Professional Soldiery Liaisons and their BattleMechs

[Ghaz]

I just picked up a Gladiator BattleMech for use with my Crater Cobras and I'm wanting to do something a little different with the paint job, so I decided that the pilot will be the Professional Soldiery Liaison between the mercenary Crater Cobras and the DCMS.  The question is (assuming he was given the right to pilot a 'mech) what paint scheme would the liaison be using for his 'Mech?  Would he be using the paint scheme of the mercenaries, the paint scheme of his previous unit in the DCMS or would it be something else?  Thanks.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Ahh, clever use of a less-common design and it's mini (I assume). If there is one scheme I could safely say wouldn't appear, it would be a DCMS MechWarrior using mercenary colors. As the DCMS officers assigned to those roles seem as much ISF assets as anything, I recall in one of the Jihad books a short piece detailing a Combine attempt to bring the Azami back to heel which was said to be from ISF units, painted red and gold. As it was a Jihad book, who knows if that was the actual ISF or not. Otherwise, think of the most generic Draconis Combine scheme you can and go with that. I personally would use a combo of red, white, and grey. 

[Arkansas Warrior]

Might also be a chance to get creative.  He’s not a member of any unit with a paint scheme, he can do whatever he wants, right?  I’m guessing the Combine dragon is the only insignia he’d carry, but other than that it’s tabula rasa.

[thesilverback]

I agree an independent paint scheme with the Dragon being very prominent. Or maybe use the paint scheme of one of the Ghost Legions because a proper samurai would likely not see it as honorable.  Just change the base white of the Ghost Legions to another color.  Have fun with it. 

[BrianDavion]

Ahh, clever use of a less-common design and it's mini (I assume). If there is one scheme I could safely say wouldn't appear, it would be a DCMS MechWarrior using mercenary colors. As the DCMS officers assigned to those roles seem as much ISF assets as anything, I recall in one of the Jihad books a short piece detailing a Combine attempt to bring the Azami back to heel which was said to be from ISF units, painted red and gold. As it was a Jihad book, who knows if that was the actual ISF or not. Otherwise, think of the most generic Draconis Combine scheme you can and go with that. I personally would use a combo of red, white, and grey.

depends on who owns the mech really, we know Minobu Tetsuhara for example piloted a vindicator on loan from the 'goons when he was the liason officer. so it likely would have been in 'goons colours.

[Frabby]

depends on who owns the mech really, we know Minobu Tetsuhara for example piloted a vindicator on loan from the 'goons when he was the liason officer. so it likely would have been in 'goons colours.

But that wasn't a permanent assignment, more an ad-hoc loan when the situation required their dispossessed liaison officer be given a ride now.

Generally, I don't get why people get so hung up on paint schemes. MechWarriors are a highly individualistic folk. Especially with an oddball ride I would expect the machine to be an heirloom and on a "free" assignment, as others have pointed out, your liaison officer is probably free to paint it however he likes.
As a Kurita officer it will obviously feature the Dragon. The base scheme would either be a personal/family scheme, flat military gray or green, or perhaps some Crater Cobras paint scheme to show the liaison officer's respect for the unit he/she is liaising with. Guess it comes down to wether you want to blend in and display yourself as part of the unit, or if you want to underscore that you're not one of them. Kurita samurai tend to overthink these things for pages and pages in novels.

[Stormlion1]

Most likely camouflage with the Combine Symbol in place. If the Liason position has a symbol that would be on there as well.