William MacLeod

William MacLeod
William MacLeod
Character Profile
Born 3005[1]
Affiliation Northwind Highlanders
Rank Colonel
Profession MechWarrior

William MacLeod was a colonel with the famed Northwind Highlanders mercenary unit and the commanding officer of MacLeod's Regiment.

History[edit]

In 3025, Major MacLeod was serving as the commanding officer of the Marion's Highlanders, First Battalion.[2]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

By the Fourth Succession War, MacLeod was a lieutenant in Marion's Highlanders. The unit suffered moderate casualties in a two-month campaign on Ningpo against the Third Davion Guards RCT before a truce between the units was negotiated. As a result, on 15 December 3028 Marion's Highlanders, like the other Highlander regiments, were allowed to lift off to reach their new home on Northwind.[3]

War of 3057 and independence[edit]

In 3057, Loren Jaffray, son of one of the Highlander families that had remained in the Capellan Confederation, arrived on Northwind with an offer from Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao: he would recognize the independence of the planet should the Highlanders leave the Federated Commonwealth's service. Matters came to a head when Operation GUERRERO was launched by the Confederation and the Free Worlds League, a major invasion of the Sarna March. This led to the secession of the Lyran Alliance.

MacLeod ordered those Highlander units protecting the Alliance/Clan border to return to Northwind, a decision that led to a minor rebellion among his own troops who wanted to stay in the employ of House Davion. The Battle of Northwind (3057) was a hard fight, and it worsened when the Third Royal Guards RCT landed on Northwind, seeking to ensure the Highlanders remained in the Federated Commonwealth's employ. With Jaffray's assistance, MacLeod was able to reunite the Highlanders, and with the timely arrival of Stirling's Fusiliers they were able to drive the Royals off the planet. Northwind was independent for the first time in centuries.[4]

Star League Reborn and Task Force Serpent[edit]

When the Star League was reborn in 3058 with the goal of fighting the Clans, the Highlanders were quick to sign up. MacLeod's Regiment was chosen to join Task Force Serpent, a group of elite Inner Sphere regiments with a mission to travel to Huntress, the homeworld of Clan Smoke Jaguar, as part of a Trial of Annihilation against that Clan. The mission was ultimately successful, though casualties among the Highlanders were extremely high.

Allied Mercenary Command and Jihad[edit]

In 3066, the Highlanders joined Jaime Wolf and Wolf's Dragoons in the Allied Mercenary Command, an alliance dedicated to stopping Word of Blake expansion in the Chaos March. The sudden death of several Clan Elders forced the Highlanders to activate escape clauses in their contracts to return to Northwind so they could participate in emergency elections. The Word of Blake seized the opportunity to blockade the system in 3067 and keep all of the Highlanders regiments on Northwind. What became of MacLeod during this time is unknown.

BattleMechs[edit]

As late as 3057, MacLeod was piloting a Gallowglas. He then switched to a Huron Warrior that was a gift from Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao. He was still piloting the Huron Warrior on Huntress with Task Force Serpent.

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Northwind Highlanders p. 48: "William MacLeod profile"
  2. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 79: "Marion's Highlanders"
  3. Warrior: Riposte, p. 269: "Tsen Shang comments that only Colonel Pavel Ridzik kept the McCormack's Fusiliers from avenging the destruction of Marion's Highlanders. The 3rd Davion Guards were named as unit that defeated them. But that was maybe misinformation as Marion's Highlanders clearly survived the war."
  4. Highlander Gambit

Bibliography[edit]