Campaign of the Month: June 2014
Battletech (Farscape) : The New Breed
* "The Fold Fiends"
Mercenary Battalion of the Iron Dingoes
Description:
The Fold Fiends – Combined-Arms Battalion / Regular / Reliable
The Fold Fiends are a mix of formerly independent mercenaries and the remnant of a defeated mercenary company, “The Fold Fiends”. Together they are a ragged band of rogues who formerly lived through plunder and who still sell their services and Mechs to survive as mercenaries.
Officers : The lead element of the unit is one Major “Jolly” Roger Galligan, the former CO of the original Fold Fiends, who is the best pilot in the group. He leads by force of personality, and has proven to have a well-defined sense of honor. In mid-3030, he and his personal following of former rogues officially signed themselves over as full members of the unit, dissolving their position as “leashed” mercenaries under contract to the Iron Dingoes, and bringing their tanks and Mechs under the greater umbrella of the unit.
Support : Over the last few years in static defensive positions, the unit has slowly built itself to status as a full combined-arms battalion. All troopers are equipped with standard Iron Dingoes Infantry Field Kit (3023)s, and its associated arms and equipment.
Its technical support are mostly recruited technicians from System – New Syrtis, and an equal number of captured mercenary personnel taken during the Dingoes seizure of the “Relentless”, granting each BattleMech a personal tech as well as a pool to maintain its various vehicles and other important equipment. Each is privately equipped with the requisite tools, but lack many important key hardware for advanced maintenance routines or salvage. They had been equipped with second-hand Iron Dingoes Infantry Field Kit (3017)s handed down from the line infantry, but have since been upgraded to the unit’s standard, the Iron Dingoes Infantry Field Kit (3023) as their infantry forces.
The unit, like most units this size, is still dependent on parts supplies to maintain its fully active status, however its “downtime” period of 3026-27 gave its techs a great deal of experience in working with all the salvage taken during the conquest of * Duchy of Tharn. As a result, its maintenance costs have been down-graded by a surprising amount. Also, several of its medical personnel were instrumental in solving the 3rd-Wave outbreak of the Outworld Flu, in late-3026.
A company of infantry are deployed to the unit, mostly (once) raw recruits from System – Dumassas with a background as bandits and thugs, but they adapted quickly to their role as Dingoes soldiers. The infantry have also been assigned ancient, but capable Ignis Infantry Support Tanks to grant them “Mechanized” status, and deploy SPM-18A3 “Backblast” Recoilless Rifles as support weapons, at the platoon level.
A mixed collection of private mercenary and salvaged tanks have been assigned to the unit, granting it roughly a company of armor for mostly defensive or “last blow” purposes. Given their diverse nature, the unit has little in the way of a standard tactics, and depend heavily on their Command Van for direction in a fight.. They also deploy a Swift Wind Scout Car (with an appropriate scout), and a Ferret Light Scout VTOL for scouting difficult or unknown terrain.
The unit also has several captured Sniper Field Artillery Pieces assigned, along with transports and (once) fresh recruits who had no advanced learning of their weapons systems. Its command vehicle is a single Tracked APC, stripped of weapons and modified with communications equipment to ensure proper coordination of its strikes.
As of late-3025, the unit was assigned their own DropShip, the “Kiss of Death”, though the cargo capacity of the Fortress made them highly dependent on outside cargo and supply sources, and were later assigned the “Cadejo” in early-3026 as a means to mitigate these problems. The addition of a Union-Class DropShip has gave the unit the opportunity to deploy their Mechs independent of the rest of the unit, including orbital drop operations, and the opportunity to deploy a lance of AeroFighters, should they become available.
In early-3029, the unit was given exclusive rights to deploy with “The Bloody Paw”, giving them the chance to deploy independent of the rest of the unit, and operate on contracts whichever way they choose.
Tactics : Although some doubted its competency initially, the unit was intended to be a defensive element for the Dingoes landholds in The District of Garcia serving the same purpose as * “The Dead Man’s Hand”. When not on contract, the unit trains together in Garrison, and builds its reliability before taking its own turn at off-world contracts, providing the unit as a whole with a strong defensive element. Although talented individually, the unit had to learn how to operate and maneuver as a complete mixed-arms battalion, having missed the entirety of the Small War of 3024 while on a sedentary contract in the Federated Suns.
- Combat JumpShip Units -
Merchant-Class JumpShip “The Bloody Paw” – Space Master Terrance Chantilas (Reg)
- Combat AeroSpace Units -
Fortress-Class DropShip “Kiss of Death” – Commander Kasidy Yates (Reg)
Union-Class DropShip “Cadejo” – Commander George Romanus (Green)
- Support & Technical Group -
Combat Operational Command and Communications (C&C) Group “XXX”
One “Desert Iris” Jeep
Two Light Utility Transports
One (1) Tech Squad (Reg)
One (1) Swift Wind Scout Car (Vet)
Marine Security Group “XXX”
Two (2) “Hellbender” Jeeps
2 Squads Laser Marine Infantry (2 Reg)
Internal Security Group “Military Police”
Three (3) Vulture-Class Air Skimmers
1 Rifle Infantry MP Squads (Vet)
Support Technical Group
5 Administrative Squads (Vet, Reg, 3 Green)
1 Mess Squad (Vet)
1 Housekeeping Squad (Green)
Field Medical Group
3 “Hellbender” Jeeps
3 Tech (Medical) Squads (Vet, 2 Reg)
Ground Technical Group
Six (6) Light Utility Transports
Six (6) Heavy Industrial Exoskeletons
56 Technical Squads (Elite, 12 Vet, 28 Reg, 15 Green)
Field Salvage Technical Group
2 Technical Squads (2 Reg)
Two (2) Heavy Tactical Utility Trucks (Wreckers)
Two (2) Oshkosh A1 “Interstellar” Tank Transporters, w/ One (1) Mobile Repair Gantry (Each)
Four (4) Heavy Industrial Exoskeletons
4th (Command) Combat BattleMech Lance “Command & Conquer”
ON1-K Orion “Old Sorrel” – Major “Jolly” Roger Galligan (Vet)
ARC-2R Archer – MechWarrior Orlon Trellis (Vet)
ARC-2R Archer – MechWarrior Mirel Westfallen (Reg)
ARC-2R Archer – MechWarrior Ian Alarkin (Reg)
5th Combat BattleMech Lance “Dark Thunder”
OSR-2C Ostroc – LtJG Maja Kruff (Vet)
TBT-5N Trebuchet – MechWarrior Karl Darby (Reg)
TDR-5S Thunderbolt – MechWarrior Richard Sharp (Reg)
TDR-5S Thunderbolt – MechWarrior Jim Bowie – (Reg)
6th Combat BattleMech Lance “Void Spiders”
GRF-1N Griffin – LtJG Alan Gorman (Vet)
GRF-1N Griffin- MechWarrior Carlos Ramirez (Reg)
ENF-4R Enforcer – MechWarrior Vincent Grainger (Vet)
PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk – MechWarrior Pandora “Firecracker” Hyde (Vet)
Combat Armor Group “Fiendish Support”
3rd Combat Armor Lance “The Big Bosses”
Pegasus Scout Hover Tank (Reg)
Harasser Missile Platform (Vet)
Ontos Heavy Tank (Reg)
Ontos Heavy Tank (Reg)
4th Combat Armor Lance “Gray Falcons”
Pegasus Scout Hover Tank (Reg)
Harasser Missile Platform (Reg)
Hunter Light Support Tank (Reg)
Hunter Light Support Tank (Green)
5th Combat Armor Lance “Slippery Saracens”
Pegasus Scout Hover Tanks (Vet)
Condor Heavy Hover Tank (Reg)
Saracen Medium Hover Tank (Reg)
Saracen Medium Hover Tank (Reg)
Combat Rifle Infantry Group “Hard Bitten”
12th (Mechanized) Rifle Infantry Platoon “The Revolvers”
Four (4) Ignis Infantry Support Tanks (3 Reg, Green)
One (1) SPM-18A3 “Backblast” Recoilless Rifle
4 Rifle Infantry Squads (2 Vet, Reg, Green)
14th (Mechanized) Rifle Infantry Platoon “Red Slashers”
Four (4) Ignis Infantry Support Tanks (4 Reg)
One (1) SPM-18A3 “Backblast” Recoilless Rifle
4 Rifle Infantry Squads (Vet, 2 Reg, Green)
15th (Mechanized) Rifle Infantry Platoon “Hard Knocks”
Four (4) Ignis Infantry Support Tanks (2 Reg, 2 Green)
One (1) SPM-18A3 “Backblast” Recoilless Rifle
4 Rifle Infantry Squads (Vet, Reg, 2 Green)
Combat Artillery/Air Defense Group “XXX”
- Command Unit -
One (1) Ferret Light Scout VTOL (Reg)
One (1) Tracked APC (Communication Variant) (Vet)
- 1st Battery -
Two (2) Light Utility Transports w/ Sniper Field Artillery Pieces (Reg, Green)
- 2nd Battery -
Two (2) Light Utility Transports w/ Sniper Field Artillery Pieces (Vet, Reg)
- 3rd Battery -
Two (2) Fledermaus Air Defense Systems (Vet, Reg)
- 4th Battery -
Two (2) Fledermaus Air Defense Systems (Reg, Green)
Bio:
Originally a moderately successful mercenary company that managed to scrape by through outright piracy and in taking marginal contracts among the minor Periphery powers along the Hyades Rim. During one such contract in System – Rolling Thunder, guarding a fuel refinery owned by the Starlords, they encountered the Iron Dingoes war machine, and were defeated. The survivors were offered a Leash contract and transport out-system. They accepted.
The addition of the Fold Fiends to the roster of * “The Iron Dingoes” was not without its controversy, including their continued usage of their old mercenary company name. Initially assigned a position aboard “The Factory” and given time to rebuild their forces, they were slowly integrated into Dingoes traditions, and were eventually offered a position similar to that held by * “The Dead Man’s Hand”.
Having spent more than a year organizing themselves, gathering personnel and materiel, the unit was shipped to System – Serenity via the “Relentless” to renew the Contract – Operation : “Blinding Light”, replacing the Dead Man’s Hand, for an opportunity to give that unit a respite from their duties, as well as gain some valuable active operational time together. Their stay on System – Serenity was relatively quiet, outside of an occasional riot action, and by late-3024, the unit had acquired a number of internally trained techs though its Shadow Recruits program. They also replaced one of its BattleMech lance commanders, who died in a knife fight with his daughter “Firecracker” assuming his family’s vacant Mech, which forced them to restructure the entire “Void Spiders” lance. Overall, the unit has served loyally, but without exceptional distinction while on contract.
The unit maintained their contract for two additional years, before returning back to their holdings in Dumassas for another opportunity at leave in late-3025. The nomenclature “Militia” was largely dropped from the unit’s rosters in the latter portion of 3025, and the unit began using the term Combat to describe their military status instead. Upon landing at their landhold, the unit was assigned “Kiss of Death” with the promise of the “Cutlass” with its return to Dumassas as well, as DropShip interface support. This was later changed to include the “Cadejo” instead. In late-3029, the unit was granted exclusive access to “The Bloody Paw”.
In late-3030, after a couple years of downtime on Dumassas, the unit was formally incorporated as a whole into the Iron Dingoes, with its independent mercenaries choosing enmasse to join the unit and abandon their “Leash Contracts”. Soon thereafter, the unit was ordered to search for a contract, and began trying to look for work. The unit engaged with Contract – Operation : “Tent City” under the relatively new Aurigan Restoration, and left for service on the far side of the Taurian Concordat, under this two-year contract.
The contract proved difficult, as forces rallied on both sides for the first few months, until a major campaign erupted six months in, and resulted in an effective stalemate, after which the local forces in support of the Santiago family surrendered. While the unit lost its Enforcer (though the pilot survived) in the brawls with two light and heavy armor companies, and the local planetary militia, the Fold Fiends sacked the planet’s main support base, and captured two Ontos Heavy Tank to replace their own lost Demolishers. They also captured a large force of enemy technicians. The Enforcer was replaced with a relatively new model upon the unit’s return to Dumassas from the Iron Dingoes reserves.
In addition, the unit replaced many of its armor losses with captured materiel, making their armor force far more of a flanking and supporting force than before. Infantry losses were light, but the 15th Platoon lost half its personnel, and much of the units other salvage went towards repairing its mechanized APCs to keep the unit mobile. The unit also lost both its Command Van and Ferret Light Scout VTOL in a terrorist attack; neither crew survived.
After a short downtime period, the unit was signed to Contract – Operation : “Ramshackle Revival”, and moved off-world once more on a closer mission for its allied Excalibur Corporation. The unit moved for a rendezvous in System – Tashrakaar, arriving with the commencement of the new year to begin a limited planetary invasion in support of the corporation’s own forces and several smaller mercenary infantry and armor formations.
Returning to cantonments in 3034, the unit spent several years acting as the planet’s “Brushfire Experts”, being deployed during the 3036 SUnbeam Incident, and the later 3040 Unification War. It provided assistance in occupying The Province of Central Marcos during * Task Force Dingos governorship of the province, and was redeployed back into its cantonments in 3045.
