Message Tap File #75298-Rho

Your timing is perfect. The target unit arrived back on world only a couple of days after you left, and they’ve since taken off again. I’m sending you this little message to let you know what happened while they were here.

First things first; they got back from their last contract with relatively light casualties. I did observe Primary Target in the hiring halls shopping around for new recruits. They did pick up one that I tailed a bit to get some info on, but they did seem rather elusive and, more to the point, sharp-eyed. I had to drop back for fear that they might have made me, but I will investigate further.

More importantly, Primary Target also went searching for contracts with very little downtime. They picked up one, which I was able to wrangle some information about. It’s a raiding contract for the AFFS, targeting Fletcher. Apparently, the goal is to get set-up on world and then go to ground, while doing their best to harass the CCAF forces on-world. They want to tie them down, keep them busy and prevent them from being able to attack the FedSuns some more.

The Battle of Fort Sokol and the fall of the Kamenz Archonette

(From Brush Conflicts of the Post-Republic Period; Galatean Free Press)

The desertion of Carson's Carnivores from the Kamenz Archonette had been a boon to the Lyrans on two fronts. First, and most obviously, it removed a large portion of the Archonette's force from play. The Carnivores' departure cost the Archonette an experienced, well-equipped battalion, drastically reducing their overall capacity at very little cost to the Lyran forces. While the Archonette still could boast several more units under their command, none of them had the capability to match up to Magyari's command.

The second was the intelligence that Major Carson provided as the ransom for his escape. Until this point, one of Landgrave Karl Pelzer's greatest assets had been the security in which he had been able to operate, with his headquarters unknown to Lyran intelligence and the on-world forces. Intelligence provided by Carson indicated that Pelzer was operating out of the ruins of fort Sokol in the largely deserted northern region of the Saxony continent. Pelzer's forces had excavated and renovated portions of the facility, allowing them to shelter their forces from detection.

Updates and stuff

It's been a while between updates due to the slow pace of the game. Real life and stuff gets in the way, unfortunately, but there's still new stuff around. There are updates to both the Irregulars and NPC/OpFor BattleMech galleries, as well as new stuff for MegaMek players.

LIC Intelligence Report 6571-8-Q/Kamenez

As a part of the Bolan Thumb group of worlds, Kamenez was expected to be at the forefront of any conflict between the Free Worlds League and the Lyran Commonwealth. As such, the SLDF already maintained a considerable presence on it and other worlds in the thumb. In the early 28th Century, SLDF theatre command chose to increase its level of preparation for what was ever-increasingly seen as an inevitable conflict.

One stage in that preparation was improving the facilities that the XXXI Corps of the SLDF Thirteenth Army would be operating from. This project took on two stages. The first was the upgrading of existing bases across the worlds of the thumb. The second would be the construction of a covert facility that the SLDF could operate from without the knowledge of either the Lyrans or the League.

After an extensive survey of worlds in the Thumb, the SLDF chose Mount Sokol on Kamanez as the site for the proposed facility. An extinct volcano, the mountain was chosen for a number of reasons. The first was convenience, as the Saxony continent of Kamenez was already home to several SLDF facilities. The second was that the mountain offered an excellent site that could be used to conceal a large SLDF formation with minimal external changes. Finally, outside of the SLDF, the rest of the continent was sparsely inhabited, providing a greater level of security for the project.

From the personal journal of Irisz Magyari

Mount Sokol

I think the nicest thing that I can say about the Kamenez campaign is that it's over.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. The Royals being destroyed as a unit is a nice bonus, although given the circumstances that caused it to happen, it's a bit of a mixed blessing.

The fall of Pelzer's fortress was a bloody battle, but all things being considered, it could have gone a lot worse. We had a lot of 'Mechs battered to within an inch of their lives. My own Mad Cat was near-naked, and it was not the only one that was torn up. It's amazing that we didn't lose anyone, but again, there were a lot of things going for us.

Pelzer's army was down to its last gasps. His personal guard represented the only 'Mech force he had left under his control, and they lacked the skills, equipment and coordination to effectively stop us. Don't get me wrong, they were no pushovers, but they also were clearly basing their strategy on having the Carnivores or Incinerators (or the Royals) supporting them or, at least, having done more damage to us.

The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, an overview (part 2)

While serving the Mercenary trade, the revised, Republic-lead MRBC had also served to weaken the power and influence that the mercenaries held. This, combined with the shrinking size of commands (the multi-regiment commands of the pre-Jihad era being all but extinct) and more commands becoming inactive then new ones registering, had lead to a winnowing of the mercenary trade itself. By 3130, the mercenary trade was at its weakest ebb since the Third Succession war, an objective that the Republic of the Sphere had deliberately worked towards.

The Periphery powers had gotten around their lack of representation by using Herotitus as their main hiring hall. While not controlled by the MRBC, the generally poor quality of the units based there, as well as the limited technology and economies of the Periphery, served as a brake on those commands. The result was again a weakening of their influence, as well as limiting their capabilities. The sole exception to this was the Magestry of Canopus, who would often use the Capellan Confederation as a go-between for hiring units.

Grey Monday and its aftermath, however, destroyed this new stability a number of ways. Almost overnight, innumerable new commands sprang up out of nowhere, registering with the MRBC. While many of these units were dubious at best, often made up of converted InsustrialMechs or infantry, their numbers swelled the depleted ranks of MRBC. Many existing commands also expanded as a response to the growing chaos and uncertainty within the Republic. The rate at which this happened was dramatic; in 3132, many Mercenary Commands boasted a single lance of BattleMechs. A mere five years later, even bottom-tier commands were boasting multiple BattleMech companies.

The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, an overview (part 1)

From Mercenaries in the 32nd Century, Galatea Free Press

With breach of contract being a regrettably common (almost inevitable) part of the mercenary trade, the need for a Board of Inquiry to handle such affairs was an obvious necessity. When Wolfs’ Dragoons created the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, such a body was created in order to handle such affairs. As originally created, the MRBC Board consisted of eight members; a representative from each of the great houses, as well as ones from the Free Rasalhauge Republic, ComStar and Wolfs’ Dragoons, the latter representing the mercenary trade while also serving as a chair of the board. Between the MRBC’s founding and the dawn of the Jihad, this final position was held solely by Jamie Wolf

An actual commission inquiry panel had four members. Two were drawn from the great houses, as well as one each from ComStar and Wolf’s Dragoons. Neither the employing house, nor any other house that may have been involved in the dispute, could serve as representatives on the panel. Additionally, the unit under review has the right to veto and replace one of the panel members if they feel that member may exhibit undue prejudice against them. The sole exception was the Wolfs’ Dragoons representative, who was to be present for all hearings in their function as chair.

For example, in McKinnon’s Marauders vs ComStar, the Marauders were hired by ComStar. The unit was accused of breaching contract and crimes against humanity (In this case, destroying a HPG on Brerenson in the Free Worlds League) by ComStar. As such, there were no ComStar or Free Worlds’ League representatives on the Inquiry Panel.