Black Cats
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Template:InfoBoxMercUnit The Black Cats were an all-infantry mercenary unit, specialized in security and urban warfare. Although competent, they became known for a good public relations group and often exaggerated vid-commercials showing them taking down BattleMechs.[1]
History
First appearing in the contract archives on Galatea in the late 2980s, the Black Cats existed on and off the official rolls until at least late 3071[1] and implicitly beyond that date.
At one point they managed to defend the city of Lawrence against an attack by a BattleMech company that posed as the Black Widow Company, and took down at least two 'Mechs (one of them apparently a Trebuchet); the exact timeframe of the action remains unspecified.
Following an ambush gone bad and an employer defrauding the unit, the five survivors including then-Corporal Hill put the unit on ice in 3048, but reinstated the unit at battalion strength in early 3050.[1]
The unit's largest asset was a Fury-class DropShip which they acquired in 3067 and lost on the launch pad in the 3068 Harlech bombing on Outreach.
Officers
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the Black Cats | |||
| Major | Lou Lingg | 3071 | |
Other Personnel
Known unit members include
- William "Big Bill" Flynn
- Lou Lingg
- Elizabeth "Boots" Hill
Notes
- The exact time and place of the defense of Lawrence are indeterminate as no dates or epigraphs are provided. The story may initially have been meant to be set sometimes in the late Succession Wars era, i.e. around 3025; it has to be set after 3015 as the Black Widow Company, which has apparently already racked up quite a reputation by the time the story is set in, was created in that year.
However, "Boots" Hill was a corporal in 3048 while she is a sergeant in the story, suggesting it takes place in 3050 or later but before 3071 when then-Major Lou Lingg has ascened to the position of unit commander.
References
Bibliography
- Black Cats Cross Your Path (in Shrapnel, MechWarrior (2nd Edition) rulebook, and the German edition of the CityTech rulebook)
- Mercenaries Supplemental Update