New Belt Pirates

New belt 200.jpg
New Belt Pirates
Formed 3052
Disbanded 3074
Previous Designation(s) Belt Pirates
Affiliation Pirate
Parent Command Independent

The New Belt Pirates were a pirate group formed in the Coreward Periphery in the aftermath of the Clan Invasion.

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

The Belt Pirates of Star's End had been a plague to both the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine for centuries, dating back to the Reunification War. The pirate band, commanded by Morgan Fletcher by 3025, took advantage of the natural defensive position of their world where an asteroid field, minefields, and laser turrets deterred retaliatory attacks. There were even facilities to repair and even construct new JumpShips. During Clan Wolf's conquest of the Periphery, two detachments of the Belt Pirates had twice engaged the Wolves, in one case being wiped out and in the other being forced to flee back to the safety of Novo Cressidas. The Wolves, for their part, proved to be as reluctant to face the asteroid belt of Star's End as the Successor States had been, and discounting the Belt Pirates as a threat, moved on with their invasion. Fletcher attempted to send out retaliatory raids against the Clans, but the Wolves' garrison troops were more than up to the challenge of driving them off. Meanwhile, Susie Morgraine-Ryan was the daughter of Redjack Ryan and Maria Morgraine, two of the most infamous Bandit Kings of their era. Years earlier, the two pirate leaders had combined their forces and territory to form the Greater Valkyrate, a minor Periphery State effectively serving as a pirate haven. When the Jade Falcons and Wolves destroyed Ryan's Rebels in 3049 and absorbed the Valkyrate, Morgraine-Ryan and the remnants of her battalion were forced to flee. Eventually, in the aftermath of the Battle of Tukayyid, they reached Star's End, where they met with Morgan Fletcher II. All of Fletcher's efforts at striking back at the Clans had thus far ended in dismal failure, so after Morgraine-Ryan falsely claimed to have dealt a series of defeats to the Falcons, the two pirates agreed to combine their forces and thus the New Belt Pirates were formed.[1][2][3][4][5]

Against the Clans[edit]

Surprisingly, the new pirate band recorded a series of successes against the Clans from well behind their lines, capturing supplies and even taking possession of a number of Clan OmniMechs. Other pirates and ex-mercenaries soon began flocking to the New Belt Pirates' banner. They were even able to obtain enough Elemental suits to outfit a squad of troopers.[1][6] By 3057, the New Belt Pirates had begun raiding Clan Wolf worlds in earnest.[7] ilKhan Ulric Kerensky was forced to take the situation seriously, dispatching Crusader and solahma warriors to answer the challenge posed by the bandits.[5][6] Kerensky was considering taking greater measures when the Refusal War broke out, forcing him to put all such plans aside.[8]

In the aftermath of the Refusal War, the New Belt Pirates began raiding planets in Clan Wolf's occupation zone with ever greater boldness, taking advantage of the weakened Clan Wolf touman. One rumor even claimed the pirates had seized a Clan Ghost Bear WarShip, though this appears not to have been the case. They had several noted victories in 3058 and early 3059, but that was expected to soon change as Khan Vladimir Ward devoted more forces towards neutralizing this threat as opposed to relying on his solahma units for pirate-hunting operations.[8][9][10]

In 3060, Morgraine-Ryan led an attack on the world of Kore, a backwater Periphery world owned by the Alfin Mining Corporation. She was seeking a supply depot established by Clan Steel Viper years before. Elements of the Storm Riders mercenary unit managed to drive her off without her prize.[11]

Despite their continued successes, by 3064 both pirate leaders began questioning the wisdom of their partnership, as both began looking for ways to eliminate the other. Morgraine-Ryan, in particular, began launching independent raids against the Clans.[1] Fletcher, for her part, soon began to have private dealings with the Word of Blake, who were cultivating contacts with pirate kings throughout the Periphery.[2]

Facing the Wolves[edit]

In April 3064, Clan Wolf's Omega Galaxy finally launched a direct attack on the New Belt Pirates at Novo Cressidas on Star's End. The Wolves faced intense resistance both in orbit and on the ground, as the Loping Wolf, a Union-C-class DropShip was destroyed before making planetfall. By all accounts, the pirates gave a good accounting of themselves, taking full advantage of their knowledge of the terrain to cost the Wolves up to a Cluster worth of troops, though they reportedly lost 20 'Mechs in the process, along with much of their infantry. The New Belt Pirates were forced to abandon their main base, withdrawing into the local caverns. Satisfied with the damage they had inflicted and wary of further ambushes, the Wolves did not pursue them.[2][5][12]

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

Operations on Veil[edit]

In the video game expansion MechWarrior 3: Pirates Moon Expansion Pack, Susie Morgraine-Ryan and the New Belt Pirates are the end-game antagonists, as they have been raiding the world of Veil for germanium in the aftermath of Operation Bulldog.[13]

Apocryphal Content Ends

Destruction[edit]

Although they survived the Wolves' attack, the heavy losses led to irreparable divisions between Fletcher and Morgraine-Ryan. In 3066, Morgraine-Ryan, holding Fletcher responsible for the crackdown by the Wolf Clan, finally ousted the other pirate in an action that cost the New Belt Pirates another company. Susie Morgraine-Ryan now had sole command of the New Belt Pirates.[2][5][14] The bandits now went to ground, keeping a low profile as they attempted to recover their strength.[2] At this time, the New Belt Pirates were at 60 percent strength of their two battalions, with a veteran rating and fanatical loyalty to Morgraine-Ryan.[15] One noteworthy member of the pirate band was Jason "The Clyde" Marshall, a company commander and Venom pilot who had previously supported Fletcher and had survived her fall from power, but whose own future was now in doubt.[16]

During the early Jihad, Clans Hell's Horses and Ice Hellion were in perpetual conflict in the rimward Periphery. The New Belt Pirates attempted to take advantage of the chaos in a new series of raids against the Horses. Though they were initially distracted by the Hellions and the Wolves, Khan James Cobb never forgot about the New Belt Pirates, and in 3074 he sent Beta Galaxy to deal with the bandits once and for all. Although their asteroid field had long since proved an impressive defense against incoming DropShips, against crack Clan ProtoMechs and Elementals, they proved easier game. Realizing her vaunted orbital defenses were on the verge of failing, Morgraine-Ryan attempted to make a run for it. This led to a complete collapse of the New Belt Pirates' defenses, as the Horses secured the shipyards and Star's End.[5]

A report in 3079 by David Lear for Devlin Stone confirmed the destruction of the New Belt Pirates.[17]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the New Belt Pirates
Co-Pirate Queen Morgan Fletcher II 3052 - 3066[1]
Co-Pirate Queen Susie Morgraine-Ryan 3052 - 3066[1]
Pirate Queen Susie Morgraine-Ryan 3066 - 3074[2]

Tactics[edit]

The New Belt Pirates were known to hit hard and then quickly pull back once they secured their objective, giving their foes no time to counterattack. When forced into a stand-up battle, they hit hard then faded, repeating the tactic until they wore down the enemy.[18]

Composition History[edit]

3064[edit]

New Belt Pirates (2 Battalions/Regular/Fanatical)[1]

  • First Battalion
    • CO: Morgan Fletcher II
  • Second Battalion
    • CO: Susie Morgraine-Ryan

Susie's Valkyries (Wing/Elite/Fanatical)[1]

Star's End Armored Infantry (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[1]

The infantry regiment includes armored transports, jump infantry and a squad of Elementals.

3067[edit]

New Belt Pirates (2 Battalions/Veteran/Fanatical)[15]

  • CO: Susie Morgraine-Ryan

Notes[edit]

  • The "Morgan Fletcher" who was co-commander of the New Belt Pirates is referenced to as Morgan Fletcher II in Field Manual: Periphery,[1] The Periphery, Second Edition,[4] and Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers,[5] among other sources. This strongly implies she was the successor to the presumed "original" Morgan Fletcher, who led the Belt Pirates as of 3025. Other sources simply refer to her as Morgan Fletcher.[2][14]
  • It is strongly implied, though never explicitly stated, that Fletcher was killed when Morgraine-Ryan took command.
  • The Table of Organization and Equipment for Periphery Independents in The Periphery, 2nd Edition erroneously lists the New Belt Pirates as Susie's Rebels as of 3058, with Colonel Susie "One-Eye" Morgraine-Ryan in sole command of two veteran battalions on Star's End.[19] The timing of this is contradicted by multiple sources.
  • In an apparent editorial mistake, the novel Ghost of Winter, retelling the story of Morgraine-Ryan raiding Kore in 3060, makes no mention of the New Belt Pirates, simply referring to the bandits as Ryan's Rebels.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Field Manual: Periphery, p. 129: "New Belt Pirates: Harassing the Clans"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Field Manual: Updates, p. 199: "New Belt Pirates"
  3. ↑ The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 82: "Origins"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 82: "The Clan Invasion"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 144: "Star's End (Novo Cressidas)"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 82: "Current Situation"
  7. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 27: "Timeline of Events (The Rimward Periphery)": "3057"
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 83: "Current Situation"
  9. ↑ Shattered Sphere, pp. 123–124: "Bandit Activity"
  10. ↑ The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 80: "New Belt Pirates"
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ghost of Winter
  12. ↑ The Price of Conviction, pp. 17–20
  13. ↑ MechWarrior 3: Pirates Moon Expansion Pack
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 11: "Pirates"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 204: "Periphery TO&E: Pirates"
  16. ↑ Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 26: "Notable MechWarriors"
  17. ↑ Field Report: Periphery, p. 17: "Pirate Forces"
  18. ↑ Field Manual: Periphery, p. 129: "New Belt Pirates: Harassing the Clans": "Tactics"
  19. ↑ The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 78: "Periphery Independents (Deployment as of 3058)"

Bibliography[edit]

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