Dembe N'Buta

Dembe N'Buta
Character Profile
Affiliation Clan Star Adder
Profession saKhan

Dembe N'Buta was saKhan of Clan Star Adder during the reign of Khan Clancy Truscott in the early Golden Century. He would be remembered for his victories against Clan Mongoose, displaying considerable prowess as both a MechWarrior and a leader.[1]


History[edit]

There are no details about the life of Dembe N'Buta prior to his having become saKhan of the Star Adders. As the Adder saKhan he held command of the Quasar Keshik and Beta Galaxy.[1] It may be said that he was a gifted warrior and tactician, as well as a strategist who had earned his status the traditional Clan way - through hard trials and the respect of his warriors.

The Mongoose and the Adder: Tathis[edit]

In 2844 Clan Mongoose launched a surprise attack against the Star Adders with the aim of seizing their new colonies. First hitting the Adder colony world of Tathis in the Kerensky Cluster, the Mongooses would land a Trinary of BattleMechs. They were unaware that the Star Adder Quasar Keshik were also on-world, inspecting the colony.[1]

When saKhan Dembe N'Buta learned of the invaders, he issued a challenge to the Mongoose commander, bidding himself and six of his warriors to defend the colony. They would face each other in a moraine outside of the city of Karnak. In a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, saKhan N'Buta and his elite force would swiftly carve the Mongoose attackers down to a single star of functioning 'Mechs after little more than an hour of fighting. When the Mongoose warriors attempted to escape off-world, N'Buta and his warriors pursued. N'Buta would take aim at their Dropship as it lifted off, firing his Thug's twin PPCs and hitting a landing strut, causing the ship to crash back to the ground. After salvage efforts and extensive repairs to the Dropship, N'Buta would commission it for use as the lead Dropship of the Quasar Keshik, renaming it the Karnak Crusader.[1]

Massacre on Marshall[edit]

The Mongooses would next hit the Adder colony world of Marshall with a cluster of forces. Claiming the right to destroy a dezgra enemy, they would conduct a scorched earth campaign on Marshall, wiping out the infrastructure of the colony as well as two Binaries of 'Mechs plus other garrison units. When the colonists took up arms to defend themselves from the Mongoose menace, the warriors of Clan Mongoose became enraged. They would go on to massacre tens of thousands of colonists for daring to take up arms against them.[1][2]

Vengeance and the Tokasha Resolution[edit]

When word of this attack reached the Khans of Clan Star Adder, it prompted an immediate response. SaKhan N'Buta tracked the Mongoose cluster to Tokasha. There he and the Quasar Keshik would hunt down the Mongoose warriors, killing all of them for their crime. He then claimed the Mongoose colony for Clan Star Adder and had the entire population removed to Marshall to rebuild the colony there. He would not quite stop with that. After personally executing Star Colonel Miguel Riley and any other surviving Mongoose officer, he had the decapitated corpse of the dezgra commander sent to the Mongoose Khan, Davis Riley.[1][2] With it was sent the following note:


"This is your surkairede. To forgive is expected, to forget is impossible."

--Letter from Clan Star Adder saKhan Dembe N'Buta to Clan Mongoose Khan Davis Riley.[1]


Clan Mongoose would keep up their incessant attacks, but would not have any success again until 2863 and the reign of new Star Adder Khan Tomas Banacek.[3]

Legacy[edit]

His victories against Clan Mongoose would become legendary in his Clan, earning him the hatred of the Mongooses. As one of the earliest Bloodnamed N'Buta warriors, saKhan Dembe N'Buta's genetic heritage would help to sire many generations of outstanding MechWarriors who often rise to the very top of leadership, not only in the Star Adders, but the Cloud Cobras as well - and in particular, the political powerhouse, Tongo Cloister.[4]

BattleMech[edit]

Dembe N'Buta piloted a Thug.[1]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Field Manual: Crusader Clans p. 111, 112 - "Growing Up"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Era Digest: Golden Century, p. 7, 8 - "Warriors above Politicians"
  3. Field Manual: Crusader Clans p. 112, 113 - "Into the Golden Century"
  4. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 25 - "The Cloisters, Tongo"

Bibliography[edit]