Gordon's Armored Cavalry

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History

Formation

In the early years of the 3020's House Liao found themselves in an untenable military position. Surrounded by enemies, they attempted to bolster their front-line forces by exercising a little known or regarded clause in many of their mercenary contracts that allowed them to strip away all rights to battlefield salvage. All affected mercenary commands grumbled about it, though larger units were able to tolerate the shortfall due to the higher base pay they commanded. It was hardest felt in many of the smaller mercenary companies who lived and died by what they could salvage from the fields of battle.[1]

When all attempts at compromise between these smaller concerns and the Capellan Confederation failed, many of these smaller units banded together under the leadership of Captain Nicholas Gordon to form a new, larger mercenary company. So was Gordon's Armored Cavalry born from conflict with House Liao.[1]

The Succession Wars

The first and pivotal action of the nascent Armored Cavalry was to up planet and defect en masse to the Taurian Concordat where the new mercenary concern found immediate employment. At first stationed on the border facing House Liao, their former employer, the Cavalry was soon moved away from the temptation to get their pound of flesh from the Confederation and was assigned garrison duties on worlds bordering the Federated Suns and known pirate holdings in the Periphery. Though disappointed by the lack of action against the Capellan Confederation the Cavalry followed orders and remained loyal throughout the following years.[1]

The Trinity Alliance

This changed with the forming of the Trinity Alliance, with Captain Gordon an outspoken critic of the Alliance, especially regarding the 3060 deployment of Concordat forces into the St. Ives Compact, going so far as to threaten to go rogue if his unit was ordered to aid the Capellan Confederation in any way. As their contract was up for renewal at the time, Gordon refused to even come to the table unless it was explicitly stated that under no circumstances were the Cavalry to be sent to fight for the Capellan Confederation. Though extremely unhappy with these stipulations Protector Shraplen needed the veteran unit and the contract was signed. The Cavalry was assigned offensive duties against the breakaway Calderon Protectorate and were directed to probe the renegade state for any signs of weakness. [1] It was during this period that the Cavalry fought on Gaul, supporting the Taurian V Corps against forces from the Second Taurian Pride and the supporting Lennox's Light Horse mercenary company.[2]

Though they did as they were instructed during 3060s, the Cavalry was not happy with their assignment. By 3068 there was talk in the unit of not renewing their agreement with the Concordat. In response to this a 'Special Liaison' from the Concordat's Word of Blake allies arrived to "reason" with the command staff of the mercenary unit. The message to Colonel Gordon was clear. Behave or face the consequences. With active fighting between the Concordat and the Calderon Protectorate, the Cavalry found themselves at the very bottom of resupply priority, with Taurian Quartermasters routinely ignoring requests of resupply from the mercenary company even though they proved themselves, having repulsed many of the Protectorates raiders. They were assigned to garrison duty with their repeated requests for offensive assignments falling on deaf ears.[1]

The Jihad

The units Blakist keepers began feeding information to the unit regarding intelligence of large supply depots on the Federated Suns world of Lothair that was reportedly guarded by a vanguard legion of troops battered by the FedCom Civil War. Though worried about Taurian reprisal, the supply situation continued to worsen and Colonel Gordon, after consulting with his senior officers, planned for a raid of the Lothair in mid 3070 [3]

The raid was a success. The Legion that was supposed to be on planet had rotated out to face the Capellan offensive on New Syrtis leaving a very capable but outnumbered militia to defend the world. Though the fighting was fierce, causing losses to both the defenders and the Cavalry, the militia finally withdrew, making the raid a successful planetary assault. When he heard an infuriated Protector Shraplen ordered the mercenaries to abandon their conquest, stating that the Concordat did not have the resources to garrison the captured world. The Cavalry complied with their orders to return to Amber Grove, though not without some grumbling and ill feelings for the loss of their conquest.[3]

Again facing a shortfall of supplies the Cavalry launched another unsanctioned raid into Federated Suns space in 3071. Drawing on the same intelligence sources used before the mercenaries raided the undefended Brusett system. Again the raid was successful and again they were ordered to relinquish their conquest, this time under threat of immediate contract termination. Though Colonel Gordon and the Cavalry immediately complied to the orders their recent history of rogue actions has caused some to question their reliability in defense of the Taurian nation and its peoples. [3]

According to the FedSuns recon reports, the Cavalry found a hidden Star League cache dating back to the Reunification War on Brusset and has plundered it to outfit and upgrade as many of their machines as possible. This report explains the recent surge of new and refurbished equipment Colonel Gordon has been able to field, despite a poor relationship with the Taurian Defense Force quartermasters. Only the desperate need for veteran units, with two fronts now at war, has prevented the Concordant from immediately labeling the unit as rogue. The Cavalry has, since the last raid into FedSuns space, remained as ordered on Amber Grove, though their JumpShips have been commandeered to prevent any more unsanctioned actions on their part.[3]

In February 3075 the Cavalry were garrisoning the recently-conquered world of Hyalite when the Federated Suns launched a counter-offensive against the worlds captured by the Concordat. When the mercenary unit Hansen's Roughriders attacked Hyalite they bombarded the Cavalry with fuel-air bombs, shattering the Cavalry and easily recapturing the world.[4][5]

The Dark Age

It was reported that as a result of the combat seen during the extended war with the Federated Suns and then in Operation MATADOR Gordon's Armored Cavalry had been reduced to less than a quarter of their established strength by mid-3081.[6]

Gordon's Armored Cavalry returned to Taurian service in 3125; considered an elite unit at the time, hiring the Armored Cavalry was a coup, given that the Taurian's desperately needed troops after the loss of the First MacLeod's Regiment in one of the many costly military actions launched by Protector James Urratia against the Great Houses during the Dark Age.[7]

The unit didn't simply return to Taurian employ, however; in 3126, the Taurian government bought the Armored Cavalry out wholesale, replacing roughly one in four officers and shaking up the Cavalry's command staff. Those officers replaced by the Taurian Defense Force were replaced with Taurian nationals, and the Cavalry was integrated into III Corps, serving alongside the Pleiades Hussars and First Taurian Lancers.[8]

The Cavalry's reputation changed dramatically during the Dark Age; having come to be regarded as a rogue mercenary unit working for the Concordat, after the Concordat takeover the Cavalry became one of the most successful commands in the Taurian Defense Force and the single most popular posting request for those within the TDF seeking transfers.[8]

In the mid-3140s the Cavalry were stationed on Midale, operating alongside the First Taurian Lancers; having assisted the Lancers in harassing Federated Suns units in the past, in 3145 the Cavalry found themselves in the unusual position of supporting Armed Forces of the Federated Suns units and depots stationed within the rapidly-shrinking Victoria Salient region of the Capellan March.[8]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of Gordon's Armored Cavalry
Colonel Nicholas Gordon 3025 - 3085[9][3][10]
Colonel Helge Gordon 3145[11]

Notes

The oldest of five siblings and the father of eight kids, Colonel Nicholas Gordon tries to run the Cavalry like he does his own family; with a lot of love, time, and effort. Though publicly citing historical issues about fighting for the Capellan Confederation, he is privately concerned about unneeded casualties in all of House Liao’s recent fighting. The last thing he wants is one or more of his family members being sent home in a coffin, as Gordon’s Armored Cavalry is one of the few regiments with full-arms support that has a single extended family manning all command officer slots.[1][10]

Tactics

As a historically lighter unit the Cavalry prefers quick, mobile battles. They uses their integral air assets for ground support and to divide the fire of the enemy.[3]

Dragoon Ratings

3067

Dragoon Rating: D [3]

Composition History

3025

Gordon's Armored Cavalry[9]

  • CO: Colonel Nicholas Gordon

Quinn's Lancers (Veteran/Reliable)

Cristoph's Chasseurs (Veteran/Reliable)

  • CO: Subaltern Charles Cristoph

Browne's Banshees (Elite/Fanatical) New Vandenberg

  • CO: Subaltern Gareti Browne

3059

Gordon’s Armored Cavalry (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable) [12]

  • CO: Colonel Nicholas Gordon [12]

3067

Gordon’s Armored Cavalry(1 Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[3]

Gordon's Air Cav(1 Wing/Green/Reliable)[3]

  • CO: Major Dominick Gordon

Gordon's Groundhogs(1 Company/Veteran/Questionable)[3]

  • CO: Captain Grant Gordon

- The unit posses 2 hover tank lances and 1 attack VTOLs.

Gordon's PBI(1 Battalion/Regular/Reliable)

  • CO: Major Samantha Gordon
  • XO: Captain Margaret Bethany

- The infantry mobile, either motorized or jump-pack equipped. They are armed with either support machine guns or portable flamers.

3085

Gordon's Armored Cavalry (Elite/Fanatical)[10]

  • CO: Colonel Nicholas Gordon

3145

Gordon's Armored Cavalry (Elite/Fanatical)[11]

  • CO: Colonel Helge Gordon
- At this point the Armored Cavalry were operating at just twenty percent of full strength.

Notes

Game Rules

3145

  • When randomly determining the composition of a force from Gordon's Armored Cavalry one out of every four units may be generated using the Federated Suns Random Attribution Table.[13]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Mercenaries Supplemental II, p.37
  2. The Gulf of Reason
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Mercenaries Supplemental Update,p.56
  4. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 14, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  5. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 53, "The Jihad In Review"
  6. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 115, "Taurian Concordat"
  7. Field Manual: 3145, p. 188, "Taurian Concordat"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. 195, "Taurian Concordat"
  9. 9.0 9.1 Periphery 1st Edition, p.81
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Field Manual: 3085, p. 161, "Major Periphery States - Taurian Concordat"
  11. 11.0 11.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 201, "III Corps"
  12. 12.0 12.1 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 112
  13. Field Manual: 3145, p. 210, "Taurian Concordat"

Bibliography