Editing Russou Howell


{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Russou Howell.jpg
| caption             = Russou Howell
| name                = 
| birthdate           = [[3019]]<ref name=ER3062p96>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 96: "Russou Howell Profile"</ref>
| died                = [[3079]]<ref name=WoR-192>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 192: "Other Personalities of Note - "The Jaguar" (Russou Howell)"</ref>
| othernames          = The Jaguar
| affiliation         = [[The Society]];<br />[[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] (former);<br />[[Bandit Caste]] (former)
| rank                = [[Galaxy Commander]]
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
'''Russou Howell''' was the commander of the forces defending the [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] capital of [[Huntress]] when [[Task Force Serpent]] attacked. Howell would survive the destruction of his Clan, ultimately allying himself with the [[Bandit Caste]] and [[The Society]], operating under the name of '''The Jaguar''' during the [[Wars of Reaving]].

==History==
===Clan Invasion Era===
Early in his career, Russou Howell served alongside his ''sibmate'', [[Trent (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Trent]], in Beta Striker [[Trinary]] of [[Beta Galaxy (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Jaguar's Beta Galaxy]].  Russou was slightly introverted, preferring to let his fighting abilities speak for him, while also leading him to regard Trent as his only true friend and ally in all of the Smoke Jaguars.  An effective if not particularly flashy warrior as a young man, like many Clan warriors Russou's career was revitalized by the [[Clan Invasion]]. Unfortunately, in the wake of the [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Battle of Tukayyid]] and the [[Truce of Tukayyid|15-year truce]] following the Clan's defeat, he was denied easy combat, leaving him with grim prospects and the likelihood of being reduced to little more than ''[[solahma]]'' status by the time the invasion resumed.  This prompted Howell to essentially give up, turning to drinking to ease the pain of his existence.<ref name=ER3062p96/><ref name=TotC-16>''Twilight of the Clans'', p. 16: "Personalities - Galaxy Commander Russou Howell"</ref>

Finally securing the [[Howell (Bloodname)|Howell]] [[Bloodname]] and the rank of [[Star Captain]] in the wake of Tukayyid, Howell experienced a personal resurgence upon the discovery of the purported treachery of his ''sibmate'' Trent. On the world of [[Maldonado]] in [[3058]], Russou Howell was surprised by Star Colonel [[Paul Moon]]'s sudden proclamation of Trent to be a traitor to his [[Clan]] and his caste, further issuing general orders for all Smoke Jaguars to attack and kill him immediately. In the thick of the fighting, Russou and Trent had one last brief meeting, exchanging final words with one another before Paul Moon personally ordered Russou to kill Trent for his treachery. His supposed defeat of the traitor showed a streak of character his superiors apparently appreciated, with Howell finding himself remarkably successful in subsequent [[Trial of Position|Trials of Position]]. Howell first achieved the rank of [[Star Colonel]] (with the support of Paul Moon) and was informed within days of these swirling events about his appointment as both [[Galaxy Commander]] and commander of the defense of the Smoke Jaguar homeworld of [[Huntress]].<ref name=ER3062p96/><ref name=TotC-16/><ref>''Freebirth'', ch. 6</ref>

===Huntress Command===
While attempting to whip the two [[Galaxy|Galaxies]] of ''solahma'' troops on-world into shape, Howell's reliance on alcoholic drinks such as [[Brouhaha]] only increased, driven by his guilt over killing Trent, while pondering his meteoric rise through the ranks.  Howell also began to see Paul Moon as central to his rise, though he inwardly disliked the idea of it, feeling as though he too had been swept aside by Smoke Jaguar politics.  The events surrounding the ousting and punishment of his predecessor, [[Benjamin Howell]], who was caught smuggling equipment to supply his neglected command, gave Russou little reason to warm to his new posting.  His behavior became erratic and his temper could erupt into violent activity that he directed at some of his subordinates if he regarded them as being insolent toward him. Howell liked to escape into the city of Lootera, drinking amid the lower castes, who often did not know him by sight. 

In April of [[3059]], Russou's existence was given new life when a Jade Falcon ''[[Union]]''-class [[DropShip]] crashed after being ordered not to enter the airspace over Huntress by Jaguar Command: once the Falcons demonstrated their non-compliance, they were promptly shot down by Jaguar [[aerospace fighter]]s, and crashed in the jungles outside of Lootera. Howell laid claim to the surviving Falcon [[Trinary]], a unit called the [[Khan's Irregulars (Clan Jade Falcon)|Khan's Irregulars]] led by freeborn [[Star Captain]] [[Horse (Clan Jade Falcon)|Horse]], ordering them to be captured and made prisoners of Clan Smoke Jaguar, which included the seizure of their 'Mechs and the denial of any warrior status in what was to become their new Clan.  Howell then proceeded to assign them to the most demeaning work he could find in Lootera, and made Horse his personal servant.  In addition to this harsh treatment, he often spoke to Horse at length, sometimes extolling the virtues of the Jaguar, other times denigrating them and the warriors under his command to the captured Falcon warrior.  Horse made note of the seeming split personality of his captor, believing that it was likely due to some recent traumatic experience.<ref>''Freebirth'', chs. 3–11</ref>

As a prisoner, Horse would have ample opportunity to see the depths to which Russou Howell had fallen. Not satisfied with making the [[Freebirth|freebirth]] warrior (whom Howell regarded as worthless, citing the Smoke Jaguars' disuse of any freeborn warriors in [[Clan Smoke Jaguar Touman|their ''touman'']]) perform the most demeaning labors he could think of, Howell invented a ceremony of with the objective of putting Horse through a series of public contests and torments. Some of Russou's own troops vociferously protested against this "Ceremony of Kinship", as Russou called his ordeals and controlled contests, but they ultimately offered little resistance to the spectacle. Most simply watched in great interest, often chanting and hurling insults, or worse, at the freeborn warrior.  

The first part of the Ceremony was a contest, with Horse being made to pilot an ancient ''[[Mackie]]'' against a powered-down ''[[Stormcrow]]'' piloted by Jaguar Star Colonel [[Logan Wirth]], with Horse going on to win through sheer determination.  Upon Horse's victory, an angered Howell had him beaten and tied between several tree branches by his limbs in archaic fashion, leaving him to suffer pain and the harsh Huntress elements for continuing to defy him.<ref>''Freebirth'', chs. 12–16</ref>  In one strange moment after surviving the Ceremony, a drunken Russou Howell ordered Horse to tell him battlefield stories of [[Aidan Pryde]] and Horse played along with the bizarre command, although he spun tales from nothing, as he didn't wish to sully or insult the memories of his friend and hero.<ref>''Freebirth'', chs. 15–18</ref><ref>''Freebirth'', ch. 20</ref>

{{Quote|'''''Be spontaneous. Take me away from here. Take me back to the acrid scent of 'Mech coolant, the stinging fog of war, let us recall the days when our throats were raw with the shouts of battle.'''''

--'''Russou Howell to Horse Jade Falcon'''}}

As it became more apparent to Howell and many of the Jaguars around him that he was losing his grip on his command, he chose to use Horse in a different manner. During a council of warriors held in Lootera, Galaxy Commander Howell put Horse on center stage in order to provoke his warriors into challenging his presence. Howell would use the occasion to give Horse the temporary rank of [[MechWarrior (rank)|MechWarrior]] and allowed a challenge from the chagrined Logan Wirth, who sought to destroy the freeborn warrior, although this was not to be. Horse would win an unaugmented , man-to-man fight on the parade grounds of Lootera, managing to carry the unconscious Wirth nearly to the top of the great pyramidal structure that was the Jaguar genetic repository, only to hurl him from the side, killing Wirth (and injuring others) by the time his lifeless body rolled to a stop at the base of the massive edifice. Howell's plan had worked well: If Wirth had won, then it was a reinforcing win for the Jaguars' beliefs regarding freeborns as warriors and if he did not win, Howell could used this as "proof" of the Jaguars' slovenly and rusted fighting abilities. He underscored his point by personally walking Horse down the pyramid at Mt. Szabo and honoring his victory.  

Howell would nullify this victory later by pointing out that Horse had left the [[Circle of Equals]] by his own will before the duel had officially ended by making the ascent up the pyramid, although Horse's suffering would not last much longer. After several more nights punctuated by random visits from [[Star Commander]] [[Sentania Buhallin]] from the nearby Falcon Eyrie base, the two Falcons infiltrated the Smoke Jaguar's genetic repository at Mt. Szabo and killed the Chief Geneticist during an altercation after having discovered that the Jaguar scientists somehow had a copy of the genetic legacy of [[Aidan Pryde]]. Evidence found at the scene (and planted by Buhallin to cover their trail) suggested only that the murder was was performed by Jade Falcons, leaving Howell furious about the crime, especially as it was committed under his watch.<ref>''Freebirth'', chs. 22–30</ref>

Soon after, an opportunity presented itself during a Jaguar inspection of the mining town of Bagera, with Buhallin challenging Howell to a [[Trial of Possession]] for Horse's legacy; for a freeborn, this would normally mean his [[Codex|codex]], but in this case it was also for the living warrior. Buhallin would go on to win the contest, skillfully outmaneuvering Howell's ''[[Warhammer]]'' - as well as Horse - whom Howell had bid into the sudden Trial.  Upon returning to Lootera after the loss of Horse, Howell seemed to wake from some of his delusions, instituting tough new standards for warrior training across all of his forces and arranging a small assault on Falcon Eyrie, as much for the death of the Keeper as in retaliation for Horse's return to his former Clan.  As for Russou himself, he noticed that he felt better than he had since that fateful day on Maldonado when he battled his lost friend.<ref>''Freebirth'', chs. 31–37, epilogue</ref>

===Task Force Serpent===
On 19 February [[3060]], Russou was awakened to be informed about the crashing of a [[DropShip]] named ''Tracker''. Despite the irregular nature of this incident, he simply ordered a search of the ship's remains without thinking more of it.<ref>''Sword and Fire'' ch.14</ref>
On 5 March, after a group of kuritan [[DEST]] commandos had attacked his command center, and the elite [[Inner Sphere]] space forces of [[Task Force Serpent]] had destroyed any Jaguar [[WarShip]] in-system, Russou refused to believe it, and began screaming at a Watch officer who dared to contradict him. After a tech informed him that Task Force Serpent were moving towards Huntress itself, Howell brutally hit the man, leaving him unconscious. Feeling euphoric again, he ordered his forces on planet to mobilize and prepare to fight.<ref>''Sword and Fire'' ch.16</ref> Despite Howell's efforts, the troops under his command would prove no match for the invading forces: he was at a training base on New Andery when the [[Knights of the Inner Sphere]] attacked it, but he wasn't among the dead or captured Jaguar soldiers.<ref>''Sword and Fire'' ch.24</ref> 

Having survived the Knights' assault, Howell proceeded to hide in Huntress's jungles. Convinced his Clan would never let the defilement of its capital go unchallenged, Howell led his surviving forces - which were about a [[Cluster]] in strength - in an un-Clanlike guerrilla campaign and on 15 March, he prepared an attack against the 'mech factory on Pahn. After being informed than they were outnumbered, Howell decided to apply the non-conventional tactic suggested by [[Star Commander]] [[Tonia (Smoke Jaguar)|Tonia]] and launched a distraction attack. The resulting raid was a success, with Howell's forces obtaining the military supplies they needed to continue fighting.<ref>''Shadows of War'' ch.3</ref>

The arrival of [[Hang Mehta]] and the remaining Inner Sphere-based Smoke Jaguar forces further altered the balance of power on Huntress but Howell didn't attack the invaders until more reinforcements arrived, led by the [[IlKhan]] himself, [[Lincoln Osis]]. Howell proceeded to lead his Cluster north in a flanking attack against Task Force Serpent's North Group, turning their retreat into a rout. This action won Howell some approval from the IlKhan.<ref>''Sword and Fire'' ch.14</ref>

Howell was reportedly in Lootera's command center - along with the IlKhan - on 29 March, when a team of [[Nekakami]] blew it up, but Howell had managed to leave the building shortly before its destruction.<ref>''Sword and Fire'' ch.24</ref> Soon after, the situation for the Jaguars worsened drastically with the arrival of Task Force Serpent's own reinforcements led by [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]. While his Clan died, Russou Howell disappeared once more into the jungles of Huntress.<ref name=ER3062p96/><ref name=TotC-16/>

===The Jaguar===
After evading capture and beginning a guerrilla war, Russou organized a new bandit group in order to continue the fight against the Second Star League's occupying forces on Huntress. During this time, Russou became known only as '''the Jaguar''', and by 8 May 3060 his forces had already launched at least three raids against the occupying Inner Sphere troops.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', ch. 9</ref> On 22 June, Howell and two of his officers held a clandestine meeting with Paul Moon, Russou's former commander, in Huntress's jungle. Moon was now a ''bondsman'' of the Star League and wanted to know if Howell had a plan to save his clan but when Russou admitted that his only plan was to continue fighting, they parted ways.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', ch. 16</ref>

On 13 August, Russou had another meeting with Moon and a [[Clan Nova Cat]] officer named ''Baldur''. Russou - ignoring that Baldur was, in fact, his old friend Trent - was informed of Paul's plan to save their clan's essence by departing off-planet with a group of Smoke Jaguars which would became the [[Fidelis]]. Howell agreed to provide a distraction in exchange for a future [[WarShip]] delivery but in the end chose to manipulate Moon's people, using them to attract the Star League forces to an ambush.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', chs. 29–30</ref> Despite his tweaking of their deal, on 23 March [[3064]] the promised Fidelis warship arrived on Huntress and Howell quickly assumed command of the ''[[Streaking Mist]]'', ordering its captain to take his men to a [[Clan Widowmaker]] [[JumpShip]] cache in order to seize some of the resources stored there.<ref name=FFc37>''Forever Faithful'', ch. 37</ref>

With his real identity kept a mystery, Howell first reappeared when he led a [[Dark Caste]] raid against a [[Clan Diamond Shark]] enclave on [[Vinton]]. Killing at least a [[Binary]] of Shark warriors, leaving just one alive to convey the threat of his group and its vicious tactic of executing downed pilots, the Jaguar's band made off with two pristine [[Warhawk (Masakari)|''Warhawk''s]] and several tons of parts and supplies. In the years after the Vinton raid,  rumors and reports spread of the Jaguar's exploits, most false but with a few reliable reports due to a short-lived [[Clan Watch]] operation which succeeded in infiltrating his band. While his true identity was still unknown, Howell remained a capable tactician but had become vicious and vindictive, spending nearly half his waking hours drunk, ranting about traitorous companions and the death of the Clans.<ref name=WoR-192/>

A ruthless commander when he was part of Clan Smoke Jaguar, at least since he ''killed'' Trent, Howell devolved into a sadistic brute (fueled by his degenerative alcoholism) who lead through violence and force. The Jaguar's bandit group was centered on a core of ex-Jaguar warriors and technicians and grew to nearly two Clusters in size before their demise. Their main asset was the ''[[Streaking Mist]]'', a ''[[Black Lion]]''-class [[WarShip]] that, despite its disrepair, provided transportation and quarters for most of the bandit group. The Jaguar’s band also had the use of two ''[[Tramp]]''-class JumpShips, stolen from a forgotten [[Clan Widowmaker]] merchant caste cache. Planetary transit was carried out between five DropShips and several small craft. Two ''[[Visigoth]]'' fighters provided the group’s only armed escorts; both were lost during the Cloud Cobra’s assault on [[Tanis]] in 3073. Most of the Jaguar’s ground force centered on the Jaguar’s command Star of [[OmniMech]]s and two additional Stars of BattleMechs. The rest of the force consisted of Star League-era vehicles gathered from raids on Brian Caches over the years and three [[Elemental]] Points. The group’s equipment was in a constant state of disrepair, cobbled together with scrounged and damaged parts. In 3072, the Society gave the Jaguar two Stars worth of new ''[[Osteon]]'' and ''[[Septicemia (Pariah)|Septicemia]]'' OmniMechs in exchange for a large slave labor pool that the Jaguar delivered to [[Stacha]].<ref>''The Wars of Reaving Supplemental'', pp. 3–4</ref>

===Death===
By [[3079]], the Jaguar and his bandit group had been cornered by [[Clan Star Adder]] on [[Ghent]], spending several weeks pining him down before finally killing him in an underground firefight, Star Colonel Frey Star Adder dragging his body back to the surface as proof. Out of curiosity, [[Khan of Clan Star Adder|Khan]] [[Hannibal Banacek]] had the Jaguar's DNA tested discovering him to be the still missing Howell.<ref name=WoR-192/>

==BattleMech==
During his defense against Task Force Serpent, Howell piloted a [[Mad Dog (Vulture)|''Vulture'']] [[OmniMech]]. As ''The Jaguar'', his only known Mech was a [[Warhawk]].<ref name=TotC-16/><ref name=FFc37/>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
* ''[[Exodus Road (novel)|Exodus Road]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Forever Faithful]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Freebirth (novel)|Freebirth]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Shadows of War]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Twilight of the Clans]]''
* ''[[The Wars of Reaving]]''
* ''[[The Wars of Reaving Supplemental]]''

[[Category:Clan Smoke Jaguar Characters|Howell, Russou]]
[[Category:Dark Caste Characters|Howell, Russou]]
[[Category:Notable Mad Dog (Vulture) Pilots|Howell, Russou]]