Channel 9 Victoria Internal Memo

From: Roger Woodward

To: Frank J. Harris II (Programming Department)

I’ve reviewed the material that Randy R. Georges has been sending to us, both in the form of the raw footage and the edited episodes that he’s pout together. I admit Now that I’m in two minds about it.

On one hand, he’s done a fantastic job with it. He’s put together a strong narrative about this unit and its people and the way they operate. This is done on many levels; from the in the field, moment to moment decisions to the day to day operations and all the way up to the long term strategic operational planning. By picking a command with a long history, he also gives their actions some degree of weight, especially as he’s delved into that past.

Kessler’s Killers

MRBC Update 01-01-3145

History

Kessler’s Killers are in many was representative of the new generation of mercenary commands that sprang up in the aftermath of Grey Monday. The unit’s origins lie with Gregory Kessler, a MechWarrior in the Poznan planetary guard. One of the few MechWarriors in the command, Kessler was a part of those forces struggling to maintain order in the face of the crumbling Republic and rising factionalism and insurgency. With the Liao Incursion of 3134, Kessler decided that the situation was hopeless and opted to desert, taking with him a core of other like-minded soldiers.

Kessler picked up more support from other disenfranchised Republic personnel in the aftermath of Fortress Republic, forming the core of a mercenary command. The formative years of Kessler’s Killers were spent in the Republic Territories, fighting brushfire wars and local conflicts, while doing their best to avoid battles with the encroaching great houses. The command grew primarily from the absorption of remnants of Republic Plenarary Guard units as well as members of failed mercenary commands and even some former pirates.

From the personal journal of Gillian Blackrock

My decision to form an alliance with Lee Zhen has definitely born fruit. While I was wary of directly involving myself with the pursuit of Stein due to the risk of exposure, Zhen makes an excellent proxy for my own investigation. It’s aided by the fact that he has a very personal stake in all of this; he’s clearly none too comfortable with others knowing about his past (and with good reason) which gives him a good reason to track down Stein.

Stein had been in contact with one Joaquin Gertz, a mercenary Mechwarrior. Gertz is presently employed as a lieutenant in Kessler’s Killers, a rather low-end mercenary command of no real note. What made this interesting is that Gertz and Zhen had a history, the two having previously served together. Getz was Zhen’s lieutenant before they had a falling out over salvage (in this case, a near-new Vulture Mk IV) which lead to Zhen’s desertion and, eventually, his current employ.

From the personal journal of Irisz Magyari

With Stanley and her crew safely back in our hands, it was time to move on the Sanguine Reapers. They had to know that we were coming by now; after all, we’d just broken into their headquarters, rescued their hostages, attacked their men and crippled one of their ‘Mechs. Either the Reapers would be digging in and preparing for the worst, or they would be trying to make a quick escape. The former would mean that we’d have the chance to fulfill our contract, even if it would also mean a bloody fight in the process. And the latter would mean it was a huge waste of time on our part.

A quick sub-orbital hop put our ships down as close as we dare get without risking coming under fire or being swarmed straight out the door. The area around the spaceport presented its own hazards beyond just enemy fire, however; the air was still tainted with the fallout from the spaceport’s destruction. Added to that, there was every chance that the Reapers could have sown the area with mines or have spotters and remote sensors watching our advance.