Night Stalkers
Sarna News
| |
| Night Stalkers | |
| Formed | 3020[1] |
| Disbanded | 3069[2][3] |
| Affiliation | Draconis Combine |
| Parent Command | DCMS |
Early History[edit]
The Night Stalkers were formed in 3020 by Tai-sa Lloyd McGavin after he was forced to retire from the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery due to age and injuries sustained in service to the Dragon. Despite that, and assuming he'd fail, the High Command still honored him with permission to raise a new regiment when he requested it. He went to private commercial entities throughout the Combine and raised money to form two regiments, McGavin's Regiment and Johiro's Regiment. He filled the officer corps with retired professional MechWarriors like himself[4] and the lower billets with failed MechWarrior academy dropouts, proving ground graduates, or those destined for less-than-prestigious units.[1] They were considered Free-Floating Regiments, which added to their "dishonor" among the elite of the DCMS.[5]
The unit became known for its raiding tactics, utilizing light BattleMechs and specialized in raids against enemy-held worlds, with most of their success at the expense of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces.[1] Their defensive capabilities had also been praised, especially after the regiments played a vital part defending Yori 'Mech Works at Al Na'ir.[6] Their experienced leadership allowed them to capture objectives that other, younger regiments could not.
However, due to McGavin's affection for his men, he would not use risky tactics that he believed wouldn't work. At least twice, he refused to sacrifice his "used-up" warriors for marginal gain.[7] This upset a number of DCMS officers and the Coordinator, who split the brigade and deployed its two regiments in two separate districts.[1] Also, the Coordinator made sure only limited supplies would be sent to the two units as part of their punishment for disobeying orders.[8]
In late 3022 a battalion of the Night Stalkers, transported by an Overlord-class DropShip and escorted by large numbers of Aerospace Fighters, landed near Hanse Davion's winter palace on New Avalon with the mission to capture or kill him. A regiment of the Davion Guards came to defend Hanse Davion and finally forced the Night Stalkers to retreat without their prize. The Overlord sustained severe damage and the fighter escort was down more than 90 percent.[9]
In 3028, they were noted to have faced the 24th & 25th Arcturan Guards with the assistance of Blackhearts mercenary unit on Basiliano. After fighting a losing battle for more than three weeks against invading Lyran forces the Night Stalkers were forced to evacuate the planet at the cost of an entire company of heavy 'Mechs.[10] As Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG took place largely in 3028, its unclear if this is the battle that ended the First Night Stalkers, who were reportedly destroyed or disbanded in 3029, fighting to the last against a heavy Lyran Commonwealth 'Mech regiment as a diversion. In this task, they regained their honor in service to the Coordinator.[1][7]
Interregnum[edit]
While the First Night Stalkers (McGavin's Regiment) were destroyed as a unit in 3029, they were later still mentioned as participants in various engagements in the Ronin War and the War of 3039. It is possible that the regiment's few survivors were attached to the remaining Second Night Stalkers (Johiro's Regiment) but technically remained on the rolls of the otherwise destroyed First Night Stalkers.
The Second survived the Fourth Succession War, the Ronin War, and the War of 3039, but did not see combat against the Clans. The Second Night Stalkers continued to earn the Coordinator's disfavor with their refusal to offer their obedience. They were exiled to the backwater world of Matamoras in the Pesht Military District,[11] where they languished, losing their edge and hit-and-run expertise. Older warriors were displaced as time went on, but their independence remained.[7]
Clan Invasion, Jihad, and Annihilation[edit]
Unlike his father, Theodore Kurita respected the Night Stalkers' philosophy of refusing to sacrifice itself blindly or stupidly and when confronted by the desperate need to rebuild the DCMS from the losses suffered during the initial Clan Invasion, the Coordinator authorized the creation of a new Third Night Stalkers regiment.[7][12]
During the final years of the Clan Invasion, both Night Stalker regiments faced the invaders, with the Second meeting the Smoke Jaguars on Matamoras and awaited a Ghost Bears attack on Darius. The Third Night Stalkers reclaimed Sawyer from Clan Nova Cat without incident, though did join ComGuard and Federated Commonwealth forces alongside the Sixth Ghost on Schwartz against the 189th Garrison Cluster, who quickly fled. Both regiments were transferred to the Lyons Thumb to stabilize the region as the Federated Commonwealth fell into civil war.[13]
The Word of Blake Jihad would prove to be the final death knell of the Night Stalkers, with the Second and Third both shattered after taking heavy losses against the Blakists. The Second Night Stalkers did not take a side when the Black Dragon Society coup erupted, preferring to guard Cebalrai against "outside aggression." In 3069, the Word of Blake did so, leaving only a quarter of the regiment to escape to Ningxia. The remains chose to join the Kokuryu-kai and were subsequently destroyed by the Ryuken-roku.[14]
The Third Night Stalkers garrisoned Lyons and Yorii at the outbreak of the Jihad. The survivors of the reeducation camps would receive the honor of postings to the Otomo.[citation needed]
Officers[edit]
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the Night Stalkers | |||
| Tai-sa | Lloyd McGavin | 3020 - 3029[1][7][11][10] | |
Only retired DCMS warriors were allowed officer ranks above tai-i in the Night Stalkers. Younger warriors who deserve promotion were transferred to other DCMS units but are welcomed back once they reach the mandatory retirement age. Hopeful retirees numbered more than open officer positions, and more than 40 percent of the Night Stalkers were voluntarily demoted to chu-i to continue their service. Their higher "honorary" titles continued to be used in informal situations, with a pin recognizing their past service.[15] About 3050, one-third of the Night Stalkers were once-retired warriors, with the rest taken from proving grounds or other less-than-savory origins.[1]
Other Officers[edit]
- Tai-i David Kellam, company commander during the late Succession Wars.[16]
Tactics[edit]
Different per Unit. Tai-sa McGavin was happy to ignore orders which may have put his soldiers in more danger than required, and ignored plans that did not meet with his approval.[1]
Units of the Night Stalkers[edit]
Color Schemes and Insignia[edit]
The Night Stalkers encouraged all members to paint their 'Mech according to their preference, but favored dark colors of black, gray, and dark blue. Supposedly, they had no brigade insignia and each regiment displayed a unique crest;[17] however, at some point the Second Night Stalkers's high-collared skeleton device was adopted as the brigade logo.[18] The symbol of First Regiment was a large black cat silhouetted against a moon, and the insignia for Second Regiment a skeleton wearing a black, high-collared cloak,[6] while the third's was a tombstone before a full moon.[12]
A Shadow Hawk in Second Night Stalkers colors.
An Atlas in Second Night Stalkers colors.
Dress Uniforms[edit]
The Night Stalkers were known for their unique dress uniforms. In addition to dark colors, they wore ruffled shirts and traveling cloaks in a nod to old Terran styles.[17]
Notes[edit]
- The Night Stalkers' default colors are nearly identical to the title robot of Fang of the Sun Dougram, the Unseen version of the original Shadow Hawk.[19]
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 56: "Night Stalkers"
- ↑ Field Report: DCMS, p. 18
- ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 160–161: "Yorii"
- ↑ Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 104: "Command"
- ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 146
- ↑ a b House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 147: "The Night Stalkers"
- ↑ a b c d e Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 104
- ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 149: "Night Stalker" brigade profile
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3025, p. 172
- ↑ a b NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 47
- ↑ a b 20 Year Update, pp. 40–43: "DCMS (Deployment as of 3050)"
- ↑ a b Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 106: "Third Night Stalkers"
- ↑ Field Manual: Update, p. 113: "Alternate Paths"
- ↑ Field Report: DCMS, p. 18
- ↑ Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 105
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3039, p. 286: "PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk - Notable MechWarriors"
- ↑ a b Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 104: "Colors and Insignia"
- ↑ According to an explicit ruling by Line Developer Ray "Adrian Gideon" Arrastia via the Sarna Discord: "The skeleton is also the brigade logo (“But”—yes I know what the old FM says.)" (23 May 2025) - Q: "Can we treat this as your official ruling, with LD hat on?" (24 May 2025) - A (by "Adrian Gideon"): "Yup" (24 May 2025)
- ↑ https://www.mahq.net/dougram/