Dark Wing (Mercenary Command)

Overview

The Dark Wing were an unusual overstrength Lance of BattleMechs, consisting of four BattleMasters and a Warhammer. Working for Matabushi Incorporated, they were secretly moved to the world of Ander's Moon (Elidere IV) by the "Stone Arrow", a JumpShip operated by the notorious smuggler Kangaroo Jack and between March 1 and March 3, 3024, performed a surprise raid on the local Duke's stronghold, Castle Vandenburg, as part of Matabushi's Operation Inroad. They killed the Duke, his wife and his daughter and stole treasure including the Chalice of Herne, symbol of the Dukedom on Ander's Moon. They were ostensibly driven off by forces from Jarris McBrin, a rival of the Vandenburg clan, who had been on maneuvers nearby.

Gideon Braver Vandenburg, the late Duke's son, had been away on an inspection tour when the attack occurred. Political intrigue forced him to flee from Ander's Moon afterwards. He went on to create his own mercenary Lance, the Blazing Aces, and within five years tracked down the Dark Wing who were still guarding the Chalice on a Kurita planet. The Blazing Aces vanquished the Dark Wing on the battlefield and reclaimed the Chalice. This was presumably the end of the Dark Wing.

It is unknown if the Dark Wing was created by Matabushi from within the corporation, or if they were hired by Matabushi as a unit; they were not part of Matabushi's regular security forces in any case. Grig Griez, a crimelord from the Draconis Combine, possessed information about the Dark Wing which suggests they were involved in mercenary work or straightforward piracy.

They can be classed as a mercenary unit on grounds of having worked as a private military force for Matabushi Inc. for a time at least. Their crest was a humanoid skull with wings and fangs.

Other Information

• The Dark Wing is the mysterious enemy force that must be identified, tracked down and eventually be destroyed by the player (as Gideon Braver of the Blazing Aces in the 1989 computer game by Activision, Mechwarrior.