Elizabeth Nichole

Elizabeth Nichole
Personal
Died	3067
Affiliation	Wolf's Dragoons
Profile
Rank	Colonel
Profession	MechWarrior

Elizabeth Nichole was a mercenary officer in service to Wolf's Dragoons who eventually rose to the command of Epsilon Regiment.

History

Early History and Career

As was the case with most of the "original" Dragoons, little is known of Nichole’s early life. It is highly likely she was born on the Clan Homeworlds, almost certainly a freeborn birth. At some point, she was chosen to join Wolf's Dragoons, who were performing reconnaissance for the Clans in the Inner Sphere.

By 3024, Nichole had reached the rank of Captain in Epsilon Regiment, commanding the third company of Charlie Battalion. Nichole was known for being short-tempered with the warriors under her command as the strain of command got to her, leading Colonel Jaime Wolf to speak privately to her about it. Nichole's Company generally provided reconnaissance within the elite Charlie Battalion, known as Hussein's Hussars.

The Battle of Misery and The Fourth Succession War

Main article: Battle of Misery

Main article: Fifth Battle of Harrow's Sun

Main article: Battle of Crossing (3029)

In 3028, Nichole, her company, and Epsilon Regiment joined the rest of the Dragoons on Misery, as relations between the mercenaries and House Kurita had deteriorated to the point of outright violence. The Battle of Misery would go down as one of the bloodiest 'Mech battles in history. Nichole's own Catapult was destroyed in the fighting, though she herself was unhurt. The entire short Land-Air 'Mech lance of Nichole's Company were wiped out on Misery, though they were the only casualties. All told, they were in far better shape than most Dragoon units after the fighting.

After the battle, with the Dragoons entering the service of House Davion, Nichole's Company was reorganized into Epsilon's Third Provisional Company. Nichole herself was issued a Davion Enforcer to replace her lost 'Mech. At the start of the Fourth Succession War, Epsilon and Gamma Regiments were stationed on the world of Harrow's Sun. Although technically at full strength, several of the 'Mechs in Nichole's company still showed signs of heavy damage from Misery.

On 12 September, Harrow's Sun was attacked by the Eighth Galedon Regulars, a heavy regiment favoring open field tactics. Over the course of several months of fighting, the Dragoons were pushed back on their encampment at Fort Belvoir, as the Kuritans slowly surrounded the base. On 11 December, elements of the Eighth Galedon Regulars' First Battalion attempted to break through the Dragoons' lines, directing a push at Nichole's Fourth Provisional Company on the outskirts of Belvoir. Davion infantry successfully used inferno rockets to destroy two approaching 'Mechs and damaged others. Although still outnumbered, Nichole skillfully used layered defenses, militia tanks, a Sniper Artillery Piece and mines to successfully repel the attack, destroying five enemy 'Mechs with the loss of three. Over the course of several weeks, Nichole and her company continued to keep the approaching Kuritans off balance with attacks and feints, and they were credited with giving the other Dragoons time to prepare a defense. When the Eighth Regulars finally launched their attack, they used underground tunnels to deliver crack infantry units behind the mercenary lines, combined with an all-out frontal attack by the Combine 'Mechs. The Dragoons took tremendous casualties, with some provisional companies facing complete destruction. Nichole's Third Provisional Company saw their fire lance completely wiped out, taking five enemy 'Mechs with them. By the time Colonel Wilhelmina Korsht of Gamma Regiment gave the order to retreat from the planet, Epsilon's officer ranks had been completely gutted. Captain Nichole was one of only two of the Regiment's Captains to make it off Harrow's Sun, and was the highest-ranking officer left. The Third Provisional Company held the line while other Dragoons boarded their ships, losing half their number in the process but ultimately securing the withdrawal.

On Crossing, the survivors of all five Dragoon regiments made their stand, roughly with the equivalent of a single regiment. Against them, the Combine sent four regiments. In addition to the Eighth, the Fifth, Twelfth, and Sixteenth Galedon Regulars had pursued the Dragoons off Glenmora and Wapakoneta. With the aid of the Tenth Deneb Light Cavalry and the re-formed Zeta Battalion, the Dragoons ultimately prevailed. Of the fifteen MechWarriors under Nichole's original command prior to the battle of Misery (including the attached Land-Air 'Mech contingent), nine were killed, three were seriously injured and two more, including Nichole herself, also lost 'Mechs.

Later Career

Rebuilding and the Clan Invasion

After the horrors of Misery and the Fourth Succession War, the Dragoons retreated to their new homeworld of Outreach, which had been gifted to them by First Prince Hanse Davion. All of the Dragoons frontline units were effectively inactive this point, with the entire command barely able to field a regiment of BattleMechs. It was not until 3042 that Epsilon was returned to the field, with Nichole commanding Able Battalion in light of her successes on Harrow's Sun and elsewhere. In 3046, Nichole was promoted to command the entire regiment. Under her leadership, the Harrowers soon regained their place as one of the finest mercenary regiments in the Inner Sphere, just ahead of the Clan Invasion. At the Battle of Luthien in 3052, Epsilon Regiment demonstrated its quality, helping stop Clan Nova Cat cold and saving the capital of their former Kurita enemies. With the resources of Outreach behind them, the Dragoons were able to return their line regiments to the field in record time. Around 3053, Epsilon was stationed on Relevow on contract to the Capellan Confederation.

Dragoon Civil War

In 3054, the Dragoons faced their greatest challenge ever with the Dragoon Civil War. When Elson Novacat, acting on the behalf of Alpin Wolf, challenged Jaime Wolf to a Trial of Position for command of the Dragoons, Nichole and Epsilon, which were only approximately half on Outreach, were inevitably drawn into the conflict. First, Nichole was absent at the fateful meeting of the Dragoon council of officers where Elson made his claim. This was reportedly due to Nichole and much of Epsilon's command staff coming down with a suspicious case of food poisoning. This allowed Elson, who at that time was the commander of Epsilon's Elemental assets, to represent the regiment at the meeting in Nichole's absence. Although the exact nature of the poisoning has not been chronicled, the end result was the removal of Jaime Wolf from command. When Wolf contested the results of the challenge, an effective Trial of Refusal, Nichole found her loyalties split. Nichole had long been a supporter of Colonel Wolf and was disturbed at the idea of fighting him, but a vote among her warriors supported the Elson loyalists by a slim margin. Complicating the issue was the apparent instability and incompetence of Alpin Wolf, who was fashioning himself as Khan of the Dragoons. Although she nominally remained loyal to Alpin and Elson, Nichole and Epsilon made only the barest efforts against the rebels, instead engaging in defensive maneuvers against an outnumbered opponent. She eventually pulled back her troops back to their beachhead entirely. Nichole justified her actions to Elson, claiming that Jaime Wolf had intercepted their battle plans and would therefore predict Epsilon's attack. (This was technically true, though Nichole only used it as an excuse.) The senior Wolf correctly deduced that Nichole had no intention of engaging and committed his reserves, largely Kuritan recruits, elsewhere. Jaime Wolf ultimately emerged victorious, and Epsilon escaped the fighting with relatively minor losses. Nichole herself would remain in command following the reorganization of the Dragoons, and Epsilon would return to the field with a reinforced 'Mech regiment, an Elemental battalion and an armored battalion.

Tragic Accident

In October 3064, Epsilon was returning from a garrison assignment on Kesai IV when a JumpShip accident resulted in the loss of most of Charlie Battalion and Epsilon's support units. Nichole once again began the slow process of bringing Epsilon back up to strength, tapping Captain Erik Johnson to command the new Charlie Battalion. By 3067, Epsilon 'Mech forces were at full strength for a standard 'Mech regiment, though they were still somewhat understrength by the Dragoon doctrine and they had not yet been assigned permanent support units, although General Maeve Wolf's newest doctrine championed a regiment each of armor, infantry and aerospace support.

Dawn of the Jihad

Epsilon was on Outreach on 15 October 3067 when a large force of Word of Blake-backed rogue mercenaries led by Wayne Waco launched a massive surprise attack against the Dragoons and the civilian population in the capital city of Harlech. First Harlech proved to be the most devastating event for the Dragoons since Misery, as Beta and Epsilon Regiments were called in from Remus to support the surviving Home Guard units, as well as Zeta and the Wolf Spider Battalion, all under the command of Jaime Wolf himself. Although the Dragoons ultimately eliminated the rogue mercenaries, casualties were extremely high as Commander Wolf, heart and soul of the Dragoons, was killed in the fighting. Most of Epsilon Regiment and the Home Guard ground forces were wiped out, with survivors of Epsilon folded into Beta Regiment. Nichole's fate remains unknown.

Personality and Traits

Early in her career as a Dragoon officer, Nichole was described as hotheaded and overly demanding of her troops. The experiences of Misery and the Fourth Succession War clearly tempered her, however, and by the time she took command of Epsilon Regiment she was considered not only an excellent commander but a brilliant strategist in ambushes, feints and delaying tactics. Nichole herself was loyal to the Dragoons and to Jaime Wolf, but placed even greater loyalty to Epsilon, the regiment she had helped rebuild so carefully, restoring them to elite status and leading them proudly. It was for this reason that she kept Epsilon out of much of the fighting during Elson's Challenge, maintaining her command. Like most officers in Wolf's Dragoons, Nichole was rated an Elite MechWarrior.

BattleMechs

Nichole piloted a Catapult during the Battle of Misery. When her 'Mech was destroyed during the fighting, she was eventually issued an Enforcer provided by the Federated Suns. Based on the description of Epsilon's Command Company, it may be determined that, in the aftermath of Elson's Challenge and the reorganization that followed, Nichole was piloting a Clan OmniMech of the assault class.

Bibliography

• Dawn of the Jihad
• Field Manual: Mercenaries
• Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised
• The Fourth Succession War Scenarios Volume One
• Luthien
• Mercenaries Supplemental Update
• Mercenary's Handbook 3055
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• Operational Turning Points: Death to Mercenaries
• Wolf Pack
• Wolf's Dragoons