Vinson's Vigilantes

(Redirected from Vincent's Vigilantes)
Vinson's Vigilantes.jpg
Vinson's Vigilantes
Affiliation Pirates
Mercenary (previous)
Parent Command Independent

Vinson's Vigilantes was a mercenary unit that was formed during the Third Succession War from smaller commands. The Vigilantes served the five Successor States in the following decades.

History[edit]

Ronin War[edit]

Following the creation of the Free Rasalhague Republic, the nascent nation hired a number of mercenaries to garrison their worlds, including the Vigilantes. Portions of the unit were stationed on Kempten and Radstadt in 3034.

Kempten[edit]

Elements of the First Sun Zhang Cadre, who were garrisoning Kempten, rebelled against their command staff and went ronin, attempting to keep the planet from seceding from the Draconis Combine. The Vigilantes clashed with the Cadre unit on 30 April. The commands savaged each other, but the First was able to secure Rammaport Petrochem, the primary supplier of energy on the world. The Vigilantes were unwilling to risk damaging the facility, so they surrounded it and waited. Reinforcements arrived in the form of the Second Kavalleri, who executed a combat drop into the rear of the First Sun Zhang. The Republic unit killed most of the ronin command staff. Leaderless, the Cadre unit ran into the mountains. The Vigilantes quit the field for repairs and were informed that their contract was fulfilled. By the end of June, the Vigilantes had all left Kempten, bound for Radstadt and the rest of the command.[1]

Radstadt[edit]

The Vigilantes were assigned to guard two separate warehouse sites on the important production world of Radstadt. Two ronin regiments of conventional troops invaded in August 3034. The Republic First Kavalleri was handling the invasion force until an ambush of their conventional forces allowed the ronin to make a break for the capital. The Kavalleri asked the Vigilantes, who were guarding an electronics plant, to stop them. The Vigilantes' contract specified that they could ignore hostile forces who did not infringe on their assigned area, so the mercenaries refused to help. The ronin units breached the city and caused panic among the citizenry until the Kavalleri ejected them days later.[2]

Going Rogue[edit]

In 3052 the command was in preparation to head to the Federated Commonwealth border with Clan Jade Falcon, but the AFFC refused to provide the Vigilantes with refit kits that would have upgraded their BattleMechs with Star League-era technology. The commander of the unit, Colonel Pada Vinson would not allow his unit to face the Clans without these upgrades, so they broke contract. The unit raided several bases before leaving the Inner Sphere. The Vigilantes hijacked a JumpShip and ran for Antallos. As part of these actions, they killed the armories' administrator and a JumpShip crew. The Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission determined that the mercenaries' actions were unwarranted and branded them rogue, placing bounties on the heads of every Vigilante.[3][4][5]

Bandits[edit]

Seeking to unite the disparate factions within his command, Colonel Vinson assaulted the capital of Antallos, Port Krin, and secured the city in May 3059. Internal power plays and outside enemies took their toll. Colonel Vinson clashed with his second-in-command, Major Dominique Madróve, hampering his attempts to expand his influence. Madróve advocated for reconciliation with the Inner Sphere, while Vinson simply wanted to become a bandit king.[4][5]

As the unit began to lose cohesion again, Vinson sought to repeat the unification that followed the conquest of Port Krin and led his forces against Vance Rezak and his Band of the Damned. Unknown to him, Clan Snow Raven conquered Rezak's Hole, leading Rezak to consolidate his power on Antallos. In 3065, matters came to a head. Rezak suborned two thirds of Vinson's command and easily defeated the remaining forces. Vinson led the remnants of his shattered command into retreat from Port Krin.[5]

Destruction[edit]

In November 3067 the Fifth Raven Wing Cluster made a short visit to Antallos, seeking to eliminate the Band of the Damned once and for all. Colonel Vinson attempted to use the opportunity to retake Port Krin, but the Ravens treated the Vigilantes like the pirates they had become. The Clan force destroyed all known pirates on the planet, including the former mercenary command.[6]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of Vinson's Vigilantes
Colonel Pada Vinson 3052 - 3067[7][8]

Other Officers[edit]

Tactics[edit]

The unit does not fight with any cohesive strategy.[4][5]

Support[edit]

At the time of the conquest, the Vigilantes were a short regiment with a small tech staff that could call upon three Overlord-class DropShips and one Invader-class JumpShip.[4] By 3067, a few techs and one DropShip were the only support left.[5]

Composition History[edit]

3050[edit]

Vinson's Vigilantes (Regiment/Green/Questionable)[7]

  • CO: Colonel Pada Vinson[7]
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Dromini VI.[7]

3059[edit]

Vinson's Vigilantes (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[8]

  • CO: Governor Colonel Pada Vinson[8]
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Antallos.[8]

3067[edit]

Notes[edit]

The unit contained medium to heavy units.[5]

Unit Scheme[edit]

Vinson's Vigilantes paint their machines in flat primers in protection against the elements of terrain due their scarcity of resources.[9]

References[edit]

  1. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 113: "Kempten"
  2. Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 117–118: "Radstadt"
  3. Objective Raids, p. 47: "Periphery States"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 91
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 63
  6. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 15: "The Price of Infamy"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 20 Year Update, p. 26
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 113
  9. Field Manual: Mercenaries, pg.91

Bibliography[edit]