Well, that was a race at the end between the 3040s and 3050s. I find it interesting that noone voted for later eras, but I think like me, most people like the build up from Succession Wars technology through Star League/Advanced IS into Clan technology.
That said, we'll be starting in 3046, giving a short period to build up and then launch into the 3050s. Now for the unit's backstory, and then its open season for character/unit requests.
House Kincaide is an old, proud line from the Lyran Commonwealth world of Ridderkerk. The Ducal Guard skillfully protects the planet from raiders from the Draconis Combine, as it has for centuries.
Albus Kincaide was the third child of the family. With a 'heir and a spare', those born after are expected to make their own ways in the world. House Kincaide normally expected them to go into service with the LCAF, or now with the AFFC. Unfortunately for Albus, a defect in his inner ear meant that while his sense of balance was perfectly fine, the neurohelmets used by BattleMechs and AeroSpace fighters caused blinding nausea. The Duke refused to allow one of his children to serve in the infantry or vehicle forces, and Albus found himself shunted aside.
In most other cases, he would have become one of the thousands of others bored, rich dilettantes that infested the courts of the nobility of the Commonwealth, but Albus refused to be cast aside so casually. He threw himself into his studies of the military arts, following courses of study from the Commonwealth, the Suns, and new course books from the combined Federated Commonwealth. He learned Japanese simply to study the military tactics of the Draconis Combine without the biases of Lyran translators. He even managed to acquire some training manuals from the Com Guards, interested in the differences in tactics their base 6 formations offer versus the standard formations of the other powers.
To his frustration, despite his high marks in command, Albus was unable to secure a military position, even in his homeworld's militia. To the neo-feudal armies of the Successor States, a military leader's worth stemmed first from their battlefield achievements, and a military leader who couldn't even fight at the controls of a BattleMech was not worth listening too.
By his 25th birthday, Albus' frustration finally reached the tipping point. Taking his trust fund, after hacking access into his family's financial systems, he used a portion of it to book passage to Galatea, departing without the notice of his dismissive family.
It would be several months later that a routine inspection of a number of secondary and tertiary warehouses and hangers revealed their contents to be missing, routed onto a Mule around the same time Albus disappeared.
Arriving on Galatea, chosen both for its closer proximity and lower profile compared to Outreach, Albus began the process of building his own mercenary command. To attract new recruits, he let rumors begin to circulate that for those looking to make a new start, particularly those Dispossessed through the fortunes of war, it might be possible to earn a spot in the unit and once again fight or fly in a 'Mech or AeroSpace fighter.
Character submissions are now open. Here's the following information I need from you:
Name
Call-Sign
Age
Birthday (year not needed, month and day are)
Specialization
Background
The available positions are: 'Mech pilot, AeroSpace, vehicle crew, VTOL crew, artillery or infantry.
This campaign will be played with tactical support from Aerospace, Artillery and Infantry forces, but it does mean that they (often) won't be in the battles or a major focus. Vehicle forces will be switched out depending on the terrain type - a hover lance won't be deployed to a deep woods map, for example.
I'll go further into depth on the available missions in a coming post where I list the options being used for this game.
The starting company will be partially influenced by what people want to play to begin with, but the rest of the company will be generated randomly.