The year is 3025, and the ramp up to the 4th Succession War is in full swing. Great houses are getting into increasingly long border skirmishes, pirate activity is on the rise, and its a profitable time to be a mercenary.
Enter one such mercenary band. A minor company operating out of the heart of the Inner Sphere named Marley's Misfits. Made up of whatever pilots, crew and tech could be scaped together, operating whatever BattleMechs and vehicles they can get their hands on, the rising tension is being seen by their commander, one Marley Swanson, as their time to make enough cash and a name for themselves to hit the big leagues. Welcome one and all to our little dive into the wonderful world of the BattleTech and MechWarrior universe! Now, normally this is where I'd put the rules and junk, but I trust y'all to behave. We're adults here. Biggest thing is I'm not intending for us to touch on pretty much anything more morally gray or dubious beyond "we're being paid to fight in someone else's war." So do keep that in mind.
As for technology, I'm not limiting us to mechs in any capacity. You wanna play a tank commander? Go ahead. An aerospace fighter jockey? Consider it done. A VTOL pilot? Absolutely. Heck, I'm even on board if you wanna play a marine/security commander and lead the poor bloody infantry. Biggest thing for technology is that anything that was available in 3025, and not strictly limited or controlled by one Great House or other faction, is allowed in its standard configuration. If you wanna rip something out to make a more customized mech, there'll need to be some tradeoffs.
If anyone has any questions, just yell at me. The wiki https://www.sarna.net/wiki/ is a fantastic resource for pretty much anything you could need for the setting, and I've set up a discord here (https://discord.gg/5Nuv2DqtFQ) so we have a more real-time place to talk and plan and chatter and whatnot.
Anyway here's a CS template and an Asset template:
I ironed out a few of my concepts by using this Random Assignment Table; hopefully that'll come in handy for other players.
Name: Lena von Kemp Nickname/Callsign: Wrathchild Age: 23 Gender: Female Crew Position: Mechwarrior Nationality: expatriate of the Barony of Strang, Periphery
Biographical History: Lena was born in the one-world "empire" of the Barony of Strang, formerly of the Rim Worlds Republic. The Von Strang family, descended from a lackey of the infamous Stefan Amaris, had ruled over their pocket kingdom with an iron fist, gaining vast wealth through the planet's unusually high carbon deposits, and therefore a massive amount of naturally occurring diamonds. Lena von Kemp was raised by a miner family, spending her childhood in the cockpit of her parents' RCL-1 MiningMech- partially so she could learn the controls and continue to earn the family a living, and partially to avoid the predations of other miners or their corrupt superiors. In addition, she learned how to repair equipment from the Mech's technician, an older man everyone only ever called 'Pops,' and learned how to fight in endless scraps with bullies and other kids her age, which would in turn help her look after her younger siblings, Sunny and Diego. While her upbringing was not a particularly happy one, her family were honest people who did their best to protect Lena and her siblings from the cruelty of the wider world.
Sadly, such cruelty could not be avoided forever. Lena's mother was gunned down during a worker revolt, and her father took to drinking, which led to his death when he attempted to pilot the MiningMech while intoxicated. At fifteen, Lena began piloting the MiningMech herself, picking up shifts to try and pay off the family's debts. Eventually, the insane planetary governor Otto Von Strang declared it was time to reclaim Rim Worlds Republic territory from the Lyran Commonwealth, and began drafting anyone capable of piloting a Mech of any kind. At eighteen, Lena was swept up into the Barony Guard, and was placed in the cockpit of a Quasit MilitiaMech to carry out raids on the Lyran border.
These raids were, in short, an utter disaster. House Steiner Mechwarriors cut the Barony Guard to pieces with little effort, the Baron's half-trained raiders in barely functional machinery no match for professional House warriors in full-fledged Battlemechs. This catastrophe, however, was the best thing that could have happened to Lena. The Guard's support cadre had included her old technician Pops, and her siblings had stowed away on the DropShip with him. Rather than follow the rest of the militia to another disaster, Pops, Sunny, and Diego abandoned the crew, seeking out Lena's ruined Quasit to rescue her. As the Barony Guard fled the planet and the Steiner Mechwarriors pursued, the four of them found themselves stranded on a new world, but now free of the oppressive yoke of Von Strang and able to decide their own destinies.
For a time, they traveled around in merchant caravans, hopping from JumpShip to DropShip with no real allegiance to anything but each other. At 21, Lena arrived on Galatea, the Mercenary Star, and signed on with a small command named Marley's Misfits. While initially she came on as a technician apprenticing under Pops, Lena found the cockpit of a Mech too inviting to ignore, and began sneaking into simulator pods during her downtime. Her scores over the next two years were competent enough to get Marley Swanson's attention, and as luck would have it, an unfortunate Wolverine pilot under her command had taken a PPC to the head, leaving an otherwise operational 'Mech in sudden need of a pilot.
At 23, Lena von Kemp has officially signed on to the active roster as a 'Mech pilot, using the callsign "Wrathchild," though her lack of formal training makes many hesitant to call her a "true" Mechwarrior. Still, seeing the opportunity to provide Sunny and Diego with enough money to lead a better life, as well as the opportunity to work out some of her personal issues by way of military ordnance, Lena is determined to prove that she belongs in a 'Mech cockpit, whatever the cost.
Personality: Lena is often serious to the point of standoffish, with little sense of humor and a short fuse. The only people she warms up around are her brother and sister, and her technician/mentor Pops. Despite an attitude that may come off as curt or harsh, Lena is also determined to prove herself worthy to the other Mechwarriors and especially to Marley Swanson, leading her to act rashly, even recklessly, if she thinks it will leave a good impression. She is deeply uncomfortable around anything involving nobles or high society, and will go out of her way to avoid long conversations.
Since she had spent so long toiling on a miserable world, Lena compulsively buys anything that reminds her of better places than where she grew up. Any personal space she has, from her bunk to her cockpit, is stuffed with knickknacks and souvenirs that she picks up along the way, and she is intensely territorial about her stuff. More than anything, though, she is fiercely protective of her brother and sister, and will go to virtually any lengths to keep them safe.
Asset Name: Wolverine WVR-6R Asset Nickname: "Freebooter" Asset Type: Medium Battlemech Asset Tonnage: 55 Asset Weaponry: GM Whirlwind Autocannon/5 (Right Arm) Harpoon-6 Short-Range Missile Launcher (Left Torso) Magna MkII Medium Laser (Head) Asset Equipment: 5 Northrup 1200 Jump Jets Tek Battlecom Sensor System 12 HartfordCo Industries Heat Sinks
The Wolverine was developed as a fast strike BattleMech, one which could take part in missions requiring speed and firepower but too hazardous for lighter recon 'Mechs. Although meeting all the requirements for just such a machine, the Wolverine has since become known for its versatility and is considered a jack of all trades throughout the Inner Sphere. With the same electronics package as the Phoenix Hawk and mobility that allows it to keep up with most medium 'Mechs, the Wolverine is often used for command purposes when working with medium units, in spite of the terrible visibility and cramped cockpit due to the placement of the head-mounted weaponry.
This particular Wolverine is registered as having stepped off the assembly line in the mid 2840s, rushed out to service during the height of the Second Succession War. Built by Gibson Federated Battlemechs for the Free Worlds League, it was given the nickname "Freebooter"-- a synonym for a pirate or raider-- as it was first used by a Marik regiment to raid Steiner worlds. Freebooter's first Mechwarrior was killed in action, salvaged by the Lyrans, and used against Marik until the end of the Second Succession War. Its service records are spotty from there on, but at some point it was sold by the Steiners to a now long-defunct mercenary command, and changed hands from owner to owner ever since, eventually finding its way into a 'Mech bay for Marley's Misfits.
Because the Wolverine is such a popular and versatile 'Mech, Freebooter has never wanted for spare parts even after centuries of technological backslide, and because of this it has been refitted and refurbished countless times in its service. In all likelihood, by now the 'Mech is made of more replacement parts than original, the latest of which is a new cockpit after its previous pilot, Reggie "Shorty" Stiltson, was incinerated by a stray PPC blast to the head. Now assigned to Lena von Kemp, Freebooter is now fully operational once again, and ready to continue its long years of service.
Asset Crew/Staff:
"Pops": Lena's personal technician, as well as mentor and ersatz father-figure, Pops is an irritable old coot who couldn't be more different from Lena. Where Lena is reserved and keeps to herself, Pops is loud, brash, and will let everyone in a ten-klick radius know when he's got an opinion about something. He also may or may not run a small still in the Mech bay to make moonshine out of ethanol fuel.
Sunshine "Sunny" and Diego von Kemp: Lena's younger brother and sister. The two were infants when their parents died, so Lena has looked after them their entire lives. While Pops has tried to show them how to make themselves useful as technicians, the two seem more interested in causing mischief and playing pranks.
... An aerospace fighter jockey? Consider it done.... I'm even on board if you wanna play a marine/security commander and lead the poor bloody infantry. Biggest thing for technology is that anything that was available in 3025, and not strictly limited or controlled by one Great House or other faction, is allowed in its standard configuration. If you wanna rip something out to make a more customized mech, there'll need to be some tradeoffs.
*= Emphasis mine.
You just had to go and bloody say those two. Oh dear lord being an infantry commander in a reality of battlemech operators sounds so amazingly desperate and dangerous that I can't help but have it stuck in my head now. Oh sweet lord the tragedy you have wrought upon my mind.
Edit: Probably done for the night, will plan to do some editing tomorrow.
Edit 2: Fixed some wording, added some minor details.
Edit 3: Added a CS for General Kerensky (the Cat)
Edit 4: Fleshed out my PC's appearance and added some stuff for her Technician and Astechs (new post for them)
MechWarrior:
Name: Tereza Aranda Nom De Guerre: Emma Ziska Nickname/Callsign: Alleycat Age: 25 Gender: Female Crew Position: Mechwarrior Rank: Lieutenant Nationality: Magistracy of Canopus
Appearance:
Average in height, Ziska has the athletic build expected of many a MechWarrior and professional soldier. She has a dusky complexion with brown eyes and long, curly dark hair that has a habit of straightening from the heat of her BattleMech's cockpit.
Ziska moves with a catlike dexterity and is known for being alarmingly quiet. Ziska has a habit of prowling the decks of the DropShip in search of minor amusements to occupy her time during the transit time between contracts and more than one Misfit has been scared half to death by the sudden, unexpected appearance of the MechWarrior.
A casual dresser with a military flair, Ziska wears a rotating collection of combat uniforms. Largely military fatigues of a recent Capellan Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF) make, her outfits consist of a jacket, trousers and shirt or T-shirt.
Ziska is also inordinately fond of lounging around in the classic flame-resistant coveralls favored by mechanics all across the Inner Sphere and she keeps several pair that she has permanently 'borrowed' from her Astechs and Technician. Most of the coveralls she wears appear to have been manufactured for the Federated Suns Navy (FSN) and Lyrian Commonwealth Navy (LCN).
As a seasoned MechWarrior when piloting her BattleMech Ziska wears the familiar garb of a MechWarrior. Well-worn combat boots, tattered shorts, a breezy tank top, and fire resistant gloves.
Ziska's pride and joy is a heavily customized neurohelmet that she claims to have won over a game of poker in a deep periphery backwater tavern that she couldn't possibly reveal, not without having to kill someone, maybe a couple of people even. Lighter than the usual bulky neurohelmet a MechWarrior relies on, Ziska's helmet is painted midnight black. Her Cooling Vest is standard, but sports a sewn on patch depicting a black cat with an arched back and raised up fur. Due to the cramped nature of a BattleMech cockpit, Ziska keeps her sidearm in a chest holster attached to her Cooling Vest.
Biographical History:
Mysterious in all matters personal, Emma Ziska is a capable MechWarrior, respected for her talents piloting a BattleMech and serving as an officer in Marley's Misfits. Far from sullen, she speaks freely, but rarely seems to say much of any truth or depth about herself.
There are many stories about Ziska that circulate through Marley's Misfits. Some old hands say she's a pirate. They see cold eyes, quick hands, and the familiar, confident swagger of a scoundrel. Fresher faces, particularly those from the Periphery, mention the infamous Canopian Pleasure circuses, and the Canopian mercenaries that accompany them. Ziska knows many things about the galaxy. She has many tales to tale and amusing adventures to share. Marley Swanson himself seems uncertain about Ziska's past and seems content to let the matter lie, lest he lose another talented MechWarrior.
Unsurprisingly, Ziska offers no clear answers when directly asked about any criminal acts she may have engaged in or questionable contracts she may have once signed. With a shrug of her shoulders and a mischievous smile, she simply dances around any serious questions about "complicated" matters like piracy.
---
Jealously guarded Magistracy of Canopus records, if carefully examined, indicate that Tereza Aranda was born on August 10th, 3001, in the city of Crimson, on Canopus IV, the planetary capital of the Magistracy of Canopus, to noblewoman Sarah Aranda and her husband Thomas. A well-respected family belonging to the Frone faction of the Canopian nobility, the Aranda family were among the few remaining descendants of the original founders of the Magistracy of Canopus.
Steeped in tradition and privilege, Tereza, the third of five children and the youngest of three daughters, was carefully groomed for a life intended to culminate in a leading position at the very top of the Magistracy Armed Forces (MAF).
--- At the age of fifteen, having completed the compulsory education expected in the Magistracy of Canopus, Aranda began training to become a MechWarrior. Her family name and the careful politics of her parents, ensured that Aranda was selected as an officer candidate and instead of being sent off to a Militia Defense pr training battalion she was delivered to Raventhir's Iron Hand, first regiment of the Magistracy Royal Guards, the most prestigious unit in all of the Magistracy of Canopus, tasked with protecting the Magistrix herself. Posted as a military aide-de-camp under Major Vernyce Alkobar received "on-the-job" training in the finer aspects of warfare, military leadership, and social life for the upper echelons of the MAF.
By the age of seventeen, Aranda had earned the rank of Banner Sergeant in the Magistracy Armed Forces. Well pleased with her achievements and eying a suitable future marriage following continued success, her parents purchased a commission as an Ensign for Tereza in the 1st Canopian Fusiliers of the legendary Chasseurs á Cheval brigade. A storied regiment, famed for their bravery and success in battle, to the Canopians, the 1st Canopian Fusiliers represented the very tip of the spear.
In the years that followed, Aranda spent several years fighting pirates, killing Free Worlds League mercenaries raiding Canopian space, and along with the rest of her unit, she participated in a number of clandestine raids targeting nearby Free Worlds League controlled planets. The culmination of what should have been a most carefully cultivated career was smashed to pieces under unclear circumstances.
A band of pirates were subdued. A planet was liberated. Aranda was put up for a medal. There was a disagreement. Strong words were spoken. Alcohol was suspected to be involved. There were rumors of worse, far less palatable vices. In the days that followed, Aranda had a storied falling out with her commanding officer that still echoes in the memories of the 1st Canopian Fusiliers. No less than five BattleMechs were heavily damaged in the brawl that ensued, several venerable BattleMechs were left complete write-offs, reduced to mere salvage and spare parts. With her entire company confined to quarters, Aranda, in an uncharacteristic rage, resigned her commission while still under arrest. According to her commanding officer, Aranda then feigned illness, attacked one of the soldiers guarding her, stole a Heavy Gyrojet Gun, took an Astech hostage, and escaped the base pursued by an infantry squad. The soldiers that served under her tell a different story, suggesting that Aranda simply bribed the soldier guarding her and calmly walked off the base occupied by the 1st Canopian Fusiliers.
Later investigation by MIM lead to few clear findings with the ranking officer concluding only that Aranda had most likely signed up with a passing mercenary company. After all, it was hardly the first time that a Canopian noblewoman had vanished into the deep periphery before anything could be done to stop her. Inevitably, these wayward noble scions would come crawling back to the Magistracy of Canopus when they had exhausted the limited funds available to them.
---
After this event, records concerning Aranda are spotty. A precious few reported sightings of Aranda manage to reach all the way back to Crimson, Canopus IV, and the Magistracy of Canopus. However, identification is inconclusive, information arrives corrupted, and nothing much of value is learned. The Aranda family accepts that they have lost a daughter. Life moves on. Most people chose to forget. Not even the operatives of the Magistracy Intelligence Ministry are able to satisfactorily divine the whereabouts of the rogue Canopian noble.
However, ComStar databanks indicate that a suspected pirate, Emma Ziska, appeared in the Periphery during the early 3020s. Loose ties to the pirate kingdom of Tortuga are mentioned, but never conclusively proven. Working her way through a number of mercenary companies in questionable standing with ComStar's Mercenary Review Board (MRB), Ziska somehow establishes herself as a reputable MechWarrior. She greases the right palms, sweet-talks the right ComStar Acolytes, and receives the right digital documents. Eventually, Ziska made her way to Galatea with a glowing recommendation from ComStar Precentor Alexander Wanyika in hand and was hired by Marley Swanson of the rising mercenary outfit Marley's Misfits.
Personality:
Ziska is friendly, social, and playful. Charming even, when the mood strikes her, and more than a little gifted when it comes to ballroom dancing. She is remarkably kind for a recently reformed pirate, even to the freshest faces in Marley's Misfits, be they an Astech, Technician, Infantry Soldier, Tanker, MechWarrior, or Aerojock.
Although Ziska is tight-lipped when it comes to her past, there are hints in her speech, in her knowledge and in her bearing of an aristocratic upbringing. She has an obvious military background and carries herself both during combat and when it counts in the manner of a professional officer. Despite this military background, reflecting the time honored traditions of the the Magistracy of Canopus, Ziska is an exceedingly unorthodox MechWarrior and officer. She is a master of ambushes, lightening quick strikes, and unconventional tactics.
She lives fast, drinks rapidly, eats happily, and pilots all her mechs at full throttle. When deployed on a mission, Ziska is grimly determined. Some of the other Misfits have noticed that she is well-versed in the brutal realities of asymmetric warfare and remark that as an officer she maintains a certain coldness in the field. Watching, waiting, and planning...there is something predatory about her manners in the field. She stalks larger mechs as if hunting larger prey and has a sixth sense for when to launch an attack. She wastes little energy, moving with a marked efficiency and patience on the battlefield.
For her many gifts as an officer, Ziska has the personality of a domesticated feline, lazying about the DropShip when off duty, and managing to do only exactly as much administrative work as is required of her.
makes little distinction between social origins
Equipment:
Adopting a loose military dress, Ziska carries a Calaveri 10mm Auto-Pistol in a holster on her right hip. A sleek, small black pistol, it is an ideal sidearm for a MechWarrior often operating inside of a cramped BattleMech cockpit.
As a final insurance policy should her BattleMech be disabled, Ziska has tucked a Mauser and Gray Firearms M-75 personal defense weapon beneath her ejection seat. A rugged design, the M-75 is a modular and compact PDW chambered for a respectable 6.5×25mm round. A bargain purchase, the M-75 standard with a detachable low power optic, wire folding stock, grip safety, threaded barrel, and hollow foregrip which can be used to hold a spare magazine.
As a reminder of home, she keeps a Ceres Arms Slasher Combat Knife. Originating from the Capellan Confederation, the SCK is a double-edged, forged out of high quality nickel steel knife. Balanced for throwing, the SCK has a hollow, rough steel grip complete with a removable cap. Designed for export markets, the knife was popular in the Periphery, selling well in the Magistracy of Canopus and Taurian Concordant. Although Ziska chiefly uses it to cut fruit, the knife is useful for violence if needed.
Asset Appearance: Alleycat's JR7-D has been painted with a shark mouth below the cockpit and is adorned with a distinct tiger stripe pattern. However, the BattleMech always sports carefully applied layers of color that match the current environment that Misfits are operating in.
Asset Crew/Staff:See following character sheets.
Asset Weaponry:
Possessing a standard loadout, the Tigershark is equipped with four Argra 3L Medium Lasers, with two medium lasers mounted on the left and right directionally variable mountings.
These weapons afford the Tigershark with a powerful close-to-medium range strike that allows the pilot to operate without concern for supplies. A useful trait for a light mech that often operates deep behind enemy lines.
A Thunderstroke SRM-4 launcher mounted in the center torso provides additional oomph. One ton of ammunition, allows twenty five shots, and can be used to cause critical damage to vulnerable internal components of an enemy unit once the armor has been breached.
Asset Equipment:
The Tigershark only has ten heat sinks and can run hot during prolonged fighting. Intended as a fast striker, the JR7-D has a 245-rated Magna fusion engine that allows it to reach a top speed of over 118 km/h. Not just fast, but agile, five Smithson Lifter jump jets, two in each side torso and one in the center torso, enable the Tigershark to jump a distance of 150 meters.
Further, the Tigershark has an unremarkable Bk-309 Targeting Tracking System and a reliable Dawson III Communications System. A functional, if well-worn, Diplan Scout-A chassis is paired with four tons of Starshield of armor.
Beyond standard SRM ammunition, Emma utilizes SRM inferno ammunition to set enemies on fire. Although she uses inferno rounds chiefly to overwhelm the heat dissipation system of enemy mechs, in a pinch the SRM inferno rounds can be used to devastating effect against combat vehicles, battle armor into flaming, and conventional infantry platoons.
Crew/Staff:
Name:Alexander Kerensky Age: 2 Gender: Female Species: Felis catus Crew Position: Unofficial Official Ship Cat Rank: Commanding General of the Star League Nationality: Lyrian
Appearance:
An adorable calico cat, with a coat of soft, glossy fur and surprisingly sharp claws reserved for those that offend her. Being a cat, Kerensky wears only a tasteful leather collar adorned with a small metal tag listing her name, mercenary affiliation, and Star League rank.
Personality:
The exceedingly proud, mostly benevolent ruler of the DropShip maintained by Marley's Misfits. Kerensky is fond of napping, pets, scritches, and the occasional belly rub. Convinced of her own supremacy and divine right to command the mercenaries Marley has assembled, Kerensky does not respond well to her unspoken orders being refused. Mercifully, Kerensky is quite adorable and the vast majority of her power is used only in the pursuit of snacks or cuddles.
Biographical History:
General Kerensky is confusingly, given her namesake, a female calico cat that Ziska has seen fit to adopt. In an impressively irreverent act, bordering on tasteless according to some ComStar adjacent mercenaries, Ziska has named her cat after the famed Star League general and hero, Alexander Kerensky. Sauntering throughout the Misfit's DropShip at all hours of the day or night, regardless of the status of any doors, Kerensky manages an impressive fiefdom centering largely on the mech hanger and Ziska's private quarters. The bane of many an Astech or Technician, Kerensky appears certain, quite certain, that she is in fact in charge of the entire operation, and reacts poorly to any actions that would imply otherwise.
Unfortunately for the rest of the Misfits, any complaints delivered to Ziska regarding the conduct of her cat are simply responded to with a well-practiced sigh, half-hearted shake of her head, and a comment on the fickle nature of all generals.
Name: Marcus Becker Nickname/Callsign: Shrike Age: 41 Gender: Male
Crew Position: Captain
Nationality: Lyran Commonwealth Appearance:
Biographical History: Marcus was the result of a pairing between his mother, a successful MechWarrior of several generations, and his father, an independent dropship captain. Bought up with a strong sense of his families' history and legacy as successful MechWarriors and space-faring, independent, rugged adventurers, he had an eager desire to follow in his families' footsteps, and was especially enamoured with his mother, Selina and her rare Phoenix Hawk Land-Air 'mech. With both his mother and father often away from home for months - and occasionally years - at a time with only infrequent communication via HPG messages or letters, he was raised by his relatives, and often entertained with stories of their exploits, and gifts - from his guilt-ridden parents - from far-off places. As such, his mental pictures of their lives were much bigger and brighter than the realities, which he only came to encounter as he grew older. He lost some of this shine after enlisting as a trainee in the Commonwealth's military academy, training as a MechWarrior. He showed more-than competent skill and expertise as a 'mech pilot and was on track to be assigned to a unit, eventually ending up with the Celedon Rangers, a middle-of-the-road unit with little notable history. He served his time competently, engaging in a few small skirmishes, mostly in counter-piracy or peacekeeping operations along the boundaries of Lyran space well into his twenties.
It was around his twenty-fifth birthday that his world fell apart. His mother was reported as killed in action. Her 'mech was returned to the family, as was the tradition. Controversy followed, however, as the surviving members of her unit, devastated in battle, gave scathing accounts of the battle they were involved in, citing the whole engagement as the result of glory-seeking and adventurism of one of the upper class lords of the Commonwealth military, leading to the characteristic tactical incompetence of the Lyran Armed Forces rearing its' head. Allegations flew from both sides, of dereliction of duty thrown at Selian Becker for refusing to follow orders, and of those orders being both unsound or unjust, and of the deliberate wasting of lives and equipment, of classism, and other such allegations. The bureaucracy of the Commonwealth did no favours to attempting to unravel the situation, nor to try and make any form of progress in resolution of the issues or the facts, and turned the issue into one that took years. The issue became infamous and a hot topic around the Becker family, leading to Marcus' own career stagnating, dogged by the allegations and reputation around the issue, leading to him being reassigned repeatedly to 'less visible' positions, and ones with little chance of progression in his career. At the same time, his father's career began to suffer from the same issues. Contracts became less and less lucrative, and this only aided his slide deeper into an already depressive slump from the loss of his wife. He turned to alcohol and narcotics to cope with the loss, ultimately leading to accidents on the job, and losses of cargoes and crew members, further hurting his reputation. His depression turned to bitterness and anger against the bureaucracy and nobility of the Commonwealth, something he became more and more open about, and eventually leading him to become ostracised from his peers, and falling into less reputable company.
Marcus too began to feel this resentment, especially coupled with the ongoing bureaucratic mire his family and his career had been stuck in. After repeated attempts to transfer to other units or receive additional training were refused, he decided to cashier his commission with the armed forces, disgusted by the endless bureaucracy and classist structure of the Commonwealth as a whole, and his experiences with the nobility and ruling classes and their stranglehold on the military. His families' resources had lead to the Phoenix Hawk receiving repairs, and it had been sitting idle in the meantime, in storage. Using the payout from his resignation, he trained in the operation of a Land-Air 'Mech, and showed a natural aptitude for the class of machine, effectively harnessing the multi-mode nature of the machine in combat and operations to its' best extent.
Disenchanted with life and service with the Lyran Commonwealth military, he signed on as a Mercenary. His extended family supported the idea - with reservations - and financed his initial venture with a loan, his father likewise cashing in his shares in his ship - under pressure from his crew after his string of failures and embarssing incidents - to do so. Marcus' initial career as a mercenary was one that was very contrasted. His posession of a functional and effective Land-Air 'mech gave him a unique and uncommon quality, albeit one that was not exactly in demand, as being 'neither fish nor fowl'. Nonetheless, the qualities of an LAM gave their own advantages, and he served with three small mercenary companies over the next decade, gaining a modest reputation as a capable and effective reconnaissance, interdiction and counter-reconnaissance strike pilot, moving swiftly on the battlefield as effective support for his allies. Marcus earned the nickname 'Shrike' for his vicious strikes from the air, often in Air-'Mech mode, against lances of light and lower-end medium 'mechs, often 'impaling' them with hits from his laser weapons. The image was only reinforced by the red-brown, white and grey colour scheme of his 'mech. After the last mercenary company he was part of dissolved as their members went separate ways, Marcus was looking for a new company to join, and has signed up with Marley's Misfits.
Personality: Marcus sometimes leans into the classic traits of a fighter pilot; sometimes being cocky, confident and brash, but this is often tempered with a cool and level-headed aspect, based on his experience and his personal and familial history. He is quite well-spoken and generally knowledgeable, and is an affable sort of fellow, at least to those who are open to socialising and friendship. If greeted with hostility, and - especially - arrogance and detachment, he will often resort to light mockery and good-natured teasing if allies, and sarcastic mockery and cutting remarks for those who are unfriendly rivals or antagonists. He has little patience for the aristocracy, especially those who distance themselves from the people they claim to lead or rule, and openly admits that he is biased in this regard due to his history, and is well aware that this might be a failing of his. Fortunately, he is old enough to realise that painting everyone with a broad brush isn't ideal, and has been caught out by this in the past... but he is also - for better or worse - old enough to find it hard to change his ways. Other than his use of humour in interacting with others, he has an otherwise good and ever-present sense of humour, often using it to cope with any situation. He is not above his vices, having a weakness for cigars, good whiskey, good food and women, having a small string of turbluent, though passionate relationships over the years which he has fond memories of.
Asset Crew/Staff: Marcus 'Shrike' Becker Technician: Holly Page. Holly has been Marcus' technician for the better part of a decade, after his previous technician retired with no Astech. Holly put herself forward for the position. Initially refused by Marcus based on her youth and lack of experience, the 'tech he selected instead turned out to be lazy, sloppy, and eager to claim he was neither and an expert to boot. After his 'work' and 'expertise' almost resulted in Butcher Bird losing an engine due to improperly secured parts, and Marcus spraining his shoulder getting the LAM out of a terminal dive, he added a broken finger to his injuries after punching the tech out of service. Holly came back to work for Marcus after the LAM pilot did no small amount of pleading, and turned out to be an eager and more-than capable technician, knowing her way well around the ins and outs of a Land-Air 'mech and its' complex systems, as well as having more than a few additional skills of her own, such as knowing a thing or two about fighting and 'unorthodox procurements' among others. The pair had a brief, passionate, fling, but settled down into simply being the best of friends, and working as an excellent team.
Asset Weaponry: 1 x Amsterdam 120 Large Laser 2 x Maxum 50 Medium Laser 2 x Sperry/Browning Machine Gun
Name: Gabriel Rezek Nickname/Callsign: Nomad Age: 25 Gender: Male Appearance:
Crew Position: Mechwarrior
Nationality: Federated Suns Biographical History: Born the firstborn child of a minor noble family that ruled a moon called Kalos that orbited the thriving world of Icarus V. Growing up, Gabriel was like most other noble children. He had a good education and good tutors and was taught on how to pilot his family's battlemech, a rare Crab, which was his father's pride and joy that he spared no expense to maintain. Even the mech's advanced communications system was still fully operational. An impressive feat for a lowly count since it was very hard to maintain.
Though as Gabriel grew older, he started to realize that his family had an unusual large wealth for being a count and while others thought it was because of the mining efforts on Kalos. Gabriel asked how they got this wealth. His father only said when Gabriel was older than he would explain it. Gabriel was puzzled by what his father was doing, and sure enough. He would find the truth when he was sixteenth.
It turned out that the source of his family wealth was that his parents were running a major smuggling ring out of Icarus V and Kalos. An operation that had up to now been a very tight-lipped operation until the count of one of the cities on Kalos discovered the operation. Knowing that they would be arrested and sent to prison. Gabriel's parents wasted no time getting off of Kalos and took what money they had and to his father's insistence. The Crab and the rest of Gabriel's family.
Using their criminal connections, Gabriel's family ended up fleeing to the Magistracy of Canopus. Where they would settle on a world called Lanis, where his family tried to re-establish themselves in the nation's underworld, Gabriel, despite his parents being criminals, was less than thrilled about the whole experience but felt he had no choice but to follow his parents. Given that they were now in unknown territory and if he would to go solo. He had little way to support himself.
So for the next couple of years, he stayed with his family and reluctantly aided his parent's new smuggling ring. Watching as his parents started to engage in the hedonistic lifestyle of the nation. While he and his younger sister grew to despise their parent's new lifestyle as, more and more responsibility for running the smuggling ring was on Gabriel and his sister.
Then it happened when Gabriel was 23. His parents ended up overdosing on drugs and dying. So the ownership of the smuggling fell on Gabriel. Who, at this point, wanted nothing to do with smuggling or being a criminal anymore. So after talking with his sister, who, unlike him. Still wanted to continue the family business. In the end, the two went their own ways after saying one last goodbye to each other. Gabriel took the Crab went on to become a mercenary, and his sister departed Lanis to start up her own smuggling venture somewhere else.
Gabriel signed up with a small mercenary band called Tanner's Fighters for about two years before infighting caused the group to dissolve. So Gabriel went looking for a new mercenary group and signed up with Marley's Misfits.
Personality: Gabriel can be described as a distant person. Someone that tends to keep to himself though he does have times where he does talk with others. Which he can be friendly, sociable, and have a sense of humor. This tends to happen with people that he knows and rarely with strangers. Not wanting to cause trouble or stand out. Though he can have a nasty temper if provoked enough.
Gabriel tends to be hesitant when talking about his past. Due to hating the life that he used to live after leaving Kalos. Though he does say hints about his old life, like how he has a sister or is from the Federated Suns. If asked more, he either stops talking or lies.
Though none then of his teammates knows this, Gabriel has disdain for hedonists because of his parents' excess that eventually killed them. Not become that their lifestyle killed them but problems that arose when his parents cared more about partying than running a smuggling operation. Forcing Gabriel and his sister to their jobs.
Asset Name: Crab (CRB-27) Asset Nickname: Exo
Asset Type: Medium Battlemech Asset Tonnage: 50 tons
Asset Crew/Staff: N/A
Asset Weaponry: Two RamTech 1200 Large Lasers - One in each forearm Ceres Arms Medium Laser - Central Torso Exostar Small Laser - Head
Asset Equipment: Sixteen heat sinks Dalban Series K communications system with integrated 650 RND targeting-tracking system(Barely Works) Ferro-Fibrous Armor Magna 250 Fusion Engine
Yero was a third sibling in a family of 10 on Ionus and seemed destined to toil on a hydroponic farm for the rest of his life, helping his family harvest and sell their produce to nearby systems in the Inner Sphere. Ever since witnessing his first military parade from the shoulders of his beleaguered father on Ionus, the majesty of battlemechs stomping across ferrocrete streets captured his imagination. At the ripe, bold age of 15, Yero tried hard to enter into Ionus Military Academy to become a full Mechwarrior and reap the glories that he saw in his early childhood. However, a medical examination revealed that a cochlear defect would prevent Yero from being able to wear a neurohelmet and fully pilot a mech without suffering further injuries.
Some would say this was the catalyst for Yero’s descent into depression and full on development of imposter syndrome. However, in spite of his bitter regret, Yero signed up as a member of his provincial military. His talent and fleet-footed mind eventually propelled up the ladder to NCO status, eventually becoming a lieutenant of his own platoon. However, trouble struck during a pirate skirmish where it was discovered that several members of his platoon were running a hashish trafficking operation with the pirates. To protect his platoon (or to flee the military in his own opinion), Yero took the lion share’s of the blame and after a military tribunal, was summarily discharged for insubordination and then, arrested for collaboration with criminal elements in the Free World Leagues. Yero was then sent to live a 10 year sentence in a prison colony on Wendigo.
Spending 2 years in confinement, a mass breakout occurred Yero escaped with a group of convicts in a K-1 DropShuttle and hopped from mercenary to mercenary team across the Inner Sphere, accumulating a sizable group of people who looked towards him as a natural leader. Eventually, his crew of 25 odd people eventually made their way into Marley’s Misfits whereby he was made captain. The high casualty rates of contracts on the mercenary company’s infantry units eventually led to
Personality: Yero is a greedy, selfish man who is leading all the poor souls of the Marley Fusiliers to their doom and will be remembered in history as the single most incompetent infantry commander of the 31st century…..is what he would say to you.
Whilst bearing a confident and witty demeanor on the outside, Yero is wrought with pathological self-doubt and believes that he is not as courageous, strong or the bonafide tactical genius that his men think he is. Humble does not even begin to describe the vast depths of his self-loathing as he takes great efforts to diminish his accomplishments by either crediting them to other individuals, coincidence or just ignorance. Such is his self-loathing that he is prone to going into fetal positions of distress in private moments when he is not being observed and crying himself to sleep in order to keep functioning as a part of his company. He believes that the thought of attaining enough kerenskys to retire on some ocean world far away from the incoming crisis of the Fourth Succession War is what fuels him and not the fact that he is addicted to danger in any way possible.
In reality, Yero possesses near suicidal levels of bravery in combat as the threat of death barely manages to make him blink. In addition, Yero is also a veritable tactical genius, able to understand where his men need to be placed on the battlefield and having a knack for logistics and management. His former military background also gives him He is also a deeply empathetic and compassionate individual towards his own men, putting their own needs ahead of his, which he often regards as evidence of his talents in sociopathic emotional manipulation.
Yero has a habit for boozing up with Yangtze Pale Ale and religiously guards his private reserves from the rest of the mercenary company.
Over the years since the formation of Marley’s Fusilier’s , the lucrative financial remunerations of contracts attracted all sorts of scoundrels, savages, soldier units and wanderers from across the Inner Sphere. Today, they are known as relative nobodies in a system full of crack commandos and super soldiers. If you need a suicide bomber, someone with a jump pack to sneak up onto a Flea and plant an AV mine into a jockey’s cockpit or an extra liver for an emergency procedure, then, you can call on the Marley’s Fusiliers.
The Marley Misfit Fusiliers roughly consists of over 3 companies worth of armed infantry, numbering roughly 298 personnel in total split between 3 platoons worth of men and women. There is no formal organization, given the fact that multiple squads with different SOPs from across the Inner Sphere, can be found, but intensive pressure and management of Jero has managed to beat some sense of direction into unit cohesion. Each company is responsible for management and battle readiness of their own supplies, loadouts and equipment whilst Jero and other recruit new Fusiliers into the infantry. Mercenaries will regularly switch between companies on a chaotic basis and are given a free degree of latitude on how to conduct themselves.
Slaughterhouse Company
Total Members: 108
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Rosar “ One-Eye” Indel - A former capellan commando who washed out after a tragic mission during the brewing years of the 4th Succession War. Converted to a highly individualized sect of Omniss during medical leave and became obsessed with bringing peace at any cost by killing those who were unpeaceful. Eventually came into contact with Marley’s Misfits and signed up.
First to enter and the last to leave when shit hits the fan. Primarily used in first strike operations or used to conduct strikes on enemy positions.
Crimson Squad: Crimson Squad is the oldest squad of the Red Shirts with multiple members having been there since the inception of Marley’s Misfits. Iago. Generally the most well balanced and mentally sane of all the squads in Slaughterhouse.
Bonebreaker Squad: An astounding number of their mercs in this squad have training in HVA insertions and are known for incurring the highest medical fees of all squads post-contract due to their tendency to break all their bones when they land.
Burgundy Squad: Rumors exist that members of Burgundy Squad are cannibals from their common tendency to distribute finger and tooth necklaces from the corpses of their fallen enemies, much to the disgust of the battalion. Otherwise, they’re reliable foot infantry. Just be wary of falling asleep next to a member.
Carmine Squad: Known for boasting members that have the best accuracy and perception which makes them lethal sharpshooters. Members regularly compete with other mercs in darts and billiards and bet ludicrous amounts of post-contract payments in casinos.
Adrenaline junkies who are prone to performing daring manuevers in the battlefield in aerial and land based transport vehicles. Suspected of taking multiple joyrides with war material in contracts and damaging company equipment.
Dove Squad - Originally used to be called Falcon Squad in the early years of the Marley Misfits before an inordinate number of mercs with both medical and vehicular pilot training were recruited into the squad. Noted for being potential sadists in Slaughterhouse Company due to their tendency to resort to amputation.
Eagle Squad - Every member of Eagle Squad learns the hard way that no, you can’t dogfight an Aerofighter with a VTOL or a transport carrier, no matter how much shells you lob in their general direction.
Turtle Squad - If you need to be transported somewhere fast on land, don’t rely on Turtle Squad.
Rat Squad - The only infantry unit with enough balls to ride on dune buggies and cycles underneath the crotch of an Atlas mech.
The only platoon in Slaughterhouse Company that is trusted with the usage of jump packs in combat. Typically collaborates with elements of Octane Platoon for high velocity HALO insertions. Stimulant usage is notably high amongst this platoon to stave off inertial stress and the nausea of using jump packs.
Thunder Squad - Jump-infantry squad noted for being particularly fond of dropping C8 explosives on enemy positions mid-jump. All mercs are noted to suffer tinnitus and hearing problems
Lightning Squad - Talented in usage of shooting with rifles and weaponry mid-jump. Informal sharpshooting competitions are held between members of Lightning Squad with more than one individual becoming horribly injured in an attempt to break company records.
MORE SQUADS TBA
Saboteur Company
Total Members: 102
Commanding Officer: “Private” Peter Lucell - Former Comstar Beta Adept who was imprisoned for deliberately hiding deliberate sabotage of mobile HPGs on trade vessels as mechanical failures in return for payment by roving pirate crews.
Consisting of a combination of foot infantry with combat engineer elements, Errant Platoon primarily serves as Saboteur’s company demolitions experts and primary anti-mech force when the Mechwarriors are unable to get the job done.
SQUADS TBA
Generally a grab bag group of scientists and combat engineers who specialize in acquiring and stealing gear from the battlefield to repurpose it for the mercenary company’s own usage.
SQUADS TBA
Serve as the general gearheads of the company, being able to fix anything with sprockets and judicious usage of plasma welding.
In times of tough situations or when the terrain is unsuitable for vehicular or mechanical reconnaissance, this platoon breast mounted infantry troopers are primarily used for stealth reconnaissance of enemy positions without alerting them of their presence.
Consisting mostly of former commandos from ComStar and the Draconis Combine, they are highly reclusive and elitist compared to the rest of the company, preferring to keep their affairs to themselves. In other words, they're complete and utter loners. Used mostly for contracts in zero gravity enviroments.
When you absolutely, positively need to bury everyone on the battlefield in caskets, Casket Platoon will reduce the entire battlefield to a bloody mist thanks to the absurd number of field guns in their possession that can raze a mountain into a flat plateau.
Slaughterhouse Company
Weaponry
Equipment
Vehicular Assets
“Mother Nest” - Karnov UR Transport AC/2 Variant
Specifications: 2 x Bulldog Minigun, 1 x Armstrong Autocannon, 2 x LSRM Launcher, Dual Interfus 155
“ Dying Light” - AC/2 Fire Support Carrier
“ Galapagos - Goblin Medium Tank
" Kangaroo" - Heavy Hover APC
"Poker" - Ignis SRM Model
“ Rat King” - 10 x Dune Buggies/Skimmers With Varying Alterations
" Excalibur" - Von Luckner Heavy Tank
" Scrapper" - Marsden II-A MBT
" Yin and Yang" - Bulldog AC/2 MBT and Bulldog LRM-20
Sabot Company
Weaponry
Equipment
Vehicular Assets
"Piggyback" - Battlemech Recovery Vehicle
13 x Flatbed Trucks
"London" - Prometheus Combat Support Bridgelayer
"The Hand of Truth" - Oppenheimer Hazardous Material Recovery Vehicle
Phantom Company
Weaponry
Equipment
Vehicular Assets
NOT FINISHED. TO BE ADDED AND EDITED OVER THE WEEK. JUST PUT HERE AS A PLACEHOLDER.
Went hard on the Techs and Astechs so decided they deserved a fresh post. I shall add some text in a bit to add some depth to them.
Edit 1: Added some notes for the characters, will write it up properly soon.
Edit 2: Mech Tech mostly done, 5 Astechs to go.
Edit 3: Mech Tech done, 5 Astechs in progress.
Name: Benedito Davids Nickname/Callsign: Age: 37 Gender: Male Crew Position: Mech Tech Rank: Sergeant Nationality: Horatius, Marian Hegemony
Appearance:
Biographical History:
A veteran pirate and reluctant participant in the Third Succession War, Benedito Davids, is the mech tech responsible for keeping Ziska's BattleMech running in good order.
Davids is a native of Horatius, a medium sized planet of the Marian Hegemony, known largely for a faltering arms manufacturing facility. Raised on dreams of a burgeoning empire destined for greatness, once, once Davids would admit he truly believed in the words of a modern-day Caesar. The son of a bandit. The son of a long line of bandits. Thanks to the Imperator himself, Marius O'Reilly, and the particulars of life in a Bandit Kingdom, Davids is intimately familiar with how grim life in the Inner Sphere and the Periphery can be.
A quick hand with any tool, Davids followed the expected path of any enterprising youth in the Marian Hegemony and joined up with a Marian pirate crew. The "starfarers" as they called themselves were a mixed lot. They were gentleman thieves, cutthroat murders, failed nobles, and impoverished farmers. Wretched scum to most of the Inner Sphere, Davids recalls with some pride that they had morals enough among themselves. The band of pirates had few illusions of what life was really like or where it would lead them.
Working as an astech to a grizzled pirate mech tech, Davids learned to patch BattleMechs together with minimal parts, little time, and few workable tools. Even know, years later, few mech techs are as ingenious as Davids when it comes to figuring out how to jury-rig a BattleMech or salvage parts from a burned out husk. With the retirement of his mentor, Davids eventually secured a place as a full mech tech. Claiming a share and half of all plunder the pirates acquired, Davids did well, and sent substantial funds back to his family in the Marian Hegemony.
Carrying a growing reputation among the roving pirates of the Marian Hegemony, Davids was offered an intriguing opportunity to join the crew of a Marian privateer, the legendary or equal parts infamous, John van Rheenen, more often known as Twice-Hanged John. No mere pirate, Twice-Hanged John was commanded resources far beyond a lowly pirate and was rumored to be held in great esteem by the Imperator.
Serving under Twice-Hanged John, Davids raided across the Periphery, crossing swords with the Magistracy Armed Forces more times than he could count, and managing to live with only some moderate bruising. Branching out, the pirates launched a series of raids targeting the Free Worlds League. While successful at first, following a strong military response from the Free Worlds League military, Davids found himself fighting a losing battle against forces of the Free Worlds League Military. Captured by the 2nd Marik Militia, nicknamed The Fates, Davids found himself a prisoner of the FWL, along with some fifty other pirates.
Desperate for competent mech techs as a result of an unfortunate air lock malfunction, the Mariks presented Davids with a rare proposition. Deeply pragmatic, the commanding officer of the Ridge Riders, the main strike unit of the Fates, Lieutenant Colonel Barton "Black Bart" Burton offered Davids a pardon if he joined the Ridge Raiders and the 2nd Marik Militia as a mech tech. Happy to avoid the hangman's noose, in contrast to the majority of the survivors of Twice-Hanged John's crew, Davids accepted without a second thought. After all, all pirates understand the value of survival.
Attached to the Ridge Riders, Davids participated in the disastrous raid on the Lyran world of Algorab in 3020. Certain the fates had once again betrayed him, he watched over half of the 2nd Marik Militia perish on Algorab V. In the end only the Ridge Riders and Second's command staff made it off planet alive. Three years of bitter rebuilding followed. The 2nd Marik Militia were now reduced to two full companies of green recruits and a recon battalion with barely more experience to count on.
When the unit was transferred to the Capellan front in 3024, Davids could see the doom the unit was destined for and he deserted as soon as the unit made planetfall. Adopting a civilian identity, Davids worked his way through a string of dubious mercenary companies and made his way to Galatea. There he was personally hired by Ziska, who claimed the now grizzled mech tech as her senior technician.
Personality:
Davids is a taciturn mech technician, prone to long bouts of melancholy. A man of many memories and obvious regrets, he is a soul certain of his own damnation. Unlike many a scoundrel racing headfirst towards their own death in hopes of redemption, Davids is instead merely resigned to the fact that most of the people in the Inner Sphere would prefer to see him hanged if they knew his full past.
He is shaped by most of a lifetime of piracy, more than two decades spent raiding planets scattered across the stars. A harsh disciplinarian, Davids is unafraid to use carefully employed brutality and even in his middle years he is a leader convinced of the importance of absolute obedience. Aware of the consequences of failure, he endeavors to run a tight ship. Calm, cool, and capable of great violence, should it be needed, he is a quietly intimidating figure on the DropShip. Like Ziska, there is a touch of the wilderness of the Periphery on him and the pair easily fall into the unspoken, sometimes strange, and decidedly unfamiliar (to most of the crew) habits of periphery pirates.
Woe be it to anyone found in dereliction of their duty, regardless of rank, as Davids has little patience when faced with behavior that threatens the current venture. Although he is generally satisfied with Ziska and her conduct as an officer, he is known to engage in loud screaming matches with his nominal superior when he determines she is becoming too relaxed.
Name: Anica Kesi Nickname/Callsign: Age: 25 Gender: Female Crew Position: Astech Rank: Corporal Nationality: New Delphi, New Delphi Compact
Nationality: Outskirts of Draconis Combine, Tabayama Prefecture
Biographical History:
The outlying borders of Draconis territory make for a picturesque mix of wide open woodlands and mountainous expanses across the inhabited Earth-like worlds of the Tabayama Prefecture. Mining and agriculture are the primary functions of the populace in respect to the Combine economy and there is little chance of upward movement aside from being within the nobility of the interstellar trade bureaucracy. For generations the line of Wyatt heirs governed the movement of raw materials and assets far enough away not to draw the inquisitive eyes of the capital and still profitable and efficient enough to go relatively unnoticed. It was a careful equilibrium for Denton Wyatt, the same patient dance explained by his father and the same one he only practiced explaining to his daughter. Her younger brother would be the rightful successor to the Administration when he was older.
There had been female heirs before, but it was not the preferred in the Way and the arrival of Reya’s younger brother brought about some repose for Denton, however there was no denying that Reya was much different than her contemporaries. She was bored by politics, trade and customs, having few real friends, while her mind placed her easily at the top of her classes. The word “prodigy” was used regularly by her instructors in relation to her studies and it was obvious that even the most exacting curriculums afforded to Combine nobility were of little difficulty for her. If only such a mind had fallen to a male heir.. was the quiet sentiment among the local circles of nobility. If nothing else, the prospects of high-level university training at a prestigious institution closer to the capital were essentially a guarantee and the thought of marrying her off to one of the ministry families seemed almost a waste of her abilities. It was an unexpected problem.
For Reya, there was no real enjoyment in the life of nobility. It was merely all she had ever known. If something was needed, there was a servant to take care of it. From meals, to wardrobe, to social outings- everything fell into place nicely, the same as it had for generations. As she grew older and became more self-aware of her status and much higher than average aptitude, the world of her family, their mountain feudal compound and their noble social caste became increasingly small and unchallenging. Granted there were some ideas and beliefs in the traditions she found naturally appealing, though she knew the socially focused day to day life of her mother in politics supporting her father was not for her and that university would be the only other admissible path. The arrangements were made and she was accepted into the most difficult curriculum: beam weaponry and particle physics.
In some ways university was more rigorous in that for the first time in her life, she had true competition for head of the class with most of her classmates also coming from various noble backgrounds. However, from a social standpoint, the rigid structures were much the same as being back home. There were the same servants and monitors that took care of handling every small detail so that all focus could be set upon studies, just that the faces were different. For the first time in her life, Reya began to feel a pang of actual revulsion towards her own nobility. Though she knew that failure or quitting were sentiments that could not even be remotely entertained, she could at least, for the time at hand, use her father’s own strategy of doing well enough to go purposefully unnoticed and she set her mind to things she enjoyed: hands on work; placing consistently at the head of lab practices, but always holding her efforts back in academics, spending her time looking for something that would take her out of the caste systems, even if just for a little while when she graduated.
The expeditionary forces always had need of capable engineers out in the distant periphery and with the increases in pirate activities the monetary reward was getting substantial for anyone willing to risk their neck on the frontier. Unfortunately, she knew no commander would likely take on a high-ranking nobleman’s daughter knowing the level of reprisals should any harm come to her. Any hope of adventure or freedom was going to have to come from outside the regular channels, somewhere where plausible deniability was going to have to be the criteria rather than the exception…
Enter one Marley Swanson.
Picking up a Combine trained engineer for a song was almost too good a deal to pass up, but there was always a catch. The girl was going to have to set herself up and sell any prying eyes on joining something no less than just another private expeditionary force on the level, something she seemed, for some reason, to have wholly planned and was surprisingly efficient. It was an odd situation at first, something like seeing a piece of fine china set in place at an underground pub, but Reya became a regular fixture and something like a filter to new members of the crew. Her work was always top-notch, but finding people willing to put up with her eccentricities usually was a good sign that they were worth their salt. She demanded little, did her job, and once the defensive layers could be navigated, was as loyal a crewmember for which could be asked.
At present, Reya has been with Marley for about two years. Occasionally she has to carefully deflect probing questions from her parents, particularly her mother wondering why she hasn’t married, but with her father’s main focus divided between raising up her brother in the trade bureaucracy and giving attention to the current war developing, it has been fairly easy for her to continue on with the crew without drawing a lot of unneeded attention.
Personality:
Despite the setting, it is very difficult for Reya to not exude the airs of her upbringing to newcomers to the squad. She can be vain, aloof, immature and egotistical. Attributes for which she is fairly self-aware and actually enjoys to some extent particularly in situations where she is confident that her understanding is the highest in the room. Conversely, she wants to be liked and trusted by others and tries to use her work to gain that appreciation from others without having to overtly work for it socially.
Apropos, she is very hands-on and detail oriented in her engineering work. Nothing is ever viewed as whole, only parts working together in a system that has the potential for improvement. Her tendency to over-analyze and master the peculiars of various weaponry can sometimes slow her down in the mires of perfectionism and she likewise becomes very attached to her projects. A mechwarrior returning with a heavily damaged unit, even through no fault of their own, will often receive a piercingly disapproving glare upon return.
Reya doesn’t view working with Marley as a “job” much further than a simple contractual arrangement. Being with the “misfits” checks a number of personal yearnings for rebellion, adventurism and challenge. She’s not a warrior by any stretch, however, over time she has simply found herself as a “fit” for the group.
Assets: A bright orange sportbike that she uses to get around when they are at port. A myriad of tools, diagnostic equipment and their associated storage. A few worker drones and a large stereo system- tends to listen to music at deafening levels while she works.
Went hard on the Techs and Astechs so decided they deserved a fresh post. I shall add some text in a bit to add some depth to them.
Edit 1: Added some notes for the characters, will write it up properly soon.
Edit 2: Mech Tech mostly done, 5 Astechs to go.
Name: Benedito Davids Nickname/Callsign: Age: 37 Gender: Male Crew Position: Mech Tech Rank: Sergeant Nationality: Horatius, Marian Hegemony
Appearance:
Biographical History:
Davids is a native of Horatius, a medium sized planet of the Marian Hegemony, known largely for a faltering arms manufacturing facility. Raised on dreams of a burgeoning empire destined for greatness, once, once Davids would admit he truly believed in the words of a modern-day Caesar. The son of a bandit. The son of a long line of bandits.
under the absolute rule of a modern-day Caesar, Marius O'Reilly
signed up with a Marian pirate crew mixed lot gentleman and ex-nobles impoverished farmers scum they were "starfarers", bands of brothers -and sisters with few illusions of what life was really like or where it would lead them as a mech technician, he claimed a share and half of all plunder Marian privateer, the legendary or infamous, raided across the Periphery, crossed swords with the Magistracy Armed Forces raided across the Free Worlds League, found himself fighting a losing battle against forces of the Free Worlds League Military captured by
attached main strike unit, Ridge Riders participated in the disastrous raid on the Lyran world of Algorab in 30200 watched over half of his regiment perish on Algorab V only the Ridge Riders and Second's command staff made it off planet alive three years of bitter rebuilding followed now reduced to almost two full companies of green recruits and a recon battalion with barely more experience transferred to the Capellan front in 3024 deserted soon after worked his way through a string of dubious mercenary companies made his way to Galatea personally hired by Ziska
Personality:
Davids is a taciturn mech technician, prone to long bouts of melancholy. A man of many memories and obvious regrets, he is a soul certain of his own damnation. Unlike many a scoundrel racing headfirst towards their own death in hopes of redemption, Davids is instead merely resigned to the fact that most of the people in the Inner Sphere would prefer to see him hanged if they knew his full past.
He is shaped by most of a lifetime of piracy, more than two decades spent raiding planets scattered across the stars. A harsh disciplinarian, Davids is unafraid to use carefully employed brutality and even in his middle years he is a leader convinced of the importance of absolute obedience. Aware of the consequences of failure, he endeavors to run a tight ship. Calm, cool, and capable of great violence, should it be needed, he is a quietly intimidating figure on the DropShip. Like Ziska, there is a touch of the wilderness of the Periphery on him and the pair easily fall into the unspoken, sometimes strange, and decidedly unfamiliar (to most of the crew) habits of periphery pirates.
Woe be it to anyone found in dereliction of their duty, regardless of rank, as Davids has little patience when faced with behavior that threatens the current venture. Although he is generally satisfied with Ziska and her conduct as an officer, he is known to engage in loud screaming matches with his nominal superior when he determines she is becoming too relaxed.
Name: Anica Kesi Nickname/Callsign: Age: 25 Gender: Female Crew Position: Astech Rank: Corporal Nationality: New Delphi, New Delphi Compact
There are a bunch of portraits included (for each type of character) and you can generate an entire company of characters (even mech techs) at a time, which is what I did to get the names and origins of all the technicians.
It's really cool to be honest as I always wanted to find a way to quickly generate company level stuff. I also like the random origin/name option as sometimes I feel I end up being repetitive in what I pick.
Added a quick write-up about Wrathchild's Wolverine, as well as including a record sheet from Solaris Skunkwerks, and included MekHQ Personnel Cards for her, Pops, Sunny, and Diego.
Name: Stanislaw Kubit Nickname/Callsign: Lawndart Age: 29 Gender: Male
Crew Position: Aerospace Fighter Pilot
Nationality: Federated Suns Biographical History: Stan’s answer to being asked about his past would depend on who asked. If the person asking knew how he ended up with the Marley’s Misfits, the answer would be a prompt “Fuck you.”. If the curious soul didn’t know, the answer would be simple, yet truthful:
“I have no idea.”
Stan’s episodic, emotional and semantic memories are unfortunate casualties of the last few years of the Third Succession War. As such, the first 28-ish years of his life are a closed book to him. What is known is that he was a freelance mercenary pilot fighting for the Free Worlds League who suffered a traumatic brain injury when his damaged fighter finally lost the will to live, causing his amnesia. After the outfit he was flying support for was wiped out in an ambush, his crippled fighter managed to stay aloft long enough to get him far enough away that the attackers couldn’t get to his crash site to either capture or or put him out of his misery.
Stan was recovered by a detachment of Marley’s Misfits who were tasked to figure out what happened to the initial force. All they had to go on initially was a company’s worth of dead men and destroyed equipment and some tracks in soft ground left behind by the attackers, but recovering a survivor would’ve solved that problem, if the survivor in question didn’t have to be shown his flight suit in order to remind him of his name.
Trying the MRB to figure out who this guy was led to a dead end, as he’d never been registered with them for reasons lost along with his episodic memory. However, with his procedural memory still intact, that meant he could still fly, even if someone had to explain all the terminology again that he still knew, just couldn’t remember what it all meant. And with nothing more than a crash course in handling what fighters the Misfits had on hand, they had themselves a fully qualified pilot for next to no cost. And with nowhere else to go, accepting an offer made to him was a no-brainer.
Personality: Outside of a cockpit, Stanislaw is a friendly lad with a sarcastic streak and a brain to mouth filter that works on a part-time basis. Living in the moment, since there’s no past to dwell on and he’d forgotten whatever plans and dreams he once had for the future, and what was lost once can just as easily be lost again, so what’s the point? Despite his recent misfortune, he hasn’t lost the absolute confidence in his abilities common to combat pilots. One without it would hardly fly around a metal box filled with fuel and ammo while getting shot at, and he’d already survived death once, hasn’t he?
Inside a fighter or during other life threatening situations, Stan becomes quiet and laser focused, the letter being equal parts good and bad as he may become fixated on something and miss something else when left without direction.
Though the fighter he was found in was too damaged to shed any light on this, Stan displays a subconscious fear of the Rifleman mech.
Asset Type: Medium Aerospace Fighter Asset Tonnage: 60 t
Asset Crew/Staff:
Aigar Eskola - A middle-aged technician originally from Dixie, Aigar is a long-time member of the Misfits, keeping mostly to himself - with the exception of card games and alcohol - in his single-minded goal to keep the aerospace fighters flying for as long as humanly possible since his days as an astech.
Name: Hirata Katsuro Nickname/Callsign: Ronin (Former DEST Callsign: 'Tengu') Age: Thirty Two Gender: Male
Crew Position: Mechwarrior - Former DEST Commando
Nationality:Draconis Combine National
Personality: Ronin is a man waiting to die.
His internal struggle against an upbringing he's come to no longer believe in against a grim galaxy of endless warfare makes him an introspective and quiet person; philosophy and cultural comprehension are things that are significant to him, making him polite and formal- if distant and cold. Having 'fallen' from the higher echelons of Draconis Military Society to the 'dishonored existence of a Mercenary', Ronin struggles to reconcile the concepts of Honor, Loyalty, and Glory within himself as he dedicates himself to Marley and the rest of the mercenary company.
Despite these struggles and brooding atmosphere, his loyalty to his chosen commander and designated allies is unswerving. His reckless style of combat is tempered by an overbearing conviction to leave no ally behind, rendering him a zealous martyr of a Mechwarrior whose concept of self preservation seems nonexistent compared to the preservation of his allies and the completion of the mission itself.
This one just held the right kind of vibe for me and I liked it, it cemented itself as the general demeanor and vibe of the character for me.
This last one came up while I was looking up modern/futuristic samurai to conceptualize what the Draconis Elite Strike Teams might look like beyond their oldschool game art. My research showed they mostly utilized infiltration/stealth suits, but that they also were the designated heavy jump troops of the faction in other war games; I felt that this image suited the idea of the Draconis Commandos.
Honor. Loyalty. Glory.
"I was raised to cherish these ideas. I was taught that the galaxy relied upon them. That the foundation of our collective world was staged upon them and that they were the basis of mutual understanding. My life has been a violent one, but also one of immense education and expression. I was entitled to forms of identity that most were not; I was taught to paint, to write poetry, to use the longbow, to dance in the old ways, while others were taught that their only path to fulfilment was their toil. I will admit, for a time it worked. For a time, I thought myself superior to others.
I was permitted to think in ways that seemed impossible to the farmer. I was encouraged to take actions that seemed impossible to the factory worker. I was instilled with a sense of pride that made me blind to my own shackles, while I trod upon those beneath me. I was permitted, at last, to the Academies. This was the place of the first Great Lesson. This was the place I learned to question Honor.
I excelled in my academics. My art thrived, my mathematics and literature studies were advanced due to my station, and I received much favor from my instructors. My family name, the Hirata, carried weight. I did not learn until much later that my path had been chosen for me, that my actions were not truly my own but instead those of my Mother; I was guaranteed my rankings in the First Academy, and Her sway even carried me through the Second- but it was while I attended the Third that I learned my first Great Lesson- and first met Inari*.
Inari taught me to cheat. I struggled in the third academy- my privilege could only carry me thus far. My teachers were unkind. My art was dismissed. My calculations were criticized. My combat techniques were hard pressed- each of my classmates a whispered rival, each colleague also shadowed by the possibility of danger, each day a dance of intrigues within the halls of learning...
Until I met Inari. I will admit that at the time my first impressions of him were poor; He was the son of a mere farmer who had somehow made his way through the Academies, defied the Order of Things, and been given permissions to attend beyond his means. It angered me. It went against all I was taught-
But so did his kindness. My frustrations must have been apparent during one testing period, for he reached out to me in subtle and quiet ways- ways that I later learned the teachers were well aware of, but permitted to happen. Secret messages, subtle communications, a friendship was offered. We made a code, a system, and from there our companionship was secured in a mutual bond; if we were discovered, it would mean doom for us both.
It was through this illicit means that we succeeded. I assisted him with his combat training and gave him tips on how to conquer our classmates in battle, and he slipped me answers and calculations to mathematics and histories. We rarely spoke outside class. We barely even looked at each other, so great was our fear at being found out- but our success and failure hinged so greatly upon one another that as soon as we had graduated he spent the entirety of his savings on taking me out to drink.
After that, we were nearly inseparable. Advancing into the ISF was the next step on my ladder, I had thought it was my idea- but looking back it was just yet another step in my Mother's great plan. Inari did not have a plan- just a powerful ambition to rise above his station, an ambition and drive that was infectious. And so it was that I learned to question Honor, to wonder if it was truly what it was taught to be- to wonder if I had done something wrong by befriending this man whose existence was anathema to my teachings.
The second Great Lesson was that of Glory. I can thank Noble* for this one. The training to join the DEST is brutal. It wears you down. It erodes you away, until all that is left is pure spirit, then the ISF sharpen you into their blades. Noble was, as strange as it may sound, my rival. Circumstance and intrigue put us against each other from the start- which only served to temper us into the warriors we became. For every step I took, Noble took two. Everything I sought to master, he was my better. When I was put into a Battlemech and raised to the status of Mechwarrior I was exultant, but in our first sparring match Noble crippled my mech's legs and all I managed to do was damage his armor.
It was humbling. I stopped chasing the Glory, and started chasing personal mastery. Noble's Rivalry turned into a slow friendship, and Inari's ceaseless cleverness and ambition soon made us a trio who excelled in our training. We were, somehow, assigned to a group together upon graduation. DEST Commandos. The elite of the elite. The Combine's Blades. There was no greater distinction for those of our stature- Mechwarrior and elite soldier combined into one body.
Our Lance was formed. We were dubbed Draconis Minor, partially following in Noble's reputation from training. This was when we were grouped with Trust*. It is from her that I learned what true Loyalty means.
Our Lance was often utilized as the heavy firepower of a greater DEST task group, though we were situationally required to engage in stealth operations and reconnaissance tasks. Noble was a natural leader, and Inari was a natural glue that kept us together- though, and I admit this freely, I fear that without Trust to keep us grounded we may have been too hot blooded and have all died too soon to have been any use to the Combine. For all Noble's Skill, for all Inari's wiles, and for all my learning, we were nothing compared to her Common Sense and Situational Awareness. The ISF did well pairing us together.
There came a time, however, where things could not continue as they had. Inari's Ambition was too great; the Combine's need to feed upon itself too total; our blindness to idealism too all-consuming. I will be brief; We had a secret mission, a dark task, for the Combine. The task required us to go to a site of some infamy now; Lyceum*.
Lyceum was a disaster. We were told we would be liberating oppressed peoples from Federated Suns tyranny. We were told we'd be welcomed with open arms as saviors and that we must silently exfiltrate with as many people as possible. The first shot of that conflict was fired by none other than Inari himself, straight into the cockpit of Noble's Dragon. I watched in horror as our leader's mech toppled to the ground, and our forces began to open fire on our own people. The only reason I still live today is because of Trust. She was loyal to me- to our team- more than she was to the Combine. That struck a chord within me.
Kiku saved my life, dragged me out of a firefight, and into the shadows. We abandoned our Mechs. We scrounged in the wilderness for weeks. We had to hide from Combine and Federated Suns forces alike. It wasn't until you showed up, drawn in by the prospect of coin and battle, that we had any hope of escaping that planet. Kiku still listens for word of Inari, still wonders what our betrayal meant beyond a False Flag operation, but I have since abandoned my concerns over that.
You picked us up and put me in a Mech. That's all that matters, Marley."
*Inari = See also; The Great Betrayer. *Noble = See also; The Young Dragon *Trust = See also; Savior *Lyceum = A System contested by the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine, in proximity to the shared border of the Commonwealth, Federated Suns, and Draconis Combine. Also, the site of the Lyceum Massacre* *Lyceum Massacre = an event fabricated for this backstory, whereupon Ronin was betrayed by Inari, who was acting on orders from the ISF to spark war with the Federated Suns again.
Asset Name: Hatchetman [HCT-3F] Asset Nickname: Hun
Asset Crew/Staff: Primary Technician: Takara Kiku (Former DEST Callsign: 'Trust') A companion of Ronin's, a fellow survivor of their rogue unit. Her relationship with Ronin is complicated in a mundane manner; she is just as subtle and distant emotionally as he is to the rest of the company, but there is a tension between the duo that is difficult to place. Compared to Ronin's deeply rooted formality, however, she can almost appear sociable at times- especially when working with or discussing things with other mechanics or the grunts of the Fusiliers. Her opinion on Mechwarriors is strong and confrontational; she finds them to be fools whose power goes to their heads, and prefers the grounded reality of a rifle in her hand- this opinion is no different for Ronin, but she can often be found working late hours ensuring the Hun is in tip top shape. His martyrdom complex appears to disturb her greatly, and maintaining the Hun seems to have become her obsession; instead of broaching the topic with him, she works to ensure the mech will never fail him.
Asset Weaponry:1x Autocannon/10, 2x Medium Lasers, 1x Hatchet.
The autocannon is a Defiance Killer AC/10, mounted on the right torso. The Mech carries two tons of ammunition in the center torso, organized into ten round clips. The two medium lasers, Defiance B3M Medium Lasers, are mounted symmetrically on the underside of the Mech's arms. The Hatchetman further carries an exceptionally large, Mech-sized, hatchet; this happens to be its namesake and iconic weapon. Besides these specific armaments, the Hatchetman possesses a control scheme and design that allows the operation of each arm independently of the other, allowing it to more fully embrace the role of a brawler mech.
Asset Equipment: Full-Head Ejection System; Rather than the pilot ejecting from the 'Mech on their own, rocket motors mounted beneath the head force the entire assembly to disengage from the rest of the chassis. Total flight time is only thirty seconds, and although it can be manually controlled by the pilot most allow the battle computer to direct the flight path of the head...Mech must be in some form of upright position for this system to work. (Sarna)
6.5 Tons of Durallex Medium armor; the Legs are thin and particularly susceptible to damage, however. 11 Heat Sinks, which are able to keep the Mech cool while firing its weaponry. Ares-8 Battle Computer; uniquely excels at tracking and designating aircraft targets. Four Luxor 2/Q Jump Jets, capable of propelling the Hatchetman 120 meters in a single leap. GM180 Engine: Top Speed? 64.8 KM/H. This is an Urban and Guerilla Mech. Speed is not its forte.
@ReedeThe23rd This has gotten my attention since the last Battle Tech RP I was in has gone cold; and I've been bingeing on 'Tex Talks Battle Tech' videos...
I have a question though, I was thinking of re-using my character from the aforementioned 'dead' RP, but before I do I should ask if you're okay with a couple of things about him. 1) I have him as the 'last' Cameron, a descendant of one of the Cameron Family that is rumoured to have escaped on the 'Tripitz' when Amaris ruined everything. 2) He carried a (home brewed) 'First Lord Command Override' ID card that would allow him to open any Castle Brian he might encounter...assuming he ever finds one.
At 45 he’s pushing the upper age bracket of most Mechwarriors, and fully attributes the fact he’s still alive to sheer luck. While his naturally blond hair has more than started to go grey, his hair was already so pale that one would have to get uncomfortably close to really notice. More indicative of his age are the lines on his face and the shadows behind his eyes.
Physically he’s rather fit, though maintaining it seems to get harder every year. His body carries the expected collection of scars and tattoos one might expect of a man of his experiences, including a very detailed full-sleeve down his right arm. His most notable injuries are the fact that both his legs were amputated just above the knees, leaving him with a pair of Type 5 prosthetic legs. Biographical History Avery isn’t one to say much about his early history save, he was born into a hardscrabble life on Serenity, itself a bit ‘south’ of the Taurian Concordat, and that at 15 he shipped off-world with a passing Merc Company and hasn’t been back since.
Starting as a ‘gopher’ to the Mechtechs, drop ship crew, and pretty much everyone else, he earned his keep either doing jobs no-one else wanted to do or that they were too large for; in doing so he also learned a fair amount about Mech/Aerospace/Vehicle/Drop Ship maintenance among other things. By 18 however he was itching to take a more active role in operations and started working as either a driver or gunner on various company vehicles.
After a personnel loss he was promoted to ‘Mech Pilot’, driving the Company’s Cicada, a job he was six months into when a contract went bad and they found themselves in over their heads. What was supposed to be a quick Concordat backed ‘Smash-and-Grab’ job on a FedSuns border world led to them being engaged by two House Davion Lances with VTOL support. While attempting to withdraw, his mech took leg damage which drastically slowed him, leaving the vehicles to out pace him to the LZ.
As the company’s Leopard landed it started taking fire from more as yet unseen Davion’s which led to them panicking and dusting off before Avery could drag his damaged Cicada to the LZ, abandoning him to his fate; he was livid about this right up until the point that the ship was struck by heavy ground fire and exploded in a rather spectacular fashion. Having temporarily broken contact with his pursuers, and hoping that the destruction of the Dropship had them further distracted, he drove his mech into a lake before abandoning it and swimming to shore.
For about two years he dodged security patrols and starvation before he was able to stow away aboard a merchant Dropship and get off-planet. From there he bounced around like any Mechwarrior, going where the money was. His proudest moment was about ten years ago when he was between employers and killing time on Canopus. Though the story’s details change from telling to telling, what it really boils down to is that he actually ‘won’ his Marauder in a poker game…
Personality A quiet man by nature, he holds people at an arm's length, not because he’s some antisocial loner but out of a more practical “Why get too close to folks that might be dead by the next Drop.” That said, he’s not some grim stoic, never seen to laugh or smile…just don’t try to be his ‘friend’. In combat he’s a quintessential ‘Heavy’ pilot; calm, collected and willing to beat six shades of shit out of anything between him and his goal. Given that he’s made it to an age where most Mech Jocks have either died or retired (more former than latter), his personal credo is very much ‘Show Me The Money’; there aren’t many jobs he won’t do, assuming the price is right, as he’s slowly saving up to try and get himself a Maurder II after seeing on in action after Lyon’s Steel Order, the Company he was working for at the time, was sent in to provide support to a Wolf’s Dragoons assault Lance.
Asset Name: General Motors MAD-3D/M Marauder Asset Nickname: ‘Mad Jack’ Asset Type: Heavy Mech Asset Tonnage: 75 Tons Asset Crew/Staff: None Asset Weaponry Right Arm: 1x Defiance B3L Large Laser 1x Defiance B3M Medium Laser Left Arm: 1x Defiance B3L Large Laser 1x Defiance B3M Medium Laser Torso: 1x Defiance B3L Large Laser
Asset Equipment 1x Dalban Micronics Comm 1x Dalban HiRez Target & Tracking System 24x HartfordCo Industries Heat Sinks Originally a 3D, which swaps the autocannon for a Large Laser and more heatsinks, a previous owner brought it to almost a 3M configuration by replacing both PPCs with Large Lasers and then making up the tonnage with even more heatsinks. As it stands, it takes a very hot world or a very protracted fire fight before ‘Mad Jack’ starts to get seriously warm.
The mechwarrior he ‘acquired’ it off of had painted the Mech a rather lurid bright blue, but wear and tear has significantly toned it down as, unlike a lot of his peers, Avery has never given much thought to how his machine looked. The paint is chipped and worn at panel edges, burn marks dents and gouges mark the passage of old hits, and plating that has been replaced is a mixture of dull primer colours and/or whatever colors it had been painted before it was salvaged to make repairs.
Unless an employer specifically tells him so he rarely marks his ‘Mech with the Company’s logo, instead he just sprays the new name along the left side of the torso (‘Mad Jack’ is painted along the right side). All in all, his lack of concern for his ‘Mechs appearance not only makes it rather distinctive, but has led more than one person to regard it as nothing more than some barely functional ‘pirate’ build.
That however couldn’t be further from the truth. While he spares little to no attention to it’s looks, he pours as many c-bills as is needed into the functionality and warfighting capacity, leaving most of those who disregarded it to not make that mistake a second time…not that many of them get a second chance.
Name: Tereza Aranda Nom De Guerre: Emma Ziska Nickname/Callsign: Alleycat Age: 25 Gender: Female Crew Position: Mechwarrior Rank: Lieutenant Nationality: Magistracy of Canopus
Appearance:
Average in height, Ziska has the athletic build expected of many a MechWarrior and professional soldier. She has a dusky complexion with brown eyes and long, curly dark hair that has a habit of straightening from the heat of her BattleMech's cockpit. She has no tattoos and despite having suffered equally from across the wide range of injuries inherent to plying a trade as a system traveling soldier, she has no particularly noticeable scars.
Suspiciously, Ziska moves with a catlike dexterity and is known for being alarmingly quiet. Ziska has a habit of prowling the decks of the DropShip, searching for minor amusements to occupy her time, especially during the lengthy transit time between contracts. More than one unfortunate Misfit has been scared half to death by the sudden, unexpected appearance of the MechWarrior, often in places where her presence is exceedingly hard to logically explain.
A casual dresser with a military flair, Ziska wears a rotating collection of combat uniforms. Largely military fatigues of a recent Capellan Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF) make, her outfits consist of a jacket, trousers and shirt or T-shirt.
Ziska is also inordinately fond of lounging around in the classic flame-resistant coveralls favored by mechanics all across the Inner Sphere and she keeps several pair that she has permanently 'borrowed' from her Astechs and Technician. Most of the coveralls she wears appear to have been manufactured for the Federated Suns Navy (FSN) and Lyran Commonwealth Navy (LCN).
As a seasoned MechWarrior when piloting her BattleMech Ziska wears the familiar garb of a MechWarrior. Well-worn combat boots, tattered shorts, a breezy tank top, and fire resistant gloves.
Ziska's pride and joy is a heavily customized neurohelmet that she claims to have won over a game of poker in a deep periphery backwater tavern that she couldn't possibly reveal, not without having to kill someone, maybe a couple of people even. Lighter than the usual bulky neurohelmet a MechWarrior relies on, Ziska's helmet is painted midnight black. Her Cooling Vest is standard, but sports a sewn on patch depicting a black cat with an arched back and raised up fur. Due to the cramped nature of a BattleMech cockpit, Ziska keeps her sidearm in a chest holster attached to her Cooling Vest.
Biographical History:
Mysterious in all matters personal, Emma Ziska is a capable MechWarrior, respected for her talents piloting a BattleMech and her abilities as an officer in Marley's Misfits. Far from sullen, she speaks freely, but rarely seems to say much of any truth or depth about herself.
There are many stories about Ziska that circulate through Marley's Misfits. Some old hands say she's a pirate. They see cold eyes, quick hands, and the familiar, confident swagger of a scoundrel. Fresher faces, particularly those from the Periphery, mention the infamous Canopian Pleasure circuses, and the Canopian mercenaries that accompany them. Ziska knows many things about the galaxy. She has many tales to tell and amusing adventures to share. Marley Swanson himself seems uncertain about Ziska's past and seems content to let the matter lie, lest he lose a talented MechWarrior to unnecessary politics.
Unsurprisingly, Ziska offers no clear answers when directly asked about any criminal acts she may have engaged in or questionable contracts she may have once signed. With a shrug of her shoulders and a mischievous smile, she simply dances around any serious questions about "complicated" matters like piracy.
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Jealously guarded Magistracy of Canopus records, if carefully examined, indicate that Tereza Aranda was born on August 10th, 3001, in the city of Crimson, on Canopus IV, the planetary capital of the Magistracy of Canopus, to noblewoman Sarah Aranda and her husband Thomas. A well-respected family belonging to the Frone faction of the Canopian nobility, the Aranda family were among the few remaining descendants of the original founders of the Magistracy of Canopus.
Steeped in tradition and privilege, Tereza, the third of five children and the youngest of three daughters, was carefully groomed for a life intended to culminate in a leading position at the very top of the Magistracy Armed Forces (MAF). For a displaced Periphery pirate, Ziska thus possesses a remarkably broad education, esoteric talents, and welcome social graces.
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Pragmatic as only the citizens of the Periphery can be, Aranda's parents saw that she followed the usual pipeline intended to usher Canopian youths towards a successful, useful future.
Growing into an uneasy youth, Aranda completed her compulsory education with exceptional grades. Guided by a string of exhausted tutors, she received grades that did not fully reflect her lack of discipline outside of the select few topics that interested her. Still, it was clear that she had a sharp mind, and given her parentage, at the age of fifteen, Aranda was quickly shepherded into the MechWarrior training program on Canopus IV.
Paired with a natural aptitude for all things involving stompy robots, her family name and the careful politics of her parents, ensured that Aranda was quickly selected as an officer candidate. Thus, instead of being sent off to a Militia Defense pr training battalion she was delivered to Raventhir's Iron Hand, first regiment of the Magistracy Royal Guards, the most prestigious unit in all of the Magistracy of Canopus, tasked with protecting the Magistrix herself. Posted as a military aide-de-camp under Major Vernyce Alkobar, she received "on-the-job" training in all the finer aspects of warfare, military leadership, and social life. Knowledge deemed critical to thriving in the upper echelons of the MAF.
By the age of seventeen, Aranda had earned the rank of Banner Sergeant in the Magistracy Armed Forces. Well pleased with her achievements and eying a suitable future marriage following continued success, her parents purchased a commission as an Ensign for Tereza in the 1st Canopian Fusiliers of the legendary Chasseurs รก Cheval brigade soon after her seventeenth birthday. A storied regiment, famed for their bravery and success in battle, to the Canopians, the 1st Canopian Fusiliers represented the very tip of the spear.
In the years that followed, Aranda spent several years fighting pirates, killing Free Worlds League mercenaries raiding Canopian space, and along with the rest of her unit, she participated in a number of clandestine raids targeting nearby Free Worlds League controlled planets. The culmination of what should have been a most carefully cultivated career was smashed to pieces under unclear circumstances.
A band of pirates were subdued. A planet was liberated. Aranda was put up for a medal. There was a disagreement. Strong words were spoken. Alcohol was suspected to be involved. There were rumors of worse, far less palatable vices. In the days that followed, Aranda had a storied falling out with her commanding officer, a disagreement that still echoes in the memories of the 1st Canopian Fusiliers. No less than five BattleMechs were heavily damaged in the brawl that ensued and some fourteen vehicles were damaged to varying degrees. Several venerable BattleMechs were left complete write-offs, reduced to mere salvage and spare parts. With her entire company confined to quarters, Aranda, in an uncharacteristic rage, resigned her commission while still nominally under arrest. According to her commanding officer, Aranda then feigned illness, attacked one of the soldiers guarding her, stole a Heavy Gyrojet Gun, took an Astech hostage, and escaped the base pursued by four infantry squads. The soldiers that served under her tell a different story, suggesting that Aranda simply bribed the soldier guarding her and calmly walked off the base occupied by the 1st Canopian Fusiliers.
Later investigation by MIM lead to few clear findings and the ranking officer in charge of compiling the logged report could only speculate that Aranda had most likely signed up with a passing mercenary company. After all, it was hardly the first time that a Canopian noblewoman had vanished into the deep periphery before anything could be done to stop her. Inevitably, these wayward noble scions would come crawling back to the Magistracy of Canopus when they had exhausted the limited funds available to them.
---
After this event, records concerning Aranda are spotty. A precious few reported sightings of Aranda manage to reach all the way back to Crimson, Canopus IV, and the Magistracy of Canopus. However, identification is inconclusive, information arrives corrupted, and nothing much of value is learned. The Aranda family accepts that they have lost a daughter. Life moves on. Most people chose to forget. Not even the operatives of the Magistracy Intelligence Ministry are able to satisfactorily divine the whereabouts of the rogue Canopian noble.
However, ComStar databanks indicate that a suspected pirate, Emma Ziska, appeared in the Periphery during the early 3020s. Loose ties to the pirate kingdom of Tortuga were mentioned by confidential informants, but never conclusively proven. Working her way through a number of mercenary companies in questionable standing with ComStar's Mercenary Review Board (MRB), Ziska somehow established herself as a reputable MechWarrior. Anyone with knowledge of the sometimes shady dealings of the Mercenary review board, would perhaps rightly suspect that she greased the right palms, sweet-talked the right ComStar Acolytes, and simply purchased the right digital documents to avoid any greater scrutiny.
With little fanfare, Ziska eventually arrived on Galatea, nominally to find more honest mercenary work with a reputable mercenary company. Armed with a positively glowing recommendation from one ComStar Precentor Alexander Alexander Wanyika, she was snapped up in record time by Marley Swanson of the rising mercenary outfit Marley's Misfits.
Personality:
Ziska is friendly, social, and playful. Charming even, when the mood strikes her, and more than a little gifted when it comes to ballroom dancing. She is remarkably kind for a recently reformed pirate, even to the freshest faces in Marley's Misfits, be they an Astech, Technician, Infantry Soldier, Tanker, MechWarrior, or Aerojock. Despite her aristocratic origins, Ziska makes little distinction between social origins.
Although Ziska is tight-lipped when it comes to her past, there are hints in her speech, in her knowledge and in her bearing of an aristocratic upbringing. She has an obvious military background and carries herself both during combat, and when it counts, in the manner of a professional officer. Despite this military background, reflecting the time honored traditions of the the Magistracy of Canopus, Ziska is an exceedingly unorthodox MechWarrior and officer. She is a master of ambushes, lightening quick strikes, and unconventional tactics.
Ziska lives fast, drinks rapidly, eats happily, and pilots all her mechs at full throttle. When deployed on a mission, Ziska is grimly determined. Some of the other Misfits have noticed that she is well-versed in the brutal realities of asymmetric warfare and remark that as an officer she maintains a certain coldness in the field. Watching, waiting, and planning...there is something predatory about her manners in the field. She stalks larger mechs as if she is hunting larger prey and has a sixth sense for when to launch an attack. She wastes little energy, moving with a marked efficiency and patience on the battlefield.
For her many gifts as an officer, Ziska has the personality of a domesticated feline, lazying about the DropShip when off duty, and managing to do only exactly as much administrative work as is required of her.
Equipment:
Adopting a loose military dress, Ziska carries a Calaveri 10mm Auto-Pistol in a holster on her right hip. A sleek, small black pistol, it is an ideal sidearm for a MechWarrior often operating inside of a cramped BattleMech cockpit.
As a final insurance policy should her BattleMech be disabled, Ziska has tucked a Mauser and Gray Firearms M-75 personal defense weapon beneath her ejection seat. A rugged design, the M-75 is a modular and compact PDW chambered for a respectable 6.5?25mm round. A bargain purchase, the M-75 standard with a detachable low power optic, wire folding stock, grip safety, threaded barrel, and hollow foregrip which can be used to hold a spare magazine.
As a reminder of home, she keeps a Ceres Arms Slasher Combat Knife. Originating from the Capellan Confederation, the SCK is a double-edged, forged out of high quality nickel steel knife. Balanced for throwing, the SCK has a hollow, rough steel grip complete with a removable cap. Designed for export markets, the knife was popular in the Periphery, selling well in the Magistracy of Canopus and Taurian Concordant. Although Ziska chiefly uses it to cut fruit, the knife is useful for violence if needed.
Asset Appearance: Alleycat's JR7-D has been painted with a shark mouth below the cockpit and is adorned with a distinct tiger stripe pattern. However, the BattleMech always sports carefully applied layers of color that match the current environment that Misfits are operating in.
Asset Crew/Staff:See following character sheets.
Asset Weaponry:
Possessing a standard loadout, the Tigershark is equipped with four Argra 3L Medium Lasers, with two medium lasers mounted on the left and right directionally variable mountings.
These weapons afford the Tigershark with a powerful close-to-medium range strike that allows the pilot to operate without concern for supplies. A useful trait for a light mech that often operates deep behind enemy lines.
A Thunderstroke SRM-4 launcher mounted in the center torso provides additional oomph. One ton of ammunition, allows twenty five shots, and can be used to cause critical damage to vulnerable internal components of an enemy unit once the armor has been breached.
Asset Equipment:
The Tigershark only has ten heat sinks and can run hot during prolonged fighting. Intended as a fast striker, the JR7-D has a 245-rated Magna fusion engine that allows it to reach a top speed of over 118 km/h. Not just fast, but agile, five Smithson Lifter jump jets, two in each side torso and one in the center torso, enable the Tigershark to jump a distance of 150 meters.
Further, the Tigershark has an unremarkable Bk-309 Targeting Tracking System and a reliable Dawson III Communications System. A functional, if well-worn, Diplan Scout-A chassis is paired with four tons of Starshield of armor.
Beyond standard SRM ammunition, Emma utilizes SRM inferno ammunition to set enemies on fire. Although she uses inferno rounds chiefly to overwhelm the heat dissipation system of enemy mechs, in a pinch the SRM inferno rounds can be used to devastating effect against combat vehicles, battle armor into flaming, and conventional infantry platoons.
Crew/Staff:
Name: Benedito Davids Nickname/Callsign: Age: 37 Gender: Male Crew Position: MechTech Rank: Sergeant Nationality: Marian Hegemony (Horatius)
Appearance:
Biographical History:
A veteran pirate and reluctant participant in the Third Succession War, Benedito Davids, is the mech tech responsible for keeping Ziska's BattleMech running in good order.
Davids is a native of Horatius, a medium sized planet of the Marian Hegemony, known largely for a faltering arms manufacturing facility. Raised on dreams of a burgeoning empire destined for greatness, once, once Davids would admit he truly believed in the words of a modern-day Caesar. The son of a bandit. The son of a long line of bandits. Thanks to the Imperator himself, Marius O'Reilly, and the particulars of life in a Bandit Kingdom, Davids is intimately familiar with how grim life in the Inner Sphere and the Periphery can be.
A quick hand with any tool, Davids followed the expected path of any enterprising youth in the Marian Hegemony and joined up with a Marian pirate crew. The "starfarers" as they called themselves were a mixed lot. They were gentleman thieves, cutthroat murders, failed nobles, and impoverished farmers. Wretched scum to most of the Inner Sphere, Davids recalls with some pride that they had morals enough among themselves. The band of pirates had few illusions of what life was really like or where it would lead them.
Working as an Astech to a grizzled pirate mech tech, Davids learned to patch BattleMechs together with minimal parts, little time, and few workable tools. Even know, years later, few mech techs are as ingenious as Davids when it comes to figuring out how to jury-rig a BattleMech or salvage parts from a burned out husk. With the retirement of his mentor, Davids eventually secured a place as a full mech tech. Claiming a share and half of all plunder the pirates acquired, Davids did well, and sent substantial funds back to his family in the Marian Hegemony.
Carrying a growing reputation among the roving pirates of the Marian Hegemony, Davids was offered an intriguing opportunity to join the crew of a Marian privateer, the legendary or equal parts infamous, John van Rheenen, more often known as Twice-Hanged John. No mere pirate, Twice-Hanged John was commanded resources far beyond a lowly pirate and was rumored to be held in great esteem by the Imperator.
Serving under Twice-Hanged John, Davids raided across the Periphery, crossing swords with the Magistracy Armed Forces more times than he could count, and managing to live with only some moderate bruising. Branching out, the pirates launched a series of raids targeting the Free Worlds League. While successful at first, following a strong military response from the Free Worlds League military, Davids found himself fighting a losing battle against forces of the Free Worlds League Military. Captured by the 2nd Marik Militia, nicknamed The Fates, Davids found himself a prisoner of the FWL, along with some fifty other pirates.
Desperate for competent mech techs as a result of an unfortunate air lock malfunction, the Mariks presented Davids with a rare proposition. Deeply pragmatic, the commanding officer of the Ridge Riders, the main strike unit of the Fates, Lieutenant Colonel Barton "Black Bart" Burton offered Davids a pardon if he joined the Ridge Raiders and the 2nd Marik Militia as a mech tech. Happy to avoid the hangman's noose, in contrast to the majority of the survivors of Twice-Hanged John's crew, Davids accepted without a second thought. After all, all pirates understand the value of survival.
Attached to the Ridge Riders, Davids participated in the disastrous raid on the Lyran world of Algorab in 3020. Certain the fates had once again betrayed him, he watched over half of the 2nd Marik Militia perish on Algorab V. In the end only the Ridge Riders and Second's command staff made it off planet alive. Three years of bitter rebuilding followed. The 2nd Marik Militia were now reduced to two full companies of green recruits and a recon battalion with barely more experience to count on.
When the unit was transferred to the Capellan front in 3024, Davids could see the doom the unit was destined for and he deserted as soon as the unit made planetfall. Adopting a civilian identity, Davids worked his way through a string of dubious mercenary companies and made his way to Galatea. There he was personally hired by Ziska, who claimed the now grizzled mech tech as her senior technician.
Personality:
Davids is a taciturn mech technician, prone to long bouts of melancholy. A man of many memories and obvious regrets, he is a soul certain of his own damnation. Unlike many a scoundrel racing headfirst towards their own death in hopes of redemption, Davids is instead merely resigned to the fact that most of the people in the Inner Sphere would prefer to see him hanged if they knew his full past.
He is shaped by most of a lifetime of piracy, more than two decades spent raiding planets scattered across the stars. A harsh disciplinarian, Davids is unafraid to use carefully employed brutality and even in his middle years he is a leader convinced of the importance of absolute obedience. Aware of the consequences of failure, he endeavors to run a tight ship. Calm, cool, and capable of great violence, should it be needed, he is a quietly intimidating figure on the DropShip. Like Ziska, there is a touch of the wilderness of the Periphery on him and the pair easily fall into the unspoken, sometimes strange, and decidedly unfamiliar (to most of the crew) habits of periphery pirates.
Woe be it to anyone found in dereliction of their duty, regardless of rank, as Davids has little patience when faced with behavior that threatens the current venture. Although he is generally satisfied with Ziska and her conduct as an officer, he is known to engage in loud screaming matches with his nominal superior when he determines she is becoming too relaxed.
Anica Kesi, beyond her role as a MechTech, is Ziska's most trusted confident, friend, and reluctant companion in most of the adventurous, usually inadvisable plots carried about by the MechWarrior.
Born in the Deep Periphery, within the confines of the enigmatic New Delphi Compact, Kesi lived an idyllic life pastoral life. Outside of the recurring ravages of the Delphian Curse, an infamous virus spread throughout the New Delphi Compact, that is. A scholar at heart, Kesi's parents were geneticists, like many Delphians, working at the Virus Research and Immunization Institute (VRII) in order to discover a cure for the Delphian Curse.
Raised in the anachronistic New Delphi Compact, Kesi's early life was not that different from an agriculture life spent on Terra in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. Technology was limited, outside of the domains of medicine, government, and space travel, where the Delphians had managed to achieve and in some cases surpass the level attained by the Inner Sphere in the twenty-sixth century. Lacking even HPG technology, in stark contrast to the Inner Sphere and even Periphery, the New Delphi Compact had just enough technology to keep it functioning. Built around principles of pacifism and limited government, Kesi experienced little of warfare or the politics that dominate the rest of humanity.
Surrounded by green fields, forests, and fresh air, Kesi learned precious little about the broader galaxy. Like other Delphians, her family had little money, often bartering for goods with their neighbors. Only when she accompanied her parents to the planetary capital of Athenae did she use money.
A strong student, Kesi predictably attended the New Delphi University, where she graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. Easily employed following her graduation, Kesi enjoyed a burgeoning career maintaining and sometimes designing machinery in a textile factory.
However, despite her professional success Kesi began to despair of the insulated society of the New Delphi Compact. She longed to see more. She dreamed of traveling. She began to horde information. She collected rumors. She listened to stories. She spent her evenings and nights learning about the Periphery. About the Inner Sphere. About the Great Houses. And about the MechWarriors.
Convincing the Senior Councilor of New Delphi of the need for more recent information about the Inner Sphere and particularly technology, Kesi managed to secure funding to buy passage to way to Federated Suns controlled spaced on a passing interstellar freight ship bound for the Inner Sphere.
Once there, Kesi quickly signed up with a small time mercenary company engaged by the Federated Suns. In the span of a few years, she traveled widely. Seeing as much of the Inner Sphere as she could. She rarely stayed in one place or with one company for long, desiring a full experience of the Inner Sphere. Always, however, always she found herself returning to the Federated Suns.
As she worked, she traveled, and as she traveled she learned. She worked her way up from a lowly technician relegated to fixing simple mechanical devices. She fixed weapons. She fixed light vehicles, then tanks, and then aircraft that traveled beyond the speed of sound. Eventually she began to fix BattleMechs. Despite her humble technological origins, Kesi impressed the MechTechs left to train her with her grasp of the mechanical. She knew little of computers, it was true, but she learned at a breakneck pace. More importantly, she listened, she listened well, and she seemed to understand the underlying concepts that were critical for a functioning BattleMech.
Eventually, signing up with a modest mercenary company, called Herbert's Heroes, Kesi found herself traveling to the the frontiers of the Federated Suns. Assigned to garrison duty on Bartrock, Herbert's Heroes were tasked with defending the small, desolate planet from increasingly frequent pirate raids. Largely unsettled and uncivilized, Bartrock was important to the Federated Suns only for the rich ore and mineral deposits that had been recently discovered.
Months unfolded uneventfully. The aforementioned pirates did not make an appearance. The mercenary company rested and waited with increasing boredom. While her colleagues grumbled, Kesi spent time exploring the wilds of Bartrock. She found the desert pleasing. Harsh as it was, she found it beautiful, peaceful in a haunting way that filled her heart with bittersweet feelings.
Kesi was camping in the desert when the pirates finally struck. She heard garbled communications. She heard fighting. She heard desperate screams over the comms. She saw smoke on the horizon, but she did not falter. She walked faster towards the battle. She arrived too late. She found herself alone.
She had been left behind. The mercenary company had fled. The civilian miners around were ashen faced. They had all been left behind in the chaotic scramble to escape off planet. Some five hundred souls. Kesi among them. The pirates were smiling. Laughing even. Some of the miners fought back. Many of them died. Kesi didn't resist. She didn't see much point. Brought before the pirate leaders, Kesi was claimed as booty by Ziska. Kesi had little hope about her fate, even the isolated citizens of the New Delphi Compact knew about pirates. They knew what pirates did. They had heard about the unmentionable crimes that pirates inflicted on their captives.
Hopes of tolerable perpetual servitude under Ziska were quickly exceeded, when the eccentric pirate promptly freed her and offered to retain Kesi as one of her personal MechTechs. Certain that professional employment underneath a pirate MechWarrior was vastly superior to enslavement, Kesi happily accepted, abruptly silencing any thoughts about the ethics of piracy.
Personality: Kesi is as focused and meticulous as one might hope, if not always expect, a MechTech to be. She appears capable of fixing anything, no matter how ancient or debilitated, channeling an understanding of technology far older by centuries than most of what is considered current in the Inner Sphere. Compared to many a MechTech, Kesi operates more by feeling and by hand than by computer or inflexible logic. When asked, Kesi jokingly says that she always tries to speak to the metal that she is working on, to understand what it is feeling and what it really wants.
A true peacemaker, Kesi is friendly, talking easily with almost anyone, and there is something remarkably reassuring about the young MechTech, an unstated certainty that somehow, improbably things will work out. Still something of a stranger to the Inner Sphere, Kesi keeps a paper journal on her person at all times, within which she diligently records her many observations about the galaxy outside of the New Delphi Compact. Employing ancient methods, Kesi makes sure to post "packages", copies of her journal, to the New Delphi Compact via couriers when she is able.
Unsurprisingly, given her liberation from what promised to be a length time as an enslaved MechTech for a band of pirates, Kesi's loyalty towards Ziska is unflinching. Compared to most, while she tolerates Ziska's less than stellar habits, she is completely unafraid to challenge the MechWarrior when she deems it necessary. Ziska for all her many personal faults, is exceedingly willing to at least listen to her advice, if not always to follow it.
The man, the myth, the MechTech prodigy, Sunther is nowhere near where he expected to find himself if you had asked him years ago.
Born and raised on New Avalon, Sunther grew up with an obvious series of goals in mind. Attending the New Avalon of Institute Science. Graduating the New Avalon Institute of Science. Serving with distinction in the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns. Retiring with full benefits. Accepting a posting at the New Avalon Institute of Science. And finally conducting research which would revolutionize BattleMechs across the Inner Sphere.
Ambitious as this plan was, at first, Sunther appeared to be checking off the expected boxes every step of the way. He graduated at the top of his class from a small, prohibitively expensive private school. He was accepted to, attended, and graduated from the College of Engineering at the New Avalon Institute of Science.
With a veritable pile of accolades and recommendations in hand, Sunther then secured a position as an Astech with the Davion Heavy Guards. Mentored by some of the finest MechTechs found within the AFFS, Sunther thrived and was advanced to the rank of a fully qualified MechTech. Stationed on New Avalon, working under commanding officer, Field Marshal Ran Felsner, Sunther relished his times as part of the Davion Heavy Guards. The prestige of serving in one of the companies of the Davion Brigade of Guards was intoxicating to the young technician and he enjoyed the admiration of many of his friends and family.
With his growing success, troubles, unwelcome troubles appeared for Sunther. Issues arose. Sunther felt a growing sense of dread. Anxiety assailed him. Private doubts began to nag at him. He struggled to sleep. He forgot to eat. He couldn't ask for help. He didn't know who to talk too. He soldiered on. He tried. He tried harder. He buried his feelings. Minutes turned to days, days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, but the dark clouds continued to follow him.
And then Sunther made a mistake. He made a serious mistake. An improper solder, a poorly repaired actuator. A small mistake, but a serious one. Enough of a mistake to send an Atlas falling to the ground. Sunther's superiors were understanding, kind even, but they had no choice. His performance had been suffering for some months. The Davion Heavy Guards had standards, they had expectations to live up to, unnecessary risks could not be afforded, no matter how painful it was to them to lose one of their own.
Drummed out of the AFFS with a medical discharge, Sunther knew one thing. He could not return home. He couldn't face his parents. He couldn't see his friends. He couldn't explain. He didn't want to. Leveraging a rehearsed story, Sunther talked his way onto a mercenary company chiefly by virtue of his NAIS training.
Sunther remembers little of the year that followed. He worked hard. He thought little past maintaining and repairing the BattleMechs in front of him. When the contract ended, he elected to sign up with a new mercenary company, finding little value in fresh friendships. Following this pattern for some years, Sunther eventually met Ziska or rather found himself lost to Ziska in the course of a brawl. As Sunther tells it, the MechWarrior he was working for, challenged Ziska to settle matters in an alley, following unfounded according to Ziska accusations of cheating. Lacking little in terms of remaining c-bills, the MechWarrior offered Ziska his chief MechTech, paid for a year of his services, for a chance at redemption.
Surprising no one, Ziska accepted, but less clear is how she managed to emerge the victor of the storied fist fight. However, despite the nature of their meeting and his apprehensions about working for her, Sunther discovered that he quite enjoyed his time working underneath the outlandish MechWarrior. As a result, despite competing offers, Sunther has remained with Marley's Misfits for some years now.
Personality:
Serious and prone to bouts of melancholic anxiety, remains an exceptionally gifted MechTech despite his personal issues. Clearly most comfortable around Ziska and her technicians, Sunther is a bit reserved. He is slow to warm to others, maintaining a polite demeanor, but showing little interest in broadening his social network.
Full of doubts and professional regrets, he is painfully unsure of himself in all contexts outside of those related to BattleMechs. There is something painfully desperate about Sunther. He is a man searching for an identity, a new person, and the core of his very being.
Name: Virginia Kan Nickname/Callsign: Age: 25 Gender: Female Crew Position: Astech (Assistant Technician) Rank: Corporal Nationality: Capellan Confederation (Prix)
Appearance:
Biographical History:
Capellan born, Virginia Kan hails from the stormy planet of Prix. Far from wealthy, she grew up with the sparse but adequate resources offered to all Capellans. The third of four children, she spent much of her childhood following around her father, a technician responsible specializing on Capellan armored vehicles. Learning from the oil covered man and following in his example, Kan in turn spent most of her youth working on the IndustrialMechs critical to agriculture in the Capellan Federation.
With an eye on citizenship and the many benefits it entailed, at the age of 13, Kan served a stint with the Capellan Armed Forces. Two years in the Prix Home Guard was enough to earn her citizenship. Thrust into an unfolding miasma of border skirmishes between Great Houses and opportunistic pirates, Kan was ungenerous introduced to the full gamut of violence possible in the Inner Sphere.
Taking little joy in suffering, Kan still found military life appealing and inspired by the advice of some of the older MechTechs, she sought out a career as a mercenary technician once she had received her citizenship. The freedom to pick her contracts and higher pay proving to be more to her liking, compared to the sparse lifestyle afforded to the technicians serving as part of a militia unit of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces.
Personality:
Even keeled, Kan possesses a generous temperament. She is decidedly non-judgemental and few things that occur in Marley's Misfits appear to bother her.
Although she is reliable, many see her a bit of a free spirit, confident in her own choices and beliefs. She is flexible, simply seems to go along with the flow of things as they unfold.
Name: Magnus Licht Nickname/Callsign: Snarl Age: 23 Gender: Male Crew Position: Astech (Assistant Technician) Rank: Corporal Nationality: Lyran Commonwealth (Wotan)
Appearance:
Biographical History:
An aspiring MechTech, grinding away as an Astech, Magnus Licht is a brash young man working under the careful supervision of Ziska's MechTech Davids.
The prodigal son of a wealthy family long established on the planet of Wotan, located at the very edges of the Lyran Commonwealth, Magnus is a man living his life based on singularly based on his own aspirations. A great disappointment to his parents, particularly his father, who had hoped that Magnus would adhere to family tradition and pursue a career in interstellar banking. Disowned, uncommonly for a Lyran, if the stereotype about classism and "Social Generals" is to be believed, Licht has advanced through his own merit and hard work, rather than through his social connections or those of his family.
Surviving the basic four month boot camps held by the LCAF to train Lyran citizens for war, Licht found himself tapped for additional training in BattleMech maintenance. Working with his hands, to the great chagrin of his parents, Licht found that there was a life outside of checking spreadsheets to account for c-bills. Despite the loud protests of his father, Magnus happily accepted an offer from the LCAF to attend the War College of Buena. His refusal to accept a purchased posting on Wotan in an administrative position is according to Magnus the reasons for his disownment.
An oasis of meritocracy, free from the classism that had afflicted the Lyran Commonwealth, the War College of Buena was a non-nonsense academy dedicated to pragmatic education of all students. Acknowledged as the finest academy for technicians in the Lyran Commonwealth, the War College of Buena impressed Licht from the moment he arrived. Although he did not receive any great degree of combat training, as part of the technical staff, Licht learned to maintain everything from small arms, electrical equipment, combat vehicles, and even BattleMechs. In line with the stated goals of the academy, by the time he graduated Licht was proficient in several technical fields relevant to BattleMechs.
Where others faltered, Licht excelled in the mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging environment of the War College of Buena. While many of his classmates, chafed under the hard, authoritarian instructors at the College, Licht seemed to only do better when faced with the endlessly critical opinions of the College staff. Even the notoriously rough treatment of the underclassman leveled by upperclassman did little to stifle Licht's motivations.
Spending some six months maintaining the BattleMechs of the Buena Training Battalion following live-fire exercises and a number of anti-pirate missions along the Periphery border, Licht received high praise from his instructors regarding his performance in the field.
Graduation from the War College of Buena, presented Licht with a unique set of opportunities. Ultimately, wary of the reputation of the LCAF as a bastion of Social Generals, Licht elected to pursue a career an technician in a mercenary company. Relying on old connections, Davids somehow managed to convince Licht to accept a contract with Marley's Misfits despite several other competitive offers afforded to the Astech.
Personality:
Young, ambitious, and not just a little bit proud, Magnus is force of technical opinion. He believes that his opinions or thoughts are almost always valuable and he speaks his mind freely, regardless of the rank of those around him or the prevalent mood. To his own determent, he remains largely unconcerned about the feelings of others, and he is known to deliver scathing critique if he finds the quality, especially of any technical work lacking.
Beneath a prickly exterior, Magnus has a somewhat lesser known creative side. A noted musician in his youth, in social situations, Magnus can be counted on to strum up a quick tune on his acoustic guitar or to sing a song to lighten the mood.
The youngest member of Ziska's technician team, Minhas often appears to be trying to figure things out and to catch up to the more experienced technicians. However, beneath her inexperience, are the bones of a very talented technician, and given time it seems likely that Minhas will become a truly exceptional MechTech.
Hailing from the Oberon Confederation, Yuliana proudly proclaims herself to be from a civilized, very civilized former Bandit Kingdom. According to her, Drask's Den is like any other aspiring Inner Sphere planet, full of people simply striving for a better life.
Growing up in the Oberon Confederation, Minhas is the modern example of what can be achieved by citizens of a Bandit Kingdom once again approaching the lofty aspirations attained by the Circinus Federation many centuries ago. Namely a viable nation-state supported chiefly by interstellar trade and only partly, most subtly by piracy. With such soaring ambitions in mind and with the tried example of the Periphery states to follow, the benevolent King of the Oberon Confederation even instituted an educational system shortly after Yuliana's birth.
Benefiting from such social developments, an unexpected degree of stability, and influx of MechTechs seeking fresh starts away from Inner Sphere that all coincided with her teenage years, Yuliana received not just a basic education but training as a proper technician.
Possessing her own ambitions, Yuliana was not content to stay in the Oberon Confederation, and as soon as she could call herself an Astech, she left for the Periphery, and then Inner Sphere. Arriving on Galatea, the young Astech somehow managed to convince Ziska to hire her after engaging in what Davids has tersely described as "several hours of constant begging, crying, and pathetic mewling."
Personality: Cheerful, Yuliana is a deeply curious young woman. She talks quickly, moves quicker, and seems to be constantly be operating as if her blood is composed mostly of stimulants of one sort or another.
Happy by nature, she is unnecessarily optimistic, at least according to Ziska, and for someone born to the descendants of bandits, she has lived a remarkably charmed life.
Miscellaneous Characters:
Name:Alexander Kerensky Age: 2 Gender: Female Species: Felis catus Crew Position: Unofficial Official Ship Cat Rank: Commanding General of the Star League Nationality: Lyran
Appearance:
An adorable calico cat, with a coat of soft, glossy fur, and surprisingly sharp claws reserved for those that offend her. Being a cat, Kerensky wears only a tasteful leather collar adorned with a small metal tag listing her name, mercenary affiliation, and Star League rank.
Personality:
The exceedingly proud, mostly benevolent ruler of the DropShip maintained by Marley's Misfits. Kerensky is fond of napping, pets, scritches, and the occasional belly rub. Convinced of her own supremacy and divine right to command the mercenaries Marley has assembled, Kerensky does not respond well to her unspoken orders being refused. Mercifully, Kerensky is quite adorable and the vast majority of her power is used only in the pursuit of snacks or cuddles.
Biographical History:
General Kerensky is confusingly, given her namesake, a female calico cat that Ziska has seen fit to adopt. In an impressively irreverent act, bordering on tasteless according to some ComStar adjacent mercenaries, Ziska has named her cat after the famed Star League general and hero, Alexander Kerensky. Sauntering throughout the Misfit's DropShip at all hours of the day or night, regardless of the status of any doors, Kerensky manages an impressive fiefdom centering largely on the mech hanger and Ziska's private quarters. The bane of many an Astech or Technician, Kerensky appears certain, quite certain, that she is in fact in charge of the entire operation, and reacts poorly to any suggestions or actions that would imply otherwise.
Unfortunately for the rest of the Misfits, any complaints delivered to Ziska regarding the conduct of her cat are simply responded to with a well-practiced sigh, a half-hearted shake of her head, and a comment on the fickle nature of all generals.
Name: Marley Swanson Nickname/Callsign: Boss, Commander, and similar Age: 50 Gender: Female
Crew Position: Mercenary Company Commander
Nationality: Free Worlds League Biographical History: Marley was born in the Free Worlds League, and that's about as much as she remembers from her very young childhood, for she was effectively adopted as a war orphan at the age of 3 by the original head and founder of the company that would become Marley's Misfits, one Jack Thompson. The company, known at the time as the Battle-born Brigadiers, had been operating on a Free Worlds League border world that had been attacked by a Lyran invasion force during one of the many battles of the Third Succession War. The company had found Marley in a besieged city they had just helped liberate. All she was able to tell them was her name, and when she asked for their help they took her in.
From there, Marley was practically raised alongside the crew, with Commander Thompson in particular serving more or less as her father figure. She learned pretty much all walks of life in the mercenary business from the crew, ranging from Tech skills, to administrative work, to Mech and ASF piloting, tank command and even infantry combat. Eventually she settled into the roll of MechWarrior above all, piloting a Centurion in the company's primary lance. It was here that she spent most of her time, eventually taking the mantle of head of the mech division, and overall second in command of the company.
When she was around 30, tragedy struck the company as Commander Thompson was killed in action during a border skirmish operation in service of the Federated Suns against the Capellen Confederation. Thompson was operating in conjunction with the Federated Suns command staff out of their mobile command center, which was struck directly by a bomb from a Capellan aerospace fighter. Everyone on board the command vehicle was killed outright, which left Marley to assume field command. She quickly took to this, taking control of the deployed company forces and directing them all from her Centurion, and the company managed to make it through the rest of the engagement with minimal losses. When it was all said and done, the company held a memorial in the name of Jack Thompson, and at the end of it the command staff universally agreed to name Marley the new full-time commander of the company. In one last honor to her father-figure, Marley took his personal custom refit of the Rifleman, nicknamed the Bossman due to its refitting as a command mech, as her own.
That position is where Marley has been for the last twenty-odd years, operating the company as she was taught, doing her best to keep her de facto family afloat. For several years they continued to operate under the name of the Battle-Born Brigadiers, but following Marley's penchant for recruiting from a wide range of colorful characters from across the Inner Sphere, and the company's combined arms approach to tactics in the face of the usual gaggle of mech-centric mercenaries, Marley eventually redubbed the company to Marley's Misfits, which is the name they carry to this day.
Personality: To her crew, Marley treats them as comrades in arms and family, with formality limited primarily to business and other major events. She sees the company as her home, and anyone aboard as someone she's invited in and thus deserving of being treated kindly and casually, though don't mistake this for inability to get serious or give orders when needed.
To potential employers and professional contacts she is dignified and direct, focusing on hashing out contracts and agreements, arranging coordination and cooperation in the field, and getting the job done with as little hassle and strife as possible. She has little care for the politics of the Inner Sphere, and often refuses to deal with shady contractors or those who refuse to give her full details of the operation. She's burned more than a few bridges over refusing to take contracts that involve any sort of operation that involves civilian and non-combatant populations, and in one instance even fought a duel over a former client taking this as an insult.
In battle, she's a quick thinker, known for being able to coordinate multiple different unit types on the fly in both large and small-scale operations. She's firm in her convictions, and does her best to lead with stern confidence and a solid hold on morale. She cares first and foremost about her people, and is not afraid to pull them out of a dangerous situation even if it makes their contract more difficult in the end.
Asset Weaponry: This custom refit strips the core weaponry of the RFL-3N and replaces them all with four Armstrong model Autocannon/2s outfitted with tracer rounds for assisted directional tracking. While this limits the mech's per-hit firepower, it provides it with additional ammunition and equipment storage, while also helping to combat the primary issue that plagues the Rifleman line, heat dispersion.
Asset Equipment: This custom refit is distinct in that its primary focus is on command. The previous owner, Commander Jack Thompson, had the cockpit completely overhauled with command and control systems designed to help direct the multitude of asset types the company is known for operating. Additionally, these have been interlinked with the advanced fire control system and communications equipment the Rifleman is known for, effectively making the mech into a mobile command platform combined with a light fire support platform.
