James O'Gordon
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James O'Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Affiliation | O'Gordon's Rifles; Watchdogs Cooperative (former) |
| Profile | |
| Profession | Mercenary; Arena Gladiator (former) |
| Family | |
| Children | At least one son[1] |
James O'Gordon was commander of the O'Gordon's Rifles mercenary unit and Solaris VII Grand Champion from 3009 to 3012.[2][1]
Contents
History[edit]
James O'Gordon was the commander of the O'Gordon's Rifles mercenary unit in the later portion of the Third Succession War. As of 3007, O'Gordon and his Rifles were stationed on the then-Federated Suns world of Crossing. After three decades of unbroken victories, O'Gordon and his troops were complacent and overconfident, leaving them ill-prepared for a Draconis Combine invasion aimed at numerous border worlds including Crossing. With the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery revitalized by Coordinator Takashi Kurita's shakeup of his military, the Combine forces struck Crossing with a ferocity unseen since the early years of the Third Succession War. More used to the tempo of low level raiding that typified the Third Succession War, the Rifles were utterly crushed after barely a month of fighting, with only two lances worth of troops able to retreat, James O'Gordon among them.[2][1]
While any other commander would have moved on after the destruction of their unit, the irascible and arrogant James O'Gordon instead took his BattleMech BattleMaster Number One and made his way to Solaris. Rather than joining a stable, the hot-tempered but highly skilled O'Gordon entered the arenas by joining the Watchdogs Cooperative, ascending to Open Class competition in short order and narrowly losing the Championship to Vanh Daravivanh in 3008.[2][1]
Unbowed, the fiery O'Gordon would ultimately win the Championship the next year, all the while reaping huge returns on long-shot odds and funneling all profits into the Watchdogs and his dream of rebuilding the Rifles. Becoming among the legends of the arena after winning his second Championship in 3010, O'Gordon's loyalty to the Watchdogs was equally legendary, shunning repeated offers of sponsorship from the established stables. Incensed that he could not be bought, O'Gordon was badly beaten by stable thugs during the 3011 Grand Tournament, the injured O'Gordon nonetheless going on to defeat his opponent in the finals, becoming Grand Champion for the third year in a row.[2][1]
O'Gordon would win his fourth and final Championship in 3012, retiring undefeated and announcing the return of the O'Gordon's Rifles mercenary unit as a battalion-sized command incorporating survivors from the original Rifles as well as the majority of the Watchdogs Cooperative, returning the loyalty he had shown them. The reborn Rifles quickly grew to regimental strength within a few short years after a string of successful missions along the Free Worlds League-Lyran Commonwealth border. Although never quite capturing the same unbeaten record they enjoyed prior to Crossing, the O'Gordon's Rifles would serve every Great House with distinction. By the time of the Clan Invasion, command of the unit had passed to James' grandson Jules O'Gordon.[2][1]
BattleMechs[edit]
O'Gordon was known to have piloted one of the few Rifles 'Mechs to survive Crossing, a BattleMaster he dubbed BattleMaster Number One.[2]
References[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Mercenaries Supplemental Update
- Solaris VII: The Game World: Player's Book