Obsidian Angels Rank Structure
The Obsidian Angels has a unique rank structure. This isn't unusual for a mercenary force, although the divide between frontline and support roles is. These are often referred to as military or forward roles, which are expected to be combat ready, and non-military or technical roles. The structure has evolved over time, such as incorporating exceptional positions. Interestingly, these two categories merge at the Officer level, perhaps to avoid confusion in command. Generally speaking, a commissioned officer outranks and can command a non-officer, including non-commissioned officers (NCOs). In practice, often the most senior non-commissioned officers have much more experience and ability than junior commissioned officers. This means their suggestions or outright command will often be deferred to by junior officers. In this way, senior NCOs are considered peers with junior officers.
Military
0.5 - Trainee (or Cadet for Battlemech or Aerospace pilots) - Only given to those who join the unit without any experience. This is usually reserved for younger family members traveling with the unit who come of age and wish to serve.
1.0 - Private (or Mechwarrior for Battlemech pilots) - The lowest rank for fully qualified military members of the unit.
1.3 - Lance Corporal - Has received a higher degree of training or carries out a specialist task.
1.5 - Corporal - Acts as a specialist or junior supervisor role.
2.0 - Sergeant - The first level with some command responsibilities. Sergeants are often put in charge of a lance.
2.5 - Senior Sergeant (such as Staff Sergeant or Sergeant Major) - Senior Sergeants have important and wide ranging roles, such as maintaining overall unit discipline or ensuring the unit is well trained and battle ready.
Non-Military
1.0 - By role E.g. Technician, Administrator, Nurse - Self explanatory.
1.5 - By role, Senior E.g. Senior Technician - This is a recognition of experience and ability, or a more specialist role. Some Senior staff may have limited supervisory responsibilities or they may have an assistant.
2.0 - By role, Supervisor E.g. Technician Supervisor - At this level non-military personnel will supervise a team. A certain level of administration becomes the norm.
2.5 - Section Manager E.g. Administration Section Manager - Section Managers are middle-management. They ensure a broad area of responsibility, such as Logistics, Medical or Administration, are looked after and working effectively.
Officers
2.5 - Second Lieutenant - This is a junior officer role and somewhat probationary. An experienced 2nd Lieutenant can expect a promotion to 1st Lieutenant soon. In the meanwhile, they may command a lance. Most are working to increase their leadership skills.
3.0 - First Lieutenant - First Lieutenants are expected to operate under their own initiative and to act as a role model for all staff below them. They will lead a lance or squadron or manage a section. Some even lead a department. Each Company should have at least one First Lieutenant. They take over in case the Company's Captain is somehow unavailable. As such, First Lieutenants need a high degree of leadership skill.
3.5 - Senior First Lieutenant - It may be that a capable First Lieutenant is stuck in a position as there are no vacancies in more senior officer posts. This promotion is then given instead, albeit rarely. It recognises a First Lieutenant's worth and contributions to the unit. Usually, their duties do not change.
4.0 - Captain - Leads one of the military companies (there are effectively four), commands a dropship or is the head of all non-military personnel (becoming the Chief of Staff). Captains are experienced officers and hold much sway and authority within the Angels. They may be required to operate independently for long periods of time.
4.5 - Senior Captain or Executive Officer (XO) - A Senior Captain role was created in respect of the leader of the 'fleet' i.e. the overall commander of the unit's dropships. This recognises their seniority among the dropship captains. The Executive Officer position has been empty for some time. In effect, it is a fully recognised deputy commanding officer of the entire unit.
5.0 - Major/Commanding Officer (CO) - Commands the unit. Has the final say in all decisions. If this becomes empty, a ballot of all unit members will take place to select the new CO from among the unit's officers.
Pay awards
Each 0.5 Rank gain above 1.0 increases base monthly pay by 50 C-bills. For Rank 4.0 or higher, this bonus switches to 100 C-Bills. Note that combat roles get a 25% bonus too as hazard pay. E.g. A Mechwarrior earns 500 C-bills a month, with 400 from base pay and 100 from the hazard pay. A Mechwarrior who is a Corporal would earn 450 base (400+50), which would then be 563 (rounded up) with hazard pay. A Captain would receive 1250 (400+6x100)x1.25.
Do note that all staff with a rank of 2.5 or higher will receive a portion of a quarter of the unit's profits after expenses. This is divided up proportionately based on Rank. I.e. A Captain would receive a greater percentage than a 2nd Lieutenant. The other 75% of the unit's profits is invested back into the Obsidian Angels. This includes buying or replacing equipment, hiring new staff, advertising, extraordinary expenses, upgrades, etc. At the discretion of the majority of the unit's officers, a bonus pay award may be given to the entire unit's staff, such as after a particularly difficult but well handled contract. Alternatively, smaller exceptional awards can be given to individuals or sections of the unit, usually in recognition of exceptional deeds. It's worth noting that many officers spend much of their profits on directly improving their equipment and that of their immediate subordinates.
About the Obsidian Angels
About the Obsidian Angels
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Re: About the Obsidian Angels
The History of the Obsidian Angels
The Obsidian Angels mercenary unit was formed ten years ago in the aftermath of the War of 3039. The Angels were the union of three separate and quite differently sized mercenary commands that all had three things in common. Firstly, they had all been severely damaged during the fighting. Secondly, they'd all been on the same side fighting against the Draconis Combine. Thirdly, each had lost key elements and, for one reason or another, their continued independent existence would have been difficult. The three units had each withdrawn from the fighting, once their contract ended, to Galatea, often called the Mercenary's Star. Each had tried to address their issues there, whether finance, rebuilding or the question of command. The Azure Fangs were facing bankruptcy, the Storm Guard had lost most of their equipment, and Dead Man's Hand had lost their commanding officer and executive officer in their final engagement. A chance meeting between members of each at one of the planet's many bars led to negotiations that lasted for nearly a week. Thankfully for all three groups of mercenaries the negotiations were successful, with each group having something the others needed. With a future path decided the next step was dissolving their individual units and agreeing a new command structure. Surprisingly, the new unit's name was more an afterthought, added to the Mercenary Review Board's form at the whim of the decided commanding officer, Eric Voelker. It was certainly better than 'Insert Mercenary Unit Name Here'. The name was due to the fact the majority of the surviving Battlemechs were damaged and in need of repair; they had been left blackened from the heavy combat they'd been involved in. The 'Angels' part was more a nod to the ability of the entire unit to be transported and even airdropped to a deployment, which Eric hoped would serve as a way of attracting prospective contracts. In that, he need not have worried. The Inner Sphere has seen plenty of body skirmishes and other conflict in the last ten years. Starting from little more than a company and a half of battered Mechs, the Angels have more than doubled in strength in the last decade. Existing contacts with each major power allowed the unit to navigate its way to measured growth, with careful scrutiny of contract offers and smart negotiations to secure favourable final terms all contributing to the unit's success. The Angels have served the Federated Commonwealth, the Free Worlds League and the Capellan Confederation. Contracts have included two deployments hunting bandits, three anti-pirate deployments, two year-long planetary garrisons, a training cadre deployment and multiple smaller contracts.
Ten years on, the Angels are currently a battalion strength Battlemech unit with a handful of additional elements, their own transport and a full complement of support staff. They still paint their mechs charcoal black, but the change of fortunes is immense. In fact, only a few months ago the unit had absorbed further members from a disbanding unit, the Starlit Knights. The Knights had lost over half their number against bandits fighting a guerrilla war on a Federated Commonwealth planet, Kelenfold. The unit didn't know how to deal with the tactics they faced. The Angels had been contracted to assist after the Knights started reporting issues. Their arrival had turned things around, making a success of the operation and earning good will with the smaller unit. Once finished, the survivors of the Knights had agreed to disband and many had flocked to join the Angels before they left planet. It was during this time, as the Angels were returning to their dropships, that a new contract was offered by their employer. It would be a three month contract and it wasn't too far. It was also happening immediately, which had proven useful in negotiations to increase the offer due to the haste required to redeploy quickly. Still, the Angels were confident and morale was high. Feeling emboldened by the unit's growth and the prospect of an especially well paying and generous contract, the Angels accepted the offer. The specifics were supporting the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth in an invasion on a planet on the edge of Rasalhague space. Of course, this does carry risks. The unit is primarily medium and light Mechs, they lack widespread experience of such an operation and more combat is guaranteed. Nonetheless, there are convincing pros that the majority of the Angels command staff felt more than justified the risk. Aside from the generous base pay, the salvage terms were good and a high degree of salvage was likely. Better still, the Angels only have to engage the planetary militia, keeping them busy while the AFFC duke it out with regular Rasalhague military units. A good result will see the unit well paid, drowning in salvageable mechs and equipment, having a major power indebted to them and benefitting from their profile being massively boosted. Future prospects would be bright. This whole deployment would have been beyond imagining to the remnants from ten years prior. Now, it feels achievable. Whether this overall optimistic assessment will be reality is the biggest question now facing the unit.
Azure Fangs
While comprised of the remnants of three differently sized mercenary commands, the Angels greatest force came from a single unit with a long if not particularly famous history. Named the Azure Fangs, this mercenary outfit was the one led by Eric Voelker. It comprised nearly two companies of Battlemechs at its height. The majority of these were heavy mechs, as might be expected from their Lyran leaning ancestry. Existing in some form for over one hundred and fifty years, the Azure Fangs were the result of two declining mercenary commands deciding to merge. In this way, one might argue the Angels have a tradition of being reborn into something new. The two commands were the 288th Royal Astian Brigade and Falcart's Fangs. The Azure Fangs lost over half their numbers, including a lance of assault mechs, fighting in 3039. They'd also amassed quite a big debt, particularly due to running an Overlord dropship and not having enough technical staff. The latter in particular had been draining, as it meant the unit had to always pay extra to secure mechtech assistance from whoever they were contracted for.
288th Royal Astian Brigade
Once actually brigade strength, the 288th Royal Astian Brigade were once the 288th Astian Brigade in the SLDF. When the Exodus had occurred, a third of the unit had chosen to stay. The leader, a war decorated nobleman mechwarrior, knew that all out war across the Inner Sphere was inevitable. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he wanted to profit from it. Having secured nearly a company of SLDF Royal mechs, he'd renamed the Unit ever so slightly while converting them to a mercenary force. This worked out nicely, with the Brigade (actually about a battalion in strength) finding a great deal of work throughout the Succession Wars. However, they also took steady losses. By the late 29th Century the unit was a tiny fraction of its former self, being less than a company in strength, and much of their SLDF heritage had been forgotten. When their commander had retired due to old age and nobody could agree who would succeed him, the unit nearly unanimously had taken the decision to merge with Falcart's Fangs, a newer mercenary command who they had fought against twice and alongside once. These contacts had left a high degree of respect between the units. Both times they'd fought, the Fangs had beaten them. However, the younger mercenary outfit carried themselves honourably and allowed the 288th to surrender and withdraw each time. When they'd finally been fighting alongside each other as allies it had led to strong comradery between their members. It wasn't surprising then that they wanted to join with the Fangs after both units took losses. The 288th painted their mechs blue, which contributed to the azure in Azure Fangs.
Falcart's Fangs
Formed by an officer school's dropout, Johnny Falcart, and then eventually led by his daughter, Samantha Falcart, the Fangs were a somewhat rowdy group of talented mechwarriors that wanted to work independently. It was made up of ex-military types who either chaffed at military rules or who had become disillusioned with the Great House militaries they served. Fighting at just lance strength initially, the Fangs grew to company size over a generation, with the Falcart family setting aside a tidy sum of profits. This was later used by Samantha to secure citizenship and noble status in the distant Magistracy of Canopus. Retiring to enjoy her wealth, many in the unit seeing it as a betrayal, the Fangs were left leaderless. Their second in command stepped up and led temporarily, but the unit took losses and some members left. Things were starting to look grim until the Fangs and the 288th ended up fighting side by side for once. Good relations boosted the morale of the Fangs. Their temporary leader stood aside to make way for a younger and more charismatic member of the Fangs to take charge. Peng Lihua was the one who floated the idea of a merger to some of the 288th once their contracts ended. It would lead to a long partnership as the Azure Fangs. It also ensured a tradition of the new unit being lead by a commander nominated democratically and based on merit, rather than it being a hereditary thing.
Storm Guard
The Storm Guard once had it all. Two Union dropships, a company of mechs and another of armour, a squadron of aerospace fighters backing them up. They were a combined arms success story. Fighting for various periphery powers for fifty years, their return to the heart of the Inner Sphere had been their downfall. Getting caught up in aiding the creation of the Free Rasalhague Republic, they'd fought in the Ronin Wars. Unlike many mercenary units, they'd done more than their contract stipulated and suffered greatly for it. Losing members and equipment steadily, and having to deal with growing mistreatment from their employer, the final straw came when one of their officers was badly beaten by civilians they were there to protect. Fed up with everything, they paid the damages to abandon the contract. This hit their reputation, which hampered their efforts to rebuild for the next few years. Things were finally taking a positive turn when they accepted a contract aiding the Federated Commonwealth in the 3039 War. This, once again, decimated their numbers. They even lost a Union dropship halfway through their campaign. Lacking equipment and suffering terribly low morale, the unit looked ready to disband. Only a chance encounter with a few other suffering mercenary commanders changed matters.
Dead Man's Hand
A motley group of ace mechwarriors who banded together ad-hoc to profit from the 3039 War. Only a lance in strength, their leader was killed by an anti-personnel mine when having a wander outside his cockpit. The second in command, his brother, died in a freak mechbay accident just two weeks later. This left only bewildered two mechwarriors, a few very shocked mechtechs and support staff, and four mechs. They'd even captured two nearly pristine mechs in the field. As the two mechwarriors were both young and lacking confidence in command, and because they lacked enough mechwarriors for their available mechs, the unit seemed ready to fall apart. Luckily, the whole group liked a tipple...
Starlit Knights
The Knights were assisted by the Obsidian Angels recently and a great number of them joined the unit after the Knights disbanded. They brought with them numerous trooper mechs and a Leopard they'd used for strike operations. It was just what the Angels needed to ensure they had enough transport capacity to carry their entire force. This turned out to be an important point in the Angels' favour during negotiations with the Federated Commonwealth for the upcoming invasion.
The Obsidian Angels mercenary unit was formed ten years ago in the aftermath of the War of 3039. The Angels were the union of three separate and quite differently sized mercenary commands that all had three things in common. Firstly, they had all been severely damaged during the fighting. Secondly, they'd all been on the same side fighting against the Draconis Combine. Thirdly, each had lost key elements and, for one reason or another, their continued independent existence would have been difficult. The three units had each withdrawn from the fighting, once their contract ended, to Galatea, often called the Mercenary's Star. Each had tried to address their issues there, whether finance, rebuilding or the question of command. The Azure Fangs were facing bankruptcy, the Storm Guard had lost most of their equipment, and Dead Man's Hand had lost their commanding officer and executive officer in their final engagement. A chance meeting between members of each at one of the planet's many bars led to negotiations that lasted for nearly a week. Thankfully for all three groups of mercenaries the negotiations were successful, with each group having something the others needed. With a future path decided the next step was dissolving their individual units and agreeing a new command structure. Surprisingly, the new unit's name was more an afterthought, added to the Mercenary Review Board's form at the whim of the decided commanding officer, Eric Voelker. It was certainly better than 'Insert Mercenary Unit Name Here'. The name was due to the fact the majority of the surviving Battlemechs were damaged and in need of repair; they had been left blackened from the heavy combat they'd been involved in. The 'Angels' part was more a nod to the ability of the entire unit to be transported and even airdropped to a deployment, which Eric hoped would serve as a way of attracting prospective contracts. In that, he need not have worried. The Inner Sphere has seen plenty of body skirmishes and other conflict in the last ten years. Starting from little more than a company and a half of battered Mechs, the Angels have more than doubled in strength in the last decade. Existing contacts with each major power allowed the unit to navigate its way to measured growth, with careful scrutiny of contract offers and smart negotiations to secure favourable final terms all contributing to the unit's success. The Angels have served the Federated Commonwealth, the Free Worlds League and the Capellan Confederation. Contracts have included two deployments hunting bandits, three anti-pirate deployments, two year-long planetary garrisons, a training cadre deployment and multiple smaller contracts.
Ten years on, the Angels are currently a battalion strength Battlemech unit with a handful of additional elements, their own transport and a full complement of support staff. They still paint their mechs charcoal black, but the change of fortunes is immense. In fact, only a few months ago the unit had absorbed further members from a disbanding unit, the Starlit Knights. The Knights had lost over half their number against bandits fighting a guerrilla war on a Federated Commonwealth planet, Kelenfold. The unit didn't know how to deal with the tactics they faced. The Angels had been contracted to assist after the Knights started reporting issues. Their arrival had turned things around, making a success of the operation and earning good will with the smaller unit. Once finished, the survivors of the Knights had agreed to disband and many had flocked to join the Angels before they left planet. It was during this time, as the Angels were returning to their dropships, that a new contract was offered by their employer. It would be a three month contract and it wasn't too far. It was also happening immediately, which had proven useful in negotiations to increase the offer due to the haste required to redeploy quickly. Still, the Angels were confident and morale was high. Feeling emboldened by the unit's growth and the prospect of an especially well paying and generous contract, the Angels accepted the offer. The specifics were supporting the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth in an invasion on a planet on the edge of Rasalhague space. Of course, this does carry risks. The unit is primarily medium and light Mechs, they lack widespread experience of such an operation and more combat is guaranteed. Nonetheless, there are convincing pros that the majority of the Angels command staff felt more than justified the risk. Aside from the generous base pay, the salvage terms were good and a high degree of salvage was likely. Better still, the Angels only have to engage the planetary militia, keeping them busy while the AFFC duke it out with regular Rasalhague military units. A good result will see the unit well paid, drowning in salvageable mechs and equipment, having a major power indebted to them and benefitting from their profile being massively boosted. Future prospects would be bright. This whole deployment would have been beyond imagining to the remnants from ten years prior. Now, it feels achievable. Whether this overall optimistic assessment will be reality is the biggest question now facing the unit.
Azure Fangs
While comprised of the remnants of three differently sized mercenary commands, the Angels greatest force came from a single unit with a long if not particularly famous history. Named the Azure Fangs, this mercenary outfit was the one led by Eric Voelker. It comprised nearly two companies of Battlemechs at its height. The majority of these were heavy mechs, as might be expected from their Lyran leaning ancestry. Existing in some form for over one hundred and fifty years, the Azure Fangs were the result of two declining mercenary commands deciding to merge. In this way, one might argue the Angels have a tradition of being reborn into something new. The two commands were the 288th Royal Astian Brigade and Falcart's Fangs. The Azure Fangs lost over half their numbers, including a lance of assault mechs, fighting in 3039. They'd also amassed quite a big debt, particularly due to running an Overlord dropship and not having enough technical staff. The latter in particular had been draining, as it meant the unit had to always pay extra to secure mechtech assistance from whoever they were contracted for.
288th Royal Astian Brigade
Once actually brigade strength, the 288th Royal Astian Brigade were once the 288th Astian Brigade in the SLDF. When the Exodus had occurred, a third of the unit had chosen to stay. The leader, a war decorated nobleman mechwarrior, knew that all out war across the Inner Sphere was inevitable. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he wanted to profit from it. Having secured nearly a company of SLDF Royal mechs, he'd renamed the Unit ever so slightly while converting them to a mercenary force. This worked out nicely, with the Brigade (actually about a battalion in strength) finding a great deal of work throughout the Succession Wars. However, they also took steady losses. By the late 29th Century the unit was a tiny fraction of its former self, being less than a company in strength, and much of their SLDF heritage had been forgotten. When their commander had retired due to old age and nobody could agree who would succeed him, the unit nearly unanimously had taken the decision to merge with Falcart's Fangs, a newer mercenary command who they had fought against twice and alongside once. These contacts had left a high degree of respect between the units. Both times they'd fought, the Fangs had beaten them. However, the younger mercenary outfit carried themselves honourably and allowed the 288th to surrender and withdraw each time. When they'd finally been fighting alongside each other as allies it had led to strong comradery between their members. It wasn't surprising then that they wanted to join with the Fangs after both units took losses. The 288th painted their mechs blue, which contributed to the azure in Azure Fangs.
Falcart's Fangs
Formed by an officer school's dropout, Johnny Falcart, and then eventually led by his daughter, Samantha Falcart, the Fangs were a somewhat rowdy group of talented mechwarriors that wanted to work independently. It was made up of ex-military types who either chaffed at military rules or who had become disillusioned with the Great House militaries they served. Fighting at just lance strength initially, the Fangs grew to company size over a generation, with the Falcart family setting aside a tidy sum of profits. This was later used by Samantha to secure citizenship and noble status in the distant Magistracy of Canopus. Retiring to enjoy her wealth, many in the unit seeing it as a betrayal, the Fangs were left leaderless. Their second in command stepped up and led temporarily, but the unit took losses and some members left. Things were starting to look grim until the Fangs and the 288th ended up fighting side by side for once. Good relations boosted the morale of the Fangs. Their temporary leader stood aside to make way for a younger and more charismatic member of the Fangs to take charge. Peng Lihua was the one who floated the idea of a merger to some of the 288th once their contracts ended. It would lead to a long partnership as the Azure Fangs. It also ensured a tradition of the new unit being lead by a commander nominated democratically and based on merit, rather than it being a hereditary thing.
Storm Guard
The Storm Guard once had it all. Two Union dropships, a company of mechs and another of armour, a squadron of aerospace fighters backing them up. They were a combined arms success story. Fighting for various periphery powers for fifty years, their return to the heart of the Inner Sphere had been their downfall. Getting caught up in aiding the creation of the Free Rasalhague Republic, they'd fought in the Ronin Wars. Unlike many mercenary units, they'd done more than their contract stipulated and suffered greatly for it. Losing members and equipment steadily, and having to deal with growing mistreatment from their employer, the final straw came when one of their officers was badly beaten by civilians they were there to protect. Fed up with everything, they paid the damages to abandon the contract. This hit their reputation, which hampered their efforts to rebuild for the next few years. Things were finally taking a positive turn when they accepted a contract aiding the Federated Commonwealth in the 3039 War. This, once again, decimated their numbers. They even lost a Union dropship halfway through their campaign. Lacking equipment and suffering terribly low morale, the unit looked ready to disband. Only a chance encounter with a few other suffering mercenary commanders changed matters.
Dead Man's Hand
A motley group of ace mechwarriors who banded together ad-hoc to profit from the 3039 War. Only a lance in strength, their leader was killed by an anti-personnel mine when having a wander outside his cockpit. The second in command, his brother, died in a freak mechbay accident just two weeks later. This left only bewildered two mechwarriors, a few very shocked mechtechs and support staff, and four mechs. They'd even captured two nearly pristine mechs in the field. As the two mechwarriors were both young and lacking confidence in command, and because they lacked enough mechwarriors for their available mechs, the unit seemed ready to fall apart. Luckily, the whole group liked a tipple...
Starlit Knights
The Knights were assisted by the Obsidian Angels recently and a great number of them joined the unit after the Knights disbanded. They brought with them numerous trooper mechs and a Leopard they'd used for strike operations. It was just what the Angels needed to ensure they had enough transport capacity to carry their entire force. This turned out to be an important point in the Angels' favour during negotiations with the Federated Commonwealth for the upcoming invasion.
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Re: About the Obsidian Angels
Obsidian Angels Colours
Obsidian Angels mechs are painted in a simple charcoal grey. Individual mechwarriors are allowed to customise the look of their units somewhat, but the core colour must be this grey. Many pilots choose to add kill markings, callsigns and taunts to their mechs in white paint. Very rarely a mechwarrior may be given the privilege of having their mech painted however they like, usually as a privately agreed award for outstanding performance in the field.
Here is an example of a base Spider (SDR-5V) Battlemech in Obsidian Angels colours:
Logo
In addition, all mechs will display the unit's logo somewhere on their bodies. Some even display it multiple times. The unit logo is a black winged halberd in a white circle. All combat personnel are also obligated in their contracts to wear a patch with the unit's logo on their person when in the field, which must be kept visible at all times. This is waived for those who are off-duty or carrying out sensitive operations, such as surveillance.
Obsidian Angels mechs are painted in a simple charcoal grey. Individual mechwarriors are allowed to customise the look of their units somewhat, but the core colour must be this grey. Many pilots choose to add kill markings, callsigns and taunts to their mechs in white paint. Very rarely a mechwarrior may be given the privilege of having their mech painted however they like, usually as a privately agreed award for outstanding performance in the field.
Here is an example of a base Spider (SDR-5V) Battlemech in Obsidian Angels colours:
Logo
In addition, all mechs will display the unit's logo somewhere on their bodies. Some even display it multiple times. The unit logo is a black winged halberd in a white circle. All combat personnel are also obligated in their contracts to wear a patch with the unit's logo on their person when in the field, which must be kept visible at all times. This is waived for those who are off-duty or carrying out sensitive operations, such as surveillance.
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Re: About the Obsidian Angels
Unit size
The Obsidian Angels are a battalion and two companies of mechs strong (36 mechs in a battalion, 12 per company), with a company of supporting vehicles and infantry, as well as four dropships that are capable of carrying the entirety of the unit. Supporting elements include tanks, VTOLs, artillery, infantry transport, command and salvage vehicles.
The exact list of mechs and other vehicles available to the Obsidian Angels will be revealed in pre-game.
The Obsidian Angels are a battalion and two companies of mechs strong (36 mechs in a battalion, 12 per company), with a company of supporting vehicles and infantry, as well as four dropships that are capable of carrying the entirety of the unit. Supporting elements include tanks, VTOLs, artillery, infantry transport, command and salvage vehicles.
The exact list of mechs and other vehicles available to the Obsidian Angels will be revealed in pre-game.
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Re: About the Obsidian Angels
Mechs and Vehicles
The following is a list of what Mechs and Vehicles are available to the Obsidian Angels at game start. As units are destroyed and others are captured and repaired, this list will quickly become out of game. However, it is useful for helping to determine what mech a Combat Character and their lance mates may receive. Do note that you or they may have been piloting this mech for quite some time. Just because it says "Free" below does not mean it starts the game free in the game's lore. This is an out of character assist.
The following is a list of what Mechs and Vehicles are available to the Obsidian Angels at game start. As units are destroyed and others are captured and repaired, this list will quickly become out of game. However, it is useful for helping to determine what mech a Combat Character and their lance mates may receive. Do note that you or they may have been piloting this mech for quite some time. Just because it says "Free" below does not mean it starts the game free in the game's lore. This is an out of character assist.
1st Company - Command Company
Command Lance
BattleMaster BLR-3M - Major Eric Voelker
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Sergeant Major Monique McConnel
Thunderbolt TDR-5SE - Sergeant Williams
Quickdraw QKD-4G - Mechwarrior Muraguri
Direct Fire Lance
Blackjack BJ-3 - Staff Sergeant Steffen Jonassen
Longbow LGB-7Q - Corporal Tabua
Catapult CPLT-C1 - Lance Corporal Wright
Rifleman RFL-3N - Mechwarrior Fausett
Cavalry Lance
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Master Sergeant Korolov
Shadow Hawk SHD-2H - Mechwarrior Lingrad
Cicada CDA-3C - Mechwarrior Mekner
Valkyrie VLK-QA - Mechwarrior Holland
Battle Lance
Hatchetman HCT-3F - Sergeant Slaktare
Blackjack BJ-1DB - Mechwarrior Lawrence
Locust LCT-1E - Mechwarrior Han
Enforcer ENF-4R - Mechwarrior Takeguchi
2nd Company - Raider Company
Command Lance
Wolverine WVR-6M - Captain Lakshmi Kaala
Griffin GRF-1S - Sergeant Marzo
Dervish DV-6M - Corporal Ch'oe
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1D - Mechwarrior Yi
2nd Lance
Hunchback HBK-4G - Sergeant Ezmeralda
Centurion CN9-A - Mechwarrior Buzdar
Panther PNT-9R - Mechwarrior Wilkinson
Commando COM-1B - Mechwarrior Bozhokovy
3rd Lance
Wolverine WVR-6M - Sergeant Hayes
Centurion CN9-AL - Mechwarrior Richter
Trebuchet TBT-7K - Mechwarrior Rodríguez
Hornet HNT-151 - Mechwarrior Samaras
3rd Company - Scout Company
1st Lance
Vulcan VL-5T - Second Lieutenant Winter
Javelin JVN-10F 'Fire Javelin' - Mechwarrior Parrish
Spider SDR-5V - Mechwarrior Pope
Firestarter FS9-K - Mechwarrior Ramos
2nd Lance
Talon TLN-5W - Sergeant Zhou
Mongoose MON-67 - Mechwarrior Bannister
Hermes HER-1B - Mechwarrior Granado
Javelin JVN-10N - Mechwarrior Bailey
3rd Lance
Griffin GRF-1N - Sergeant Macharu
Kintaro KTO-18 - Mechwarrior Ashworth
Wolfhound WLF-1 - Mechwarrior Ball
Chameleon TRC-4B - Mechwarrior Holmwood
4th Company - Trooper Company (Also informally called 'Crusader Command' due to the notably odd abundance of Crusader mechs)
1st Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - First Lieutenant Rains
Dragon DRG-1N - Sergeant Price
Whitworth WTH-1 - Mechwarrior Price
Wyvern WVE-6N - Mechwarrior Rains
2nd Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - Second Lieutenant Hakamada
Hunchback HBK-4J - Sergeant Kawabe
Jenner JR7-F - Mechwarrior Rio
Panther PNT-8Z - Mechwarrior Maris
3rd Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - Sergeant Kovac
Vindicator VND-1X - Mechwarrior Smith
Vindicator VND-1R - Mechwarrior López
Assassin ASN-21 - Mechwarrior Johnson
Mech Inventory:5th Company - Battle Company
1st Lance
Awesome AWS-8R - Senior First Lieutenant Daniels
Ostroc OSR-2M - Sergeant Smith
Victor VTR-9B - Corporal Bernard
Crab CRB-20 - Mechwarrior Hawkwood
2nd Lance
Warhammer WHM-6R - Sergeant Kinugawa
Icarus II ICR-1S - Mechwarrior Kumar
Raven RVN-2X - Mechwarrior Tsai
Panther PNT-9R - Mechwarrior Faucette
3rd Lance
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Sergeant Sadafuji
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1K - Mechwarrior Kaito
Hermes II HER-2S - Mechwarrior Isawa
Javelin JVN-10N - Mechwarrior Okimi
- UrbanMech UM-R60L
- Locust LCT-3V
- None
6th Company - Support Company (Primarily Vehicles, Transports and VTOLs. Includes 1 company of Infantry)
Command & Artillery
Mobile Headquarters (Standard)
Hi-Scout Drone Carrier (Standard)
Thumper Artillery Vehicle (Standard)
Thumper Artillery Vehicle (Standard)
Hover
J. Edgar Light Hover Tank (Standard)
Heavy Hover APC (Standard) [Transport]
Heavy Hover APC (Standard) [Transport]
Pegasus Scout Hover Tank (Standard)
Tanks
Manticore Heavy Tank (Standard)
Bulldog Medium Tank (Standard)
VTOLs
Karnov UR Transport (Standard)
Warrior Attack Helicopter H-7C
Dropship Assets
Overlord Dropship - Angel's Descent - Senior Captain Giannou
Union Dropship - Redoubtable - Captain Twain
Union Dropship - Big Bertha - Captain Blunden
Leopard Dropship - Midnight Miracle - Captain Sommerville
GM • Likes ferrets • Experienced • Join my party!
Languages: English
Languages: English
Re: About the Obsidian Angels
Recent Deployments
Below are the three most recent Obsidian Angels' deployments. This may help players figure out what their characters have been up to in the last few years.
June 3047 to July 3048: A year's garrison on Kikuyu, a hot Lyran planet perhaps most famous for the large Great Victorian Desert occupying the centre of the main continent. The year was very quiet and arguably very boring. Not a single shot was fired in anger. The beaches were popular destinations for off duty Angels at least, allowing for decent rest and relaxation. Another positive point was that the locals, descendants of Australian and New Zealand settlers, were friendly.
October 3048 to April 3049: Pirate slaying on Toland for 6 months. The vast expanses of jungle on Toland made patrols difficult. Finding the enemy was also problematic, especially as the pirates initially knew the terrain better. The Angels suffered a few losses during this contract, as the pirates were particularly tenacious, but the deployment was successful overall. Material losses were at least equal to gains from salvage.
July 3049 to December 3049: Bandit hunting on Kelenfold in support of the Starlit Knights. The bandits were using guerrilla tactics, which was a nuisance, but nowhere near as much as Toland's pirates. The enemy also lacked air assets and they had already taken heavy losses by the time the Angels arrived. This made the deployment relatively easy. Nonetheless, there were a few fierce skirmishes and two intense larger combats toward the end.
Below are the three most recent Obsidian Angels' deployments. This may help players figure out what their characters have been up to in the last few years.
June 3047 to July 3048: A year's garrison on Kikuyu, a hot Lyran planet perhaps most famous for the large Great Victorian Desert occupying the centre of the main continent. The year was very quiet and arguably very boring. Not a single shot was fired in anger. The beaches were popular destinations for off duty Angels at least, allowing for decent rest and relaxation. Another positive point was that the locals, descendants of Australian and New Zealand settlers, were friendly.
October 3048 to April 3049: Pirate slaying on Toland for 6 months. The vast expanses of jungle on Toland made patrols difficult. Finding the enemy was also problematic, especially as the pirates initially knew the terrain better. The Angels suffered a few losses during this contract, as the pirates were particularly tenacious, but the deployment was successful overall. Material losses were at least equal to gains from salvage.
July 3049 to December 3049: Bandit hunting on Kelenfold in support of the Starlit Knights. The bandits were using guerrilla tactics, which was a nuisance, but nowhere near as much as Toland's pirates. The enemy also lacked air assets and they had already taken heavy losses by the time the Angels arrived. This made the deployment relatively easy. Nonetheless, there were a few fierce skirmishes and two intense larger combats toward the end.
GM • Likes ferrets • Experienced • Join my party!
Languages: English
Languages: English
Re: About the Obsidian Angels
Mech Update March 29th 3050
The following is an updated table of organization and equipment for the mech lances of the Obsidian Angels. Those wishing to apply for one of the available mechs should submit an equipment request form to be approved by their Company commander, the Chief Administrator and an Officer of Captain rank or higher.
The following is an updated table of organization and equipment for the mech lances of the Obsidian Angels. Those wishing to apply for one of the available mechs should submit an equipment request form to be approved by their Company commander, the Chief Administrator and an Officer of Captain rank or higher.
Mech Inventory:
- UrbanMech UM-R60L
- Hornet HNT-151
- Javelin JVN-10N
- Locust LCT-1E
- Commando COM-1B
- Spider SDR-5V
- Spider SDR-5V
- Whitworth WTH-1
- Panther PNT-8Z
1st Company - Command Company
Command Lance
BattleMaster BLR-3M - Major Eric Voelker
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Sergeant Major Monique McConnel
Thunderbolt TDR-5SE - Sergeant Williams
Locust LCT-3V - Mechwarrior Trainee White
Direct Fire Lance
Blackjack BJ-3 - Staff Sergeant Steffen Jonassen
Longbow LGB-7Q - Corporal Tabua
Catapult CPLT-C1 - Lance Corporal Wright
Rifleman RFL-3N - Mechwarrior Fausett
Cavalry Lance
BattleMaster BLR-3S - Master Sergeant Korolov
Shadow Hawk SHD-2H - Mechwarrior Lingrad
Cicada CDA-3C - Mechwarrior Mekner
Valkyrie VLK-QA - Mechwarrior Holland
Battle Lance
Hatchetman HCT-3F - Sergeant Slaktare
Blackjack BJ-1DB - Mechwarrior Lawrence
Griffin GRF-1N - Mechwarrior Han
Enforcer ENF-4R - Mechwarrior Takeguchi
2nd Company - Raider Company
Command Lance
Wolverine WVR-6M - Captain Lakshmi Kaala
Griffin GRF-1S - Sergeant Marzo
Dervish DV-6M - Corporal Ch'oe
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1D - Mechwarrior Yi
2nd Lance
Orion ON1-VA - Sergeant Ezmeralda
Centurion CN9-A - Mechwarrior Buzdar
Panther PNT-9R - Mechwarrior Wilkinson
Hunchback HBK-4P - Mechwarrior Bozhokovy
3rd Lance
Wolverine WVR-6M - Sergeant Hayes
Centurion CN9-AL - Mechwarrior Richter
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Mechwarrior Rodríguez
Trebuchet TBT-7K - Mechwarrior Samaras
3rd Company - Scout Company
1st Lance
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1D - Second Lieutenant Winter
Vulcan VL-5T - Mechwarrior Parrish
Javelin JVN-10F 'Fire Javelin' - Mechwarrior Pope
Firestarter FS9-K - Mechwarrior Ramos
2nd Lance
Talon TLN-5W - Sergeant Zhou
Mongoose MON-67 - Mechwarrior Bannister
Quickdraw QKD-4G - Mechwarrior Granado
Hermes HER-1B - Mechwarrior Bailey
3rd Lance
Griffin GRF-1N - Sergeant Macharu
Kintaro KTO-18 - Mechwarrior Ashworth
Wolfhound WLF-1 - Mechwarrior Ball
Chameleon TRC-4B - Mechwarrior Holmwood
4th Company - Trooper Company (Also informally called 'Crusader Command' due to the notably odd abundance of Crusader mechs)
1st Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - First Lieutenant Rains
Cyclops CP-11-A - Sergeant Price
Dragon DRG-1N - Mechwarrior Price
Wyvern WVE-6N - Mechwarrior Rains
2nd Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - Second Lieutenant Hakamada
Hunchback HBK-4J - Sergeant Kawabe
Jenner JR7-F - Mechwarrior Rio
Shadow Hawk SHD-2K - Mechwarrior Maris
3rd Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - Sergeant Kovac
Vindicator VND-1X - Mechwarrior Smith
None assigned [undergoing repairs] - Mechwarrior López
Assassin ASN-21 - Mechwarrior Johnson
Undergoing Repairs:5th Company - Battle Company
1st Lance
Awesome AWS-8R - Senior First Lieutenant Daniels
Ostroc OSR-2M - Sergeant Smith
Victor VTR-9B - Corporal Bernard
Crab CRB-20 - Mechwarrior Hawkwood
2nd Lance
Warhammer WHM-6R - Sergeant Kinugawa
Icarus II ICR-1S - Mechwarrior Kumar
Panther PNT-9R - Mechwarrior Tsai
Panther PNT-9R - Mechwarrior Faucette
3rd Lance
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Sergeant Sadafuji
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1K - Mechwarrior Kaito
Hermes II HER-2S - Mechwarrior Isawa
Javelin JVN-10N - Mechwarrior Okimi
- Vindicator VND-1R
GM • Likes ferrets • Experienced • Join my party!
Languages: English
Languages: English
Re: About the Obsidian Angels
Mech Update April 1st 3050
The following is an updated table of organization and equipment for the mech lances of the Obsidian Angels. Those wishing to apply for one of the available mechs should submit an equipment request form to be approved by their Company commander, the Chief Administrator and an Officer of Captain rank or higher.
None
The following is an updated table of organization and equipment for the mech lances of the Obsidian Angels. Those wishing to apply for one of the available mechs should submit an equipment request form to be approved by their Company commander, the Chief Administrator and an Officer of Captain rank or higher.
Mech Inventory:
- Hornet HNT-151
- Javelin JVN-10N
- Commando COM-1B
- Spider SDR-5V
- Whitworth WTH-1
- Panther PNT-8Z
- Firestarter FS9-K
- Wolverine WVR-6R
- Wasp WSP-1D
- Jenner JR7-F
- Vulcan VL-2T
- Enforcer ENF-4R
- Locust LCT-1S
- Clint CLNT-2-3T
- Wolfhound WLF-1A
- Panther PNT-9R
- Rifleman RFL-3C
1st Company - Command Company
Command Lance
BattleMaster BLR-3M - Major Eric Voelker
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Sergeant Major Monique McConnel
Thunderbolt TDR-5SE - Sergeant Williams
Locust LCT-3V - Mechwarrior Trainee White
Direct Fire Lance
Blackjack BJ-3 - Staff Sergeant Steffen Jonassen
Longbow LGB-7Q - Corporal Tabua
Catapult CPLT-C1 - Lance Corporal Wright
Rifleman RFL-3N - Mechwarrior Fausett
Cavalry Lance
BattleMaster BLR-3S - Master Sergeant Korolov
Shadow Hawk SHD-2H - Mechwarrior Lingrad
Cicada CDA-3C - Mechwarrior Mekner
Valkyrie VLK-QA - Mechwarrior Holland
Battle Lance
Hatchetman HCT-3F - Sergeant Slaktare
Blackjack BJ-1DB - Mechwarrior Lawrence
Griffin GRF-1N - Mechwarrior Han
Enforcer ENF-4R - Mechwarrior Takeguchi
2nd Company - Raider Company
Command Lance
Wolverine WVR-6M - Captain Lakshmi Kaala
Griffin GRF-1S - Sergeant Marzo
Dervish DV-6M - Corporal Ch'oe
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1D - Mechwarrior Yi
2nd Lance
Orion ON1-VA - Sergeant Ezmeralda
Centurion CN9-A - Mechwarrior Buzdar
Griffin GRF-1S - Mechwarrior Wilkinson
Hunchback HBK-4P - Mechwarrior Bozhokovy
3rd Lance
[Wolverine WVR-6M: Undergoing Refit] - Unassigned - Second Lieutenant Hayes
Centurion CN9-AL - Mechwarrior Richter
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Mechwarrior Rodríguez
Trebuchet TBT-7K - Mechwarrior Samaras
3rd Company - Scout Company
1st Lance
Exterminator EXT-4Db - Second Lieutenant Winter
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1D - Mechwarrior Parrish
Javelin JVN-10F 'Fire Javelin' - Mechwarrior Pope
Vulcan VL-5T - Mechwarrior Ramos
2nd Lance
Talon TLN-5W - Sergeant Zhou
Mongoose MON-67 - Mechwarrior Bannister
Quickdraw QKD-4G - Mechwarrior Granado
Hermes HER-1B - Mechwarrior Bailey
3rd Lance
Griffin GRF-1N - Sergeant Macharu
Kintaro KTO-18 - Mechwarrior Ashworth
Wolfhound WLF-1 - Mechwarrior Ball
Chameleon TRC-4B - Mechwarrior Holmwood
4th Company - Trooper Company (Also informally called 'Crusader Command' due to the notably odd abundance of Crusader mechs)
1st Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - First Lieutenant Rains
Cyclops CP-11-A - Sergeant Price
Dragon DRG-1N - Mechwarrior Price
Wyvern WVE-6N - Mechwarrior Rains
2nd Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - Senior First Lieutenant Hakamada
Hunchback HBK-4J - Sergeant Kawabe
Jenner JR7-F - Mechwarrior Rio
Shadow Hawk SHD-2K - Mechwarrior Maris
3rd Lance
Crusader CRD-3K - Sergeant Kovac
Vindicator VND-1X - Mechwarrior Smith
Vindicator VND-1R - Mechwarrior López
Assassin ASN-21 - Mechwarrior Johnson
Undergoing Repairs:5th Company - Battle Company
1st Lance
Awesome AWS-8R - Senior First Lieutenant Daniels
Ostroc OSR-2M - Sergeant Smith
Victor VTR-9B - Corporal Bernard
Crab CRB-20 - Mechwarrior Hawkwood
2nd Lance
Warhammer WHM-6R - Sergeant Kinugawa
Icarus II ICR-1S - Mechwarrior Kumar
Panther PNT-9R - Mechwarrior Tsai
Panther PNT-9R - Mechwarrior Faucette
3rd Lance
Grand Dragon DRG-1G - Sergeant Sadafuji
Phoenix Hawk PXH-1K - Mechwarrior Kaito
Hermes II HER-2S - Mechwarrior Isawa
Javelin JVN-10N - Mechwarrior Okimi
None
GM • Likes ferrets • Experienced • Join my party!
Languages: English
Languages: English
