Campaign of the Month: June 2014
Battletech (Farscape) : The New Breed
* "The Dingo Cub Scouts"
Youth Organization and Training Program
Description:
Created in conjunction with Master Tech Keiko Ishikawas educational curriculum and with much assistance by Captain Mitchell Kitsune “Wraith”, the “Dingo Cub Scouts” were created to instill citizenship, a sense of duty and honor among the youngest members of the Iron Dingoes’ dependents. The children and youth of the Iron Dingoes are thus being trained in basic survival skills, some basic martial arts, first aid, and leadership (community service), in addition to an individual student’s own personal interests in military, technical or administrative matters. Use and maintenance of civilian light arms, is also required of each student. However, helping and keeping productively busy is the most important part of this “training”.
In many ways, the organization allows the children of the Iron Dingoes an easy transition into their chosen future careers as members in the Iron Dingoes. It teaches them that whatever their vocation, each has an important role to play in the better lives of all. Although it definitely has a paramilitary feel to it (like any such organization) for the Iron Dingoes, the Dingo Cub Scouts represents the future. Advanced training includes whatever skills and “mentor-ships” they require in their apprenticeships, in the soldier, technical and administrative fields. Such mentor-ships are often similar to modern apprenticeships, and individuals within the Dingoes are chosen and assigned to assist in the development of specific children. Known as the Shadow Recruits Program, these children often go on to become leaders and officers in the ranks of the Iron Dingoes military and civilian administration.
Dingoes Cub Scout Uniform
The “Dingo Cubs” symbol is a dingoes’ paw print, in brown and outlined in green. The “troops” wear paramilitary uniforms that are effective BDUs, with lime green sashes to mark specific badges of honor earned through their individual studies. Civilian combat boots and gloves are issued as part of this uniform, though the models are a familiar military-styled design, that everyone in the unit (soldier, tech, civilian or Mech pilot), employs. Each is also issued a combat knife as part of their uniform and its maintenance is a key part of their uniform and their training.
The Code of the Dingo Cub
“I promise, on my honour, that I will do my best,
To develop my talents, and the talents of others,
To help those in need, to the best of my ability,
To serve my unit, and my community, With loyalty and good faith,
And by thought, word and deed, Be a positive influence on those younger than myself."
Unit Instructors
Social and General Instruction : Master Tech Keiko Ishikawa
Military Instruction : Dame (Captain) Modesty “Viper” Scrope
Technical Instruction : Master Tech Grant Brown
Administration Instruction : Master Tech Lee Holloway
The unit maintains “Children’s Crèches” of students under the direct aegis of the Dingo Scouts program. A Crèche, also known as a “Student Pack”, is school of children whose parents are direct members of * “The Iron Dingoes” local troops and techs, and fulfills most of the educational and health requirements of these valuable members for the Dingoes future.
The Iron Dingoes maintain four (4) formal Student Packs under their present organization. There are often smaller, informal Crèches in place aboard Iron Dingoes JumpShips, DropShips and wherever else its membership have young children, though often the parents and their children seek transfer to a site where a formal Crèche operates.
The primary location is aboard “The Factory”, which is considered the best (and oldest) example of the Dingo Scout organization. As the bulk of the station’s population are direct employees of the Dingoes, their families are invested in the mercenary’s educational program.
The second Student Pack is located in Garrison, and based from the main barracks complex. While the local civilians have access to the Sangrian educational system, the military dependents rely on the Dingo Scouts to give their kids an education and train them in the skills of their future careers.
The third Student Pack is in Hellas, where the concept of the Dingo Scouts is a new one, but the complete isolation of the community from the day-to-day contact with the Dingoes other landholds has led it to adapt to the Dingoes own educational system. Integration of this new Student Pack remains a primary issue to the Command Council.
A fourth Student Pack was created in late-3030 with the take-over of * The Independent Territory of Borealis, by absorbing the existing educational infrastructure and both modernizing and changing its training program to Iron Dingoes standards. Designed much like that in place on “The Factory”, it allows both local corporate children, as well as normal citizens, the opportunity to educate their children, with the promise to attend the Military Academy in Garrison for an advanced educational certificate.
With the development of * The “War Dogs” College of Military Sciences, some Shadow Recruits can go on to formal training regarding BattleMechs, JumpShip and DropShip operations, and eventually other faculties such as medicine, computers and engineering. Most, however, simply shadow a specific member in regular duties, and become a member of the general staff of the unit.
Bio:
History
Seeking to give the many dependents of the Iron Dingoes some opportunity and improve morale among the families of the unit, (Major) Ruxbundy hired the teacher Master Tech Keiko Ishikawa during their stay on System – Heroditus in 3017. This teacher was given a fairly free reign on an education curriculum, and struggled to find a coherent plan to bring the many diverse children and youth of the Dingoes dependents under one standard for teaching. Settling on history, math, sciences, languages, and basic life & social skills, she sought out specialists among the Dingoes to act as mentors and “special assistants” to give her charges a better base of education.
Captain Mitchell Kitsune “Wraith” was approached and offered his special skills in survival training and Acrobatics (Freefall) to teach important abilities while the unit travelled to System – Dunkelheim. During this time, the unit command staff began discussing that their first DropShip, the “Blood Rock” might have hidden secrets somewhere aboard her, but that no one knew where. Wraith enlisted the many children of the Dingoes (who were primarily stationed aboard the “Dingoes Den”), to do some searching by playing hide-and-seek games. The children began to learn the ins and outs of their DropShips, including all the best places to hide and stay away from everyone. He soon expanded this to include other important skills, and became a popular “instructor” during his off hours among the children.
Tech Ishikawa‘s own daughter, Recruit Molly Ishikawa in particular, given her knowledge of Japanese and its cultural standards, became enamored of Wraith, and proved to be something of a leader among the children. After a few months of this “play”, Wraith approached Tech Ishikawa and together they formed a more advanced curriculum to assist the children’s long-term lives as potential soldiers, techs and administrators in the Iron Dingoes mercenary organization. Instilling something that unified them at an early age was the creation of the “Dingo Cub Scouts”, whereby they might learn more about citizenship, duty and honor among their peers. Wraith acquired some uniforms and began getting the groundwork ready for them.
At Dunkelheim, the attack of a company of suicide troops (known as “Death’s Commandos”) during the “Surprise Party” raid on the lead DropShips of TF29s mercenaries, was the final catalyst. The children aboard the Brush Wolf all remembered their training, and hid in their best possible spots until the danger was over. Though casualties among the crew of the ship was light, none of the children were harmed or killed; every parent attributed the children’s safety to Wraith’s training. Upon return from their raid on Depot 519, Wraith contacted Tech Ishikawa, and it was decided that with their departure soon from Dunkelheim, the unit’s children needed to be more formally organized sooner, rather than later.
The time for the development of the youngest members of the Iron Dingoes was now.
On February 1st (3018), during deployment as a Cadre force on System – Dumassas, the Dingoes tradition was started, called “The Annual Dingo Cub Scout Games”. Broken into two separate age divisions, the children of the Dingoes were tested based on general knowledge and ability, though a heavier weight was placed on specialty fields among the older children. The core of the “games”, are a series of fundamental tests by the unit instructors, that determine not so much the skill of the participants, but rather the potential of the various students to excel at their chosen fields of study. In addition to badges and “field medals” for completion of the tests, the top winners of each category and age group were granted their own “Kit” of camping gear, identical to that issued full “Elite” infantry forces. For the children, this was seen as a sign they were being accepted by the adults. Among visiting mercenaries and soldiers from other units and formations, the term “Toy Soldier” became a common parlance to describe the children in their full kit.
During the unit’s stay in System – Cassandra, in early 3020, facing an immediate need for techs and troopers to guard their acquisition of “The Factory”, the unit began creating the Shadow Recruit Program. This was considered an extension of the Dingo Cub Scouts, by having each student complete an apprenticeship during their final year as a “Shadow Recruit”. Select students who show promise as leaders are assigned to a proven and trustworthy individual, usually a leader or junior officer, where they learn the first-hand requirements of their future position as a leader. In every case, these Shadow Recruits then graduate as junior officers, often with access to their own squad of techs, troopers, medics or other personnel from the same graduating class. It has been shown to develop an intense loyalty among the officers chosen, and gives them some practical seasoning prior to taking actual command of soldiers in combat. It has also proven to give the Dingoes recruited officers from their own ranks. A prime example of this program is Commander Aoife McIntyre.
Over the years, the program has grown to adopt isolated communities as independent Crèches, but has otherwise stayed fairly small and focused on educating the future of the Iron Dingoes organization to teach these children valuable skills, instill a sense of purpose, and ensure the Dingoes have a solid, loyal base from which to recruit its membership.
