Sarah Weisz

Sarah Weisz
Character Profile
Also known as The Ghost
Affiliation Wolf's Dragoons
Rank Colonel
Profession MechWarrior
Children Karl Weisz

Sarah Weisz, nicknamed "The Ghost," was an officer in the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary company who commanded Delta Regiment for ten years.

History[edit]

Delta Regiment

Like most early members of Wolf's Dragoons, little is known of Sarah Weisz' early life. It may be assumed that she was born in the Clan Homeworlds and was almost certainly a Freebirth.

Taking Command[edit]

She held the rank of major in the Dragoons' Delta Regiment when mercenaries first came to the Inner Sphere, and served as the unit's second-in-command.[1] When Delta's commander, Colonel Travis King, was killed on New Aragon in 3008,[2][3] Weisz was promoted to command Delta upon its return to New Valencia, and began rebuilding the unit's morale.[1]

In March 3011, Weisz and Delta saw their first major action in service to the Capellan Confederation, defending Wallacia against the Free Worlds League. Employing the innovative tactics for which she became known, Delta Regiment successfully held off three Marik regiments with a mobile defense while Gamma and Epsilon Regiments raided the enemy's rear, destroying supplies and crippling transports. Although effective for a time, FWLM reinforcements soon forced the Dragoons to retreat. On Scarborough, the three Dragoon regiments again formed the centerpiece of the defending forces against the Marik invaders. Better prepared for the Dragoon tactics, the FWLM regiments forced the mercenaries into compromising positions. Weisz and Delta, alongside Epsilon, were pinned along the Fielder River. The situation was only rectified when Epsilon's Colonel Harold Jones linked up with Delta, and the two regiments formed an effective, if tight, perimeter. However with Gamma's position badly compromised, the Dragoons were again forced to retreat.[4]

The Marik offensive was finally halted on Shiro III, where several Dragoon units, including Delta, fought with distinction. It was on Shiro III that Weisz first became known as "The Ghost" for her hit-and-run tactics, with Delta and the Dragoons becoming feared among the Marik forces.[5]

Marik Civil War[edit]

In early 3014, Capellan Chancellor Maximilian Liao struck a deal with Duke Anton Marik, brother of Captain-General Janos Marik, to support Anton's bid for his brother's throne. As part of this agreement, Liao allowed the Dragoons to sign a contract with Anton Marik. On May 22 3014, Duke Anton made his claim, triggering the Marik Civil War. [6]

Delta Regiment was held in reserve through the opening months of the conflict, remaining based on New Delos from May through August of 3014.[7][8] In September, they were finally deployed to Sophie's World, alongside the Third Marik Militia and Epsilon Regiment. Defending the planet were the First Atrean Dragoons, the understrength Sixth Marik Militia, the mercenary Head Hunters and three conventional regiments. Janos Marik had hoped to use Sophie's World to blunt Anton's advance, while his brother simply deployed his reserves to take it while Task Force Eagle moved on. The rebels, who were in fact outnumbered, faced continuous hit-and-run attacks almost from the moment they arrived on Sophie's World, and the battle took much longer than Anton Marik may have hoped.[9] In October, Colonel Jaime Wolf diverted Alpha Regiment to draw the fighting on Sophie's World to a close. Weisz and Delta Regiment coordinated with the incoming Alphas, trapping the Atrean Dragoons between the two elite regiments. The loyalists, realizing the danger, attempted to break through Alpha to escape, only to face devastating fire from Major Kelly Yukinov and Alpha's Able Battalion. As they regrouped for another charge, Weisz and Delta pounced on the loyalists from behind, destroying the Atrean Dragoons and taking many prisoners. The remaining loyalist units quickly retreated off-world.[10][11] Overall casualties to Delta Regiment on Sophie's World were light.[8]

In November, Delta invaded Kyeinnisan. Facing no opposition, they took another world for the rebels.[8][12] December saw Weisz and Delta rotated to Emris IV alongside Epsilon Regiment, where in January 3015 they beat back a raid by the Second Fusiliers of Oriente, inflicting heavy losses on the loyalists. Losses to Delta were light.[8][13] Delta was briefly rotated back to New Delos in March[8] before joining Alpha, Beta and Gamma Regiments, as well as Zeta Battalion, Kerensky's Company and the Fire Support Group in April to drive the First and Second Regulan Hussars off McKenna. Heavy losses were inflicted on the retreating loyalists while the Dragoons took only light casualties.[13][14]

Despite their early successes, the conflict soon turned against the Rebels as the Loyalists rallied. When Duke Anton demanded that Wolf break up his forces to supplement Anton's troops, Wolf refused, citing their contract. In retaliation, Anton arrested Liaison Officer Joshua Wolf, Wolf's brother and second-in-command, and twenty-seven Dragoon dependents on New Delos, keeping them as hostages and demanding Wolf comply.[15][16]

Instead, Wolf led his forces back to attack New Delos en masse. The Dragoons, including Delta Regiment, fell upon Duke Anton's stronghold, despite the Duke's claims that Joshua Wolf and the other civilians had already been executed. Defending Duke Anton were surviving elements of the Eighteenth Marik Militia and the remains of the First, Second and the Fifth Ducal Guard. The Dragoons fought with unprecedented fury; with Delta assigned to secure the spaceport, where elements of the First Ducal Guard quickly began fleeing the planet. They were the only rebels to survive the apocalypse, as in three days the Dragoons completely destroyed Anton Marik's support base as well as the Duke himself. The war was effectively over.[16][17] Delta's losses on New Delos were moderate.[14]

In Service to Marik and the Hesperus Campaign[edit]

The Dragoons soon came into the employ of their former adversary, Captain-General Janos Marik. Weisz and Delta Regiment became prominent in these "cattle-raiding" years, engaging in a series of raids against House Steiner. In one such exchange in 3016, Delta and Beta Regiments attacked the world of Wyatt, defended by the elite Eleventh Lyran Guards and the Seventeenth Arcturan Guards. The Dragoons engaged the Lyrans in a deadly game of hide-and-seek, with Weisz once again demonstrating why she was called "the Ghost." Nevertheless, the Lyran defenders were familiar with their home terrain, and they soon had the Dragoons on the defensive. When the Dragoon DropShips landed to extract the two regiments, Lyran aerospace fighters plagued them on their descent, inflicting significant damage. One of Beta's DropShips was destroyed while lifting up, leading to the destruction of an entire battalion.[18]

In 3019, they would begin the boldest campaign of their history to that point: The capture of Hesperus II, home of Defiance Industries, the largest battlemech factory in existence which had held out successfully against twelve major campaigns to take or destroy it, and which was the foundation for the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces entire military industry. In a series of raids, the Dragoons made their way through Lyran space, keeping House Steiner off-guard with their seeming odd choice of targets.[19]

Unfortunately for the Dragoons, a spy in the Marik court had revealed to the Lyrans the Dragoons ultimate target.[20] Hesperus II had been reinforced, and the Dragoons now faced the Sixth, Fifteenth, and Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards, the Third Royal Guards and the mercenaries Hsien Hotheads and Hansen's Roughriders. The Thirteenth Battle for Hesperus would be a brutal campaign, as the Dragoons faced far greater opposition than predicted. Delta and Epsilon Regiments were initially held in reserve. When the three attacking regiments were scattered under heavy attack, Colonel Wolf was forced to call in half his reserves, ordering Colonel Weisz and Delta to drop behind the enemy formation. Heavy Aerospace resistance, however, led to the rendering of 20 percent of Delta's 'Mechs as combat ineffective before they even landed on-planet. Despite the damage, Weisz rallied her troops to attack the enemy's rear, buying the rest of the Dragoons time to regroup.[21]

The campaign did not go well for the Dragoons over the course of several days, as every drive towards the factories was inevitably driven back by the determined Lyran defenders. It was Natasha Kerensky, the Black Widow, who proposed a solution, using a narrow passage through the mountains called Tanda's Crossing that was only lightly defended to reach the factories.[22] Her Black Widow Company would form the tip of the Dragoon spear, with Delta and Epsilon Regiments following up. The beginning of the operation went well, as Delta and Epsilon drove a massive breach into the Lyran lines.[23] The Lyran commander realized the danger to the factories, and dispatched Hansen's Roughriders to stop the Dragoons. The Black Widow Company came into range of the Defiance Industries plant when they were attacked by the defending Roughriders. Badly outnumbered, the Widows were forced to retreat and not even the arrival of Delta and Epsilon could not dislodge the Roughriders, and within a few hours the Lyran lines had stabilized. Out of supplies and with major casualties, Wolf ordered a retreat, and the Dragoons were forced to return to Marik space.[24]

Retirement[edit]

In late 3020, shortly after Wolf's Dragoons entered the Lyran Commonwealth's service, Weisz elected to retire, much to the disappointment of her troops. At her suggestion, Major Kathleen Dumont was chosen to succeed her.[25]

Weisz continued to serve as an advisor after her retirement, and she helped develop the Home Guard to protect the Dragoon civilians after the Battle of Misery.[26]

Personality and Traits[edit]

Weisz was considered an excellent strategist and her innovative tactics helped Delta Regiment and the Dragoons survive the challenges of the Marik Civil War and the fighting on Hesperus II. She was held in the highest regard by her fellow officers and the troops under her command, and Colonel Wolf often trusted her with the most challenging assignments. She was beloved by the soldiers under her command, and her leadership saw Delta through the trying times following Colonel King's death.[26]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 13: Departure
  2. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 13: Death of Colonel King
  3. Making a Name
  4. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 15: Against the Eagle
  5. Wolf's Dragoons, pp. 15–16: The Eagle Fails
  6. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 17: Pact With Anton Marik
  7. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 35: Deployment Tables: Rebels (April - July 3014)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 37: Deployment Tables: Rebels (August - December 3014)
  9. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 23: Sophie's World
  10. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 19: Last Gasp
  11. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 24: Sophie's World
  12. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 27: Other Actions
  13. 13.0 13.1 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 31: Other Actions
  14. 14.0 14.1 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 39: Deployment Tables: Rebels (January - May 3015)
  15. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 19–20: Betrayal
  16. 16.0 16.1 Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 31–32: Final Mistake
  17. Wolf's Dragoons, pp. 19–20
  18. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 21: Hide and Seek
  19. Wolf's Dragoons, pp. 22–23: A Daring Plan
  20. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 23: Icebox
  21. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 24: Blood and Iron
  22. Wolf's Dragoons, pp. 24–25: River of Swords
  23. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 25: Widow's Crossing
  24. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 25: On the Verge of Victory
  25. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 27: In Service to Steiner
  26. 26.0 26.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 73: Delta Regiment Personalities

Bibliography[edit]