Cumberland's Missiliers

History

Cumberland's Missiliers was formed in 3048 by Captain Roger Cumberland with some childhood friends in the Cumberland Capellan March Militia. Cumberland's Missiliers is a small mercenary unit that has operated on the fringes of greatness for several decades. They were always second to other mercenary units due to their own relative lack of favorable repute. The unit was specialized in all types of missile-based weapon systems and had taken part in every major conflict since the Clan Invasion.

However, the FedCom Civil War allowed them to achieve some notoriety of their own. Captain Roger Cumberland disobeyed orders to guard the Seventeenth Avalon Hussars' DropShips at their landing zone on Matsuida and instead led his 'Mech lance and tank platoon into the nearby city of Iida, where their sensors had detected a large force moving up behind the Hussars. Roger sent in their faster units to serve as spotters and then the Missiliers rained down a devastating missile barrage upon the enemy force. They disabled two 'Mechs and destroyed two others in the largely futile maneuver against the Seventh Ghost, whose presence on-world was a surprise.

For saving even a small portion of the Hussars, Cumberland was commended and awarded two salvageable 'Mechs as a bonus. Despite nothing more stellar to their record in the Civil War, the unit's improved reputation led to an approach by Interstellar Expeditions.

Since the end of the FedCom Civil War and their minor expansion, Cumberland instituted a number of reforms. Uniforms are now required, though their typical condition is more relaxed than standard military protocols. Cumberland recently began issuing bonuses for anyone who captures an enemy unit with advanced or unknown missile weaponry. Other performance bonuses include downing enemies single-handedly or connecting with a particularly difficult shot. The internal competition these bonuses created has improved the skills of the entire unit.

Because the Missiliers lack a JumpShip, IE providing one for their use during the contract was a significant bargaining chip.

At the beginning of December 3067 the unit was asked to defend IE interests in the Micron facilities in New Avalon by training their green security forces they want us to train. Everything was going well until a communication failure made than air and ground elements of the Second NAIS Cadre in the middle of deploying to a preset rally point though the factory had been attacked by the WoB and attacked instead the mercenary unit and the facilities' security force. The unit was reimbursed by the damage they were inflicting, even being given a new aerospace fighter to replace their lost one.

The unit was stationed in Acamar during the end of December 3067 for a garrison contract to defend a Contard facility. In January 3068 they detected an inbound pirate force, called Lafayette Legion (a new pirate band made up of disgruntled Liao expatriates originally from Liberty). The pirates came in all full of bluster, but as soon as they lost one 'Mech, the fight went out of them. They had to limp back to orbit after the damage our flyboys had inflicted to their DropShip, but the mercenaries were content to let them go. Just after that, they were told by IE that they wanted the unit back to New Avalon to get offworld one of their members.

So during March 3068, and after being able to pass through the WoB blockade, the unit landed again on New Avalon to rescue an IE employee. Dragooned — albeit somewhat willingly since the alternative sounded unpleasant - the unit joined forces with elements from the Third Davion Guards and the Twelfth Vegan Rangers to hold Balright Pass (located in the Cris Mountains) to stop elements of the Word of Blake's Thirty-sixth Division from crossing it. Though just fighting on the fringes of the battle, they helped rout the WoB forces. After that, they were able to clear the area and evacuate their precious IE benefactor. They were again able to run the blockade and escape off-world.

After some complaints of the mission done by IE in their New Avalon contract, IE didn’t renew their contract. They found an interesting job offer by the Free Worlds League, and accepted a planetary assault contract to invade Giausar along the Knights of the Inner Sphere. So they started the operations on the 2nd September 3068. Defending Giausar they found the One-Eyed Jacks mercenary command with a total force that comprised a BattleMech regiment and two aerospace fighter squadrons. They fought well and were praised by the League for their operations outside Port Reilly or how they did secured three strategic hills on the first day alone. The unit though was being moved out of the assault before it was completed.

Even before leaving Giausar, a Mister Askai contacted them and hired the unit on the spot. He offered a short-term job to take down the automotive and combat vehicle factories on Gienah. The unit accepted even knowing that for that operation they would not count on with their aerospace fighters. They also discovered that Mr. Askai also hired other mercenary units, though he did not share the defending force. So in the end of September 3068, this "coalition" easily put down the last of the militia and corporate security than. But after that dissent amongst the ranks started. Some of the mercs began fighting over salvage rights. The unit, having mostly ending mostly intact, decided to leave the planet screwing the salvage. After that action the unit decided to take some down time, and left the planet along the more sensible mercenaries left in direction to Galatea.

After adding two VTOLs and their crews plus two new MechWarriors the Missiliers took a contract for the Lyran Commonwealth. The unit was to defend an underwater facility on Blue Hole only until elements from Alpha Galaxy from Clan Jade Falcon got close enough, and then blow it themselves. During this action, during early January 3069, the unit ended up leaving behind the new MechWarriors while retreating offworld.

After the last contract the unit went back to Galatea where they were contacted again by Mr. Askai, that contracted them on double their rates and all salvage they could haul off for a long contract (more than six months) and back in the Federated Suns, in Caselton. While travelling there, the unit took a side contract for The Coterie. They had to defend some installations in Tohelet, in the Free Worlds League. The planet was attacked by Reed's Brew and Cumberland's Missiliers plus the small planetary militia matched them. They stopped the attack, but another one done by unknown pirates hit the staging area for the land trains and then escaped. They left after that when The Coterie DropShips arrived in system. Some members of the unit thought it was very strange how the Coterie knew there'd be raiders hitting there, when, and from what direction. It made them wonder if the Coterie was behind the raids but wanted it to look like they cared about the people.

The unit accepted a shady contract from Mr. Askai to raid Site 2B in the Cassini Belt from Caselton. It turned out that the defenders were elements of the Second Davion Guards RCT. The contract was to destroy the defending turrets and the power station of the mining site that Askai had assigned to them. When he knew who they were going to fight they changed their colors and the Gap Breaker's transponder to do a false flag operation. The unit managed to stay out of target from the Guards as much as possible and destroy the turrets and the power station. When leaving they detected what unknown to them was the first real WoB attack to Caselton. When the Missiliers left, they traveled to the Combine as that was where the JumpShip they were using was heading.

The unit's next contract was on An Ting on police duty. On the 23th April 3070 the unit was contracted to control victims from the plague from Galedon that had been able to escape from the quarantine and had been ordered to stay in their quarantine zone. When they tried to escape the Missiliers were ordered to stop them killing the least amount of them. After succeeding they got another job in Sheratan (in the so-called Chaos March) to force the Grim Determination out of the planet. The unit hoped more mercenaries would have been contracted, otherwise their under-strength company would have never been able to take down an entire regiment.

At the end of November 3070, these mercenary units stroked Sheratan and easily shattered the Grim Determination and the Sheratan Militia. They discovered then that they have been double-crossed and working unknowingly for the WoB had shattered the only units defending the planet from the Word. Enraged, the unit left, though they nearly tripled the size of the Missiliers by accepting survivors of the Grimm Determination, some of their DropShips and tons of supplies too.

The unit arrived to Galatea, and quickly picked a job to transport some small-timers to the Rim Collection. While en route, they did an scheduled stop in Enzesfled when in the 10th of March 3071 they heard a call for help. The Democracy Now forces, the Democratic People's Army had tried to kill some nobles and they were barely able to escape. The unit was able to stop cold them and save the nobles, to then continue their voyage.

During the unit's stay on New St. Andrews after their Rim Collection contract, they bought a few Arbiters. While going back to Galatea, they got a possible contract from Savannah to help them declare their independence from the Free Worlds League. The unit accepted so in the middle of August they arrived to the planet. They ended fighting gree World of Blake militia forces and crushed them. As some neighboring systems followed Savannah's example and signed a mutual defense pact that freed the mercenaries up from staying there any longer than necessary as a garrison force. Roger Cumberland was pleased at the performance of the new Arbiters, which was good as seen in the short time as security forces in Savannah had put them to the Arbiter's express purpose.

The unit spend December 3071 conducting rest of refit activities in Galatea, when they accepted a contract with the Lyran Alliance to help in the retaking of Tharkad. They landed along elements of the Third Lyran Guards, the Twentieth Arcturan Guards, the First Kell Hounds and the Thirteenth Wolf Guards in the 12 of January 3072 and engaded elements of the Thirty-seventh Division and the Lowbräu. The attack was a success and the WoB was beated and the coalition was able to secure the landing zones. The Missiliers lost six 'Mechs one fighter and four tanks, with only five of the MechWarriors surviving. They got good salvage, but it did not make up for the lives lost.

The unit accepted a contract to garrison Spica after that. The unit arrived in March 3072 under contract from the civilian authorities to act as Garrison force. They found no sign of the WoB. Then, somebody called Stone's Lament arrived to planet. They were ready to defend the planet when they discovered that the government had left the planet. With their contract void and with only half their pay, the unit decided to pull off. They were surprised when Devlin Stone decided to pay them the rest of their contract. After that, the unit decided to travel to Cumberland to visit their families, and to allow the dependents of their Grim Determination colleagues and other civilians to make a permanent home there.

The unit took a cadre and garrison contract in Cumberland in October 3072.

After that, the unit took a contract to help the Federated Suns, Cumberland's Missiliers arrived to New Avalon just scant days after the destruction of the Fox Den and the death of Marshal of the Armies Jackson Davion, and were lucky to run the blockage. So on the 16th January 3073 the unit intermediately engaged elements of the Forty-fourth Shadow Division to rescue his body along his Battlemaster. They succeeded though they could not be 100% sure they indeed had found a Battlemaster, and quickly made contact with the rest of the planet defenders ready to stand and defend their ground. Cumberland's Missiliers kept fighting for the Federation until the WoB retreated from New Avalon in 3074, though the fight cost them dearly, with two dead and a full company out of commission with wounds and damage to the machines. On the other side they picked a company of battle armor infantry from the survivors of those fight.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of Cumberland's Missiliers
Captain	Roger Cumberland	3048 - 3070
Colonel	Roger Cumberland	3071 - 3075

Tactics

The Missiliers are specialists in missile combat.

Missile combat has been the unit's focus since 3060, when Cumberland hired a down-on-his-luck but superior engineer, Jake Grizzell a NAIS graduate, as chief technician, and repeated drills have strengthened this longstanding focus on missile combat. New technicians have been added to increase the support base for the entire unit, ensuring no one enters combat in a malfunctioning or damaged unit. The Missiliers' expert technicians have spent years tinkering with the sensors and control systems of the unit's missile-based weapons, dramatically amplifying the efficiency and accuracy of their missile fire.

The Missiliers have gained proficiency with missiles and similar weapons of any tech base, from primitive rocket launchers to the Clans' Advanced Tactical Missile system and even experimental missile weapons they have obtained through the black market. The technicians have learned enough about missile weapons of every make and model to the point they have improved the unit's defenses against such attacks.

Their aerospace fighters have made aerospace missile support an art form.

Composition History

3067

• The unit is composed by up to eight mechs, two tanks and two aerospace fighters (their fighters are always among the heaviest and best-armored available).
• The unit possesses and old and battered Union-Class Dropship, the Gap Breaker.

3071

After adding the rests of the Grim Determination, the unit was in all effects a combined-arms battalion, with a company of tanks, more fighters lances and a company of 'Mechs. The unit also added a JumpShip to their rolls.

3075

The unit added from the flames of New Avalon a company of battle armored infantry. Captain Cody was the most senior of the lot and was given command of the unit.

Rules

Game Rules

The Missiliers are specialists in missile combat. As a result, add a +1 bonus for all To-Hit rolls for any missile weapons and for rolling on the Cluster Hits Table to determine the number of missiles that hit; these add to any bonuses for special munitions, launchers, or missile-targeting systems (such as Artemis or NARC). Reduce all missile weapon minimum ranges by 2. Missilier vehicle units receive no penalty for firing indirectly with a spotter. When a Missilier Anti-Missile System fires, double the amount of missiles shot down. When any Missilier 'Mech missile ammo slot takes a critical hit, roll 2D6. On a result of 9+, the ammo does not explode, therefore inflicting no damage to the MechWarrior or the 'Mech, but the ammo in the slot is lost.

All rolls to salvage, repair, or install any missile-type weapon automatically succeed. All repairs and reloads of missile weapons take half the standard time.

When randomly determining Missilier units, if the rolled unit lacks a missile weapon, the player may re-roll one time. However, the second roll result must be taken even if it lacks a missile weapon.

Bibliography

• Total Chaos