The Arcadians

Revision as of 07:19, 15 December 2017 by Nuclear-Fridge (talk | contribs) (→‎Composition History: Removed Superfluous links)

You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.
Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field The Arcadians were an unregistered, Federated Suns-affiliated, mercenary BattleMech regiment. The regiment later grew to be a combined-arms unit similar to an AFFS Regimental Combat Team. Template:InfoBoxMercUnit

Unit Insignia

Their insignia was a crossed sword and lightning bolt on a gold shield.[1]

History

Formation

The unit was formed in 3042 by twenty senior field-grade officers from the AFFS military. These officers wanted to take advantage of the Federated Commonwealth's re-organization of its military in wake of the War of 3039. At the time, a number of regiments within the Federated Suns were being demobilized and both officers and senior NCOs were regularly retiring or being cut as a part of this reorganization. Seeing a potential opportunity, the twenty officers involved in founding the Arcadians quietly began recruiting personnel from within the ranks of the AFFS before retiring, cashing in their pensions and retirement funds and forming an independent command.[1]

The founding officers had sufficient funds to purchase a regiment's worth of BattleMechs, most of which were older, Succession War-era technology intended to be scrapped or mothballed. Their quiet recruiting work prior to retiring left them able to fill all the ranks for their new unit with retired and recently-discharged personnel from the AFFS military. [1]

Early Contracts

Using contacts accumulated during a lifetime of military service with the AFFS, the Arcadians were able to acquire contracts protecting a number of major private military supplier complexes. This work gave the unit ready access to steady income, lostech advances, and time to upgrade their equipment. These contracts, interspersed with garrison work and occasional raiding missions, has kept the unit’s military skills sharp.[1]

Service to the Federated Commonwealth

The Federated Commonwealth took over the Arcadian's contract in the wake of the Clan Invasion of 3050. The unit was deployed initially as a garrison force on the Capellan border to free up regular AFFC units for re-deployment to face the Clans. In 3052 the unit absorbed the demobilized AFFS 8843rd Armored Regiment into its ranks.[2] This together with the formation of the 1st Arcadian Air Wing enabled the unit to become a Regimental Combat Team.

The Arcadians were rotated to the Clan border in 3056 where they would remain for the next five years.[3] The unit was then deployed into the St. Ives Compact and were almost immediately involved in the Capellan Confederation invasion in 3061.[4] The unit remained in the Compact throughout the fighting until it victory was achieved. They were then redeployed amongst the first wave of the Federated Commonwealth Civil War in 3063 as part of a strategic operation against Talcott. Here the Arcadians safeguarded the GM production facilities on behalf of Duke George Hasek[1].[5]

After the war ended in 3067 the unit was deployed to Acamar to defend the planet from possible Capellan raids. By this time the unit had upgraded a considerable amount of its equipment. The unit had bolstered itself up to 126 BattleMechs including a number of Avatar and Sunder OmniMechs. The Arcadians also purchased an entire company of Arrow IV-equipped Demolisher tanks to outfit the 8843rd Armored Regiment, enhancing its artillery abilities. In addition they were presented with a company of Battle Armor and a pair of the new Templar Assault Class OmniMechs by Duke Hasek.[1]

Operation Sovereign Justice

In 3068, Duke Hasek had the Arcadians conduct a diversionary raid as part of Operation: Sovereign Justice, his invasion of the St. Ives Commonality and Capellan Confederation. This raid turned into a full invasion of the Capellan world of Ningpo but subsequently went terribly wrong when the Arcadians encountered Hell's Black Aces, an elite AeroSpace mercenary regiment contracted to House Liao. The Arcadian's Aerospace Wing took severe damage from the Black Aces while the Arcadian ground forces landed near an armor-sheet factory. As the Arcadians approached their objective they were intercepted by the 1st Taurian Lancers; the outnumbered Lancers tore into the Arcadians. The ferocity of the Taurians' attack, likely fueled by their prejudice against units of Federated Suns origin, left the Arcadians reeling. Although the Arcadians' cavalry squadron succeeded in flanking the Lancers, the unit was demolished in turn by attack runs from Hell's Black Aces. The damage inflicted by both the Taurian Lancers and the Black Aces inflicted upwards of 60% losses on the beleaguered Arcadians unit in a mere 24 hours. The Arcadians were forced to conduct a fighting withdrawal from the planet, losing their DropShip the Dark Star, and its remaining fighter compliment in the process.[6] The surviving members of the Arcadian Air Wing began to suffer from severe demoralization, robbing them of the fearless spirit they once possessed.[7]

Acamar And The Thirst for Revenge

By July 3068, the Arcadians had returned to their base on Acamar and started to work on rebuilding their heavily damaged regiments. During this time the government of Acamar was secretly negotiating with the Word of Blake about possibly joining their growing Protectorate. In August the government made a formal announcement that the Arcadians had two choices: terminate their contract with the Federated Suns and sign up with the Protectorate or pack up and leave Acamar immediately with the promise of being unmolested if they did so. Colonel Andrews sent an HPG message to New Avalon and New Syrtis requesting confirmation of the situation; what the Arcadian commander did not realize was that the Blakists were already in control of Acamar’s Hyper Pulse Generator station. Word of Blake forces on planet moved in, forcing the Arcadians into a fighting withdrawal. Unable to find enough transportation for all of their equipment, the Arcadians were forced to abandon the vehicles of their entire 8843rd Armored Regiment and its 3rd BattleMech Battalion.

After withdrawing from Acamar, the Colonel managed to use his old corporate connections to rebuild his unit on Ronel. As the unit rebuilt, Colonel Andrews dispatched a liaison team to offer the Arcadians' services to the Allied Mercenary Command. The Arcadians set their sights on liberating Acamar from the grip of the Blakist forces and getting a decent paycheck as well.[8]

Destruction

The Arcadians were destroyed by Word of Blake forces after being lured into a trap in 3075. There were no known survivors.[9] The Arcadians were one of many mercenary units within the Allied Mercenary Command to be destroyed by the Word of Blake during the Jihad.[10]

Officers

As of 3067, the Overall Commanding Officer was Brigadier Michael Penne. Commanding Officer of field operations was Colonel Bradley Andrews.[1]

Dragoon Ratings

3067

Dragoon Rating: Unrated

3071

Dragoon Rating: Not Registered

Tactics

3042 to 3068

The unit trained in traditional AFFS-style combined-arms fighting and was able to conduct unsupported battles. The unit preferred to first engage at range and whittle the enemy down before cavalry forces would flank the damaged opposition and deliver the final blow. [1]

3071

The Arcadians had to change their tactics following the loss of their artillery and the majority of their Air Wing on Ningpo. The unit resorted to close-in fighting instead of ranged combat while still using combined-arms tactics when they could.

Composition History

3042

The Arcadians (BattleMech Regiment)

3052

  • The Arcadians (BattleMech Regiment)
  • 8843rd Armored Regiment - (Armor Regiment)

3067

  • The Arcadians (Reinforced BattleMech Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)
    • CO: Colonel Bradley Andrews
    • XO: Lt. Colonel Willard Estevez
  • 1st Arcadian Air Wing (Reinforced Wing/Regular/Fanatical)
  • 8843rd Armored Regiment (Reinforced Armor Regiment)
    • CO: Lt. Colonel August Prentiss

In 3067 the Air Wing consisted mostly of Stukas, Transgressors and Eagles. The 8843rd Armored Regiment consisted of a cavalry squadron and two heavy battalions plus an attached mechanized infantry battalion which included a company of battle armor. The BattleMech regiment could muster 126 'Mechs at this point in time, most of which were of modern construction; the Arcadians were noted as not only fielding a number of Avatar and Sunder 'Mechs, but as also having been given two Templar OmniMechs by Duke Hasek.[1]

3071

  • The Arcadians (2 BattleMech Battalions)
    • CO: Colonel Bradley Andrews
  • 1st Arcadian Air Wing (2 Air Lances)
    • CO: Lt. Colonel Kelli Winston

Support

As of 3067, the unit contracted two JumpShips to transport their entire force to its various locations. It also had enough DropShips to move all of the ground regiments and the Air Wing.[1]

As of 3071, the Arcadians had been reduced to four DropShips transporting its two battalions of 'Mechs.

Notes

The specific number of DropShips, JumpShips, and other surviving equipment prior to the unit’s destruction in the Jihad is unclear. The unit entry in the Field Manual: Mercenaries (Revised) does not specify the unit’s transport assets and the Mercenaries Supplemental Update gave little detail on the status or types of the equipment left prior to the Arcadian’s destruction.

The Arcadians are not mentioned in the 20 Year Update. This may be explained retrospectively through the Arcadians predominantly being hired by defense companies, rather than the Federated Commonwealth, for the majority of its existence up until the Clan invasion.

Rules

Game Rules

Field Manual: Mercenaries (Revised) - Force Specific Rules

Mercenaries Supplemental Update - Force Specific Rules

  • A player using the Arcadians may choose to roll on the "B" column of the Field Manual: Federated Suns Random Assignment Table or to roll on the "A" column of the Field Manual: Updates Random Assignment Table when generating equipment. The Arcadians may also use off-map movement.[12]
  • Due to their humiliating defeat on Ningpo at the hands of the Hell's Black Aces, the 1st Arcadian Air Wing suffers a -2 penalty to its initiative.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Field Manual: Mercenaries (Revised), p. 39
  2. ↑ Field Manual: Mercenaries (Revised), p. 39 - "8843rd Armored Regiment information".
  3. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 39 - "The Arcadians original profile" - Unit stationed St. Ives Compact in 3061, prior stationed they were stationed Clan Borders for 5 years.
  4. ↑ Field Manual: Capellan Confederation, p. 16 - St. Ives Conflict & Capellan Civil War articles. Start actual Liao invasion (not peacekeepers) in 3061.
  5. ↑ Federated Commonwealth Civil War, p. 183.
  6. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 25 - "Arcadians' failed raid on Ningpo in spring of 3068".
  7. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 25 - "First Arcadia Air Wing" - Pilots suffer from severe demoralization, making them more timid.
  8. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 25 - "Arcadians forced off Acamar and plot liberation of planet".
  9. ↑ Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 47 - "The Arcadians fall victim to a well-orchestrated trap in 3075 that destroyed the unit with no known survivors".
  10. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 119, "Allied Mercenary Command"
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Field Manual: Mercenaries Revised, p. 128
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 123

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://www.sarna.net/wiki/index.php?title=The_Arcadians&oldid=452502"