Editing Stone's Lament

{{Update Needed|[[Historical: Wars of the Republic Era]]|[[Operational Turning Points: Capellan Crusades]]|[[Legacy (Anthology)]]}}

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[File:Stones Lament logo.png|191px|Insignia of Stone's Lament]]
| Designation    = Stone's Lament
| formed         = 3072
| Disbanded      = 
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = 
| Affiliation    = Republic of The Sphere
| Parent Command = [[Stone's Brigade]]
| Sub-Command    = 
}}

'''Stone's Lament''' was the premiere military combat unit of the [[Republic Armed Forces]], originally formed as a force loyal to [[Devlin Stone]] himself.

== History ==
=== Origin ===
Stone's Lament was a military combat unit formed in the fires of Kittery's Resistance group in [[3072]],<ref name="JHS 3072p71">''Jihad Hot Spots 3072'', p. 71: "Kittery Freedom Fighters Advance"</ref> and possibly even earlier in 3071.<ref name="FM 3085p182">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 182: "Stone's Brigade"</ref> Members of the resistance force which was led by [[Devlin Stone]] breaking out of [[Word of Blake]] reeducation camp RBMU 105. Survivors of the resistance group, formed Stone's Lament, with [[Belle Lee]] as its commander.<ref name="M&Mp227+"/><ref name="JTPHIIp9/>

Stone's Lament pride themselves in having fought in the hardest and bloodiest battles in all wars waged by Devlin Stone.

{{quote|''Of all the hammers Stone swung, they were the biggest.''}}

=== 3074 ===
In July they landed on [[Skye]] and faced the Blakist [[Third Division (Word of Blake)|Third]] and [[Eighteenth Division (Word of Blake)|Eighteenth Divisions]].<ref name="TCp54">''Total Chaos'', p. 54</ref>

They were present when the Coalition landed on [[Hesperus II]] in [[3074]]. They fought alongside the warriors of [[Clan Wolf|Clan Wolf's]] [[Delta Galaxy (Clan Wolf)|Delta Galaxy]], pinning the [[Fortieth Shadow Division]] in place at Maria's Elegy.<ref>''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 9: "Combatants - Stone's Lament"</ref><ref name="JTP:HIIp15">''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 15: "Tracks - Swords And Heroes"</ref>

=== 3075 ===
Stone's Lament were directly involved in the battle for Ascella in December 3075. Forces from [[Clan Ghost Bear]] had already tried to liberate Ascella once and been thwarted by [[Word of Blake]] [[Pocket WarShip]]s, which had destroyed half of the Ghost Bear [[DropShip]]s as they burned towards the planet. Shortly after this, Devlin Stone and a small diplomatic party negotiated with the Ghost Bears, gaining their support for the coalition; the Ghost Bears in turn sent a party into the [[Outworlds Alliance]] to negotiate for support for the coalition from [[Clan Snow Raven]]. When the Snow Ravens agreed a second Ghost Bear task force struck at Ascella, this time with support from Snow Raven assets. This second strike hit Ascella at roughly the same time as an allied coalition force led by Stone and which included Stone's Lament. While the Ghost Bears fought a bitter two-week campaign against the [[Word of Blake]] Militia over the planetary spaceport and industrial complexes in the face of continued scorched earth tactics, Stone's Lament managed to capture both the planetary HPG compound and capital in just a week.<ref name="JHS:Tp19">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 19: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp55">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 55: "The Jihad in Review"</ref>

In November the Lament was on [[Yorii]] when they came across several former [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] warriors. These warriors were quickly relocated off-world.<ref name="JHS:Tp30">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 30: "Death Clan Rising"</ref>

=== 3076 ===
Stone's Lament participated in an invasion of [[Rochelle]]. One key contribution was its July deployment of an infantry squad, Captain [[Jared Travis]]'s Recon Squad Four, to investigate a Blakist installation. The installation turned out to be a tracking center for a [[Space Defense System]], whose power grid the squad overloaded. This allowed the Coalition fleet to land with minimal casualties.<ref name=TFoH>''The Fires of Hell''</ref>

=== 3077 ===
After the various battles to liberate [[Chara]] Major [[Nancy Smith]] of Stone's Lament reported that her battalion had at one point been assisted in breaking through the Blakist forces by [[Hauptmann]] [[Cassandra Lightfoot]] of the [[Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards]] and her company; despite having been dismissed by Major Smith as a Social General in the making with little grasp of tactics, Hauptman Lightfoot evidently used her company with considerable skill to breach the Blakist line and give the Lament a large hole to exploit.<ref name="FR:LAAFp3">''Field Report: LAAF'', p. 3: "Social-Killer"</ref>

In November the Lament and [[Stone's Stalwarts]] landed on [[Hall]]. There they were planning to assault when Private Bethany Barratt contacted the [[Word of Blake]] commander and persuaded him to surrender.<ref Name="JHS:Tp54">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 54: "Hall Surrenders Without a Shot"</ref>

=== 3078 ===
In [[3078]] the Lament was expanded to incorporate a fourth battalion, and Devlin Stone personally promoted [[Bethany Barratt]], then considered something of a hero, to command the battalion. This attracted a degree of criticism from Belle Lee, who apparently displayed a degree of personal dislike for Barratt, something supporters of Barratt portrayed as anything from petty jealousy to the stereotypical disdain MechWarriors held for most infantry personnel. Local press within the [[Duchy of Oriente]] presented Barratt's promotion as a reward for her actions during [[Operation SCOUR]], which not only included securing the surrender of [[Hall]] with minimal bloodshed but also leading her infantry unit as they prevented an assassination attempt on Stone's life by [[Manei Domini]] agents. The popular support for Barratt and her promotion was at least partly influenced by Barratt's personal history, which recorded her as having been born on [[Loeches]] but raised on [[Oriente]].<ref name="JHS:Tp79+">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 79: "Bethany Barratt: Oriente Hero"</ref>

In June the Lament arrived at [[New Home]] when the [[Forty-fifth Shadow Division]] and [[Forty-seventh Shadow Division]] arrived to reinforce the [[Forty-third Shadow Division]]. There they successfully held the Shadow Divisions in place until the ''[[Aegis]]''-class [[WarShip]] ''Promise'' could conduct an orbital bombardment. After half the Forty-seventh Shadow Division was destroyed by the orbital fire, the Lament smashed into them. Nine hours later the Blakist forces on New Home were destroyed.<ref name="JHS:Tp73+">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', pp. 73–74: "Victory at New Home"</ref>

On the 1st of August 3078 during the buildup to the attack on [[Terra]] several members of the Lament were interviewed by [[Nigel Holmgren]], with their interview transmitted across the [[Inner Sphere]] by [[INN]]. The three soldiers interviewed - [[Sergeant]] [[Kennon McDaniels]], [[Bryce Ruggieri]] and [[Vijay Jagadamma]] - had been members of the Lament since [[Kittery]] and [[Scituate]]; also interviewed briefly was one of the newer members of the unit, [[General]] [[Andrew Redburn]].<ref name="JHS:Tp93+">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', pp. 93–94: "Stone's Elite"</ref>

The Lament was used in the Eastern Task Force on Terra. This group faced some of the most determined Blakist resistance as it assaulted [[Hilton Head]]. After a brief fight, they withdrew.<ref name="TCp195+">''Total Chaos'', pp. 195–196: "The Campaign: 3068 - Terra"</ref> Eventually enough resources were diverted to take Hilton Head compound, and the task force moved west, into the North American continent.  On 27 August the Lament staged a midnight assault around Little Rock which resulted in the eventual liberation of that city.<ref name="TCp203+">''Total Chaos'', p. 203: "Suffrage of Saints"</ref> 19 December the Lament faced the forces that [[Precentor Martial of the Word of Blake|Precentor Martial]] [[Cameron St. Jamais]] had gathered outside [[Devils Tower]]. Devlin Stone and St. Jamais fought a duel, and Stone killed the Blakist. After that the remaining defenders began to surrender.<ref name="TCp197+">''Total Chaos'', pp. 197–198: "The Campaign: 3068 - Moon Maze"</ref>

=== Dark Age ===
After the Jihad ended, Stone's Lament fought the [[CCAF]] on several worlds. They served as the spearhead of the Republic forces that took [[Tikonov]] inflicting heavy losses on [[Warrior House Imarra]] and [[Warrior House Ijori]].<ref name="FM:3085p182+">''Field Manual: 3085'', pp. 182–183: "Stone's Brigade"</ref> They faced Warrior House Imarra on [[Liao]]<ref name="FM:3085p24">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 24: "Warrior House Orders - Warrior House Imarra"</ref> and forced the Capellan unit to withdraw. On [[Styk]] they inflicted heavy losses to [[Warrior House Dai Da Chi]] and [[Warrior House Tsang Xiao]], as well as on [[Laurel's Legion]].<ref name="FM:3085p27">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 27: "Citizens' Honored - Laurel's Legion"</ref>  In 3085 they were stationed on [[Terra]].<ref name="FM:3085p187"/>

In [[3131]] they raided [[Sarna]] and pinned the [[Prefectorate Guard]] in place. They forced the Capellan unit to withdraw.<ref name="TRO:3145CCp20">''Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation'', p. 20: "Pixiu Heavy Tank"</ref>

After the rise of [[Fortress Republic]] Stone's Lament focused on training and preparation for operations outside of the Fortress.<ref name="FM:3145p143">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 143</ref> They were still on Terra in 3145.<ref name="FM:3145p145"/>

==Officers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Rank
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Command
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of Stone's Defenders'''
|-
| [[General]]||[[Belle Lee]]||[[3072]] - [[3085]]<ref name="M&Mp227+">''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', pp. 227–228: "Devlin Stone/Belle Lee"</ref><ref name="TIoD">''The Inheritance of Duty'': "date extrapolated from her daughter-in-laws statement that she led the Lament for seventeen years"</ref><ref name="FM:3085p187">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 187: "RAF Deployment Table - 3085"</ref>
|-
| [[Brigadier General]]||[[Hardin McMasters]]||3085<ref name="FM:3085p187"/>
|-
| [[Exarch]]||[[Devlin Stone]]||[[3111]]<ref name="OTP:CCrp14">''Operational Turning Points: Capellan Crusades'', p. 14: "Combatants - Stone's Lament"</ref>
|-
| [[Brigadier General]]||[[Andrew Turner]]||[[3145]]-[[3151]]<ref name="FM:3145p145">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 145: "Republic Armed Forces - Stone's Brigade"</ref><ref name=HOTW5>''Hour of the Wolf'', ch. 5</ref>
|-
|}

===Other Unit's Officers===
* [[Major]] [[Geno Livatt]] in [[3078]].<ref>''Record Sheets: 3085 Print Edition'', p. 15 "Ad-Hoc Command Lance"</ref>

== Tactics ==
Unknown.

== Composition History ==
=== 3073 ===
Known Members:<ref name="TRO:3075p184">''Technical Readout: 3075'', p. 184: "AS7-D-H Atlas II"</ref>
* [[Devlin Stone]] - [[Atlas II| AS7-D-H ''Atlas II'']]
* [[David McKinnon]] - [[Black Knight|BLK-12-KNT ''Black Knight'']]
* [[Belle Lee]] - ''[[Victor]]''
* [[John Hopewell]] - (upgraded) ''[[Blackjack (BattleMech)|Blackjack]]''

=== 3085 ===
'''Stone's Lament''' (Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3085p187"/>
* CO: Brigadier General Hardin McMasters

'''First Lament Air''' ([[Wing (Military Unit)|Wing]])/Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3085p187"/>
* CO: [[Major]] Hideko Ganz

'''First Lament Armor''' (1 [[Battalion]]/Veteran/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3085p187"/>
* CO: Major Hilde Gulnes

'''First Lament Battle Armor''' (1 Battalion/Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3085p187"/>
* CO: Major Drenvar

=== 3111 ===
'''Stone's Lament''' (Elite)<ref name="OTP:CCrp14"/>
* CO: Exarch Devlin Stone

=== 3145 ===
'''Stone's Lament''' (Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3145p145"/>
* CO; Brigadier Andrew Turner

'''1st Lament Air Wing''' (Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3145p145"/>
* CO: Major Freda Simms

'''1st Lament Armor (1 Battalion/Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3145p145"/>
* CO: Major Juan Smith

'''1st Lament Battle Armor''' (1 Battalion/Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3145p145"/>
* CO: Major Preston Lee-White

== Notes ==
All members of Stone's Lament have a unit-tattoo on their biceps. Stone's Lament is such a legendary unit, that sometimes fakers show up, presenting such a tattoo and claiming being a former member. If real members of Stone's Lament stumble upon such a faker, they personally remove the fake tattoo via laser surgery &ndash; with a laser-pistol.<ref>''Ghost War'', p. 30</ref>

== Game Rules ==
<div class="gamerules">
=== 3074 ===
When commanded by Devlin Stone or Belle Lee, the Lament gains the [[Banking Initiative]] special ability and a +2 Initiative bonus when either is present on the battlefield. When rolling on Random Assignment Tables, the controlling player may add a +1 bonus when determining lance weight. Furthermore, for every four units played, the controlling player may roll one unit on any House RAT.<ref name="JTPHIIp9">''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 9: "Stone’s Lament [Mercenary–Coalition] (November 3074–December 3074)"</ref>

</div>
== References ==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Report: LAAF]]''
* ''[[The Fires of Hell]]'' (in: ''[[A Time of War]]'')
* ''[[Ghost War]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Hour of the Wolf]]''
* ''[[The Inheritance of Duty]]'' (short story)
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]''
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II]]''
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[Operational Turning Points: Capellan Crusades]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation]]''
* ''[[Total Chaos]]''

[[Category:Republic of the Sphere Commands|Stone's Lament]]