FnPr-BT_MercSuppUpdate

FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

DEVIL’S BRIGADE

Interstellar Expeditions—a private multi-national group, disparaged by many as “mer-
cenary archaeologists”—has been known to maintain its own irregular security forces, even

beyond the various specialized mercenary commands they regularly employ. Whether to
protect a valuable find or to provide escorts for long-range Deep Periphery expeditions,
these few IE full-timers have typically hailed from familial circles, linked to the group by
blood through decades or even centuries of history.

But for Major Alex Keller and those who followed him, those bonds broke abrupt-
ly in 3066 after an operation alongside the Periphery Star Guard, in the coreward regions
of the Lyran Alliance. As is often (if not always) the case with Interstellar Expeditions, the
exact details of what occurred are sketchy at best, non-existent at worst. However, it
seems that on this mission, the expedition encountered both a mysterious pirate group and
the dreaded Bounty Hunter. While Colonel Annapoulis of the Periphery Star Guard had noth-
ing but praise for Major Keller and his men, even she cannot explain what occurred.
Whatever caused the schism, IE apparently cut Keller and his followers loose without
repercussions. Yet despite their previous connections to one of the richest private organizations in
known space (as rumor has it), the Devil’s Brigade appeared on Galatea with almost no cutting-edge technology to speak of. In fact,
most of the Brigade’s equipment appeared centuries old and held together with spit and bailing wire, which has led many curious
reporters to conclude that Keller’s departure came at the price of a low-tech restriction.
At the start of the Jihad, the Brigade found itself seeking contracts on Galatea. Unwilling to jump at some of the juicier contracts
being tossed about—with rumors of Word of Blake involvement and the implications of Outreach’s loss to the mercenary trade slowing
their decision making process—the Brigade eventually accepted a corporate security contract in 3069. Shipping out to Son Hoa, the
Brigade has since taken up station protecting StarCorps Industries’ production lines just in time for the first off-world shipments of the
new EMP-6S Emperor variant to the beleaguered LAAF.
While the Brigade has so far managed to avoid the worst of the Skye-Bolan border fighting, they have received much unwanted
attention from Son Hoa’s local answer to the Sphere-wide scandalvids. Keller, who clearly hoped his command’s departure from Galatea
would finally silence the journalists “with nothing better to do than watch the war,” was reportedly dismayed to find that his Brigade’s
strange notoriety has only made the limelight follow it to a new location.
Dragoons Rating: D

Devil’s Brigade Battalion
Besides the battle armor-equipped infantry and improved C3 systems mounted on most of its BattleMechs, the newest addition to

the Devil’s Brigade is also its oldest and strangest—only further enhancing the scandalvid curiosity that is the Brigade. In place of his
usual BNC-3S Banshee, Alex Keller was observed in early 3071 at the helm of a vintage Gladiator during a Son Hoa training exercise.

Rumors have since circulated that some second- and third-tier ’Mech production facilities within the Alliance, in an effort to feed the
monstrous materials demand created by the Blakist Jihad, have initiated the production of so-called “Primitive BattleMechs” to cut costs.
Based on the outmoded engineering that gave birth to the original Mackie in 2439, these design standards went extinct by the end of
the twenty-fifth century thanks to the rise of more modern BattleMech design as early as 2460 (though most of the Great Houses were
slower to follow the Terran Hegemony’s lead). Though largely relegated only to IndustrialMech design today, however, some economists
and military engineers—citing the disruption of trade and the loss of first-tier factories to Blakist assaults and captures—have predicted
a possible (and hopefully temporary) return to such “RetroTech,” where BattleMechs produced on the cheap would feature commercial-
grade components from gyros and cockpits to structural design and weaponry. In the current crisis, where some commanders are begin-
ning to believe quantity counts more than quality, RetroTech may yet find a niche, but it remains unclear at this time whether such pro-
duction is underway, at plants like StarCorps.

Despite these rumors, Alex insists (when asked) that his Gladiator is not a new design, nor even one of the “modern” GLD-3Rs first
produced by the long-lost Merryweather Industries in 2468. Instead, Keller claims his ride is actually an original GLD-1R, the prototype
from which the GLD-3R eventually evolved.

Understandably, this claim is hard to substantiate. While Keller’s machine’s weaponry bears almost no resemblance to the 3R model,
the original specs for the 1R “Primitive” have been lost to five centuries of warfare. Still, the armor is patch-worked enough to stand as
its own mute witness to Alex’s statement, but it leaves too many questions unanswered, thus only adding to the Brigade’s mystique. This
biggest question, of course, is why any commander would trade the pinnacle of 3025-era assault technology for a design almost half its
weight and so outdated its original primitive specs cannot be traced.

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MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

DIOSCURI

Battered by Clan Jade Falcon in several major encounters over the past two decades, the
Dioscuri were still rebuilding back to regimental strength when word of the Dragoons’ defeat on
Mars reached sibling co-Colonels Timothy and Brenda Nels. Concerned that the Allied

Mercenary Command was in trouble with their largest member so savagely beaten, the
Dioscuri expected a recall order to Outreach. Instead, the last communication they received
before the Word of Blake attacked the Dragoons homeworld was to “stand fast against the
ever-present Falcon threat.” By force of personality alone, Timothy Nels kept the rest of the unit
from packing up and heading off to avenge the scouring of Outreach.

Turning to Duke Morgan Kell, the Dioscuri were ordered to remain on Morges. Unable to
help their AMC allies in any way and too honorable to go rogue, the Dioscuri reluctantly stayed
put. Morale plummeted as each day brought more horrible news of the multiple wars breaking out
across the Alliance and the Chaos March. The commanders tried to divert attention away from the hor-
rors filtering across the newswires with extended training exercises and tactical problem solving. And with
off-world recruiting at a near-standstill—thanks to the disruption of several mercenary hiring halls—the Dioscuri looked to the local pop-
ulation to fill the new material being shipped to them straight from Arc-Royal.
When the Falcons started jumping the border and hitting worlds with a combination of planetary assaults and hit-and-fade attacks,
the Dioscuri were at full regimental strength. Knowing it was only a matter of time before the Falcons came to Morges, the mercenaries
began to prepare, even as the late-3070 departure of the local Wolf-in-Exile garrison force left the command alone on the front.
Falcon Watch information discovered the situation on Morges and Clan leaders, eager to regain what they had lost only a handful
of years ago, sent Delta Galaxy to face the Dioscuri once more. In February of 3071, the vengeful Falcons finally struck at Morges with
a full planetary assault force.
Facing their same opponents from Kikuyu during the Incursion, the Dioscuri nevertheless fought back with pent-up ferocity.
Channeling the entire command’s collective frustration over their inability to do anything during the last few years, Colonel Timothy Nels’
First Battalion hammered Delta Galaxy as soon as they made planetfall. Executing a brilliant flanking maneuver, the Dioscuri command
company erupted into the Falcon’s rear and, in a furious firefight, managed to kill Galaxy Commander Uvin Buhallin. Rather than forc-
ing the Falcons into disarray, however, the plan backfired. Thoroughly enraged at the mercenary’s tactics, the remainder of Delta Galaxy
tore into the Dioscuri without mercy.
The mercenaries were slowly worn down, using up the last of their consumables and losing over a battalion of ‘Mechs and men in
a long withdrawal towards a hidden tramp Mule DropShip reserved for just such an emergency. In order to buy time for the rest of the
survivors to board, Colonel Timothy Nels led two lances of handpicked volunteers on a flanking attack. Picking off targets with unholy
accuracy and sowing confusion down the Falcon line, the small diversionary band kept the Clan’s attention long enough for the
Kaleidoscope to boost. Colonel Brenda Nels, leading all that remained of the battered Second Battalion, finally lost contact with her broth-
er on 19 March as his forces were attempting to go to ground.
The Dioscuri survivors made their way to Atocongo via several merchant freighters, of whom they begged, bribed—and, in one
instance, outright commandeered—a ride. With less than a battalion of BattleMechs and only a company of infantry left, Colonel Brenda
Nels has yet to decide whether to rebuild the mercenary command or disband them. Still on Atocongo as of this writing, the mercs await
this decision with the same dread as they do each new HPG packet for word from their missing comrades. In the meantime, the pilots
have taken to painting one arm, leg, or side of their machines a solid black to symbolize their state of mourning.
Dragoons Rating: D

The Dioscuri
Shattered in men, material and morale, the Dioscuri are barely functional as an operational force. Though they can now field at least

two companies of operational BattleMechs, Colonel Brenda Nels’ emotional distress means the unit can barely maintain battlefield cohe-
sion.

A representative from Clan Diamond Shark recently approached the unit, offering to sell the mercs a full company of upgraded
Piranhas. Major Chuck Tobal, the new unit XO, is leaning towards accepting the Sharks’ offer, though it would mean the Dioscuri would
have to give up their two recently hard-won Turkinas.

The Brotherhood
With the loss of Lt. Colonel Deveraux and over two battalions of troops, the former infantry regiment is a broken command. Barely

a battalion strong, the Brotherhood has yet to recover from the horrors of the savage fighting on Morges. Major Tobal is currently screen-
ing the survivors for those who have aptitude for vehicle or possibly even BattleMech skills, but whether the Brotherhood disbands or
rebuilds is ultimately up to Colonel Nels.

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FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

DRAGONSLAYERS

Kuritan-hating to the core, the Dragonslayers were under contract with the Lyran
Commonwealth (and later the Federated Commonwealth) for several decades, eager to

engage the Draconis Combine at any opportunity. But after a mauling against the Jade
Falcons on Mogyorod, they undertook a costly counter-raid on Quarrell in 3053. Their ill-
fated decision to hoard captured Clan technology after that raid led to a bitter confronta-

tion with FedCom authorities that culminated in an assault by the Northwind
Highlanders’ First Kearny Highlanders under FedCom contract. Subsequent MRBC con-
tract breach proceedings against the Dragonslayers devastated the unit financially. All
but discredited, the Dragonslayers limped off to Periphery employment.

Under contract to the Magistracy of Canopus, the Dragonslayers participated in a
dreadful attack on the League worlds of Conquista and Andurien that saw both the
Dragonslayers and the Marshigama’s Legionnaires severely damaged and heavily in debt.
Unwilling to succumb to a company store syndrome with the Canopians, Colonel Sturm
Helleckson decided to take what appeared to be a lucrative contract with the Marian
Hegemony.
Stationed first on Lindassa, the mercenaries garrisoned the planet while the Marians finished build-
ing the new GM facility near Lissa. During the last year of the project, the Dragonslayers fought off no less
than five separate pirate raids from an unknown band. Infuriated by these attacks, the Hegemony tasked the Dragonslayers with track-
ing down and destroying these pirates. In exchange, the Caesar would allow the mercenaries to keep all salvage from the pirate base.
Working in conjunction with Section C of the Ordo Vigilis, the Dragonslayers managed to backtrack the pirates to an uninhabited
system near Valerius in the former Palatinate. Overwhelming the meager defenses in a precision combat drop, they captured almost two
full companies worth of ’Mechs and vehicles, plus a battered Overlord. More importantly, Colonel Helleckson discovered evidence of
complicity between the raiders and a prominent rebel cell operating throughout the former Palatinate. After scouring the base for all use-
ful equipment, the Dragonslayers moved to Valerius under orders from Alphard.
Less than two months after the Dragonslayers’ arrival, Section C informed Colonel Helleckson that the Palatine rebels’ leadership
council was located on Valerius. The mercenaries were ordered to blockade Vale, a large commercial district outside of the small
DropPort city, and await the arrival of Hegemony troops to conduct building-to-building searches for the suspected cell. The leaders were
found within six hours, voluntarily surrendering to Hegemony troops. Under strict orders, Legatus Francisco Kelley tried the rebels in a
private military tribunal, found them guilty of treason against the Hegemony, and executed the eight men and women. Despite Kelley’s
efforts at secrecy, the trial and executions were somehow captured on tri-vid and broadcast across the planet.
Overwhelmed by the massive public outcry, the Dragonslayers were placed under the Legatus’ command and assigned to riot duty.
The appearance of the mercenary BattleMechs calmed the populace, but Legatus Kelley left nothing to chance and ordered the Slayers
to maintain a curfew and patrols.
Section C soon discovered several hidden corporate ties on Valerius and two other Palatinate worlds to other clandestine rebel cells
and pirate bands. With several Legions tied down to keep the peace in the troubled Palatinate, the Dragonslayers and other mercenar-
ies under Legion contract were assigned pirate-hunting duty along the Hegemony and Circinian border. During their last raid on anoth-
er pirate nest, Major Jarrod Davis made a startling discovery: one of the captured raiders was a Word of Blake Demi-Precentor, caught
at the base during a weapons transfer. Able to knock the Precentor unconscious before he could enact a suicide option, Davis turned
him over to the Section C advisors assigned to his unit. The Dragonslayers were awarded a bonus for their find and have used that money
to purchase several used Transgressors recently acquired from the Free Worlds League.
Dragoons Rating: C

The Dragonslayers
Not quite rebuilt to regimental size, the Dragonslayers contain two reinforced battalions. With the recent death of Lt. Colonel Dazzel,

Major Jennifer Eberhardt now commands First Battalion. Colonel Helleckson remains stationed on Valerius with his command company,
working with Section C to pin down the remaining rebel cells among the Illyrian worlds. Both battalions are skilled in small-unit tactics,
using available hindering terrain to separate their opponent’s forces and attacking them piecemeal.

Dragonslayers Air Wing
Still predominately a medium-weight fighter wing, the recent acquisition of a squadron of heavier Transgressors now gives Major

Wong the ground support craft he has desperately needed. Coordinating with the unit’s lone Overlord, the St. George, the Dragonslayers’
air support now carries a much harder punch than they’ve had in several years.

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MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

FEDERATED FREEMEN

Following the footsteps of the Arcadians, retired FedSuns Lieutenant Colonel Xavier
Pelt formed the Federated Freemen in 3047. Recruiting retired AFFS officers and other
MechWarriors discontented by the formation of the FedCom military, the Freemen served
several high-profile garrison contracts throughout the Davion half of the Federated
Commonwealth during the Clan War. After the Truce of Tukayyid began, the Freemen
found service guarding several FedCom defense industry sites.

During the Capellan-St. Ives War, the Freemen took a pounding while attempting to
defend St. Ives’ independence, but the unit was pulled back to Monhegan to rebuild
when the FedCom Civil War broke out in earnest. Duke Hasek denied the Freemen the
opportunity to participate in open fighting (to the secret relief of the Freemen’s officer
corps) and instead relegated them to police actions in the Capellan March. After the war,
the regiment was reassigned to Gallitzin. Though promised high priority on the quarter-
master supply lists, the Freemen saw next to no new equipment or supplies. Frustrated,
Colonel Pelt called in several favors from his defense industry contacts, pulling in enough new
materiel to build his command up to nearly two full regiments.
The Freemen sat on Gallitzin during the opening moves of the Jihad, nervously watching
the news wires regarding New Avalon. Rumors swept the unit that they would soon be assigned as part of the relief force to the embat-
tled FedSuns capitol, but when the call-up order came, the mercenaries were shocked to learn that their destination was Kittery instead.
Duke Hasek was putting into motion Operation Sovereign Justice, and the mercenaries would be joining other hired guns to participate.
In early July of 3068, the Freemen were assigned to a mercenary coalition assaulting Gei-Fu. Landing on the northern continent,
they moved quickly to seize the massive petroleum farms of Capolla Oil, facing only a smattering of planetary militia in defense. Taking
little damage, the Freemen settled in to await FedSuns salvage crews and supervised the loading of three Mammoth DropShips with
over eighty million barrels of oil.
After Gei-Fu, the Freemen supported Hasek’s third wave attack on Glasgow in mid-August. The mercenaries easily defeated the
meager militia and garrisoned forces, but they would soon find the local resistance groups to be the greater danger during their occu-
pation. In early September, a car bomb went off near the First Freemen Auxiliary’s motor pool, killing Major Veronica El Tarkh and three
mechanics while heavily damaging the Major’s Alacorn. Two weeks later, a sniper killed three MechWarriors from Bravo Company who
were on leave. Disturbed by the escalating violence, the Freemen compound became an armed camp, and Colonel Pelt petitioned the
Capellan March commanders to replace the Freemen and allow them to continue forward in the war as a way to prevent the morale of
the unit from sagging under such hostility.
Their request was ignored. Then, on 10 October, the Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers arrived to retake Glasgow. A protracted battle in and
around Edinborough and the nearby spaceport leveled over thirty percent of the city and devastated both commands. Running low on
ammunition and supplies and heavily damaged, the Freemen pulled back towards MacClellan Farm, where their DropShips began land-
ing. The First Freemen Auxiliary sold themselves dearly to protect the rest of the mercenaries as they loaded up; only two of their
Manticore tanks survived. Concentrated artillery barrages and a devastating airstrike also destroyed two Freemen Unions as the rest of
the mercenaries withdrew. Glasgow was back under Capellan rule at the end of 3068.
Too badly damaged to continue pressing forward, the Freemen were reassigned to Spica for resupply and rest. Unfortunately, their
supply problems with the AFFS Quartermaster office continued. When the First Janissary Brigade hit Spica in March of 3069, the
Freemen were barely battleworthy. Colonel Pelt attempted to pull the Brigade out of formation with several feints, but the Brigade refused
to fall for the mercenaries’ deceptions. With uncontested aerial supremacy, the Brigade swarmed the Freemen ’Mechs and devastated
them with several low-level Mechbuster and VTOL attacks. Slamming repeatedly against the Freemen’s front line, the Brigade wore the
mercenaries down to critically low ammunition supplies. After Colonel Pelt was killed on 30 April, the surviving Freemen negotiated a
peaceful withdrawal, leaving several hundred tons of BattleMechs behind.
Retreating to Atlas, the Freemen arrived demoralized, broken, and shattered. With supplies and new equipment barely trickling in
over the last two years, Colonel Groh is grappling with the decision of possibly disbanding the command—a prospect that several mem-
bers favor.
Dragoons Rating: D

Federated Freemen
Reduced to two companies of mixed vehicles and BattleMechs—most in various states of disrepair—the Freemen are not consid-

ered a current battle-ready force by the Capellan March command. Though still supposedly high on the Quartermaster’s supply list, the
unit only fields two pristine BattleMechs. As such, the unit has no current operational doctrine or battle plan and would probably capitu-
late if an enemy force threatened.

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FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

FIGHTING INTELLECTUALS

Formed in 3066 by a former Combine officer, Shinto Kubusaka, the Fighting
Intellectuals fought their first few missions as a Kell Hound farm unit during the

trailing edge of the FedCom Civil War. Known for the eclectic mix of academic
knowledge among its members in addition to their battlefield skills, the
Intellectuals made an impressive debut against a pro-Katherine supply
depot on Laiaka under a Kell Hounds contract. Unfortunately, their sec-
ond mission ended in disaster in 3067. Employed by Kandersteg
Baron Rupert Kerr, the reinforced company suffered a trouncing at
the hands of Third Donegal Guard elements that were—accord-
ing to all intelligence reports—not supposed to be there. Broken
and demoralized, the Intellectuals limped back to their base on
Atocongo to recuperate.
In the waning months of 3067, the Intellectuals were still
mulling a pair of new contract offers—reportedly, one from ComStar
and the other from the SLDF—when the first shots of the Jihad erupted
on Outreach, New Avalon, and Tharkad. Before Major Kubusaka could
reach a decision on the contracts, one had vanished with the Star League’s

disbandment, and the ComStar offer was rescinded as the secular Order faced
a new threat.
Not long afterward, however, came news of the fighting on the Skye-Bolan border,
pitting LAAF troops against their opposite number in the Free Worlds League. As mer-
cenary and Lyran troops all along the Falcon border were repositioned to face the new
threat, the Intellectuals were approached with a new offer from the LAAF High Command,
advanced by the office of General of the Armies Adam Steiner. In the face of the current crisis,
General Steiner was establishing a temporary headquarters on Atocongo to deal with the triple threats of the League front, the Blakist
occupation of Tharkad, and the very real potential of Falcon opportunism. The Intellectuals, already established on Atocongo, would
make a fine addition to the security forces for this new headquarters.
Though Atocongo has yet to be actively assaulted by Clan or Blakist forces, the Intellectuals’ three-year garrison has not been with-
out incident. Indeed, in February of 3070, tragedy struck the mercenary command when Major Kubusaka and Sergeant Waldo Ferrigno
were killed by a suicide bomb while in a meeting with General Adam Steiner’s staff. Only the actions of the Intellectuals’ strike lance com-
mander, Lieutenant Jonas Davion saved the Lyran commander from the blast that also wounded the company’s executive officer, Tae
Kwon Kocheke. LIC analysis after the fact identified the bomber as Noe Bilat, a 16-year-old pageboy from Shiloh (one of many “adopt-
ed” by the Lyran Court prior to the Jihad) and a probable Blakist sleeper agent.
Dragons Rating: B

Fighting Intellectuals
With the deaths of Major Kubusaka and Sergeant Ferrigno, as well as the yearlong convalescence of Captain Kocheke, command

of the Fighting Intellectuals fell briefly to Captain Ronnie Hartland of the Intellectuals’ aerospace detachment (the Soaring Intellectuals),
with Lieutenant Davion as the de facto executive officer. When Kocheke returned to active duty in March of 3071, he promoted Davion
to the rank of Captain and, with Hartland’s eager blessings, named him the company’s new second-in-command.

Although the Intellectuals still mourn the loss of their founder, Kocheke has assured the Lyran High Command that the mercenar-
ies remain dedicated to the defense of their charges on Atocongo. With his voluntary extension of the Intellectuals’ contract “through the
duration of the crisis,” Kocheke has all but sworn the command’s fealty to the Lyran Alliance.

53

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

THE FURIES

Two centuries ago the DCMS mistakenly neglected an armored regiment and inad-
vertently birthed a mercenary unit. Li Sook Fry took his tankers and built on the mis-

spelling of his name (from Fry to Fury) to create The Furies, a lean conventional
armor regiment known for defeating entire BattleMech battalions. Continued training
and battle experience earned the Furies a fine reputation in mercenary circles, and
the regiment went on to serve employers throughout the Inner Sphere and
Periphery.
Colonel Ria Sung-hei Fury, the Furies’ present commanding officer, has mas-
tered the strategy of divide and conquer, and her uses of harassment tactics to
force enemy units to spread themselves out have become textbook examples of
maximizing the potential of conventional armor on the modern battlefield, tactics
used by mercenary and regular troops alike. Likewise, her insistence that every

member under her command be trained as assistant mechanics alleviated the Furies’
need to depend on outside support, earning the unit a reputation for self-sufficiency as
well as battle prowess, requiring only commercial or employer-provided JumpShips for

interstellar travel.
The Terracap Confederation, a two-planet alliance that formed in 3057 with the

secession of the Lyran Alliance from the FedCom and the Marik-Liao invasion of the
Terran Corridor, became the last of the Furies’ legitimate employers after their prof-
itable stint with the short lived Duchy of Small. Hired for a long-term garrison contract
on Capolla—under the standard stipulation that the command may never be called upon
to oppose an invasion force larger than a battalion in strength—the mercenaries were
involved in training the locally raised militia regiments in basic armor tactics and had even
adopted some of these trainees into their ranks.
However, with the Word of Blake’s expansion and their absorption of Capolla into
their Protectorate, times have changed for the Furies. Apparently opting to transfer their loyalty along with the Capollan government, the
Furies have been confirmed as actively training forces for the Protectorate Militia. Though informed of the MRBC blacklisting of the Word
as a legitimate employer, Colonel Fury has reportedly countered that the regiment’s contractual stipulations ensure that they will never
be called upon to take part in Blakist atrocities. Indeed, though communications to Capolla have been censored ever since, MercNet
sources have confirmed that the Furies have yet to undertake any actions beyond the boundaries of a standard planetary garrison or
cadre duty mission.
Nevertheless, the MRBC has ruled that Colonel Fury and her command could have taken a more proactive approach to avoiding
Blakist employment in contravention of interstellar law, especially as the command was listed as a member of the Allied Mercenary
Command, a sworn enemy to Blakist expansion. Thus, a summary judgment against the Furies has placed this unit on the Wanted lists
for extreme breach of contract and contravention of interstellar law, regardless of whether or not the regiment has actually attacked or
engaged forces fighting the Word of Blake.
Dragoons Rating: Wanted

The Furies
The Furies boast a reinforced regiment of conventional combat vehicles, many of which incorporate upgraded technologies made

available by the Word of Blake. The disposition of all Furies equipment confiscated by parties taking Furies personnel into custody will
be determined by the MRBC. Thus, such gear should be handed over immediately to Commission authorities on Galatea to determine
any possible Word of Blake sabotage.

54

FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

GOLDEN BOYS

With dreams of glory in their heart and ten years of survival in the Periphery behind them,
the Golden Boys were about to depart Herotitus for Noisiel in October of 3067 when—just two
hundred meters short of their rented DropShip—a sniper’s bullet ended the life of Major Charice
Kush and threw the mercenary command into chaos. A rushed, inconclusive investigation left
Captain Esko Tuominen in charge of the short armor battalion, a strained rapport with the

Herotitus authorities, and fat red figures on the Boys’ balance sheet. Such was the state of
the former basketball buddies-turned-mercenaries when the whole Inner Sphere started to
go down the drain in 3068. That the command was still alive while the likes of many, more
noteworthy mercenaries were fighting and dying on Outreach (where Kush had initially
planned to go upon their return from the Outworlds Alliance) came as small comfort.
Suddenly pressured by circumstances and tempted by a spate of new job opportuni-
ties, the Boys turned away from their previous plans to break into the Noisiel Games and
instead turned to serious mercenary service. After a brief stint with a non-disclosed cor-
porate party netted them a hefty warchest and two brand-new EGL-2M Eagles, the Boys
returned to the open market. With the Inner Sphere now in turmoil, finding appealing jobs
proved relatively easy, and the mercenaries fulfilled a series of short contracts for vari-
ous employers directly out of Herotitus, mostly as raiding support or armed reconnais-
sance.
Lucky most of the time, the Golden Boys suffered no major losses in these assign-
ments and soon racked up an unbroken string of mission successes, which promoted
both their reputation and their battlefield experience, paving the way to more lucrative
contracts. In October of 3070, the Boys signed a contract with the Andurien govern-
ment and finally left Herotitus—then dropped completely out of sight for several months.
Although occasional rumors surfaced about Golden Boys’ activities as a raiding force

along the Andurien-Capellan border, the next confirmed sighting of these mercenaries came on 3
February 3071, when they struck at the Capellan world of Turin. Reportedly at full three companies in strength, the Boys tore through
the CCAF’s 212th Infantry Regiment (The Flying Furies) in a drive to seize a local supply depot. The unexpected arrival of an unidenti-
fied Word of Blake raiding force—which had evidently landed on-planet a few days earlier—threw all three parties into confusion, with
their respective commanders ordering their units to fall back. The conflict finally ended with the Blakist raiders, using their ’Mechs to max-
imum effect, broke through the 212th’s line to seize the depot, while the Boys withdrew to avoid facing the obviously elite forces.
Reportedly, the Capellan forces subsequently took up defensive positions at their bases in the nearby mountain range, incidentally cut-
ting off the Word’s line of retreat to their hidden DropShip. Subsequent Capellan news reports on the Turin raid claim the CCAF suc-
cessfully drove off all invaders, but MercNet has been unable to confirm these stories as of this writing.
Dragoons Rating: C

New Oslo Power Forwards
Expanded to nearly two companies, the Golden Boys’ main force is perfectly suited to quick-and-dirty raids. Filling the Boys’ ranks

are fast, heavy hovertanks with enough punch to keep an opponent off-balance and under pressure for as long as possible. Though still
not up to specs, these vehicles are at least serviced regularly as of late. In addition, four old, light BattleMechs mainly to serve as a diver-
sionary team that Tuominen can use to lure enemy forces into ambushes and the like.

Slam Dunk Company
Perfectly suited to reinforce the battalion’s artillery support force, Major Tuominen permanently attached the two new Eagles to his

new third company’s scout lance. Though the bulk of Slam Dunk consists of highly mobile LRM-equipped tanks to support the rest of the
Power Forwards, they also maintain a few artillery pieces because—as Tuominen puts it, “there’s no real worth in selling something rare
if you have it.”

55

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

GORDON’S ARMORED CAVALRY

Longstanding employees of the Taurian Concordat with a
decades-old hatred of the Capellan Confederation, Gordon’s Armored
Cavalry lodged numerous protests with the TDF High Command since
the formation of the Trinity Alliance, warding off any suggestion of pos-
sible relocation to Confederation space. The formation of the Calderon

Protectorate alleviated these tensions somewhat by giving the
Taurian Protector a new threat to worry about, and thus the
GAC was tasked with probing the newborn Protectorate for
weaknesses. Still dissatisfied, however, the mercenary com-
mand dominated by the Gordon family made numerous rum-
blings in 3068 about not renewing their contract until a team of
“Special Liaisons” from the Concordat’s Word of Blake allies
arrived in 3069 to assist the reinforced mercenary regiment.

Distributed among the various subunits, the message to Colonel
Gordon was clear: behave or face the consequences.
With fighting breaking out between the Concordant
and the Calderon Protectorate, the Cavalry quickly found
itself at the bottom of the Concordat’s priority list for sup-

plies and ammunition. Despite valiantly defending against Protectorate raiders, the Taurian quartermasters
constantly ignored their requests for re-supply or offensive operations, preferring to leave such efforts to more reliable troops after the
poor showing of other mercenaries like the Black Angus Boys. Instead, the only support the Cavalry received came from its Blakist keep-
ers, with their liaisons quietly filtering intelligence on a series of large, lightly guarded supply depots on the FedSuns world of Lothair,
reportedly protected only by the Vanguard Legion, a mercenary force battered by the FedCom Civil War. Though worried about Taurian
reprisals, Colonel Nicholas Gordon felt his supply situation was worse, and after consulting his executive officers he decided to load the
Cavalry up for a FedSuns raid in mid-3070.

Initially landing unopposed, the GAC fanned out to pin down the Legion forces, but they found local BattleMech-augmented militia
as their only opposition (the Legion having been recently relocated to face the Capellan counterassault on New Syrtis). The militia, how-
ever, proved extremely resourceful. Entrenching themselves in a large forest, they set much of the woodlands ablaze, creating thick, black
clouds of smoke that prevented Gordon’s air support from being able to spot the defending BattleMechs and thus slowing down the
Cavalry.

In September of 3071, the Cavalry launched another unsanctioned raid into FedSuns space, this time against the undefended
Brusset system. Likely drawing on intelligence from their Blakist liaisons once more, the mercenaries made landfall on a sparsely pop-
ulated continent and remained there quietly for several weeks before any FedSuns reconnaissance arrived to check it out. Less than a
month later, an enraged Grover Shraplen reportedly ordered the Cavalry to once again abandon their conquest under threat of immedi-
ate contract termination. Though Gordon complied, these recent rogue actions have left the mercenaries on very shaky ground with their
employers.

With a portion of his force devoted to plundering the depots, Colonel Gordon led a BattleMech charge into the forest fire to keep the
outnumbered militia occupied. The heavy smoke and area familiarity favored the militia, however, and the close-in combat was fierce.
After the loss of a company on both sides, the two forces disengaged. Still outnumbered three to one, the militia withdrew under the
smoky cover and vanished into the countryside, leaving Lothair to Colonel Gordon and his Cavalry. Though his simple objective raid
transformed into a successful planetary assault for the Taurian mercenaries, Colonel Gordon was ordered to abandon the system as
soon as the news reached the Protector, the TDF citing a lack of regular troops to garrison the world while simultaneously defending
their hostile borders. Angered at losing its conquest, the Cavalry loaded up the hard-won supplies and returned to Amber Grove.
Dragoons Rating: D

Gordon’s Armored Cavalry
According to the FedSuns recon reports, the Cavalry found a hidden Star League cache dating back to the Reunification War on

Brusset and was plundering it to outfit and upgrade as many of their machines as possible. This report explains the recent surge of new
and refurbished equipment Colonel Gordon has been able to field despite a poor relationship with TDF quartermasters. Only the des-
perate need for veteran soldiers, with two fronts now at war, has prevented the Concordant from immediately labeling the unit as rogue.
The Cavalry has since remained in place on Amber Grove, this time with their JumpShips commandeered to prevent any more straying.

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GRAVE WALKERS

Despite a long history of service in the Inner Sphere that some say predates the Star
League and perhaps even the ’Mech, many observers wrote off the Grave Walkers after
their near annihilation by the Jade Falcons on Kooken’s Pleasure Pit and Babaeski in

3064, especially with their arrival and subsequent disintegration on Arc Royal. Even the
remaining members thought it was a matter of time before the historic mercenary com-
mand disbanded once and for all; with two near-complete destructions at the Falcons’
hands in two decades and no recent comparable successes, the Walkers’ reputation was
shot.

At the start of 3068, the Grave Walkers’ new CO, Lt. Colonel Tevdt signed a con-
tract (reportedly while drunk) with Blackstone BattleMechs to raid the Falcon-held sys-
tem Sudeten. Within hours, the rest of the unit mutinied and deposed Tevdt, leaving the
next highest officer, Lieutenant Robert Prather, in charge. Nullifying their contract imme-
diately, now-Captain Prather approached the Kell Hounds with an offer to disband the
Walkers and join the Kell Hounds. Commander Allard refused, citing among other things
a waiting list of other mercenaries to join the Hounds’ prestigious ranks. But as a con-
solation, he offered the Walkers a generous retainer contract, mostly to augment Arc
Royal’s defenses.

When Dan Allard fell in combat against the Jade Falcons on Graceland in the sum-
mer of 3069, the Hounds’ waiting list of proven candidates dried up quickly. The intra-
merc war on Outreach sent a flood of MechWarriors to Arc-Royal, many survivors from
other shattered commands and defeated house regiments seeking out what seemed to
be the most secure system still friendly to mercenaries and anti-Blakists. Many peti-
tioned to join the Kell Hounds and other A-rated units in the area. However, with screen-
ing and background checks now the norm, the process took several months, even with-
out the interference of the Blakist White-Out—time the Kell Hounds did not have as the Jade Falcons surged across the border once
again. Lt Col Akira Brahe, now in charge of the Hounds, thus came to Captain Prather with an offer of his own: the Grave Walkers, train-
ing the last several years in defensive tactics, would take on many of these eager new arrivals and put them through their paces. The
Kell Hounds would hire the top of the class, while the Walkers could keep the rest. With full maintenance, transport, and battlefield loss
compensation, Captain Prather jumped at the chance, and thus the Walkers became the Hounds’ latest farm unit. Starting with a lance
of MechWarriors (who eventually won an assignment to the Arc-Royal militia), the rotation of forces increased, and at the height of the
program the Grave Walkers boasted two combined-arms battalions.
Despite nearly doubling the number of permanent members (four times, when counting the rotating troops), the Grave Walkers still
suffer from extremely low morale two years after their near disintegration. The original members now chafe at the realization that they
have become “nothing but another Kell Hound training cadre.” Worse, many of the new permanent members hail from units that have
seen some of the most horrific events since the Amaris Crisis, warriors whose evident signs of post-traumatic stress make them unem-
ployable by Grand Duke Kell, potential powder kegs with skills too valuable to turn away. Nevertheless, the Grave Walkers’ program has
proven so successful that Margrave Steiner has worked out a deal with the Hounds and Prather to expand his services for not only Kell
Hounds recruits, but also for possible LAAF troop replacements in the Arc Royal Theater as well.
Dragoons Rating: C

Grave Walkers
The Grave Walkers continue to train in defensive tactics, using the constant influx of vehicle crew and infantry platoons to create

small combined-arms task forces that can quickly deploy static defenses (such as minefields and hidden weapon emplacements). As
these troopers are reassigned, Prather (now a Major) has begun to use his influence to keep them together in company or higher allot-
ments so they may maintain cohesion in their new posts.

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MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

GREEN MACHINE

“Green” is an apt moniker for this once-reliable mercenary command, which
has seen nothing but garrison contracts on out-of-the-way planets, small runs of
bad luck, and questionable command competence for the last twenty-odd years

of its existence. While some wags in the mercenary trade have jokingly referred
to the Green Machine as the second coming of Wilson’s Hussars—who until
only recently were held up as the paragon of the hard luck outfit—the source
of the Machine’s decay stems more from its lack of activity than lack of fortune
over the course of its career.

Prior to 3050, two decades of relative inaction saw the Green Machine’s skill
level steadily decline, with several of its more seasoned veterans either retir-
ing or simply leaving for better-paying commands and the chance for actual
combat experience. This very lack of proven ability even led the AFFC to side-
line the Machine from a chance to re-earn its stripes when the Clan invasion
began. Electing instead to assign the command to another garrison assignment
rather than call it into battle, the FedCom military rotated the mercenaries from

guarding several minor industrial plants on Kowloon to an equally quiet
defense mission on the world of Purvo near the St. Ives Compact border.
In 3066, a war games exercise on Purvo threw the Green Machine’s

abysmal shape into stark relief when the planetary militia crushed the mercenaries in a
three-day simulation. The poor showing led the Purvo government to decline an option to extend the Green Machine’s contract.
Compounded by the command’s inability to hang on to talented recruits, the Machine’s barely solvent financial status led it to travel to
nearby Westerhand in search of a new contract by 3067, where few observers expected the ragtag collection of misfits to turn its for-
tunes around any time soon.

Ironically, what looked to be the Green Machine’s lowest ebb in its career has placed them in a perfect position to benefit from recent
events. With the start of the Jihad and the fighting along the Capellan-FedSuns border, the CCAF approached the Machine—and sev-
eral of the other “also rans” on Westerhand—with offers for defensive missions in early 3071. But while Colonel Maxwell Green is hope-
ful that his command will finally get its chance to prove itself on the battlefield (leading him to begin planning a series of exercises to try
and hone the Machine’s withered combat edge), most observers have already pegged this outfit for destruction once the flames of the
Jihad reach them.
Dragoons Rating: F

The Green Machine
After Purvo’s planetary government declined to renew their contract, the Green Machine kicked around on Westerhand for a few

years in the hopes of landing a contract and bolstering their sagging numbers. At the same time, Colonel Maxwell Green attempted to
develop numerous training exercises to improve his troops’ expertise, with only limited success. Indeed, the Machine suffered its most
serious blow during these exercises when Captain Joel Willard of Bravo Company lost both arms to a training accident and was forced
to retire. Incidents like these—along with meager paychecks and long bouts of inactivity—drew away the few recruits the Machine man-
aged to poach from other, smaller commands.

Shortly after its successful counteroffensive against the late-Duke George Hasek’s Operation Sovereign Justice, the Capellan
Confederation offered Colonel Green and his troops a defensive contract in Confederation space, reportedly guaranteeing him “all the
seasoning you can handle” in the bargain. The aging Colonel leapt at the offer. The Machine has since redeployed to Ares, where Green
hopes his command can pull itself together and prove itself in combat.

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FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS

The Green Mountain Boys rose from the shackles of Periphery slavery that ended
when the core of (Woodrow) Ethan Allen’s command escaped the Marian Hegemony in
3039 through a combination of luck, opportunity, and determination. Joined by expatriates
from the recent Federated Commonwealth Civil War, this mercenary command has grown
quickly over the past thirty years—all spent in the employ of either the Magistracy of

Canopus or the Trinity Alliance. While the Boys’ hatred of the Hegemony is well known,
their MAF masters have recognized it as a slow, calculated hate, rather than the blind
fury that has consumed larger, more famous commands like Waco’s Rangers or Little
Richard’s Panzer Brigade.

Major Ethan Allen, the Green Mountain Boys’ CO since their formation, has followed
the clichéd (but nonetheless true) credo of “information is ammunition” and has estab-
lished a network of contacts to keep him abreast of events primarily within the anti-spin-
ward areas of the Periphery. Well aware that his command does not operate in a vacuum

(unless, as he says, the contract pays really well), Allen’s contacts reportedly range as
far as the Draconis Combine, based on his belief that an upheaval even that far away
could affect his Boys if caught unaware. In late 3070 Major Allen’s contacts in and
around the Marion Hegemony concluded that a Marian attack was imminent, and he
sent numerous appeals to General Hadji Doru, aide to Magestrix Emma Centrella,
to advocate pre-emptive strikes against the imperialist state.
Despite the communications disruptions and internal crises plaguing the central

Canopian worlds, Allen reportedly received a response months later, informing him that the Magistracy Intelligence Ministry agreed with
his findings, but that the MIM and the MAF required more data before gauging an appropriate response. Two weeks later, Allen was then
informed that the MAF would be shifting forces to meet the perceived Hegemony threat, and the Boys received orders to move to Early
Dawn—a system less than one jump closer to the Hegemony—and wait there.

Three months after arriving on Early Dawn, an anxious Major Allen finally inquired about the next step in the Magistracy’s strategy,
only to find his request for information snarled in a web of bureaucracy and lost to communications failures across the state. Allen soon
learned that, in actuality, the MAF shuffled very few military forces to meet the reported danger from the Hegemony. When Major Allen
tried to schedule a meeting with the MAF High Command, a liaison was sent instead in the form of Force Major Amanda Srnecki. In a
rather curt meeting with the Boys’ senior staff, Smecki informed them that the Magistracy thanked them for their input but had made its
own decisions where the mercenaries were concerned. Leaving orders to focus solely on the defense of Early Dawn, she also let Major
Allen know he was to refrain from further communications directly to the Magestrix Command Center and instead refer all contact to her
own office the next time he had an issue. The Boys received these orders professionally but grudgingly, and they have since vented their
frustrations on the few bandits who have tried to raid Early Dawn over the past year.
Dragoons Rating: B-

Green Mountain Boys
The Green Mountain Boys have managed to add a command lance over the years while keeping their four lance companies. While

the only action they have recently seen has been against the occasional bandit force, extensive training has kept their veteran edge and
their expertise in highly mobile tactics. Nor have the Boys strayed from their emphasis on light and medium ’Mech designs.

The Old Men of the Mountain, the Boys’ infantry battalion, has been instrumental in capturing raider ’Mechs to support the com-
mand’s growth, but the unit has started to move more toward more conventional infantry tactics as the number of Dispossessed
MechWarriors in their ranks has begun to decline. One whole company of the battalion now dedicates itself to defensive actions.

Despite inquiries, the Boys have not acquired any armor, aerospace assets, or technology upgrades from the Magistracy govern-
ment. However, with half their machines already upgraded, the Green Mountain Boys are still one of the more advanced units in the
Periphery.

59

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

GREENBURG’S GODZILLAS

Originally born when a popular TBC combat correspondent and a survivor of a shattered mer-
cenary command decided to make a holovid series covering the life of a forming mercenary com-
mand, the Greenburg’s Godzillas outlived their holovid days and developed a reputation as a solid—
if somewhat unremarkable—command, with more flair for the cameras than for actual battle.
Stranded in the Draconis Combine since the early 3060s, the Godzillas scraped a living through their
contacts in the Inner Sphere’s media industries, even taking part in a few Kuritan theatrical produc-
tions. Unfortunately, soon after the start of the Jihad, the mood of Combine citizenry—fueled by
Warlord Kiyomori Minamoto’s reactionary “death to mercenaries” rantings—began to turn hostile, and
Colonel Ivo Greenburg recognized the time had come to get out of Kuritan space by any means possi-
ble. With Outreach burned by the Word of Blake’s nuclear fire and Galatea on shaky ground in the face of
encroaching Marik and Blakist forces, Greenburg set his sights on Arc Royal, negotiating for a three-year gar-
rison contract on Yeguas that came with the means to obtain transport out of Combine space.
Instead of the raid that Lyran intelligence had been predicting (Yeguas had already been raided by Falcon forces three times), the
Falcon front erupted into a full-scale invasion in 3069. Though the Falcons initially focused on the Terran end of this front, a second front
opened in early 3071 with Kappa Galaxy attacking Morges and Yeguas.
On Morges, the badly under-strength Twentieth Arcturan Guard did their best to hold off the Seventy-fifth Strike Cluster and PGCs.
Meanwhile, the Godzillas faced the Fourth Falcon Strike Cluster on Yeguas. Eager to redeem themselves after their defeat on Blackjack
in 3064, the Fourth struck hard, showing total disregard for the civilian casualties they inflicted as they blasted a landing zone out of the
heart of Málaga. Expecting a more conventional landing, the Godzillas suddenly found themselves out of position. Not wishing to add to
the carnage by fighting the heart of the capital, the mercenaries pulled back to Fort Antequera. Over the next three weeks the initiative
remained with the Falcons, who probed the Godzillas’ perimeter, but the anticipated assault failed to materialize. Colonel Greenburg
found out just why when the Seventy-fifth Strike Cluster arrived fresh from their conquest of Morges. Under the weight of two Clusters,
Fort Antequera’s defenses finally began to fail. Knowing that he could not hold off two Clusters for long, Ivo Greenburg activated his
emergency contingency plan.
Leading her Fourth Falcon Striker Cluster against the fortifications, Star Colonel Jagjit Buhallin was greeted with a maelstrom of mis-
siles and lasers that curiously inflicted far less damage than anticipated. Weathering the heavy defensive fire, Buhalin’s Cluster crashed
through the mercenaries’ perimeter and began shooting up every Godzilla ’Mech they could find. On the other side of Antequera, Star
Colonel Tak Newclay’s own success was more mixed. His troops had breached the perimeter with the same ease as Buhalin’s, but he
had lost all contact with one of his Trinaries. While he was attempting to discover the fate of his missing troops, Buhalin’s outraged
screams filled the command channel. Fort Antequera’s defenders were nothing more than holovid props and special effects.
The Godzillas were gone.
After seeding the Fort with effects equipment, Greenburg concentrated his troops at one point, easily allowing them break out and
overrun a single Clan Trinary in seconds. Under aerospace cover, Greenburg was able to reach LAAF DropShips that had been hidden
beyond the forests west of Antequera. Retreating to Esteros, the Godzillas set about repairing their ’Mechs and began preparing for
Falcon pursuit. Before such as assault could land, however, Duke Morgan Kell ordered the Godzillas to instead move to Zanderij and aid
the Tooth of Ymir.
While stuck in the Draconis Combine, the Godzillas had earned a meager living working with famed Kuritan filmmaker Takura Migaki.
While creating the final battle sequences of Magaki’s much acclaimed The Thirteenth MechWarrior, the Godzillas’ techs had perfected
a way to mock up a ’Mech’s exterior to resemble other models. Deciding he owed the Falcons a surprise in return for their attack on
Málaga, Greenburg had his ’Mechs rigged up to look like Steel Viper OmniMechs. The ruse worked, and the stunned and confused
Falcons—weakened by the Tooth’s stubborn defense—withdrew from the system rather than face what they believed to be a frontline
force of fresh, renegade Vipers.
Together with the Tooth of Ymir, Greenburg’s Godzillas remain poised to defend Zanderij as of this writing, awaiting the Falcons’
eventual return.
Dragoons Rating: C

Greenburg’s Godzillas Regiment
Driven into debt by the cost of escaping the Draconis Combine, the Godzillas lack the funds to rapidly rebuild. Effectively reduced

to a force of two battalions through a combination of battlefield losses and lack of spares, Greenburg has folded third battalion into
Verhoeven’s second battalion.

Greenburg’s Ghidorahs Wing
Covering the retreat from Yeguas cost Rodan’s fighter wing dearly, reducing it to almost half strength.

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GREGG’S LONG STRIDERS

Gregg’s Long Striders began when founder Gregg Car—a skilled but authority-challenging
MechWarrior from the Wolf’s Dragoons—broke with the famed mercenary command in 3022 and
gathered up a cadre of likewise disgruntled warriors in the Lyran Commonwealth’s Tamar Pact
under his own lead. Though this new unit was promised an exciting role in the Fourth Succession
War, the Striders wound up on simple garrison duty instead. While Car’s band of warriors was an
effective enough force for the Lyran Commonwealth, Car’s method of maintaining loyalty through
higher-than-average salaries quickly put the mercenaries in debt. Rather than change their ways, the
Long Striders instead abandoned their debt and jumped ship for the Capellan Confederation.

Recognizing Car’s profit principles, the Capellans paid the Long Striders well and assigned
them to garrison duty. While well paid, however, Car’s men were still warriors, and they chafed at

the relative inactivity they had seen since their inception as a mercenary force. Gregg Car kept
them in check through sheer force of will until his untimely death in a 3055 barroom brawl. [EDI-
TOR’S NOTE: While he had divorced himself from the Dragoons, Car had often prided himself
on having been part of one of the greatest groups of warriors in history. Unfortunately, he tout-
ed this in the presence of warriors from McCarron’s Armored Calvary, whose long-running feud
with the Dragoons—dating back to the Dragoons’ employment by the Capellans—was leg-
endary. Of the three members of “Big Mac” who were indicted, only one was convicted of Gregg
Car’s death in the brawl, a fact that left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Long Striders.]
When Car’s son Davis assumed command, the Striders hoped he would differ from his

father and guide the unit to greatness. But while Davis demanded a more structured environment
than his father, in almost all other aspects he was the spitting image of Gregg Car. This proved espe-
cially true when it came to other authority figures, with the younger Car frequently making demands that
exceeded his bounds and arguing orders he did not agree with. Whether this became too big a headache for
House Liao or not is only known among the Capellan Strategios, but the unit’s contract was finally sold to the Magistracy of Canopus in
late 3059.
Warned of the Long Striders’ difficulties with authority, the Canopians dispatched the mercenary command to a garrison assignment
on far-flung Weistheimer. Tragically, it was during landfall there that a DropShip malfunction cost the Striders their aerospace and infantry
assets. After mourning the losses and setting up shop, Car promptly began petitioning the Canopian government for new supplies to
make up the losses, but such aid has been slow in coming.
Once more faced with a relatively uneventful garrison assignment, Car and many of his warriors have also begun to complain about
their posting. While a few members of the unit have put this time toward constructive efforts, most of the Striders have chosen more self-
ish pursuits. Ever the disciplinarian, Colonel Car has quickly stamped out the more destructive, illegal, and illicit activities, in turn replac-
ing them with a task for which, in his words, “everyone is qualified and none are skilled”—lostech prospecting.
Though intended as mere busy work for the command, the Long Striders’ have experienced a surge in prospecting fever since Major
Bernie Morgan found the remains of a Reunification War paint factory in Weistheimer’s wastelands. Though little else of significance fol-
lowed, everyone in the command has grown convinced that the possibility of finding a warehouse full of Star League ’Mechs or germa-
nium lies just over the next ridge. All this activity, however, has evidently caught the attention of local bandits, whose sudden interest in
Weistheimer has curtailed the Long Striders’ explorations for the time being. The Canopian government has expressed concern over the
bandits’ apparent efficiency, but Colonel Car has claimed that he has the situation well in hand.
Dragoons Rating: C

Gregg’s Long Striders
A history of long, relatively uneventful garrison duties and habitual overpayment of his staff has hampered Car’s attempt to rebuild

his Striders, but they remain a formidable opponent. The regiment has been unable to recover enough of their lost aerospace and infantry
assets over the past decade since their deployment to Weistheimer, and thus its tactics have shifted from combined arms to a more
’Mech-oriented approach. The Long Striders prefer to combine fire as often as possible but are also highly flexible, adapting to the bat-
tlefield. Their stint in the Periphery has not allowed Car sufficient opportunity to upgrade any of his units, and so he has kept the major-
ity of advanced technologies concentrated in his First Battalion. This factor, however, makes for a nasty surprise to bandit units that tan-
gle first with the other battalions and think they can take on the Long Striders.

61

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

GRIFFIN’S PRIDE

The Griffin’s Pride formed around a core of MechWarriors originally loyal to
Sabine Griffin, a Canopian baroness and battalion commander in the MAF. Her
command savaged during the failed Andurien-Canopian invasion of the Capellan
Confederation, Griffin soon found her integrity questioned by superiors looking for
scapegoats. Her determined support for Kyalla Centrella only exacerbated the cri-
sis when the elder Magestrix was deposed by her daughter Emma soon afterward,
and a series of political power plays by rival nobles threatened not only Griffin, but
also her family and her landholds on Wildwood. In a last-ditch effort to save some
of her wealth, property, and dignity, Griffin resigned her commission, citing “a mat-
ter of pride,” and convinced several of her most trusted subordinates to join her.

In 3041, Griffin’s Pride surfaced on Herotitus and presented itself available
for hire. Then an under-strength company of heavy and assault BattleMechs aug-
mented by a lance of vehicles—all financed by the liquidation of Baroness Griffin’s
Wildwood assets—the command found work for several local governments around
the outward fringes of the Inner Sphere and the Periphery. Due to the heavier weight
classes the Pride employed, almost all of their missions involved defensive operations,
primarily against highly mobile pirate raiders. After a few stunning victories against such
forces—often thanks to the liberal use of static defenses and minefields—the Pride began to
grow, cashing in on generous salvage rights. By 3054 (when Major Sabine Griffin was killed
defending the world of Lahti against a pirate attack), the Pride boasted a full ’Mech battalion and a com-
pany of armor, plus a pair of modified old Union-class DropShips for transport.
With Griffin’s death, command of the Pride fell to her wife and second in command, Brevet Major Elise Kerrig-Griffin, who led the
unit back to the Magistracy of Canopus for a garrison contract with the Vixen planetary government. Despite the misgivings of several
junior officers—who feared Canopian persecution for Griffin’s old pro-Kyalla loyalties—the successful completion of the three-year mis-
sion led to the surprise award of the late Sabine’s Wildwood landhold to Kerrig-Griffin by the Canopian Crimson Council, effectively grant-
ing Griffin’s noble status to her successor. The award came with just one small catch: a ten-year, defense-only retainer contract along
the Canopian worlds closest to the Marian Hegemony. With the support of the majority of her command, Major Kerrig-Griffin accepted.
In an effort to keep Hegemony forces guessing, the Pride was one of several new mercenary forces the Magistracy posted on its
border worlds in a rotating cycle, changing worlds once every six to nine months. In this fashion, the mercenaries were deployed at least
once on every Canopian world from Bethonolog to Vixen before ending their tour on Afarsin. Although the Pride’s official retainer with
the Canopian government ended in 3067, the unit remains stationed in the Magistracy and is presently the active garrison force for
Wildwood. Reportedly, they recently refused orders from the MAF High Command to relocate to the Fronc Reaches. Since then, the
MRBC has received unconfirmed reports of sporadic fighting on Wildwood between the Pride and units sporting MAF colors.
Dragoons Rating: B

Griffin’s Pride Battalion
Since their inception, the Griffin’s Pride ’Mech forces have diversified from a shorthanded company of heavy and assault

BattleMechs to a well-rounded mix of weight classes, though their specialization in defensive operations remains a hallmark of Pride tac-
tics. Indeed, a common tactic favored by the Pride employs the battalion’s company of LRM-equipped ’Mechs—most of which are older
Archers, Orions, Trebuchets and Dervishes—as a mining force, rapidly deploying deadly minefields broader than most ’Mechs can jump.

Griffin’s Claws
Griffin’s Claws, the vehicular component of the Pride, have also grown since the command’s formation and currently features a full

company, with two lances of fast attack hovercraft, augmented by a lance of heavy and assault battle tanks. Believing in what Griffin
called the “teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime” philosophy, the Claws often double as the Pride’s cadre force, working along-
side local militia to train them in defensive, anti-’Mech tactics.

62

FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

GROUP W

Formed over forty years ago, Group W began as a single battalion of BattleMechs—
mostly older family machines that MechWarriors brought with them—two DropShips,
and full tech support assets. However, blessed with a strong financial base that enabled
them to be selective in choosing their first jobs and having a cogent business plan in place
from the outset, the Group flourished as few mercenary commands could in the lean years
after the Fourth Succession War. By 3050, the mercenaries had grown to a full BattleMech
regiment, supported by a battalion of support and auxiliary troops and a full wing of aero-
space fighters.

Spending its early years on the Lyran Periphery, Group W quickly earned a reputation
as a relentless and effective pirate hunting force. After eradicating a pirate enclave in the Son
Hoa system, StarCorps Industries offered the Group a long-term garrison contract. For the
next two decades, the mercenaries would alternate between corporate contracts and state ser-
vice. It was during this period the Group grew to its full size—the nature of its work ensuring
access to leading edge equipment and the skilled technicians to keep them at one-hundred percent
readiness at all times.
A contract binding them to service deep in the Free Worlds League spared Group W the fate suffered by many mercenary com-
mands when the Clans struck the Inner Sphere. While other units were thrown—and broken—against the Clan juggernaut in the Tamar
March, the Group could only look on helplessly as their adopted home was ravaged by the invaders. As soon as its League contract
expired in late 3054, Group W offered their services to the Lyran state and secured a garrison assignment on the Clan frontier for four
years before being assigned to aid the St. Ives Compact in 3061.
It was in service against the Capellans that Group W’s reputation grew. Though the St. Ives Compact was ultimately defeated, the
Group’s unflinching valor in the face of superior forces prompted a well-deserved elevation from “Veteran/Reliable” to “Elite/Fanatical”
classification.
With no time to rebuild or recoup after the St. Ives armistice, Group W was reassigned to Lyons to serve as peacekeepers, quelling
the social unrest caused by Kurita’s annexation of the Lyons Thumb worlds. The Group carried out this difficult mission—walking the fine
line that enabled them to keep the peace without being perceived by the citizenry as an occupying force—with the same professional-
ism they had shown on the battlefields of Nashuar, Tantara, and Warlock.
Thus, it surprised no one when Group W was hired to put down the ’Mech gangs on Galatea during the FedCom Civil War. Disgusted
by the very idea of mercenaries without ethics victimizing a populace, the Group carried out this mission with systematic thoroughness
and an enthusiasm that bordered on brutality. An unexpected benefit of this duty was their ability to acquire new technology—both from
salvage and the black market. Still, after a decade of combat far from the corporate sponsors who always sold to them at discount, the
Group was ironically at its lowest ebb in terms of tech and battle readiness while at the peak of their reputation.
Group W was restored to almost full strength—albeit with a near-comic mismatch of salvage materiel and advanced technologies—
when their Galatean contract expired in early 3068. The planetary government’s offer to renew was outbid by Duke Kelswa-Steiner of
Skye. In response to Free Worlds League raids, Skye and Bolan forces were mounting an offensive all along the border, and the Duke
wanted the best mercenary commands available—regardless of cost—to supplement his forces.
Group W was partnered with Kirkpatrick’s Invaders to form a planetary invasion force that captured Togwotee in March of 3068 with
almost no casualties. Rolling over the planetary militia in short order, the paired mercenary forces maintained their forward momentum
and repeated their performance on Ideyld in June of that same year.
In July of 3068, after the Invaders were pulled back to Arcadia, the Group truly began to earn their pay and justified the Duke’s con-
fidence in them. Both the Fourth Regulan Hussars and Fifth Free Worlds Guards landed in force, determined to not just retake the Ideyld
but destroy the mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Group W held the planet for nearly a full month, bogging down a major thrust
of the Free Worlds League’s counteroffensive, before finally withdrawing in good order.
Dragoons Rating: A

Group W
The costly fighting on Ideyld savaged the Group, who are still operating at only half strength. Withdrawn now to Galatea to repair

and rebuild, the battered regiment remains on retainer to Duke Kelswa-Steiner, whose Skye Province remains imperiled by both Free
Worlds forces and encroaching Blakist invaders.

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MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

HAMPTON’S HESSENS

Several years after fleeing to Galatea to avoid the FedCom Civil War, a shortage of funds
finally prompted General Kurt Festerling of the reconstituted Hampton’s Hessens to sign his
newly formed First New Hessen Irregulars to an LAAF garrison contract on Thorin.

Unfortunately, having taken station mere months before the outbreak of the Blakist Jihad in
3067, the Irregulars’ presence drew the fanatics’ attention in 3068. With a massive surprise
assault and a storm of tactical nukes, they annihilated the entire regiment, including General
Festerling. The brutal assault prompted Pat Hampton, then-commander of the Second
Irregulars, to gather the remaining Hessens on Galatea with whatever supplies they could gath-
er for the long journey back home. Many civilians and some small mercenary units, fearing
another bout of Galatean riots, pleaded with now-General Hampton to take them along to his
seemingly secure home world. Not willing to abandon people and possible allies, Hampton
agreed. Unfortunately, with so many refugees coming along, the Hessens’ JumpShips did not
have enough docking collars to take everyone along at once. After some debate, they decided
that half the military ships would jump to each system, establish jump point security, and burn plan-
etside for supplies where possible while the JumpShips recharged and doubled back to pick up the
rest at each hop. Combat casualties on nearly every world reduced the problem of surplus person-
nel—including one instance where a mutinous DropShip was left behind. But when the Hessens reached
Hall, one of the brigade’s JumpShip captains panicked over an approaching Blakist interceptor squadron and
abandoned the rest of the fleet.
The bloodiest point of the Hessens’ odyssey came in the Protectorate system of New Canton. Claimed by the Word even before the
Jihad, the system boasted one of the earliest discovered re-education camps. Desperate for supplies after a costly operation on
Berenson (an operation only partly mitigated by the defection of several Blakist troops), General Hampton reluctantly ordered his forces
to make planetfall. Local resistance—or what was left of them—swiftly made contact with the Hessens, offering information and terrain
guides in exchange for a portion of the captured supplies. The battle turned sour during the exfiltration, however, when a Protectorate
ambush cut off several companies of guerrillas and Hessens ’Mechs from the main force. Literally out of ammunition by this point,
Hampton ordered his soldiers to run for their transports, abandoning nearly a battalion of his own troops.
When the Hessens finally reached New Hessen weeks later, they found their homeworld unscathed, thanks in part to the militaris-
tic local government that had declared martial law and built an extremely strong, locally raised garrison. Relieved to find their homeland
safe, Hampton dropped off the surviving refugees and ordered a hasty re-supply for his mercenaries, declaring his intention to “bring his
boys home.” Not a single soldier—Hessen or refugee—declined Hampton’s call for volunteers.
In one of the most daring maneuvers in their career, the Hessens jumped back to a pirate point two hours from New Canton and
combat-dropped every BattleMech upon the Blakist garrison and re-education camps to quickly establish a perimeter inside the city. As
both sides exchanged fierce fire amid falling metal, Hessen fighters blew holes in the camp walls and demolished the static emplace-
ments so the prisoners could escape. Unable to secure a large enough perimeter for his DropShips, Hampton ordered them to land out-
side the city and led a fighting withdrawal. In the brutal, close-quarters struggle, the Hessens ’Mechs toppled buildings, threw cars, even
self-detonated their own fusion reactors to defend the fleeing prisoners from Protectorate Militia fire. By the time the Hessens lifted off
for home, they had sacrificed over a battalion of troops but rescued their two lost companies and several hundred refugees.
Dragoons Rating: C

New Hessen Armored Scouts
Despite seeing no significant combat since the Fourth Succession War, the aging warriors of the Armored Scouts earned every

ounce of their elite status in the blood, sweat, and tears of the last few years. Most are past retirement age and suffer some sort of shell
shock, especially those who survived the Blakist re-education camp on New Canton. Only the Hessens’ desperate need for skilled pilots
keeps them on the rolls.

Second New Hessen Irregulars
Though rated Green at the onset of their pilgrimage home, the remaining battalion of the Second Irregulars have been forged to

Veteran quality in the fires of war. General Pat Hampton, crippled during the New Canton extraction, has released command of the
Second to his executive officer, Colonel Mardul. Convinced that Blakist reprisals will not be long in coming, the General now oversees
the rebuilding of his BattleMech regiments and the fortification of New Hessen itself.

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FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

HANSEN’S ROUGHRIDERS

Many have commented that since the Bromhead Massacre in 3067, this once loud and
rowdy mercenary regiment—whose storied history goes back as far as a hundred years in some
reports—has transformed into a quiet, brooding, and bitter entity. Now more concerned with
revenge for the loss of their dependents than with serving out their legitimate contracts, Hansen’s
Roughriders have proven this impression by leaving few to no survivors among the few Taurian
forces unfortunate enough to cross their path. The Concordant propaganda machine now portrays
Hansen’s Roughriders as “House Davion’s hired Death Squads,” a mercenary force that has aban-
doned all honor or the laws of civilized warfare. But in truth, despite a brief, pitched battle on Midale
in February of 3070, this regiment saw little action or opportunity to slake their lust for vengeance
until only recently.
Giving in at last to the Roughriders’ near-constant harassment, the AFFS’ Capellan March com-
mand finally decided to grant the mercenaries’ request for a chance to launch their own offensive
against the Concordat’s military, beginning with their own embattled territories. Previous efforts by
Davion troops to secure the Pleiades Cluster had failed, thanks in no small part to the demoralizing
effect of the Blakist siege on New Avalon and the failure of the late Duke George Hasek’s Operation
Sovereign Justice. Newly appointed to the command of the Capellan March forces, Nathaniel Hasek
finally decided to use the Roughriders—rather than more House troops—to address this problem, and in
March of 3071 the mercenary DropShips and their support finally landed on Electra, the most heavily contested
Cluster system.
Though eager for action, the Roughriders suffered several setbacks early in the campaign while trying to pin down the Taurian insur-
gents within Tamoon Canyon, and the unit swiftly became mired in a series of ambushes and guerrilla warfare that defied a quick solu-
tion. The low-intensity conflict started to wear on Colonel Wolfgang Hansen’s officers, while Taurian pirate media began to portray their
guerrillas as champions taking on the merciless “Death Squad.”
The turning point came when a Taurian lance led a Roughrider patrol into an ambush within the maze of canyons the guerrillas had
transformed into a fortress. Using the natural terrain for protection, the insurgents detonated a massive explosive device buried within a
cliff wall, burying several Roughrider ‘Mechs in the landslide. Instead of being cowed or demoralized, the act merely rekindled the
Roughriders’ thirst for Taurian blood, and the remaining mercenaries quickly withdrew from the canyon to retaliate with a massive bom-
bardment of fuel air explosives hurled by Roughrider artillery for several days.
When the Roughriders went into the scorched and smoking valley en masse, the surviving Taurians’ remaining traps failed them, as
the Roughriders’ armored infantry swept ahead, detecting and disabling their hidden explosives and base caves. These same troops
flushed the Taurians out of their meticulously built encampment, while other Roughrider forces captured the stockpiles of munitions—
including several Alamo-class nuclear weapons the Taurians were reportedly preparing to detonate. The guerrillas’ desperate attempt at
a fighting withdrawal failed as they found their escape routes blown closed by the FAE bombardment, and in the confusion, the merce-
naries unleashed some of the captured Alamos to obliterate them. On-planet DMI operatives quickly claimed the handful of insurgent
survivors who remained, fearing their summary execution at the hands of Colonel Hansen and his enraged troops.
Public outcry over the Roughriders’ use of nuclear weapons has been brief but fierce—mostly from Taurian media sources, which
proclaim it as proof of the mercenaries’ barbarism and demand MRBC sanctions against the command. While the Commission is review-
ing the events, however, the fact that the Alamos were initially in the possession of the Taurian insurgents is widely considered to be a
mitigating factor. This has not satisfied the Concordat, however, which denies the charges of their troops possessing WMDs first and
even claims that the Bromhead Massacre was a hoax.
Dragoons Rating: A (Under review)

Hansen’s Roughriders
As luck would have it, one of the prisoners taken by the DMI from Tamoon Canyon turned out to be a Blakist liaison with a slew of

valuable intelligence. Among the information gleaned from his interrogation came rumors of prisoners taken on systems briefly captured
by the Taurians and their shipment to far away re-education camps. With Bromhead listed among those systems specifically mentioned
by the liaison, the hopeful Roughriders are reportedly preparing for a hunt to find any lost comrades and loved ones who may have been
among these captives—a mission the mercenaries may undertake with or without AFFS approval. The Roughriders’ AFFS liaison has
cautioned that this intelligence may well be planted specifically to draw off the Roughriders in search of dead relatives whose bodies
were never recovered, but so far such warnings seem to be falling on deaf ears.

65

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

HARCOURT’S DESTRUCTORS

Faithfully servants of the Magistracy of Canopus for over sixty years, the Destructors have enjoyed various
assignments from the MAF but truly made a name for themselves as one of the Canopians’ premiere bandit-hunt-
ing mercenary forces. Conducting these activities out of the Canopian world of Addasar prior to the Jihad, the
Destructors’ area of operation often drew them deep into the newly independent Fronc Reaches. During these
missions, the Destructors have crushed several smaller pirate bands, but after 3068 they began to encounter stiffer
resistance from the Shen-sè Tian (the Dark Days Band) when the ex-Capellan pirates struck several Canopian settle-
ments along the Reaches’ border.

Harcourt’s Aliens managed to intercept the Band outside of Rumogo colony on Fronc in mid-3068, but the bru-
tal chase through the Göbble Forest that ensued ended in disaster when the bandits led the Aliens straight into the

arms of additional pirate forces commanded by Paula “Lady Death” Trevaline. The Aliens managed to retreat, but
only after losing over fifty percent of their force, including their commander, Major Hannah De Vries

With that stunning defeat, Colonel Kamala Rahman swore to hunt down the Shen-sè Tian and avenge the
Aliens’ losses. Unfortunately, the Magistracy put a moratorium on the Destructors’ pirate hunting mere weeks later,
citing the need to maintain a strong defensive position; with Canopus under a mysterious blackout and Thraxa unre-
sponsive, the MAF was taking no chances on its other fronts.

In late 3069, rumors began to circulate about a number of alleged ex-Colonial Marshals being sighted among
Shen-sè Tian raiders across the Reaches. Though more skeptical than concerned, Colonel Rahman petitioned the MAF
for permission to resume bandit hunting, determined to put an end to the Dark Days. Though the request was initially
denied, in March of 3070 the MAF ordered all of the Destructors to Fronc. Once there, they were to protect the planet
in the name of the Magistracy from any further raiding. Sensing more to these orders, Colonel Rahman made sure her troops stocked
up on enough supplies and ammunition for several months in the field.
When they arrived in late 3070, the Destructors found that Fronc had become a protectorate of the Magistracy. Barely able to call
up the resources to protect its colonies, the nascent nation had struck a deal with the MAF: the Magistracy would defend the Fronc worlds
for an indeterminate amount of time, while the Reaches would offer the Canopians most-favored trade status. The Taurian Concordat,
disturbed by this turn of events, reportedly hired several pirate and merc bands to venture into the Reaches—including the Shen-sè Tian.
Armed with this information, Rahman decided to lay a trap. Knowing the pirates couldn’t pass up hitting Fronc again and tangling
with the mercenaries they had so handily beaten before, she made her Destructors as visible as possible. Sure enough, the pirates
arrived in February of 3071—only this time, the Destructors allowed the raiders to plunder an ammunition storehouse after first packing
numerous crates in the stockpile with command-detonated explosives.
The Aliens once more set off after the departing Dark Days, but as the raiders reached Sharzavan Pass, Rahman set off the explo-
sives, instantly destroying much of the pirate convoy and damaging their escorts. In the ensuing confusion, Drummond’s Destroyers burst
from concealed positions in the hills and savaged the surviving raiders, destroying almost two full companies of vehicles and ’Mechs
before the pirates could disengage and scatter into the surrounding countryside.
Colonel Rahman allowed volunteers to hunt down the remaining bandits after the rest of her command captured their DropShip. But
while some of the pirates’ equipment was recovered, very few of the Band have been located since the initial ambush, leading Rahman
to believe they had help on Fronc. Equally disturbing are the subsequent scattered reports that have mentioned Shen-sè Tian attacks
on other colonies—strongly suggesting that the Band has grown beyond the battalion size force they mustered in their initial 3068
engagement with the Destructors. Unsure what to make of these stories, Rahman has turned the matter over to the MIM.
Dragoons Rating: D

Harcourt’s Aliens
Led by Colonel Rahman’s daughter, Kamala, the Aliens are made up predominately of light and medium-class ‘Mechs. Major

Rahman prefers units with jump jets for increased mobility and has recently added two lances of stealth-equipped Anubuses to the
Alien’s roster.

Drummond’s Destroyers
Headed by Major Alesha Lorre, the Destroyers use heavy and assault-class BattleMechs. Most of the ‘Mechs are of vintage stock,

personal heirlooms of their pilots. The Destroyer’s tactics are fairly straightforward, with the majority of the unit hammering the enemy
positions as the Aliens pin them down.

Harcourt’s Irregulars / Forbes Cavaliers
The green infantry-based Irregulars serve as the unit’s base security force, rarely deploying in combat. With the focus of training on

the two BattleMech battalions, the Cavaliers have slipped in experience and are questioning their continued role with the unit.

66

FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

HARLOCK’S WARRIORS

Born of the fusion of a bandit force and a doomed Kurita Chain Gang raid in
2825, Harlock’s Warriors have a long and storied history. Lethargy and internal con-
flict robbed the Warriors of much of their fighting edge by 3067, when Larett Thomas
seized control over the command in a duel with then-Colonel Samantha Veile.
Looking to regroup and recover, the mercenaries took a garrison job on the
Federated Suns world of Errai but did not expect much action despite being within a
jump of the Chaos March and the Draconis Combine. The onset of the Jihad, how-
ever, changed all this, and in 3069 Word of Blake forces—seemingly out of
nowhere—dropped on Errai in a surprise assault.

The Blakist troops—tentatively identified as the Sixth Division—landed directly
within the planetary capital city of Errai Prime, shocking the battalion of Warriors
posted nearby, who met the invaders but quickly fell back before the furious assault.
Regrouping with their comrades at the town of Misty Peat Bog, the Warriors’ second
attack was somewhat more successful, but after days of fighting they could not break
through the Blakists’ lines and prevent the fanatics from securing the city.

Forced to abandon Errai Prime to the Word, the Warriors switched to a guerril-
la strategy, hoping to harass the invaders with hit-and-run strikes until reinforce-
ments could arrive. But with war erupting throughout the Inner Sphere, no nearby
commands were available to assist. The Warriors’ hit-and-run raids allowed them to
fight to their strengths by isolating opponents, but after months of ambushes and
nighttime strikes, the invaders learned to counter with larger patrol sizes, smaller
sweeps, and an effective mix of aerospace and artillery support that wore the mer-
cenaries down to just two battalions of damaged troops. With no support on the horizon, Colonel Thomas finally admitted defeat by
February of 3070 and withdrew his Warriors to their DropShips, hitching a ride out-system from a passing merchant JumpShip.
The hired transport carried the Warriors as far as Markab, far enough from the Blakist front for the time being. His command’s pre-
vious contract expired, Colonel Thomas attempted to negotiate a new contract though Leftenant General Erica LeBlanc of the Second
Robinson Rangers, but despite the AFFS need for fighting forces, a series of communications disruptions snarled all negotiations.
However, the Warriors were permitted to take refuge planetside in a former mobile housing lot and remained on Markab, struggling to
rebuild.
In November of 3071, while still waiting for word from Robinson, a battalion of BattleMechs sporting the colors of the Draconis
Combine’s Tenth Ghost regiment dropped right on top of the Warriors’ temporary base. Their brief, bloody assault threw the mercenar-
ies into chaos and shattered most of the active defenders present. Though the patrolling sentries returned to base in time to trade a few
shots with the raiders, the Ghosts were already falling back, leaving behind a smoldering base, while the local Rangers were too far away
to prevent their escape. By morning light, the Warriors faced a terrible butcher’s bill in the wake of the assault: in addition to over a com-
pany’s worth of lost ’Mechs and captured warriors, Colonel Thomas himself had been killed by the Combine raiders, leaving command
of the Warriors to their executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Petruzzelli.
Dragoons Rating: B

Harlock’s Warriors
Lieutenant Colonel Petruzzelli has reorganized the Warriors into four companies to keep the command somewhat battle-ready. The

Warriors’ aerospace support, destroyed on Errai, still awaits replacement, as does much of the support staff lost between the battles on
Errai and the Tenth Ghost’s raid. Efforts to track the Ghosts back to their base on Quentin have yielded no sign of the raiders. The only
silver lining to all this attrition has been the salvage of advanced technology from the Warriors’ destroyed units. Cannibalizing this equip-
ment has enabled the Warriors to upgrade their surviving machines, keeping the operational command well stocked in technology. The
intense fighting has also improved the Warriors’ overall experience level. Petruzzelli is reportedly seeking transport to Arc Royal or
Galatea as of this writing, where he hopes to build on these few strengths to recruit new warriors and win a new contract.

67

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

HEAD HUNTERS

Savaged by the Black Warriors in 2913 and teetering near the brink of financial obliv-
ion, the Head Hunters—once a regiment-sized mercenary command, now busted to less

than a third that size—found a home at the Orloff Academy after the Lyran
Commonwealth dissolved their contract. The Hunters’ then-commander, Colonel
Alexander Chu, used his family contacts in the Free Worlds League to have his battered
unit hired by Captain-General Elisabeth Marik, who ordered the unit to be replenished
and retrained with the assistance of the Orloff Grenadiers and the Orloff Academy.

During the Marik Civil War of 3014 and the Andurien secession of 3030, the Head
Hunters proved themselves a reliable and capable unit—and, more importantly, one that
could pick the winning side in the fratricidal conflicts that colored politics in the Free
Worlds. When Captain-General Thomas Marik’s increasing power and efforts to curb the
privileges afforded to the Free Worlds League’s member-states finally interfered with the
mercenaries’ Orloff-styled initiation ceremonies, however, the Hunters finally decided to
leave the League in the mid-3060s, ending over 150 years of loyal service.

A large amount of brand-new equipment left with the unit, allegedly because the
Duke of Orloff facilitated a number of “logistical errors” on the Head Hunters’ behalf.
When the LCCC discovered these irregularities, they declared the Hunters rogue in absentia, convicting them of treason and theft of
government property. As the Duke was never officially implicated or convicted for his part in the transfer of equipment, the MRBC has
since concluded that the League government accepted the Duke of Orloff’s responsibility in the disputed transfer of equipment. Thus,
the LCCC request to declare the Hunters rogue was summarily dropped.
Since the Hunters’ departure, the mercenaries have turned up in the Marian Hegemony on Lummatii, where they were initially
tasked with planetary security. Prior to the Hunters arrival, local rebels, loyal to the fallen Lothian League (which the Marians conquered
in 3055), had mounted a growing insurgency despite the Hegemony’s best efforts. The arrival of the Head Hunters failed to address the
situation at first, as the mercenaries instead focused their initial efforts on counter-pirate operation. The Hunters’ commander, Major
Sharon Karasek was content with this arrangement until she finally received orders to act against the Lothian rebels.
While specializing in urban combat, the Head Hunters’ ’Mechs have fared poorly against the insurgents, and the mercenaries have
suffered significant damage from heavy ambushes. Indeed, even when successful against the Lothian rebel cells, the Hunters have seen
many of their few victories reversed within days, with the Lothians wasting little time to recover once the mercenaries have moved on.
Faced with increasing criticism from her employers over this lackluster performance, Karasek has argued that her command is ill
equipped for counterterrorist operations and has requested further assistance from Alphard, particularly special forces capable of fer-
reting out the Lothians where her ’Mechs cannot go. She has even gone as far as to suggest that the insurgents are receiving outside
aid, reporting that their recovery from her operations is simply too quick to be possible without help, and their equipment is too sophis-
ticated to be of local manufacture.
Instead of help, the Hegemony government has charged the Hunters with failure to meet their contract terms and has even lobbied
the MRBC for possible sanctions against the mercenary command. The bickering between the Head Hunters and their employers has
cut into the command’s overall reliability ratings, which have yet to improve since their departure from the Free Worlds League.
Dragoon’s Rating: F

Head Hunters
Consisting primarily of swift and maneuverable medium BattleMechs, about a third of the Head Hunter’s machines sport upgraded

technologies. The battalion typically deploys in demi-companies of six ’Mechs each, further subdividing into pairs when engaging their
enemy. Combined with their mobility, this tactic often enables the Hunters to concentrate their firepower on an opponent’s weak points,
rather than attempting to contend with the entire body of the foe at once. With their recent assignment, however, most Head Hunter
MechWarriors have begun to modify their machines slightly, swapping weapons and ammunition to enhance their anti-infantry capabili-
ties.

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FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

HEART OF BLAKE

As more reports filtered in, both from independent sources and from the
Word’s own mouthpieces, certain members of the Word of Blake military became
nervous about what might be happening in the name of their holy cause. Rumors
of atrocities circulated, but few among the fanatics dared speak of them for fear of
swift retribution by ROM—and of those who did, according to legend, few survived
to see the next local sunrise. Though this atmosphere of fear maintained compli-

ance in some, not all of those who served Blake’s Word could do so blindly.
In July of 3069, a small group of Blakist counter-reformists was transferred to

Berenson as part of several Level IIIs dispatched to suppress local resistance
against the planetary government’s entry into the Blake Protectorate. Immediately
upon arrival, these forces began rounding up suspected League loyalists, their fam-
ilies, and other “deviants” to place them in hastily built prisons, far away from any pop-
ulated area. After two weeks of round-ups and torturous interrogations, Blakist guards
would take the prisoners out to execute them all before the next round of “pacification.”
Though several soldiers privately questioned the methods of the pro-Blakist regime, fear
kept any of them from protesting openly.
This continued until Hampton’s Hessens raided Berenson for supplies in late August.
With the numerous Blakist forces there, the raiders were forced back from the supply
depots they were attempting to capture after several days of intense maneuvering and
skirmishing. As the mercenaries withdrew, they came upon a cluster of the prisons that
housed dissidents, fully packed and ready for execution. The Hessens broke them out and
loaded them into the empty cargo vehicles originally brought for food and ammunition.
Precentor David Hunter was assigned to command two of the Level IIIs sent to close off the Hessens’ escape route. Ordered to wipe
out everyone, including the escaping prisoners, several in Hunter’s command privately pleaded with him not to follow the orders, know-
ing that he himself had privately questioned the government’s extremist methods. As the raiders came into view, Hunter quietly ordered
units not loyal to him to engage the mercenaries. As the ’Mechs advanced, however, Hunter openly announced on all channels that he
would take no part in the massacre of civilians and would fight to protect the prisoner convoy. The fight between the counter-reformists
and the Blakist loyalists was swift, with the Blakists caught in crossfire between the mercenaries and Hunter’s men. Hunter’s group then
swiftly moved to the spaceport before the rest of his former comrades could regroup, and he commandeered a pair of DropShips to
escape along with the Hessens. Haggling with a merchant JumpShip, Hunter’s turncoats were able to escape, eventually making their
way to other contested Free Worlds League worlds where they have since begun collecting bounties on Word-affiliated mercenary forces.
Using General Hampton as a reference, Precentor Hunter has petitioned to join the battered Allied Mercenary Command, though
AMC officials remain doubtful of the expatriate Blakists’ intentions. In an attempt to build trust with his suspicious would-be comrades,
Hunter has divulged every scrap of intelligence on Blakist operations that he has deemed reliable, a fact that has made him a high-pro-
file target among the fanatics, who have placed a twenty million C-Bill bounty on his head. To complicate matters, many who hear the
name of Hunter’s Heart of Blake mercenary command, see their distinctly Blakist equipment, and note their use of Blakist rank structure
instantly distrust them. This has prompted Hunter to try everything from adopting generic ranks and a fake table of organization to using
different names for his command during contract negotiation. Only when facing and attempting to turn those of his former brethren he
meets in battle does Hunter commonly employ Blakist terms and nomenclature.
Dragoons Rating: Unrated

Heart of Blake
A mixture of BattleMechs, conventional armor, and battlesuits make up the Heart of Blake. Once a front-line Blakist force, Hunter’s

men currently maintain several Level II C3is, one of which Hunter himself operates from his Legacy. Typically, their Assault Triumph- and
Union- class DropShips—Hard Six and High Price respectively—alternate between dropping troops into battle and strafing the landing
zone clear of hostiles. The Heart has been able to recruit enough of a support staff for seventy percent of their maintenance needs, and
it makes up the rest with grateful groups who do not realize the unit’s origins.

69

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

HEAVYHELL RAISERS

Reportedly protesting the systematic short-changing and eventual absorption of the Stapleton’s
Grenadiers by the CCAF up to and after the mercenary command’s disastrous showing on Sarna,
Major Manu Sharma left the shattered Grenadiers to pursue his own path. On Galatea, Sharma began
pulling together other mercenary castoffs who shared his new burning hatred for House Liao, and he cre-
ated the HeavyHell Raisers.

As a mixed battalion of vehicles, aerospace, infantry and BattleMechs, much of the Raisers’ success
comes from Major Sharma’s tactical brilliance. A Capellan-trained Special Forces operative (though never
part of the elite Death Commandos) with a near-photographic memory, Sharma has a sense of battlefield
awareness that is almost preternatural. Never trained for a BattleMech cockpit even though his force is
dominated by ’Mechs, Sharma’s status as a “mere PBI” often comes as a shock to new recruits, but this
impression is quickly discouraged by the rest of the command. Indeed, it may well have been Sharma’s

unorthodox command style and flexible order of battle that saved the Raisers from sharing the same
fate as Raymond’s Armored Cavalry on Wasat in 3068.

Initially deployed to the League world to bring it into the Word of Blake’s Protectorate, the Raisers
soon found themselves pursuing the locally based Blackhearts mercenary regiment across the
Chromomeric Mountains until an early dawn air raid caught them by surprise. Pinned and unable to
mount a thrust to save the dying Raymond’s ACR, the HeavyHell Raisers pulled back to the capital of
Wasat Prime to regroup. Holding the city while the Blackhearts licked their wounds and assimilated the
Cavalry’s salvage, the Raisers remained in place until the arrival of the Word of Blake’s Third Division.

Assigned to guard the Word’s supply bases and HPG compound after the their arrival, the Raisers
remained near Wasat Prime while Major Sharma slowly rebuilt his unit. Allowed to draw from the Blakist stores
on nearby Irian, Sharma watched from the sidelines as the Blackhearts waged an effective two-year guerrilla campaign against the Third.
Participating in very few sorties against the more venerable mercenaries, the HeavyHell Raisers could only admire the Blackhearts from
a distance while they held out against enormous odds. When a frustrated Precentor Fellers issued an ultimatum to the rebels—to sur-
render or Wasat Prime would be nuked—it came as a complete shock to the mercenaries.
Considering Fellers’ increasing mental instability and pent-up fury over the previous two years, Sharma knew that Wasat Prime was
doomed, regardless of what the Blackhearts chose. As quietly as possible, he set his Raisers to the task of evacuating as much of the
local citizenry as he could, using several high-speed magrailways and loading as many people as possible into the Raisers’ APCs and
other combat vehicles. In the end, however, the HeavyHell Raisers only managed to evacuate nine hundred civilians before the recall
order came. Ordered to evacuate the HPG compound and all Word of Blake personnel, Sharma complied, but also ordered his own
troops to blare warnings of the imminent attack through any means necessary. Tragically, these precautions were not nearly enough to
spare the over 30,000 people still in Wasat Prime when Fellers opened up his nuclear arsenal on 28 January 3071.
Without so much as a reprimand over his apparent break with Fellers, Sharma was ordered to take his HeavyHell Raisers to a new
garrison assignment on Irian. Indeed, the Third’s Precentor praised the mercenaries for their unwavering devotion to duty in protecting
the Blakist HPG and even recommended that the command receive an additional ten percent pay bonus for going beyond their con-
tracted duties.
The Raisers are still on Irian, slowly rebuilding, and they have been placed on the MRBC’s Wanted lists due only to their continued
employment by the Word of Blake and not for any atrocities attributed to their operations. Short on aerofighters, having lost all but three
Stukas to the Blackhearts’ Flying Lions attack, negotiations are underway with IrTech corporate officials to purchase several older
Transgressors that have been otherwise slated for mothballs.
Dragoons Rating: Wanted

HeavyHell Raisers
Refusing all attempts to grow beyond a battalion in size, the HeavyHell Raisers are quite content with a mixed bag of aerospace,

vehicles, BattleMechs, and infantry. Major Sharma also refuses to organize his force to any established standard, preferring to combine
units to fit whatever the mission profile calls for, even down to the lance level.

Sharma has, however, recently purchased an entire lance of BlackJack OmniMechs from the revamped Irian BattleMechs factories,
along with additional pods to reconfigure them as light anti-aircraft platforms. Embarrassed by the heavy damage inflicted by the
Blackhearts’ aerospace forces, the Major hopes that these new machines will provide his forces with better AA coverage and enhance
the survivability of his own aerospace units during ground-support missions.

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HELL’S BLACK ACES

Once more under House Liao employ as of 3063—fifty-two years after the core of the unit fled the
Capellan state—Hell’s Black Aces easily maintained their elite status through extensive training and rotat-

ing their component wings to a series of non-Capellan contracts. But when Duke George Hasek launched
Operation Sovereign Justice against the Capellans in 3068, the Aces found themselves fully occupied in
the Confederation’s defense, their fighters scrambling to ward off several supporting FedSuns raids.
Finally regrouped at Ningpo—reuniting all three Aces wings in the same system for the first time in
years—the Aces crushed the Davion-hired Arcadians mercenary command, forcing their retreat with
aid from elements of the First Taurian Lancers. With their entire aerospace support force destroyed,
the Arcadians limped home with less than forty percent of their assets.
Still battered by the brawl with the Arcadians, the Aces were transferred to Liao within weeks of
the Ningpo raid. Nonetheless, the Aces quickly claimed air superiority over the attacking Eighth
Sytris Fusiliers and managed to assist the embattled Dynasty Guards in throwing back the Davion
invaders despite losing several squadrons over the months-long struggle. Fatigued by the near-con-
stant fighting, the Aces requested and received permission to rest and refit on Liao. They remained
there, undergoing repairs and taking on new supplies as the Confederation continued to beat back
the Davions, until November of 3069, when a new enemy struck.
The Blakist assault on Liao caught the Aces almost flat-footed and still down by almost twenty per-
cent of their nominal strength. Backed up by over a dozen “Pocket WarShips,” the Blakist fleet easily

punched through the jump point defenses and barreled in. Two hours shy from Liao, however, they encoun-
tered the Aces’ first waves. Blowing past the fighter and DropShip screen, the Aces concentrated on what
they believed to be the invaders’ command ships, destroying several before breaking away at speeds unheard
of and returning for re-supply and rearmament. The attack stunned the Blakist fleet, which had to regroup before resuming. By the time
they reached Liao’s close orbit, however, the Black Aces were again in the air, this time overwhelming the Blakist fighters and destroy-
ing the Word ’Mechs as they dropped. Despite a heroic defense, the battle-worn mercenary fighters could not maintain the pressure for
long. Worse, having been forced to take on less than full fuel and munitions loads in order to minimize their turn-around times at the sup-
ply fields, many Aces were forced to fight until lack of fuel had them literally dropping from the skies. Determined to go down swinging,
many of these doomed Aces aimed their dying fighters at enemy ‘Mech formations and DropShips. Out of the fifty pilots and fighters who
lifted to meet the Blakist fleet in deep space, only ten Aces pilots and four fighters survived to retreat from Liao under CCAF orders.
Among the casualties was Colonel Hohiru “Great Wyrm” Tanaga, commander of the Hell’s Black Aces.
The Aces’ pitched defense of Liao nonetheless so weakened the Blakist invaders that the Dynasty Guards were able to repel their
initial landing, eventually forcing the enemy into a general retreat. Unconfirmed reports of this defense placed mysterious squadrons of
fighters bearing Aces colors even in these later battles, assisting the Guards and denying aerial supremacy to the Blakists at critical
moments. Whether these mysterious squadrons were simply Aces who were overlooked when their comrades retreated, or—as many
Dynasty Guards came to believe—ghosts of the Aces who fell during the initial landings, what is known is that throughout the Aces’
recovery in 3070, squadrons of the mercenaries’ newer recruits were occasionally unaccounted for in several instances. Indeed, it was
only by December of 3070 that Hell’s Black Aces returned fully to active duty, armed with almost a complete regiment of the
Confederation’s most advanced fighter designs and some of the best pilots to ever defend the skies they once called their own.
Dragoons Rating: A*

Hell’s Black Aces
In the past year, Hell’s Black Aces has become more of an independent CCAF air regiment then a true mercenary command. Only

a handful of non-Capellan pilots remain in their ranks, while most of the current recruits hail directly from the top percentile of the
Confederation’s aerospace universities. Though this has allowed the Aces to maintain almost two full wings of elite pilots, the merce-
naries have also fully embraced Chancellor Liao’s Xin Sheng movement and are rumored to be considering ending their mercenary
career with the end of their present contract in 3075, formally rejoining the CCAF. Until then, out of respect for the remaining foreign
pilots, many of whom are valuable officers, the Aces remain technically freelance.

71

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

HSIEN HOTHEADS

Commanded by Brenn Twohy, a direct descendent of Duke Roderick Twohy of Hsien, the
Hotheads were formed around the exiled Duke’s loyal retainers in the 2780s after the Capellan

annexation of their homeworld forced the Duke and his retainers into exile. Wandering the
Inner Sphere, Twohy’s mercenary company demonstrated a talent for raiding and lightning-
fast planetary assaults. Growing to regimental size, the Hotheads found themselves in debt
and trapped in a long-term contract with the Lyran Commonwealth that finally ended in 3053,
when representatives for the nascent Word of Blake approached then-Colonel Gnaeus
Fitzgerald with an offer. In return for enough money to clear the Hotheads’ debts, the Blakists
wanted the mercenaries to help train their Militia troops. Transported to Blakist training camps
in the Deep Periphery, far from the eyes of ComStar, the Hotheads helped instruct the Word’s
military in the techniques of planetary assault—techniques the Blakists would put to good use
during their 3058 conquest of Terra.

Still on the Word’s payroll, the Hotheads returned to the Inner Sphere—now commanded
by Brenn Twohy, a direct descendant of Duke Roderick Twohy. At the behest of his employers,
Brenn took his troops from Gibson to his ancestral homeworld of Hsien to protect the local HPG
station and support a Level III from the Word’s Fourth Division. Widely celebrated by Hsien’s citizens,
the sudden return of a Twohy was an unwelcome development for the bickering factions on the Chaos
March world. Dendeez Province and Baron Montong formed an alliance to hire the Always Faithful mer-
cenary command, while the increasingly paranoid pro-Capellan planetary government employed several small
mercenary commands such as Grael’s Grinders. Hsien soon began to resemble one big (and wholly dysfunctional) armed encampment.
When the Word of Blake launched its unexpected assault on the rest of the Inner Sphere in 3068, Twohy made his move amidst the
confusion of off-world news reports and heightened local tensions. Rallying the populace against their leaders, Twohy seized control of
Hsien’s capital and his ancestral estates. The Always Faithful tried to contain the situation, but the Blakists had secretly brought a sec-
ond force (the previously unknown Keepers of the Gates III-beta) to support their Wanderers III-iota. In the face of the Blakist onslaught,
the Always Faithful was annihilated.
The Hotheads spent the next three months hunting down the other mercenary commands brought in by the government (though at
this time the fate of Gael’s Grinders remains unknown) while Brenn Twohy—now styling himself the Duke of Hsien—consolidated his
control over the planet with the Word of Blake’s blessings. Within a year’s time, Duke Twohy formally announced Hsien’s membership in
the Blake Protectorate, a move ratified—allegedly—by over seventy percent of the populace after a local referendum.
In response to their continued support for the Blakists, the MRBC has declared the Hotheads a rogue mercenary command. While
no war crimes are currently noted against the mercenaries, MercNet is investigating several allegations made in recent years.

Dragoons Rating: Wanted

Hsien Hotheads
With support from the Word of Blake, the Hotheads have replaced all of their older equipment with the latest BattleMech designs

emerging from Blakist-controlled factories. Now at full strength, the First Battalion remains on Hsien at all times while the others have
been broken up into companies assigned throughout the Protectorate as special cadre units for the Protectorate Militia.

Hsien Cavaliers
Added to the Hotheads order of battle after securing Hsien, the Cavaliers field a battalion of medium armor—much of their equip-

ment was captured from the private armies of the nobles who opposed the Twohy family’s return to power.

Hsien Rifles
Assembled from Hsien’s local militia, the Rifles field a regiment of motorized conventional infantry presently tasked with guarding

the Twohy estate and the capital city. Duke Twohy has been petitioning the Word of Blake for modern equipment—including battle
armor—but so far Lieutenant Colonel Finch had been forced to make do with a collection of small arms and support weapons that, while
well maintained, are effectively antiquated.

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ILLICIAN LANCERS

Once one of the largest, longest-surviving, and most successful mercenary commands in the Inner
Sphere, the Illician Lancers—whose origins stretch back to the days of the Illician Order and the Star
League—have suffered greatly in recent years. While at one time mercenary commands of the Lancers’
stature could afford to sustain heavy casualties in a planetary assault and then spend the following years lick-
ing their wounds, the pace of the Jihad and the many sub-wars that have erupted have been particularly hard
on these troops.

As one of the centerpiece commands for Duke George Hasek’s Operation Sovereign Justice, all four of
the Illician Lancers regiments were sent on the offensive, with the Ninth Rangers successfully spearheading
the initial wave of attacks on Sendalor to battle the St. Cyr’s Armored Hussars, while the others formed a hefty
portion of the second wave. The second wave, like the first, also saw great success, with the Fifty-ninth Strike
Regiment capturing Tsingtao with limited resistance, while the Fourth and Twenty-first Rangers both hit Gei-
Fu as part of a four-regiment mercenary assault that crushed the Third Capellan Defense Force. On Sendalor,
the Ninth Rangers completed their conquest, taking only ten percent casualties overall before preparing for
the next wave.

Sovereign Justice’s third wave saw much more action for the Lancers as the Capellan resistance stiffened
against the Davion invaders. Vong’s Grenadiers moved to retake Tsingtao from the Fifty-ninth Strike, and the reg-
iment was unable to prevent them from establishing a beachhead. Though General Bradley tried to hold the world
for as long as possible, the war of attrition soon left both commands at half strength when her support and supply lines
suddenly dried up and forced the mercenaries to fall back to Redfield. On Imalda, the Twenty-first Rangers enjoyed far
more success, taking the world with little initial resistance while the Ninth struck at Homestead and the Fourth broke off to take Hexare.
On Hexare, the arrival of Renshield’s Dragoons battered the Fourth Rangers, who held strong at first but eventually had to yield
before the Capellans’ superior air support. Shifting to a defensive strategy, the Fourth continued to grind out the Dragoons until Capellan
forces surged against the Rangers’ command company. Desperate as the command broke, Major “Rawhide” Francis led a charge with
most of his battalion against the Dragoons to cover the rest of the Fourth’s retreat to Uruvan just before the 3069 New Year. On
Homestead, things turned bloody when two Capellan regiments struck back against the Ninth Rangers, while the Twenty-first Rangers
faced a combination of the Fifth Capellan Reserve Cavalry and elements of the Death Commandos on Imalda. Using guerrilla tactics,
the Twenty-first managed to evade the Capellans and strike back on occasion until a lack of supplies forced them to retreat back to
Sendalor and, eventually, to Ikast.
Dragoons Rating: Unrated

59th Strike Regiment
Since the general cessation of Capellan-FedSuns hostilities, General Bradley has struggled to gather the Lancers in an effort to

shore up the embattled border. While her command regiment remains damaged but operational, rumors suggest that Bradley may soon
leave her base on Redfield in Colonel Neal Grimm’s hands to take a more active role with the other Illician commands.

4th Illician Rangers
Though heavily battered in the Capellan counterattacks, the Fourth remains an effective defensive or reserve force. Scarred by the

fighting on Hexare, Major Francis prefers a take-no-prisoners strategy on the battlefield, hitting the enemy until they capitulate completely.
Commonly found leading his unit from the front in his Archer, Major Francis instills tenacity in his troops but often finds it difficult to issue
complex strategic commands.

9th Illician Rangers
By far the most devastated of all the Lancer commands, the Ninth can only field less than two companies of ’Mechs. Captain Yalda

(who is reportedly preparing to retire in 3071) serves as the Rangers’ interim commander, where his steady—if not terribly imaginative—
leadership still inspires his troops. Communications between “Papa” Yalda and General Bradley have discussed merging the Ninth into
one of the other Lancer regiments, but no action has been taken as of yet.

21st Illician Rangers
While the Twenty-first has suffered the least material losses, a change in the command staff—former Lt. Colonel Santos left to com-

mand the Lancers’ home guard defenses, while Colonel Zibler retired for “personal reasons”—has shaken this command. Colonel John
Reeves, the regiment’s new commander, is still rough around the edges and very aggressive, which has so far served the unit well, but
with any future offensives likely to rely heavily on the Twenty-first, both the regiment’s mettle and that of its commander may soon be
tested.

73

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

JACOB’S JUGGERNAUTS

After seven meager years working low-rate contracts in the Chaos
March, freshly self-proclaimed Lieutenant-Colonel Jacob McDaniels man-
aged to expand his Jacob’s Juggernauts—once a paltry band of mediocre
Solaris VII warriors—into a full-fledged and battle-ready battalion. Under any
other circumstances, such a development would have raised a few eyebrows in
the mercenary world, but not when it happened to a command under a Word of
Blake contract. Attacking Bryant in 3066 with only six mixed lances, the
Juggernauts emerged two years later with a force a full three companies strong.
Despite immediate reassurances by McDaniels that he simply followed a
legally binding contract, pundits immediately charged that the Juggernauts
sold their loyalties for upgrades, a fact proven when the mercenaries—like so
many others—failed to break their Word of Blake contracts after the MRBC
blacklisted the Word in 3068. Indeed, it was later in that same year that the
Juggernauts redeployed to assist the Word’s conquest of Muphrid, reinforcing the
jihadists’ expansion of their so-called Blake Protectorate. As with all others who
obtained or maintained employment with the Word, the MRBC promptly labeled
Jacob’s Juggernauts Wanted as a result.
Surprisingly, Lieutenant-Colonel McDaniels challenged the verdict, saying it was arbitrary and unfair on the MRBC’s part. But while
demanding reconsideration and a fair proceeding by “neutral non-Dragoons parties,” inside sources later revealed that the Colonel was
probably not as genuinely concerned about the MRBC ruling as he seemed. In fact, McDaniels objections bought him time to calm inter-
nal disputes within his own command, disputes fired by long-time armor commander Lieutenant Santos Coreesto, who saw his worries
about a Faustian deal with the Word of Blake coming to life all around him.
How McDaniels eventually subdued this challenge to his authority—which eventually included a growing number of Juggernauts
warriors—remains unclear at this time. Juggernaut members are tight-lipped about the affair and tend to deny that anything noteworthy
happened, despite some media sources that claim the Colonel simply snapped and shot his long-time tank commander. All that is known
is that in August of 3069, Ruther Spikes was appointed the new commander of Juggernaut Armor. That Lieutenant Santos Careesto and
many of his supporters subsequently appeared on MIA lists speaks volumes to the media rumors.
Newsfeeds on the Juggernauts have calmed markedly since then. Except for several relocations among the planets of the Blake
Protectorate, the Juggernauts have seen no notable action in the Jihad so far. Using this effective downtime for extensive training, the
command is still reportedly attempting to cope with its recent expansions. The integration of the new combat lances is apparently not
going as well as Colonel McDaniels has hoped, but whether the cause is all the modern materiel not fitting well with existing assets, or
whether some active meddling on the Word’s behalf is underway cannot be determined as of this writing. The same guesswork applies
for the mercenaries’ frequent relocations: for a force that does not possess its own DropShips or JumpShips and has yet to take part in
any hard fighting, the Word is sinking a lot of resources into repeatedly shuffling this single mercenary battalion. In fact, the command’s
latest relocation from Bryant—sometime in mid-3071, after a mere month back home—has many wondering where the Juggernauts will
strike next.
Dragoons Rating: Wanted

Jacob’s Juggernauts
McDaniels had already placed his first of several orders for cut-rate BattleMechs produced by the Word of Blake when his employ-

ers approached him with another enticing offer: they would lease the command a full company of ’Mechs and armor, plus support
materiel, if the Juggernauts could provide the personnel to operate the machines. McDaniels eagerly agreed, rounding out his force with
another lance of heavies and adding a third of mediums.

Juggernaut Armor
Von Luckners remain the Juggernauts’ signature vehicle and with a full company, Juggernaut Armor has rebuilt its tactics around

the two Demolishers and the brand-new Ajaxes their employers scrounged up for them. The company’s performance has not yet reached
its 3067 peak, however, and Captain Ruther Spikes is finding it difficult to fit in his predecessor’s very large shoes.

74

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

KELL HOUNDS

Formed in 3010 by Morgan and Patrick Kell, two brothers distantly relat-
ed to the Steiner family, and founded on a basis of solid technical support and
unwavering loyalty, the Kell Hounds proved their mettle in the latter years of the
Third Succession War while fighting for House Davion on Mallory’s World. In the
Hounds’ career, this mercenary command has seen its share of drama, from the epic
clashes against Yorinaga Kurita, the brief defection of over half the command’s forces
under co-founder Morgan Kell’s lead, and the defense of Luthien together with the Wolf’s
Dragoons and old enemies in House Kurita. All of these actions have only added to the leg-
endary stature of this storied force, which has come to embody the spirit and honor of the
modern mercenary.
Even after the Clan invasion, the Hounds continued to play a role in some of the more
momentous events of recent military history. In 3057, they aided in the survival of Clan Wolf’s
Warden warriors (led by Morgan’s once-estranged son Phelan) when they fled into exile amid the
Wolf-Jade Falcon Refusal War. Later, in 3060, they provided support in Operation Bulldog against
the Smoke Jaguars, while at the same time forming the core of the loyal opposition to Archon
Katherine Steiner-Davion and her secession of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth.
Morgan Kell and his Hounds would even play a key role in the final battles of the FedCom Civil War,
helping to reclaim Tharkad from Katherine’s regent and establishing the reign of Archon Peter Steiner-
Davion to restore order in the Alliance.
With the outbreak of the Jihad, the Kell Hounds have again become a focal point of history, first by offering shelter for the remains
of the shattered Wolf’s Dragoons, and then by rallying fellow mercenaries along the Lyran/Falcon border. Working in close concert with
Adam Steiner, General of the Armies for the Lyran Alliance, and the meager LAAF forces left on hand to oppose the Falcons’ oppor-
tunistic invasion, the Hounds have seen their fair share of combat and have suffered significant losses in the savage fighting to contain
this new threat. By far the worst came in June of 3069, when Kell Hound commander Daniel Allard was killed in the defense of Graceland
against a Jade Falcon assault.
The impact of Allard’s loss was felt keenly by not only the upper levels of the Kell Hounds’ command staff, but also by the Lyran
Alliance military and the Steiner family. On Arc-Royal, Grand Duke Morgan Kell declared a week of mourning for the loss of his son-in-
law and all those who died defending the Alliance against the Clan threat, while Margrave Adam Steiner posthumously awarded Allard
the Alliance Medal of Honor in a heartfelt ceremony on Atocongo.
Dragoons Rating: A* (both regiments)

First Kell Hounds Regiment
The First Kell Hounds were stationed on Graceland when Clan Jade Falcon’s Rho, Iota, and Mu Galaxies—collectively led by Star

Colonel Taman Malthus—struck that world in June of 3069. In the bitter fighting, the Hounds found themselves outmaneuvered by the
First Falcon Velites, Second Falcon Jaegers, and the 124th Striker Cluster. Discarding zellbrigen, the Falcon forces overwhelmed the
Hounds’ Wild Dogs Battalion and Unit Command Lance, headed by Lt. Colonel Allard, killing the Kell Hounds commander before any
support could arrive. Command of the First Hounds—and all Kell Hounds—fell to Lt. Colonel Akira Brahe, though it soon became clear
that Allard’s loss and the Falcons’ relentless assault left the Graceland defense untenable.

Broken and demoralized, the First Hounds fell back to New Exford. Though the First Hounds—augmented by elements of both LAAF
and Wolf (in Exile) forces—managed to foil a recent Falcon raid against that world, it remains to be seen if the battered command has
yet overcome the devastating psychological impact of Allard’s death.

Second Kell Hounds Regiment
With news of Allard’s death amid a new wave of Falcon strikes, the Second Hounds Greyhounds and Wolfhounds Battalions were

moved forward to man the border defenses on Esteros in early 3070. This action left defense of Arc-Royal to a single Kell Hounds bat-
talion, as well as elements of Khan Phelan Kell’s Clan Wolf (in-Exile), the decimated remains of Wolf’s Dragoons, and a host of smaller
mercenary and LAAF troops. Although a Falcon raid in early 3071 inflicted some losses, the Second Hounds maintain a commanding
force on the Clan front.

75

FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

KHASPAROV’S KNIGHTS

In late 3060, fearing that local government instabilities and pirate raids would cause
a loss of valuable trade with the Chaos March worlds of Acamar and Genoa, General
Motors of Kathil and Johnston Industries of New Syrtis conceived Operation Stiletto. As a
corporate-backed peacekeeping mission intended to restore stability on both worlds,
Stiletto employed an array of smaller mercenary commands toward that goal and, launched
in 3061, the mission was led by GM’s Security Director, Brigadier Anton Corrigan. Among
the opposing forces to Task Force Acamar was Calvin Noru, a local leader based out of the
city of Kalskag. Noru’s coalition included among its number a host of legitimate local forces,
pirate forces, and semi-legitimate mercenary commands. Included among the latter group
were Khasparov’s Knights.

Originally formed in 3015, presumably from a collection of shattered regular and mer-
cenary troops that backed Anton Marik during his 3014 revolt, Khasparov’s Knights reached
its pinnacle in the Chaos March of 3057, when it boasted a mixed regiment of BattleMechs
and conventional armor. Modestly equipped, the regular-rated mercenary force had a some-
what checkered career by this point, with a fair share of brilliant performances broken by occa-
sional allegations of contract breach. But it was a reputation on the mend since Colonel Jesús
Khasparov had taken command of the outfit in 3055.

The Knights’ fast track to greatness, however, came to a screeching halt when they accept-
ed a retainer with Calvin Noru and his Kalskag coalition. Though backed by the Provisional Acamar
Cavalry and the Legion of Truth mercenary commands as well as the Knights, Noru’s coalition also incorpo-
rated the likes of the Scarlet Guard, Connor’s Ransackers, and Robert’s Dreaded—three mercenary forces that had allowed themselves
to slide ever closer to outright banditry. Realizing that the desperate situation on Acamar demanded equally desperate means to form a
provisional government and peacekeeping force, Khasparov tried to ignore some of the more obvious excesses of Acamar’s would-be
defenders for several years before the arrival of the Stiletto forces in early 3061.
During the devastating fighting for Kalskag, the Knights lost over two companies of their force. Among the dead was Colonel
Khasparov himself, leaving command of the battered mercenaries to Brevet-Colonel Ian Rombus. The Knights were still mourning their
losses when, almost two months later, Noru’s coalition fell apart in the wake of a crippling Task Force Acamar victory. A disgusted
General Sline of the Legion of Truth decided to use the failure as an impetus for his own coup, arresting Noru and sentencing him to
death with the tacit support of the bandit forces from Noru’s fragmenting coalition. The act of betrayal finally pushed the Provisional
Cavalry and the Knights over the edge, and the two units banded together to shatter Sline’s Legion and rescue their employer. Rombus
then quit Kalskag and Acamar altogether, leading his Knights off-world with Noru and his supporters in tow.
Apparently seeking their next several contracts through the hiring halls on Fletcher, the Knights dropped off radar for a few years.
Resurfacing in 3064—still under Colonel Rombus’ command—the Knights had once again returned to their full pre-Acamar strength as
employees of the Word of Blake and were employed for a time on Ingress as support for the Word of Blake’s First Division forces there.
Their contract renewed in 3066, the Knights remained in the Word’s employ even after the start of the Jihad and were among the forces
beaten off the Combine world of Quentin when it fell under attack in 3069. Though the Knights were seriously damaged, the subsequent
departure of the Tenth Ghost regiment allowed them to return in 3070, where they and the Word have capitalized on the output of the
captured ’Mech factories.
Dragoons Rating: Wanted

Khasparov’s Knights
The Knights’ BattleMech forces currently consist of two under-strength battalions of mostly older heavy and assault ’Mech designs,

with a few refurbished machines and cutting-edge designs seeded throughout, provided either by Word of Blake or directly from the cap-
tured Independece Weaponry plant on Quentin. Though the departing Tenth Ghost forces sabotaged the plant first, the Knights and their
Blakist employers were able to salvage almost the entire facility when they returned to the planet in 3070.

As with all mercenary forces presently employed by Word of Blake, Khasparov’s Knights have been declared Wanted by the MRBC.
Allegations of suspected war crimes against this veteran-rated command exist but have not been substantiated as of this writing.

Khasparov’s Rooks
The armor support battalion of the Knights, the Rooks make use of a preponderance of medium-weight vehicles and hovercraft, as

well as two lances’ worth of artillery vehicles. These units tend to form the supporting line in any offensive missions the Knights take part
in, flanking opposing formations and delivering a constant harassing fire that forces the enemy to contend with two threats at the same
time.

76

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

KILLER BEES

Formed in 3025 as a group of Cal-Boeing test pilots turned reconnaissance
specialists, the Killer Bees have racked up many victories through the years by
relying on the skill and stealth of its highly mobile force. Their career has seen
them along the Lyran-Combine borders of the late 3020s, raiding the
Combine’s Alshain Military District in 3039, pirate hunting in the Rasalhague
Periphery, and—after the coming of the Clans—even working for ComStar’s
Explorer Corps.

In 3067, the Bees were under special employment with the SLDF
Intelligence Command, hunting Periphery bandits claiming to be Smoke
Jaguars when the Word of Blake Jihad began. After news reached the mer-
cenaries of the Blakist attack on Tukayyid that destroyed the First Royal
BattleMech Regiment in 3068, the Bees mobilized to return to their base world.
Though the Star League was gone, the Bees had left friends and family behind
on Tukayyid, and Major Ernst Murdoch was adamant that his command would
leave nobody behind.
Armed with the best charts the Explorer Corps could produce, Murdoch
brought the Invader-class JumpShip Queen Bee into the Tukayyid system at a covert
pirate point. Taking the Hornet’s Nest, the Bees Leopard-class DropShip, he led his
command to the hellish region known as the Devil’s Bath, a seething region of mud pits
and hot springs the Bees had extensively scouted during past training exercises. The heat
from the geothermal vents masked the Bees’ grounded DropShip, and the unwary would
find it exceptionally hard going to penetrate the region.
Grounding northeast of Kelly Springs, Murdoch was shocked to find that—in addition to his
own people—almost two hundred dependents and wounded from the Twenty-first Centauri Lancers
had taken sanctuary near the Devil’s Bath. Knowing he could never get them all out in the Hornet’s Nest,
but also realizing that the Blakists would swarm the area upon liftoff, the Bees loaded their own dependents and the Lancers’ wounded,
while their heavily stealthed light ’Mech lance staged diversions to cover a relocation of the rest of the Lancers’ dependents. The oper-
ation worked perfectly, with the Blakists chasing electronic ghosts around the granite spires of Kelly Springs. Meanwhile, the Bees’ spe-
cial operations team, led by Captain John Smith, melted away into the countryside. Running the gauntlet, the Hornet’s Nest launched
two days later, narrowly avoiding the Blakist blockade. The operation was costly, with three Bees ’Mechs and two aerospace fighters lost.
Two months later, the Killer Bees returned. Prepared by intelligence from the Lancer survivors, Murdoch knew that scattered sur-
vivors from the Com Guards, First Royal BattleMech Regiment, and the Twenty-first Centauri Lancers remained on Tukayyid. Persuading
ComStar to fund efforts to retrieve them, his mission focused on gathering these scattered survivors at a pre-arranged rally point, with
Captain Smith—still on-planet—making most of the arrangement. This mission took everything in Murdoch’s bag of tricks to slip by the
Blakist aerospace forces, while the Bees’ second Leopard-class DropShip, the Gall Wasp, drew the orbiting WarShips out of position with
the aid of an elaborate sensor ruse. The break gave the Hornet’s Nest the window it needed to perform a dangerously hot landing and
lift off again a mere ten minutes later, with the survivors of Smith’s team and another twenty-three refugees on board.
The Killer Bees would make one more attempt to break the Blakist blockade in August of 3068, but the Word’s increasing familiari-
ty with the mercenaries’ ploys forced them to abort the attempt. With Tukayyid now considered too hot, ComStar sought other opportu-
nities for the Bees to sting the Word of Blake. Over the past two years, the Bees have reportedly been conducting reconnaissance mis-
sions within the expanding territories of the Blake Protectorate. Determined to avoid the mistakes of Case White, Precentor-Martial Victor
Steiner-Davion has apparently chosen this course to ascertain the defenses and weaknesses of the Word’s new hegemony before com-
mitting his battered Com Guard to any future attacks.
Dragoons Rating: C

Killer Bees
After almost three years of near-constant action against the Word of Blake, the Killer Bees have had little time to plug in the grow-

ing holes within their order of battle. Worst hit has been their aerospace elements, which have borne the brunt of their efforts to get past
Blakist interceptors during each mission.

Since the liberation of Tukayyid by the Ghost Bears, Murdoch has been contacted by James LeMonds, the senior-most surviving
officer of the Twenty-first Centauri Lancers. Acting Colonel LeMonds has reportedly offered the Bees a place within a rebuilt Lancers reg-
iment.

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KIRKPATRICK’S INVADERS

Kirkpatrick’s Invaders were born as the successors of Kirkpatrick’s Bandit Killers, a minor mercenary
battalion shattered by the Clan invasion of Erewhon in 3049. Claiming a niche for themselves as anti-Clan
raiders throughout the 3050s and early 3060s, the Invaders grew from a ravaged company of misfits to

a full, reinforced battalion of three semi-independent companies in barely ten years’ time. However, the
3061 death of their commander, Colonel Morgana Kirkpatrick-LaFayre, soon led the mercenaries out
of their chosen area of operations. Drawn by a former Invaders member into the Kaumberg Conflict of
3063, the Invaders found themselves embroiled in a microcosm of the coming FedCom Civil War. This
brushfire war in the boondocks of Lyran space gave Kirkpatrick and his Invaders their first real taste of
the fratricidal civil war, as well as the treacherous nature of an ongoing insurgency when followers of
the deposed LeSat family staged at least two major uprisings in 3066 and 3067.

Though initially reluctant to release the mercenaries from his employ, Baron Trent Hasseldorf, the
former Invader who had hired the command to help stabilize Kaumberg, allowed Margrave Caesar Steiner
to buy up the Invaders’ retainer for unspecified defensive duties in the Cavanaugh Theater. Departing short-
ly after the mid-3067 pro-LeSat uprising, Kirkpatrick led his Invaders to their new base on Arcadia, arriving
mere months before the start of the Blakist Jihad. With Margrave Steiner’s assassination in February of 3068
and the subsequent outbreak of fighting all along the Free Worlds border, the Invaders found themselves attached
to the Skye-Bolan offensive and paired up with Group W to invade the world of Togwotee during the first wave of the assault.
Though Togwotee pitted the Invaders as the vanguard against a poorly equipped and outclassed local militia, it took the mercenar-
ies close to two weeks to put down the scattered vehicular and infantry forces. This allowed Group W to move on to Ideyld, but when the
League forces finally began hitting back a mere month later, the Lyran offensive was quickly imperiled. By early September of 3068, the
Invaders received orders to fall back to Arcadia. While still en route, however, the First Atrean Dragoons assaulted the planet, overcom-
ing the local defenses in short order. Unwilling to commit his command to an assault against a fanatical and dangerous force three times
the size of his own, Kirkpatrick relayed a request for new instructions from the Bolan command.
Just in time for the Word of Blake White-Out.
With communications hopelessly scrambled, the Invaders jumped first to Ford and then to Arcadia, finding both worlds either already
seized by League troops or under assault at the time. Lacking support and clear orders, Kirkpatrick remained reluctant to set his forces
down anywhere until word reached him of a raid in progress on Gienah. Deciding that his command could do the most good against the
reported rabble of mercenary raiders, Kirkpatrick led the Invaders to Gienah, arriving in late November—nearly two full months after the
Gienah planetary government had sent out its call for assistance.
The Invaders’ eventual arrival caught fragments of surviving League mercenaries in the midst of a brutal series of clashes among
one another, fighting borne of their internal divisions and the efforts of the shattered Gienah resistance. Though the Invaders were able
to destroy the remnant attackers piecemeal over the next week, frustration over their delayed arrival made for a chilly response from the
locals after the last League forces withdrew. Faulting the Invaders’ delay for every extra week the League mercenaries remained on their
world, many of Gienah’s natives—dismayed over the sheer level of devastation caused by their infighting—made Kirkpatrick their per-
sonal scapegoat. Though the Invaders’ commander has kept his forces on-planet to defend against future incursions, this simmering pub-
lic resentment, born of the loss of so many of the planet’s prominent factories, has combined with the awareness of League troops loom-
ing on several nearby worlds to create what the local media calls “a pressure-cooker environment.”
Dragoons Rating: B

Kirkpatrick’s Invaders
Salvage from the fragmented League mercenary forces on Gienah has allowed the Invaders to restore almost all of the damage

they have sustained since the start of the Jihad and the actions on Togwotee and Gienah. Despite this, however, the command is cur-
rently operating short one lance, as Lt. Colonel Kirkpatrick has been forced to temporarily discipline one of his own. Though she main-
tains her innocence, Warriors of Steel Company commander Ilse Ansuelo remains in solitary confinement on the Invaders’ base, pend-
ing an investigation into charges of her “excessive zeal” in containing a recent demonstration in the battle-ravaged remains of downtown
Molfetta.

78

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

KNIGHTS OF ST. CAMERON

Often derided for their emphasis on personal honor, the Knights of St. Cameron
seemed destined for decommission when the Clans destroyed both regiments during their
initial invasion. However, a handful of survivors managed to rebuild the command in 3053,
and few paid much attention to the resurrected Knights at first, expecting them to be just like
their predecessors; a collection of semi-skilled MechWarriors with nothing but good intentions
and poorly maintained equipment. But while the new Knights indeed still championed the poor
and the weak, they soon also proved themselves to be both well-equipped and skilled com-

batants—as their stunning victory against the Fourth Davion Guards on Ft. Louden
proved during the FedCom Civil War.

In 3069, the LAAF detailed the Knights to support the reactivated Thorin FTM (more
popularly known as Archer’s Avengers) in mounting a counterattack against the Jade Falcon
Occupation Zone. By striking at Baker 3, the Lyrans hoped to cut the Falcon territory in two, forcing the Clan to divert forces to re-secure
its lines of communication. Unfortunately, the Falcons prepared for such an eventuality this time. Instead of facing the Tenth Provisional
Garrison Cluster, the Inner Sphere strike force found itself facing the Seventh and Eighth Talon Clusters. The Falcons discounted the
Knights of St. Cameron as a significant threat, however, concentrating fully on the Avengers instead. Thus, the Clansmen were com-
pletely unprepared for the speed and precision of the Knights’ response. Swinging wide around where the Seventh Talon was engaged
with the Avengers, the Knights hammered into the Seventh’s rear. When Star Colonel Daniel Kyle’s Night Gyr fell to Gauss rifle fire from
Lt. Colonel David Robstein’s Excalibur in the first seconds, the resulting confusion proved nearly fatal for the Seventh Talon. Hardly slow-
ing, the Knights shattered the Cluster, destroying nearly every one of the Clanner ’Mechs. They then struck the Eighth Talon’s flank, buy-
ing the surviving Avengers in time to retreat before disengaging themselves.
Pulling back to Deia, the battered Knights, Avengers, and the surviving elements of the Second Wolf Legion (smashed in the previ-
ous month by the Falcons on Pasig) had just weeks to prepare for the arrival of the Eighth Talon and Fourth Falcon Dragoons. When
they arrived in July, the enraged Falcons concentrated on the Knights first, only to have the Avengers and Wolves duplicate the Knights’
flanking tactics to hurt the Fourth Dragoons. Though too weak to smash the Dragoons, these attacks forced the Falcons to pull back and
reconsider their approach. Probing strikes followed, pinning the allies in place until the arrival of the First Falcon Striker Cluster in August.
Fresh from their conquest of Mkuranga, the Strikers’ arrival ended all hope of holding Deia. Committing his aerospace assets to cover
the withdrawal, Colonel Dewey led the combined retreat to Great X, joining the badly mauled Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards RCT (the
same force pasted by the Falcons on Mkuranga). Expecting the vengeful Falcons to continue their pursuit, the surviving Avengers and
Arcturan Guards began to erect strong points while the Knights set up dispersed caches of supplies. Distracted by events elsewhere,
the Falcons did not focus their attention on the Knights until the end of 3070.
When all four surviving Clusters from the Falcons’ Delta Galaxy finally began their assault on Great X in early January of 3071, they
faced defenders who had spent several months preparing for them. Evenly matched on both sides, the battle quickly bogged down into
a stalemate, tying up the Falcons for months. As of this writing, the Falcons’ advance has halted on Great X, but the Clan forces have
yet to withdraw, suggesting another push could come as soon as one side or the other manages to tip the balance of power in its favor.
Dragoons Rating: B+

Knights of St. Cameron
Colonel Mortimer Dewey used the same recruitment criteria to rebuild his command as the Knights’ original founder, Martin Gluck.

To become a Knight, a candidate must first be able to trace their ancestry back to members of the SLDF. Starting with a seemingly bot-
tomless war chest and several companies of BattleMechs and aerospace fighters (many of Star League design), Dewey rebuilt the
Knights into a far better equipped and trained command. The Colonel remains evasive about his source of this funding, and speculation
has been rife with rumors that claim everything from Dewey’s discovery of a long-forgotten SLDF weapons cache to secret backing by
the Word of Blake.

Under-strength from their incessant battles with Clan Jade Falcon, the Knights are nonetheless in remarkably good shape. Salvage
taken from the battlefield has provided the regiment with a smattering of Clan technology, though they have yet to capture a reasonably
intact OmniMech.

Angles of St. Cameron
The Angels have proven invaluable in preventing the Falcons from dominating the skies over the Knights’ battlefields. They suffered

heavy casualties during the escape from Deia but have been able to get half their craft flying again with aid from the Arcturan Guards.

79

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KRAKEN UNLEASHED

Drawing together experts in amphibious and underwater warfare, Major Phill McBain man-
aged to pull together one of the most unique mercenary commands to register with the

MRBC—the Kraken Unleashed. During their stint on the Capellan world of Remshield,
these wet-naval specialists underwent their true trial by fire during a pirate raid in late
3066. Able to divide the attacking raiders through an expert use of the planet’s extensive
waterways and amphibious infantry, the Unleashed captured over two lances of heavy
’Mechs and vehicles. Keeping a few Saracens for his command, Major McBain sold the
rest off at substantial profit, and he subsequently used his XO’s extensive contacts with-
in the Free Worlds League to purchase an Argo-class submersible carrier. The massive

vessel, damaged in a 3065 Hegemony raid on San Nicolas, was due to be scuttled but with
some arm-twisting and back-room dealings Major Nielson Gousteau managed to purchase the
hulk of the SNS Snake River and have it shipped in pieces to the Krakens.
Impressed by the vigorous defense of Remshield, the Confederation extended Kraken Unleashed’s contract and relocated them to
Principia. There, the mercenaries’ specialized combat experience would be better served protecting the Confederation’s seat of jurispru-
dence (which also happened to be the site of several Capellan noble’s estates away from home). Unable to transport the converted sea
tenders his command had built for their waterborne forces, McBain sold the massive ships at a reduced price to the Remshield govern-
ment. The profit made from the sale went towards the shipping cost of redirecting their incoming Argo to its new garrison post.
Arriving on Principia in late 3069, the Kraken quickly became acclimated to their new surroundings. Taking an instant liking to the
planetary militia, McBain began a series of war games and training exercises to help coordinate the two forces.
In August of 3070, the Kraken’s Argo finally arrived—in three main sections carried by two Mule DropShips. The mercenaries tem-
porarily boosted the local shipwright economy with their three-month refit and repair of the Snake River. When finally launched in
November, the River sported the planetary militia’s small squadron of Mechbuster fighters and four Oscars. The River began her initial
patrols in plain view of many of the Capellan estates, a show of strength McBain felt necessary to assure the local nobility after
Andurien’s recent break with the fragmenting Free Worlds.
In March of 3071, the locals’ fears were justified. Hoping to steal the world from the Confederation while attention was focused on
Davion and Protectorate fronts, the newly formed First Andurien Rangers made planetfall on Pyongyang Island. Seeking to destroy as
many of the shoreline palatial estates as they could, the Rangers hoped to cow the nobility into ceding the world to Andurien.
The strategy worked for only one day as the Snake River made all haste through a sudden gale to get into a strike position.
Meanwhile, the Kraken’s Mermen utilized their fast-attack hovercraft to zip along the shoreline and drop several small infantry platoons
that began to harass the strung-out Andurien battalion. The Mermen’s combat engineers blew several auxiliary bridges—many part of
the defunct Pyongyang Railway—in order to force the Rangers onto one main throughway. Once the Anduriens found themselves overex-
tended along the coast, the militia’s Mechbusters, launched from the Snake River’s deck, tore into their ’Mechs and vehicles. Having sur-
vived a day of constant sniping only to be on the receiving end of an unexpected aerial assault, the Rangers’ morale broke. The Andurien
forces wasted no time in fleeing Principia.
Dragoons Rating: C

Kraken Unleashed
Not fully functional, thanks to the scarcity of parts that are available only in Free Worlds space, the Snake River can only submerge

for short periods of time but has nonetheless become the centerpiece for the mercenaries’ main body. Still, with most of the manpower
for the carrier coming from the local militia and civilian populace, many local observers believe the Unleashed will leave the carrier in
their hands when they leave Principia.

Major McBain has drilled his forces constantly in both underwater engagements and surface harassment. A favored tactic is to use
the command’s lighter hovercraft to draw an enemy force toward the coastal beaches, where several lurking submarines—augmented
by the River—can spring up in ambush.

The Mermen
Now over a regiment in size thanks to the civilian volunteers who signed on to serve with the Snake River, Major Gousteau is try-

ing to acquire battle armor from the CCAF with no luck. In the meantime, the Mermen train along with the Kraken’s hover and subma-
rine APCs, attempting to find new ways to stretch their capabilities for maximum tactical effect.

The Flying Fish
Made up of a mix of Mechbusters and Oscars, the newly renamed Flying Fish are officially the air-support wing of the Principia mili-

tia, on loan to the Kraken Unleashed. Fully half of the pilots are still untrained in water recovery landings.

80

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

THE KRUSHERS

The Krushers began as the legacy of Kristen Marik, a scion of
Captain-General Janos Marik, who chose the mercenary life over the
prospect of a career spent in unearned positions simply by virtue of her
family name. During her stint with the Langendorf Lancers, she rose from a
humble technician under an assumed name to a MechWarrior driving a cap-
tured Hunchback. Her father’s assassination in 3035 left Kristen with an inheri-
tance large enough to form her own command. Thus, in 3037, Kristen’s Krushers
was born around Kristen Marik and a cadre of fellow ex-Lancers, and the unit was given
its first contracts with the Free Worlds League through a clause in the late Janos Marik’s
will.
In 3059, after several contracts for both the Free Worlds League and ComStar,
Kristen’s Krushers finally achieved their founder’s lifelong goal of attaining Inner Sphere-wide
recognition with a contract to garrison the Lyran Alliance world of Coventry. Unfortunately, the out-
break of the FedCom Civil War soon found the command thrust into the middle of the Steiner-Davion conflict, and an untrusting LAAF
commander turned on the mercenary forces. Forced to flee and hounded by Lyran agents, the Krushers limped for League space. Their
interplanetary chase finally ended on the border world of Arcadia, when League Marshall Jeremy Brett—in defiance of Captain-General
Thomas Marik—launched a rescue mission to reclaim the ravaged forces. Tragically, only two companies of Kristen’s Krushers regiment
survived, with Kristen herself and two of her children among the casualties.
Kristen’s death left her legacy—both as commander of the Krushers and Duchess of Augustine—to her only surviving daughter,
Alys Rousset-Marik. An untested military commander, Alys left day-to-day operations of her mother’s command to her father, Colonel Jiri
Rousset, while leading a political crusade against the Captain-General she blamed for abandoning her family in its greatest moment of
need. Her championship of the “Great Debate,” calling for the repeal of the Free Worlds League’s General Resolution 288, would rage
for nearly a year in the Marik Parliament.
Then came the Jihad.
When Word of Blake forces and turncoat FWLM forces assaulted Atreus in October of 3068, all but wiping out Parliament and expos-
ing the Captain-General as a fraud, Alys suddenly found herself aligned against a common foe alongside a man now known to be her
uncle’s impostor. Committed to defending the fragmenting Free Worlds League against a greater threat than she could imagine, her
Krushers, scarcely rebuilt to half of their former strength, became the core of a new resistance movement. Building an alliance of rebel
forces, former FWLM commands, and mercenaries, Alys Rousset-Marik finally joined her late mother’s regiment in the field, and she has
spent the months and years since using these forces to strike at Blakist interests from Stewart and Marik to Zion and Sirius.
Since forming the core of Duchess Rousset-Marik’s resistance, the Krushers have allowed their registration as mercenaries under
the MRBC to lapse. Representatives for this command on Galatea have shifted from the recruitment of warriors and have refused all
contract offers in favor of hiring other mercenary forces to back up their own actions. These factors have compelled the Commission to
review the Krushers’ status as a mercenary unit in their own right, and efforts are underway to re-classify the Krushers and their com-
mander as a legitimate employer instead.
Dragoons Rating: B (Under Review)

The Krushers
Sighted on no less than two dozen worlds since October of 3068, often operating in conjunction with various rebel troops, the

Krushers’ exact strength can only be estimated as of this writing. Battle damage sustained in over three years of constant fighting would
surely have reduced the command’s strength, but Duchess Rousset-Marik’s skill in raising new recruits may have allowed her core force
to grow since the onset of the Jihad in League space. Reliable reports placed nearly a full battalion of Krusher units on Oliver in mid-
3070, when the rebel force helped relieve the embattled Legion of the Rising Sun—one of the Duchess’ hirelings. In that battle with the
newly renamed Twelfth Word of Blake Division (formerly the Sixth Free Worlds Legionnaires), the Krushers managed to devastate most
of the turncoats’ infantry assets and a full two companies of ’Mechs and armor while losing barely two lances in trade.

81

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LANGENDORF LANCERS

Originally a corporate security force for the merchant cartels of Calloway IV, the
Langendorf Lancers transitioned to independent mercenary command after a series of
disagreements with their former employers. Employed by the Free Worlds League until
their contract was transferred to the Capellan Confederation in 3058, the Lancers were
one of many commands that found themselves in the battle zones of the Chaos March.
Sent to Epsilon Indi in support of pro-Capellan factions trying to take control of the gov-
ernment, the Lancers were stymied when yet another mercenary command—the Tooth
of Ymir—was brought in by Duke Abraham to oppose them.

The uneasy peace this stalemate brought finally shattered in 3067 when the
Second Com Guard Division inexplicably attacked the Tooth of Ymir, prompting that com-
mand to withdraw. Just months later, the Second Division was attacked by the Word of
Blake. Ignoring the Second’s pleas for support, the Lancers crashed the spaceport
perimeter, boarded two freighters, and forced the crew to fly them off Epsilon Indi. When
they finally arrived at Galatea, the Lancers were censured by the MRBC for their seizure
of the DropShips, but the Commission eventually conceded that the circumstances had
been extraordinary. With his Capellan contract defaulted by the Lancers’ retreat from Epsilon Indi, Colonel Millsey immediately began the
search for a new contract. With Lyran troops striking into the Free Worlds League, Tamarind Marshall Jeremy Brett scrambled to assem-
ble a counterattack. Given the Lancers’ long history with the Free Worlds, hiring the unit was an obvious match.
Part the forces sent to liberate Preston, the Lancers ran into trouble when the League task force came under an Alliance aerospace
attack. The inexperienced Lancers’ aerospace wing, unfortunately, failed to coordinate its operations with the rest of the League flotilla.
As Lyran Chippewas and Eisensturms bore down on the transports carrying the mercenaries, Lancer Lightnings and Stingrays raced to
block them, abandoning their supporting League fighters. Although the Lyran attack was turned back short of the transports, the
Langendorf Attack Wing suffered heavy losses for their mistake.
Compared to the desperate battle during the approach, the fighting on the ground was fairly routine. Grounding east of Basingstoke
City, Marshall Brett’s attack plan assigned the Lancers the right wing of a plan to encircle the city and isolate the First Skye Jaegers. At
first, progress was steady despite stiff resistance from Lyran armor and conventional infantry. But the Lancers began to fall behind Brett’s
timetable when Lyran forces hotly contested their crossing of the Cathcart River. A day behind schedule, the Lancers eventually closed
their half of the pincer, but the hold-up at Cathcart River had allowed most of the Jaegers to slip out of the League trap. It would take
more weeks of hard fighting before the Lyrans finally abandoned the planet.
Following the liberation of Preston, the Lancers moved on with the rest of the League task force to drive the Lyrans from Rexberg,
Pingree, and Sheridan. On Sheridan, the mercenaries’ supposedly secure landing came under intense artillery attack from Thor’s
Hammer, a mercenary artillery troop contracted to support the Lyran advance. Caught midway through their debarkation, the Lancers’
Third Battalion suffered heavy casualties.
Eventually victorious on Sheridan, the Lancers’ final target in the counter-offensive was McAffe. Soon after swiftly taking the world
from the fleeing Lyran invaders, the mercenaries received orders to remain in position and since have become the planet’s assigned gar-
rison force.
Dragoons Rating: C

Langendorf Lancers
Though their medium BattleMechs were less expensive to purchase and maintain, the Lancers forced river crossing on Preston

demonstrated the liability of these lighter designs against dug-in heavy armor and infantry. As a result of these lessons, Colonel Millsey
is reportedly looking into upgrading at least one or two ’Mechs per company to heavier machines.

Force Commander George Wesley was badly wounded during the artillery attack that greeted the Lancers on Sheridan. Now fitted
with a prosthetic arm, his return to duty has been disquieting among many of the predominantly League-born Lancers.

Langendorf Attack Wing
Hit hard during the approach to Preston, the Attack Wing’s confidence remains badly shaken from the blow delivered by Lyran

assault fighters. Major Birke faces an uphill struggle to rebuild both her Wing and the shaken morale of her pilots.

82

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

LANGFORD WRAITHS

In 3039, Elizabeth Langford’s mother, Kommandant Lise Langford of the LCAF, was
killed in action. Forlorn, her father, Colonel John Langford (another career officer), left the

military to join the Blue Star Irregulars. Elizabeth followed, coming to age in the 21st Rim
Worlds Regiment, and fought alongside him during the Clan Invasion. When the 21st
was nearly crushed by Clan Jade Falcon in 3054, John Langford was killed, but
Elizabeth continued on with the mercenaries until she met Captain Roy Hemmer and
his daughter, Jane, in 3058.

The Hemmers owned a Leopard DropShip affectionately called The Dream and
made their living taking on small mercenary jobs along the Periphery. Resigning from
the Irregulars, Elizabeth joined Roy and his daughter, picking up strays and salvage
along the way, including a damaged Watchman from a deal gone sour and a Cyclops
from an employer in lieu of payment. When the elder Hemmer died on a late-3061 mission,
Jane assumed command of the family Leopard and together she, Elizabeth, and their small
crew continued to take small jobs, barely eking out an existence in the outer dark.
All of that changed in 3064, when they accepted a job for a FedSuns family wanting their
son extracted from the Combine world of Ashio. Along with seven other mercenary commands—all
hired by well-off Davion families searching for their children—The Dream went in, carrying two more ‘Mechs: a Trebuchet and a
Grasshopper, respectively piloted by freelance MechWarriors Ben and Charlette Romijn, and an independent Vedette from another small
command dubbed simply the Wraiths.
The mission pitted the small mercenary collection against elements of the Dieron Regulars. While a few small POW camps were
overrun and a hundred or so prisoners escaped with the other mercenary forces raiding Ashio, the Dream crew would claim twenty pris-
oners after a pitched firefight that saw the death of Charlette Romijn and the loss of her husband’s BattleMech. One POW in particular,
Dags Honor, personally saved Captain Langford’s life by commandeering her damaged Watchman and destroying a Regulars ’Mech to
cover their retreat.
Upon returning to Outreach, Langford offered Dags a job with her command. Unwilling to return to Robinson and his former post
with the Robinson Rangers (a result of his experiences on Ashio), Dags agreed, eventually becoming the collective’s lead negotiator
after a few short missions. His growing authority enabled him to adopt a young man named Aaron Garret, whom he rescued from a group
of pirates in 3065. Frank about his former affiliation with Word of Blake, Garret’s membership in the now-defunct Shunner sect initially
prompted the Dream’s Captain to balk at the Wobbie. But Dags believed the young man’s intimate knowledge and technical acumen
could prove invaluable to the mercenaries in future missions, and he eventually convinced Elizabeth to bring him on board.
When Captain Elizabeth Langford was killed in action during an extraction mission on Harvest, her will left everything she had to
her executive officer—including half ownership of The Dream. The rest of the ship’s crew ratified Dags as the new leader for their com-
mand, but Dags only accepted the role on the condition of re-forging the motley outfit as a bona fide mercenary force—complete with
MRBC registration and upgrades.
Dags permanently hired on Ben Romjin and Ria, a Nova Cat MechWarrior who claimed that a vision quest had sent her to Dags.
After adding three more officers to serve under Captain Hemmer’s command, Dags re-christened their DropShip Elizabeth (with
Hemmer’s blessing) and formally named the entire command the Langford Wraiths to honor Captain Langford and those who died on
Ashio.
By early 3067, the Wraiths had undertaken a series of successful missions, both as a solo outfit and as scouts for larger mercenary
commands. Just before the Jihad, however, they disappeared while on an unspecified scouting mission in the Deep Periphery. Their last
known mission employer—a Lyran company known as Tokra Techtronics Corporation—has been tight-lipped about what exactly the
Wraiths were scouting for and have denied all requests for interviews.
Dragoons Rating: C

Langford Wraiths
The latest reports on the Wraiths include a published LIC report describing an altercation on Kinbrace, where a Leopard matching

the colors of the Elizabeth was reportedly sighted. MRBC sources therefore believe that the lance-sized Wraiths remain at large, though
their present activities remain unclear.

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LEGION OF THE RISING SUN

In the wake of the Fourth Succession War, the Legion of the Rising Sun emerged as a
mercenary ’Mech force composed of several smaller commands exiled from the Draconis

Combine. Narrowing escaping financial ruin in the 3050s with contracts in the FedCom and
the Draconis Combine against the Clan juggernaut, the Legion managed to expand to a
full regiment in size. By the late 3050s, the mercenaries had begun to move on to other
assignments, refusing offers from the Word of Blake in favor of short stints in the Lyran
Alliance and the Free Worlds League. By 3067, a decline of mercenary employment with-
in the League had the Legion preparing for another return to Outreach.

April 3068, however, saw the Legion of the Rising Sun stranded without contract on
the League border world of Harsefeld. Although their contract included a clause for trans-
port back to Outreach upon termination, no League JumpShips showed up to collect the
mercenaries. With LAAF forces threatening the League border, interstellar travel had
become a rare commodity, better employed for the shuffle of FWLM troops than used on a
lone, uninvolved mercenary force. Coupled with the Word of Blake’s sacking of Outreach and
the news of their spreading Jihad against the Inner Sphere, Colonel Jürgen Petersen and most
of his honor-bound subordinates felt helpless in the face of the greater war, while their war
chest—partially frozen thanks to the damage done on Outreach—rapidly dwindled. Though
Petersen did his best to keep the C-bills flowing and his force occupied through small jobs from
the sympathetic Harsefeld government, several of his warriors—demoralized as the League
began to splinter—gradually signed off over the next year, setting out to find permanent work
among local security and militia concerns.
Relief finally came in January 3069 when Duchess Alys Rousset-Marik contacted the mercenaries with an offer to serve her resis-
tance movement. The Legion’s remaining two battalions jumped at the opportunity and immediately shipped for Hall using the Duchess’
contracted JumpShip. Tasked with aggressive reconnaissance of the situation on the planet, the Legion predicted a quick three-week
assignment. Stiff Blakist resistance, however, tied up the mercenaries for over thirteen months after their DropShips were captured in
the initial battles. Colonel Petersen led the Legion on a series of skirmishes with the Blakists, eventually capturing the planetary HPG,
but was killed while trying to hold his prize before his forces could get a message out. With the Hall HPG in ruin, the Legion, bereft of its
leader and focusing point, retreated into Hall’s desert mazes under the command of Major Mitsuko Kanae.
Eventually realizing that strict adherence to the Legion’s samurai code would not carry the day against the Blakists, Kanea bent
more than one of his moral principles as he led his command against the Word in a savage guerrilla campaign. For the better part of a
year, Legion strike teams harassed the Blakist oppressors, gathering intelligence in the process, until they finally managed to reclaim
their DropShips and escape Hall with the help of a passing free trader.
The Legion’s harrowing escape from its first Jihad campaign would be fleeting. Now barely one battalion strong, the mercenaries
limped to Oliver in March of 3070, just as the local Sixth Free Worlds Legionnaires officially declared for the Word and re-christened
themselves the Twelfth Division of the Blake Militia. Within days, the Legion was again on the run, hounded by the FWLM turncoats and
struggling to survive in hiding. Later the same year, when Duchess Rousset-Marik’s Krushers raided Oliver to extract the Legion, all they
found of the once proud Legion was a shattered and disillusioned company of MechWarriors who were relieved to see some friendly
faces at last.
Dragoons Rating: B

The Legion of the Rising Sun
Ten BattleMechs, three light tanks, and a handful of commando-trained infantry are the remains of what was once a full regiment.

Those small numbers are deceptive, though, as the few machines left are in top condition and are mostly upgraded designs, thanks to
generous support from Duchess Rousset-Marik and the resourcefulness of the Legion’s techs. The same goes for the Legionnaires
themselves, and those who survived the recent fighting are the best of the best. While the Legion no longer strictly adheres to its
founder’s honor codes anymore, the mercenaries still pride themselves on their personal honor and the skill as exceptional duelists.

84

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

LETHAL INJECTION

While Sian may be the head of House Liao and Capella its
heart, worlds like Victoria surely represent part of the Capellan
Confederation’s backbone. As one of the newest ’Mech factories in

Confederation space, Victoria’s production importance is
almost overshadowed by its symbolic significance as part of
the statewide revival embodied by Chancellor Liao’s Xin
Sheng. This importance—acknowledged by most of the CCAF Strategios,
who depend on Victoria’s output of war materiel—makes many of the same
rather uneasy about entrusting its security to a mercenary band hired by the
Magistracy of Canopus.
For its part, the Lethal Injection was equally unenthusiastic about its new
posting, but the increase in pay and reputation made the jump seem worth it. And
with the Trinity Alliance endangered by the relentless attacks of the Word of
Blake, Federated Suns, and even elements of the fragmenting Free Worlds
League, every post within Confederation space came with the

promise of action. Colonel Ryan O’Neil worked hard to inte-
grate his command with the local defense effort, but thanks to
the betrayal of Olsen’s Rangers in late 3068, the on-planet CCAF
forces—the Prefectorate Guard—has been extremely resistant. Exercises between the Guard and the Injection in 3070 quickly devolved
into an inter-unit brawl, while a loan of technical staff became a liability lawsuit (eventually dismissed). Even an offer of a pig roast was
declined when the Prefectorate Guard claimed to be entirely composed of vegetarians (despite their receipt of 1.2 tons of bacon a year
from the CCAF’s Procurement Division).

Matters came to a head when members of the Prefectorate Guard’s ’Mech and infantry forces finally decided to test Lethal Injection’s
ability to protect the factory in October 3071. Though the Guard’s initial nighttime probing raids took the Injection by surprise, the mer-
cenaries responded quickly. When one of the Guard units got too close and was fired upon, the Capellans became enraged. Subsequent
explanations that the Guard ’Mechs’ had approached at night and never bothered to share their IFF transponder codes with the merce-
naries fell on deaf ears, and within hours two battalions of Capellan ’Mechs backed by two more of infantry attacked the factory com-
plex.

At first the Guards easily pushed the Injection back, their newer machines faring better against the older ’Mechs of the mercenar-
ies’ Battle Battalion. But the tide turned quickly when the lighter ’Mechs of Strike Battalion flanked the Guards and hit them from behind.
The infantry forces charged with securing the rear were scattered as the mercenaries rolled in. Caught in the middle, the Guards tried
to pull out but found themselves trapped inside the complex. A brief stalemate began but was ended by the appearance of the Guards’
CO, Sang-shao Jorgen Nerekov with the rest of his command. The Capellans withdrew and placed Zhong-shao Darla Inien under house
arrest as the leader of the unsanctioned assault. Colonel O’Neil pressed charges against Inien, who maintains that her actions were
merely an attempt to impress her superiors, but while the CCAF’s Procurement Division has provided some restitution to the mercenar-
ies, a CCAF tribunal has yet to convene on the matter.

This situation forced the Injection to pull together, focusing on intra-battalion tactics and using the factory for defense. The Capellan
Strategios, meanwhile, have ordered the Guards to focus solely on protecting the planetary spaceports to avoid any future encounters
with the mercenaries. Since this arrangement, the sources for some of the Injections’ basic supplies and creature comforts have dried
up. Reportedly, the Injection’s co-owner and financial backer, Count Kit deSummersville of the Magistracy of Canopus, is using his polit-
ical connections to break the icy tensions on Victoria but has achieved little success to date.
Dragoons Rating: D

Lethal Injection
In an effort to stem any bad publicity over the fiasco at the Shengli Arms factory site, the Capellan government saw to it that the

Injection has been quickly rebuilt. Strike Battalion did not suffer much damage in the battle but nonetheless received access some
Capellan advanced technology. The greatest change from the dust-up came to Battle Battalion, which absorbed most of the Guards’ pun-
ishment and have replaced these losses with a few Lao Hus and a pair of Yu Huangs that will add significant firepower. Despite the ten-
sions, Colonel O’Neil feels good about his command’s first action against a unit of the Guards’ caliber and simply hopes that, next time,
his force will perform as well against someone they’ve actually been paid to fight.

85

FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

LEXINGTON COMBAT GROUP

The Lexington Combat Group originated when nine close friends—graduates of the
Lexington Military Academy on Terra—decided not to follow Kerensky’s Exodus and
instead opted to form their own mercenary force from like-minded members of the SLDF.

Together, these friends—including a brigade commander, two regimental commanders,
and six officers highly placed in various branches of the SLDF—made their prepara-
tions as Kerensky made his, carefully recruiting officers, non-coms and troopers from

all over the Regular Army. While Kerensky’s followers made their Exodus, this gathering
quietly moved to Bryant instead, and after a brief period of organization emerged as the
Lexington Combat Group.

Still active today, all three brigades in the Lexington Combat Group (LCG) retain their
original SLDF designations, their history and traditions ingrained within every member from
the enlisted ranks up through the highest officers. Each of the LCG’s three combat brigades
includes a BattleMech regiment teamed up with an aerospace wing, a combined armor/mecha-
nized infantry force composed of two heavy armor battalions and two mechanized infantry battal-
ions, and abundant DropShip and support assets.
Over the three centuries since their formation, the LCG has worked for every major Successor State, though the majority of its his-
tory has been entwined with the Federated Suns. Indeed, in exchange for a complete refit with state-of-the-art equipment, the Group
reportedly entered into a seventy-year contract with the AFFS High Command. Now an integral part of the FedSuns defensive network,
the LCG is treated as a virtual equal to state commands.
Dragoons Rating: Unrated (all regiments)

32nd Recon Combat Group (Malcolm’s Sprinters)
During Operation Sovereign Justice, Malcolm’s Sprinters found themselves frustrated and defeated—not by any enemy action, but

by their own bad timing. When hostilities developed during the early months of the Jihad, the LCG’s recon and pursuit specialists—with
their long tradition of lightning fast precision strikes—were pulled back from their advance base on Midale to Flintoft. The move, intend-
ed to leave them well positioned to respond to both the defensive needs of New Syrtis and the ongoing crisis in the Pleiades, left them
in poor position to thwart a Capellan attack on nearby Ridgebrook in August of 3069. When the First McCarron’s Armored Cavalry and
Prefectorate Guard attacked, the Sprinters prepared for a protracted campaign to dig out the Capellan invaders before jumping in-sys-
tem. But their preparations went for naught as they arrived too late to fire even a single shot; the Capellan assault had proven no more
than a hit-and-run feint, intended to draw the 32nd out of position before their final attack on New Syrtis. Stranded at Ridgebrook while
the Capellans struck New Syrtis, the Sprinters could do little but harass the Capellan forces when they passed through the Ridgebrook
system on their return trip, months later. The 32nd has since returned to Flintoft, guarding against future deceptions, and is presently at
three-quarter’s strength and rebuilding.

241st Battle Combat Group (Frederic’s Gazelles)
Tasked with holding the line against Tauran aggression, Frederic’s Gazelles remained on Bromhead throughout Operation Sovereign

Justice and the Capellan counterattack. Capellan thrusts into the Suns have been well coreward of their position, requiring no reloca-
tions in the face of a lack of major Concordat assaults. As a result, beyond turning back the occasional Periphery probing mission, the
241st has been left in peace. While this would normally be an excellent opportunity for the unit to rebuild, priorities elsewhere have
reduced the resources available for such an effort. Thus, even three years after their latest major campaign, the Gazelles can only muster
seventy-five percent of their normal forces.

180th Dragoon Combat Group (Marie’s Golden Hammers)
Known for their methodical but devastating assaults, Marie’s Golden Hammers saw heavy action throughout Operation Sovereign

Justice, primarily supporting the Ninth Illician Rangers. Together, the mercenaries captured Sendalor during the first wave, destroying
the St. Cyr’s Armored Grenadiers in the process, before moving on to take Homestead in the third wave and Housekarle in the fourth.
Unfortunately, before the Hammers could consolidate their position, the Seventh Confederation Reserve Cavalry hit back in late 3068.
Though less experienced, the Seventh had the advantage of numbers and local support. While the Hammers’ 755th Tactical Fighter Wing
maintained air superiority, the light and medium fighters could not turn the tide of ground battle. The loss of Colonel Harry Blake with
most of the Third Lexington Cavalry Brigade proved to be the Hammers’ breaking point. After nearly four months of heavy fighting, the
shattered Group withdrew to Immenstadt, arriving there in February of 3069. There they remain, with barely more than a third of the
brigade considered operational and lacking the support needed to rebuild quickly.

86

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

LONE STAR REGIMENT

Originally composed of a mix of Rim Worlds and SLDF troops left behind after the fall of
the Republic and the Star League, the Lone Star Regiment managed to survive most of the

Succession Wars as a mercenary command employed by the Draconis Combine. Takashi
Kurita’s infamous “death to mercenaries” order, however, ended two hundred years of Lone Star
loyalty to the Dragon, and the mercenaries spent the next two decades on a FedCom retainer
in the Sarna March. In 3066, Lone Star’s latest long-term contract—this one from the Taurian
Concordat—came to an end when then-Colonel George Brown signed the command with
General Atomics, a mining consortium on Epsilon Eridani.
On Epsilon Eridani, the Lone Star Regiment came into conflict with the Redfield Renegades,
another mercenary outfit hired by Minroc Mining, one of General Atomics’ local competitors. After
patrols from both commands were drawn into the region to investigate whispers of a lostech
cache in the nearby Shamus Mountains, tensions seemed almost inevitable. What began as an
accidental clash between patrols, however, mushroomed into a two-day war between both com-
mands that decimated close to a battalion on each side before the Renegades finally quit the region.
But while Lone Star’s victory was costly, their discovery of the rumored cache—including a damaged
but salvageable Colossus-class DropShip—allowed the mercenaries to quickly rebuild. Nevertheless,
Brown’s leadership in the Shamus Mountains debacle led many in his command to call for his ouster
when Mescach Granger, heir to Lone Star’s previous commander Raymond Granger, returned to the regi-
ment in July of 3067. Faced with an overwhelming vote of no confidence, Brown resigned, leaving Granger to
reorganize the damaged regiment.
On the eve of the Jihad, the Word of Blake picked up the Lone Star Regiment’s contract, ostensibly after negotiations
with General Atomics. To sweeten the deal, the Blakists offered badly needed parts to get the Lone Star’s captured Colossus space-
worthy again. MercNet has learned, however, that General Atomics itself may have been one of several Blakist fronts operating in the
former Chaos March as part of their over-arching plans to cultivate an army of unsuspecting mercenary commands while generating
more revenue for their own operations. Whether Colonel Granger and his men overlooked the deception or merely failed to detect it
remains unclear. Regardless, the MRBC has added Lone Star to the list of Wanted mercenary commands since the start of the Jihad,
citing them with contravention of interstellar law in light of their continued employment with the Word.
According to MercNet records, Lone Star’s new contract with the Blakists kept them on Epsilon Eridani for close to a year in sup-
port of Blakist activities on that planet before the mercenaries were redeployed elsewhere. The regiment was next sighted on the Taurian
world of Mithron in 3070 before their recent arrival in the Pleiades Cluster in June of this year. No record of a contract transference from
the Word to the Taurians exists, however, which suggests that Lone Star still works on the Blakists’ payroll, evidently supporting the
Taurian assaults against the Federated Suns as a means of further inflaming Taurian-Davion tensions.
Dragoons Rating: Wanted

Lone Star Regiment
According to reports out of the Pleiades Cluster, the Lone Star Regiment is presently operating at or close to its pre-Jihad strength,

relying heavily on their ample transport assets to wage a highly mobile guerrilla campaign against the Davion forces on Merope.
However, their exploits there over the past few months have caught the attention of Raymond’s Redcoats, elements of which have recent-
ly appeared on Merope in an effort to evict the Lone Stars and collect the MRBC bounty on them.

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LONE WOLVES

Since their first appearance in the Third Succession War, the common story about
the Lone Wolves held that preceding a massive fight, the infamous mercenaries would

appear and offer the target system their services at an extortionate price. If refused,
the Wolves would then, allegedly, open negotiations with the attackers to offer their
support. Though given credibility in the climatic campaign on Galtor III in 3025,
many dismissed the Wolves’ reputation as little more than hearsay and confabu-
lation, designed to intimidate weaker local governments into paying the outra-
geous fees demanded by this malcontent command. Major powers dismissed
the Wolves, but local nobles—closer to the battle front—often proved credulous
enough to believe the hype, if only to avoid unnecessary risks.
That all changed in 3067. Shortly after the Fed-Com Civil War, the Lone
Wolves landed on Outreach and offered the planetary government their ser-
vices for the defense of the system. With the Wolf’s Dragoons providing for
one of the most powerful planetary garrisons in known space, Outreach’s
leaders scoffed at these advances. Mere weeks later, Colonel Waco launched his
surprise assault on Harlech, backed by a Blakist-cultivated band of Temptown
mercenaries. Sitting on the sidelines instead of offering their service to the attack-

ers, the Lone Wolves’ Committee actually held their offer open but were refused. When
a company of Lone Wolf ’Mechs led by several former Com Guard warriors then defect-
ed to lead a strike against the Dragoons’ Home Guard firebase, rumors quickly spread that the
Lone Wolves had sided finally with the Temptown insurgents. These rumors moved through the regiment itself, and many decided to
choose sides between the Dragoons and Colonel Waco, initiating a miniature war within their own base. After hours of intense fighting,
the Committee finally intervened, joining up with the pro-Dragoons forces to annihilate the Lone Wolves who, against explicit orders,
joined the Blakist-backed forces. Several of the defectors, including apparent Blakist plants, commandeered one of the command’s
DropShips to flee the system. Leaving their pro-Dragoons contingent on Outreach (where, ironically enough, they were later mistaken
for Waco’s men and wiped out during the Dragoons’ Condition Feral), the Committee chased after the traitors and destroyed their
DropShip at the jump point following a brief battle. Realizing Outreach had become a death trap, the remaining Lone Wolves fled for the
next nearest legitimate hiring hall, Galatea.
With sensationalized stories in the media inciting public distrust towards mercenaries, the Lone Wolves who arrived on Galatea have
since kept a low profile, apparently fearing reprisals at their new haven as they have struggled to rebuild both their shattered forces and
their blackened reputation. However, many mercenary cynics have noted with some relief that the Wolves have yet to offer their services
to the Galatean government, so the hiring halls must be safe from imminent attack, at least for now.
Though still not registered by the MRBC, investigations into the Lone Wolves’ activities before, during, and after Outreach and their
subsequent flight to Galatea have cleared the unit of any possible charges. Indeed, investigators have publicly stated that the
Committee’s decisive action against its own anti-Dragoon elements were to be commended, although their appearance in the system
right before the surprise assault suggested advanced knowledge that should have been shared with the planetary government. Thus, no
punishment has been levied against the Lone Wolves as of this writing.
Dragoons Rating: Unrated

The Lone Wolves
Currently, the Lone Wolves’ Committee and their surviving warriors are still repairing their damaged machines on Galatea, looking

for easy short-term contracts to finance these efforts. Due to rampant distrust surrounding the events on Outreach, however, most of
these contracts so far have come from only the most desperate of local nobles. The Lone Wolves refuse to deal with the Word of Blake,
claiming that they suspect the defector who led the anti-Dragoons charge on Outreach was a plant intended to lure them into Waco’s
coalition.

88

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

LONGWOOD’S BLUECOATS

Partnerships are only good when both sides benefit. For many years, both
Longwood’s Bluecoats and the Taurian Concordat reaped the rewards of working
together. The Concordat got a veteran force that kept bandits at bay and provided
security against any possible FedSuns incursions. The Bluecoats in turn received some
of the best pay a mercenary command could ever want. Though the arrangement was far
from perfect at times, the occasional rough spots between the Bluecoats and their employ-
ers were barely more than a ripple in mercenary business as usual (Colonel Moses
Longwood often played upon the Taurians’ fears with threats of jumping ship to the
FedSuns for more money, while the Taurians responded by skimping on support and sup-
plies). That all changed, however, when the Concordat reportedly took matters one step fur-
ther and attempted to renegotiate its contract with the Bluecoats with “special support dis-
counts” as their main bargaining chip.
Lacking sufficient technical staff to maintain all of their equipment, especially after a spate
of bandit raids, the Bluecoats’ contract with the Concordat called for the Taurians to supply much
of their technical support. The Concordat response was to slowly rotate their most inexperienced
personnel to the mercenaries, green techs who were unable to keep up with the workload. With the
start of the latest customary contract negotiations earlier this year, Colonel Longwood smelled the
makings of a company store tactic in the Concordat’s new offer and temporarily suspended further
discussion, with the 3072 deadline for renewal looming.
Despite the setback at the negotiating table, the Concordat assigned the Bluecoats to protect
their new armor factory on Jansen’s Hold. There, in addition to the usual Periphery raiders, the merce-
naries encountered a more sophisticated band of unmarked bandits who have attacked without fail at
the end of each production run, striking with remarkable efficiency. The first time this occurred, the attack-
ers moved toward the factory with a light force but were turned back after a few probing maneuvers. When
the defenders tried to capture the lone raiders’ Scorpion left disabled on the field, the pirate set off his own
SRM stores, destroying himself and his ’Mech.
The second incursion was more focused as the invaders feinted toward the factory and then to the starport, where they raided ware-
houses filled with armor ready for shipment. Longwood managed to get his troops back in time to harass the enemy and recover a quar-
ter of the shipment without sustaining any losses, but he began to suspect insider information in the bandits’ timing and tactics.
Buoyed by this limited success, the Bluecoats set a trap for the bandits. Rather than root out the source of their inside information,
they set up the Pikemen infantry regiment and a company of Bluecoats ’Mechs in the warehouse with another two companies hidden
around it. When the raiders struck again in November of 3071, they did not even attempt a feint but instead dropped directly upon the
warehouse. The Pikemen and ’Mechs hit them hard, pushing the force back while the rest of the Bluecoats moved in to close the trap.
A few minutes later, however, a battalion of fast heavies arrived to relieve the raiders, turning the tables on the Bluecoats. When the mer-
cenaries tried to wheel around and buy time for their forces at the factory, the raider reinforcements pressed their attack. By the time the
raiders managed to break free—just before the rest of the Bluecoats arrived—less than half of the original Bluecoats ’Mech forces
remained operational. Longwood’s calls to the Concordat government for reinforcements and support have gone unanswered to date,
prompting many within the command to seriously consider leaving for the Federated Suns. Far from business as usual, this time it may
take more than a good salary program to keep the Longwood Bluecoats from acting on their threat.
Dragoons Rating: C

Longwood’s Bluecoats
The Bluecoats are still struggling to recover from last month’s losses. Combined with the dismal working atmosphere that the

Concordat has engendered, this has left morale rather low. Colonel Longwood has attempted to rally his men, but for many in the com-
mand, it is too little, too late. Nevertheless, the Bluecoats have maintained a professional—if strained—attitude towards their current
assignment and continue to train in their urban specialty.

The Pikemen are the rock of the unit, not only for combat operations but also in attitude. With fewer machines, the Bluecoats techs
have managed to tend to all of the Pikemen’s needs with what little help they receive from the Taurians.

89

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MEDUSANS

Formed after Operation Bulldog from a collection of independent mercenary DropShips and
crew, the Medusans proved themselves effective in roles as diverse as escorting sensitive

DropShip convoys, system patrol, and defending planets and space stations. Their successes
would lead to a long contract with Duke George Hasek of the Federated Suns in 3061, com-
plete with an extension in 3066 that carried them into the fires of the Jihad.
In 3068, Rear Admiral Harwood’s Hydra squadron intercepted three separate Taurian
supply convoys attempting desperately to circumvent the Medusan blockades. When
Harwood’s marines boarded one crippled Concordat ship, the TCS Jamestown, they dis-
covered two tactical nuclear weapons amongst the thousands of tons of munitions the Mule-
class DropShip was attempting to smuggle to Electra. With the Concordat’s dubious distinc-
tion as the only government to refuse to sign the Ares Conventions, the discovery that their

frontline troops could access such weapons of mass destruction came as deeply disturbing to
many local commanders.
The Medusans continued their deployment in the Pleiades until 3069, when Hasek recalled them
to New Syrtis. Under threat from the Liao drive into the Capellan March, the Duke was forced to choose
between reclaiming the Pleiades and protecting his March capital. Redeployed to cover the approaches
to New Syrtis, the Medusans handily turned back several Capellan probes, but they would prove little more than a distraction compared
to the invasion force that finally attacked.
Although challenging the massed force of invading DropShips and fighters head-on was virtual suicide, Admiral Jellico refused to
simply abandon New Syrtis. Using the bulk of the planet to block prying Capellan sensors, Hydra and Basilisk squadrons accelerated
toward the planet, then shut down their engines and active sensors. The gravitational slingshot around New Syrtis propelled them toward
the Capellan DropShips and enabled the Medusans to spring a deep space ambush against the invaders. The engagement window was
very small, but the Bellerophon’s Kraken-class missiles struck two Union-class Dropships before the Capellans even realized they were
under attack. Flashing past the packed Liao DropShips, the Medusans hammered away at targets of opportunity, killing a Leopard and
a Triumph. Unfortunately the Capellans brought a surprise of their own in the form of the Impavido-class Zhejiang escorting the
DropShips. The WarShip’s capital weapons tore apart the Intruder-class Ambuscade and heavily damaged several other Medusan ves-
sels. Although the Medusan fleet managed to deliver several telling blows in the exchange (ultimately contributing to the Zhejiang’s
destruction during the fall back from New Syrtis months later), the mercenaries were forced to retreat to Firgrove.
Presently, the Medusans face the difficult task of repairing their battle damage without adequate yard facilities. With the loss of Galax
and Kathil, and the damage inflicted at New Syrtis, rebuilding any kind of fighting strength poses a significant challenge as long as the
Medusans remain in Davion space. It is rumored that Admiral Jellico is engaged in discussions with other local independent mercenary
DropShips with a view toward reinforcing his depleted squadrons or possibly even forming a third. Word has it that the crew of the
Thunderchild—sister ship to the Bellerophon—has expressed interest in such a proposal. Meanwhile, the Medusans’ operational ves-
sels remain in the Capellan March, escorting relief supplies to New Syrtis under a new five-year contract with the AFFS.
Dragoons Rating: B (all squadrons)

Command and Support Squadron
Not having been called upon to participate in the fighting in New Sytris, the Medusans’ Command and Support Squadron remains

in good shape. In the long term, however, the loss of so many shipyards across the Inner Sphere raises serious questions for the
Medusans—and, indeed, for all of the Inner Sphere—over where they can find the maintenance facilities needed to keep their JumpShips
functioning as the Jihad rages on.

Hydra Assault Squadron
While the Ambuscade represented the Hydra’s only total loss at New Syrtis, the other vessels in Admiral Harwood’s squadron suf-

fered heavy damage under the Zhejiang’s guns. The Ajax, Cumberland, Petard, and Achilles-II all suffered varying degrees of damage,
most of which can be repaired, but the Exeter’s drives were so badly hit that only a fully operational shipyard could put her to rights.

Basilisk Assault Squadron
The Basilisks were more fortunate than Hydra and suffered no losses in New Syrtis. Still, all of their vessels suffered significant dam-

age and only the Marksman, Fearless, and Tiger remain battleworthy. Of the rest, the Bellerophon needs a complete overhaul of her
main drive, while the three Avenger-class ships, Acasta, Active, and Agincourt, will need months of yard time.

90

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

NARHAL’S RAIDERS

Disclaimer: The MRBC is currently investigating Narhal’s Raiders over certain accusa-
tions, but cautions would-be employers that all units registered with the Commission are
considered to be innocent and endorsed unless listed as Rogue or Wanted by the review
board. The destruction of the Outreach hiring hall and numerous other ongoing investi-
gations has pushed back the expected completion date of the Raiders’ investigation until
3073. This report—completed with the full cooperation from the Narhal’s Raiders—should
be taken with these facts in mind.
Once a staunch supporter of Victor Steiner-Davion, Colonel Giraudoux nonetheless
remained loyal to his Draconis Combine contracts when his command served as an anti-
Clan raiding force during the FedCom Civil War. While this stalwart professionalism
impressed the Kurita leadership at the time, soon after the outbreak of the Jihad rumors
began to reach the Raiders of a dark legacy from that previous conflict.
In December of 3067, according to testimony from Colonel Giraudoux, an MIIO operative
approached the Raiders with top-secret documents and photos of prisoner-of-war camps with-
in the Combine. Coupled with rising anti-mercenary sentiments emerging from both military and
civilian sources alike, the Raiders’ members began to question their loyalty. Inquiries about the
possibility of slave camps near the FedSuns border directed to their thinning contacts in the DCMS
were either avoided or denied, reportedly with subtle threats warning off any further inquiries. This
stonewalling only increased tensions within the Raiders’ command staff, and Giraudoux decided in May of
3068 that upon the expiration of his contract he would lead the command to another House’s employ. With
Coordinator Theodore Kurita in a coma, the Raiders found no other Combine official trustworthy.
A series of raids in early July by Clan Snow Raven prompted the DCMS to shuffle troops to meet the incoming Cluster and its
WarShip fleet, and Narhal’s Raiders were reassigned to Fellanin II as part of this shuffle to address the rising tensions on the FedSuns
border. However, as the Raiders loaded up, the First Ghost requested help in tracking down and eliminating a group of guerrillas that
had somehow slipped on-planet and so far eluded them. Surprisingly, the Raiders’ patrols quickly located the small group, which imme-
diately surrendered to the mercenaries without a shot fired. Over a private channel, the group identified itself as the same MIIO team
that contacted the Raiders the previous year, and revealed that they had located a hidden slave encampment on the other side of the
planet, near the First Ghost’s base. Unsure, yet wanting to know the truth of the matter, Giraudoux relayed a communiqué reporting his
successful killing of the targeted guerrillas but secretly held them in one of his DropShips’ brigs. As the Raiders lifted off, they took a
chance and sent a lance of fighters to reconnoiter the suspected site. Less than an hour later, the overflight came under immediate fire
as they passed over and confirmed the existence of the prison camp.
[Note: In a sworn statement, the DCMS spokesperson claims that the Raiders were spotted on an attack run over the First Ghost’s
base and refused to comply with numerous requests to break off. The spokesperson also claims that Giraudoux was also already aware
of the POW camp, having assisted in escorting prisoners to its location—a charge the Colonel vehemently denies.]
Enraged over the treatment of FedSuns prisoners and the DCMS’ deception, the Raiders subsequently assaulted the camp.
Overwhelming the camp defenses, the mercenaries proceeded to evacuate as many POWs as they could, withdrawing with the survivors
after a fierce rear guard action against the First Ghosts. The MIIO operatives were able to send an off-world call for extraction, and a
Davion JumpShip arrived via pirate point to bring the Raiders back to FedSuns space.
Dragoons Rating: F (Under Review)

Narhal’s Raiders
The Raiders desertion and attack has enraged the Draconis Combine, and the DCMS High Command has lodged a formal com-

plaint with the MRBC over the incident. FedSuns media, however, has portrayed Narhal’s Raiders as noble heroes, listening to their col-
lective conscience to save the poorly treated prisoners on Fellanin II. In gratitude, Duke Tancred Sandoval has negotiated their new con-
tract as if the command was a B+ rating, a full letter grade over their rating prior to the Fellanin desertion. Currently stationed on Royal,
the Raiders have so far successfully defended against several retaliatory raids by the DCMS forces, though the constant attacks have
sidelined close to two companies of Raider BattleMechs.

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O’GORDON’S RIFLES

In 3007, House Kurita unleashed a modest assault along the Federated Suns bor-
der that netted several Davion worlds, including Crossing, Cylene II, Galatia III, Harrow’s
Sun, and Mara. Driven by Coordinator Takashi Kurita’s recent shake-up of the DCMS,
the Combine forces fought with renewed ferocity, hoping to overwhelm the defenders quickly in
an effort to prove their worthiness. On Crossing, planetary defense fell solely upon the shoulders
of O’Gordon’s Rifles. A mercenary ’Mech regiment with a thirty-year track record of unbroken vic-
tories, the Rifles had lapsed into a state of self-assured complacency, worsened by the gradual
decline of battlefield intensity in an age where raids had virtually replaced planetary assaults. This
left the mercenaries wholly unprepared for the sheer shock of the Dragon’s onslaught, and they were
crushed after barely a month of fighting. Only two Rifles lances survived to retreat from Crossing,
along with their irascible commander, James O’Gordon.
Many observers pronounced the Rifles dead with this stunning defeat, until Colonel O’Gordon and his
“BattleMaster Number One” turned up on Solaris in the following year and found backing with the Wardogs ’Mech Cooperative. Every bit
as skilled as he was hot-tempered, O’Gordon managed to climb the ranks of the Solaris Championship through a series of long-shot
matches, the profits from which he funneled back to his ultimate dream of reforming the Rifles. Though often perceived as arrogant—a
legacy from his shattered command—O’Gordon’s loyalty to the Wardogs proved legendary throughout his four-year hold on the Grand
Championship (from 3009 to 3012).
Upon his final victory in 3012, O’Grodon announced the return of O’Gordon’s Rifles as a battalion-sized command. Incorporating
survivors from the original Rifles and the majority of the Wardogs Cooperative, the Rifles returned to the field and grew to regimental
strength within just a few short years after a string of successful missions along the Free Worlds-Lyran border.
At the time of the Clan invasion, command of the Rifles lay in the hands of Jules O’Gordon, James’ grandson. Although the merce-
naries had never attained the same winning streak they enjoyed in the days before Crossing, they had nonetheless served every Great
House with distinction since their return. Shortly after the Truce of Tukayyid in 3052, the Rifles accepted a long-term contract with
ComStar’s Explorer Corps and joined the search for the Clan homeworlds. Tragically, while accompanying one such mission in 3054, the
Rifles’ command battalion was lost when its JumpShip materialized in the midst of a Jade Falcon fleet base at a system now identified
as Cambridge on ComStar charts. Their explorer JumpShip managed only a partial transmission before Falcon WarShips annihilated
both the vessel and its attached DropShips, but the remaining Rifles would not learn of their commander’s fate for over a year while the
Corps analyzed the readings and sent a follow-up mission.
The crippling loss stunned the Rifles, who remained on Engadine while they reorganized. Colonel Svetlana Windsor, commander of
the Rifles’ Second Battalion (“The Wardogs”), assumed command and opted to extend the contract with the Corps but negotiated to
change the Rifles’ duties from expeditionary escorts to base defense. Unfortunately, as a result the Rifles were still on Engadine when
Clan Jade Falcon launched its drive toward Coventry in 3058. The Falcon assault caught the Rifles by surprise, but the mercenaries man-
aged to hold the base long enough to cover the Corps staff’s retreat.
Though battered, O’Gordon’s Rifles remained with the Corps and took up a new post at their second Lyran base on Halifax, serv-
ing out the remainder of their contract there. In 3062, the Rifles returned to the Hiring Halls of Outreach mere months before the out-
break of the FedCom Civil War. Opting to avoid the conflict, they instead accepted a security contract with Curtiss Militech of Paradise,
a Free Worlds League corporation, in 3063. Still in place when the Jihad began, the Rifles’ contract was picked up by Marshall Jeremy
Brett, and he had them positioned for a strike against the Lyran Alliance when the Word of Blake attacked Atreus in October of 3068.
Since then the mercenaries have reportedly joined Duchess Alys Rousset-Marik’s resistance, and some sources have placed
O’Gordon’s ’Mechs among the forces that struck at Blakist interests on Stewart earlier this year.
Dragoons Rating: B

O’Gordon’s Rifles
As of the last reliable reports, the Rifles mustered roughly two and a half battalions of BattleMechs, three-quarters of which sport-

ed some degree of advanced technologies, thanks to their contracts with the Explorer Corps and Curtiss Militech. Preferring mobility and
close-range hitting power, most of these are medium-weight designs, with a few heavies thrown in as supporting units.

92

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

ONE-EYED JACKS

The destruction of the Blackjack School of Combat—once a bastion of private
MechWarrior training that reflected grim reality over idealized fantasies of honor—drew
together former alumni with the promise of revenge and eventually gave birth to the One-
Eyed Jacks in 3062. After the mercenary command successfully struck back at the
Falcon forces that captured Blackjack, they spent the rest on the FedCom Civil War
recovering from their private victory. After the war, Margrave Caesar Steiner of the Lyran
Alliance’s Cavanaugh Theater used his own money to hire the Jacks in an effort to plug
one of many gaps in his border defenses facing the Free Worlds League. Ironically, how-
ever, the Jacks would not come into play until after the Margrave’s assassination in 3068.

Ostensibly to avenge the attack on Skye and loss of their theater commander, Lyran
forces from the Skye and Bolan Provinces launched a border-wide assault against the
Free Worlds in March of 3068. When League forces under the command of Tamarind
Marshall Jeremy Brett finally mounted a counterstrike, the Lyran staging world of
Giausar—where the Jacks were stationed—became one of three key targets. In
September of 3068, an assault force consisting of the Twentieth Marik Militia and the
First Knights of the Inner Sphere, backed up by smaller mercenary forces, struck.
Dismissing the Jacks (as SAFE’s reports suggested their private contract would preclude
their involvement in planetary defense), the invaders focused on the two companies of
the Wilde Turkeys mercenary command and the battalion-sized conventional militia.
Dropping right on top of the defenders, the task force wiped out the Turkeys and crushed
a third of the militia before they could retreat.

As the First Knights set about securing the spaceport and city of Glen Hall, the
Twentieth Marik Militia hunted down the remainder of the planetary militia, using their
attached mercenaries as scouts. It was then that the One-Eyed Jacks struck out, shattering
Pico’s Pathfinders, the mercenary company guarding the militia’s flank. With the scouts eliminated, a full regiment of Jacks ’Mechs drove
into the Marik flank, threatening its command company. With their reserve battalion and commander under assault, the Twentieth was
thrown off-balance, unable to respond until the mercenaries finally pulled back, leaving over two companies of shattered ’Mechs and
supporting units in their wake. Both sides withdrew to regroup, the Twentieth consolidating its forces with those of its allied mercenaries,
while the One-Eyed Jacks met up with the surviving elements of Giausar’s planetary militia.
Hoping to keep the enemy reeling, the Jacks sent a company of ’Mechs, supported by militia hovercraft, to harass the Twentieth,
while the rest of the command tried to dislodge the Knights at the spaceport. Though the delaying action succeeded, the Knights were
made of far stronger stuff and held their ground. Unable to gain a foothold on the spaceport, the Jacks again pulled back, while the
Knights commander, Sir Paul Masters, assumed direct control of the entirety of the Marik forces and reinforced his position around what
now amounted to the last intact supply base on Giausar. Realizing that his forces could only expect to hold out for another week in a
straight siege, Colonel Darrel “Ramrod” Duke decided to dictate the terms of the battle and struck at the invaders in full after a three-day
standoff. Throwing the planetary militia at the Knights to keep them occupied, the Jacks focused on shattering the Marik militia battal-
ions.
The close battle turned outright bloody when the Marik militia went berserk. Divided by a warehouse district filled with vital supplies,
the militia and their mercenary support faced horrendous losses as the Jacks tried to isolate and destroy them lance by lance. Rather
than fall back, however, the militia simply blasted their way through their own warehouses in an effort to concentrate on the Jacks. The
two sides savagely battled, often at knife-fighting range. When Colonel Duke’s Templar went down, the Jacks finally broke. Unable to
continue with only one-fifth of their original forces intact—even after the unexplained departure of the Knights—the mercenaries retreat-
ed to Senftenberg by October of 3068.
Dragoons Rating: C-

One-Eyed Jacks
Down but far from out, the One-Eyed Jacks are continuing to recover on Senftenberg under a new contract with the LAAF. Although

down to just thirty percent of their full strength in operational ’Mechs, with more trickling in as part of the Lyrans’ pledge to help rebuild
the command, the Jacks possess twice as many able-bodied MechWarriors, allowing them to swap pilots and enhance their battlefield
endurance. Major Derek Hanson still holds field command over the Jacks while Colonel Duke continues to recover from the severe
injuries he sustained on Giausar, but while he proclaims that his force is battle-worthy as of this writing, he has also confided that the
Jacks would not mind riding out the rest of the Jihad all the same.

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PANDORA’S BOX

After the Marik-Liao invasion of 3057 and the formation of the Chaos
March, several dozen worlds were left to their own devices whether they want-
ed it or not. As for the military units abandoned on these worlds, some of them
simply had nowhere to go.

Gan Singh, in those early months of chaos, is where the enigmatic merce-
nary commander Pandora Black found remnants of the Third Donegal Guards
and a small Capellan irregulars unit known as TaoTao KowGun Laufu, the
Stalking Tigers. Forming them into an ad hoc command, Black led these forces
in a fight to escape a world that was quickly tearing itself apart. Eventually,
Pandora’s new command picked up a few stragglers from the shattered First
FedCom RCT, as well as some mercenaries from the Dark Night, whose crew had
formed on Outreach only months before the fighting broke out and had not even last-
ed long enough to register their unit logo with the MRBC offices.
The trials faced on Gan Singh lasted well into 3058, when Leftenant Kelly Van
Lou (Seventh Company, Third Donegal) and Sao-wei Bryant Tang (Stalking Tigers) agreed to a deal brokered by Black with the forming
Styk Commonality. Thus did Pandora’s Box win its first, fairly lucrative, twelve-month garrison contract, paid mostly in parts from Styk’s
Tao MechWorks and a few refurbished BattleMechs to strengthen the unit to company size.
Helping save their lives (and their machines) apparently went a long way toward establishing a degree of trust among this hodge-
podge collection of military orphans. Pandora’s Box extended its garrison contract through two more years and eventually wound up on
Outreach looking for work, having recruited enough veteran warriors to field two strengthened companies.
On Outreach, Major Black gained a solid reputation for weeding out talent and finding the best deals on supplies, as well as for her
numerous sightings at high-level social functions. Nevertheless a private person, she conducts very few interviews and prefers to let her
subordinates handle the command’s day-to-day operations. Allowing her record to speak for itself, Black neither confirms nor denies
rumors of her having graduated from a top FedCom MechWarrior Academy, or that her family is of a displaced noble lineage. The sor-
did tales of wild affairs with anyone (and everyone) from Treyhang Liao to Solaris Champion Kelley Metz draw little more than a good
laugh from the warriors of Pandoa’s Box.
Since its formal inception, the Box has hired itself out as a trouble-shooter force or short-term, high-risk garrison command. The
mercenaries’ FedCom Civil War years were spent mostly in the employ of noble families or large corporations who sought extra protec-
tion against being nationalized and commandeered, while their early Jihad contracts have been so low-profile that the MRBC is unsure
if they are even still employed or simply hiding from potential Blakist reprisals. The Box’s low Dragoons Rating stems more from the fact
that its first assignment was completed before its official sanction with the Commission, as well as its tendency to take many jobs off the
books.
Dragoons Rating: C-

Pandora’s Box
The Box consists of three strengthened companies, two of BattleMechs and one of mixed vehicles and armored infantry. First

Company, “The Avenging Seventh,” prefers medium and heavy machines and is led by Captain Roland Mills and Lieutenant Kelley Van
Lou. This company continues to paint its machines a blue-and-gray similar to its warriors’ old Third Donegal scheme, and likewise has
adopted the Third’s old insignia: a set of scales with the balance tipped.

Second Company, “The Stalking Tigers,” uses a rust color scheme with an orange and black Bengal tiger pattern painted in a drape,
like a pelt hanging over the shoulder. Commanded by Lieutenant Bryant Tang, they have a full range of machines, from light to assault,
and prefer Capellan designs almost exclusively. Tang is refurbishing a battered Men Shen OmniMech, spoils from a past contract on
Styk.

The Box is very adept at mixing it up on the battlefield, their tactics once described as “targeted chaos” by Wolf’s Dragoons’ com-
mander Jaime Wolf. Born from their uncertain footing back on Gan Singh, these tactics work best when the Box can seize the initiative,
creating a slight liability if the unit is hard pressed.

94

PERIPHERY STAR GUARD

Beginning as several smaller mercenary commands who all worked for ComStar’s Explorer
Corps, the Periphery Star Guard formally emerged after the Corps released a number of merce-
nary commands due to extensive funding cuts. With so many of its subcommands over-specialized,
the uniting of these “Corps orphans” allowed the Guard to offer a wider variety of services to
prospective employers that made them more appealing than the individual commands could ever
have hoped for.
Employed for a time along the coreward borders of the Lyran Alliance during a contract with
Interstellar Expeditions, the Periphery Star Guard saw numerous actions against a group of extreme-
ly well equipped raiders called the Green Ghosts. While this has significantly improved the combat pro-
ficiency of the unit compared to previously poor levels of skill, the command’s true strengths continue
to lie with its tremendous logistical capabilities.
In 3068, the Star Guard arrived on Poulsbo to support the local militia units and the Harper’s
Heretics mercenary command in the face of rising hostilities between the Lyran Alliance and the Free
Worlds League. Only months after their initial deployment, however, elements of the League’s Sixth
Orloff Grenadiers and the Second Fusiliers of Oriente made landfall and proceeded to destroy the Poulsbo
militia forces in and around Fort Bangor, despite the best efforts of the Guard and Harper’s Heretics. The
Heretics suffered severe casualties, reducing them to no more than a lance of functional ’Mechs who were absorbed into the Guard’s
bloodied ranks before the survivors retreated to Khon Kaen on the Heretics’ JumpShip. Only days after their arrival, however, the rest of
the Sixth Orloff also hit Khon Kaen, having bypassed Poulsbo entirely. Heavily assaulted by the Sixth before they could retreat again,
the Guard lost about half its remaining strength, including all of the Star Guard Armor battalion.
Their retreat took them eventually to Loburg, where the mercenaries have since made camp near the StarCorps ’Mech factories
there. It is suggested that StarCorps itself influenced this deployment, a rumor supported by recent sightings of new Longbow and
Thanatos ’Mechs sporting Guard colors.
Dragoons Rating: F

Star Guard BattleMechs
Expected to work independently in the field, the emphasis on non-combat skills left the Guard’s MechWarriors unable to compete

with the more focused FWLM troops. They lost almost two-thirds of their numbers on Poulsbo and Khon Kaen, though they gained the
surviving heavy lance from Harper’s Heretics on Poulsbo. Colonel Annapoulis has since made a strong effort to increase the size of her
’Mech unit and improve their combat abilities in case they are ever called upon to battle without employer support.

Star Guard Aerospace
The Guard aerospace pilots are specialized in DropShip escort and aerospace superiority missions. During the retreat from Poulsbo,

the Wing performed well, despite sporadic efforts by the Marik Vengeance-class carrier Moment.

Star Guard Infantry
Wiped out almost entirely on Poulsbo, the Guard Infantry’s First Battalion is currently struggling to reconstitute. Second Battalion’s

combat engineers—specialized in tasks from bridge building and fortification construction to mine laying and demolitions—proved instru-
mental in delaying the advancing Mariks on Khon Kaen.

Star Guard Engineers
Focused almost entirely on the construction of bases, fortifications, depots, and permanent bridges, the Guard Engineers typically

see little combat, though damage to the DropShip during the burn out of the Poulsbo system caused a number of casualties.

Star Guard Naval Support
The aquatic specialists of the Guard Naval Support group incurred severe casualties at Fort Bangor on Poulsbo, but nonetheless

managed to rendezvous with their DropShip in time to retreat off-world.

95

FORCE BRIEFS UPDATES

PREY’S DIVISIONALS

Stalwart employees of the Taurian Concordat with origins possibly linked to the
Tortuga Dominions and the pirates led by Paula “Lady Death” Trevaline, the Prey’s
Divisionals mercenary command had a rocky start since their unannounced debut in
3049. Not long after their emergence, the Divisionals achieved a sort of underground noto-
riety as the mercenary command whose executive officer was involved in a secret
romance with Jeffrey Calderon, then a mere scion of the Concordat’s traditional rulers.
Though rumors linked this affair to a period of prosperity the Divisionals enjoyed after
Jeffrey became Protector in 3055, few begrudged the Concordat’s most eligible bachelor
a casual fling or two.

In 3063, two years after Protector Jeffrey Calderon’s death on Detroit, Marshal Cham
Kithrong, the commander of the V Corps to which the Divisionals were attached, delivered
a shocking announcement. Announcing that the son of the Divisionals’ executive officer, Talia
Martens, was in fact Jeffrey Calderon’s son, Kithrong declared himself regent of the true heir
to the Concordat Protectorship—a public slap in the face of the increasingly paranoid Protector
Grover Shraplen. The relationship between Shraplen and Kithrong rapidly devolved after that, lead-
ing to the secession of the so-called Calderon Protectorate in 3066 under Kithrong’s stewardship.
Although the Divisionals swore to remain out of the conflict, devoted to defending the Concordat against outsiders rather than turning
against a people they now saw as family, Captain Martens, her command lance, and her son Erik all joined Kithrong in self-imposed
exile.
Since then, the Divisionals received numerous requests to take part in actions against the Protectorate but steadfastly refused each
one. When they again refused to take part in the Protector’s doomed Operation Reclamation campaign, Shraplen threatened to charge
the command with contract breach. In response, Major J. Benderoth, the Divisionals’ commander, threatened to terminate his contract
and take the next available JumpShip to Davion space. In 3069, however, tensions suddenly eased when Word of Blake negotiators inter-
ceded, smoothing over the disagreement and renewing the Divisionals contract for another five years—with a reported 25 percent pay
increase and a boon of a full ’Mech company—on the condition that the Divisionals would never be asked to take a role in anti-
Protectorate missions. The Divisionals have since remained at their post on New Vallis, where they have lately been observed undergo-
ing intensive training for a possible mission into the Federated Suns.
Curiously, scattered reports have made their way to MercNet of another BattleMech force sporting the Divisionals’ colors and logo,
with the addition of a bold red numeral “2” in the background, operating on Erod’s Escape. The company-sized command appears to
include the original four ’Mechs Talia Martens took with her when she joined Kithrong in his rebellion against the Concordat, lending cre-
dence to speculation that the Calderon Protectorate is actively raising a second incarnation of Prey’s Divisionals for their own defense.
The warriors of the original Divisionals have offered no comment on this unusual development, however, except to stress there are no
active connections between themselves and the so-called “Second Divisionals.”
Dragoon’s Rating: D (Prey’s Divisionals); Unrated (“Second Divisionals”)

Prey’s Divisionals
As of this writing, Prey’s Divisionals has an estimated force strength of roughly five full BattleMech companies. Most of these

machines are older models, common to the Periphery and older Federated Suns commands. The newest additions, however, appear to
be a mix of more advanced Project Phoenix upgrades and Star League machines, provided through Word of Blake intermediaries.
Although this factor would ordinarily suggest the Divisionals have taken on a Blakist contract and would thus place on the battalion on
the MRBC’s Wanted lists, no evidence exists to prove a direct connection with the Word. The windfall of upgrades, piloted by locally raised
volunteers, seems to have been just part of the deal that J. Banderoth (now styling himself a Brigadier) managed to broker in exchange
for his continued loyalty to Shraplen’s Concordat.

The “Second Divisionals”
At this time, the unofficial Second Divisionals operating in the Calderon Protectorate are not considered to be part of or truly affili-

ated with the Prey’s Divisionals themselves, but merely an offshoot command formed from the lance that accompanied Captain Talia
Martens into the Protectorate. Unregistered with the MRBC, their connection to the original command seems to be only superficial at
best as they field older designs almost exclusively.

96

MERCENARIES SUPPLEMENTAL UPDATE

RAGING HORDE

In a universe where BattleMechs dominate the battlefield, lesser units are
normally overlooked or ignored. The Raging Horde is changing that. While mer-
cenary units comprising mostly infantry are not unheard of, the fact that the Horde
was founded exclusively by ex-Clansmen sets this command apart from all others.
Though most of the Raging Horde appears to hail from the Nova Cat Clan, sur-

vivors from other invading Clans are represented as well. How they managed
to come together under one roof is a testament to the leadership abilities of
their founder, Jeremiah West, a Nova Cat who claims that a vision pre-ordained
his role in forming his own mercenary force.

Many of the Horde’s former Clansmen are still adjusting to their new merce-
nary identity, having been raised from birth to look upon professional soldiers as
beneath their kind. To help overcome this, West has encouraged them to maintain their
Clan customs within the unit, maintaining their beliefs and keeping their shared past
alive. Indeed, Leadership in the Horde’s command is determined by Clan-style Trials,
which explains how a number of former Diamond Sharks and Nova Cats joined the out-
fit and how one of each now act as their co-leaders. Lacking the finer skills for the mer-
cenary bargaining table, however, the Horde relied for a time on an eccentric patron, a lesser noble named Bartholomew Alexander who
agreed to sponsor the command for a “modest” twenty percent fee. Thanks to Alexander, the Horde won its first few contracts to battle
the Jade Falcons and Crusader Wolves before casualties whittled them down enough to consider replacement troopers from the Inner
Sphere (so long as they could pass the requisite Trials, of course).
The Horde was on Lindsay in 3066 when Taurian forces, supporting their campaign for the Pleiades Cluster, briefly overran the
world. Upon learning of this, Alexander reportedly emptied the mercenaries’ account and vanished from Galatea. When the Horde even-
tually escaped and learned what Alexander had done, they vowed revenge, selling off two of their four Sassanid DropShips to finance
their relentless hunt for Alexander.
A MercNet interview with Captain Caroline, the Horde’s spokesperson, brought the Horde new notoriety and an influx of experienced
battle-armor troopers, including a few more former Clansmen. Within six months, the Horde replaced its most recent losses and expand-
ed to a full Elemental Cluster. They spent another twelve months training their new personnel in the Horde’s customs and tactics, return-
ing to the active roles by June of 3069. Hurting for garrison forces after a beating against the Free Worlds League, representatives from
the Lyran Alliance’s Skye Province offered the Horde a lucrative contract for garrison and cadre training duties on Skye, throwing in the
location of one Bartholomew Alexander as an incentive. Colonel West and Major Maine conferred with their commanders and—after a
brief, heated discussion—accepted the contract, promising to arrive no later than the contracted starting date of August 3069.
As Horde personnel prepared to depart for their new assignment, the Trinary commanders bid for the honor of killing Alexander. In
the end, Captain Jason Henne’s final bid won the day when he bid himself, unarmed, to the task. The Raging Horde lifted from Galatea
two days later, their destination: Callisto V and Bartholomew Alexander. On Callisto, Henne reportedly departed the Horde’s DropShip
and took a taxi to the address given to him. Upon arrival, Henne confronted Alexander outside of his home and forced him back inside.
Ten minutes later, Captain Henne emerged and returned to the Horde with two very large security cases in hand. When questioned about
the mission, Henne handed over the cases, which contained most of the command’s misappropriated funds. Henne then admitted that
he did not kill Alexander, explaining that the former mercenary broker had properly invoked surkai and confessed his crimes to the local
authorities. Henne said that he left Alexander secured to a chair for the local authorities before leaving. In honor of Henne’s success and
tact, Colonel West reportedly formally adopted the Spheroid-born as a Clan warrior.
The Horde arrived on Skye as expected and assumed their duties as specified by their contract. Still on Skye as of this writing, they
are currently training local forces in anti-Clan and anti-’Mech tactics.
Dragoons Rating: C

The Raging Horde
Currently the Horde fields five Trinaries of battle-armored troopers. Each Star billets an equal number of Clan and Inner Sphere

troopers, recently augmented by the added support of several fresh-from-the-factory Saxon APCs. While the Horde still suffers from the
occasional personnel issue flare-up, they are fully integrated and ready for action.

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RAYMOND’S REDCOATS

Though today they have become a model for respectability and reliability in the mercenary
business, Raymond’s Redcoats’ origins are far from honest. First appearing on the scene in
2803, the original Redcoats, commanded by Colonel Irwin Raymond, proclaimed themselves
survivors of the lost SLDF, specifically elements of the 295th BattleMech Division. However,
unbeknownst to the Inner Sphere—especially the leaders of the Lyran Commonwealth who
promptly offered the Redcoats a contract—the survivors of the real 295th, having long since
failed in their efforts to join General Kerensky’s exodus, had settled an uncharted world far
beyond Circinus, never to return. The Redcoats would be employed as anti-bandit forces on the
Steiner Periphery for over thirty years before the truth came out—identifying them as former
pirates themselves.

When confronted with the LIC report, Colonel Juanita Raymond (Irwin’s daughter) eventu-
ally confessed that the Redcoats in fact descended from a shattered Rim Worlds Republic force
that had devolved into banditry soon after the collapse of the Republic. Over fifty years spent
scrounging and stealing had worn away at the bandits, many of whom had begun to wonder
about a better life, when Irwin Raymond took over. A rare bandit of conscience, Irwin conceived
of the false identity in an effort to cloak his band in a more positive, employable image, and chose
the identity of the lost SLDF Division that he had learned about from an old history text. With little over-
sight on mercenaries of the day, the deceit was easy to accomplish, literally remaking the Redcoats’ iden-
tity overnight.
Rather than terminate the Redcoats’ contract, Archon Richard Steiner extended their retainer and relo-
cated the mercenaries to a more active front. When asked to explain, the Archon cryptically said, “When a thief asks for honest work,
what more can one do than oblige and hope for the best?” For the rest of the 2800s, the Redcoats would serve the Lyran state before
accepting contracts with the Federated Suns, Free Worlds League, and the Magistracy of Canopus. By 3020, the Redcoats returned
again to Lyran employ with several long garrison missions in the interior regions and spent much of the FedCom era stationed in the so-
called Periphery March, remaining in place even after the arrival of the Clans in 3050.
By the 3060s, however, the break-up of the Federated Commonwealth had the Redcoats seeking employment beyond Steiner space
again. Though approached by the Word of Blake at one point, the Redcoats apparently declined, and there was some talk that the reg-
iment would return to the Periphery under a contract with the newly formed Fronc Reaches.
With the start of the Jihad and the MRBC’s Sphere-wide blacklisting of the Word of Blake as a legitimate employer, however,
Raymond’s Redcoats took a new tack, becoming one of the largest mercenary commands to date to shun the usual hiring hall contracts
in favor of full-on bounty hunting. Credited with last year’s confirmed capture (and elimination) of the renegade Burned Band, the
Redcoats have since made their way to the Pleiades Cluster and are engaged in a hunt for the Lone Star Regiment on Merope.
Dragoons Rating: C

Raymond’s Redcoats
Colonel Darius Raymond commands the Redcoats BattleMech regiment with a fanatical devotion to what he considers its “new call-

ing.” Determined to make an example of outlaw mercs, he has offered incentives to his own warriors for every renegade mercenary cap-
tured or killed in accordance with their latest target and the wishes of the highest bounty poster—be they the MRBC or a dejected Great
House. Though he has been known to pass up some bounties on the grounds of questionable charges, when Raymond focuses his com-
mand on an objective, the pursuit can be relentless.

The Redcoats have adopted the practice of “rehabilitating” any advanced technology salvage from captured bounties while selling
off surplus older equipment to raise revenue for newer gear. This has resulted in a rapid increase in the regiment’s overall technology
rating, jumping from a “C” grade in 3067 to an “A” grade today.

Raymond’s Redhawks
The transport and air support segment of the Redcoats consists of two aerospace fighter squadrons that Colonel Raymond uses to

spot and flush out his quarry, as well as three Overlord-class DropShips and an Invader-class JumpShip. These assets have given the
Redcoats the freedom to reach their bounties wherever they may hide.

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