Hans Vordel

Hans Vordel
Character Profile
Born 3004[1]
Died 3054[2]
Affiliation Wolf's Dragoons
Rank Lieutenant[1]
Profession MechWarrior

Hans Vordel was a MechWarrior and officer in the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary command, best-known for serving as the personal bodyguard to Colonel Jaime Wolf.[3]

History[edit]

Early Life and Career[edit]

Like most early members of Wolf's Dragoons, little is known of Hans Vordel's early life. It may be assumed that he was a freeborn born in the Clan Homeworlds, though based on his cited age, it is also possible he was born during the Dragoons' voyage to the Inner Sphere.

Vordel, though regarded as an exceptional warrior even by Dragoon standards, was apparently a major discipline problem. He might have been assigned to the Black Widow Company or even executed when he was offered the position of Colonel Wolf's personal bodyguard. Wolf had experienced a number of close calls, and senior Dragoon officers insisted on the precaution while in the field. Wolf handpicked Vordel, and Vordel, fiercely loyal to his commander, proved well-suited to the position.[4][5][6]

By 3023, he held the rank of lieutenant, and piloted a Victor as part of Wolf's Dragoons' Command Lance, serving with Alpha Regiment.[3]

Quentin[edit]

When the Dragoons signed with the Draconis Combine, Vordel accompanied Wolf in their operation on the Federated Suns world of Quentin IV in June 3023. On the approach to the Independence Weaponry plant, their primary target, the Dragoons were ambushed by the Snake Stompers, a Federated Suns mercenary unit, in the Fire Rift. Wolf ordered the command lance to scatter, and was separated from Vordel and his warriors with his radio antennae damaged in the badlands. Vordel reported all of this to Captain William Cameron, Wolf's communication aide.[1] Thanks to Minobu Tetsuhara and Dechan Fraser, Wolf was soon rescued.

Misery and the Fourth Succession War[edit]

Vordel continued to serve as Wolf's bodyguard throughout their tumultuous contract with the Draconis Combine, and joined the other Dragoons on Misery in April 3028.[1]

On 25 April, in the first major action of what would become the Battle of Misery, the Ryuken and supporting Galedon Regulars units squared off with Wolf's Dragoons on the Opdal Glacial Fields. Before fighting could commence, Vordel stepped forward in his Victor and issued an open challenge to single combat (in poor Japanese) to the assembled Kuritan forces. Chu-i Tadashi Bolivar accepted the challenge, stepping forward in his Thunderbolt. Taking advantage of the terrain, Vordel outmaneuvered his foe, slaying him when he destroyed Bolivar's cockpit with his massive Pontiac 100 Autocannon. Vordel returned to the Dragoon lines to the cheers of his comrades, having suffered no damage in the brief but fatal encounter.[1][7][8][9]

On 29 April, in the Hamar Valley, Colonel Wolf's command lance had a close call when they ran into a Ryuken company. Vordel, still fiercely protecting Wolf, depleted his ammunition and had taken heavy damage when his 'Mech shut down due to overheating. Wolf had to repeatedly order Vordel to eject before Vordel did so, narrowly avoiding death when his machine exploded.[10][11][12] Afterwards, Vordel piloted a Thunderbolt, presumably one salvaged from the fighting on Misery.[13]

Vordel, as part of the command lance, later joins Wolf when the latter attends the wedding of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner on Terra, and was still on the homeworld of humanity when the Fourth Succession War began. He continued to fight by Wolf's side in the battle of Glenmora and the final battle of Crossing.

Clan Invasion Era[edit]

When the Dragoons arrived on their new homeworld of Outreach in 3030, it was feared House Kurita might again strike at them Colonel Wolf in particular. At the insistence of the command council and over Wolf's objections, Vordel was ordered to form a full Bodyguard Lance for Wolf in addition to the standard Command Lance. Commanded by Vordel himself, the experienced bodyguard selected these warriors both for their skill and their variance over different age-frames, balancing the experience of older warriors with the reflexes of the younger. Even when not in combat, the quartet would protect Wolf when on duty, acting in pairs.[14]

In 3053, Vordel selected a talented young warrior for the Bodyguard Lance who had just graduated from sibko training. That warrior's name was Maeve, and her later actions would validate Vordel's confidence.[15] This period marked a trying time for the Dragoons in general and the Bodyguard Lance in particular, as Wolf had been suspended from participating in any contracts for one year after a ruling by the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission. This effectively prevented the Bodyguard Lance from seeing any combat.[16]

In 3054, Vordel joined Wolf and the Bodyguard and Command Lances during the Dragoons' contract on Morges in the Federated Commonwealth against Clan Jade Falcon. Sensing the battle was going against them, the Falcons sent a small force of frontline OmniMechs to breach the allied lines and target the AFFC command center at the city of Josseles. This would not only disrupt the Inner Sphere troops, it would split the lines between the Dragoons and the AFFC troops, allowing the Jade Falcons to smash the Commonwealth forces while holding off the elite mercenaries. The Falcon force succeeded in punching through the lines twenty kilometers north of Josseles. Observing the battle from nearby Mount Ziggilies and realizing that Beta and the AFFC troops would be unable to check the counterthrust in time, Colonel Wolf and his Command and Bodyguard Lances moved to engage.[17] They met a heavy OmniMech star which was apparently acting as a screening force on the outskirts of an abandoned town north of Josselles, as Vordel's Victor took the first hit. The bodyguard lance managed to down the lead Falcon Thor, but the Dragoons were unable to stop the Clan warriors from reaching the cover of the town. It was then that a second Falcon star appeared behind the Falcons, trapping the Dragoons. The Dragoons lost a Black Hawk, but flushed out the Falcons in the town with their hidden Elemental star commanded by Elson Novacat. The Dragoons were able to destroy a Mad Cat before the Falcons pulled out of the town, but they were still outnumbered. The Falcons then began bombarding the mercenaries from a distance, knocking two more 'Mechs out of the fight.[18] Despite their losses the Dragoons' Command Lance had bought the allies enough time to regroup; reinforcements from Beta Regiment were inbound, and AFFC conventional forces had reinforced the road to Josseles. The Jade Falcons broke off the engagement, leaving the field to the Dragoons. Mattlov's counterthrust had been thwarted.[19]

Elson's Challenge and Death[edit]

Later that same year, Vordel accompanied Colonel Wolf to Luthien for a proposed duel with Takashi Kurita, along with Captain Brian Cameron and MechWarrior Franchette.[20] While Wolf was determined to leave his escort onboard the Chieftain in orbit for safety reasons, Cameron insisted that he and Vordel accompany their commander to the surface.[21][22]

After Takashi Kurita's death, Vordel and Cameron accompanied Wolf to Misery, where they met with Michi Noketsuna, the former protégé of Minobu Tetsuhara. Tetsuhara agreed to accompany the Dragoons back to Outreach, joined by several dozen Kuritan recruits who had ties to the original Ryuken.[23]

When Wolf and his escort returned to Outreach, they were met by Wolf's family and a contingent of Dragoon officers led by Novacat. Vordel, sensing something was wrong, asked Alpin Wolf, Colonel Wolf's grandson, why he wasn't with the other family members. The bodyguard grew angry when Alpin and Alicia Fancher were flippant towards him, but was forestalled from acting by Cameron. Meanwhile, Colonel Wolf was informed that his son, Mackenzie Wolf, had been killed on a mission to the Periphery.[24]

When Colonel Wolf was removed from command, Vordel did not hesitate to join his commander in exile in the Outback. The opening shots had been fired in what would become known among the Dragoons as Elson's Challenge.[25]

To deceive the loyalist forces under Elson and Alpin, the rebels formed a battle group with Grant Linkowski piloting Colonel Wolf's Archer, joined by Vordel and Cameron. Despite his experience, Vordel deferred to Cameron as group commander. Although this drew the bodyguard away from Colonel Wolf, it would lead the loyalists to misidentify the Wolf's location for much of the campaign.[26]

When an unidentified unit landed in the Outback, Cameron took his Battlegroup to investigate with Vordel taking two lances and shadowing the group's flank, prepared to intervene if needed. The group turned out to be the Spider's Web Battalion, who took advantage of the terrain to split the Battlegroup. After conferring with Cameron, however, they elected to join Wolf's rebels.[27]

Vordel continued to serve with Cameron's Battlegroup for the duration of the conflict, up until the final battle between Wolf's forces and Beta Regiment near the Tetsuhara Proving Grounds. Under fire from multiple foes, Vordel's 'Mech took a hit from a 200-millimeter autocannon, apparently causing his Gauss rifle to explode and the Victor to topple. Under heavy laser fire, the 'Mech's ammunition bay exploded, destroying the 'Mech and killing Vordel.[28]

Legacy[edit]

Hans wasn't forgotten: he became the founder of the Vordel (Honorname), and in the thirty-second century, his descendant Aksel Vordel was the bodyguard of other Dragoons officers, with great success.[29]

BattleMechs[edit]

For most of his recorded career, Vordel piloted a Victor.[1] It is strongly suggested that in the Clan Invasion Era and up to his death, Vordel's Victor had been upgraded to a VTR-9K variant, as it was equipped with a Gauss rifle.[18][1]

It was only during the Fourth Succession War that he was known to pilot a Thunderbolt, to replace the 'Mech he lost on Misery.[13]

Personality and Traits[edit]

Vordel had a discipline issue early in his career as a Dragoon,[5] though his responsibility as Wolf's bodyguard seemed to quickly mediate this, as he was recognized for his intense loyalty to Colonel Wolf from that point,[6] up until his death.[30] Though still possessing a temper, age and experience allowed him to normally keep it in check.[24]

He was physically described as possessing a stocky build[31] with a downcast "hangdog face."[23] Reportedly, age whitened some of his hairs, but he otherwise remained fit.[23]

Like most Dragoon officers, Vordel was an elite MechWarrior, and apparently maintained this rating even into his fifties.[32][33]

Quotations[edit]

I am Hans Vordel, lieutenant in Wolf’s Dragoons. I am a fourth-generation MechWarrior. I have seen twenty-four-cycles and have fought on more worlds than I have years. Who among you has the courage to face me in single combat?
  — Hans Vordel, during his challenge on Misery[1][9]

Notes[edit]

  • It is stated in Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook) that the impetus to assign Colonel Wolf a personal bodyguard in the field was a result of his near-death on Dromini VI in 3021 and on Quentin in 3023, as well as a possible "Kurita conspiracy".[4] This conflicts with the account in Wolves on the Border, where Vordel has already been assigned to the command lance at the time of the Quentin raid.[1]
  • According to his own claim in the challenge he made on Misery, Vordel was a fourth-generation MechWarrior.[1] Assuming this were true and he was, in fact, freebirth, this would mark him as a major oddity among the Clans.
  • The account of Vordel's death[28] is somewhat inconsistent, given that the presumed use of Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment should have prevented pilot death. However, the Victor had been described as fallen over, and presumably this blocked the CASE doors from blowing open as should happen under normal circumstances. This is apparently not an uncommon circumstance, as several pilots have perished in the course of the novels after their CASE doors were blocked during an ammunition explosion.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Wolves on the Border, ch. 52
  2. Wolf Pack, ch. 52
  3. 3.0 3.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 49: "Alpha Regiment Unit Roster", Vordel is Jaime Wolf's bodyguard
  4. 4.0 4.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 54: "Alpha Regiment Personalities", Jaime Wolf's officers insist he take a bodyguard
  5. 5.0 5.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 54: "Alpha Regiment Personalities", Vordel was headed to a firing squard or the Black Widow Company
  6. 6.0 6.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 54: "Alpha Regiment Personalities", Wolf handpicks Vordel
  7. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 37: "Misery", Vordel defeats Kurita Thunderbolt in single combat
  8. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 54: "Alpha Regiment Personalities", Vordel fights the first duel on Misery
  9. 9.0 9.1 Historical Turning Points: Misery, p. 7: "The Battle of Misery", Vordel delivers his challenge to the Kuritan troops
  10. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 37: "Misery", Vordel's Victor is destroyed
  11. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 49: "Alpha Regiment Unit Roster", Vordel's Victor is destroyed on Misery
  12. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 54: "Alpha Regiment Personalities", Vordel only ejects when ordered to do so
  13. 13.0 13.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 49: "Alpha Regiment Unit Roster", Vordel switches to a Thunderbolt
  14. Wolf Pack, pp. 75–76: Hans Vordel forms a Bodyguard Lance after Crossing
  15. Wolf Pack, p. 76, Vordel assigns Maeve to the Bodyguard Lance
  16. Wolf Pack, pp. 75–76: Wolf's suspension is trying for Vordel's Bodyguard Lance
  17. Wolf Pack, pp. 82–84: Wolf's Command Lance moves to blunt the Falcon thrust
  18. 18.0 18.1 Wolf Pack, pp. 85–88: the Dragoons' command lance fight the Falcons
  19. Wolf Pack, p. 88: reinforcements arrive and the Falcons break off
  20. Wolf Pack, pp. 163–164: Vordel joins Colonel Wolf on his journey to Luthien
  21. Wolf Pack, p. 181: Cameron insists he and Vordel will accompany Wolf
  22. Wolf Pack, pp. 208–209, Vordel and Cameron accompany Wolf
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Wolf Pack, pp. 238–241: Vordel joins Wolf on Misery where he meets with Noketsuna
  24. 24.0 24.1 Wolf Pack, pp. 246–250: Vordel confronts Alpin Wolf and Fancher
  25. Wolf Pack, p. 294: Vordel and his Victor join Wolf in the Outback
  26. Wolf Pack, pp. 312–313: Vordel joins Cameron's Battlegroup
  27. Wolf Pack, pp. 312–318: Vordel covers the flank as Cameron and his Battlegroup meet the Wolf Spiders
  28. 28.0 28.1 Wolf Pack, pp. 392–393: Vordel is killed during the fighting with Beta Regiment
  29. Redemption Rites p. 135
  30. Wolf Pack, p. 247: Vordel is described as faithful and dutiful
  31. Wolf Pack, p. 247: Vordel is described as stocky
  32. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 49: "Alpha Regiment Unit Roster", Vordel is ranked an elite MechWarrior
  33. Wolf Pack, p. 76: Vordel is still considered an excellent warrior

Bibliography[edit]