Raging Horde

Raging Horde.png
Raging Horde
Affiliation Mercenary
Parent Command Independent


History

The Raging Horde is unique among mercenary units in that it was founded entirely by a group of ex-Clansmen - specifically, Elementals from several Invasion Clans, although the majority of the Raging Horde came from Clan Nova Cat. Claiming to follow the visions of their founder, a former Nova Cat named Calvin Moon, the Horde took several contracts across the Inner Sphere.[1]

The transition into being mercenaries was difficult for a number of members of the unit, as the Clans traditionally looked down upon professional soldiers; to help ease the transition and overcome the qualms of those in his unit, Jeremiah West encouraged the Raging Horde's members to maintain Clan customs and beliefs and thereby keep their Clan heritage alive. As a result leadership positions within the Raging Horde were decided by Clan-style Trials of Position; this was the route by which a number of personnel from Clan Nova Cat and Clan Diamond Shark joined the Raging Horde, and the explanation for the two co-leaders of the Raging Horde during the early years of the Jihad were members of these two Clans.[1][2]

Initially ill suited for the finer points of negotiating employment contracts, the Raging Hordes were reliant upon a lesser nobleman named Bartholemew Alexander, who sponsored the Raging Horde in exchange for a twenty percent management fee; despite his eccentricity, Alexander was able to assist the Raging Hordes in obtaining their first few contracts within the Inner Sphere. Those initial contracts saw the Raging Horde fight against Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Wolf, and the losses taken during those contracts saw the Raging Horde recruit its first personnel from the Inner Sphere — although only those who could pass the requisite Trials were permitted to join the Horde.[1][2] While Alexander's recommendation that the Horde recruit personnel from the Inner Sphere allowed the Horde to rebuild, it also proved a source of tension between those personnel from the Inner Sphere and those from the various Clans, with occasional conflicts flaring up even as late as 3067.[2]

The Raging Horde were serving on the Federated Suns world of Lindsay in 3066 when forces from the Taurian Concordat overran the world briefly as a part of the Taurian campaign to reclaim the Pleiades Cluster. When Alexander learned of the Taurian capture of Lindsay he promptly emptied the Raging Horde's bank account and fled Galatea, assuming the worst. When the Raging Horde escaped from Lindsay and learned of Alexander's actions they swore to enact vengeance against him, going so far as to sell two of their four Sassanid-class DropShips to finance their quest for revenge.[1][2]

The Horde's spokesperson, one Captain Caroline, subsequently conducted an interview with MercNet that generated both new notoriety for the unusual mercenary unit and an influx of experienced battle armor personnel — including several former Clansmen. The personnel influx gave the Raging Horde access to enough people to rebuild their losses and to expand; after six months of rebuilding the Raging Horde had increased in size to a full Cluster and began an intense twelve-month training period to acclimatise their new personnel to the Horde's customs and tactics.[1]

The Raging Horde returned to the mercenary market in June 3069, accepting a contract to conduct garrison and cadre training duties on Skye, which was still rebuilding after the brief war between the Lyran Alliance Bolan and Skye Provinces and the Free Worlds League. As an incentive, the Skye recruiters offered the location of Bartholomew Alexander; this generated a brief and heated discussion between Colonel Jeremiah West, Major Maine and their various subcommanders before the Raging Horde accepted the contract.[1]

As the Raging Horde assembled to transfer to Skye, the various Trinary commanders within the Horde conducted a bidding process for the honor of killing Alexander. The overall winner of the bidding process was Captain Jason Henne, who bid himself, unarmed; as a consequence, when the Horde acted on the intelligence given to them by the Skye government and traveled to Callisto V, Henne departed the ship alone to hunt for Alexander. Henne reportedly found Alexander but spared him when Alexander confessed to his crimes and requested surkai. Henne returned to the Horde's DropShips with two very large security cases containing the bulk of the Horde's misappropriated funds; Colonel West recognized Henne's success and his tact in completing the mission by formally adopting the Spheroid as a Clan warrior.[1]

The Raging Horde took advantage of a sweetener offered by Duchess Hermione Aten when accepting employment on Skye and as a result was one of the first mercenary units to purchase a number of Saxon APCs at a notable discount as a part of their employment contract.[3]

The Horde survived the Word of Blake Jihad, and, in 3151, accepted a contract with the newborn Alyina Mercantile League. Their knowledge of Clan and Inner Sphere tactics fitted the AML's needs perfectly.[4] The Horde saw action very shortly, when they were part of the AML's Trial of Possession for the planet Blackjack. They needed the planet's training facilities and cadets, and the local commander, Star Colonel Derek-Jaim Clees, agreed. The Horde's commander, Star Colonel Murchinson, played a key role in the bloodless trials, and the AML was victorious.[5]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Raging Horde
Colonel Calvin Moon 3067[2]
Colonel Jeremiah West 3072
Sta Colonel Murchinson 3151

Other Officers

Tactics

The Horde uses a fusion of traditional Inner Sphere and Clan anti-'Mech tactics, utilizing the various abilities of the different kinds of battle armor suits they employ.

Composition History

3067

Raging Horde (1 Cluster/Veteran/Questionable)

  • CO/Command Star: Colonel Calvin Moon
  • XO/Alpha Trinary: Major Roberto Maine
  • Omega Trinary: Captain Jason "Verlog" Henne
  • Gamma Trinary: Captain Caroline "Bulldog" MacIntosh
- At this point in time Omega and Gamma Trinaries were predominantly staffed with Inner Sphere personnel, while Alpha Trinary was still predominantly staffed with Clan personnel. Each Trinary was short approximately a Star, and while the unit was organized along Clan lines, each Star contained either five points of Clan battle armor or four points of Inner Sphere battle armor depending on the makeup of the Star. While the Elemental forces within the Raging Horde used a mix of Elemental battlesuits, the Spheroid troopers were equipped primarily with either Longinus or Infiltrator Mk. II suits.[2]

3072

Raging Horde (1 Cluster)

  • CO: Colonel Jeremiah West
  • XO: Major Roberto Maine

- The Horde fields a full five Trinaries of armored infantrymen, equally mixing troopers of Inner Sphere and Clan heritage in each Star.[1] The Clansmen use Elemental suits of various loadouts, while the Spheroids mostly use Longinus and Infiltrator Mk. II suits.

Surprisingly, the Horde has enough transport assets to mobilize the entire unit. Aside from a captured Invader-class JumpShip, they also field two Sassanid-class DropShips — the Slasher and the Pouncer — and a single Triumph-class DropShip, Stormbringer. Due to battle damage, however, the Slasher and Pouncer have had to refit their weapons bays with Inner Sphere equipment instead of their original, superior Clan loadout.[2] The Horde also fields a number of brand-new Saxon personnel carriers.[1]

Color Scheme

The Horde paints all of their battle armor in a red desert camouflage pattern.[6]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 97: "The Raging Horde"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 56: "Raging Horde: The Mongrel Huns"
  3. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 146: "Saxon APC"
  4. Tamar Rising p. 49
  5. Tamar Rising pp. 49–50
  6. Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 56

Bibliography