Jaime Wolf

This article is about the character. For the DropShip in his name, see Jaime Wolf (Individual Overlord-C-class DropShip).


Jaime Wolf
Jaime Wolf
Character Profile
Born 24 January 2980[1][2][3][4]
Died 18 October 3067[4]
Affiliation Clan Wolf (formerly) Wolf's Dragoons
Rank Colonel[citation needed]
Profession MechWarrior
Parents Jon Vickers (father)[citation needed]
Brigit (mother)[citation needed]
Siblings Joshua Wolf[citation needed]
Spouse Ellen[citation needed]
Marisha Dandridge[citation needed]
Children Lynn Wolf[citation needed]
Brigit Wolf[citation needed]
Mackenzie Wolf[5]
Rachel Wolf[citation needed]
Joshua Wolf[citation needed]

Jaime Wolf was a Clan Wolf Freeborn warrior and founding leader of Wolf's Dragoons.

History[edit]

Early life[edit]

Jaime Wolf was born at the farming settlement of Applegate , part of Clan Wolfs enclave on Eden, the son of MechWarrior Jon Vickers and Brigit of the merchant caste.[1] Cranston Snord and Jaime grew up together.[6] When undergoing testing for his caste assignment at age ten, Jaime's intelligence and physical scores saw him assigned to the warrior caste. After training in a Freeborn sibko (Gamma Ten Freeborn Sibko), Jaime passed his Trial of Position with a single kill, earning his place as a Clan Wolf MechWarrior.[1]

Clan career[edit]

While serving in Epsilon Galaxy's Choyer Garrison Cluster, Jaime won his first battlefield success in 3000 on Circe while defending his Clan's mining rights against Clan Nova Cat. His performance earned him a chance to test for a slot in a front line unit, and after defeating his opponent Jaime transferred to the 328th Assault Cluster as a Star Commander. Under Star Captain Natasha Kerensky Jaime won victories over Clan Diamond Shark on Paxon and Clan Jade Falcon on Eden before his own promotion to Star Captain in 3003. Shortly after this, fate and Clan Wolf's Khan Kerlin Ward would alter Jaime's life dramatically and set him on the path to historic fame and his own command.[1]

Wolf's Dragoons[edit]

A compromise between the Crusader and Warden factions in the Grand Council resulted in the creation of a Clan force posing as mercenaries to reconnoiter the Successor States. For the mission Freeborn warriors would be employed, and Khan Ward not only offered command of this force to Jaime and his brother Joshua but also promised the creation of a 'Wolf' Bloodname upon the mission's successful completion. Jaime, who would also use the surname 'Wolf' as part of his new identity, accepted and the newly dubbed Wolf's Dragoons set out in 3004 for the Inner Sphere.[1] During the journey to the Inner Sphere, Wolf and his friend Cranston Snord agreed to let Snord separate from the Dragoons and form a separate independent unit, which would become Snord's Irregulars.[6]

The five 'mercenary' regiments arrived in the Inner Sphere a year later and offered their services to House Davion. After the initial shock caused by a multiregiment force with Star League-era lostech appearing out of nowhere, the Federated Suns government accepted Wolf's Dragoons into their service and deployed them against the Capellan Confederation. Jaime Wolf would personally lead the Dragoons' Alpha Regiment against Liao forces on Styk.[7]

The Waco Rangers incident[edit]

During their employment with the Federated Suns the Dragoons also attacked New Aragon in 3008, where the Waco Rangers mercenary unit fought on the defending side. Over the course of the fighting the son of the enemy mercenary commander, Wayne Waco, was killed by members of the Dragoons under somewhat unclear circumstances (reportedly, a Dragoon Stalker stepped on Waco's son John after he had ejected from his downed Wasp). Although an investigation by the Mercenary Review Board cleared Wolf's Dragoons of all charges, Wayne Waco considered the act a war crime and maintained the Dragoons had murdered his son. He subsequently swore a death oath against Jaime Wolf and the Dragoons, henceforth striving to be Jaime Wolf's nemesis. However, Wolf apparently did not take him particularly serious and the feud was rather one-sided for decades to come.[8]

Candace Liao[edit]

While the Dragoons were in employ to the Capellan Confederation, Duchess Candace Liao, the Capellan Confederation's ruling Chancellor's daughter, tried to start a relationship with Jaime Wolf in 3013. Reportedly, she was distressed because she had been promised to the unstable Duke Anton Marik in a political marriage by her father and sought to win over Jaime Wolf and his unit to enlarge her own power base. It was not publicly known at that time that Jaime Wolf was already married; in any case he rejected the young Duchess. She then unsuccessfully tried to bring other high-ranking Dragoon officers under her sway and finally left, enraged and humiliated. Near the end of the year, Jaime Wolf survived a malfunction that caused his 'Mech's ammunition to explode and later an assassin was killed by security guards in his private villa; Candace Liao was suspected to be behind both incidents although this could not be proven.[9]

Anton Marik's hostages[edit]

Shortly afterwards, Maximilian Liao handed over his contract with Wolf's Dragoons to Anton Marik during the Marik Civil War which lasted from 3014 to 3015. Duke Anton's revolt failed, and he ultimately resorted to taking a portion of the Dragoons hostage to enforce his orders and keep the Dragoons in line. The hostages, which included Jaime's wife and both of their daughters as well as his brother Joshua, were killed. Wolf's Dragoons exacted their vengeance upon Anton Marik and raided his stronghold on New Delos, killing the Duke and exterminating his troops almost to the last man.[10]

This also ended the civil war. In a surprising move, Captain-General Janos Marik did not exact vengeance upon the rebels' mercenaries. Instead, he offered them to work for the Free Worlds League. Jaime Wolf accepted.[11]

After Fighting on Wyatt[edit]

In recognition for the losses that Dragoons suffered on Wyatt in 3016, Captain-General Janos Marik sent Jaime Wolf a gold and firestone right engraved with "In memory of Sendalor." The Sendalor was an Overlord DropShip that was shot down by Lyran fighters while evacuating Dragoons forces. A battalion of troops were on the Sendalor when it crashed.[12]

Last resupply run[edit]

Following a hard-fought campaign on Hesperus II, Jaime Wolf and his Dragoons made a last resupply run to the Clans, setting out in 3019 and returning in 3020. This time they received new orders from Khan Kerlin Ward, namely to prepare the Inner Sphere for a Clan invasion. Following their orders, the Dragoons severed all ties with the Clans, going so far as even deleting the navigational data on their JumpShips.[citation needed]

Friendship with Minobu Tetsuhara[edit]

During a raid on Dromini VI in September 3021 Jaime Wolf victoriously battled a Draconis Combine tank unit alone in his Archer. His 'Mech then overheated and shut down when enemy 'Mech forces appeared, but the enemy commander Minobu Tetsuhara acknowledged his skills as a warrior and spared him. When the Dragoons signed on with the Draconis Combine in 3023, Tetsuhara was assigned as their liaison officer, and Jaime and he became fast friends. However, the treacherous actions of Warlord Grieg Samsonov turned the Dragoons against the Draconis Combine and Takashi Kurita and they retreated to the ice world of Misery, pursued by Draconis Combine forces under the command of the unlucky Minobu Tetsuhara, who had cruelly been ordered to march against his best friend.[13]

In 3026 he received the Order of the Bushido Blade.[14]

Jaime Wolf remained defensive and refused to take offensive action against the Draconis Combine while the Dragoons were still legally under contract. He used Tetsuhara's strong sense of honor against him to dictate the terms of the engagement on Misery: Wolf secretly deployed satellites in orbit but did not use any of his aerospace units, luring Tetsuhara into believing they were fighting a ritual 'Mech battle. Accordingly, Tetsuhara did not launch his fighters either which prevented his forces from noticing the satellites.[15]

Virtually to the minute when the contract had run out at midnight, the Dragoon forces finally moved out against the Combine troops. The satellites were pivotal in the Dragoons' victory over weeks of prolonged fighting, and Tetsuhara was taken captive. Tetsuhara was subsequently adamant in his decision to commit seppuku, and Jaime Wolf, having failed to dissuade his old friend, agreed to Tetsuhara's request to shoot him with a laser pistol at the conclusion of the ceremony.[16]

Private war with the Draconis Combine[edit]

The bitter events on Misery would have an impact on the upcoming Fourth Succession War, although it seems unlikely that this was planned. Davion agents had negotiated to hire the Dragoons when their relations with the Draconis Combine had soured already, and the Dragoons could flee right into a new contract following the fighting on Misery.[17]

On the eve of the wedding of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner on Terra on 27 August 3028, Jaime Wolf confronted Takashi Kurita and publicly scorned him for betraying and ruining a worthy and loyal underling in fluent Japanese, throwing the ritual swords of the late Minobu Tetsuhara at the Coordinator's feet. Wolf even went so far as to declare a personal war between Wolf's Dragoons and the Coordinator over the events.[18]

By design or chance, this channeled the efforts of the irate House Kurita in a predictable fashion in the Fourth Succession War that Hanse Davion had scheduled to begin on that very day. Deeply insulted, the Combine threw regiment after regiment specifically against the Dragoons and they were hammered on Glenmora, Harrow's Sun, and Wapakoneta until they withdrew to Crossing for a last stand. The Dragoons were reduced from five regiments to a single provisional regiment of mixed troops in this ordeal, but they in turn inflicted horrendous losses on the attackers. The Combine was so preoccupied with Jaime Wolf and his unit that they neglected their other fronts in the war.[19]

Outreach[edit]

After the war, a grateful House Davion turned the world of Outreach over to the Dragoons for their service, giving them a chance to rebuild. Jaime Wolf had specifically requested this world because he knew of Star League-era manufacturing facilities there. The Federated Commonwealth had suspected that and sent another unit to Outreach to inspect the ruined factories first. Ironically, that unit was Snord's Irregulars (who were a secret offshoot of Wolf's Dragoons). Cranston Snord provided the full planetary survey data to Jaime Wolf while giving an innocuous report to House Steiner; based on his report, the world was granted to the Dragoons.[20]

The Dragoons settled on Outreach permanently in 3030. With a world to call their own, the Dragoons grew to become a mini-nation and Jaime Wolf became a de facto planetary ruler in addition to being commander of Wolf's Dragoons. The factories on Outreach were refurbished by Blackwell Industries, providing great financial gain and a solid manufacturing base. Most importantly, however, Jaime Wolf used his unit's position as the premier mercenary unit to set up a hiring hall on Outreach. The world would gradually eclipse legendary Galatea and become the new Mercenary's Star.[citation needed]

Clan Invasion[edit]

At age 70 in 3050

When the Clan Invasion finally came in 3050, Jaime Wolf called all leaders of the Inner Sphere to Outreach to discuss the new threat. He also revealed the origins of his unit, and trained the Successor State heirs in anti-Clan tactics.[citation needed]

The Clans issued a formal recall order to Wolf's Dragoons, but the unit at large ignored it, having integrated personnel from the Inner Sphere in their ranks for years. One notable person to heed the order and return to the Clans was Natasha Kerensky.[citation needed]

The Dragoons did not see combat action against the Clans at first, as they were held back by their employer, the Federated Commonwealth. A critical moment in the invasion came when Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Nova Cat together threatened to overrun Luthien, the capital of the Draconis Combine. Both Wolf's Dragoons and the Kell Hounds, mercenary units who had private wars going with the Combine, were sent to bolster Luthien's defenses. Although neither was happy with the assignment, they carried it out and Takashi Kurita subsequently had to live with the fact that he owed his realm's very survival to some of its greatest enemies.[citation needed]

Civil War among the Dragoons[edit]

The influx of captured Clan bondsmen and Inner Sphere recruits created a unique blend of cultures on Outreach. Elson, a Clansman, convinced Jaime's grandson, Alpin, to claim command after the death of Jaime's son MacKenzie, resulting in the brief Dragoon Civil War in 3054. Jaime Wolf eventually prevailed, though at great personal cost. Alpin was killed in the fighting. After this, Jaime instituted a number of reforms, including appointing Maeve Wolf as general and field commander.[citation needed]

Death and legacy[edit]

Unrest fostered by the Word of Blake erupted into a shooting war on Outreach on 15 October, 3067, when disgruntled, down-on-their luck mercenary units attacked Wolf's Dragoons on their own planet. Leading elements included the Waco Rangers, outspoken enemies of Wolf's Dragoons for decades. On 18 October 3067, Jaime Wolf was found dead in the cockpit of his Archer, having died in the aftermath of a duel with Wayne Waco's BattleMaster where the geriatric Waco had been killed by Wolf.[21]

Jaime's body was escorted by a Dragoons' honor guard than included Max Henricksen to its grave, implied to be on Outreach.[22]

During the Word of Blake Jihad, the Blakists tried to maintain Outreach. To protest, the citizens would resist by using the names of various Wolf's Dragoons members like Natasha Kerensky or his as martyrs. When the world of Outreach was being rebuilt during the Dark Age era, a spaceport was built in his honor. The spaceport would be named the Jaime Wolf Memorial Interplanetary Spaceport to acknowledge him as the man who made Outreach the thriving planet it once was.[citation needed]

After Maeve's death in the Donner Bombing in the Jihad, no one accepted the Wolf Honorname, and Wolf's remaining descendants had chosen other ways, leaving her as the last of Wolf's blood to lead the Dragoons.[23]

In the Dark Age era, a Jade Falcon Overlord-class DropShip, captured by the Dragoons, was named Jaime Wolf (Individual Overlord-C-class DropShip) in his honor.[24]

Marriage and Children[edit]

Jaime Wolf was known to have been married at least twice in his life. He married his first wife, Ellen, while en route to the Inner Sphere. Both Ellen and his two daughters Lynn and Brigit were executed by Anton Marik, with Mackenzie being the only survivor.[25]

Some years after Ellen's death, he began a relationship with Marisha Dandridge from the Dragoons' Training Command handling civilian matters.[26] He and Marisha eventually married and had two children of their own: a daughter, Rachel; and a son, Joshua, named for his uncle.[27][28]

BattleMech[edit]

In his Trial of Position, Jaime Wolf piloted an antiquated Archer.[1]

Testing up for a frontline command after showing his battlefield prowess in the Choyer Garrison Cluster, Jaime Wolf defeated an opponent piloting a Summoner (Thor) and took his OmniMech as isorla.[1]

As the commander of Wolf's Dragoons, he piloted a 70-ton Archer painted blue and gold, just like a model he played with while young. Circumstantial evidence[29] suggests it was of the ARC-2W subtype which was exclusively manufactured by Wolf's Dragoons on their mobile space station Hephaestus Station. It is also of note that the ARC-2W matches the "B" configuration of the Summoner. True to Clan traditions, Jaime Wolf would frequently lead his troops into combat in his 'Mech and did not hesitate to risk his life in battle. His life was in jeopardy on at least two occasions where Minobu Tetsuhara saved him, and in the last one, Wolf's 'Mech was destroyed, during a raid on Quentin IV.

The original Archers Wolf used in the Inner Sphere carried common technology. Only after the discovery of the Helm Memory Core did he upgrade to Star League tech, and after the Clan Invasion, ClanTech.[30]

Wolf was still piloting an Archer when he was killed on Outreach.[31]

After Jaime's death, the Dragoons lovingly restored the 'Mech. As Jaime's descendants didn't want to pilot it, it was immaculately maintained as a relic, and carried onboard the Chieftain, and briefly piloted by the highest-ranking cadet, a privilege fiercely fought over. In 3151, the Dragoons still preserved it.[32]

Publishing Career[edit]

Quotes[edit]

Jaime Wolf: I think you mistake the gravity of the situation, Lady Romano. If we don't stop the Clans, who will?

Romano Liao: You forget, Colonel Wolf, that when the Star League collapsed, General Aleksandr Kerensky led away nearly the whole Star League army beyond the Periphery. They're out there. They have been waiting all this time, waiting for the day mankind would again need their help. They will come and they will save us from the Clans.

Jaime Wolf: Lady Romano, have you heard nothing I've said? Don't you see? Kerensky's people have returned. They ARE the Clans.

  — Excerpt from the conference at Outreach, January 15, 3051[5]
To define the embodiment of honor is to understand the nature of the Clans...
  — Excerpt from "Out of Ignorance: The Return of Kerensky's People" by Jaime Wolf, New Avalon Press, August 3053[34]
When I told him that from that day forward the Dragoons were at war with his House, Takashi Kurita didn't bat an eye. I wasn't even sure he believed me; the Coordinator never was an easy man to read.

He believed me later, of course.

  — Excerpt from "A Lifetime in the Trade: Reminiscences of a Mercenary" by Jaime Wolf, New Avalon Press, 3055[citation needed]

Notes[edit]

  • Regarding the citation for Wolves on the Border, p. 114: "The Dragoons have a lot of Archers, all of them our special model. It's almost a signature machine. Seeing me pilot one gives the troops an identification with their commander." - Jaime Wolf, to Minobu Tetsuhara

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 15–16: "Jaime Wolf Profile"
  2. Historical Turning Points: Misery, p. 7
  3. Era Report: 3052, p. 79: "Jaime Wolf Profile"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Dawn of the Jihad, p. 32: "A Legend Falls"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Blood Legacy, ch. 1
  6. 6.0 6.1 Rhonda's Irregulars, p. 3
  7. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 9
  8. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 13
  9. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 16: "Nest of Vipers"
  10. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 19-20
  11. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 21
  12. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 22: "Raid And Counter-Raid"
  13. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 37
  14. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 35
  15. Wolves on the Border, ch. 55
  16. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 38
  17. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 39
  18. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 39-40
  19. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 43
  20. Rhonda's Irregulars, p. 8
  21. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 11–13: "Jihad Timeline"
  22. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 27
  23. Field Manual: 3145, p. 178
  24. Redemption Rift, p. 13
  25. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 16: "Jaime Wolf"
  26. Wolves on the Border, p. 91
  27. Wolf Pack, ch. 12
  28. Wolf Pack, ch. 35
  29. Wolves on the Border, p. 114
  30. Battletech Legends p. 39
  31. An Ice-Cold Dish
  32. Redemption Rites p. 31
  33. Historical: Reunification War, p. 18: "Out of Work, Out of Luck, Out of Here"
  34. 34.0 34.1 Bloodright, p. 5
  35. Solaris VII: The Game World, Players Guide, p. 25: "Mechboox"
  36. Mercenary's Handbook: 3055, p. 29

Bibliography[edit]