Spade's Brigade
Sarna News
| |
| Spade's Brigade | |
| Disbanded | 3067 |
| Affiliation | Mercenary |
| Parent Command | Independent |
| Sub-Command(s) | Garand's Giants |
Contents
History[edit]
Spade's Brigade were one of a handful of mercenary units hired by the Outworlds Alliance in the 3050s under an amendment to the Alliance's charter which gave President Mitchell Avellar authority to expand the Alliance Military Corps by hiring a small number of military units. The pay offered by the Alliance wasn't enough to attract more than the most desperate commands,[1][2][3] but the likely diet of garrison duties and pirate hunting allowed the Brigade's Commanding Officer, Captain Janey Spade, the opportunity to expand his command. Notably, when a raiding party from the Tortuga Dominions used a pirate point to strike at Jordan Wais, the Brigade was able to not only perform well against the pirates, but also salvage three BattleMechs.[4]
Despite the Alliance being grateful to the Brigade for their actions, when President Avellar pushed forward with his Long Road program and expanded the Alliance Ground Defense Arm by building two new regiments based around some of the mercenary commands hired at the same time as the Brigade, the Brigade weren't offered the opportunity to become part one of the new Long Road Legions, and the Brigade's contract ended when the previous Outworlds Alliance law banning the hiring of mercenaries was reimposed.[4][3] Major Chuong Spade took the Brigade to Port Krin, where the Brigade undertook contracts from a number of employers while Chung expanded the Brigade drastically through convincing smaller commands to sign on as sub-units under the overall aegis of the Brigade. The Brigade's reputation was influenced by the fact that many of the individual Brigadiers were forced by necessity to adopt an approach of retreating before any damage suffered had become too severe. This attitude on offensive operations earned the Brigade the unfortunate nickname "The Surrender Monkeys".[4]
The Brigade moved to Antallos at some point in 3067, continuing to increase in numbers by hiring elements of other mercenary commands down on their luck. When Clan Snow Raven attacked Antallos in November 3067, there were accounts of the Brigade being part of the forces that defended the city-state of Lexicon against the Snow Raven forces. Based on reports of the Brigade being overrun by two Trinaries from the Sixth Raven Battle Cluster the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission included them among the list of units destroyed during the Jihad.[5]
Officers[edit]
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the Spade's Brigade | |||
| Captain | Janey Spade | 3058-3059[6][2] | |
| Major | Chuong Spade | 3067[4] | |
Tactics[edit]
3067[edit]
When Major Chuong was on the battlefield, the Brigade used a range of innovative tactics; however, despite Chuong's apparent efforts to think of new maneuvers and tactics, his attempts to reinvent the wheel were not always successful, and cost the Brigade a number of battles.[4]
Support[edit]
The Brigade had no DropShip support and few technicians for maintenance.[4]
Composition History[edit]
3058[edit]
Spade's Brigade(1 Company/Green/Questionable)[2]
- CO: Captain Janey Spade
3059[edit]
Spade's Brigade (Company/Green/Questionable)[6]
- CO: Captain Janey Spade[6]
- Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Jordan Wais.[6]
3067[edit]
Spade's Brigade(1 Company/Green/Questionable)[4]
- CO: Major Chuong Spade
- XO: Lieutenant Alyssa Darko
- - The unit contained three different sub commands at this point in time.
- - Garand's Giants possessed 4 Dragon BattleMechs.
Color Scheme and Insignia[edit]
3067[edit]
The official insignia of the brigade was a stylized BattleMech throwing a grenade, although some Brigadiers also continued to display the insignia of their former commands. The paint schemes used across the Brigade varied, with many Brigadiers continuing to use the paint schemes of their previous commands; despite Major Chuong insisting that the official paint scheme was jade on cobalt, as of 3067 his was the only 'Mech in the Brigade actually using that color scheme.[4]
Rules[edit]
3067[edit]
- If more than a single lance from the Brigade is deployed in a battle, the Brigade suffers an Initiative penalty until the number of surviving units drops to a single lance or less. This penalty is reduced if Major Chuong is in command, but his 'Mech must be designated at the start of the battle, and if his unit is destroyed at any point the original Initiative penalty applies.[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ The Periphery, Second Edition, p. 50, "Outworlds Alliance Military"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Periphery (2nd Edition), p. 52: Spade's Brigade
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Field Manual: Periphery, p. 88, "Alliance Ground Defense Arm"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 60: "Unit Profile"
- ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 13, "The Rolls of Honor"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 112
- ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 77: "Spade's Brigade (C)"