From the personal journal of Irisz Magyari

We’re away from Shasta and not a moment too soon for a number of different reasons.

Things with the Red Mountain tribe (Clan, whatever) were not going well, to say the least. Ever since we armed them they had been pushing us for more action, but not against the Wolves. Rather, they wanted us to focus on their rivals, hoping that we’d stomp all over their villages with our BattleMechs. I’d managed to hold off on that for some time, but it reached the point where I was running out of excuses. That the chief was looking to hitch me up with his son didn’t help any, I mean, yes, he looked great without a shirt, but the last thing I want is to be tied to a specific planet’s ugly politics. Besides, I’m spoken for.

We found an exit after a fashion courtesy of a disaffected Wolf adoptee. Velkon Dumeitscu was a Shasta native who joined up with the Wolves. Only things didn’t work out as he’d hoped and, after two battles with us, he’d found himself locked up. We liberated him and a couple of other members of his Star during a raid, and he was willing to cut us a deal. If we gave him a ‘Mech and a place in our forces, even if only temporarily, he’d give us the location of Star Colonel Kendra Tutuola.

Audio Log File #75944-Rho

Nikola Kardos: So where do you want to start?

Velkon Dumeitscu: I would like to know how you knew about my men and I. We really did not expect to be rescued at all, or that anyone would even know about what was happening. I know that (Star Colonel) Tutola wanted to keep all that quiet as to not shatter the unit’s already fragile morale.

Kardos: We intercepted Wolf communications during a recon raid on a Wolf supply depot. It took us a bit to fish through the files, but once we found the message about you and your men, I figured that it would be worth out while to extract you.

Dumeitscu: And for that, I thank you. While i did not want to be locked up, the more I look at it, the more likely my being locked up was.

Kardos: So I’d like to know the string of events that led to you and your men being locked up.

RAF Intel Intercept 3145-372812-Alpha

(I found this report while reviewing the recent action on Shasta. It says a lot about Mu Galaxy’s morale issues that an adoptee would openly question a trueborn, bloodnamed superior. It's something that could be very useful in the days to come)

From: Star Captain Velkon Wolf

To: Star Colonel Kendra Tutuola

Subject: After action report

Star Colonel,

I cannot describe what happened as anything other than a crushing failure. We have lost valuable warriors and equipment, and gained nothing for it. The fault does not lie in those warriors or their equipment, however, but in the decisions that led us to that battle.

With our efforts so far to contain the Mercenaries having failed, I had determined that the best course of action was to try and consolidate my Trinary rather than let it continue to be destroyed piecemeal. However, our contacts within one of the uplands tribes had reported that mercenaries had begun large scale movement of equipment into a remote jungle location, and were returning with heavily loaded VTOLs.

From the personal journal of Scientist Jeris

I can only imagine who it was I annoyed to get this assignment. Maybe it was Scientist Wallis After I proved his theory about 26th century Rasalhaguian influence on Tamar culture to be a load of hot air. I know he’s had it in for me ever since then. Regardless of who it was, this assignment is some sort of special level of hell, and I have no idea what I did to deserve it.

The Black Mountain people are not the fascinating study in neo-primitivist culture that I was hoping for. No, they’re a bunch of machismo savages who’s only real interest is proving their manliness by slaughtering hapless wildlife and occasionally wrestling each other. That their leader wears the skin of a Skatha Ape is not encouraging as to their sanity at all. Fortunately, I haven’t been here for one of their occasional wars with the Red Rock people, a nearby tribe of equally bloodthirsty lunatics.

From the personal journal of Irisz Magyari

We’ve formed an alliance of sorts with the Red Rock people (They hate the use of the word ‘tribe” to describe them) aimed at expanding out campaign of harassment against the Wolves; I must admit that I’m in two minds about this; on one side, I appreciate all that they can give us. They serve as extra eyes on the ground, they know the planet and its terrain much better then we do, they can provide far more intel then we could gather on our own and they give us a useful weapon.

What I don’t like is some of what they’re asking for in reply. There’s nothing that’s immediately “wrong” about it, more of a general feeling of unease and wondering about the long-term consequences of our actions and what they are going to do.

Audio Log File #75928-Rho

Bruce Wolf: What you got there, mate?

Randy Georges: I’m just editing the footage form our little expedition over the last few days into a more... Presentable format.

Wolf: Right. That’s when you and the others (EDITOR’S NOTE: Takahashi Oda, Lee Zhen, Haki Aardvarksen) went out to meet those tribals. How’d that go?

Georges: Well, they prefer to call themselves neo-primitives.

Wolf: And like I can’t talk about bludgers who like to give themselves fancy labels, right?

Georges: Well...

Wolf: So as said, how’d that go?

Georges: Irisz will probably give you all a full briefing in the morning, but it can’t hurt to show you. Basically, she wanted us to try and track down the prisoners your lance released and get their help. After all, if we’re going to annoy the Wolves, why not enlist the aid of people who don’t like them already?

From the personal journal of Bruce Wolf

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute. I was never anything more than a fake Wolf. Unlike the Trueborn Steel Wolves, I had no lineage, no claim to clan Bloodlines or Bloodnames or the like. And given when I came into the Steel Wolves, my claim to being a Wolf began and ended with Kal Bloody Radick. I look back on it now and the few Steel Wolves that wound up becoming Imperial Wolves, and I notice that almost all of them were Trueborns or had become warriors prior to the Blackout. It does make your feel a little bit cranky, specially given that Anna Bloody K is now an Empire Star Colonel.

I only mention this because Mu Galaxy’s warriors are real Wolves. They’re citizens of the Empire who have chosen to become warriors and, in doing such, do all the same bullcrap that I did; give up your name and identity and all that sort of buggery. But given that they’re actually a bunch of galahs who don’t know their arse from a stick, they’re pretty piss-poor warriors. And yet, I knew fake Wolves who were far better warriors then these real Wolves ever could be.

Incident at Red Hills

I know that I am breaking protocol by sending a runner back to you with this, but I think that it is important. There has been a very unexpected development at the Red Hills mining site, one that could either be very useful for us or have severe consequences.

To quickly fill you in, since their recent security problems, the Wolves had chosen to take up a more visible presence on the site. The Wolves had five BattleMechs present, all of them old Marik models they had salvaged. I had found out that all five of them were manned by Lowlander converts, rather than real Wolf warriors. They were clearly on alert, given our recent incursions into the area and sabotage of their mines. However, they weren’t ready for what happened next.

Shasta

Star type (Recharge time): K3V

Position in system: 2 (of 9)

Number of satellites: 2 (Hestaby, Dunkelzhan)

Surface gravity: 1.02 g

Atmospheric Pressure: Standard (Breathable)

Equatorial Temperature: 40 (Tropical)

Surface water: 70 percent

Recharging station: Zenith

HPG Class: B (Inoperative)

Highest native life: Mammals

Population: 450,000,000 (3145)

Socio-Industrial levels: B-C-B-B-A

Landmasses (Capitol city): Kitanemuk, Miwok, Serrano (Redding),Timbisha,

Shasta was discovered early in the age of exploration, and almost immediately tagged as an ideal location for a colony. Orbiting a small, orange sun, the planet’s position sloe to the primary meant that it was blessed with Earth-like conditions and an abundance of native flora and fauna. Much of the planet’s four major continents were covered in thick forests, most notably the dense interior jungles. Save for the equatorial deserts of the largest continent (Later named Serrano), the world seemed ripe for human habitation.

The biggest obstacle to colonization was not a problem with the planet itself, but with its local life forms. Several aggressive species called Shasta home, most notably the Skatha Ape. While largely confined to the planet’s thick jungles, this six-armed primate monstrosity proved to be a hazard for early explorers. Even after several early programs to push them back, populations of Skatha Apes still dwell in the Mendoza Jungle Reserve, and are considered to be a hazard for the unwary traveler. Such hazards did, however, help slow development, leaving many of the planet’s forested areas still untouched.