Friend or Foe – The Strider's Strikers Mercenary Cooperative

Introduction

[dcs_p]Over the years, Strider’s Strikers has encountered several friends as well as old enemies.
Most of these relationship originate between individuals within the Strikers rather than the
team as a whole. However some contacts are born in group versus group struggles or in
the odd event that an opponent becomes an unlikely ally. The following is a summary of the
primary contacts of Strider’s Strikers and includes both friends and foes of the years past.
Just as old grudges might never resolve peacefully, the Strikers must often deal with some
personal problems on a team level.[/dcs_p]

[dcs_toggle title=”The Bounty Hunter Copycat – Foe”]

[dcs_one_half_last]The most famous case in the Striker history is the attack on their Wasat base by Tashakia Fong, who
had employed a person whom he thought was the Bounty Hunter. Hired by Fong to destroy Strider
and Carns for their freeing of Potts and Allen, the copycat Bounty Hunter expertly targeted the Striker
base with a single lance. Though outgunned, the Mechwarrior’s skill and advanced Clan weaponry
nearly destroyed all Striker Mechs present. Vanishing after what appeared to be a critical hit, this
same copycat Bounty Hunter returned in 3061 with critically important knowledge of the Strikers’
weaknesses. She also brought two lances from the Mystic Fleet pirates, and four lances of Word of
Blake invaders. This same ‘Bounty Hunter’ staged the coordinated attack by the combined enemy
forces, which completely overwhelmed the Striker company. The eight surviving Striker Mechs
retreated to the nearest Dropsite, where the copycat warrior was waiting by herself. Quickly
disposing of 5 Strikers, she retreated after lucky hits by Andrew Allen’s Raven destroyed her primary
weapons systems. Many Strikers team members feared another strike might destroy their team once
and for all. All members believed this was the one true Bounty Hunter.

When the copycat warrior appeared again, she met more initial success. Aiding the Denouncement
Sect of the Word of Blake, she struck at the main base on the world of Miranda. This Blakist attack
and its successful capture of the base was not to be however, and as the Blakist forces gradually lost
their grip on the planet the copycat warrior fell. Fortunately for the Strikers unit, her support
attempted to withdraw from the planet. Shortly thereafter, she was captured and turned over to the
local authorities for a large reward. Her true identity remains a mystery. It seems she has completely
erased all proof of her previous identity.[/dcs_one_half_last]

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[dcs_toggle title=”Tashakia Fong – Foe”]

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[dcs_one_half_last]Shujin (Master Sergeant) Tashakia Fong is the man who imprisoned Rocky Potts and Ryan Allen
when they were unable to pay Fong’s officers for their gambling debts. Fong’s Gunsho (Sergeant),
Booster Terrik, failed to eliminate Strider and Carns after they attacked Fong’s military outpost.
Shamed for their defeat, Fong and Terrik have both vowed vengeance on those who disgraced them
on their home planet.

Fong’s seriousness cannot be doubted. He was willing to pay to hire the extremely valuable Bounty
Hunter to do his work. Little did Fong realize he had been duped by a Bounty Hunter copycat.
Shujin Fong and Gunsho Terrik’s are still though to reside on their home planet, Trolloc Prime.[/dcs_one_half_last]

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[dcs_toggle title=”The Vampire’s Fangs – Foe”]

The Vampire’s Fangs are a Word of Blake mercenary team formed under the close attention of the
Toyama Faction. An ex-pirate who was selected as the leader of the Fangs, Von Drakhul requested
an assault company from his Word of Blake allies. The Fangs consist of two scout Mechs, and six
heavy and assault Mechs thanks to Word of Blake funding and support.

The original unit was able to capture both Commanders of the Strikers, nearly destroying the unit.
However Mace Volt plotted a surgical strike against the Vampire’s Fangs base. The rescue and
additional battles weakened the Fangs, until they eventually disappeared after seemingly disbanding.

Eventually the mercenary unit was recently reborn and made attacks on the Striker’s base in the Irece
Prefecture. Here they killed nearly a thousand civilians in efforts to tarnish the Strider’s Strikers
reputation. While they succeeded in causing many problems for the Strikers, they were eventually
captured after being hunted down by Striker pilots from the Clan Steel Viper. They were forced to
confess after brutal interrogations with Mechwarrior Borg, his Strider’s Strikers Intelligence Corps
staff, and the rest of the Strikers Security Division. When interrogators grew bored of the pilots, other
plans were made.

The group of pilots was given over to Labrea governmental officials where they entered custody into
a maximum security quarters. Shortly after their first court hearing, the prison which held the group
was attacked by Blakist stormtroopers. All members were missing after the base returned to the local
military forces control.

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[dcs_toggle title=”Mason Garr – Friend”]

[dcs_one_half_last]Like many members of the Strikers, Mason Garr is an old acquaintance of Mike Strider. The two
grew up together as boys, planning a partnership to take over Garr’s father’s business. In 3057,
though times had changed, Strider remembered his old friend back on Black Earth while searching
for new team members. Relaying message there, Strider learned that Mason had created a business
for himself. Mason was now a security officer for high ranking officials. He had purchased a
BattleMech and planned to freelance work for various companies, but decided to keep the permanent
security position offered to him by Black Earth’s ruling noble family. Strider’s offer for employment
offered off world opportunities, and nearly double the pay Mason was making in security work.
Mason decided to join the Strikers temporarily, and if he liked it he would stay. Stationed on the
Striker’s Wasat base, Mason helped fight off the invading Toyama faction. Ejecting when faced with
an ammunition explosion, he was vaporized when an enemy Wraith BattleMech targeted him with
medium pulse lasers. Mason’s loss is a large one, and has affected the team deeply. Mason
was the only Mechwarrior casualty when the Wasat base was destroyed, though many support staff were killed in the attack.[/dcs_one_half_last]

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[dcs_toggle title=”The Chemical Brothers – Friend / Foe”]

In the mercenary business, familiar faces are not always a plus. One time allies can end up on the other side of the fence, and old friends in such positions are often put in difficult situations. One time victims of such a circumstance, “the Chemical Brothers” have created an incredible alliance. Forged when “Mad Dog” was faced with executing his old friend “Scorpion” on the small planet of Contra in the Periphery, the “brothers” decided to act against the system. Mad Dog’s refusal to accept his order faced him with an angry, powerful employer. The two united and together destroyed five of the employer’s Mechs.

They immediately became best of friends and decided to work together. After a guerrilla campaign
lasting two months against Mad Dog’s employer, the Chemical Brothers insured their reputation.
Destroying means of communication quickly and then completing destroying the enemy, the two next
left for Outreach and established themselves as a united mercenary “unit”.

Often enemies of the Strikers, the Chemical Brothers have been captured so many times they are
becoming friends of the team. Only time will tell if they join the Strikers. They have been formally
invited to trial events held for new members.

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[dcs_toggle title=”The Denouncement – Foe”]

The Denouncement is an organization within the Toyama Faction unit. Though it has close ties to
the Sixth of June faction, the Denouncement is a smaller sect formed from marginalized Word of
Blake technicians. Possessing Comstar technologies thought unknown to Word of Blake, the
Denouncement centers its objectives around the takeover of Word of Blake.

The first unit to formally come in contact with the Strikers was the Purifiers lance, armed with a C3i linked
targeting system. Pilots and Mechs included Dreary Nelson – 100 ton Vanquisher, Huang Duwong –
90 ton Viking, Gary Havenstein – 45 ton Beowulf, and Melissa Fox – 25 ton Nexus.

Melissa Fox betrayed the unit, which she had reluctantly joined when faced with blackmail and the
loss of her original Blakist assignment. She later joined the Strikers and reunited with her friend Sir
Owen Hardcastle.

Strikers under Sasha Breen’s command defeated the Purifiers while on-planet along their trip to the
Irece Prefecture. Further harassment by the fanatical sect came in more recent attacks. The Strikers
detected Blakist Jumpship signatures along their journey to Nova Cat space. Even with the Strikers’
strong Nova Cat support, the sect dared to enter the mercenary’s new home.
The Denouncement invaded the planet of Miranda in 3065. They attacked with a reinforced
regimental combat team, planning the attack based off of information leaked to them from Toyama
spies.

The sect had actually played into the Toyama director’s hands, weakening the Strikers unit and
crippling themselves in the process. However the Denouncement survived the Strikers’ massive
counterassault led by Commander Devon Carns, and several underground operatives continued to
function on Miranda. Though still a powerful force in the area, they could not successfully infiltrate
the mercenary unit directly.

In 3067 they aided the rest of the Toyama faction in new attacks against the Strikers. They
successfully used a nuclear missile against units participating in a training exercise on the nearby
Trilobite Moon. They also used their local agents to aid the Toyama and the Black Dragons in a
surgical strike that killed both of the unit’s commanders, Mike C. Strider and Devon Carns.

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[dcs_toggle title=”Acer’s Hueys – Friend”]

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[dcs_one_half_last]Acer’s Hueys are a small mercenary team dating back to the time of the fourth Succession War.
Striker tank crews discovered the Hueys’ abandoned base in the Labrea system of Nova Cat space.
Though little information was initially gathered, the Strikers believed that the Hueys was a company
sized mercenary unit destroyed sometime during the Succession War. Later information revealed
that the group fought against Davion/Steiner forces while under contract with the Capellan
Confederation.

Striker analysts made many discoveries working with the Hueys’ computer memory core. Secrets
about the location of a hidden Lostech Warship in the Labrea system were eventually discovered.
The Strikers eventually believed that the Hueys still existed. The unit had been in hiding after
breaching contract 25 years ago. The Striker’s command lance traveled to the Taurian Concordat to
talk with the Hueys commander, Ace Leghorn. An agreement was reached so that the Hueys would
aid the Strikers in a search for the Lostech ship in exchange for the Strikers support in the Hueys
regaining their mercenary license. The Hueys are a very old unit with many years of experience in
various tactics. They are by all standards elite, except for a few of their newer recruits. They are led
by Ace Leghorn’s son, Merrick Leghorn, and his mother Dr. Suzy Evans.[/dcs_one_half_last]

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[dcs_toggle title=”House Marik – Friend / Foe”]

With several members actually from Marik space, the Strider’s Strikers have established a mutually
beneficial relationship with House Marik and the Free Worlds League. Helping to keep Word of
Blake problems under control, the Strikers are considered an honorable team of mercenaries
dedicated to helping the League in risky situations. This was actual fact, but with the Toyama
rebellion within Word of Blake, the Strikers have now left Marik space. However their history and
skills are remembered. Trading continues between the team and House Marik, including magnetic
pulse warheads (MPWs) and spare Albatross parts for Sir Owen’s Albatross.

Recently House Marik has gained new interests in the Strikers as the unit has become more involved
with the Clans Nova Cat and Steel Viper. Attempting to investigate the unit’s Clan connection, House
Marik offered to place a Marik liason in the unit as part of an upcoming contract. However
Commanders Strider and Carns declined the offer, recognizing the danger of gaining yet another
political identity.

Unknown to the Commanders, Marik gained power within the Strikers ranks, as well as sets of both
eyes and ears. The House successfully infiltrated the mercenary unit with one of their S.A.F.E.
agents. Agent 6572 was hired under the guise of Buford Olman. Agent 6572 collected information
on Clans Nova Cat and Steel Viper, which he then released to his S.A.F.E. commanders when given
opportunities to make the coded transmissions. Because of this security leak, the Word of Blake was
able to learn invaluable data, data that helped to form the attacks that struck the unit in 3067.
S.A.F.E. Agent 6572’s identity was not uncovered initially, but information concerning the leaks was released
by the Strikers Security Division. These secrets were uncovered by a joint project between the
Strider’s Strikers Intelligence Corps and Mural Rye-Del. Finally after the nuclear attack of 3067 began to take its toll on the surviving Mechwarriors, 6572 was discovered. However he was already on his deathbed, ironically due to the attacks planned on his own reports of Striker weaknesses.

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