Artilleriegruppe Kataja is one of a number of mercenary commands that formed in the mid-32nd century. Its commander, Mirage Kataja, was a veteran of the combined Jade Falcon and Wolf assault on Tharkad, and watched the ineffectual response by the Lyran government to the predations of those two Clans with disgust. Initially transferred to the 26th Arcturan Guards after the fighting on Tharkad, she would eventually leave the service in 3150 and set about to raise her own mercenary force to take the war to the Clans, not realizing that the Wolves and Falcons had penetrated the Fortress and determined the fate of Terra between them.
The formation of the Tamar Pact by her old commanding officer was a dream come true for Captain Kataja. The need for mercenary forces for the new nation was a call she couldn't resist. She immediately signed up her force to rejoin Sarah Regis and her new nation, with an eye toward expunging the last remnant of the Jade Falcons from former Lyran space.
With funding coming from obscure sources, Captain Kataja drew up plans for a mercenary command small enough to be quickly deployable, while at the same time heavy enough to provide direct threats to Clan forces. Her force would be organized around a full battery of six Archers re-equipped with Thumper artillery pieces. The modifications would be made after their arrival on Arcturus, using the primitive Archer factory to complete the refit. The remaining BattleMechs would be purchased on arrival on Arcturus, filling out her group of formerly Dispossessed MechWarriors.
Upon arrival on Arcturus, the unit was attached to the 1st Tamar Jaegers, providing artillery support to the LCT's BattleMech forces. Unlike the faster, cavalry-heavy Jaegers, the heavy and assault 'Mechs in Captain Kataja's unit leaned towards average mobility and superior protection and survivability. This provided a solid anvil for the faster Jaegers forces to be the hammer. By June of 3152, this co-location led to the Artilleriegruppe being stationed on Tomans, when the Ghost Bears landed troops on the world and engaged the Jaegers and their supporting troops, including Artilleriegruppe Kataja.
As of that deployment, the force makeup of Artilleriegruppe Kataja is as follows:
Alpha Actual: Captain Mirage Kataja
Alpha 1: 1st Lieutenant Sharon Apfel (MAD-6C Marauder II)
Alpha 2: 2nd Lieutenant Tannis Ricard (BNC-12S Banshee)
Beta 1: 1st Lieutenant Jan Fokker (BNC-12S Banshee)
Beta 2: 2nd Lieutenant Gerhardt Elster (ARC-5R-THUMPER Archer)
Beta 3: 2nd Lieutenant Aisling Chen (ARC-5R-THUMPER Archer)
Beta 4: 1st Lieutenant Jakub Schmidt (ARC-5R-THUMPER Archer)
Gamma 1: 1st Lieutenant Elizabeta Hawking (BNC-12S Banshee)
Gamma 2: 1st Lieutenant Eva Rodriguez (ARC-5R-THUMPER Archer)
Gamma 3: 2nd Lieutenant Samantha Milliome (ARC-5R-THUMPER Archer)
Gamma 4: 1st Lieutenant Guy Le France (ARC-5R-THUMPER Archer)
Delta 1: 1st Lieutenant Mikolaj de Klerk (WHM-8R Warhammer)
Delta 2: 1st Lieutenant Sven Murasame (WHM-8R Warhammer)
Delta 3: 1st Lieutenant Lotti Laurier (ARC-4M2 Archer)
Delta 4: 2nd Lieutenant Duncan Roord (ARC-4M2 Archer)
OOC notes: Yeah, I don't have an explanation where the money came from to organize this force, but how many merc units have the details of their origins? Units like Miller's Marauders just appear on the scene with their 'Mechs and without a backstory, so I figure I can do the same - maybe Mirage is in deep with the borrowing, and the Artilleriegruppe has to dig its way out of a financial hole. Maybe she's just part of an independently stupid rich family, and decided to invest her money in taking back worlds from the Clans.
The 'Mechs are miniatures I managed to find on ebay; someone was breaking up the various packs they got in the first kickstarter and selling off the minis individually. They're actual CGL plastic, not MWO prints, so eventually once they're modified and painted up I'll be posting them in the minis forum. I ordered a six-gun artillery piece kit from GHQ miniatures; I'm going to use that to build up the Thumper Archers. Fortunately the Warhammers, remaining Archers, Marauder II, and Banshees were all matching the mini, so no need to modify things there. Granted the Banshee 12S model is a Tamar Pact specialty and not on the general lists of availability, but I figure they were purchased directly when AGr Kataja first landed on Arcturus.
Tactics are pretty simple - Beta 1 and Gamma 1 act as local bodyguards for the artillery 'Mechs, while Delta lance is forward on the field calling down fire and engaging targets directly. The Marauder II likely hangs back with the artillery, while Alpha 2 as the unit XO marches forward with Delta lance and provides fire support for that force. I went with longer-ranged 'Mechs rather than close combatants since I'm going to be dropping a lot of artillery around them; I'd rather they be able to hang back and fire at a distance rather than risk getting caught in the blast area.
I'm still thinking on unit colors, my first thought was to make this a 1st Tamar Jaegers force rather than an independent mercenary command, but it didn't really fit the Jaegers fast-cavalry style of play, and the artillery 'Mechs are unique enough on the battlefield that they bring a special component to a 'Mech fight. Considering their teaming up with the 1st Jaegers, I suppose they provide artillery support to that force as well, in which case Delta lance would hang back and help defend the artillery position.
Now if only I had a gaming group to play with...well, at least I can stare at the minis on my shelf.
EDIT: Got the minis, two of the Archers were of the 4M2 type and six were 5Rs. I made the 5R the artillery 'Mech and kept the two 4M2s stock.