Henry Kincaid
Sarna News
| Henry Kincaid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Alias(es) | Hack[1] |
| Born | 3095[1] |
| Affiliation | Wolf's Dragoons |
| Career | |
| Rank | Colonel[1] |
| Profession | MechWarrior |
Henry "Hack" Kincaid was a thirty-second-century MechWarrior and an officer in the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary unit.
History[edit]
Early Life[edit]
Henry Kincaid was born in a Dragoons crèche on Arc-Royal, immersed in the traditions of Wolf's Dragoons from birth. On an unknown date, he earned the Kincaid honorname. His first posting was with the Spider's Web Battalion. Promoted to major and given command of the battalion in 3128, he played a key role in reshaping the striker battalions into the formations they later became.[1]
As a major, he helped capture an Overlord-C-class DropShip from Clan Jade Falcon on Great X. The vessel was rechristened the Jaime Wolf, one of four DropShips Kincaid helped capture during his career.[2]
Draconis Reach Campaign[edit]
In 3139, Colonel Kincaid served as commanding officer of the striker battalions while Wolf’s Dragoons were employed by the Draconis Combine to conquer the worlds in the Draconis Reach along the Federated Suns border. He held the Dragoons' history and traditions in high regard, including his reluctance to see the unit serve the Combine again and his reverence upon viewing the memorial to fallen Wolf's Dragoons and Ryuken warriors on Misery. While working alongside the Ryuken, Kincaid developed professional respect and later affectionate feelings for Tai-sa Tori Ishihara, the Dragoons' Professional Soldiery Liaison officer.[3]
IlClan Era[edit]
After receiving orders from General Thomas Brubaker to terminate their contract with the Combine, Hack obeyed and took his units, the Wolfsbane Battalion and Tarantulas Battalion, out of Combine space. As they weren't able to participate in the ilClan Trial, he took both units and the Dragoons' dependents to a meeting point on Savannah in the Free Worlds League. There, on 3 June 3151, the Wolf's Dragoons survivors arrived. With Kincaid being the only colonel who not participated in the battle of Terra, he resumed overall command of the Dragoons. A furious Kincaid ordered the arrest of Marotta Kerensky and all high-ranking officers, charging them with treason.[4]
Hack was as determined as Brubaker to rebuild the Dragoons and seek revenge. He made a plan and began executing it: after gathering all Dragoon officers and announcing the beginning of their war against Clan Wolf, he moved their entire fleet to the Marik system. At the nadir recharge station, on 13 June, he asked Captain Haya Tetsuhara to act as his aide for a meeting between him and Captain-General Nikol Marik.[5]
There, he made a deal with Nikol: giving her six Ares OmniMechs and information about the Battle of Terra, which he obtained in exchange for control of the Nockatunga recharge station to use as a transfer point.[6]
On 6 June 3151, Hack saw former General Brubaker, who had been stripped of his rank and sentenced to exile by the Dragoons. Kincaid rebuked him for his actions on Terra and earlier and offered Brubaker the choice between exile and an honorable death. Choosing the latter option, Brubaker committed suicide.[7] The same day, Kincaid had an meeting with Nicholas Crews, the former colonel who had been declared guilty of treason. Hack didn't accept his excuses and left after telling him he would be executed by firing squad the next day.[8]
Without losing more time, Kincaid led his fleet to begin their war. Searching for recruits, salvage, and weapons to rebuild the Dragoons, he sent Tarantulas Battalion to attack New Olympia and take a cadet Cluster as bondsmen and later Campbelton to raid a weapons factory. The first raid was a stunning success but the second found unexpected resistance: after losing thirteen Dragoons, Hack ordered the retreat, conceding victory to the defending Wolves.[9][10]
After leaving the system, the Tarantulas officer, Haya Tetsuhara, confronted Kincaid, furious about the retreat. Kincaid welcomed the confrontation and presented a businessman, Phu-Phu Engaga, discussing the Dragoons' next step with her. It then became evident that Hack had been grooming Tetsuhara for higher responsibilities: he promoted her to major and gave her the task of rebuild the famous Zeta Battalion.[11]
After that, the Dragoons settled on the uninhabited planet Ilion where they built a secret base which Kincaid named "Fort Joshua."[12] After Tetsuhara had rebuild Zeta Battalion, Kincaid sent them on their first mission, a contract with the Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey, where they easily took three worlds from the Wolf Empire. Hack ordered Tetsuhara to make the Wolves witness that it was the Dragoons alone who had punished them and not the Tamarind troops.[13]
On 17 August 3151, Kincaid visited the captive Marotta Kerensky for the first time. At the beginning, the Wolf officer was proud of his acts but later admitted being unable to understand Alaric Ward's motives and insults towards the Dragoons. Kincaid simply called him a fool and laughed at him before leaving.[14]
On 20 April 3152, Hack gave word to Tetsuhara and the victorious Zeta and showed that he had great ambitions for the Dragoons, as he explained that he was leading the rebuilding of the long-gone Epsilon and Delta Regiments, before sending Zeta on a secret mission to Gienah, the Empire's capital.[15][16]
On 2 July 3152, after Zeta's successful return, Kincaid visited Marotta Kerensky again, and told him how Ward had abandoned his empire. Kerensky didn't want to believe him, but Hack told him he could see for himself upon his release. Only then was the true purpose of Zeta's last mission revealed, and why Kincaid had kept Kerensky alive and unharmed: to tell Alaric Ward how the Dragoons had stolen his future. On Gienah, Zeta had captured a sibko of Ward's progeny and threatened to give some of them to the other Clans while keeping the rest for the Dragoons.[17]
Henry Kincaid was an avid student of warfare and Dragoons history. He was described as fiercely loyal to his subordinates and the Dragoons heritage.[1]
BattleMech[edit]
Kincaid piloted a Guillotine IIC.[1][18]
Notes[edit]
- His nickname designated an underperformer, a label he himself initially recognized as accurate.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d e f Empire Alone, p. 99: "Henry Kincaid"
- ↑ a b Redemption Rift, ch. 1
- ↑ Redemption Rift, p. 130
- ↑ Redemption Rites, Prologue
- ↑ Redemption Rites, ch. 2
- ↑ Redemption Rites, ch. 3
- ↑ Redemption Rites, Interlude 2
- ↑ Redemption Rites, Interlude 1
- ↑ Redemption Rites, chs. 5–7
- ↑ Redemption Rites, chs. 9–10
- ↑ Redemption Rites, ch. 11
- ↑ Redemption Rites, ch. 13
- ↑ Redemption Rites, chs. 14–17, 19–23
- ↑ Redemption Rites, Interlude 3
- ↑ Redemption Rites, ch. 24
- ↑ Redemption Rites, chs. 26–31
- ↑ Redemption Rites, Epilogue
- ↑ Redemption Rift, ch. 2
Bibliography[edit]
- Empire Alone
- Redemption Rift (novel)
- Redemption Rites (novel)