Lawrence Nelson
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Lawrence Helmund Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Also known as | The Twelfth Vegan Ranger |
| Born | c. 2790s[citation needed] |
| Died | c. 2890s[citation needed] |
| Affiliation | House Nelson |
| Profile | |
| Title(s) | Duke of Verde |
| Profession | Noble |
Duke Lawrence Helmund Nelson was the ruler of the Federated Suns planet of Verde and founder of the Twelfth Vegan Rangers.[1][2]
Contents
History[edit]
Early Years[edit]
Born to the rightful rulers of Verde, House Nelson, Lawrence Nelson was forced into a life of wandering at a young age when his father was killed in a coup by a usurper whose name has since been lost to time. Fortunately, being of noble birth meant that Nelson was educated in matters both on and off the battlefield. When he fled Verde, he took with him his Wolverine BattleMech and the inspiration provided to him by his favorite book, Eleven Against the Stars, written by an Exodus-era ranger, John Loran.[2] Loran's plight as one of eleven lawmen roving the Vega system, seeking to uphold justice and keep others safe, resonated with the young Duke in exile and he began to live his life in accordance with the principles outlined by Loran. As the usurper had sent men to look for him, he began to disguise his identity. He took to calling himself the "Twelfth Vegan Ranger" and adopted Loran's old sigil, a "V" against a bright starburst, as his 'Mech's insignia.
On the battlefield of Nouveau Toulouse in 2813, Nelson fought with the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns against the Draconis Combine's Third Arkab Legion and brought down several 'Mechs. When the Legion was destroyed in the resulting conflict, Nelson befriended one of the surviving enemy MechWarriors, Tariq al-Nahib. Despite being from opposite sides of the conflict, the two soon became inseparable, with al-Nahib's level-headed, witty personality tempering Nelson's own bold idealism and intensity. Joining Nelson, the two quickly built up a sterling reputation following behind the frontline and protecting the civilians of the war-ravaged Draconis March worlds from pirates, deserters, and ronin.[3][4]
Founding the 12th Vegan Rangers[edit]
Nelson's intense drive to have his vengeance shone through in his work and got him and al-Nahib a good deal more work and interest from larger mercenary companies. Rather than accept one of the numerous offers of employment from the units that were courting him, Nelson decided to form his own unit with al-Nahib, one that he knew he would eventually use to reclaim his birthright. The same magnetism that made him an attractive prospect for other units quickly garnered him his pick of the best MechWarriors that money could buy, and at a fraction of the price. Nelson used the principles set down by Loran, as well as his personal experiences on the battlefields of the First Succession War to pick MechWarriors he felt were the best fit for his budding unit. Many prospective pilots found themselves drawn to Nelson's conviction and waived other, more financially prosperous offerings to sign with him and his Rangers. Thanks to this boon, Nelson grew his unit from a single lance to a full battalion in record time.[2] By 2820, the unit had coalesced into what would one day become the Twelfth Vegan Rangers' Alpha Regiment.[1]
As the Rangers grew and accepted bigger and better contracts, Nelson never lost sight of his ultimate goal: revenge. When word reached him in 2826 that the usurper had been himself murdered by his own sister, and that she had seized the throne of Verde, a plan began to germinate. Knowing that Verde was close to the Draconis Combine border, Nelson reasoned that the world would likely be in need of an army to protect itself, one that it did not have thanks to political turmoil. Keeping his concealed identity as the Twelfth Vegan Ranger, he presented himself before the new Queen Mavelo and proposed a solution: his Rangers would contract with her and provide defense for the planet from Kuritan raiders. Queen Mavelo accepted his offer, though at a significantly reduced rate of pay, and Nelson immediately set to work. In short order, he and his Rangers cleared the trade lanes of Kuritan bandits, reorganized the planetary militia forces, established formal training camps, and began to grow the armies of Verde to a point where even the defense coordinators on New Avalon began to pay close attention to what had once been a quiet backwater Draconis March world.[2]
Showdown on Verde[edit]
After two years of such intense restructuring, Queen Mavelo began to have suspicions about the true identity of this nameless Ranger. While the information that she and her intelligence sources gathered was inconclusive and scanty, what little they did have made her afraid that the incognito Nelson was making a play for her position. Threatened, she dispatched a lance of her personal bodyguards falsely marked as Kuritan units to deal with him. On a summer night in 2829, the guards made their move, ambushing Nelson while they believed he slept at his house. Nelson had been tipped off to this devious plot by sympathizers in the queen's forces, and was ready and waiting. Setting his Wolverine up on a nearby water tower, he watched as the Thunderbolt, Assassin, Hunchback, and Warhammer ignited his house with their lasers. Waiting until the house was fully engulfed and the resulting heat was at its hottest, he sprang his ambush. Triggering his Wolverine's jumpjets, he performed a Death from Above attack on the Thunderbolt, catching its LRM launcher and destroying its cockpit and pilot in the resulting explosion. Nelson then fell back into the ruins of a nearby city, allowing the remaining enemies to chase him. Inside the rubble, Nelson doubled back and caught the Assassin unawares, destroying it with a prolonged burst of autocannon fire as it came around a corner. Nearly out of ammunition, he discarded the autocannon and set it for remote firing mode. When the two remaining enemy 'Mechs were in range, he triggered it, distracting the Hunchback long enough for him to jam a red hot beam into its rear heat sinks. The beam pierced the rear torso armor and caused an ammo explosion that completely obliterated the unfortunate enemy 'Mech. Nelson's Wolverine was sent flying and forced to shut down due to critical heat levels.[2]
As the Warhammer closed in on Nelson's prone, shut down 'Mech, a lone Locust bearing Rangers insignia sprinted onto the battlefield, opening fire on the Heavy 'Mech. It was Tariq al-Nahib, riding to the rescue. His diversion paid off, buying Nelson enough time to restart his downed 'Mech and trigger its jumpjets in a last ditch effort. Shooting across the distance, Nelson's Wolverine clipped one of the Warhammer's PPC barrels, sending it off balance. The stumbling 'Mech fell backwards into a power substation, shorting out its power and allowing Nelson and al-Nahib to capture its pilot.[2][4]
Final Justice[edit]
Using the captured queen's bodyguard as proof she had planned the attempt on his life, Nelson at last revealed his identity as the true ruler of Verde. Stating his case before his people passionately, he found countless supporters in the citizens he had helped over the past two years. Queen Mavelo and her henchmen were quickly rounded up and arrested. After being tried and found guilty of treason, all of them were summarily executed by hanging. Nelson resumed his rightful place as planetary ruler and continued to expand his Twelfth Vegan Rangers from their new homeworld.[2] The Rangers themselves remained on as House Nelson's personal guard unit until sometime during the Second Succession War, where they once again began to roam the Inner Sphere as mercenaries.
BattleMechs[edit]
Lawrence Nelson was renowned for piloting a Wolverine 'Mech throughout the First Succession War, his time as a lone mercenary, and during his efforts to liberate his homeworld of Verde from the usurper Queen Mavelo. It can be presumed based on the 'Mech's weapon description in several sources that he simply piloted a baseline WVR-6R model.[4]