WOLF`S DRAGOONS - Battletech

WOLF`s DRAGOONS By Galaxy Commander Phoenix Wolf (wolf,dragoons,history,mercenary)

Origins

Since the day Nicholas Kerensky formed the Clans there have been tensions. As willing to follow Kerensky’slead as the new Clan Khans were, some didn’t see the same vision of the future as Kerensky.. Others, while agreeingin principal, saw a different timetable. From these differences grew the greatest rivalry within the Clans: the splitbetween Warders and Crusaders. Thus was Wolf’s Dragoons born of mixed parentage. In 3000, Kerlin Ward, the Khan of Wolf Clan and a partisan of Warder politics, conceived a plan. He was awarethat Khan Nadia Winson of Ghost Bear’s growing leadership of the Crusader party and the increasing strength of thatparty. He had no sympathy for the Crusaders. Afraid of being unable to block a call for invasion of the Inner Sphere,he did what he could to forestall that invasion. Apparently siding with the Crusaders, he called for a scouting mission, something even the most ardent of the Crusaders could not deny as prudent military wisdom. In spirited bidding KhanWard won the right to form the scouting party for his Clan. Khan Ward planned to staff the chosen unit, the newly formed Wolf Dragoons, with officers securely loyal to hisbeliefs, but Leo Showers, Khan of the Smoke Jaguars, suspected Ward’s motives. Cautious of his own position, KhanShowers set his long time battle comrade and opponent of the Wolves, saKhan Sessu Katayama of the Nova Cats, toseek out the dangers in Ward’s plan. SaKhan Katayama spoke often and long in council. Claiming that Ward was using the finest of his Clan’swarriors and thereby jeopardizing the mission since Clan mechwarriors of the latest generation were noticeablesuperior the anything the Inner Sphere could have produced and likely physically different as well, Katayama pointed out that the Dragoons would look out of place in the territories they were to scout. Katayama suggested that Wolf Clanuse freebirths, those closer in genetic stock to the original Inner Sphere breed. Katayama might have intended toembarrass the Wolves by forcing them to use inferior warriors who would fail in their mission. If he was concerned thatsuch failure would jeopardize his own plan of invasion, he gave no outward sign. Khan Ward was forced to consider hisown Clan’s reaction to failure and concluded that freebirth warriors could be used and if they failed there would be nostain on Wolf Clan’s honor. Following Katayama’s lead, a council eventually resolved that secrecy, one of Ward’soriginal tenets, would be best maintained by using an inferior force. Ward agreed but was dismayed when the councilreserved to itself the right of approval on the expeditions leaders. Ward, still concerned that the members of theexpedition be of undoubted loyalty to his Clan and his ideal of putting off the invasion, was unhappy with the result. Citing the chance to prove skill in combat, he asked for and received a concession that allowed him to offer slots in theWolf Dragoons to any bloodnamed or truebirth warrior, of any Clan, who wanted such a chance. He planned to makesure those chosen would be warders. However, there were few takers, fewer still from outside Wolf Clan. Ward didnot feel his hold on the expeditionary force was strong enough. The Wolf Dragoons needed commanders and Winson, Katayama, and others of the Crusader faction hadblocked Ward’s move to install two of his lineage in the top slots. Still desiring a secure, loyal leadership, heconsidered his options and his thoughts turned to young men and women who he could trust, persons who would givehim their loyalty, or already had. He presented two of those before the council. Jaime and Joshua, upstart freebirthswho had earned their way in to the warriors and earned the Clan name Wolf. It was a dangerous ploy. The warriorshad technically gained honor by earning their names, but their manner of doing so had angered many among the

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Clans. Also, they were untried in command. Katayama, perhaps sensing that Ward was cutting his own throat,approved the selection. Surprisingly, even to Ward, the number of volunteers for the Dragoons among freeborn skyrocketed once Jaimeand Joshua were named as commanders for the expedition. More trueborn volunteered as well, including NatashaKerensky. Preparations were made, ships readied, warriors trained, and all who were to go were prepared with the bestintelligence available to the Clans. The Wolf Dragoons were to pass as mercenaries, Inner Sphere mercenaries, andthe Clans did all they could to disguise the origins of these warriors. Naturally, the Clan planners made mistakes. Their information was only fragmentary and their arrogance led them to underestimate those they had left behind. Once they reached the Inner Sphere, the Dragoons began to litter clues all over the Inner Sphere. Our ownintelligence experts remained stymied for no one could put the whole picture together because parts were missing. Weknew the Dragoons were different. It is only recently that we have come to understand how different.

First Contract: Davion

Prince Ian: They want what? Duke William: A planet, your highness, to serve as a home base. PI: Any particular planet? new Avalon, perhaps? DW: Colonel Wolf specifically excluded the capital, your highness. PI: How kind. (deletion) Will they take anything we offer? DW: There are some specific requests concerning climate, accessibility to standard jump routes, populationdensity, natural resources, and so on. The details are in my report. I can retrieve them for you, if you wish. PI: That can wait. If we give them a planet, they’ll fight for us for five years. All five Battlemech regiments? You’re sure that they will honor the contract? DW: Colonel Wolf assured me that the contract will be completely binding. there are some small provisions tobe triggered by events of a most unlikely nature, but I do not believe that a deception is intended. PI: This wolf impressed, William. DW: Indeed your highness. He did. Colonel Wolf has a way about him. PI: Yes. Five regiments for five years.





DW: Excuse me, your highness? PI: Will New Valencia do for them? --transcript of conversation discovered in Prince Ian’s archives, House Davion Library The appearance of Wolf’s Dragoons in the Delos system is the recorded beginning of their time as mercenariesfor the great Houses. Their JumpShips arrived at the system causing great consternation to the system’s defenders.. Greater still was their concern when the up-until-then-silent ships warned away the Davion Aerospace fighters sent toinvestigate. Even when the Dropships took station in orbit over Delos and the first broadcast from Jaime Wolf announced the newcomers intention to take service with House Davion, some feared a Kuritan trick. No mercenary unitin the Inner Sphere could muster such a force as orbited the planet. Word was at once relayed to Prince Ian Davion and negotiations began. The Dragoons were strange, somehowout of touch with the latest in Inner Sphere politics. They showed no hint of classic rivalries that infected almost everyunit, House and merc, in the Inner Sphere. More than once, Duke William Schuler-Davion was heard to remark thatthe Dragoons might have just as easily put in at a planet in the Combine. The Duke pressed his Prince to take these mercenaries into service at once. Considering the price that Jaime Wolf asked and the obvious fighting ability of theDragoons, there was little chance that House Davion would refuse. Even Wolf’s demand for a Davion world to serveas a home base only caused a short delay. Ian Davion already had plans for this stroke of good fortune. Capellan incursions had long drawn troops from the Draconis Combine-Federated Suns border, a drain thatPrince Davion considered a dangerous waste. To him, Kurita always was the real enemy and he chafed at beingunable to silence the lesser threat so that he could turn his attention to the greater. Under great secrecy the Dragoonswere shuffled across the Federated Suns and positioned in the Capellan March. In short order the Dragoons suppliedthe prince with vital information on the Cappellan raiders and a counterstrike was planned. Over the objections ofsome of his advisors who still claimed that the Dragoons were some kind of enemy agents, the Prince determined thatthey should lead the attack on Halloran, the raiders’ base. The assault on Halloran was but the first in a long string of victories for Wolf’s Dragoons. Whether performingan assault, a raid, or a planetary defense, the Dragoons showed they were more than a match for any Capellan forcesarrayed against them. Usually, Wolf’s forces outmaneuvered the enemy, but when it came to a stand up fight, theDragoons consistently showed themselves capable of defeated more than their number. Early reports said that the Dragoons had Star League equipment. Said they had a lot of it, but I know better. Sure a lot of what they had wasn’t around any more. Some of the mech designs serving in the regiments certainlyhadn’t been seen in a House unit for generations. I didn’t know where they got them then, but now I guess we all do. Iknew back then that those machines weren’t vintage stuff. I saw one of the Hoplites that they lost on New Aragon and





I’m telling you that the machine wasn’t built in a Star league factory. I know the marks, the metals, the composites. Itried to tell the mandarins what I was seeing, but they didn’t want to hear it. Bootleg tech wasn’t supposed to be goodenough to beat their mechjocks. Chancellor Maximillian said that it to be Star League, said it in a lot of press releases. Can’t contradict the Chancellor. Not in Liao space. ---Andy Chall, former Inspector of Recovered Technology for House Liao The Dragoons were a secretive bunch, often display an amazing ability to gather intelligence both of the foesand their friends. They let slip little concerning themselves. The rumor mill went crazy after the defense of NewAragon in 3008 when Jaime Wolf, recipient of the Crucis Cross for his performance, recalled his troops to NewValencia. rest and refit was the official Davion line, but something more was going on. Even Davion censors couldn’tprevent work from leaking about the intense aerospace activity around New Valencia. It appeared that the Dragoonswere preparing to leave Davion service. arrival, but the rumors were premature. It was only the first of the now-famed “supply runs.” For ten months, theDragoons were absent from the Inner Sphere and when they returned they had replaced all their losses with newequipment and carried significant stockpiles of spare parts and expendables. For two more years Wolf’s Dragoons served House Davion and never were any complaints lodged concerningthe quality of that service. During the five years of their contract, the Dragoons established themselves as one of thepremier mercenary units operating in the Inner Sphere. In 3010, contrary to all expectations, they declined to renewtheir contract. REPLY TO DAVION It is with great regret that we inform His Highness that we cannot accept the generous offer of permanentservice. The Dragoons have been proud to serve as warriors for House Davion and fight under the banner of theFederated Suns. We have accepted service with the Capellan Confederation. In deference to the respect that His Highness has always shown to the Dragoons, our new contract specifies that Wolf’s Dragoons will not participate inoperations directed against the Federated Suns and your House. Good fortune to you and the blessings of Unity uponyour house. --(signed) Colonel Jaime Wolf Colonel Joshua Wolf Commanders, Wolf’s Dragoons 10 February, 3010





Second Contract: Liao

The Death Commandos are elite, highly trained troops. they do not fail. Obviously, the assassin apprehendedat the mercenary Wolf’s villa was not a member of my unit. --Public statement of Warren Po, commander of the Capellan Death Commandos The deed will soon be done and the wolf’s lascivious howl shall be heard no more --(signed) Po a note on Death Commando unit letterhead found in the ruins of the place on Sian, 3029 The relationship between the Dragoon commanders and the hierarchy of House Liao and the CappellanConfederation was never as warm as that between the Wolf brothers and Davion, but it was never cold either. TheDragoons went on to further there reputation. As a result of hard fought battles Wallachia and Scarborough, theyearned a fearsome reputation among the House Marik forces that they faced. Indeed on Shiro III several crucialbattles went to Liao forces when Marik troops retreated rather than face the Dragoons. Even with the losses taken inmonths of steady combat, the dragoons managed to remain combat ready, astonishing the Liao quartermasters with thelack of requests for spare parts and supplies. Then, without explanation, the Dragoons were assigned to garrison duty. During the enforced inactivity, therewere many incidents of disorderly conduct and other civil infractions. Each of the Dragoon regiments formed lanceswhere they placed their “bad boys and girls.” In May of 3013, Candace Liao arrived at the Dragoon garrison on Carver,beginning a series of intrigues that included an attempt by Maximilian’s eldest daughter to seduce Jaime Wolf and bring the Dragoons under her sway. Rejected by Wolf, she left the planet in high dudgeon. Some reports say that shevowed revenge for the insults she suffered on Carver. Indeed, there were two reported attempts on Jaime Wolf’s life inthe next several months. A few months later, secret negotiations were concluded and Maximillian Liao turned his control of the Dragoonsover to Anton Marik, a show of support for Anton’s bid to depose his brother Janos.





Third Contract: Anton Marik’s Rebellion

It was during the Anton Marik’s Rebellion that one of the most famous units of Wolf’s Dragoons received itsbaptism of fire. That unit was, of course, the Black Widow battalion. Recruited from hardcases and disciplineproblems, the mechwarriors of the battalion were as unlikely a bunch as ever was to make an effective unit, but theybecame one, perhaps even the most effective unit in the history of the Inner Sphere. And why? The answer is obviousto even the most casual scholar of military history. Natasha Kerensky. A blood descendent of Alexander Kerensky, Natasha took the Widows on as her first command, reluctantly itwas said at the time. How ever much she resisted, it is clear her feelings changed over time. But though she led theminto tight spots, she was always the last to leave. They came to love her as much as she loved them as she proved byrefusing promotions that would take her away from the Widows more times than most officers are offered advancementin their entire career. She remade those misfits in her own image: flashy, tenacious, stubborn, superior tacticians, and an superb mechwarriors. The Black Widow battalion became anamed as feared and respected on the battle field as Kerensky’s own name and black Warhammer were dreaded inindividual combat. Much of Natasha Kerensky’s story remains shrouded in mystery. Some things will never be known, but I foundwhat we do know of her career and personal life to be fascinating. You will too. --from the introduction to the tenth edition of Misha Auburn’s First Lady of Death, New Avalon Press 3051 The contract with the Dragoons was the final piece in Anton Marik’s preparations for revolt. Assured of Capellanneutrality, armed with Liao promises of support, and encouraged by ComStar ROM agents, Anton issued aproclamation on May 22, 3014 declaring himself Captain-General of the Free Worlds League in place of his brother and calling for all of the provinces of the League to join together under his banner and overthrow the “tyrant.” His initialsupport was surprisingly strong. The announcement that Wolf’s Dragoons were fighting for him brought even RegulanHussar units to declare themselves for the usurper. Uncharacteristically, Jaime Wolf showed public distaste for his employer Anton Marik almost at once. In shortorder, all liaison work fell to his co-commander Joshua. Despite the friction, Jaime led the Dragoons with his usual





fervor and efficiency. Dragoon success were most likely the only thing that kept the rebellion alive. Janos Marik was neither the tyrant his brother painted him nor a fool. realizing that the dragoons were thelinchpin of his rebellious brother’s campaign, the Captain-General concentrated his forces against the Dragoons. Littleheadway was made, but the constant pressure on the Dragoons left them unable to support Anton’s forces on otherfronts. Little by little the rebels gains were lost. Unsupported, the Dragoons had no choice but to pull back. The deteriorating situation left a general air of gloom and despair in the rebel camp. Anton’s fits of temperbecame more open, driving further wedges into his already disintegrating forces. Relations between Jaime Wolf andAnton Marik worsened and Joshua was unable to soothe either party. Finally, Wolf stormed out of a strategy meetingwhile Anton shouted after him, calling him a coward and a contract violator. The stage was set.

Crisis and Change

TO: Colonel Jaime Wolf, Commander, Wolf’s Dragoons FROM: Duke Anton Marik, Captain-General of the Free Worlds League This is to inform you that Colonel Joshua Wolf and 27 members of your household staff have been arrested.They will be held until such time as you comply with my orders and place your units at the disposal of my line officers. Failure to obey these orders will result in the execution of all prisoners within 14 standard days of this transmission. TO: Jaime Wolf FROM: Stanford Blake, wolfnet Jaime, they’ve taken the Edel Compound. Confirmation all, repeat all, persons present now in Marik’s hands. Beyond Joshua, they don’t know who they’ve got.





TO: Duke Anton Marik, Captain-General of the Free Worlds League FROM: Colonel Jaime Wolf, Commander, Wolf’s Dragoons Message received. Standby. The taking of the Dragoon hostages from the Edel Compound on New Delos sparked a short, savage battle. For three days, the demoralized forces of the Duke held off the mercenaries, staving off defeat by the barest ofmargins. When the end came the Marik forces were devastated. Despite the fury of the Dragoon attacks, we now know that Wolf was mounting a diversionary attack. To besure, his troops gave no quarter and showed no mercy, but there was more to Wolf’s plan than preemptive vengeanceand wanton destruction. While the line regiments occupied Marik’s forces, a rescue mission was attempted. Wolfnet had determined to location of the hostages. Marik had them near him in his heavily fortified manoroutside the capital. Natasha Kerensky, reported to be Joshua Wolf’s lover, led her battalion in a surprise attack onthe residence. Somehow, Marik learned they were coming. he ignited napalm charges in the woods screening theBlack Widows’ approach, raising a hell of flame. Undaunted, Kerensky’s mechwarriors advanced. The survivors of that hellish march broke through into Marik’s compound and scattered the defenders. But it was too late. The hostages had been executed. Anton Marik was killed in the fighting, crushed beneath the wall of his palace. Vesar Kristofur, his advisor in theplot, escaped to return to his ComStar masters. While Wolf and the bereaved Dragoons buried their dead, the rest ofthe mercenaries raged through New Delos for the next two days. When they stooped no single civic building remainedstanding and none of Duke Anton’s forces could any long be called a unit. Janos Marik seized the opportunity to counterattack and seize back the few planets remaining in rebel hands.

Fourth Contract: Marik





Of course we knew they were coming. How? That’s classified, sweetheart. Still, we were just damn lucky theydidn’t know we knew. Otherwise . . . As it was they damn near took their objective. They’re good. Damn good! (pause) Ya know if they’re hiring? --Hermann Immig, Major in the Hanson’s Roughriders in an interview conducted shortly after the Hesperus raid Despite fears that Janos Marik was coming to eradicate the Dragoons, the Captain-General instead brought anoffer of employment. It is not known what motivated Wolf to accept the contract, but he did. The exhaustedmercenaries went work for their exhausted employers and for the next three years both sides were content to enjoy a slow period in the struggles of the Successor Lords. Employed primarily for minor raids, border skirmishes, and limitedaction campaigns, the Dragoon s came to refer to this period of time as their “cattle raiding” period. As part of his New Year’s greeting for 3019, Janos Marik ordered the Dragoons to undertake one of the mostremarkable deep strikes in the history of Inner Sphere warfare. The entire Dragoon force was to penetrate deep intothe Lyran Commonwealth, striking targets of opportunity and harassing Lyran forces wherever met, but the true goalwas to be Hesperus, the heart of the Commonwealth’s battlemech production. The Dragoons stepped up to the assignment with characteristic élan. After a few months devoted to planningand preparation, they set out, skirting the frontier planets and avoiding the well traveled space lanes. For months thecarved an erratic path across Steiner space to the utter confusion of the Lyran commanders. Until the plan was leakedto the Lyrans, their high command had failed to grasp the intent of the raid. Once they knew, however, the Lyrans reacted quickly. They understand the depth of the threat. If theDragoons hit Hesperus hard enough, the Commonwealth’s military might could be crippled. They reinforced Hesperuswith their best available House and mercenary units. Unaware, the Dragoons dropped into the toughest fight of their career to date. Taking heavy casualties, the Dragoons pressed their attack. Lyran records show that Leftenant-ColonelOrpheus Thomas was not content to rely on his numerically superior forces and continually sent demands forreinforcements. Most critics find it amazing that Thomas was able to avoid committing his hole card, Hanson’s





roughriders, until the crucial moment, but he did. As the nearly exhausted Dragoons closed on the main mechfactories. Thomas unleashed the Roughriders. Hanson’s fresh mechwarriors hit the Dragoon leading elements like a tsunami, knocking them back. lesser units would have broken, but the Dragoons only bent. Their retreat wasmasterful, but costly. In the end, all of Wolf’s units escaped offplanet but none escaped unscathed. Culminating in defeat as they had, the battles on Hesperus demoralized the Dragoons. Weakened, most of theunits limped home to Sterling, carrying Jaime Wolf’s message to Janos Marik that the mercenary colonel was invokingthe rest-and -refit clause of their contract. Wolf himself did not return to Sterling for another six months and when hecame, he brought with him more brand new battlemechs and dropships full of supplies. In his absence, the dragoon shad been recruiting to fill the gaps in their ranks. they promoted their own first, making mechwarriors of tank driversand infantrymen. Then, carefully screening all applicants, they took in mechwarriors, tankers, aerospace pilots, andinfantrymen from the Inner Sphere. They showed no favorites, recruiting from all Successor States, great and small. They even accepted several ComStar personnel although they managed to detect the three ROM agents among thoseapplying. Curiously, they accepted few mercenaries.

Fifth Contract: Steiner

“Warrior, I am Minobu Tetushara, Tai-i and samurai of House Kurita, my soldiers and I honor your prowess andyour courage. We shall not kill you. Return to your forces, now. Die in battle as a true warrior.” Those were his words as best I remember them. They surprised me, so they stuck in my head. He had medead in the water; there wasn’t anything I could do. He could have just obliterated me, but he didn’t. I don’t think Iwould of done the same for him. But that was just the first of the lessons he taught me. ---from Jaime Wolf’s A Lifetime in the Trade: Reminiscences of a Mercenary, New Avalon press, 3055





Tired of the Game

Like Janos Marik before her, Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth Katrina Steiner had been vastly impressed bythe caliber of the Dragoons. And like the Captain-General, she offered her opponents a place in her service. As theyhad before, the Dragoons accepted. Unlike their previous contracts, the arrangement with House Steiner contained anew clause, allowing Wolf to summarily terminate the contract at any time. The Dragoons shifted over to the Lyran Commonwealth in early 3020 and the Black Widow Battalion was inaction against Kuritan forces less than six months later. The successful action on New Wessex seemed to be the startof a new period of Dragoon success. Feeling ran high as commanders on both sides of the Lyran-Draconis borderexpected an upswing in hostilities. The Dragoons first major action on the front was on Dromini VI and it was nearly Jaime Wolf’s last action. TheDragoons were to lead the invasion force, striking against Kuritan forces and pinning them while Lyran House troopsexploited any gains. The taking of Dromini was to hamstring the Combine’s ability to launch an offensive in that sector. A recon unit lead by Tai-i Minobu Tetsuhara caught Jaime Wolf’s Archer separated from his forces andcrippled. Most commanders would have simply ordered his men to finish off a wounded opponent, but the Tai-i was afollower of Bushido and could the results of the valiant battle the, to him, unknown mechwarrior had conducted. Tetsuhara saluted the warrior for his prowess and lead his company away to participate in the Second Sword of Light’sdoomed counterattack. Dromini proved to be a success for the Dragoons, but it clearly caused Jaime Wolf to rethink matters. Furthermatters came before him as well. The expected major offensives, both Lyran and Kuritan, never developed and theDragoons were relegated to cattle-raiding again. In mid-3022 Hanse Davion and Katrina Steiner signed the FederatedCommonwealth Alliance agreement, which called for the two states to be united following the joining in marriage of the heirs to the two great houses. Four months later, the Capetyn Concord was announced, allying the remaining threegreat Houses in opposition to the Davion-Steiner axis. Sometime before this announcement, Takashi Kurita made an offer for the Dragoons’ services, offering thehighest price ever in a mercenary contract. The Lyrans learned of the offer and were concerned, but the emissariesonly cooled their heels. For most of the last quarter of 3022, Jaime Wolf was not to be seen in the Inner Sphere.

Interlude: Return to the Clans





Colonel Wolf is posting R&R time. He will be informed of your inquiry upon his return.. --Official Dragoon statement “Vacation? we’re not paying him to take vacations. We’re paying for him to fight. Where the hell is he?” --Archon Steiner --Overhead in the throne room on Tharkad

You Can’t Come Home Again

Jaime Wolf’s last visit to his Clan was mostly spent in seclusion. he attended many councils in the company ofthe aging Khan Kerlin Ward. Those councils were often preceded and followed by long private sessions with the Khanand his closest advisors, including the Khan’s soon-to-be successor Ulric Kerensky. It was clear that Khan Ward sawthat the Crusaders were gaining even more strength and Wolf’s reports were actually sparking some of the growingfervor. the plan to forestall the invasion had worked for fifteen years but it didn’t seem likely to work much longer,especially when the Clan Council ordered the Dragoons to switch employers and fight for House Kurita, completing the circuit of the Great Houses. Ward arranged for new mechs and equipment for the Dragoons for the last time. He also provided morewarriors, although there were no blood named among them. Indeed, there were few truebirths at all. In private session he told Jaime Wolf of his fears and swore him to secrecy and absolute obedience of hispersonal orders. Understanding the Khan’s reasons, Wolf took that oath. Ward died shortly thereafter and his orderswere the last Clan orders that Jaime Wolf followed. When Wolf left the Clans that year, he carried with him a packet that included advanced technical data, Clanoperational reports, and old Star League records that revealed the secret of Outreach’s undiscovered factories andcaches of equipment.

Sixth Contract: Kurita





When Jaime Wolf reappeared, his first official act was to invoke the termination clause in the contract withHouse Steiner and open formal negotiations with House Kurita. By April 3023, Dragoon units were raiding HouseDavion, their first employers The first years of the Dragoons’ employment with House Kurita went well. Under their liaison officer MinobuTetsuhara, they prospered, receiving better treatment than other mercenary units in the dragon’s employ. But therewas a canker. Warlord Grieg Samsonov conceived a personal hatred for Jaime Wolf and began machinations to discredit Wolf and bring the Dragoons under control of House Kurita permanently. Tensions increased between the Dragoons and their employers while friendship blossomed between Jaime Wolfand the man who had spared his life on Dromini. The combination ultimately proved to have tragic consequences. Samsonov’s machinations finally led to a breakdown of the contract and armed confrontation between Kuritan forces and the Dragoons. On the planet Misery, Tetsuhara was ordered to eradicate the Dragoons with a combination of eliteCombine regulars and his own newly formed (in imitation of the Dragoons) Ryuken regiments. He almost succeeded. In the end, however, he was captured. Wolf offered his friend a place in the dragoons, but Tetsuhara refused. He hadfailed his lord and, for a follower of bushido, there was no excuse for failure. To atone, he committed seppuku. In an emotional public scene at the wedding of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, Wolf returned Tetsuhara’sswords to Takashi Kurita and announced a feud between the Dragoons and House Kurita. When I told him that from that day forward the Dragoons were at war with his House, Takashi Kurita didn’t batan eye. I wasn’t sure he believed me. He never was an easy man to read. He believed me later, of course. ---from Jaime Wolf’s A Lifetime in the Trade: Reminiscences of a Mercenary, New Avalon press, 3055

Seventh Contract: Davion





Mauled by the fighting on Misery, the Dragoons needed rest and refit but they did not get it. The fourthSuccession War had begun, launched simultaneously with the marriage toast on terra. At Wolf’s request, HanseDavion immediately placed them into the line along the Kuritan border. Takashi, insulted by Wolf’s confrontation at the wedding and embarrassed by the failure of his troops to destroy the Dragoons, focused on such tempting bait. As aresult, the Kuritan leader threw away his chance to cripple the Federated Suns when Davion left hat border lightlydefended in order to launch his full scale invasion of the Capellan Confederation. Certainly, the Combine was heavilyengaged along the Lyran front, but most historians agree that forces committed against the Dragoons could have beenused elsewhere to devastating effect against the Federated suns. At the very least, the steam roller against theCapellans would have been slowed down. Had not Coordinator Takashi not been obsessed with Wolf’s Dragoons, theFourth Succession War might have ended very differently. Through heroic action, the Dragoons held their own against the Combine forces out for their blood, but the costwas high, terribly high. Glenmora. Harrow’s Sun. Wapakoneta. Crossing. All battlefields and burial grounds for theDragoons. As an entity Wolf’s Dragoons survived the Dragon’s fury, but most individual Dragoons did not.

Interlude: Outreach

The Fourth Succession war ended with the Dragoons at their weakest. To say that they were decimated wouldbe a cruel irony, for the old Roman punishment of decimation was the death of one in ten. The death toll amongDragoons was far closer to the reverse. Once they had been five full battlemech regiments and a handful ofindependent units that amounted to more than another regiment. By 3031, their organization was a single provisionalregiment of mixed troops. The survivors were loaded with medals and accolades, so not surprisingly, as the batteredships limped to the planet a grateful Hanse Davion gifted them, many predicted that Wolf and his Dragoons were goingthere to die.

Rebuilding





The Dragoons are not dead. Anyone who believes that they are is mistaken. Anyone who tries to capitalize onour weakness will find out just how mistaken he is. We can, and will, fight. A lot of people who don’t know what they’re talking about say that we’re finished. We’re not. We’re just gettingstarted. We warriors. and we’ve been tested, is all. And we’ve passed every test. We’re stronger now, and that’sgood. We need to be strong. This Fourth Succession War may be over, but it’s not the end of all war. Not by a longshot. It may take us a while, but we’ll be back. --Jaime Wolf, in a statement on Galetea Few believed Jamie Wolf’s vow to rebuild. The Dragoon losses were not completely indemnified by theirDavion contract and payments were notoriously late. mercenaries, even those with home bases, were renowned forthe difficulty they had in making ends meet. the Dragoons were once thought immune to that problem with their secretsource of men and materiel, but there was not exodus this time. Wolf and his people remained secluded on Outreach. But most of those who predicted the Dragoons’ imminent demise were ignorant of, or ignored, one of Wolf’sDragoons greatest assets, a little publicized asset, their industrial and commercial interests. Since their first contractwith House Davion, the Dragoons had been investing in certain industrial firms, notably Blackwell Industries. Blackwellhad supplied the Dragoons with much materiel under exclusive license. Now, the Dragoons lifted much of that exclusivity. Four great powers, war weary but ever cautious worked to rebuild their militaries. The orders rolled in. Blackwell started new factories and, with the aid of Dragoon technicians, reopened some ancient facilities onOutreach. Within by the fall, it was clear that Jaime Wolf was succeeding in rebuilding the machines the Dragoonswould need, but he did not have the warriors. In the mean time, Wolf made a point. On 16 December 3031, holovids publicly announced the formation of theBlack Widow Battalion with Natasha Kerensky, newly promoted to colonel, in charge.. The battalion was the first of theDragoon units back on line and available for hire. At premium prices. In reality, the battalion was already undercontract and enroute to their first action on Tsinghai, a lengthy operation that they conducted successfully and with all ofthe old élan of the original Black Widow Company. With one unit out for hire, some pundits expected Wolf to begin open recruiting again as he had after theWhispers deep raid or possibly to merge his troops with some other mercenary units in order to put more units on themarket. As the campaign on Tsinghai continued, it looked more and more likely that the Dragoons would need another unit to put out for hire. Yet no announcements of such units came. However in March of 3032, the dragoons openedthe Hiring Hall on Outreach. The first posted opportunity was a recruitment notice for Wolf’s Dragoons





Curiously the scale of recruitment was small. Indeed, many recruits were hired on in fixed term contracts ratherthan open ended hirings. Jaime Wolf was looking to other sources for his troops and when his sources became public,it was clear that he was thinking in the long term. The Fourth Succession War created far too many orphans. Wolf began to take advantage of them. dragoonagents scattered throughout the inner Sphere collecting these children of all ages. “We’re offering them a home and afamily. We’re offering them a road to honorable employment,” Wolf said. “Most of the states can only offer crowdedinstitutions, haphazard schooling and ultimately an unemployment dole. Where do you think they’ll be better off?” Agencies and individuals protested this “dragooning” of children, and the Dragoons were dubbed a “boot camp fortoddlers,” but little came of the protests. The need to care for the children was great and the Dragoons were willing toprovide that care at no cost to any state. The children came under the dragoons care. The recruitment of children and the industrial options were just part of wolf’s multi-faceted strategy for rebuildingthe Dragoons. As the months rolled on, new elements were announced. Training programs were offered onOutreach. The Dragoons set up the hiring hall, recommending and advising on the hiring of mercenaries, and taking acommission on any contracts obtained with their help. Dragoon techs hired out top facilities, both medical andindustrial, under contracts that specified their not insubstantial pay go directly to the dragoon coffers. But for all theirpublic displays, close observers could see that the Dragoons were as secretive as ever. new facilities were beingprepared on the larger of Outreach’s two continent and the Dragoons made that continent strictly off limits to outsiders. In March of 3035, the second of the revitalized Dragoon units went on line. Beta Regiment went out for hire. Simultaneously, the Black Widow battalion was recalled, prompting experts to predict that the warriors of the battalionwould form the core of Beta. but the Widows just came home to Outreach and they were posted as unavailable forhire. Beta went out to earn the Dragoons’ keep. The Widows went to “the other side of the mountain.” Organized in imitation of Clan practice and operating with the most advanced equipment available to theDragoons, the Widows lived on “the other side of the mountain” and turned that vast continent into a gigantic trainingarena. Dragoon unit after unit was sent them to learn. All returned chastened. But the defeat at the hands of Black Widow battalion was what those troops needed. They learned. Over the next seven years, Natasha Kerenskysupervised such vital education for the new Dragoons and one by one the regiments went operational and shipped outto hire.

Eighth Contract: Federated Commonwealth

Justin Allard: “This just came in from Jaime Wolf. “Request Dragoons be released for action in Ride [is this the right theater, Scott???] Theater. Situation critical.” Hanse Davion: “Again?”





JA: “So far he’s been respecting your wisdom, your Highness, but things are getting worse in Ride [should be same as other]. He could be right that the situation is critical. He understands these Clanners far better than we do.” HD: “His own intel sent us the reports on the progress of the invasion in Kuritan space. He knows the situationthere as well as I do. If Luthien falls, the Combine will go with it.” JA: “Wolf’s man Blake says that isn’t likely. He has a lot of faith in Theodore.” HD: “But Takashi’s still in charge.” Silence. JA: “How shall I respond to Wolf?” HD: “Make it clear he’s under contract. He’ll fight where and when I tell him.” JA: “He won’t like it.” HD: “He doesn’t have to.” --transcript of conversation discovered in Prince Hanse’s archives, House Davion Library

The Truth as It Can Be Told

In 3048 the Clans raised the call for invasion under the newly elected ilKhan Leo Showers. IlKhan Showerssent a recall for the Dragoons and announced to the council that their refusal proved that they had defected from theClans. The refusal almost cost Wolf Clan its place in the invasion force. When the reports of strange bandits startedto drift in from the Periphery, Jaime Wolf and his Dragoons knew the truth of it. The long awaited invasion had begun. Wolf recalled his regiments to Outreach. The death of ilKhan Leo Showers in the Radstadt system required a full council and the Clans issued a call to allbloodnamed warriors. This time Natasha Kerensky couldn’t ignore the call. She left to return to the Clans where shehad to prove herself all over again, which she did in fine fashion. By the end of the invasion offensive she was Khan of





the Wolf Clan. How this will affect relations with Wolf’s Dragoons remains to be seen. In the lull of the war created by the clan call to council, Jaime Wolf sent a summons to the leaders of the GreatHouses: come to Outreach. I can tell you about the invaders. The leaders came. When they had gathered, Wolf revealed the Dragoons’ origin with the Clans. He told them who the Clans wereand what they were capable of. Not all believed him, or trusted him. Hadn’t he just told them that he himself was fromthe Clans? But Wolf offered technical assistance, including omnimech technical specifications, and training for theInner Sphere Lords. Wolf told them that he would show them how to fight the Clans. The Dragoons stood ready to fightthe Clans themselves. And to prove their sincerity, the services of the Dragoons were available at bargain rates. Itwas an offer the Successor Lords could not afford to refuse. Wolf’s Dragoons conducted training and served as advisors, but no Dragoon battlemech fired upon a Clan mechfor first months after the resumption of the Clan invasion. The lack of combat fueled the general sentiment that theDragoons were playing some deeper game and were not really committed against the Clans. Some claimed that thedragoons were holding back, ready to jump in on the winning side. Hanse Davion was one of the Inner Sphere leaders who believed in Jaime Wolf’s commitment. When othersignored Wolf after the retreat of the Clans and only accepted the obvious benefits of training and technical data, Davionopened negotiations on an exclusive contract for the Dragoons’ combat units. But the Wolf was canny. He allowed Davion to contract the regiments but left the independents units available for other work. Still, Jaime Wolf made one ofhis rare mistakes in accepting the contract. In an effort to improve the Dragoons’ public image, he ceded strategic useof the Dragoons to Davion. No doubt Wolf hoped to quiet cries that the Dragoons sought to be a power in and ofthemselves. he succeeded, but at a cost. Hanse Davion held the Dragoons as a strategic reserve during the renewed Clan invasion. As world after worldfell, the situation became desperate. Wolf continually applied for release, asking to use the Dragoons to stem the drivetoward the Steiner home world of Tharkad. But Davion had confidence that his own Federated Commonwealth troopscould hold that line. Limited in using the Dragoons in the central corridor by a secret restriction that the Dragoons could not be set against Clan Wolf, Davion anxiously watched the progress of the thrust through the Draconis Combine. While some of his advisors suggested that he let the Dragon fall, be rid of his ancient enemy, and gobble up his ownpart of the Combine, Hanse feared for the survival of the whole Inner Sphere. “Better,” he is said to have remarked,“the Dragon you know than the Viper, or whatever, that you don’t.” As the Clans closed on the Combine’s capital ofLuthien, Hanse Davion honored his promise to aid Theodore Kurita and sent Wolf’s Dragoons and the Kell Hounds todefend Luthien. Luthien was saved by the timely intervention, but neither Takashi Kurita or Jaime Wolf was pleased. For thepublic, both put a good face on it, but both knew their feud remained.





Open Contracts:

The Clan invasion as halted on Tukkayid and a 15 year cease fire imposed on the Clans. The post-Tukkayid Inner Sphere was a new place and an old one as well. The Successor Lord unity fragmented and Houses begansniping at each other again. The Clan unity fragmented in a more obvious faction as they began internal squabblingover precedence and honor concerns. Although the Tukkayid contract forbade an advance toward Terra, it did notpreclude lateral; expansion of Clan Occupation Zones, nor did it forbid Inner Sphere forces from attempting to reduceClan holdings. Small skirmishes and raids with only the occasional invasions became the way of doing business, muchlike the traditional Inner Sphere “cattle-raiding” warfare that had plagued the Successor States for centuries..ComStar’s splintering nearly destroyed their mercenary bonding operation, a brutal blow to businessmen whose business was war. Jaime Wolf stepped in and used the Dragoons influence to arrange a new Mercenary Review andBonding Commission and, to the surprise of many, left its running to ComStar. It should not have been surprising. Once again the Dragoons had taken heavy losses and needed to rebuild. This time though they had many resources to draw upon even though they were cut off from their original sources. They increased the efforts that had helped them rebuild when they first came to Outreach. Their mercenary Hiring Halltripled its business and soon tripled that until Outreach eclipsed Galatea as the “mercenary star” where an aspiring,hungry, or just out of work band could come and find employers. Finding replacements was not as great a problem as it had once been. With some many Dragoon trainedwarriors in House units and scattered among mercenary groups, there was a larger than ever pool of acceptablerecruits. The war orphans, both those truly adopted and those of the Dragoons’ secret sibkos, were coming of age bythe battalion. In the Clan fashion, bondsmen had been taken on Luthien, a ready source of experienced warriors. Fora change, the Dragoons had a greater problem obtaining enough equipment. The Blackwell factories couldn’t turn outomnimechs and battlesuits fast enough. But within all this fast growth, Wolf’s Dragoons nearly found the seeds of its own destruction.

Crucible

The Wolf was old, more than seventy years, maybe closer to eighty. He was older than any other commander





in the Dragoons. And now it seemed that he was finally succumbing to the cowardly leeching effects of age. I didn’tknow what this portended. from Brian Cameron’s account of Elson’s Challenge, privately published on Outreach There was a great deal of turmoil within Wolf’s Dragoons as they struggled to integrate several generations ofnew members and come to terms with their dual nature. The Clan influence remained strong; the old timers had grownup within Clan culture and the new bondsmen were fresh form the same culture. Yet Inner Sphere ways were strongas well. By this time, most Dragoons had grown up in the Inner Sphere and many had been born there. For all of thedragoons preservation of Clan ways in their rituals and much of how they did business, training, and promotion,Nothing was exactly like the Clans they had left. Into this mixing pot came Elson NovaCat, an elemental captured on Luthien. Elson earned back his position asa warrior. Due to his obvious ability and familiarity with a battlesuit combat operation, a skill rare in the Dragoons, herapidly advanced within the Dragoon command structure. He was ambitious, but that was not a failing in a Clan-bredwarrior. Like Jaime Wolf himself, Elson was a freebirth and had earned a warrior’s name. Unlike Jaime Wolf, he wasstaunch in holding to his Clan beliefs. He did not like what he saw in the Dragoons and vowed to change it. Having built a power base, he engineered a rebellion among the Dragoons, beginning with the possible murderof Jaime’s son and designate heir to command, MacKensie Wolf. “Elson’s Challenge” as it has come to be knownamong the Dragoons culminated in a protracted campaign on Outreach with Dragoon units taking sides in support ofJaime Wolf or Elson’s puppet Alpin Wolf, Jaime’s estranged grandson. The final battle was characterized by JaimeWolf tactical brilliance and amazing displays of courage and prowess on both sides. Nothing less could be expectedfrom the Dragoons. A key feature of the campaign was the emergence of another stellar Dragoon whose tactical genius andpersonal fighting skills rivaled those of Jamie Wolf and Natasha Kerensky, respectively. Mechwarrior Maeve arrived onOutreach in command of Spider’s Web Battalion and sided with Jaime Wolf. Implementing Wolf’s plans and oftenimprovising brilliantly, she came to command half of the forces loyal to Wolf, ultimately blunting the main thrust of therebel forces and killing Alpin Wolf in single battlemech combat. The internecine struggle left Wolf’s Dragoons debilitated once again, but Jaime Wolf threw himself into the dualtasks of healing the breaches and rebuilding. This time, however, he’s had a strong base than ever and the Dragoonshave regained their strength faster than ever. With their own planet and their firm roots in the Inner Sphere, theDragoons may have indeed become what some have said they want to be, an independent power; something betweena Clan and a mercenary unit. Perhaps that is why the new appellation, Wolf Pack, is gaining currency. Wolf’sDragoons may be small relative to one of the Clans or Great Houses, but what mercenary unit can claim to have had asgreat an effect on the history of the Successor States?





Wolf Pack is open for business The Dragoons are stronger and tougher than ever. We started as the best the Inner Sphere has ever seen andwe’ve gotten better. We’re going to get better still. Forget the rest. Hire the Wolf Pack and you hire the best. --General Maeve Wolf in her first public address on Outreach

Organization

While many mercenary units, maintain an support capabilities, most barely carry enough to keep theirBattleMechs operable. Wolf’s Dragoons are maintain a full array of technical support and more. In truth, theDragoons’ population of non-combatants is greater than that of some planetary capitals. This unusual situation hasprompted many comparisons between the Dragoons organization and that of the Clans from which they came. Yet,while parallel, Wolf’s dragoons are clearly no Clan, nor are they just another Inner Sphere mercenary unit. They areunique. The field forces of Wolf’s Dragoons are organized into a Commander’s lance, the General Command Company,five augmented BattleMech regiments, four operational Commands, and two independent battalions. Rumors of athird independent battalion, said to be operating clandestinely without flying Dragoon colors, remain unconfirmed atthis time. Any of the regiments or independent battalions is fully capable of operating independently. Indeed, currentDragoon hiring practice is to place a whole unit with an employer; they are not accepting either piecemeal subunits. Examination of recent employment records also shows a preference for avoidance of multiple unit contracts; therecent deployment of both Beta and Delta regiments of [Scott - put them someplace useful] being a notable exception. The employment of subunits other than the regiments deserves a few notes of comment. The Commander’slance appears to be a purely ceremonial unit, serving as an honor guard for Jaime Wolf. The General’s CommandCompany, while performing similar functions, is also a front line combat unit that has taken the field whenever GeneralMaeve Wolf has taken the field. The General’s Company, like units from the operational Commands, may whereverDragoons are in service. Unlike those other units, however, the Command Company is never a part of the forces





specified in a contract. Indeed, the units of the Commands are themselves rarely offered for separate hire; theirappearance being determined by the general according to the situation and allocated to contracted forces at thegeneral’s order. Once a unit of one of the operational Commands is assigned, it falls under the command of the senior Dragoon commander in the assigned theater of operations. This system has proven very successful in allowingthe specialized capabilities of those units to be used to maximum effectiveness by the Dragoons. The non-combatant structure of the Dragoons has strong militaristic overtones and bears a strongresemblance to Clan culture, although there is no overt class consciousness as is so prevalent among the Clans. Atleast, no more than is common among the Inner Sphere. The overall command of all Dragoon holdings and assets still belongs to Jaime Wolf in his role as Commander. At the moment, his touch seems light on the reins. Day to day operations are handled by members of a Councilcomposed of senior military commanders (independent battalion commanders and above) as well as leaders from support and technical services. Certain persons, such as representatives of Blackwell Corporation, are regularattendees of Dragoon Council sessions, but since sessions are closed to the public (including members of our order)so it is not known if these apparent outsiders have an actual say in Dragoon policy or are merely favored advisors. Policy decisions are broadcast over the planetary media net from the command center in Wolf Hall. There is noindications that Wolf’s dragoons, even among their civilian population, show any signs of a healthy democracy andthe Order is advised to take this into account t in all dealings with members of the Dragoons.

MILITARY ORGANIZATION

COMMANDER’S LANCE

Commander: Commander Jaime Wolf

Unit Composition: 1 BattleMech lance, 1 Elemental point

Unit Status: Elite





Unit Nickname: The Old Guard

Unit Insignia: A voided golden wolf’s head

DropShip Assignments: None The Commander's lance serves primarily as an honor guard for Commander Jaime Wolf. Tours of duty areshort, but coveted.

GENERAL’S COMMAND COMPANY

Commander: General Maeve Wolf

Unit Composition: 1 BattleMech company, 1 Elemental Star

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: None

Unit Insignia: A golden wolf’s head

DropShip Assignments: Chieftain (Overlord Class)





Maeve Wolf personally approves all assignments to this company. Command lance and alpha lance are longterm assignments, the mechwarriors serving in it having been with Maeve since her promotion. The other lances andthe elemental star offer 12 month tours of duty and are eagerly sought after in competitions where applicants prove their suitability for the post.

ALPHA REGIMENT

Commander: Kelly Yukinov

Unit Composition: Command BattleMech company, 3 BattleMech battalions, 1 Elemental battalion, 1 Armored battalion

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: First Team

Unit Insignia: Greek letter Alpha

DropShip Assignments: Talleyrand, Warchief (Overlord Class), Gloire, Preussen, Antiphone (Union Class) Alpha regiment remains the foremost fighting force of Wolf’s Dragoons. It is composed of only of combatveterans.

BETA REGIMENT





Commander: Colonel Anton Reed

Unit Composition: 3 BattleMech battalions, 1 Elemental company, 1 Armored battalion

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: Second to None

Unit Insignia: Greek letter Beta

DropShip Assignments: Fitzlyon, Stalingrad, Duke Torgal (Overlord Class), Belfast, Cordova (Union Class) The soldiers of Beta strongly espouse their motto of “second to none” and most of their opponents would haveto agree. Like Alpha, Beta is a generalist regiment capable of fighting anywhere, any time, and winning.

DELTA REGIMENT

Commander: Colonel Shelly Brubaker

Unit Composition: 3 BattleMech battalions, 1 Elemental battalion, 1 Aerospace company

Unit Status: Elite





Unit Nickname: None

Unit Insignia: Greek letter Delta

DropShip Assignments: Utah Beach, Thermopylae Redux, Juan Carlos, Bayard, Los Diablos, Konga (Overlord Class), Lone Ranger, Strider(Scout Class), Sudentenland ([infantry type] class), Simba, Croyd (Lion Class) Delta regiment is the Dragoon’s’ fast response force. They specialize in highly mobile operations, bothstrategic and tactical. Delta maintains the highest portion of multiple jump capable ships in the Dragoons andsufficient DropShips to land all of their forces at once.

GAMMA REGIMENT

Commander: Colonel Irwin Tyrell


Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: None

Unit Insignia: Greek letter Gamma





DropShip Assignments: Phoenix II (Overlord Class), Cetawayo, Dunnigan, Bellatrix, Duke Paul, Graf Berek (Union Class), White Orca (IntruderClass) Gamma regiment are the Dragoons’ urban specialists. This unit regularly receives intense training inclose-quarter combat and riot control and their performance in suitable assignments has resulted in an unblemishedrecord of successfully completed contracts since the reorganization of 3052.

EPSILON REGIMENT

Commander: Colonel Elizabeth Nicole


Unit Status: Veteran

Unit Nickname: Harrowers

Unit Insignia: Greek letter Epsilon

DropShip Assignments: Suniva, Hebrides (Union Class), Otsu (Fortress Class) Epsilon regiment are sluggers, renowned for their dogged determination to achieve their objectives despiteopposition and their own losses. Outside of Alpha Regiment and Zeta Battalion, this regiment has a higherpercentage of omnimechs among its units than any other.





ZETA BATTALION

Commander: Colonel J. Elliot Jamison

Unit Composition: Command star, 1 mech Cluster, Fire Star

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: None

Unit Insignia: Greek letter Zeta

DropShip Assignments: Hecate’s Tears, Persephone’s Lord (Union Class) Zeta remains the Dragoons’ premier assault strike force. The unit is equipped exclusively with assault classBattleMechs and omnimechs and organized, Clan-fashion, in a trinary.

WOLF SPIDER BATTALION

Commander: Major John “Gentleman Johnny” Clavell

Unit Composition: Command Star, 1 Cluster, Aerospace Company, Infantry Compnay





Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: The Spider’s Web

Unit Insignia: a black wolf spider on a red disk

DropShip Assignments: Widow’s Regards (Overlord Class) Like its ancestral Black Widow Battalion, this unit retains a lean table of organization suitable to its primaryemployment as a raiding force. When the jobs dirty and has to be done quick, the Wolf Spiders are an employers firstrequest.

AEROSPACE COMMAND

Aerospace command has the responsibility for orbital and deep space security of the Dragoon planet ofOutreach as well as responsibility for coordinating all aerospace military assets involved in contract operations. Outreach Command |-----JumpShip Operations |-----DropShip Operations |-----Fighter Group |-----Warship Group |-----Outreach System Defense Group |-----Gobi, Cyclopes I





|-----Bataar, Cyclopes II

Commander: Fleet Captain Issola Chandra

Unit Composition: 1 warship Squadron, 1 Aerospace Fighter wing, 1 Transport wing

Unit Status: Veteran

Unit Nickname: None

Unit Insignia: a red fighter silhouette against a silver spiral galaxy

DropShip Assignments: Orion’s Sword (modified [something good] Class), Huscarl (Leopard Class), Akaga, Merlin, Swallow, Thane, Kestrel (Leopard CV Class) The carrier DropShips of Aerospace Command remain under direct command of the Fighter Group, whiletransport DropShips may be assigned to field forces for particular missions or contracts. The ships recovered from the Dragoons recent visit to the Periphery are included in this command, primarilywithin the ominously named Warship Group. As yet, the servants of our Blessed Order have been unsuccessful indetermining the assets of this most intriguing entry on the Dragoons table of organization. Given their origins, we must assume they have control of some, presumably small, number of capital ships. That is to say, armed ships withjump capability.

SUPPORT COMMAND





Support Command maintains control of all ground deployed, non-BattleMech military assets. The forces of thiscommand are used to support mechs in the field providing additional combined arms capability to Dragoon fightingunits. Support Command |-----Armored Support Brigade |-----Fire Support Brigade |-----Elemental Strike Brigade Armored Support Brigade

Commander: Major Wallace “Wiley Wally” Winston

Unit Composition: 4 battalions

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: Wiley’s Rogues

Unit Insignia: White winged sword on blue hexagon

DropShip Assignments: Jeb Stuart, Saladin (Gazelle Class), Jordan II (Fury Class), Blue Heron, Motherbird (Leopard CV Class)





Fire Support Brigade

Commander: Major Mona Cameron-ko

Unit Composition: 3 battalions

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: Mayhem ex machina

Unit Insignia: a silhouette of a catapult

DropShip Assignments: Wexford (Fortress Class) Elemental Strike Brigade

Commander: Major Elson NovaCat

Unit Composition: 1 Cluster

Unit Nickname: Toads from Hell

Unit Insignia





: An armored wolf’s head

DropShip Assignments: Hammer, Cat’s Claws (modified Leopard Class)

SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

Special Operations Command encompasses the intelligence assets of Wolf’s Dragoons. The threesubcommands cover tactical intelligence, covert action capability, and strategic intelligence. For all the reputation ofthe Dragoons as a formidable fighting force, our Blessed order has good cause to know that their intelligence assets are perhaps even more formidable, in some areas surpassing our own ROM. Special Operations Command |-----Special recon Group |-----Seventh Commando |-----Intelligence Group Special Recon Group

Commander: Major Regina Brubaker

Unit Composition: 1 battalion

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname





: The All Seeing Eye

Unit Insignia: A silhouette of a panther

DropShip Assignments: Bowfin (Intruder Class), Silkie, Black Rose, Woebegone (Leopard Class) Seventh Kommando

Commander: Major Winston Shadd-ko

Unit Composition: 1 augmented battalion

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: None known

Unit Insignia: a red numeral “7”

DropShip Assignments: Argent’s Gift, Quarrel, Rio Plata, Sheba (Fury Class) Intelligence Group

Commander: Michi Noketsune





Unit Composition: unknown

Unit Status: Elite

Unit Nickname: Wolf Net

Unit Insignia: An outline of a snarling wolf in profile

DropShip Assignments: Whisper, Shado (Scout Class)

OUTREACH COMMAND

Outreach Command is assigned the responsibility for home defense, training, contracts, and provisioning forthe Dragoons. The Command officer is also the commander of the Home Guard, a combined training/defense unitmade up in Clan fashion of older officers and young soldiers still in sibko training. In time of need, retired Dragoonsmay be recalled to serve in the units. Outreach Command |-----Home Guard |-----Contract Group |-----BattleMech Operations |-----Armored Operations |-----Infantry Operations |-----Outback training Operations





|-----Procurement Group Home Guard

Commander: Colonel Hamilton Atwyl

Unit Composition: 1 BattleMech battalion (provisional), 4 armored brigades (prov.); 10 infantry brigades (prov.)

Unit Status: Trained

Unit Nickname: The Kids and Old Folks

Unit Insignia: A white shield emblazoned with a black wolf’s head

DropShip Assignments: None

OPERATIONS

Outreach

The planet of Outreach, ceded to Wolf’s Dragoons by Hanse Davion, has two major land masses. the smaller,New Wales, is the population center and boasts the only major city on the planet. That city is Harlech, capital of theplanet and headquarters for the Dragoons. The greater continent, the Outback, is restricted territory by order of theDragoon Commander.





Harlech

As the capital of Outreach, Harlech is the planet’s premier city. The Dragoon command headquarters, WolfHall, is here. The multiacre facility provides all the long distance communications facilities necessary to maintaininglinks with far-flung operational units including a hyper-pulse generator. Our ComStar Mercenary Bonding and Review Commission maintains its headquarters in Harlech. Offices arelocated at the ComStar compound on Verban Avenue. We also operates a public HPG station at this location. Unlikemany of our facilities, we do not maintain any protective force, not even an honor guard of battlemechs. Thisdemilitarization is at the insistence of the Dragoons and accepted by the Primus in her wisdom as necessary tomaintaining cordial relations with these powerful and influential mercenaries. Most familiar to visitors to Harlech, especially mercenaries, is the Hiring Hall. The three towers surrounding its central dome are visible from any point in the city. This facility is a Dragoons sponsored marketplace where employersand potential employees may meet, post job or situation wanted notices, or otherwise conduct business. All hires ofDragoon units go through the offices of the Hiring Hall as do the Dragoons’ own, now rare again, recruitment hirings. The Hiring Hall also serves for several other militaristic functions. Dragoon training programs are offered here, boththose that take place in the Halls’ classrooms and simulators and those that are contracted for other locations. Several of the most famous arms manufacturers, naturally including Blackwell Industries, maintain showrooms andsimulator demonstration facilities here as well. the Hiring Hall is a high tech, high polish world that gives a glittering sheen to the dirty business of war. The Free Hire Quarter, vulgarly know as tent city, occupies much of western Harlech. The area is something ofan eyesore and has a reputation as a combat zone. Here, mercenaries on the way up, or down, gather. All sorts maybe found; from those too poor to rent a place in the hiring Hall or nearby quarters to those so dishonorable that Wolf’sDragoons refuse them a place in the Hall. Persons having need to travel through the Quarter are advised to takeprecautions to ensure their safety. Critics of the Dragoons, including some within our Order, claim that the openmarketplace sullies the reputation of the Dragoons and reflects badly on their capabilities as planetary administrators. despite the occasional public outcry or deprecatory comment from a Successor Lord, Commander Wolf has initiated noreal efforts to clean the area up. Certainly, he has instituted weapons control laws and has ordered the boundaries ofthe section patrolled by squads of Elementals but this response has done little more than confine the worse excesseswithin the boundaries of the Quarter.

The Outback

The Outback is the greater of the two continents of Outreach. Among Dragoons it is also known as “the other





side of the mountain.” Mostly a harsh landscape of badlands and wide plans fringed with mountain ranges, theOutback offers little to the comfort minded. The Outback is off limits to all but a very select few non-Dragoons. Theprincipal facility appears to be the Tetsuhara Proving Ground. The Dragoons do their own training here and theirfacilities are rumored to be unrivaled in the Inner Sphere, and to include automated target ranges and simulatedfortresses as well simply open fields, much cratered through long and enthusiastic use. Though the details are a closely held Dragoon secret, Blackwell Industries operates a factory there, producing omnimechs of several designsas well as battlesuits and the Dragoons’ newly revealed elemental carrying “zoomers”

Cyclopes Stations

Gobi (Cyclopes I) orbital station is set in geosynchronous orbit over the east coast of the lesser continent. Its position requires a long approach to Harlech space port during which an incoming craft can be electronicallyinspected. Two aerospace fighter bases are located athwart the principal flight lane allowing easy interception oftraffic. Since all in-system traffic is routed to Gobi, this makes any approach to the Outback immediately obvious andsubject to interception The station offers docking facilities for a variety of Dropships and shuttles as well as recreational facilities forcrews. Additional facilities include conference and entertainment chambers for those disinclined to visit the surface ofOutreach. Recently the Dragoons have just opened a new Cyclopes station near the primary jump point. This station,Bataar, is touted as having a state of the art recharging system for K-F drives and offers Jumpships facilitiescomparable to those offered for Dropships at Gobi. Electronic monitoring and visual observation suggest that one or more of the still-unknown number of warshipswhich have recently entered Dragoon service are often be detected near each of the stations. Unfortunately, ouragents have been unable to gather sufficient data to determine the classes of any of the ships.

CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Honornames

The Dragoon practice of honornames is similar to the Clan’s use of bloodnames. In both cases, the use of the





name is restricted to those who have successfully completed a series of trials. Every indication we have gathered sofar tells us that the Dragoons have abandoned the barbaric death trials favored by the Clans. At least in so far as theeverything but the final trials and even then, the Dragoon hierarchy has issued official statement s that those deaths we have confirmed were accidental or the result of equipment failures. Only one member of a generation (defined as all persons born within a twenty year span) is allowed to hold aparticular honorname. Retesting allowed for members of that generation if holder of the name dies, but the Dragoonshold no requirement that the slot be filled. While the first holder for a generation need only achieve the highest scoreamong the candidates, a prospective replacement must exceed the deceased holder’s scores in the trials in order toqualify for the honorname. The testing itself covers a wide range of abilities and characteristics. Emphasis is placed on categories inwhich the founder of the line excelled. While genetic connection with the founder is highly valued, it is not arequirement, especially if the candidate shows a high correspondence with the original honoree’s talents. Current Honornames: Wolf* Kerensky Shadd Rand* Dumont Shostokovitch Carmody Novacat* *Denotes a living founder.

Sibkos

ROM investigation has revealed that Wolf’s Dragoons have been involved in unethical genetic breeding,producing sibkos in much the same way as their Clan forbears. Unlike the Clans, the Dragoons do not seem to have





an aversion to the children of these unnatural families knowing who their progenitors were. This is clearly seen in the appellation “-ko” affixed to the end of a progenitors surname. This suffix is only used in confidential Dragoondocuments, suggesting that the Dragoons themselves are somewhat, and most properly, embarrassed by theirdabblings in unnatural selection. The Dragoons use a variety of progenitor mixes with their sibkos. Some use the mixing of genetic componentsfrom one parent (the primary donor) with a variety of genetic material from supplemental donors. The children of suchsibkos use the “-ko” suffix with the primary donor’s name. Other sibkos follow a more standard Clan pattern and arecreated from material from two primary donors, relying on the normal mixing of genetic material for variation and resulting in what amounts to a batch of fraternal twins. The children of such sibkos are allowed to select one of theparent’s surnames, so long as it is not an honorname, or to go nameless. Still others appear to be comprised of children of different parents who are simply raised in the sibko manner. In some cases, the names of the donors are classified by the Dragoon hierarchy. Maeve Wolf is a product of one of those classified sibkos. Sibko training follows Clan patterns but with far less harshness. All of the incidents of deaths among sibkochildren that we have investigated so far have proven to have been true accidents in training scenarios of reasonabledanger for the participants. We have found no hard evidence of the bloodthirstiness that we have seen among theClans. In fact, there seems to be a real level of love and affection between the members of a sibko and their primarycaregivers, although the finest researchers of our Blessed Order assure us that there could be no real family bondingin a sibko environment. New sibko starts are down, suggesting that the Dragoons see no real need to continue an explosive populationgrowth among their people. Whether this means they are showing an awareness of the limits of their resources, orthey are showing arrogance about their survival in the post-truce world to come, or have some other, mysteriousreason is still debated among our scholars and researchers.

Hospitality

Outreach offers the hospitality of Harlech to all mercenaries. the result is that Outreach has eclipsed Galeteaas the “mercenary star,” THE place to hire or be hired. The result is a vast transient population in Harlech as variedas the finely dressed emissaries that frequent the Hiring Hall and the barely literate scum haunting the dives of theFree Hire Quarter. Hospitality means holding the visitors to the laws under which the Dragoons themselves operate. Hospitalityalso means no heavy weapons. Visitors are only allowed personal weapons; no battlesuits, battlemechs or armoredvehicles other than those belonging to the Dragoons are allowed on New Wales. The only heavy armaments allowedon planet are those a unit is bringing in for a training exercise with the Dragoons and those must be brought in fromthe jumppoint on Dragoon dropships. The Dragoons operate under a standing order that unidentified militarydropships are hostile and are to be treated as if they were attempting an invasion. Already one ship, belonging to a new, untried, and very broke merc unit, Wannamaker’s Widowmakers, was





intercepted and destroyed by a Dragoon warship. The flight recorder of the DropShip indicated that the transponderand the ship-to-ship communications system were both off-line when the DropShip left its hired JumpShip at a pirate point. Fleet Captain Chandra expressed condolences to the crew’s survivors but no regrets. “We’re serious aboutprotecting our home,” she told Inner Sphere Net reporters after the incident.

Blackwell Industries

For many years, there was a great deal of speculation about whether the Dragoons had influence with certain suppliesof military materiel. Much of that speculation has proven bootless, but one of the subjects of all those rumors has atlast been proven to be closely allied with the Dragoons. Blackwell Industries was once a minor supplier to the militaryand is now one of the major arms corporations in the Inner Sphere. With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy now to seehow the growing influence of Blackwell coincided with their increasing cooperation with the dragoons. Once Blackwell was presented as a simple supplier, providing the Dragoons with certain equipment under license, suchas BattleMechs like the Marauder II which were unavailable to other customers due to Dragoon demand accounting fortheir full production capacity. Now, with Blackwell operating a factory on Outreach and providing second rate versionsof Dragoon mechs to Inner Sphere customers, it is quite clear that Blackwell is little more than the manufacturing arm ofWolf’s Dragoons. Blackwell’s rebuff of ComStar orders may be take as a sign of the corporation’s exclusionary policy,and as a sign of caution for all Inner Sphere customers. The Dragoons have kept secrets for decades, not the least of which was their close involvement in the operation of thiscorporation. Can the child not mirror the parent? How reliable can arms supplied by a company built by Clan derivedknowledge be when the Clans turn their attention once more to conquest? Ignoring well founded cautionary advice from our Blessed Order, the lords and powers of the Inner Sphere continue topatronize this firm, drawn by the lure of its technology and reputation of its products for battlefield reliability andperformance. Such patronage empowers this firm, allowing it to grow within our midst. Are we nurturing a viper? Mercenary Bonding and Review Commission The Mercenary Bonding and Review Commission is the successor to our Blessed Order’s Mercenary Review Board. When first organized in 3042, the Commission lacked credibility. It was no longer in the direct control of ComStar andtherefore lacked our, admittedly weakened at the time, prestige. The Commission is primarily staffed by ComStaracolytes and still has direct and unlimited access to ComStar facilities for interstellar communication, giving it acommunication ability unrivaled in the Inner Sphere. But still, there were problems in acceptance. Shortly after its founding, word leaked to the general public that Wolf’s Dragoons were the driving force behind theestablishment of the Commission. There was much talk about the Commission being a protective front formercenaries, especially the dragoons. Some when so far as to suggest that mercenaries would use the Commission as





a facade to gloss over acts of barbarism and give them the veneer of legality. In the decade that followed theCommission’s organization, our Order has worked hard to build a reputation for impartiality. While it is true that Jaime Wolf approached ComStar with the outline for the Commission, it was the hard work of ourBlessed Order by which it came to pass. Hard won recognition by three of the Great Houses and the fervent advocacyof the commission by the heroic Precentor Martial Focht stilled much of the talk. A constant thorn in the Commissions side during the early years was the near continual denunciation of it by the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine. Finally in 3048, a statement from the Kanrei of the Combine reversed House Kurita’s position and the Combine joinedthe rest of the Great Houses as a sponsor of the Commission. The Commission is made up of ComStar officials, a selection of volunteer mercenary officers, and representatives fromeach of the Inner Sphere’s formal political entities: (in order of their joining) the Capellan Confederation, the FederatedCommonwealth, the Free Rasselhague Republic, the Free Worlds League, the St. Ives Compact, the Magistracy ofCanopus, the Outworlds Alliance, the Taurian Concordat, and the Draconis Combine. The implications of a requestfrom Ryan Steiner that House Steiner be granted a place on the commission are still being considered. When sitting in arbitration, a panel of four hear the arguments of the contending parties. In order to ensure fairnesseach judging panel consists of one ComStar official who serves as the president of the panel, one mercenary officerwho is unaffiliated with either party, and two national representatives, neither of whom may be from the hiring state orany state against which the mercenaries have fought during their contract. Either contending party may dismiss onesitting judge if they believe that person will show unfair bias against them. In the case of a hung decision, the case issubmitted to an executive session of the entire Commission. Despite its lack of an enforcement arm, the Commission has been a success and we may have every expectation that itwill continue to be so, for it exists to perform two functions vital in a military situation where mercenaries are employedon a regular and continuing basis. First, it provides impartial arbitration in contract disputes between mercenaries andtheir employers. Second, through its ComStar-bonded bank accounts, it provides a secure depository of paymentfunds, thereby assuring both the mercenary unit and its employers with a reasonable expectation of good faithperformance.




WOLF`S DRAGOONS - Battletech

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