Editing O'Gordon's Rifles

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	That same year the [[Draconis Combine]] launched a "modest" assault against numerous [[House Davion]] worlds along Combine-FedSuns border including Crossing, [[Cylene|Cylene II]], [[Galatia III]], [[Harrow's Sun]] and [[Mara]]. With the [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]] revitalized by [[Coordinator]] [[Takashi Kurita]]'s shakeup of his military, the Combine forces struck Crossing with a ferocity unseen since the early years of the Third Succession War, the Rifles were grossly unprepared for such an aggressive assault and were utterly crushed after barely a month of fighting. Only two [[lance]]s' worth of troops were able to retreat, James O'Gordon among them.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/>		That same year the [[Draconis Combine]] launched a "modest" assault against numerous [[House Davion]] worlds along Combine-FedSuns border including Crossing, [[Cylene|Cylene II]], [[Galatia III]], [[Harrow's Sun]] and [[Mara]]. With the [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]] revitalized by [[Coordinator]] [[Takashi Kurita]]'s shakeup of his military, the Combine forces struck Crossing with a ferocity unseen since the early years of the Third Succession War, the Rifles were grossly unprepared for such an aggressive assault and were utterly crushed after barely a month of fighting. Only two [[lance]]s' worth of troops were able to retreat, James O'Gordon among them.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/>
−	While any other commander would have moved on after the destruction of their unit, the irascible and arrogant James O'Gordon instead took his [[BattleMech]] ''[[BattleMaster Number One]]'' and made his way to [[Solaris VII]]. Rather than joining a [[:Category:Solaris Stables|stable]], the hot-tempered but highly skilled O'Gordon entered the [[Solaris Games]] by joining the [[Watchdogs Cooperative]], ascending to Open Class competition in short order and narrowly losing to [[Vanh Daravivanh]] in the [[3008]] Championship.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/>	+	While any other commander would have moved on after the destruction of their unit, the irascible and arrogant James O'Gordon instead took his [[BattleMech]] ''[[BattleMaster Number One]]'' and made his way to [[Solaris VII]]. Rather than joining a [[:Category:Solaris Stables|stable]], the hot-tempered but highly skilled O'Gordon entered the [[Solaris Games]] by joining the [[Watchdogs Cooperative]], ascending to Open Class competition in short-order and narrowly losing to [[Vanh Daravivanh]] in the [[3008]] Championship.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/>
	Unbowed, the fiery O'Gordon would ultimately win the Championship in [[3009]], all the while reaping huge returns on long-shot odds and funneling all profits into the Watchdogs and his dream of rebuilding the Rifles. Becoming among the legends of the Solaris arenas after winning his second Championship in [[3010]], O'Gordon's loyalty to the Watchdogs was equally legendary, shunning repeated offers of sponsorship from the established stables. Incensed that he could not be bought, O'Gordon was badly beaten by stable thugs during the [[3011]] Grand Tournament, the injured O'Gordon nonetheless going on to defeat his opponent in the finals, becoming Grand Champion for the third year in a row.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/>		Unbowed, the fiery O'Gordon would ultimately win the Championship in [[3009]], all the while reaping huge returns on long-shot odds and funneling all profits into the Watchdogs and his dream of rebuilding the Rifles. Becoming among the legends of the Solaris arenas after winning his second Championship in [[3010]], O'Gordon's loyalty to the Watchdogs was equally legendary, shunning repeated offers of sponsorship from the established stables. Incensed that he could not be bought, O'Gordon was badly beaten by stable thugs during the [[3011]] Grand Tournament, the injured O'Gordon nonetheless going on to defeat his opponent in the finals, becoming Grand Champion for the third year in a row.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/>

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{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand | image = [[File:OGordons Rifles logo.jpg|191px]] | Designation = O'Gordon's Rifles | Formed = (as late as) [[2977]]<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 92: Cites a " thirty-year track record of unbroken victories"</ref><br>(re-formed) 3012<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16>''Solaris VII: The Game World – Player's Book'', p. 16: "The Great Ones - Champions of Solaris"</ref><ref name=MSU-92>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 92: "Force Briefs Updates - O'Gordon's Rifles"</ref> | Disbanded = [[3007]]<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/> | Previous Designation = | Nickname = | Affiliation = [[Mercenary]] | Parent Command = Independent | Sub-Command = }} '''O'Gordon's Rifles''' were a [[mercenary unit]] operating from the [[Third Succession War]] to the era of the [[Word of Blake]] [[Jihad]].<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> ==Overview== Operating during the later portion of the Third Succession War, the O'Gordon's Rifles were ideally suited to the low-tempo raiding of the era and experienced a string of unbroken victories stretching from the late 2970s to 3000s. This unblemished record went to the heads of then-unit CO [[James O'Gordon]] and his Rifles, the overconfident mercenaries lapsing into a states of self-assured complacency. As of [[3007]] the Rifles were stationed on the then-[[Federated Suns]] world of [[Crossing]].<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> That same year the [[Draconis Combine]] launched a "modest" assault against numerous [[House Davion]] worlds along Combine-FedSuns border including Crossing, [[Cylene|Cylene II]], [[Galatia III]], [[Harrow's Sun]] and [[Mara]]. With the [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]] revitalized by [[Coordinator]] [[Takashi Kurita]]'s shakeup of his military, the Combine forces struck Crossing with a ferocity unseen since the early years of the Third Succession War, the Rifles were grossly unprepared for such an aggressive assault and were utterly crushed after barely a month of fighting. Only two [[lance]]s' worth of troops were able to retreat, James O'Gordon among them.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> While any other commander would have moved on after the destruction of their unit, the irascible and arrogant James O'Gordon instead took his [[BattleMech]] ''[[BattleMaster Number One]]'' and made his way to [[Solaris VII]]. Rather than joining a [[:Category:Solaris Stables|stable]], the hot-tempered but highly skilled O'Gordon entered the [[Solaris Games]] by joining the [[Watchdogs Cooperative]], ascending to Open Class competition in short-order and narrowly losing to [[Vanh Daravivanh]] in the [[3008]] Championship.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> Unbowed, the fiery O'Gordon would ultimately win the Championship in [[3009]], all the while reaping huge returns on long-shot odds and funneling all profits into the Watchdogs and his dream of rebuilding the Rifles. Becoming among the legends of the Solaris arenas after winning his second Championship in [[3010]], O'Gordon's loyalty to the Watchdogs was equally legendary, shunning repeated offers of sponsorship from the established stables. Incensed that he could not be bought, O'Gordon was badly beaten by stable thugs during the [[3011]] Grand Tournament, the injured O'Gordon nonetheless going on to defeat his opponent in the finals, becoming Grand Champion for the third year in a row.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> O'Gordon would win his fourth and final Championship in [[3012]], retiring nearly undefeated and announcing the return of the O'Gordon's Rifles mercenary unit as a [[battalion]]-sized command incorporating survivors from the original Rifles as well as the majority of the Wardogs Cooperative, returning the loyalty he had shown them. The reborn Rifles quickly grew to [[regiment]]al strength within a few short years after a string of successful missions along the [[Free Worlds League]]-[[Lyran Commonwealth]] border.<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> Although never quite capturing the same unbeaten record they enjoyed prior to Crossing, the O'Gordon's Rifles would serve every Great House with distinction. By the time of the [[Clan Invasion]], command of the unit had passed to James' grandson [[Jules O'Gordon]].<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/> Shortly after the [[Truce of Tukayyid]], the Rifles accepted a long-term contract with the [[ComStar]] [[Explorer_Corps_(ComStar)|Explorer Corps]] and joined the search for the [[Clan Homeworlds]]. Tragically Jules O'Gordon and the unit's entire command battalion was lost in [[3054]] accompanying one such mission after their ComStar [[JumpShip]] materialized in a midst of a [[Clan Jade Falcon]] fleet base at the then-unknown system of [[Cambridge]]. Only able to get off a partial transmission before the JumpShip and its attached [[DropShip]]s were obliterated by Falcon [[WarShip]]s, the rest of the Rifles would not learn of the fate of their commander until a year later after ComStar analyzed and sent a follow-up mission.<ref name=MSU-92/> Stunned by the loss, the rest of Rifles remained on [[Engadine]] and reorganized under Second Battalion commander [[Colonel]] [[Svetlana Windsor]] who assumed command of the entire unit. Windsor opted to extend their contract with the Corps, but negotiated for the unit to be assigned to base defense duties on Engadine rather than expeditionary escorts. Unfortunately this would prove little safer after the Jade Falcon's struck the world in [[3058]] during their [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3058)|drive toward Coventry]], the surprised Rifles caught off-guard but able hold the Explorer Corps base long enough for its staff to retreat.<ref name=MSU-92/> Opting to serve out the remainder of their contract with the Explorer Corps, the battered O'Gordon's Rifles moved to the Corps new Lyran headquarters on [[Halifax]]. Returning to [[Outreach]] in [[3062]], the Rifles arrived mere months before the [[FedCom Civil War]] turned hot, choosing to avoid this conflict and signing a security contract with the Free Worlds League based [[Curtiss Militech]] of [[Paradise]] in [[3063]]. Remaining in place when the Word of Blake Jihad broke out, the Rifles' contract was picked up by [[Marshall]] [[Jeremy Brett]] who positioned the mercenaries for a future strike the [[Lyran Alliance]].<ref name=MSU-92/> Following the Word of Blake strike against [[Atreus (FWL)|Atreus]] in October [[3068]], O'Gordon's Rifles reportedly joined the resistance formed by [[Duchess]] [[Alys Rousset-Marik]], with some sources placing O'Gordon 'Mechs among the forces that struck Blakist interests on [[Stewart]] in early [[3079]].<ref name=MSU-92/> After the conclusion of the Jihad, O'Gordon's Rifles remained within the shattered former Free Worlds League and signed on with the [[Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey]]. As of [[3085]] the almost full strength command were stationed on the world of [[Silver]].<ref name=FM3085-160>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 160: "Mercenaries - Notable Mercenary Forces (Deployment as of 31 October 3085)"</ref> ==Officers== {| class="wikitable" |- ! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Rank ! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Name ! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Command |- | colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of O'Gordon's Rifles''' |- | [[Colonel]] ||[[James O'Gordon]]||[[2977]] - [[3007]]<ref name=MSU-92/><br>[[3012]] - (as late as) [[3050]]<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> |- | Colonel||[[Jules O'Gordon]]||(as late as) [[3050]] - [[3054]]<ref name=S7TGW-PB-16/><ref name=MSU-92/> |- | Colonel||[[Svetlana Windsor]]||[[3055]]<ref name=MSU-92/> |- | Colonel||[[Patrick O'Gordon]]||[[3085]]<ref name=FM3085-160/> |- |} ==Tactics== During the Jihad the Rifles excelled at close-in fighting, to the detriment of their long range accuracy.<ref name=MSU-126>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 126: "Mercenary Commands - O'Gordon's Rifles"</ref> ==Mercenary Rating== ===3079=== Dragoons Rating: '''B'''<ref name=MSU-92/> ==Composition History== ===3079=== Reportedly two and half battalions' worth of BattleMechs, three-quarters of which sport advanced technology. Majority are medium designs focused on mobility and close-range firepower, with a few heavies as supporting units.<ref name=MSU-92/> ===3085=== 1 Regiment - Veteran/Reliable - 90% Strength/68% Upgraded.<ref name=FM3085-160/> ==References== <references /> ==Bibliography== * ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]'' * ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental Update]]'' * ''[[Solaris VII: The Game World|Solaris VII: The Game World – Player's Book]]'' [[Category:Mercenary Commands]]

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