and has accepted a one-year retainer contract with Interstellar Expeditions.

TO&E (Late 3067)

Command Lance
Captain Sean Braddock, MR-V3 Cerberus
Lieutenant Mana Saotome, DRG-4F Dragon Fire
Mechwarrior Esteban Mendoza, GAL-1GLS Gallowglas
Mechwarrior Chandra Suresh , APL-1R Apollo
Battle Lance
Lieutenant Liam Boone, FLC-8R Falconer
Mechwarrior Anya Cherenkov, GRM-R-PR29 Grim Reaper
Mechwarrior Han Jee-Han, STY-3D Starslayer
Mechwarrior Marika Soresi, CRB-27 Crab
Recon Lance
Lieutenant Freya Jansen, NGS-5T Nightsky
Mechwarrior Liu Xuelan, FS9-S Firestarter
Mechwarrior Rafael Kovar, SPR-5F Spector
Mechwarrior Hiro Saotome, JVN-11A Javelin
Aero Lance
Lieutenant Rory Calhoun, EGL-R6 Eagle
Pilot Andrew Tanner , EGL-R6 Eagle
Dropship
Captain Nikolas Holden, Union (2708) class dropship Grimalkin

[Jamil Nate]

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER C-BILL

SITUATION
Harlech, Outreach
Chaos March
15 October 3067

Dameon Guillome, Vice-President of General Motors / Blackwell, needs to get back to the security of the corporation's Outreach offices. With rioting mercenaries rampaging through Harlech, he needs an armed escort to make it through the ambient chaos.

Braddock's Wild Cats happened to be on hand, having business of their own in the mercantile district, when the fighting broke out near TempTown. Reacting quickly, Blackwell hired the Wild Cats on a short-term contract to escort their VIP all the way to their main office complex.

Since the extra cash and having one of the most advanced military suppliers in the Inner Sphere indebted to them was too good to pass up, captain Braddock took the job. Three Wild Cats mechs scrambled for the mission to accompany Guillome's hoverlimo and his Blackwell Security team only to run into an enemy ambush.

Attacker
51st Dark Panzer Jaegers elements (BV : 5 541)
WHM-7M Warhammer [Commander]
GHR-6K Grasshopper
KW1-LH3 Lineholder
CLN-7W Chameleon

Defender
Braddock's Wild Cats (BV :4 471)
Mechwarrior Esteban Mendoza, GAL-1GLS Gallowglas
Mechwarrior Han Jee-Han, STY-3D Starslayer
Mechwarrior Rafael Kovar, SPR-5F Spector
Heavy Hover APC
Badger A
Badger A

AFTER-ACTION REPORT
The Wild Cats moved to protect the client, using hit-and-run tactics on the 51st Dark Panzer Jaegers lance and abusing urban cover and their jump jets. Losing their cool, the rogue mercenaries went on a reckless offensive, leaving an opening for the Blackwell convoy to run for. Once mister Guillome was out of danger, the Wild Cats blocked their escape route, cutting off pursuit.

The Jaegers were furious and changed objectives. Now they would destroy the ones who dared interfere in their business with no quarter given.

First to fall, however, was a panzer Chameleon whose armor had been previously weakened by the Blackwell Badgers' missiles. Next the enemy lance commander's Warhammer went down, its gyroscope fried by a PPC blast to the back.

Things nearly turned for the worst when mechwarrior Mendoza made a piloting mistake and his Gallowglas fell down through a building. Knocked unconscious, his mech's auto-eject system saved his life when the two remaining jaeger mechs ganged up on him and destroyed it beyong hope of salvage.

Even with this loss, mechwarriors Jee-Han and Kovar kept their cool and kept harassing their enemies until they too were mobility killed while sustaining only easily repaired armor damage in the process. Mission accomplished.

Esteban Mendoza's wounds will take some time to heal. From now on, he will have to pilot the Grasshopper the Wild Cats' technical crew has salvaged from the battle, once it's fully repaired. They also decided to keep the Chameleon while selling off the other two salvaged mechs.

Meanwhile, Wayne Waco's alliance of rogue mercenaries was still fighting against Wolf's Dragoons and their allies with the city of Harlech as the loser in the ongoing conflict.

[snakespinner]

A victory is always a good way to start, especially against a superior foe. O0

[Jamil Nate]

MISSION : STRIKE

SITUATION
Harlech, Outreach
Chaos March
17 October 3067

While Harlech had been a raging battlefield for days, Pleasure Island and Casino Island had been left mostly untouched by the chaos. Simply put, Waco's ragtag alliance of mercs had better targets to go after.

Nevertheless, Michael Wu, the richest man on Outreach and owner of the two islands in all but name, was a cautious man and wanted his investments protected. He arranged for the bridges to the mainland to be closed and hired mercenaries of his own for defense.

Braddock's Wild Cats, having nothing better to do since Interstellar Expeditions did'nt have assets on Harlech for them to safeguard, took mister Wu's offer to guard his main casino complex for as long as the riots continued.

It should have been an easy duty. Too bad Michael Wu had hired disreputable mercenaries in the past years for several jobs and hadn't been the most gracious of employers. Some mercs are known to hold a grudge for this kind of treatment and if they can have their revenge by pillaging his casinoes, blaming it later on Waco and his cronies, all much the better.

Attacker
Rioting Mercenaries (BV : 10 144)
PTR-4D Penetrator [Commander]
DVS-2 Devastator
GAL-2GLS Gallowglas
QKD-8K Quickdraw
BSW-S2 Bushwacker
CN-10B Centurion

Defender
Braddock's Wild Cats (BV : 10 040)
Captain Sean Braddock, MR-V3 Cerberus
Lieutenant Mana Saotome, DRG-4F Dragon Fire
Mechwarrior Chandra Suresh , APL-1R Apollo
Lieutenant Liam Boone, FLC-8R Falconer
Mechwarrior Anya Cherenkov, GRM-R-PR29 Grim Reaper
Mechwarrior Marika Soresi, CRB-27 Crab

AFTER-ACTION REPORT
The enemy split its demi-company in two forces : The Quickdraw, the Bushwacker and the Centurion arrived first, launching a frontal attack from the west. Sean Braddock kept his command lance around the casinoes and sent lieutenant Boone ahead to deal with them. He nevertheless positioned his mechs to provide fire support just in case.

Using the urban landscape to cover their advance, Cavalry Lance soon made contact with the approaching mercs. First Blood went to the Wild Cats when the enemy Centurion went down from a direct blow to the cockpit, courtesy of Mana Saotome's Dragon Fire.

The Wild Cats' joy was short-lived ; the rest of the mercenary force had just been detected, coming from the north. A Penetrator, a Devastator and a Gallowglas were much more significant threats after all.

However, Lady Luck was firmly with Braddock and his men. The Penetrator was neutralized, the unlucky victim of an ammo explosion. Lieutenant Saotome was clearly on a roll and headshotted the Bushwacker moments later. Shortly after that, lieutenant Boone jumped his Falconer behind the Devastator and let loose an alpha strike : the enemy assault mech fell down and never got back up thanks to a busted gyroscope.

The two remaining mercs quickly understood their now desperate situation and began a fighting retreat. It would be a futile move. The Gallowglas quickly lost a leg to concentrated fire, the pilot surrendering quickly. As for the Quickdraw, it nearly escaped Casino Island but once again, Mana Saotome's sniping skills claimed another mech kill via headshot.

Needless to say, Michael Wu was deeply impressed by the Wild Cats' work and would pay them in full and on time later, also allowing them all the salvage they could carry.

The next day, however, would be the turning point in the first battle of Harlech. With the death of Jaime Wolf came Condition Feral.

[Jamil Nate]

MISSION : PURSUIT

SITUATION
Open Proving Grounds, Outreach
Chaos March
22 October 3067

It took less than two days for Wolf's Dragoons to retake Harlech and annihilate their enemies. When confronted by the enraged Dragoons, Sean Braddock chose the better part of valor and had the Wild Cats stand down. They returned to their dropship and waited out for the end of the crisis.

With the conflict over, Interstellar Expeditions finally made contact and gave the Wild Cats their marching orders. They were to leave Outreach for their first assignment and the sooner, the better.

Nevertheless, while waiting for the jumpship to arrive, captain Braddock decided to make use of what time le had left for some last-minute work. The Wild Cats' Recon Lance had remained idle for too long and getting some experience before shipping out wouldn't be a luxury. Thankfully, the Dragoons were hiring small units to chase after the few survivors of Waco's rampage who had managed to flee Harlech.

The job was simple : Search the open proving grounds around the city for wanted fugitives and stop them with extreme prejudice (The bounties and promised salvage rights were more than generous). Even if Lieutenant Jansen's lance found nothing, it would still be a good training exercise in scouting and patrolling duties.

It looked like this little mission would be uneventful until the last day before departure. The Wild Cats' aerospace fighters were on forward patrol when they managed to spot unknown mechs hiding in an urban training ground. Knowing they were spotted, the rogue mercenaries ran off and separated in small elements to complicate pursuit. Later, the Wild Cats' recon lance managed to intercept one such half-lance.

Attacker
Braddock's Wild Cats (BV : 4 366)
Lieutenant Freya Jansen, NGS-5T Nightsky
Mechwarrior Liu Xuelan, FS9-S Firestarter
Mechwarrior Rafael Kovar, SPR-5F Spector
Mechwarrior Hiro Saotome, JVN-11A Javelin

Defender
Rogue Mercenaries (BV : 3270)
WVR-8K Wolverine
MTR-5K Maelstrom

AFTER-ACTION REPORT
The Wild Cats had speed and mobility on their side while the rogue mercs had tonnage and firepower. Lieutenant Jansen had her lance envelop and flank the two enemy mechs, using natural cover to approach whenever possible. Her plan was simple : stay in contact, harass them, cut off retreat and look for the right moment to go for the kill.

At first, she prioritized the Maelstrom as a target ; the heavy mech in question had no jump jets to clear obstacles and its rear armor was rather thin for its weight. Once the Wild Cats caught up to the fleeing battlemech, a few backshots in its reactor shielding were all that was needed to neutralize it.

The mechwarrior piloting the Wolverine didn't even try to assist his ally and kept running. He would have succeeded but a lucky shot to its right leg blew it off, ending his hopes of evading capture.

The Wild Cats' Recon Lance went through its baptism of fire with no losses and only armor damage to worry about. The two captured mercenaries were taken back to Harlech and given to the Wolf's Dragoons for the bounties on their heads. The Wild Cats also salvaged the Maelstrom and the Wolverine, selling the latter to fund the repairs on the former. If things continued like this, soon captain Braddock would be able to field a fourth mech lance.

The next day, Braddock's Wild Cats lifted off Outreach, heading for the cappellan march of Davion space for the first part of their contract. The rumors of blakist involvement in Waco's rampage had made staying on the planet any longer unwise. The Wild Cats had worked for the Word in the Chaos March before and while all of it had been all above board MRBC-wise, Sean Braddock didn't want to take chances.

[Dave Talley]

nice start

[Jamil Nate]

PAYBACK

SITUATION
Zenith Point
Styk, Liao Commonality
Capellan Confederation
18 December 3067

Back in march, a brand new fusion engine assembly plant in the Earthwerks, Ltd. factory complex on Grand Base was destroyed in a giant explosion. There were several casualties and the facility was a total loss. It was also clear this was no industrial accident.

It took five months of investigation for Earthwerks' team of ex-Maskirovka specialists to find out the truth about this heinous act. What was believed at the time to be a terrorist act was in fact an act of corporate warfare : Tao Mechworks of Styk was behind this attack. They were hoping the setback in Earthwerks' production schedule of stealth Cataphracts would push the CCAF into ordering more of Tao's proven stealth Crusader instead.

Clearly, some form of retribution would have to be exacted for this treachery (with deniable assets of course). Eartwerks, Ltd. could not let the competition get away with this.

After two uneventful months of guarding Interstellar Expeditions warehouses, captain Sean Braddock was only too happy for his Wild Cats to take the job in order to break the monotony. The mission was simple : The target was Tao Mechworks' R&D center on Fire Island near Styl's planetary capital. The objective : destroy the center's main building, Ided as TM-834X-C. The only obstacle in the Wild Cats' way was Tao's corporate security forces and maybe, if they were unlucky, elements of Syn's Hussars, the CCAF planetary garrison for Styk.

Attacker
Braddock's Wild Cats (BV : 9 413)
Lieutenant Liam Boone, FLC-8R Falconer
Mechwarrior Marika Soresi, MTR-5K Maelstrom
Mechwarrior Anya Cherenkov, GRM-R-PR29 Grim Reaper
Mechwarrior Han Jee-Han, STY-3D Starslayer
Mechwarrior Hiro Saotome, CLN-7W Chameleon
Mechwarrior Rafael Kovar, SPR-5F Spector

Defender
Tao 'Mechworks Security Force (BV : 7 023)
VTR-9K Victor
AXM-1N Axman
BJ-2 Blackjack
HCT-5S Hatchetman
Goblin Infantry Support Vehicle (Standard)
Striker Light Tank (3061 Upgrade)
Foot Infantry Platoon / Rifle
Foot Infantry Platoon / Rifle
Syn's Hussars Lance (BV : 4 808)
CTF-2X Cataphract
TDR-5S Thunderbolt
VND-3L Vindicator
VND-1R Vindicator

AFTER-ACTION REPORT
Using a fake civilian transponder number acquired by less than legal means, the Grimalkin reached Styk without any problems. Claiming damage taken during atmospheric re-entry, Braddock's Wild Cats' dropship « missed » Styk's main Dropport and « crashlanded » near Fire Island. While half the Wild Cats' battlemech company stayed behind to guard their only means of escape, lieutenant Boone took the other half to accomplish the mission.

The ad-hoc demi-company reached quickly their objective under the cover of the rain and a generous blanket of electronic counter-measures. A lance of Tao Security battlemechs and some auxiliary forces were already on-site, protecting the R&D center. They also spotted a mech lance from Syn's Hussars approaching from the east, assigned to investigate the « crashed civilian dropship » farther north, no doubt.

It took only one Gauss rifle shot from lieutenant Boone to destroy the center's main communications array, cutting off the security forces from the rest of the world. Using the nearby buildings as cover, the Wild Cats concentrated their firepower on TM-834X-C. Three minutes later, the building collapsed.

Their mission accomplished, the Wild Cats retreated in good order, trading only sporadic fire with the Tao and CCAF forces. They gave pursuit but halfway to the dropship, they turned tail and pulled back. Not questioning their good fortune, Boone and his men returned with only minor armor damage. Truthfully, this had been a textbook-worthy success : just in and out.

As the Grimalkin prepared for liftoff, Braddock's Wild Cats were still waiting for the other shoe to drop. While watching out for enemy communications, they soon learned why they suddenly were the least of the planetary authorities' problems. A pro-Federated Suns demonstration had turned into a bloody riot and all local forces had been recalled to deal with it. The main government complex was under attack. The Word of Blake-run HPG compound was also on fire, meaning there wouldn't be reinforcements coming any time soon.

Unwilling to be dragged in this uprising or worse, blamed for it, Braddock's Wild Cats left Styk as quickly as possible. Later, Earthwerks would recognize they weren't at fault and paid them their dues with a small bonus added in for their excellent work.

[Jamil Nate]

VACATIONING IN THE WASTELAND

SITUATION
Middle of Nowhere, Contard Mining Property
Acamar, Federated Suns
8 January 3068

For the star of the New Year, Interstellar Expeditions sent Braddock’s Wild Cats on a small garrison duty assignment to let them recuperate (and hopefully, let any potential heat about the Styk incident die down). The mines on Acamar were important for the Cappellan March military-Industrial complex and some of these corporations were known financial benefactors to I.E. so a little sub-contracting between friends was natural, right ?

Getting rest and Relaxation was all well and good in theory but since the majority of Acamar was a frozen wasteland and the facility they were protecting was far from the closest town, distractions were hard to come by beyond the occasional card game.

This atmosphere of quiet boredom ended when Planetary Control called to warn the Wild Cats of an unknown dropship approaching on an vector toward the Contard mining site that screamed « Pirate Raid ».

Rather than dig in and wait for the probable assault, Sean Braddock decided to head out and ambush the pirates as far from the facilities they were paid to guard as possible, thanks to the terrain and a raging snow storm.

Attacker
The Lafayette Legion (BV : 13 732)
MAD-5D Marauder [Commander]
WHM-6L Warhammer
CRD-3L Crusader
VND-1R Vindicator
CES-3R Caesar
BJ-3 Blackjack
SNK-1V Snake
VND-1AA Vindicator
CLNT-2-3U Clint
JVN-11A Javelin
RVN-3L Raven
D9-G9 Duan Gung

Defender
Braddock's Wild Cats (BV : 13 726)
Captain Sean Braddock, MRV-3 Cerberus
Mechwarrior Mana Saotome, DRG-4F Dragon Fire
Mechwarrior Esteban Mendoza, GHR-6K Grasshopper
Mechwarrior Chandra Suresh , APL-1R Apollo
Lieutenant Liam Boone, FLC-8R Falconer
Mechwarrior Marika Soresi, MTR-5K Maelstrom
Mechwarrior Anya Cherenkov, GRM-R-PR29 Grim Reaper
Mechwarrior Han Jee-Han, STY-3D Starslayer

AFTER-ACTION REPORT
Braddock’s Wild Cats managed to pull a near-perfect ambush on the incoming pirates. Nevertheless, the weather got in the way of both sides, turning the battle into a close-quarters slugfest. The Wild Cats managed to prevail and wiped out the pirate mech company at the price of two mechs down and several others heavily damaged. The most embarassing thing for captain Braddock was that he was one the two, along with Mana Saotome, who got their mechs shot from under them (To be fair, they had headshotted two mechs at the start of the fight and became high-priority targets because of that). It was the first time he was taken down in combat as well and it served as a lesson in humility and a warning not to get too full of himself.

As it was, only good salvage kept the Wild Cats from losing money on this mission. They kept only the Marauder after repairing it and sold or dismantled the six other mechs they took from the battlefield to afford all the repairs on their own machines without using their cash or parts reserves.

An unexpected bonus also came from the few pirates the Wild Cats captured. The following interrogation identified them as the Lafayette Legion, a pirate band made of ex-Liao soldiers turned renegades from Carver V now renamed Liberty. But more importantly, the Wild Cats also learned of their current base on the blacked-out world of Fletcher and the pirate clearing house next to it. It certainly sounded interesting and a potential future target on their way to their next posting.

At the same time, the news from the Inner Sphere at large were not encouraging : the second Star League was gone, Tharkad and New Avalon were under siege, the Blakists were on the move all througout the Chaos March and contact was lost with Outreach and Northwind. It was ironic that kuritan space, where I.E. was going to send them next, sounded safer than most at the moment.

[Jamil Nate]

MISSION : RECON

SITUATION
Highlands near New Linz, Hamilton
Fletcher, Word of Blake Protectorate
26 January 3068

Before leaving for their next posting, Sean Braddock contacted the Cappellan March Command’s liaison officer on Acamar and gave him the information he got from interrogating the pirates the Wild Cats had captured. Then the Wild Cats’ leader also let him know his unit was available for hire to prosecute whatever action against the Lafayette Legion he would take.

Hours of negociation later, Braddock’s Wild Cats left Acamar under a new sub-contract. They were to proceed to Fletcher (it was only a jump away) and raid the pirates’ base and clearing house to disrupt their activities. Apparently, the Cappellan March was preparing for something big and couldn’t dispatch regular forces or any of the big-names mercenary units under their employ to deal with pirates in the Chaos March.

Insertion was a piece of cake : Fletcher’s almost permanent cloud cover allowed the Grimalkin to land undetected on its single continent. Now the Wild Cats only had to find their objective while avoiding the cappellan guerillas and the desperate mercenaries using the planet as a hub. To do that, Braddock sent his recon lance in the wilds to accurately pinpoint the clearing house’s location.

A few hours later, Recon lance had accomplished their mission and were discreetly returning to the dropship. That’s where they ran into a problem : a lance of suspiciously high-tech battlemechs was on patrol, cutting their escape route. They were fellow mercenaries but didn’t seem to be friendly since they maintained radio silence and opened fire at the first opportunity !

Attacker
Braddock’s Wild Cats (BV: 4536)
Lieutenant Freya Jansen, NGS-5T Nightsky
Mechwarrior Hiro Saotome, CLN-7W Chameleon
Mechwarrior Liu Xuelan, FS9-S Firestarter
Mechwarrior Rafael Kovar, SPR-5F Spector

Defender
Unindentified Mercenaries (BV: 3377)
FS9-O Firestarter
FLC-5P Falcon
SDR-7M Spider
ZPH-1A Tarantula

AFTER-ACTION REPORT
After first contact, the Wild Cats’ recon lance and the hostile mercenaries hunted each other in the highland forests in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The torrential downpour, characteristic of Fletcher’s damp climate, made the terrain even more treacherous for all.

Nevertheless, mechwarriors Xuelan and Kovar intercepted enemy communications and took enough scans of the opposition to make this skirmish a successful reconnaissance run. They took heavy damage in the process (Xuelan’s Firestarter was crippled and Kovar’s Spector lost its left arm) but they and their comrades gave as good as they got : The enemy Firestarter omni and Spider were taken down, pushing the two other opposing mechs to hastily withdraw.

The intelligence collected by Braddock’s men wasn’t good though : Fletcher was no longer independent. The world had been conquered by the Word of Blake through locally hired mercenaries (the Martian Cuirassiers and Raymond’s Armored Cavalry being the most notorious of them) shortly after the second Star League’s collapse. The whole planet was now enemy territory as far as the Wild Cats were concerned.

Hoping to salvage something of their little expedition, Sean Braddock resolved to stay on course and hit the pirate clearing house they were here for in the first place. Chances were it was still there ready for the taking…

[Jamil Nate]

MISSION : SUPPLY

SITUATION
Pirate base, Hamilton
Fletcher, Word of Blake Protectorate
2 February 3068

Despite their previous success, the circumstances conspired against Braddock’s Wild Cats and kept them from launching an immediate attack against their objective. Their reconnaissance probes had attracted all kinds of attention, not all of it good.

Thankfully, the Fletcher resistance found them first.

After the Blakist backed-mercenary conquest of Fletcher, the remains of the local pro-Liao insurgency had gone to ground, joined by a small number of mercenaries and pirates, the few who didn’t die or join the Word bandwagon. Truthfully, they were a little bit desperate and the Wild Cats’ presence was too great an opportunity to pass up. They were willing to share intelligence and more importantly to make a diversion to cover for their raid.
 
It took a few days to stealthily relocate the Grimalkin near the pirate base. Its location, surrounded by great lakes, would complicate things but captain Braddock had a plan.

Attacker
Braddock’s Wild Cats (BV: 9 921)
Lieutenant Liam Boone, FLC-8R Falconer
Mechwarrior Marika Soresi, MTR-5K Maelstrom
Mechwarrior Anya Cherenkov, GRM-R-PR29 Grim Reaper
Mechwarrior Han Jee-Han, STY-3D Starslayer
Lieutenant Rory Calhoun, EGL-R6 Eagle
Pilot Andrew Tanner , EGL-R6 Eagle

Defender
Word of Blake Mercenaries (BV: 7 873)
LNX-9Q Lynx [Commander]
STY-3D Starslayer
CBR-02 Cobra
SNT-04 Sentry
Bulldog Medium Tank
Bulldog Medium Tank
Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun
Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun

AFTER-ACTION REPORT
While approaching the objective, lieutenant Boone’s battle lance separated into two pairs: The two jumping-capable battlemechs took the east flank, using their superior mobility to harass the defenders, while the two others took the long route, circling west, offering fire support when they could. The Wild Cats had crippled a tank and taken only minor damage when their air support arrived. Then, the enemy commander made a mistake. He entered a lake only for the water to flood and neutralize his mech.

Panic seized the defenders : they had lost their leader, aerospace fighters were attacking them with near impunity and the Wild Cats  were slowly and methodically crushing them. When defeat appeared inevitable, they tried to flee but were all cut down before succeeding. Braddock’s Wild Cats could add another successful raid to their growing resume.

The only black spots on the operation were the wounds taken by mechwarrior Jee-Han while scanning the enemy base’s buildings and the fact that the promised pirate clearinghouse full of loot was gone. The Word of Blake had known about it all along and had claimed most of its contents, converting it into a small supply depot for their mercenaries.

Still, Braddock’s Wild Cats had found enough ammunition and spare parts to make this venture a profitable one. Taking only the enemy commander’s Lynx and the Sentry, they bartered the rest of the salvage to the Resistance for a bigger part of the supplies. They lifted off shortly thereafter, taking all the refugees the Grimalkin could carry, and left the system a week later.

The Federated Suns Capellan March High Command paid them their dues, giving them a nice bonus for all the intelligence collected on Fletcher. Strangely, they didn’t seem overly bothered by the Blakists’ new politic of conquest, despite the dire news of New Avalon’s blockade. It was as if they were focused on something at the exclusion of everything else…

Not caring if they used what the Wild Cats learned on Fletcher or not as long as they were paid for it, captain Braddock decided they had stayed in Davion space long enough and ordered his unit to move on to Interstellar Expeditions’ next assignment.

[Jamil Nate]

RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL

A war zone. Forget what the Voice of the Dragon or other « approved » newsvids are saying, Dieron is a bloody war zone right now and it's not going to get better any time soon, especially with Luthien cut off.

Fighting is everywhere. There's a blockade in space, with the blakist and combine aerospace forces playing cat and mouse in the asteroid field between the star and the planet. We needed a longer burn-in time just to avoid any entanglements.

The situation dirtside isn't any better : Hit-and-run raiding, mass assaults against the capital, huge forest fires… We even heard rumors that the Eridani Light Horse has been nuked to oblivion like the Dragoons on Outreach. Believe me, everything on Dieron is a dirty mess right now.

Maltex had us running escort on a delivery of brand new Hatamoto-Chis for the combine. The Dieron district's supply network is in so much disarray that the various corporations are scrambling to hire independant cargo haulers and mercenaries to guard them wherever they can. We were rotating stations for IE when the captain took a side contract to deliver a company of assault 'Mechs to the battered Third Dieron Regulars on-planet. Outnumbered as they are, they need all the help they can get.

There were no problems dropping off our cargo – coming in on the night side helped us avoid a tangle with that freakin' blakist cruiser in orbit – so we're prepping to lift when this desperate-looking kuritan officer approaches us with an offer… and a big wad of cash, of course.


SITUATION
SCALES OF THE DRAGONET MOUNTAINS, PEARL DISTRICT
DIERON, DRACONIS COMBINE
8 APRIL 3068

Once their assignement in combine space from Interstellar Expeditions was over, Sean Braddock, as usual,  looked for short-term side-jobs on the way to their next post. The best offer he found was a corporate contract to escort a bunch of war material to the district capital. The favorable terms and the low potential for combat pushed him to accept what looked like easy duty.

Except nobody told captain Braddock or the Wild Cats that Dieron was under siege by the Word of Blake since february.

Using all the system insertion and smuggling tricks he knew, captain Holden managed to bypass the blockade in space, even if he had to use a longer and riskier trajectory than normal. The Grimalkin and the Mule it was escorting managed to land on Dieron proper in early april.

Unwilling to stay on Dieron any longer than necessary, Braddock's Wild Cats were almost ready to depart when a combine officer approached Sean Braddock with a proposal. They negociated a quick contract for an out-system run. A convoy carrying important cargo and intel was due inbound but had been reported under blakist pursuit. They needed someone to bail them out, escort it to the makeshift drop zone then into space where a ready jumpship was waiting at the zenith point.

Attacker
World of Blake Militia 8th Division elements (BV: 5 206)
MON-66 Mongoose [Commander]
NSX-1A Nexus
Zephyr Hovertank
Blizzard Hover Transport « Black Blizzard »
Blizzard Hover Transport
Blizzard Hover Transport
Purifier (Laser) level I
Purifier (Laser) level I
Cyrano Gunship
Hawk Moth Gunship

Defender
Braddock’s Wild Cats (BV: 4845)
Lieutenant Freya Jansen, NGS-5T Nightsky
Mechwarrior Hiro Saotome, CLN-7W Chameleon
Mechwarrior Liu Xuelan, FS9-OG Firestarter
Mechwarrior Rafael Kovar, SPR-5F Spector
Draconis Combine Convoy (BV: 2 020)
Daimyo HQ-67K
Pegasus Scout Hovertank (3058 Upgrade)
Saracen Medium Hover Tank (MRM)
Kage (Flamer)


AFTER-ACTION REPORT
Since speed was of the essence, Sean Braddock sent the Wild Cats' recon lance to intercept the combine convoy. After hours of running and jumping, lieutenant Jansen's four 'Mechs found what remained of their objective : three fleeing vehicles with a platoon of light battle armor. Shortly after explaining to the trigger-happy kuritans the Wild cats were here to help, a blakist hunting party catched up to the convoy and immediately launched a full attack.

The Wild Cats didn't have much choice and decided to make a stand while the command truck ran for it and escaped. The kuritan escorts remained to fight and sold themselves dearly. Only the battle armors survived to be evacuated on mechwarrior Xuelan's Firestarter omni. The blakists forces were all destroyed or crippled with the exception of the battle armor units, too slow to pursue with their mechanized assets immobilized or burning. As for the Wild Cats, they had only sustained easily-repaired armor damage before breaking contact and running back to the drop-zone.

Apparently, the command vehicle had been the most important part of the convoy since the kuritans considered the mission a success. Soon after, the Grimalkin and a Condor-class dropship made an emergency departure and left Dieron as quickly as they could. It would take them a few nerve-wracking days filled with course corrections, asteroid dodging and close calls to reach the zenith jump point and their way out of the system.

While unsure of the nature of the so-called cargo (Scuttlebutt had listed several possibilities from the warlord of Dieron to the Coordinator himself) and unwilling to find out, Braddock's Wild Cats had succeeded in their mission. They took their payment and the grudging thanks of kurita officials before quickly leaving combine space. Their new destination : Solaris VII, the Game World.

[Dragon Cat]

Quite I write up

[Jamil Nate]

GAME ON !

« Captain, I'm getting some disturbing reports over Solar Five. »

« Really ? And just why are you watching a games channel ? »

« Er…'Information is ammunition' ? »

« Don't quote that overhyped bad holo-cartoon at me, mechwarrior. Understood ? »

« Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. »

« Damn it, I know this gig isn't the most exciting but you could at least pretend doing the job you're paid for. »

« Sorry, Jefe. But it may be important. Solar Five is reporting riots in the streets of Solaris City. »

« What ? Again ? May I remind you that we're in the middle of the desert. Do you expect crazy arena mechwarriors from the city hundred of miles away from our position to come here ? »

« Excuse me, captain, but he may be onto something. I just turned on SBC News and they're saying there's also a full-on military assault on the city. There are sightings of bone white 'mechs attacking everyone all over the place... »

« You've got to be kidding me… F***in' blakists, here ? »


SITUATION
GRID 45Y18X, TANGERINE DESERT
SOLARIS VII, LYRAN ALLIANCE
16 JUNE 3068

Interstellar Expeditions has dispatched Braddock's Wild Cats to Solaris but not for the fun and games. One of IE's smaller member groups, Yoris University Amalgated, has made a 'significant find' buried beneath the dark sands of the Tangerine Desert. The mission is basically to protect the dig site until a dropship comes to load up whatever the archeologists found and transport it offworld.

After the job is done, the unit has been promised some free time to spend amid the glitz and sham of the Game World. Captain Sean Braddock has planned to add a new lance to the Wild Cats for some time and Solaris VII is a good place to find new talent and new equipment as well. One of his mechwarriors has already acquired an almost brand new Thanatos and had the technical crew customize it to his specifications.

When riots erupt over Solaris City, nobody in the unit seriously thinks it will affect their little base camp in the desert, far from the capital. But trouble comes knocking anyway when a company of unmarked 'mechs and vehicles rush from the east and attack with the obvious intent to bury the dig site and kill all potential witnesses.

Attacker
‘Unknown’ Raiders (BV : 12 518)
ANV-3M Anvil
RFL-6X Rifleman
LGH-4W Lightray
BNC-3R Buccaneer
Myrmidon Medium Tank
Myrmidon Medium Tank
GUR-2G Gurkha
OTT-9CS Ostscout
Zephyr Hovertank (C3i)
Zephyr Hovertank (C3i)
Stygian Strike Tank (WoB)
Stygian Strike Tank (WoB)

Defender
Braddock's Wild Cats (BV : 10 243)
Captain Sean Braddock, MRV-3 Cerberus
Mechwarrior Esteban Mendoza, TNS-4T Thanatos Esteban
Mechwarrior Mana Saotome, DRG-4F Dragon Fire
Mechwarrior Chandra Suresh , APL-1R Apollo
Mechwarrior Marika Soresi, MTR-5K Maelstrom
Mechwarrior Anya Cherenkov, GRM-R-PR29 Grim Reaper


AFTER-ACTION REPORT
Whoever said archeology isn't dangerous was an idiot.

When unmarked raiders attacked their camp not long after the news of the riots in Solaris City came, it caught the unit almost completely by surprise. A mixed force of 'mechs and vehicles rushed the defense picket and nearly steamrolled the Wild Cats' command lance who was on guard duty at the time. The enemy light 'mechs and hovertanks quickly made it to the excavation site and began destroying everything in sight. Thankfully, half of battle lance was on standby nearby. They came out of hiding and managed to distract then destroy the enemy before they could finish the job at the cost of their machines.

Meanwhile, the command lance was stuck in a close-quarters brawl with the sand-carrying desert winds needlessly complicating the situation. In the end, the Wild cats snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by the skin of their teeth. Only one of their 'mechs, mechwarrior Suresh's Apollo,  was still functional when the battle was finally over. All the other 'mechs had fallen to internal damage with many pilots wounded in action. The only bright side of this debacle was that no one in the unit had died.

As for the raiders, they all fought to the death and the few that survived either committed suicide on the spot or chose to take their chances in the desert rather than being taken prisoner. They also used some wargear pretty exclusive to the Word of Blake and their mercenaries. It was obvious this was some sort of black ops commandeered by someone on orders from Terra. Why attack an archeological dig in the middle of nowhere though ? Chances were the Wild Cats would never know.

Whatever the reason, three Yuris University dropships arrived shortly thereafter and took away whatever was found in the dig site to a secret and secure location (at least according to the Wild Cats' IE liaison). With Solaris City rioting and under siege by at least a blakist division, there was nothing more to do on the game world. Braddock's Wild Cats soon lifted off to join their employer's dropship convoy and left the Solaris system.

The whole affair left a bad taste in captain Braddock's mouth. Half of his unit had been badly mauled and all the secrets his employer kept were beginning to get on his nerves. Only the excellent salvage and the huge bonus IE paid for succeeding in their mission helped the unit make a profit and replace its lost war material. What the Wild Cats didn't keep would be sold on Galatea to help finance a new battlemech lance and also an hover cavalry platoon.

[Elmoth]

Great write-up!!! Loving it. :)

[Jamil Nate]

FALCON PTOMAINE

« Why is it that lately, no matter where we go, someone attacks us ? Who the hell has it in for us anyway ? »

« Don’t know, El-Tee. But you have to admit, it is beautiful here. And the beach isn’t poisonous, for once. »

« True. I never thought I’d wish for a quiet garrison contract. This constant action is tiring me out. Who knew a bunch of historians could have so many enemies ? »

« Well, it sure ain’t angry students, that’s for sure. Hey, if they want to keep paying us the big bucks and give away all the salvage, who are we to argue ? Hell, we could’ve been up on the falcon border if we’d signed up with the Kell Hounds. »

« Um… I’m sorry to remind you but we ARE on the falcon border. »

« Oh. Really ? »


SITUATION
GRANT’S STATION TANGO, NUEVO ROMA
TOMANS, LYRAN ALLIANCE
1 AUGUST 3068

After the close call on Solaris VII, captain Sean Braddock activated the downtime clause in his units’s contract with Interstellar Expeditions. The promised two months of leave would allow the Wild Cats to rest and recuperate. It would also allow them to train and reorganize now that they had added a second company to their roster.

IE grudgingly granted Braddock’s request and sent them to their main research facility on Tomans in the Lyran Alliance. The sprawling university complex had its own small dropport and enough housing space (at least during summer vacation) for the whole Wild Cats. As a bonus, it was also situated near a nice-looking beach. The occasional earthquake was a small price to pay for this opportunity to relax.

There was also the fact that Tomans was only one jump away from the Clan Jade Falcon occupation zone so Braddock’s Wild Cats had to remain vigilant during their stay. While another incursion like during the Fedcom civil war seemed unlikely, small raids were still in the realm of possibility.

When the attack came, the Wild Cats’ first company scrambled and surrounded the university complex, ready to defend it. But instead of angry clanners, they were facing the mysterious Green Ghosts, a pirate band who had been the bane of many IE operations in the periphery.

Attacker
Green Ghosts (BV : 9 873)
BL-6b-KNT Black Knight
THG-11E Thug
CTS-6Y Cestus
LNX-9Q Lynx
SHD-5D Shadow Hawk
PXH-7S Phoenix Hawk
Jade Falcon Alpha Galaxy (BV : 19 597)
Thor Prime
Loki Prime
Vulture C
Black Hawk Prime
Cougar E
Black Lanner Prime
Ryoken Prime
Uller A
Hellion A
Fire Falcon Prime

Defender
Braddock's Wild Cats (BV : 19 497)
Captain Sean Braddock, MR-V3 Cerberus
Mechwarrior Mana Saotome, DRG-4F Dragon Fire
Mechwarrior Esteban Mendoza, TNS-4T Thanatos Esteban
Mechwarrior Chandra Suresh , APL-1R Apollo
Lieutenant Liam Boone, FLC-8R Falconer
Mechwarrior Joshua Nowak, GRF-6S Griffin
Mechwarrior Han Jee-Han, STY-3D Starslayer
Mechwarrior Tessa Rhonwen, SNT-04 Sentry
Lieutenant Anya Cherenkov, RFL-6X Rifleman
Mechwarrior Marika Soresi, ANV-3R Anvil
Mechwarrior Joel Stavrianos, HUR-WO-R4O Huron Warrior
Mechwarrior Carlos Girard, CRB-27 Crab


AFTER-ACTION REPORT
It was no wonder Interstellar Expeditions had problems dealing with these 'Green Ghosts' in the past. For a so-called bunch of pirates, they were tough, disciplined and well-equipped. How they got their hands on vintage SLDF and phoenix 'mechs was still a mystery. They also launched their attack in the middle of a rainstorm when the sun was setting, not caring these conditions made urban combat even more hellish.

A lesser command might have broken but Braddock's Wild Cats were made of sterner stuff. They also knew the city better than their opponents. They shamelessly took advantage of that and used their superior numbers to their advantage. Nevertheless, the battle wasn't easy. When the Wild Cats were about to overwhelm the Green Ghosts' vanguard, unexpected guests showed up to spoil the party.

A binary of Jade Falcons came out of nowhere, rushing through the dropport, screaming challenges left and right. The Green Ghosts suddenly found themselves caught between a clan hammer and a mercenary anvil. Not that the jade falcons helped the Wild Cats, the clanners fired at all targets of opportunity, having discarded zellbringen from the start.

The Green Ghosts didn't like their chances and tried to retreat in good order. Unfortunately, the weather had turned against them, the rain turning pavement into slippery terrain. It didn’t help and the Jade Falcons weren’t letting them go without a fight. Only two crippled 'mechs, a Lynx and a Phoenix Hawk, managed to escape. Now Braddock's Wild Cats found themselves the only target of the jade falcons. The clanners had taken some damage but they were still dangerous.

Thankfully, the jade falcons themselves were only rookies out for a little live-fire experience. Many were good shots but their piloting expertise was a little lacking. Seeing them falling on the streets and crashing into buildings would have been comical if this hadn't been a fight to the death. The clanners were so eager and hidebound in their so-called superiority, none tried to withdraw even when the battle turned against them.

When the fight ended, all enemies had been destroyed or had fled but the price was heavy. Half the company Braddock's Wild Cats had scrambled was down and the rest had sustained heavy damage to enemy fire and piloting errors. Many mechwarriors had been seriously wounded (with lieutenant Boone needing prosthetic legs to get back in fighting trim). They had also taken their first casualty : mechwarrior Han Jee-Han made a bad ejection and died of his injuries long before help arrived.

The only silver lining was the salvage taken after the fight. Major Sean Braddock, after much thought, decided to keep only some clan weapon pods (energy weapons, mostly) for the Wild Cats. The Star League and clan 'mechs would be sold or exchanged on the nearby Arc Royal market.

Meanwhile, the end of the contract with IE was fast approaching and the Wild Cats' liaison stayed silent or made noncommital responses on the subject. Their chances for an extension seemed to be low despite their excellent service they had provided. But with war raging all over the Inner Sphere, maybe it was too dangerous for archeology and historical research right now.

[Dave Talley]

I see that chapter name and my brain says "Governor Lepetomane"