Gavilán Camacho

Gavilán Camacho
Character Profile
Affiliation House Camacho
Rank Colonel
Profession MechWarrior
Parents Carlos Camacho (father)
Siblings Patricia Camacho
Children Jesus Camacho


History[edit]

Gavilán Camacho was a MechWarrior and mercenary; the son of noted MechWarrior Carlos Camacho, Gavilán "Gabby" Camacho served in and then commanded the Seventeenth Recon Regiment, also known as "Camacho's Caballeros." Both Gavilán and his sister Patricia served in the Seventeenth Recon under their father's command.[1] Gavilán was a graduate of the Nagelring.[2]

Succession Wars[edit]

In 3049, Camacho's Caballeros were under contract to the Magistracy of Canopus, serving on the world of Borgan's Rift. The Seventeenth was tasked with destroying a pirate band led by a figure known as the Red Lion, and a detachment of light and medium 'Mechs was dispatched to hunt the pirate down. Gavilán, then a hot-headed lieutenant, was given command of the mission. The pirate hunt was effectively a make-or-break test for Gavilán; thanks to the actions taken by Private Cassie Suthorn, newly assigned as a scout after failing at various other unit roles, the pirates were defeated.[3]

Clan Invasion Era[edit]

During the Clan Invasion the Seventeenth Recon fought against Clan Smoke Jaguar forces on the planet Jeronimo, and Patricia was killed in her Phoenix Hawk engaging a Star of Smoke Jaguar OmniMechs to cover the Seventeenth's retreat.[4] Patricia's death badly shook Gavilán's confidence in his own abilities, but he continued to serve in the Seventeenth, piloting a venerable Shadow Hawk he nicknamed Red-tailed Hawk.[1]

On 2 November 3056, the Seventeenth Recon found themselves in battle on Hachiman against the forces of the Ninth Ghost as a result of machinations involving the ISF and Chandrasekhar Kurita, CEO of Hachiman Taro Electronics. During the course of the battle Red-tailed Hawk took enough damage to render it combat-ineffective, as all of its weapons were left inoperative; Gavilán, a Major at this point, was determined to continue fighting and requisitioned a Scorpion 'Mech assigned to a more junior member of the Caballeros as part of a reserve force. While he was fighting as a part of that force, his father Carlos found himself facing a company of Ghost 'Mechs that had managed to infiltrate the Seventeenth's base via a covert route. Carlos, suffering from Patricia's death, had been monitoring the battle from the cockpit of his captured Mad Cat OmniMech, and chose to fight the Combine MechWarriors rather than surrender, in what he anticipated being his final battle. In an attempt to save him, his executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Marisol "la Dama Muerte" Cabrera, attempted to distract the Combine MechWarriors while piloting Red-tailed Hawk. The already-damaged Shadow Hawk was quickly defeated, and an enraged Carlos, convinced he had seen his only son die, tore into the Combine MechWarriors, damaging or destroying several single-handed before relief forces arrived.[5]

In 3058, the Seventeenth fought against the Kokuryu-kai on Towne;[6] following the fighting on Towne, Gavilán matured, serving under Carlos as executive officer for the Seventeenth in the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1] The Seventeenth deployed to several worlds liberated during Operation BULLDOG to protect company assets belonging to Chandrasekhar Kurita, fighting against Clan Ghost Bear in the First Combine-Dominion War[7] and taking casualties, including the loss of one of their long-serving battalion commanders on Luzerne.[8] Gavilán's performance in combat against the Ghost Bears was well-regarded by others in the Seventeenth, winning over a number of his critics. Given the opportunity to replace Red-tailed Hawk after the fighting on Towne, Gavilán surprised many by opting not to take over one of the heavier 'Mechs salvaged from the Seventeenth's battles, but to instead take on a Merlin. Having lived with more than a decade of assorted glitches, breakdowns, and repairs in Red-tailed Hawk, the Merlin's simplicity and reliability quickly gained Gavilán's approval.[1]

The Jihad[edit]

After the Caballeros returned to defend their homeworlds—the "Trinity Worlds" of Cerillos, Galisteo, and Sierra—Carlos Camacho assumed the office of President of Galiesteo, and Gavilán took over command of the Seventeenth as the new Colonel Camacho.[9] Carlos would continue to serve as commanding officer of the Seventeenth throughout the Jihad until at least 3085.[10]

Gavilán had at least one son, Jesus, who would follow in his footsteps, commanding the Seventeenth during the Dark Age. Jesus would marry Anjelah—Cassie Suthorn's daughter—in 3095. Anjelah took command of the Caballeros in turn after Jesus' death in action in 3106.[11]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade, p. 142: "MLN-1A Merlin"
  2. Close Quarters, p. 114: "Chapter 22"
  3. BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction‎, pp. 33–41: "Ozymandias"
  4. Close Quarters, p. 104: Cassie tells Archie the FedCom Reporter, that Patsy was her only friend.
  5. Close Quarters
  6. Black Dragon
  7. Field Manual: Mercenaries Revised, p. 54
  8. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 18
  9. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 39
  10. Field Manual: 3085, p. 160: "Mercenary Forces Deployment Table - 3085"
  11. Field Manual: 3145, pp. 179–180: "Camacho's Caballeros"

Bibliography[edit]