Difference between revisions of "Tara Lucas (31st c.)"

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On 28 November, just before shipping out with her battalion, Lucas visited Mac's bar, a famed Dragoon bar in Harlech. There she encountered Captain [[Jason Williamson]] of the [[Home Guard (Wolf's Dragoons)|Home Guard]], who was angry at not being included in the task force. She reminded him of his duty to protect Outreach while Zeta was away, then departed.<ref name=SOF-V7-36-TL-JW-1>''Shadows of Faith'', Volume 7, pp. 3-6, Lucas encounters Williamson at Mac's bar</ref>
 
On 28 November, just before shipping out with her battalion, Lucas visited Mac's bar, a famed Dragoon bar in Harlech. There she encountered Captain [[Jason Williamson]] of the [[Home Guard (Wolf's Dragoons)|Home Guard]], who was angry at not being included in the task force. She reminded him of his duty to protect Outreach while Zeta was away, then departed.<ref name=SOF-V7-36-TL-JW-1>''Shadows of Faith'', Volume 7, pp. 3-6, Lucas encounters Williamson at Mac's bar</ref>
  
On 7 December, [[Battle of Mars|Task Force Vengeance]] struck at the [[Terra]] system, targeting the Word of Blake bases on [[Mars]]. The assault was a complete disaster, as the Blakists' [[Space Defense System]]s totally overwhelmed the fleet.<ref name=SBWAB16-M-TV-1>''Starterbook: Wolf and Blake'', p. 16, "Death Ground", Task Force Vengeance is destroyed at Mars</ref> Only Zeta Battalion and elements of the [[Second Dismal Disinherited]] successfully reached the surface, with the ships and other ground forces being annihiliated in orbit.<ref name=TLDOZ3-2DD-2>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 3, the Second Dismal Disinherited reach the surface of Mars with Zeta Battalion</ref> By 9 December, the [[Dismal Disinherited]] forces had been wiped out. Lucas and Zeta Battalion engaged the [[7th Division (Word of Blake)|Seventh Division]] on the Chryse Planitia, on the approach to [[Koryo]], the headquarters of the Word of Blake's [[ROM]].<ref name=TLDOZ3-2DD-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 3, the Second Dismal Disinherited is destroyed</ref> Hopelessly outnumbered and facing orbital bombardment,<ref name=TLDOZ7-TL-OB-1-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 7, the Blakists use orbital bombardment against Zeta Battalion</ref> Lucas managed to slay [[Precentor|Precentor X]] [[Anna Friel]] during a feigned parley,<ref name=TLDOZ10-TL-AF-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 10, Tara Lucas kills Anna Friel</ref> then led a charge of Able Company towards Koryo's dome, only to face further attacks from orbit. Upon realizing they would never reach their objective, Lucas and her company double-backed to rejoin Zeta, destroying two 'Mech [[Level II]]s and several squads of [[Purifier Adaptive|Purifier]] [[battle armor]].<ref name=TLDOZ1417-TL-K-1-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', pp. 14-17, Lucas leads Able in a charge on Koryo</ref> When they reached the rest of Zeta, they found that  Colonel Jamison had been killed when the cockpit of his ''[[Stalker]]'' was breached.<ref name=TLDOZ1718-TL-JEJ-D-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', pp. 17-18, Colonel Jamison is killed, Tara Lucas takes command</ref> Taking command, Lucas led Zeta Battalion in its final charge against the Seventh Division, despite facing inevitable destruction.<ref name=TLDOZ1819-TL-ZB-A-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', pp. 18-19, Tara Lucas leads Zeta Battalion in its final charge</ref> Lucas was among those few prisoners taken on Mars, and by far the highest-ranking Dragoon captured by the Blakists during the Jihad.<ref name=SBWAB18-G-TL-1>''Starterbook: Wolf and Blake'', p. 18, "Ghosts", Tara Lucas was taken prisoner</ref>
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On 7 December, [[Battle of Mars|Task Force Vengeance]] struck at the [[Terra]] system, targeting the Word of Blake bases on [[Terra|Mars]]. The assault was a complete disaster, as the Blakists' [[Space Defense System]]s totally overwhelmed the fleet.<ref name=SBWAB16-M-TV-1>''Starterbook: Wolf and Blake'', p. 16, "Death Ground", Task Force Vengeance is destroyed at Mars</ref> Only Zeta Battalion and elements of the [[Second Dismal Disinherited]] successfully reached the surface, with the ships and other ground forces being annihiliated in orbit.<ref name=TLDOZ3-2DD-2>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 3, the Second Dismal Disinherited reach the surface of Mars with Zeta Battalion</ref> By 9 December, the [[Dismal Disinherited]] forces had been wiped out. Lucas and Zeta Battalion engaged the [[7th Division (Word of Blake)|Seventh Division]] on the Chryse Planitia, on the approach to [[Koryo]], the headquarters of the Word of Blake's [[ROM]].<ref name=TLDOZ3-2DD-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 3, the Second Dismal Disinherited is destroyed</ref> Hopelessly outnumbered and facing orbital bombardment,<ref name=TLDOZ7-TL-OB-1-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 7, the Blakists use orbital bombardment against Zeta Battalion</ref> Lucas managed to slay [[Precentor|Precentor X]] [[Anna Friel]] during a feigned parley,<ref name=TLDOZ10-TL-AF-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', p. 10, Tara Lucas kills Anna Friel</ref> then led a charge of Able Company towards Koryo's dome, only to face further attacks from orbit. Upon realizing they would never reach their objective, Lucas and her company double-backed to rejoin Zeta, destroying two 'Mech [[Level II]]s and several squads of [[Purifier Adaptive|Purifier]] [[battle armor]].<ref name=TLDOZ1417-TL-K-1-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', pp. 14-17, Lucas leads Able in a charge on Koryo</ref> When they reached the rest of Zeta, they found that  Colonel Jamison had been killed when the cockpit of his ''[[Stalker]]'' was breached.<ref name=TLDOZ1718-TL-JEJ-D-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', pp. 17-18, Colonel Jamison is killed, Tara Lucas takes command</ref> Taking command, Lucas led Zeta Battalion in its final charge against the Seventh Division, despite facing inevitable destruction.<ref name=TLDOZ1819-TL-ZB-A-1>''Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta'', pp. 18-19, Tara Lucas leads Zeta Battalion in its final charge</ref> Lucas was among those few prisoners taken on Mars, and by far the highest-ranking Dragoon captured by the Blakists during the Jihad.<ref name=SBWAB18-G-TL-1>''Starterbook: Wolf and Blake'', p. 18, "Ghosts", Tara Lucas was taken prisoner</ref>
  
 
===Return to Outreach===
 
===Return to Outreach===

Revision as of 22:05, 13 August 2016

Tara Lucas was an officer in the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary command who served in Zeta Battalion. She later became a leader in the Outreach resistance to the Word of Blake during the Jihad.

Personal History

Early Life and Career

Lucas was at least a third-generation Dragoon, the namesake and granddaughter of Captain Tara Lucas who had served with distinction in Zeta Battalion up through the Fourth Succession War.[1][2]

Colonel J. Elliot Jamison, Zeta's commander and one of the longest serving Dragoons, mentored the young Lucas, and she heared many stories about the legendary officer from her grandmother. After the Dragoon Civil War in 3055, Zeta was reorganized along the lines of a Clan Cluster, equipped entirely with heavy and assault Clan OmniMechs. Lucas had command of Able Trinary, and held the rank of Captain. It was said that only her respect for Jamison led her decline an opportunity to challenge him for leadership.[3]

First Harlech and Mars

By 3067, Lucas had been promoted (or tested) to Major as Jamison's second-in-command. Jamison was actively grooming Lucas to take command when he retired. Indeed, Lucas was considered the top 'Mech ace in Zeta, with almost "unnaturally good" reflexes.[4]

On 15 October, 3067, Blakist-sponsored mercenaries launched an all-out assault on the Dragoons in their headquarters of Harlech City, the capital of their homeworld of Outreach. Although the turncoat mercenaries were eventually crushed, First Harlech devastated Harlech City, resulted in the death of Jaime Wolf and severely damaged several Dragoon commands. Due to their losses, Zeta Battalion was forced to reorganize into Company-sized units, with Lucas commanding Able Company.[5] A reprisal was planned by the Allied Mercenary Command, with Zeta being among those units included.

On 28 November, just before shipping out with her battalion, Lucas visited Mac's bar, a famed Dragoon bar in Harlech. There she encountered Captain Jason Williamson of the Home Guard, who was angry at not being included in the task force. She reminded him of his duty to protect Outreach while Zeta was away, then departed.[6]

On 7 December, Task Force Vengeance struck at the Terra system, targeting the Word of Blake bases on Mars. The assault was a complete disaster, as the Blakists' Space Defense Systems totally overwhelmed the fleet.[7] Only Zeta Battalion and elements of the Second Dismal Disinherited successfully reached the surface, with the ships and other ground forces being annihiliated in orbit.[8] By 9 December, the Dismal Disinherited forces had been wiped out. Lucas and Zeta Battalion engaged the Seventh Division on the Chryse Planitia, on the approach to Koryo, the headquarters of the Word of Blake's ROM.[9] Hopelessly outnumbered and facing orbital bombardment,[10] Lucas managed to slay Precentor X Anna Friel during a feigned parley,[11] then led a charge of Able Company towards Koryo's dome, only to face further attacks from orbit. Upon realizing they would never reach their objective, Lucas and her company double-backed to rejoin Zeta, destroying two 'Mech Level IIs and several squads of Purifier battle armor.[12] When they reached the rest of Zeta, they found that Colonel Jamison had been killed when the cockpit of his Stalker was breached.[13] Taking command, Lucas led Zeta Battalion in its final charge against the Seventh Division, despite facing inevitable destruction.[14] Lucas was among those few prisoners taken on Mars, and by far the highest-ranking Dragoon captured by the Blakists during the Jihad.[15]

Return to Outreach

After two years of interrogation and torture, Lucas was brought back to Outreach, and was paraded through the ruins of Harlech by elements of the Blakist' Outreach Protectorate Militia. Lucas was displayed in a cage on top of a BattleMech Recovery Vehicle as part of a convoy in an effort to flush out any surviving Dragoon resistance forces.[16][17] On 27 October, the remnants of the Dragoons' Elemental Strike Cluster, led by Major Elson Novacat, attacked. The Dragoons were well aware that the convoy was a trap, but despite being down to two Stars of Elementals, they were highly motivated, as Novacat believed Lucas' abilities would be vital to the resistance.[18][19][20][21] The Blakists sprung their trap, as dozens of Purifiers emerged from the accompanying Bulldog trucks. These were joined by a Panther 'Mech, which had not been part of the convoy.[22][23] Despite the odds against them, the Dragoons successfully rescued Major Lucas, completely destroying the Militia forces who were holding her.[24][25][26][27] Lucas, meanwhile, was suffering from extreme post-traumatic stress syndrome despite her rescue, and at times was nearly catatonic.[28][29] Novacat spent weeks restoring Lucas' confidence, and Lucas emerged with a burning desire for vengeance.[30]

Resistance Leader

In March 3070, Lucas took command of the resistance after Novacat's death in combat.[31] By April, she and had expanded the force to include survivors of other units, including 'Mechs, vehicles and even a few Aerospace fighters. The group, now calling itself the Ghosts, was now operating out of New Wyatt, and was at around a battalion in strength.[32][33] Most of their operations were small unit strikes against the Broadsword Legion, the Blakist mercenary command that had turned on the Dragoons during Second Harlech. Examples of their operations included interfering with a salvage recovery effort near Hutchinson Pass,[34] and deploying her Aerospace assets to crush the Legion's attempts to form a new squadron.[35] During another operation, the Ghosts discovered Wannamaker's Widowmakers, the other major Word of Blake employed force on planet, was attempting to access the computer nodes from the ruins of Blackwell Corporation facilities.[36]

In September 3070, Lucas met with Captain Stacy Church of the new Black Widow Company, which had been sent to Outreach by General Maeve Wolf and was operating another Dragoon resistance cell. It was only now that Lucas learned that General Maeve Wolf was still alive, as were many other Dragoons, recovering on Arc-Royal. Although the two exchanged information, things became tense when Lucas attempted to direct Church towards specific targets, as the Widows were an independent company. Nevertheless, the two groups were ultimately able to work together, despite Lucas' regarding Church as an "upstart".[37][38][39] For the next nine months, the two resistance forces fought an effective campaign against the Broadsword Legion. The Ghosts repeatedly ambushed detachments of the Legion, destroying them piecemeal. In April 3071, the Widows lured the Legion into a Ghost ambush, and the two forces utterly destroyed the Blakist force, though their commander, Kari Marita, escaped.[40]

With most of the continent of Romulus now under their control, the Dragoons now turned their attention to Remus, once their exclusive home. In November 3071, Peter Whitehorse and the Seventh Kommando requested assistance dealing with the Widowmakers, still active in the Outback. The Widowmakers had been rounding up Dragoon dependents and civilians in an attempt to cow resistance on Remus, and the Kommandos needed help to free them. Lucas was initially resistant, but was persuaded when most of the Ghosts were determined to go with Church and the Widows. Whitehorse provided them with transport in the form of the Tiberius, an old Star League transport submarine.[41] During a preliminary operation, elements of the Ghosts attempted to take out Colonel Cheryl Wannamaker, the Widowmakers' commander.[42] The Widows lured the bulk of the Widowmakers away from their base while the Ghosts and Kommandos attacked. They successfully captured four DropShips and freed the prisoners, though Tara Lucas was seriously injured, and was even believed to be killed.[43][44]

The Four Horsemen

The reports of her death were apparently mistaken, as Lucas resumed command of the remaining resistance sometime after the Black Widows departed Outreach in January 3072, renaming the cell the Four Horsemen.[45] Her survival was apparently confirmed by Word of Blake ROM itself in a Manei Domini missive in 3073 from Apollyon to Berith, where Lucas is named to a list of priority targets. Lucas is described as "an escaped convict. She is wanted for crimes against the Protectorate. Eliminate with extreme prejudice. She is considered armed and extremely dangerous." [46] As time wore on, the dwindling resistance forces continued to ware down the remaining Widowmakers, who had been effectively abandoned by Word of Blake. With resistance to their Jihad increasing, the Blakists were unwilling to deploy more troops to root out resistance on a world that had been so entirely savaged.[47][48] Lucas' survival was apparently not common knowledge, as such news agencies as ISNS still presumed that she had been killed in 3071 as had originally been reported.[49]

Outreach was finally liberated in 3077 by Stone's Coalition.[50]

The exact nature of Tara Lucas' death has not been chronicled.

BattleMechs

Tara Lucas piloted a Masakari for much of her later career up to Zeta Battalion's destruction on Mars. Lucas' personal variant took the Primary Warhawk and removed the LRM-10 in favor of additional Double Heat Sinks.[51] It is implied that during First Harlech, Lucas may have briefly piloted an old Annihilator taken out of mothballs, though she never actually verified this.[52] It is further implied that Lucas piloted a different 'Mech when she was leading the resistance back on Outreach, but this is thus far unchronicled.

Personality and Traits

During her career with Zeta Battalion, Lucas was considered a brilliant MechWarrior, even by Dragoon standards. Her reflexes in battle often left her fellow warriors in awe. Considered a "bright and exceptional leader", Colonel Jamison's confidence in her as his eventual successor speaks volumes about her abilities as an officer. Even as late as the fighting on Mars, Lucas' personal ability was on full display, as she accounted for many 'Mech kills despite the odds facing the Dragoons.[3][4][53] After her rescue and rehabilitation by Elson Novacat, she became an avatar of vengeance, hell bent on forging the resistance movement into a weapon to inflict pain against the Word of Blake.[30] Eventually, she began to show signs of mental instability, though this did not seem to impair her ability to harry the Word of Blake mercenaries.[47]

Quotations

Give them hell
No, They don't get off that easy.
  — Major Tara Lucas to Captain Jason Williamson, 28 November, 3067[6]

Notes

References

  1. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, 4,5,6,13, Tara's inner monologue refers at length to her grandmother and namesake
  2. Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook), p. 99, "Zeta Battalion Personalities", description of the original Tara Lucas
  3. 3.0 3.1 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 104, "Officers", Tara Lucas' description
  4. 4.0 4.1 Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised, p. 120, "Officers", Tara Lucas' skills, Jamison grooming efforts
  5. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, p. 2, Zeta reorganizes into companies, Lucas commands Able Company
  6. 6.0 6.1 Shadows of Faith, Volume 7, pp. 3-6, Lucas encounters Williamson at Mac's bar Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "SOF-V7-36-TL-JW-1" defined multiple times with different content
  7. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 16, "Death Ground", Task Force Vengeance is destroyed at Mars
  8. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, p. 3, the Second Dismal Disinherited reach the surface of Mars with Zeta Battalion
  9. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, p. 3, the Second Dismal Disinherited is destroyed
  10. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, p. 7, the Blakists use orbital bombardment against Zeta Battalion
  11. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, p. 10, Tara Lucas kills Anna Friel
  12. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, pp. 14-17, Lucas leads Able in a charge on Koryo
  13. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, pp. 17-18, Colonel Jamison is killed, Tara Lucas takes command
  14. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, pp. 18-19, Tara Lucas leads Zeta Battalion in its final charge
  15. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "Ghosts", Tara Lucas was taken prisoner
  16. Total Chaos, p. 81, "Defender", the Outreach Protectorate Militia parades Lucas through Harlech
  17. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "Ghosts", Tara Lucas is paraded through Harlech
  18. Total Chaos, p. 81, "Liberation", Elson Novacat decides to rescue Tara Lucas
  19. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "Ghosts", the Toads from Hell took the bait
  20. Night Terrors, p. 2, 27 October 3069 date given for the Tara Lucas rescue
  21. Night Terrors, p. 7, the Toads from Hell are down to a binary
  22. Night Terrors, pp. 8-9, the Purifiers launch their ambush
  23. Night Terrors, p. 11, a Panther joins in the ambush
  24. Total Chaos, p. 41, "Outreach", Elson Novacat and his resistance movement rescue Tara Lucas
  25. Total Chaos, p. 82, "Aftermath", Novacat describes the battle
  26. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "Ghosts", Lucas is rescued
  27. Night Terrors, pp. 14-15, Tara Lucas is rescued
  28. Total Chaos, p. 82, "Aftermath", Novacat describes Lucas' condition
  29. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "Ghosts", Lucas suffers from the effects of her imprisonment
  30. 30.0 30.1 Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "Ghosts", Tara Lucas recovers with Novacat's help
  31. Total Chaos, p. 42, "Outreach", Elson Novacat is killed in March 3070, Lucas takes command
  32. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "Painful Reminders", Tara Lucas takes command of the new Ghosts
  33. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 26, "Mechwarrior Profile", Tara Lucas shifts the Ghosts from Elemental-based warfare to 'Mech-based warfare
  34. Scenario: Return of the Wolves: Rebellion - Salvage, details from Tara Lucas' journal
  35. Scenario: Return of the Wolves: Rebellion - Furball, details from Tara Lucas' journal
  36. Scenario: Return of the Wolves: Rebellion - Data Mining, details from Tara Lucas' journal
  37. Total Chaos, p. 42, "Outreach", Tara Lucas begins coordinating with Stacy Church and her Black Widow Company
  38. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 18, "A Meeting", Tara Lucas meets with Stacy Church
  39. Scenario: Return of the Wolves: Rebellion - Arrival, details from Tara Lucas' journal
  40. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, pp. 18-19, "A Meeting", the Black Widows and the Ghosts destroy the Broadsword Legion in an ambush
  41. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 19, "Turning back the Tide", Tara Lucas is persuaded to join the attack on the Widowmakers
  42. Scenario: Return of the Wolves: Rebellion - Ghosts, details from Tara Lucas' journal
  43. Total Chaos, p. 42, "Outreach", Tara Lucas is injured when the Dragoons rescue their civilian dependents
  44. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 19, "Breakout", Tara Lucas is believed killed in the operation against the Widowmakers
  45. Total Chaos, p. 42, "Outreach", Tara Lucas recovers from her injuries, renames the resistance The Four Horsemen
  46. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 39, "PRIORITY ALPHA-OMICRON-RHO", Tara Lucas is named as a target circa 3073
  47. 47.0 47.1 Total Chaos, p. 42, "Outreach", Lucas terrorizes the Widowmakers
  48. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 53, "Outreach Freed", the Four Horsemen, led by Lucas, inflict severe casualties on the Widowmakers
  49. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 53, "Outreach Freed", Tara Lucas is still presumed to have been killed in 3071 by ISNS
  50. Total Chaos, p. 41, "Outreach", Outreach is liberated by the Coalition
  51. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, p. 2, Tara Lucas pilots a Masakari on Mars, custom variant
  52. Shadows of Faith, Volume 7, p. 5, Tara Lucas doesn't deny piloting the Annihilator
  53. Tales of the Jihad: the Last Day of Zeta, pp. 2-19, Lucas' records many kills on Mars before being captured

Bibliography