Loren Jaffray

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Loren Jaffray
Loren Jaffray
Personal
Born3025[1]
Died3???[citation needed]
AffiliationCapellan Confederation,
Northwind Highlanders
Profile
RankColonel
Family
ChildrenYes, but unnamed

Loren Jaffray (3025 – 3???[citation needed]) was born in the Capellan Confederation. The grandson of a Northwind Highlanders member who remained loyal to the Confederation after the reclamation of Northwind (when the Highlanders abandoned their mercenary contract with the Confederation and took employ with the Federated Suns instead)[2], Loren Jaffray became one of the Confederation's elite Death Commandos,[3] but eventually joined the Highlanders.[4]

History

Family history

Loren Jaffray descended from a family with a long military tradition, the Clan Jaffray. His grandfather, Corwin Jaffray, served with distinction in McCormack's Fusiliers, and did not want to break with the Capellan Confederation[5] when the Highlanders relocated back to their ancestral homeworld Northwind after joining with the Federated Suns in 3028, during the Fourth Succession War[6]. After the war, Loren Jaffray's father served Chancellor Romano Liao as a Death Commando.[7]

Early career

Loren Jaffray was a Major, in the elite Death Commandos. He was loyal as all Death Commandos are to the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, who at the time was Sun-Tzu Liao. Most of this time period would be classified as state secrets.

Mission to Northwind

See also: Highlander Gambit

In late 3057 Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao ordered Loren Jaffray to go to Northwind "privately and on vacation", and to deliver a message: House Liao would offer support for an independent Northwind and free the Highlanders from Prince Victor Steiner-Davion.[8] Jaffray's real mission was to remove Northwind from the Federated Commonwealth, and neutralize the Highlander regiments or otherwise deprive the Federated Commonwealth of their service by any means. Death Commandos would be waiting for his Go/No Go signal at a hidden point in the system during his mission to Northwind.[9] He was positively expected to sacrifice his life or honor to accomplish the mission.[10]

In the brief conflict for Independence on Northwind, Jaffray became a central figure. After delivering his message to the Northwind Highlanders of MacLeod's Regiment, they voted to recall The Assembly of Warriors for a Warrior’s Cabal[11] so that the full assembly could vote on Jaffray’s proposal. This in turn caused a division in the ranks of Highlanders. A trial of honor ensued and the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth got involved as a group of the Consul Guards, along with 3rd Royal Guards and eventually also the 1st NAIS Cadet Cadre[12] came to blows, until Jaffray helped to win the conflict. In helping MacLeod's forces win Jaffray realized that he was in a no-win scenario and sacrificed his honor to achieve a partial success: He accomplished the goal of taking Northwind out of the Federated Commonwealth, also severing the relationship between the Highlanders and Prince Victor Steiner-Davion in the process;[13] he was then offered the opportunity to join the Highlanders.[14]

Although this could technically be construed as treason from a Death Commando, Chancellor Sun-Tzu had essentially expected this outcome. Jaffray's fellow Death Commandos expected to be ordered to track him down and execute him, but Sun-Tzu ordered them to leave him alone as he still considered the mission a success.

Stirling's Fusiliers

See also: Impetus of War

Jaffray was appointed to serve as Colonel "Cat" Stirling's executive officer. He began training the Fusiliers by first revamping the training setup. He emphasized all areas of training like hand to hand combat, demolitions, survival, and techniques.[15] He wanted them to be well trained to fight the Clans. Eight months into this training, the Highlanders received a visit from Omiko Kurita who ushered in a contract offer to fight Clan Smoke Jaguar on Wayside V.[16]

Northwind Hussars

Jaffray's brilliantly unorthodox actions against Clan Smoke Jaguar during the Wayside operation convinced the Clan Elders that he was the man to command a new anti-Clan regiment – the Northwind Hussars. However, this move did not occur without consequences; some regimental commanders still did not fully trust Jaffray's Capellan origins, creating additional friction between the colonels and Clan Elders.[17]

Loren Jaffray was also behind the Hussars' use of Rose hunting tartan: a blue background overlaid primarily with green, secondarily with red. Jaffray's unorthodox decision was seemingly inspired after learning that Jeremiah Rose unsuccessfully petitioned the Clan Elders to form an anti-Clan unit before forming the Black Thorns mercenary unit, receiving Clan Rose's permission to use their tartan.[17] Following the crippling of Rianna Rose, Loren Jaffray would join with her and Jeremiah's father Corneilus in petitioning the Clan Elders to allow the Black Thorns to recruit from the Highlanders.[18]

Jihad

At the start of the Jihad Lorren Jaffray and the Northwind Hussars were stationed on Ueda under Second Star League employ.[17]

By the late 3060s Jaffray had become the CO of the Ghosts of the Black Watch. The unit was badly mauled in January 3069 while assisting the rescue of Hohiro Kurita from the Blakist facility at Fortress Dieron. Jaffray and the survivors eventually escaped Dieron; pursued by the Opacus Venatori the remaining Ghosts were last seen in a furious engagement with the Blakist unit on Odessa.[19]

Family and Children

At some point Jaffray had a child, as his granddaughter Cadha Jaffrey was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Northwind Highlanders.[20]

BattleMechs

Jaffray's first known 'Mech, which he used in a Death Commando training operation, was a Hussar. In the battles for Northwind, he piloted a Gallowglas, a present of MacLeod, his later pilot, until losing it in the last battle. In Wayside V, Jaffray piloted a Penetrator.[21] Later, when he posed as a Smoke Jaguar officer, he piloted Kerndon's Warhawk[22]

References

  1. ↑ Impetus of War, p. 13-14 - Jaffray was 33 at the time of the events described in the novel, i.e. in 3058
  2. ↑ Highlander Gambit, pp. 10-12
  3. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 32
  4. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 349
  5. ↑ Highlander Gambit, pp. 10-12
  6. ↑ Highlander Gambit, pp. 9-13
  7. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 36
  8. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 33
  9. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 37
  10. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 38
  11. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 118
  12. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 140, 338
  13. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 341
  14. ↑ Highlander Gambit, p. 349
  15. ↑ Impetus of War, pp. 13, 17
  16. ↑ Impetus of War, pp. 36-39
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 56 - "Northwind Hussars: Clan's Bane"
  18. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 20 - "The Black Thorns: Rebuilding The Burnt Bridges"
  19. ↑ Jihad Turning Points: Dieron, p. 7 - "Ghosts of the Black Watch"
  20. ↑ Grey Watch Protocol, p. 144
  21. ↑ Impetus of War p. 98
  22. ↑ Impetus of War p. 277

Bibliography

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