(I’ve taken the liberty of preparing this file to aid us with our little hound problem. The MRBC info on the Roughnecks is horribly out of date and likely has been compromised anyway – TW)
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| Raymond's Roughnecks Insignia |
History
The history of Raymond's Roughnecks begins in the mid 30th Century, when the unit formed out of the remnants of several other smaller, fragmented units on Galatea. Unified under Major Jonny Raymond (himself a veteran of numerous campaigns with the now-defunct 777th Strike Regiment), the Roughnecks were able to grow in the low-intensity conflicts that were typical of the close of the 30th century.
While never spectacular, the unit was more chracterised as being rugged ad reliable, determined to fulfill their contracts rather then cutting and running at the first sign of trouble. The result was a unit that grew in experience and capability, stabilising as a BattleMech battalion with attached infantry support. By the turn of the century, the Roughnecks, now led by Jonny's son, Jacob, were rated by the MRB as a Veteran unit and considered to be both reliable and capable. Its troops also developed a reputation for rowdiness and unruliness, considered to be an acceptable trade-off for their clear quality
However, in 3009, he Roughnecks suffered their first major setback with the death of Jacob's daughter and heir-apparent, Julia during a raiding mission. While saddened by the loss, Jacob also knew that it was a part of the mercenary life and named his son Clifford as is new second and heir. When Jacob stepped down in 3012, citing age and injury, Clifford was accepted s their new commander.
While capable at first, Clifford had been harboring an inferiority complex for years, one that had been fueled by his being seen as a mere 'replacement' for his older sister. Under Clifford, the unit became more strict and authoritarian, with a lot less tolerance for the 'party hard' culture that had predominated. While there was some grumbling and turnover at the senior levels, the Roughnecks remained a capable unit.
Matters came to a head in 3016 when the Roughnecks, then in the employ of the Free Worlds League, were partnered with another unit, Magyari's Irregulars. Major Raymond took an immediate disliking to Captain Sel Mayari, seeing her as being young, inexperienced and unworthy to lead men into battle. While he was a third generation mercenary commander, she only had a few years experience and no prior military background, a contrast that to his eyes made her his inferior in every way.
In one incident, a fight broke out between two of Magyari'sMechWarriors and several from the Roughnecks. In the aftermath, Raymond claimed that the Irregulars were at fault, and demanded that Magayri hand over her men to him. She refused, rather harshly undercutting his authority in front of his men. Angered, Raymond became determined to get back at Magyari for what he perceived as a grievous insult.
He took his chance shortly afterwards when both units dropped onto Ford as a part of a raid. Raymond engineered a series of 'miscommunications', including both ignoring Magyari and leaking information to the Lyran defenders, aimed at isolating and destroying the Irregulars. Caught off-guard and outnumbered, Magyari's unit, rather then succumbing as expected, were able to survive and escape the trap.
For Clifford, the fallout was severe. Magyari accused the Roughnecks of deliberately abandoning her men and selling information to the Lyrans, managing to bring the accusation before the Mercenary Review Board. While the hearing cleared Raymond of her accusations of espionage the Roughnecks were still fined and suffered a severe blow to their rating.
A second blow came two years later when the Draconis Combine (who were apparently willing to hire the unit despite their bad rating) deliberately abandoned the unit during a raid on Marduk in much the same way they had Magyari. Battered by the AFFS defenders, the Roughnecks were able to withdraw with substantial losses. With their equipment and reputation in tatters, the Roughnecks were soon struggling for work, leaving them largely only receiving contracts in the periphery that were enough to keep them alive but little else.
After a decade of poor contracts, the Roughnecks were running the risk of falling apart when salvation arrived. Hired by the Majestry of Canopus, the Rougnecks were given generous terms and allowed to rebuild and rearm. The reasoning for this became clear a few years later when they were included with several other mercenary units as a part of the Canopian invasion of the Capellan Confederation.
The Roughnecks initially performed well, steamrolling several of the similarly bottom-feeder mercenary units that the CCAF threw in the path of the invasion. Capturing plenty of salvage along the way, the Roughnecks were at the best they had been in over a decade, coming close to their former peak. However, fate had other plans in store for them when the unit hit Turin, only to find Magyari's irregulars among the defenders.
Seeing a chance to avenge himself, Clifton broke with his orders and lead an assault on the Irregulars position. The result was disastrous, with the Roughnecks' command company savaged and Clifton himself killed in combat with Sel Magyari. Only quick thinking by his XO, Captain Ekon Fashola, kept the unit alive and allowed them to extract themselves.
In the aftermath, Fashola was named commander pro-term until Clifton's daughter, Nina Raymond, was seen as ready to take command. His command kept the unit together and minimised damages during the Canopian retreat from the confederation, and allowed them to rebuild in the aftermath. When the Rougnecks' contract with the Canopians expired in 3040, the unit was in far better shape than it had been a decade before.
Nina formally took command of the unit in 3041, the Roughnecks spending the next decade cycling between low-key contracts during the quiet decade that followed. At the time of the Clan Invasion, the Roughnecks were as comfortably far from the unexpected front as they could be, hunting pirates in the FedCom outback. Eager to avoid any duty that might see them sent near the front, Nina leaped at a garrison contract with the Taurian Concordat, figuring that if the worst came to the worst, they would at least have a few years to prepare for the inevitable.
Instead, after several years of relative inactivity (punctuated only with occasional bouts of pirate hunting) the Roughnecks chose not to renew their contract, instead going for what was seen as more lucrative opportunities in the emergent Chaos March. Several campaigns for minor powers saw the Roughnecks upgrade their technology (most of which was still Succession Wars vintage) while improving their overall level of experience and readiness. It also saw the unit come nto contact with the Word of Blake, who offered them a number of contracts with generous terms, including further upgrades.
The Word also offered Nina Raymond a personal opportunity, one she leaped at. After several years (apparently) working for the Circrinus Federation, the Roughnecks were sent on a series of raids into the Rim Commonality, masquerading as Marian Hegemony troops. Aimed at provoking a conflict between the two powers, Raymond was deliberately targeting Magyari's irregulars, who were stationed on Campoleone at the time.
Following a deliberate assassination that killed Captain Jelek Magyari, the Roughnecks were expecting to face a weak and demoralised unit. Instead, Annika Magyari was able to rally her men, turning back the Roughnecks' force. In the process, several of their MechWarriors, including Nina’s son, Colin, were captured. Forced to flee, the Roughnecks retreated, heading further into the Free Worlds League. Several more skirmishes between the two units occurred before the Irregulars seemingly broke off pursuit, while the Roughnecks simply seemed to vanish.
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A$ og l4te 3o71, teh Roughnecks consisted of an extended combined-arms battalion. Able and Baker companies both consist entirely of BattleMechs, mostly post-3050 designs as well as a few 'gifts' from the Word. The third BattleMech company, Charlie, was badly damaged in the fighting with the Irregulars and folded into the other two to make up numbers. Delta Company is a mixture of conventional and battle-armoured infantry, again boosted by the Word.
Echo Company is rarely deployed as such, and is usually divided up into individual lances for specific duties. Consisting of a lance each of Aerospace Fighters, VTOLs and Artillery, Echo's duties are mainly concerned with supporting the rest of the unit.
Transportation
While their BattleMech assets have been upgraded by the Word of Blake, the Roughnecks’ transport assets have not been so lucky. At present, the unit is dependent on two dropships, the Union-class Bull Run and the Seeker-class Rodger Young. Both are elderly ships in poor condition, and desperately in need of full overhauls or even replacement.
The Roughnecks lack their own jumpships, and are dependent on the Word for interstellar transport. With the unit's seeming disappearance, it is possible that this transportation arrangement was used to spirit them away to some location within the Protectorate, or possibly one of the Word's secret bases.
Support
After a number of lean years, the Roughnecks have been able to acheive a small surplus in their support needs, again largely tanks to the Word of Blake. An influx of skilled technicians has greatly aided their support divisions, especially given the amount of new technology they have had access to. However, this along with their 'gifted' upgrades has apparently left the unit deeply in debt to their employers.
Colours and Insignia
The Roughnecks insignia depicts a Skull wearing a cowboy hat, and is usually painted on the legs or shoulders of their BattleMechs. Their machines typically wear a brown and grey rocky/desert camouflage pattern with black and white vertical stripes on the shoulders.
MRBC Rating: Wanted
As mercenaries employed by the Word of Blake, the Roughnecks have been declared renegade by the MRBC. Bounties have been placed on the heads of its officers, most notably Major Nina Raymond, Captain Chilke Fashola and Captain Bruce Raymond.
Nina Raymond
Rank/Title: Major, Commander Raymond's RoughnecksBorn: 3011 (64 in 3075)
On the surface, Major Nina Raymond seems to be something of a contradiction. After inheriting control of the unit in 3040, she did everything she could to rebuild the command and keep it safe, seemingly forgoing the personal grudges that had driven her father and his decisions. And yet, after two decades, she abruptly turned around and chose to act on those same grudges, deliberately targeting both Magyari’s Irregulars and their commanding family at the cost of her own unit.
Further investigation has revealed a likely source of this reversal. Around 3066, Nina was diagnosed with Raymond Kens Syndrome, an incredibly rare and incurable medical condition (the name is no relation to the Raymond family, and is instead an ironic coincidence), and given about a decade to live. While apparently keeping this information secret, Nina may have chosen to use what time she had left to resolve their family feud. With little left to lose, she becomes a dangerous and unpredictable opponent, liable to take great risks to achieve her aims.
While her health may be deteriorating and her motivations may be questionable, Nina Raymond should not be underestimated. Years of experience has made her a capable commander, one who is skilled at keeping her unit alive and coherent under duress. At the same time, she is also an experienced and capable MechWarrior, in spite of her condition and the extreme pain that comes with late-stage Raymond Kens Syndrome.
Major Raymond’s current whereabouts are unknown, and it is possible that she may have already died. In that case, it is likely that her oldest son, Bruce Raymond, now commands the unit in her place. Given the situation he will inherit and the Roughnecks’ ongoing employ with the Word, it is likely that the unit will continue to be a threat to our operations.
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