Bruce Langmuir

Bruce Langmuir
Character Profile
Died April 2578
Affiliation Star League
Rank Major

Bruce Langmuir was an officer in the Star League Defense Force.

History[edit]

In 2575, Bruce Langmuir held the rank of Major and was serving as the commander of the SLDF detachment at Camp Cameron, a small base located in the Rhodes Province of Apollo, the capital world of the Rim Worlds Republic. Camp Cameron had been constructed in 2573 and held a contingent of some forty MechWarriors and their equipment plus other personnel drawn from various trades such as the Engineers. The Camp was well-fortified and well-stocked, and the SLDF cadre stationed there had been making good progress at building a positive relationship with the local community.[1]

When the Rim Worlds Republic Civil War erupted in 2575, Langmuir found himself suddenly surrounded by hostile natives. Agitators within the RRA had been at work, and while not directly advocating violence against the SLDF, these agitators had been encouraging people to take a stand against those they considered invaders - particularly foreign troops on Republic soil. Those at Camp Cameron quickly noticed a cooling in the attitudes of locals who had previously been friendly, but weren't prepared for outright hostility; however, the fortifications at Camp Cameron were such that the rebel forces were unwilling to attack, even with the population generally on their side.[1]

The result was a siege, where the rebels attempted to starve the SLDF garrison out; initially, water was expected to be the biggest problem for the SLDF cadre, but the engineers attached to the cadre solved the problem by drilling wells to tap into the local water table. Langmuir knew that Amaris had sent word to Terra and that he could expect assistance if his forces held out long enough. While the RRA had the advantage of numbers Langmuir's forces had supplies, a qualitative technological advantage and a far greater sense of discipline. The RRA and the SLDF both began looking for weaknesses in their opponents that could be exploited, with the RRA repeatedly shelling the compound only to be hit in turn with devastating counterbattery fire from the SLDF troops. The stalemate would continue for almost three years as each tried to gain the upper hand.[1]

The siege was finally broken in April 2578 when RRA commandos used a heavy storm as cover to infiltrate Camp Cameron. The storms were a common occurrence on Rhodes, and having infiltrated the compound the commandos were able to cripple the sensor net that was a part of the SLDF security measures. The SLDF began repairs on the sensor net, but while they were working Langmuir was assassinated and the RRA launched another attack. Suddenly bereft of leadership and blind, the SLDF cadre was unable to resist the RRA, who overran the camp. The commander of the RRA forces, Catherine Dormax, declared the nine surviving SLDF MechWarriors - from the remaining twenty-eight before the battle started - to be prisoners of war, but were instead executed by RRA extremists, who then went on to mutilate the bodies. Dormax couldn't sanction such an act of brutality within her forces, even though she was a determined supporter of the RPG, and the extremists' actions divided the RPG against itself. The massacre also proved the deciding factor that prompted First Lord Ian Cameron and the SLDF Commanding General to accept that they finally had to act on the civil war, prompting the beginning of Operation MAILED FIST - the SLDF intervention in the Republic Civil War.[1]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Historical: Reunification War, pp. 130-131

Bibliography[edit]