Raymond Hempsted
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Raymond Hempsted | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Affiliation | Lyran Commonwealth |
| Profile | |
| Profession | General |
Raymond Hempsted was a Colonel and commanding officer of The Stealths in 2812.[1]
History[edit]
In 2812, the Lyran High Command, realizing that their military as a whole needed the guidance of the Stealths in their training more than they were needed in the field, disbanded the elite unit.[2]
In 2815 the Lyran Commonwealth received intelligence indicating that the garrison on Bella I was in flux, due to the Hussars beginning a precipitous return to their home bases in response to political issues within the League. In response, 12th and 14th Lyran Regulars were dispatched to recapture Bella I, this time under the command of Colonel Raymond Hempsted, following the demotion of Colonel Petru Hamlin following the debacle in 2813, the officer responsible for spending two years drilling the two regiments of Lyran Regulars in maneuver tactics and misdirection as well as commanding them on raids across the Lyran border.[3][2]
Hampstead struck at Bella I in March 2816, recapturing the world in just three weeks.[3] The FWLM response came a year later; in April 2817 an invasion force struck Bella I, while similar invasions were launched at Dixie and Ilion. The FWLM intent was to obliterate the defending forces on Bella I, and the three 'Mech regiments deployed to conquer the planet were escorted by the FWLS Histria Azure and a second Carrack, the FWLS Pretoria Castle, a converted fighter carrier transporting a complete wing of aerospace fighters.[4]
Colonel Hempsted was absent from Bella I at the time, having been summoned to Tharkad, but the defending forces were under the command of his second, Marcus Steiner - son of the Archon. In addition to the two experienced regiments of Regulars, the garrison had been reinforced with tactical nuclear ordnance transported by the Essex-class destroyer LCS Edelweiss, which was still on station in the Bella system; Colonel Steiner had placed most of the nuclear ordnance amongst the aerospace squadrons in place in the orbital stations above Bella I.[4]
The High Command then had Hempsted and other former Stealths coordinate the training of the ill-fated 54th Lyran Guards, a unit composed almost entirely of cadets straight out of the academy who had seen no combat. Though well trained, the High Command insisted on sending the 54th to invade Otho in the Draconis Combine, where they would engage a veteran DCMS unit unsupported. Despite Hempsted's repeated protests, the High Command chose to press on with this plan, only agreeing to allow some former members of the Stealths as aides. The attack was a disaster, and the entire regiment was lost. Hempsted was shortly promoted to Hauptmann General in charge of both the entire Kuritan front an of the training of new cadets.[2]
In 2826, now-General Hempsted re-formed the Stealths as a single company to rescue the Lyran freighter Chahar Profit that had been stranded in the Combine system of Darius. Despite averaging the age of 63, the unit pulled off the incredibly daring rescue operation.[1]