Gannon's Cannons
Sarna News
Contents
History
Carlton's Cavaliers
Led by Captain Philo Carlton the unit had been working for some time when in 3067, Duke Morgan Kell hired several small mercenary units to keep the Loyalist Third Donegal Guards on Cumbres. They were one of these units. The raid started in February 3067, but things went sour when one of the units, Dortman's Devils, decided to take advantage of the situation and line their own pockets. They raided towns and crushed any resistance. To hide their actions the Devils pretended to be other mercenary units stationed on Cumbres. When the Third discovered the raids, they began treating all the mercenaries as pirates. On 8 February, the Devils attacked Westfield, but they found the Cavaliers and after a tougth battle, which ended with a heavily wounded Philo Carlton, they crused the Devils.
The same day, and after this fight they were found by elements of the Third Donegal Guards, who though they were pirates too and started a fight which ended in more losses for the unit untill they were able to surrender.
They were mistakenly tried and blacklisted for the crimes of Dortman's Devils. Even though the prosecution's case was shredded by the ranking Cavalier officer, Gannon "Cannon" Derer, the Cavaliers were never formally acquitted because of a general amnesty declared by Peter Steiner-Davion at the end of the FedCom Civil War that saw their case dropped. But the unit had been blacklisted. The image of Carlton's Cavaliers was heavily damaged. After this, Philo decided to retire and gave the unit's command to Gannon "Cannon" Derer. He decided to rename the unit.[1]
Gannon's Cannons
The Gannon's Cannons were born after that.
Their first contract, a strike against the Word of Blake-controlled warehouses on Keid in Interstellar Expeditions employ, saw Gannon's Cannons with no home to return to, as it occurred at the same time as Wayne Waco's attack against Wolf's Dragoons and the scouring of Outreach in mid-October of 3067.[1]
Gannon's Cannons were named as one example of a relatively small mercenary unit with their own transportation that had been small and mobile enough to avoid attention and destruction over the course of the Jihad.[2]
When the unit signed with IE they thought they would be used as troubleshooters, maybe pirate-hunting or guarding their digs. Instead, they were ordered to raid on Keid on the 29 of September 3067. Their targets were several Kallon Industries Drop-Port warehouses (the idea of the raid was to send a message from IE to Kallon). The unit was told that as long as they didn't take the battle outside the target area, the Blakies would be look the other way. The destruction of the Keid warehouses was not without complications. The contact said nothing about the security force (vehicles and infantry) they ran into, but was very explicit in protecting civilian structures, which made the unit's job harder. Still, the warehouses (full of enought material to keep a couple of 'Mech battalions supplied for three or four months) were destroyed.[3]
After two months guarding a couple of warehouses filled with stuff that only historians and archeologists would love to have (items from IE), at the end of December 3067 the unit executed his training clause to accept a side contract for Earthwerks Incorporated to raid Tao 'Mechworks' research and development center on Styk's Fire Island as a retaliation of that company destroying Earthwerks' fusion engine assembly line in March 3067. The unit landed a cargo DropShip near Tao Mechworks and left half the Cannons to secure their ride while the rest headed for Fire Island. They first ran into Tao security, and pushed them back. But just as we reached the building, they picked up a Syn's Hussars patrol coming in from the east. As Earthwerks didn't want them to wreck CCAF units, Gannon's Cannons concentrated in destroying the buildings while avoiding the CCAF unit. They were able to do that and retreat to their escape off-planet.[4]
The unit was stationed in Skye for a security job when the 5 of February 3068 an invasion from the FWL hit Skye. Duke Kelswa-Steiner called every militia and mercenary unit on-planet to Skye's defense. Their first mission was to take out and old abandoned LAAF airbase in some swamp and had been bombing the capital with the help of a Lance from the Fourth Skye Rangers. The mercenaries caught the Sirian Lancers by surprise and hammered them hard before they could get on track. Captain Derer and the rest of the command lance pounded the standby fighters while the rest of the unit hit everything else. They mauled them and took most of the FWL units down. Only a couple of hovertanks and a badly shot-up Trebuchet got away into the swamp, and some of the Rangers' aerospace boys finished the job the next day. The Lancers were gone two days later. IE wrapped things up quickly, and Gannon's Cannons got off-planet asap. Gannon though that something stinked about this Leaguer assault. The list of the FWL equipment found after Gannon's assault was much better than expected. He though the FWL had found another source for equipment, and his leading candidate was the Word of Blake.[5]
IE next sent Gannon's Cannons to defend an excavation from Yoris University Amalgamated (a group belonging to IE) in Solaris beneath the dark sands of the Tangerine Desert. So in 16th of June 3068 they were in the first line of the WoB Operation SHOWTIME, and were attacked by unmarked raiders, later identified as elements of the invading 25th Division with possible mercenary support. Though they were able to save the team, but the site itself was destroyed. They were able to make retreat the attacking force after that though with heavy losses. Three of the units 'Mechs were wrecked, and everyone else suffered some damage to their rides. They were able to strip any usable parts from the raider's Mechs (Wraiths, Mercurys, and a Zephyr to use that stuff themselves.[6]
The next mission IE gave to the Grandin's Crusaders was to help Duke George Hasek in his Operation SOVEREIGN JUSTICE. They were to accompany the Illician Lancers and help them raid Tsingtao. IE also told them to take a detour and ransack Shu-lin Networking for a computer core. So in the 28th of June 3068 they attacked and foung a mix of planetary militia and mercenaries hired by the local government. The Illician Lancers went after and destroying any Capellan forces they could find. The Crusaders accompanied them, serving as a mop-up force to eliminate isolated Home Guard or militia units bypassed in the initial assault. Grandin convinced the Lancers command to let him hit the city of Weihaiwei on his own to "hunt down guerrilla elements", as Shu-Lin Networking had their corporate center in planet there. While the 'Mech elements battled the security force, the unit's infantry stormed the headquarters, and the presence of Eddie Vargas, a former MIIO information warfare specialist easily, allowed them to defeat the core’s security. Once the planet was secured, Grandin's Crusaders left and handed the core over to David Styles, an influential member of IE's Council of Peers and member of the executive board. The files it contained were filled with SLDF research on weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons. This data soon found its way into the hands of the Word of Blake, courtesy of Styles.[7]
After that, the unit was allowed some R&R time while garrison IE's main research facility in Tomans, located in Grant's Station Tango. And then on the 1st of August 3068, the mysterious Green Ghosts arrived on planet. Well-trained, well-equipped and strongly disciplined, the unit pressed the attack when they found the mercenaries and despite being heavily outnumbered, the Ghosts nearly broke their lines before being droven back. And just as things seemed could end well, a Clan Jade Falcon force appeared also ready to raid the planet. They started shooting both the Green Ghost and the mercenaries. The Green Ghosts decided to leave in the ensuing chaos, so the Jade Falcons kept pressing, but they found Gannon Derer wanting. After having taken out three Falcon Mechs, a Star Captain in an Executioner challenged him. After their Star Captain went down, the Falcons retreated, leaving the mercenaries holding the battlefield. IE lost about a third of their buildings, but their casualties were be light.[8]
As of 31 October 3085 Gannon's Cannons were stationed on Atocongo in the Lyran Commonwealth, at 85% nominal strength and implicitly in Commonwealth employ.[9]
At some point after 3129 and "shortly" before the Draconis Combine's invasion of the Republic of the Sphere's Prefecture II, Gannon's Cannons carried out a strike mission on Pike IV under contract to the DCMS.[10]
After the successful mission on Pike IV, the Cannons were hired by the DCMS as an auxiliary unit to provide garrison support on the Combine's Republic acquisitions. The unit nearly disbanded after suffering major losses during a Dominion raid on Styx, though after heavy fighting the intruders withdrew long enough for the Cannons to mount up and give chase.[11]
As of 31 December 3145 Gannon's Cannons were stationed on York in the Lyran Commonwealth, listed as a battalion at 85% nominal strength and implicitly in Commonwealth employ.[12]
Officers
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of Carlton's Cavaliers | |||
| Captain | Philo Carlton | At least from 3064 to 3067[1] | |
| Commanding Officers of Gannon's Cannons | |||
| Captain | Gannon "Cannon" Derer | 3067 - 3068[1] | |
| Major | Gannon Derer II | 3145[12] | |
Composition History
3067
- The Cannons consist of two lances, Alpha and Beta. Alpha comprises heavy and assault ’Mechs, anchored by Derer’s upgraded BattleMaster. Beta fields two heavy tanks and two hovertanks, typically used in defensive maneuvers.
Rules
Game Rules
When choosing maps for a track, the Cannons player selects half of the maps used, rather than rolling. As a unit, the Cannons can use Overrun Combat (see p. 193, TO) once per track. In addition, Alpha lance ignores Forced Withdrawal rules (see p. 258, TW) if Gannon is still active on the map. Beta lance may deploy as Hidden Units (see p. 256, TW) if they are the defenders in a track and no other units on their side are used in that capacity. Because of Gannon Derer’s administrative skills, if a track offers three or more options in the Next Track section, reduce the Track Cost of the Cannons’ next track selection by ten percent.[1]
Notes
- In 2011 Gannon Derer, the six year old son of a Catalyst Agent, BattleTech volunteer, fact-checker and playtester, was diagnosed with leukemia. The Demo Agent group began to assemble and paint up BattleTech miniatures as gifts for the boy in his favorite colors, and came to name the unit Gannon's Cannons. The unit was then canonized through being mentioned in Field Manual: 3085, and later received a full writeup by Craig Reed in Total Chaos.[13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Total Chaos, pp. 19-21
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 120
- ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 39-40 "LOOK WHO’S COMING TO DINNER"
- ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 48-49 "PAYBACK"
- ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 52-54 "THE SKYE IS FALLING!"
- ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 59-60 "GAME ON!"
- ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 61-62 "GOLDEN GOOSE"
- ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 65 "FALCON PTOMAINE"
- ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 160
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3145, p. 124
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, p. 38 "EXR-2X Exhumer"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 182
- ↑ According to a blog entry by Ben Rome and this forum posting by Demo Agent "Bosefius"