Quitman Brown
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Quitman Brown | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Affiliation | Lyran Commonwealth |
| Profile | |
| Rank | Leutnant-General[1] |
| Profession | MechWarrior |
Quitman Brown was an LCAF officer during the Clan Invasion, FedCom Civil War and Jihad.
History[edit]
Early Career[edit]
Brown sought to overcome his unfortunate first name early in his career, and gained a reputation for courage, even in the face of overwhelming odds. This served Brown well when, as a Kommandant, he took command of the 17th Donegal Guards during the battle for Skondia in 3044. When DCMS commandos killed the RCT command staff, Brown managed to keep his unit together as they withdrew.[1] The AFFC high command recognized his talent and by the time of the Clan Invasion, he had been promoted to lead the unit.[2]
When Clan Jade Falcon attacked the world of Jabuka, the Guards' command staff was once again targeted by headhunters, and Brown lost an arm, an eye and the ability to pilot a BattleMech. Unwilling to lead his RCT from a stationary headquarters, Brown had a BattleMaster fitted with a dual cockpit so he could stay mobile.[1]
Civil War[edit]
Stationed on Rasalgethi, a key world on the border of the Falcon OZ, Brown urged his fellow commanders to ignore the threat of factionalism that was dividing the LAAF and focus on the Clans. His counterpart in the 6th Lyran Guards, Leutnant-General Seth Alpert disagreed. Alpert was, officially, a jump infantry officer commanding an RCT, but rumors surrounding the enigmatic officer were true: he had spent most of his career as an agent of Loki.[3] Alpert's insistence that the 17th's neutrality was tantamount to treason led Brown to contact Pandora Theater CO General Walther Gothard personally to reiterate both his personal loyalty and that of his unit to both the Archon and the Alliance.
As flashpoints began erupting across the former Federated Commonwealth, Alpert's paranoia escalated. Brown realized conflict with the 6th Lyran was inevitable and launched into action. On December 14, 3062, Brown placed his most vocal Loyalist officers and NCOs in protective custody and took a battalion of 'Mechs and several conventional regiments out into the field. Alpert's troops lost track of them in the heavy storms that raged that night, but they reported activity on a firing range. In truth, Brown had sent his combat engineers to detonate explosives that simulated a firing exercise and instead crossed hundreds of kilometers to reach Alpert's headquarters. Another large component of the unit was sent to capture or disable the 6th Lyran's DropShips and aerospace fighters, which was an overwhelming success. Within minutes, the picket units were wiped out, but not before they could trigger an early warning.
Over the next several days, the 17th Donegal would trap the 6th Lyran within their base and grind them down while batting aside any attempt to break through their lines. When Alpert then fell back on his black ops training, Brown had anticipated that as well. Anticipating a headhunter attack, Brown decentralized his unit and kept key officers constantly on the move. Alpert's sabotage attacks, however, managed to generate enough confusion for the 6th to break through the 17th's lines and recapture their airbase. Brown still held the majority of the 6th's DropShips, though, preventing them from fleeing the planet.
By December 17, Brown's forces had once again boxed in the 6th and began a massive campaign of artillery bombardment to trap the surviving Lyran Guards in the subterranean bunker network they had sheltered in. The barrage continued nonstop until January 2, save for a two-hour pause on Christmas Day. At that point, Brown moved his units into the base, which had been completely levelled. He spent the next two weeks trying to storm the bunker through various entrances before opting to seal the remaining entrances until the 6th surrendered.[4]
Alpert refused to surrender, though, and Brown continued his bombardment through March. Whole companies began defying him to surrender to Brown in mid-March, and on the 22nd, Alpert's heavy-handed reprisals promoted a full-scale rebellion. Colonel Theodore Hess, the unit's acting CO, informed Brown that Alpert was under arrest and the unit was going to surrender to him en masse. Conflict on the world ended officially on March 24, 3063.[5]
Jihad[edit]
Brown was still commanding the unit when the Jihad erupted in 3067.[6] The 17th was destroyed by FWLM forces on Shiloh during Operation BROKEN FIST after a month of fighting. While half the unit was eventually repatriated following the truce, the other half were never heard from again. Brown was likely among the latter.[7]