The Rasalhague Raiders Series One

by MosinM38

The Raiders are in their first fight Of this series on the backwater Lyran planet of Rosice in the Fed-Com civil War. Finally updated! Beta still needed.

4. Chapter 4

Many thanks for all the reviews!! Very helpful!! Thanks again to Tasmanian Tiger for the help ;)

Apologies for another blabbering chapter ;) hopefully just this one. Next will be a drop on planet, and definately by chapter 6 there will be a mech fight.

P.S. Anyone looking to Beta feel free ;) If not no worries, just asking :D

--

Sheppard Family Dropship. John Sheppards quarters.

After Grant left, John thought over the proceedings. Everything turned out decent, at least he hadn't become pissed off...well...at least openly, and cancelled.

A few minutes later, he inserted a second disc into his laptop and punched it onto the screen. It contained the Rasalhague Raiders "TOE" of command. Behind the list of units, and their pilots and weapons configurations, was small notations on the units purpose, along with strategic notes.

--

Note: Due to the still minimal size of the unit, The Company and Battalion lists are paper-only, with companies being formed per lance, as situations decree.

Alpha Battalion. Strength: 2 Companies.

Company One. Strategic objective: Fast response reinforcement, strategic offensive force.

Alpha Wolf Lance. Command Lance. Callsign: Wolf. Specialty: Fast response.

Madcat Commander Grant Prien.

Ryoken(BAP) Lieutenant Commander Kenna Carn.

Quickdraw Mechwarrior Edward Beck.

Grand Dragon Mechwarrior Alexandre Helo.

Flying Eagle Lance. Callsign: Eagle. Speciality: All mechs jump capable.

Guillotine Lieutenant "King" James Hoffman.

Catapult

Thunderbolt

Trebuchet

Firebird Lance Callsign: Firebird. Specialty: Fire support lance.

Warhammer Lance Commander Judy Thorn.

Crusader

Archer

Griffin

Company Two. Strategic Objective: Assault unit.

Executioner Lance Callsign: Ex. Specialty: Slow assault.

Atlas Captain Hugh Olsen.

Awesome

Awesome

Longbow

Highlander Lance Callsign: Highland. Specialty: Heavy hitting brawler unit.

Highlander Lieutenant Robert North.

Charger

Charger

Orion.

Dominator Lance Callsign: Dom. Specialty: Fast assault unit with detachable recon mech.

Zeus Lance Commander Azeem Sharif.

Hatamoto

Salamander

Fenris(BAP)

Beta Battalion Strength: 2 Companies.

Company Three Strategic Objective: Flexible mixed medium and light mech force.

Hellfire Lance Callsign: Hellfire. Specialty: Long range harrassing fire, and fast support..

Griffin Major Ariel Tam.

Cicada

Trebuchet

Dervish

Rogue Lance Callsign: Rogue. Specialty: Mixed bag. General brawlers with attached recon mech.

Enforcer Lieutenant John Hawthorn.

Centurion

Griffin

Raven(BAP)

Jackel Lance Callsign: Jackel. Specialty: Multipurpose brawling, support and defence lance.

Archer Lance Commander Sharon Kepper.

Thunderbolt

Centurion

Hunchback

Company Four Strategic Objective: Light mech force, general support, rear area raiders.

Oddball Lance Callsign: Oddball. Specialty: Mixed bag general unit.

Vindicator Captain Victor Daniels.

Whitworth

Battlehawk

Hammer

Sudden Death Lance Callsign: Death. Specialty: Long range direct fire support.

Uller Lieutenant Cassandra Ellis.

Puma

Clint

Valkrie

Pursuer Lance Callsign: Pursuit. Specialty: Recon mech and attached escorts.

Koshi(BAP) Lance Commander Randolph Owens.

Commando

Jenner

Javelin

Charlie Battalion Strength: 5 Commpanies of Armor and support vehicles.

Company One Callsign:Treadheads.

6 Manticore Heavy Tanks. Major Jack Carter.

2 Rommel Heavy Tanks.

2 Patton Heavy Tanks.

Company Two Callsign:Thumper (Unit note: Lineholder company. Well disciplined crews, the best of the armored battalion. Equel to their tonnage in battlemechs)

2 Rommel Heavy Tanks. Captain George Clark.

2 Patton Heavy Tanks.

1 Von Luckner Heavy Tank.

3 Steurmfeur Assault Tanks.

2 Schrek PPC Carrier Assault Tanks.

Company Three Callsign: Teller

10 Galleon Light Tanks. Captain William Teller.

bCompany Four/b Callsign: Scorpion.

10 Scorpion Light Tanks. Captain Aretha Sturm.

Company Five Callsign: Firestorm. (Unit Note. Oversized Company consisting solely of support units, varying from close to long range support. A company in name only, command being at Lance level).

6 LRM Carriers.

6 Pikes.

6 Partisans.

6 Hunters

2 Beheamoth Assault Tanks.

Ground Battalion.

Skull Company Callsign: Skull.

48 IS Standard Battlearmors. Major Alvin Keyes.

Organized into six lances of 8 BA each.

Mudder Company Callsign: Mudder

10 Platoons of Infantry. Major Charles Connor.

VTOL detachment. Callsign: Headhunters.

4 Cavalry VTOLs. Captain David Paulson.

4 Warrior VTOLs.

--

Falcon, Aerospace Wing. Callsign: Spacebirds

3 Corsair Medium Fighters. Major Tipper Harley.

3 Stuka Heavy Fighters

4 Sparowhawk Light Fighters.

Overlord Class Dropship Rasalhague Captain Jacob Harley.

Excaliber Class Dropship Destructer Captain Greguire Roland.

Union Class Dropship Outpost Captain Orville Aaron.

--

Looking at the clock, John flipped off the computer, deciding to get some sleep before the next jump took place.

Rasalhague Overlord class Jumpship. Grant Prien's quarters.

Returning to his quarters, Grant glanced at the clock. Still ten hours until the next jump. Immediatly after jumping, the dropships were going to detach and make a drop to their assigned sectors.

Turning to his computer he slid in the data-disc and re-examined the contents.

First he examined the layout of the planet. There were three continents on it, one was seperated from the other two, roughly 800 kilometers in the middle of the oceans that made up much of the world, it was mainly populated by independant towns and cities, not having enough of any particular resource to be useful, what little it did produce was either bought by the Sheppards or Kinsey's and included in their own exports.

The remaining two were equel sized, seperated only by several hundred kilometers of ocean, and connected by a land bridge that was no more than a thin strip bordered by a saltwater marsh.

And just like the old Korean peninsula of Terra, it was just as if the boundary lines had been drawn around the planets equater, leaving huge expanses of land to be patrolled and protected by both sides, at least in the beginning..

The western continent was flat and barren of mountains, it's eastern half almost fully farmlands, with intercrossing forrests and lakes, while the western portion was virtually abandoned desert, home only to a few small roving pirate bands and settlers groups intent on avoiding any "Involvement" from "Upitty government". The lines indicating ownership, showed that Kinsey had made several deep gouges into the Shepparts territoty, including the taking of the entire land bridge, allowing himself inter-continental access, and forcing the Sheppards to use sea-borne or air transport.

The eastern continent as more varied, with mountain ranges on one extreme, and tapering down to rolling hills, and farmland the closer it got to the other continent. On this one both sides were roughly equel, with neither side having an advantage over the other, long expanses of pre-war fortified ground, requiring scarce mechs to push through, relegating the war to a drawn out infantry and armor war.

The rough information guide, said nothing about Sheppard or Kinsey's forces sizes, likely not implicitly trusting him until planetfall was made, it did however include the other mercenary unit.

Smoke Tigers.

Alpha Star

Warhammer IIC. Commander Tanea Warrick.

Trebuchet.

Clint

Centurion

Assassin

Beta Star

Hunchback

Commando

Wasp

Stinger

Locust

Charlie Star

1 Elemental suit, and 4 InnerSphere Standard Battlearmor.

2 Infantry Platoons.

A smaller group, with aging and/or inferior mechs, only two stood out. The Warhammer IIC and a Elemental suit, which was rare anywhere, much less in a 3rd rate mercenary group.

--

Sighing he flipped off the laptop and set it back in it's case. There wasn't a damn thing he could do about it now, and he wouldn't decide on anything until he met the other mercenary commander and got up-to-date information on the Kinsey mechs.

On-Planet. 15 Hours and counting from Rasalhague Raiders touchdown.

"WHAT THE...," Commander Warrick exploded before being silenced by Lord Sheppard.

"The choice is not yours commander. The decision has been made, you are now under command of Commander Prien."

Reigning in her anger Tanea Warrick slowly spoke, emphasising her words, "What reason? I will not be a meatgrinder for a merc commander who cares nothing for my men."

"For two reasons," Earl Sheppard leaned back in his chair, "The first being that your actions are more suited to lance or star level mech combat. You take on odds that are twice against you. That stupi...uh..aggression is shared by this commander...," he paused, "Prien. Your units will work better together than my forces. He has a larger number of mechs, as opposed to my armor and infantry which you work so badly with."

"And the second?" Tanea asked.

"There is no second. I was trying to make a point. Dismissed Commander," Earl Sheppard stood from his chair and directed a look at the mercenary that meant "We're done".

Somewhat snappishly, she gave a brief salute before turning and walking out the door of Sheppard's library.

As she left the Sheppard palace, a final thought ran through her mind, 'I bet this turns out wonderful'