An Unexpected Stop
Cadre DutyLocation: Demeter
Employer: Federated Suns
Start Date: 22 October 3144
End Date: 22 January 3145
Status: Active
Several months after Duke Contreras’s defeat, the remaining Ronin Cat forces arrived back on Sonnia, flush with new equipment purchased from the Sea Foxes. The Avengers saw out the rest of their contract with no further conflict and were able to get some much needed rest and relaxation.
The Avengers were offered a contract renewal by the Sonnian government which was anxious to maintain some active defenses. The invitation sorely tempted many among the unit who had grown fond of the beautiful planet. But duty and a new home called in the Clan Protectorate. At a council meeting, a unanimous decision ws reached to turn down the the offer. Instead, the Avengers would plot an interstellar course along the Fortress Wall and into the Clan Protectorate. In early October, the Ronin Cat Avengers lifted off. Several days later, they docked with their jumpships and refamiliarized themselves with zero-G operations before jumping out for Tikonov.
One jump later, the Avengers found themselves at the zenith point of the Demeter system. During a routine diagnostic, the Knight’s Pride crew discovered some irregularities in their KF drive indicating the need to replace equipment. While a hyperspace jump would be possible, it would entail significant risks without the required lengthy repairs. As the crew began the repair process, Engalychev began to look for suppliers for the needed equipment. Fortunately, he made contact with the commander of the local Capellan March Militia stationed on Demeter. After convincing the commander that they were not hostile, Engalychev was able to secure a short term contract to serve as cadres for ongoing training exercises. In exchange, the commander would be sure the proper parts were supplied to the Knight’s Pride.
Over the next few weeks, while repairs were affected on the Knight’s Pride, the Avengers ground forces kept themselves busy with training exercises in various regions of the planet. Little did anyone know that just over the border, Capellan forces were mustering for a massive invasion that would rock the Federated Suns to its core.
Mission DetailsDefend the Sonnian Republic
GarrisonLocation: Sonnia
Employer: Sonnian Democratic Republic
Start Date: 02 September 3143
End Date: 02 September 3144
Status: Success
Fleeing Errai with a battered touman, the Avengers’ council met to discuss next steps. Engalychev was confident that the information in their possession about the Fortress Wall would be extremely valuable to the Sea Fox saKhanate. They could leverage it to gather much needed supplies and new equipment. However, doing so would require tracking down the saKhanate in this region of space, something much more difficult to do without functioning HPG stations.
Engalychev argued that rather than sending the entire flotilla chasing after the saKhanate across Federated Suns space, the Avengers should instead split their focus. On Errai, Engalychev had learned of a garrison contract put out by the planetary government of Sonnia in the Federated Suns. The contract ran for a year and, while not terribly well-paying, would offer the Avengers a chance for some much needed R&R on a planet known as a vacation destination in the region for its tropical beaches. While the majority of the Avengers fulfilled a milk run contract, a small detachment led by Engalychev would seek out the saKhanate.
The response to Engalychev’s suggestion was outrage on the part of most Clan warriors. The idea of becoming sellswords for hire was berboten in clan culture and the very suggestion of it a hostile act. In particular, Star Commander Connor Drummond threatened Engalychev with physical violence for even suggesting such a dishonor.
The proposal seemed doomed to failure until Arjun rose to speak. He reminded everyone of the responsibility they owed both to the refugees (clan and spheroid, alike) among them as well as to the young sibko trainees who had little opportunity for training. Months of zero-G environment had wreaked a heavy toll on everyone. The garrison contract offered the opportunity to build their strength. Would they rather show up at the Clan Protectate’s door as ragtag beggars or a cluster of clan warriors?
Arjun’s speech ultimately persuaded many on the council, although Connor still strongly opposed the decision. Rather than force the inevitable trial of refusal, he was instead offered the honor of leading the delegation to seek out the Sea Fox saKhanate as a compromise.
Thus, the majority of the Avengers arrived on the tropical world of Sonnia. For many of the refugees, it was a first opportunity to experience walking on dirt in a gravity environment in over eight months. Many wept with joy.
Although the garrison duty promises to be fairly light work, it is not without its tension. The contract had been precipitated by the planetary government’s attempt to restrict the power of the governing noble, Duke Felipe Contreras. For centuries, the Contreras family ruled Sonnia with an even hand, generally allowing for most governmental operations to be run without interference. However, the last two generations of the Contreras family, including the current Duke, have been slowly pulling back more direct power for themselves and limiting governance and free expression.
Tension between the democratic government (including a “House of Lords” compromising a collection of less powerful noble leaders on the planet) and the Duke have been rising for years and finally boiled over in the last year, leading to massive riots and work shortages. Eventually the collective government, now calling itself the “Sonnia Democratic Republic” demanded certain reforms from the Duke to expand democratic governance.
Surprisingly, rather than squash this movement, the Duke appeared willing to negotiate the terms presented to him and the last few months have consisted of these negotiations. Meanwhile, the Duke has removed his house guard from the capital of Crossmantown and restricted them to his estate on a private island in the southern archipelagos.
While many in the government were pleasantly surprised by the Duke’s change of heart, others are more suspicious. They suspect the Duke may simply be biding his time until the best opportunity to strike back presents itself. It is this suspicion which gave rise to the garrison contract, as the Sonnian Democratic Republic desired to “beef up” its conventional forces of mostly infantry conscripts to deter the Duke from any such misadventures.
The Avengers are to primarily garrison the capitol city of Crossmantown which is of both a prime strategic and symbolic point on the planet. Crossmantown is a coastal city located in the tropical zone of the planet. The tension of a planet caught up in a democratic revolt aside, the atmosphere couldn’t be better for the Avengers much needed R&R. They spend much of their day training hard, and in the evening play on the beach and in the water.
Mission DetailsInformation Economy
Extraction RaidLocation: Errai
Status: Success
Engalychev required less convincing than Arjun had expected. Seemingly eager to find new markets away from the advancing Combine forces, Grigori seemed willing to play along. He wasted no time in working his new contacts and delivering some much needed supplies.
Meanwhile, Engalychev suggested a new mission with potentially rich rewards. Apparently, he had received credible intelligence that a covert intelligence operation by the combine on Errai had uncovered important information about the Fortress Republic. He proposed that the unit travel to Errai and “retreive” this information.
When the officer’s council asked what possible value such intelligence could serve for their immediate needs, Engalychev chuckled and said “Oh, I imagine its not worth much to you at all, but it will be worth a lot of money to the Fox saKhanate.”
Mission DetailsPrison Break
Location: Fellanin IIStatus: Success
Realizing that the slow bleed of equipment and personnel will eventually whittle their forces down to nothing, Arjun Nostra-Gardbaum develops a daring plan. One of the most notorious black market arms dealers in the Inner Sphere, Grigori Engalychev, is being held at a former Republican facility on one of the moons of Fellanin II. If the Ronin Cat Avengers could free him, then he might be able to put his talents and connections to work in identifying sources for equipment.
The only catch is that it was Arjun’s father who put Engalychev in that prison in the first place…
Mission DetailsIts A Trap
Location: Cadiz (DC)Status: Success
After successfully collecting supplies from two depots, the Avengers landed on Cadiz planning on another depot supply run. Instead, they were met by an elite DC unit identified as Steel Wind. It seems that the Dracs had gotten word of these depot raids and had some intel of its own that it used to ambush the Ronin Cat forces.
Mission DetailsHidden Treasure
Location: PhiladelphiaStatus: Success
The Avengers made a fortuitous discovery. A senior member of the Clan Watch had made it on board one of the dropships in their hasty departure from Irece and this Clan Watch member had valuable information. During the Nova Cat Clan’s battles across the Draconis Combine, they had secretly stockpiled several depots of material with Nova Cat-ancestry communities on several planets. Even better, this Watch member knew the location of most of these depots.
Mission DetailsDaily Bread
Location: UnityStatus: Success
After licking their wounds in deep space and sorting out some semblance of command hierarchy, the newly formed Avengers council decided that the best course of action would be to make for the homewords of the Clan Protectorate, to be reunited with the Spirit Cats.
In order to make such a journey, they would require additional food supplies. They identified the planet of Unity as an agriculturally abundant world with whom they might be able to trade supplies for food.
As they entered the system, they hailed the populace and after some time were able to find a community willing to trade.
Mission DetailsEscape From Irece
Location: IreceStatus: Success
The Dragon has come to Irece and it won’t be satisfied until the Nova Cats are burned out of existence. Gideon Nostra-Gardbaum’s Republican Knight Irregulars have been caught in the middle of this fight for survival. Although his heart is with the Nova Cats, he knows that his duty is to his own units. He orders the Irregulars’ dropships to initiate launch procedures, while he takes his troops to the Clan genetic repository for one last mission.
Mission Details