RAF Intel Intetcept 3145-363749-Alpha

From: Star Colonel Marvin, 29th Wolf Garrison Cluster

To: Galaxy Commander Lois Fetladral, Green Keshik

Subject: Raid on Kalidasa

Galaxy Commander,

I am presenting my summary of the recent raid on Kalidasa in order to give you a more detailed picture of the events that occurred. A more full report of the losses incurred will be attached.

The mercenary raiders arrived via a pirate jump point and managed to remain undetected until they made planetfall. Once down, their company-sized BattleMech force split up into two demi-companies (With attached Battle Armour support), each headed to a different annex of the Kali-Yama factory complex. Both forces were engaged by stars from the 29th who attempted to stop them.

Alpha Attack Star met the first raider force and, I am afraid to say, proved to be unable to stop them. While our warriors were able to inflict some damage, the attacker force proved to be both more skilled and better equipped (Including their commander piloting a Savage Wolf, a 'Mech well in advance of the AMSC salvage that makes up the bulk of the cluster). After the death of Star Commander Milo Wolf, the star attempted a withdrawal. This resulted in the death of a second MechWarrior.

Bravo Command star met the second group, and achieved somewhat mixed results. Star Captain Jericho was able to delay the enemy commander through a duel with his Akuma, fought under strict Zellbregen. The rest of the star proved to be less capable, including numerous instances of Mechwarriors Shelly Wolf and Tobais Wolf injuring themselves and damaging their own BattleMechs with their own ineptitude, which in Tobais' case lead to his being hospitalised.

In order to try and limit the damage the raiders would inflict, I ordered Skinwalker prototype XP-03 to engage the second group, as it was nearby undergoing Battle Armour compatibility testing. Unfortunately, this action was only partially successful. While XP-03 was able to inflict significant damage on several of the raider BattleMechs, it was itself destroyed. Fortunately, the Raiders were not able to salvage the OmniMech, so its secrets remain intact. Additionally, while the unit was destroyed, the data from it was recovered and should prove a wealth of useful information.

Having crippled or driven off the defenders, the raiders took the opportunity to inflict significant damage on the factory annexes before they withdraw. Unfortunately, the losses included a number of the subassembly plants that we had already converted to manufacturing of Clan technologies, including Double Heat Sinks, Armour and Laser assemblies. Furthermore, a number of the remaining buildings were apparently sabotaged with satchel charges, which will take time to clear.

This does represent a setback in our attempts to modernize the facilities and bring them up to spec. While new equipment can be purchased through the Sea Foxes, it will amount to paying them again to replace equipment that we already paid for, a galling prospect at best. However, despite both the loss of XP-03 and the damage to the factory complex, development of the Skinwalker has not been effected.

Annendum from the Watch:

Analysis suggests that the mercenaries responsible for this attack are the same as those that raided Keystone six months ago. The two groups used similar BattleMechs, similar colour schemes and the same markings, in addition to employing similar tactics. While the same mercenary force striking two of our factory worlds could be put down to dezgra Spheroid opportunism, it is possible that there could be a deeper connection that is worth investigation.

On analysis if the two, it is clear that the 29^th Wolf Garrison Cluster fared far better against these raiders than the 5^th Wolf Garrison Cluster did on Keystone. While some of this can be put down to the simple fact that the 29^th used BattleMechs rather than the 5^th’s conventional vehicles, the 'Mechs of the 29th are still by and large equipped with Sphereoid technologies. Conversely, the 5th's Vehicles were primarily of Clan Manufacture, with some of them dating back to before operation REVIVAL.

The warriors of the 5^th are a mixture of Freeborn and slohama, largely unfit for any other command. Conversely, the warriors of the 29^th are almost entirely former Marik-Stewart Commonwealth citizens. That they outperformed their Wolf counterparts suggests that we were right in building a Galaxy around them, but also that we may have deeper issues within our existing units that need to be dealt with.