The following is a rough-draft of my merc unit "The Unseen", circa 3065. The name itself is a bit of a pun, as almost every mech in the force is a re-seen from Project Phoenix (all except the Enforcer III, which is still very phoenix'esque)HistoryThe Unseen were once known, but not overly well, by a different name - The Malibu Marauders. Formed after the War of 3039's abysmal failure, the Marauders were made up of a mixed battalion's worth of disenfranchised Lyran mechwarriors and tank crews who resented the way they were callously throw into a meat-grinder war with no strategy beyond superior numbers. Striking on their own as mercenaries, the Malibu Marauders - named for their leader Kier Sheridan's planet of birth and signature battlemech - worked mostly as garrison support and pirate hunters in the Tamar March. Sticking to mostly older models of battlemechs, the mercenaries kept their costs low and could often salvage much from the equally low-tech opponents they faced. However, the more lucrative contracts aren't awarded to former-army rogues.
It was the summer of 3050, amidst the Clan invasion, when the Marauders' luck changed for the better. As the Jade Falcons began their push through Steiner space, the Marauders were stationed on Maxie's Planet, acting as relief troops while Maxies Millitia - the local garrison force - underwent refit and repair. When the Falcons touched down on Trell I (where Prince Victor Steiner-Davion was stationed) the Marauders were granted an emergency contract to assist the 12th Donegal Guards until the Prince could be safely evacuated. The Marauders never made it to Trell I, for when their dropship was nearing the Nadir jump point where their contracted transport awaited, a Jade Falcon advanced scout appeared at the Zenith point.
Rather than flee to safety, the Marauders had the captain of their meagre
Scout class jumpship leap cross-system, jumping to the Zenith point and close to the enemy vessels. With their jump sail still deploying, the Clan vessel could not cut the sail and use their lithium-fusion battery to jump away. And so it was a vicious battle; the Marauders'
Overlord class dropship had size and armor superiority, but the Jade Falcons fought with unnatural cunning and a strong technological advantage in what would later be known as a
Union-C dropship. Worse yet the grand prize, the Falcons'
Hunter class jumpship, was armed and free to shoot at the
Overlord while the Marauders' ship dare not return fire against it.
It was a brief battle, and the Malibu Marauders secured their trophy. The
Union-C was destroyed and unsalvageable, but the
Hunter was captured and her crew surrendered as bondsmen. Splitting the
Scout's small crew between the two vessels and drafting some of the tank crews to fill the gaps, the Malibu Marauders and their new prize slowly limped their way to the safety of the Donegal March. The Marauders never did make it to Trell I to fulfill their contract, and by the time they reached their final destination of Alarion, more than half of the Tamar March - including their namesake world of Malibu - had fallen to the Jade Falcons.
The Port Sydney Naval Shipyards of Alarion paid the Marauders an Archon's ransom for the captured Clan vessel - enough to completely refit the unit with top-of-the-line equipment and to raise their standing from a rag-tag bunch of house-army drop-outs to that of a respectable mercenary force. But with Malibu lost to the Clans, the Malibu Marauders soon adopted a new name - The Unseen.
Unit DescriptionThe Unseen take their name from the many foes they defeated using a combination of ambush and fast-strike tactics. When possible, their favored tactic is to lure opponents towards a lance of light scouts or a lone assault mech. Nearby the heaviest of their forces would lie in wait, powered down or masked by ECM. If the enemy took the bait, the larger mechs would ambush their opponents from close range, while lighter units swarmed in from a distance.
Every battlemech in the Unseen is tied into a network of Kuritan-made C3 command computers, and energy-based weaponry are heavily favored amongst both companies. A third company comprised of conventional vehicles provides the Unseen with a hard-hitting strike capability not often found in mercenary units. Two squadrons of aerospace fighters provide adequate protection from enemy air assets, but their most prized asset is the
Avenger class dropship which safeguards their home and base-of-operations, a
Conquistador class troop transport. Finally, the force is rounded out with a mixed company of armored and unarmored infantry, plus a lance of VTOL transports which can move them swiftly about the battlefield.
The Unseen are rather obsessive about maintaining a technological advantage, and often seek contracts where new equipment can be negotiated instead of cash payment. Because of this, they have worked for every major house in the Inner Sphere, and rarely the lesser powers of the Periphery. However, they mistrust the blind dogma of both the Word of Blake and Comstar, and avoid working for either faction whenever possible. Since their inception and rebirth the Unseen have made it a particular interest of theirs to fight the Clans, and yet they never keep Clan technology as salvage, preferring to sell it off at a premium price.
Unit TO&EUnit Commander: Maj. Kier Sheridan
Second in Command: Hpt. Claudia Jaeger
Base of Operations: Dropship
Blinded By The LightHouse Affiliation: None
Blacklist: Word of Blake, Comstar
That's the long and short of my mercenary unit. As of writing this, I am one Ostroc away from having all the Battlemechs I need for the Unseen (soon, my darling... Soon). The vehicles, aerospace and infantry are not yet purchased (damn you proxy cardboard!), but will be eventually. Right now I haven't completely settled on a paint scheme, and thus no pictures yet. I did have a nice unit crest designed, but the rules against showing unseen designs means I can't post that either. :P
Anyhoo, hope y' like. I'm going to try and get these painted over the summer/fall, once I settle on some colors (and find the free time).
