Billy Wolfson

Billy Wolfson (born 3??? - died 20 April, 3027) was an early 31st Century MechWarrior and gladiator in the Solaris VII arenas. His age was not given, but he was considered a relatively young hotshot by about 3027. Still, he seems to have been a particularly successful and notable gladiator as he is named among the "immortal MechWarriors who have fought there" alongside icons like Gray Noton, Justin Xiang Allard and the O'Bannon sisters Tanya and Elizabeth.

Character History

As of February 3027 Wolfson was a member of the "Capellan Mafia", as up-and-coming champion Philip Capet called the group of House Davion-affiliated MechWarriors he had assembled around himself, though Wolfson fought for Lord Brighton's stable. He was noted to be a crowd puller in the arena.

On 20 February 3027 Wolfson piloted a Hermes II from Lord Brigton's stable in a rigged arena fight against a Vindicator supposedly piloted by Fuh Teng. Expecting an easy victory Wolfson was surprised to find the Vindicator piloted by then-unknown gladiator Justin Xiang Allard in what was Allard's first fight in the Solaris Games. This was possible because the fight was legally scheduled between the two 'Mech models, without stipulating specific pilots. Allard dealt a humiliating defeat to Wolfson, destroying the Hermes II.

Following Allard's defeat of Peter Armstrong, another "Capellan Mafia" associate, Wolfson allowed himself to be lured into challenging Allard. Their grudge match took place in The Jungle, the House Liao arena, on 20 April 3027. Allard piloted Yen-Lo-Wang while Wolfson piloted a Rifleman. During the fight, Allard's Autocannon/20 jammed but he nevertheless managed to down the Rifleman by exploiting its weak rear armor, causing a fusion engine explosion that utterly destroyed Wolfson's 'Mech. Wolfson was killed in the fight.

Despite his loyalty to House Davion, MIIO head Quintus Allard felt Wolfson had been a "problematic" character (like all six Davion-affiliated gladiator MechWarriors Justin Xiang Allard had killed by that time, including Peter Armstrong) and was happy to be rid of him, implying Wolfson was either a criminal or otherwise a liability to House Davion.

Notes

• Billy Wolfson's name may be inspired by Barry Wolfson, a real-life person. Billy Wolfson appears in Michael A. Stackpole's debut BattleTech novel where Maximilian Liao also makes an appearance. Within the "About the author" section in the back of the book, Stackpole writes he based Maximilian Liao's character on real-life politician Evan Mecham, a controversial governor of Arizona from 1987 to 1988. One of Mecham's more prominent scandals involved failing to report a $350,000 loan from real-estate developer Barry Wolfson, who may thus have been the inspiration for Billy Wolfson's character in the novel.

Bibliography

• Solaris VII: The Game World boxed set (Players Book)
• Warrior: En Garde