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[Scion Koga]

Dale Kufahl:


August 14th, 3049
Shadow Hounds Mercenary Base of Operations
Location: Unknown

“More files just arrived, Sergeant Major. Personnel files, from the look of them. The Lieutenant Colonel requested you review them ASAP.”

Oh, God. MORE of them? Though Sergeant Major Dale Kufahl.

“Thank you, Corporal Feretti. Carry on.”

The blonde corporal nodded, and with a slight bow quickly backed out of the office. Feretti had become Kufahl's de-facto aide during the units re-organization, assisting with the massive amount of filing that came with the position of senior NCO in a unit the size of the Shadow Hounds.

The Hounds weren't a new unit, but the Colonel had recently decided on a massive re-organization of the entire command structure. The Hounds had been organized into a more House-typed structure, three companies, more or less, in strength. The personnel had been shuffled into new Lances, and the ranking structure had been completely over-hauled, taking on a more House Military structure, one Kufahl was both more familiar, and more comfortable, using.

At first, Kufahl had been thrilled that the Shadow Hounds maintained such a level of military discipline. Far more than many mercenary outfits he had seen in his day. The order reminded him of his days in the AFFS. As time went on, however, he was reminded of the tediousness of the paperwork. That, and the fact that the unit had a bizarre combination of military veterans such as himself, who thrived on the typical military style of command, and those who were a bit more “unique” in their ways who preferred the stereotypical mercenary lifestyle. There were even a few who seemed trapped between the two.

Can't argue with the battlefield reports though...hodgepodge as we look in the messhall, we can pull it together in a fight...

Kufahl began thumbing through the personnel files sent by the units CO, Nikolas Kell. Kufahl had known Kell for a long time, and when Kell had asked him to consider joining the Shadow Hounds instead of re-enlisting with the AFFS, Kufahl had spent only a few hours debating with himself before signing up. The AFFS has been good to him during his 20 years in, but it was time for a change of scenery.

The fact that I kept my rank with a significant pay raise didn't hurt...

The majority of the files in his hand reflected average-to-above-average piloting and gunnery abilities for the majority of the Mechwarriors in the unit, although a couple had marked significant disciplinary problems.

Well, let me work them over for a few weeks and those will go away...they'll either shape up or jump ship pretty quickly.

He knew the way Kell thought, and knew that the Lieutenant Colonel would have no problem with working the enlisted of the unit into fighting-shape the old-fashioned way.

Kufahl stood and stepped out of his office and walked down the narrow hallway towards the 'Mech Bay. Stepping in, he stopped and took in the scene in front of him. A dozen Battlemechs stood in their individual bays, techs swarming over them, checking every myomer bundle, every armor plate, and every bolt to ensure full combat readyness. He knew this level of thoroughness would be nearly impossible to maintain once the unit entered full service. Mercenaries rarely enjoyed the same logistics as a House unit, and the fact that they had the resources available to get every 'mech into full combat shape at even this stage was nothing short of a miracle. Once the unit began taking contracts, every AC round and every armor plate would become infinitely more valuable, and harder to replace. It was going to be difficult for Kufahl to make that mental adjustment when reviewing the units readiness and effectiveness, but he was already preparing himself for it.

He looked down at the files in his hand.

Well, I'll need to discuss these with the Colonel...

With that, Kufahl walked through the bay in the direction of the Lieutenant Colonel's office, enjoying every moment of his new life.

Shadowwolf Jerricho:

Nikolas watches as the Sgt Major makes his way across the mech bay. " Glad to have you in the unit Dale, been too long since we fought alongside each other." They walked to his office discussing personnel and various Company and Lance combonations. " Dale, you will assigned to The Shield as your mech Lance. I know as the Sgt Major in the Davion military you didnt get a chance to keep your skills up to par, Shadow smiles as Dale grumbles, here with the Hounds we all fight. We have the supplies and equipment for 3 Full companies, alot of our pilots are green but we have many veterans amongst them. Our military academy will be operational within the year. Arc Royal will be a good home to us."

The two senior Hounds walk onto the tarmac and into the mechbays, " Our early recon from some of these periph worlds are bringing back some very strange pics. We have yet to engage these Mechs but the range and speed is amazing. Some of our Medium mechs cant match the speed of what I assume is a heavy mech, it looks like a Marauder and Cat melded together but the firepower is devastating." Nikolas waves over a Mech Sgt " Is the Sgt Major's Spider ready for action? " The Mech tech rogers up an affirmative. " ok Dale, Wraith is taking his lance on some maneuvers, meet him on the parade ground and shoot up some targets. Glad you joined us Dale, damn glad you joined us." Nik salutes his longtime friend and now senior enlisted member of his Hounds as he sprints off to join Wraith on his patrol.

Scion Koga:

August 15th, 3049
Shadow Hounds Base of Operations
Location: Classified

Hard footsteps echoed in the narrow passageway of the Shadow Hounds Complex as Vincent "Scion" Koga Calore walked lazily toward the office of his friend Nikolas Kell, the CO of the Shadow Hounds. The passageway was packed with new and old members of the newly reorganized unit, and each was trying to find out exactly how they fit into Nikolas's neat puzzle. Vincent was not entirely sure himself where he fit into this organized chaos. He had been a 'mech jock for 27 years, and had known Nikolas for more than 20 of those. In this unit however he was very low on the totem pole it seemed. Giving a cursory glance at the rank on his shoulder, he remembered when he had worn it many many years ago. The rank of Sergeant never fit him very well though. He thought of his old friend, and was curious why the all powerful Colonel had chosen this rank for his old XO.

Nikolas Kell and Vincent Calore's relationship on and off the battlefield had been one of success and despair for both of them. The laconic Colonel Nikolas hadn't always been at the head of such a large mercenary unit. Once upon a time, he was only Major Kell and Vincent had been Captain Calore. Each of them were in two very different mercenary units, but worked closely with each other on deals for weapons, spare parts, and ammunition. Both men were comfortable in their current positions until tragedy struck both of their units.

Vincent's CO and a little over half of the mercenary unit were killed on the battlefield when executing a contract for the Draconis Combine. While Vincent and his company were on leave the unit was sent to destroy a key factory on what the Combine saw as a troublesome independent world. They would covertly disable and destroy the factory with the Combine to provide extract via their jumpship. When the factory was destroyed and the hornets next had been stirred, the combine failed to keep their promise. The combine later said it was duee to "mechanical and logistic problems". Men and 'Mechs were left at the landing site with nothing more than a gust of wind to take them off world. Word filtered back slowly that they fought bravely, but all personnel were killed in action by the defending world's militia. Vincent learned then never to trust a house, no matter how much money they throw at a 'merc's face. Nikolas Kell and his mercenary unit suffered a far less gruesome fate though.

Nikolas was the XO of his mercenary unit, and saw that although the unit was proficient and battle hardened its numbers were thinning. More pilots were retiring every day and not enough replacements were coming in to fill the empty slots. The CO of the unit seeing no chance for betterment simply decided to dissolve the unit completely. Those mercenaries left were simply going to pick up shop and leave for Outreach on the next jumpship, but not Nikolas. Storming into his CO's office Nikolas demanded command of the mercenaries. The CO simply sighed and casually informed him that Comstar already had his letter to remove the unit from its bonding commission. Furious, Nikolas returned to his group of loyal 'mech jocks and told them he would start his own unit. There were doubts in the crowd, and a few sneered at the prospect. At that moment though, Vincent and his company came to Nikolas's mind.

Sending out a dispatch to his old friend, Nikolas would offer a deal Vincent could not refuse. The two units would combine to make a mercenary unit with enough pilots, techs, and equipment to be sustainable. In return Nikolas would allow Vincent to become XO of the new unit. Nikolas promoted himself to Colonel and promoted Vincent to Major Vincent "Scion" Koga Calore. Vincent was Nikolas's XO for only a couple of years before the wear and tear of battle took its toll on Vincent. Over and over again Vincent requested demotions in order for him to become closer with his company. Over the years though, all those that had come with him were retired, dead, or missing. Deciding to retire, Vincent submitted his paperwork to Nikolas on a bleak and cloudy afternoon on Arc-Royal. Disappointed, Nikolas signed them, allowing Vincent to return to a life of peace with his books.

That wouldn't last.

The very time that Vincent was looking to enjoy soon became his enemy. Boredom and frustration took hold, and soon he found himself in 'mech simulators at the local training center. After a few years of idleness he realized that his true passion still lay in the rush of combat and the kindred spirit of his comrades. He sent a message to Nikolas, whom was now growing a notable reputation as one of the last mercenary leaders with a moral compass. He agreed to allow Vincent back in the unit, but failed to mention he would be coming back as a mere Sergeant. Vincent didn't realize this until he arrived at the Shadow Hound's Complex, and he was on his way to Nikolas's office to speak with his old friend.

Venom Rezak:

Aug 15, 3049.
Mobile Field base
Location: Draconis Rift Region

“This is ******** Vance!” He snarled as he swiftly cleared the pile of papers and other office supplies from the desk in front on him with one motion. “You need me out there man! I didn’t sign up to be a desk jockey! I should be knee deep in combat, making the combine pay for what they did to us…not reviewing pilot stats!”
*THUD* as he kicked the desk, clearly frustrated. The man on the comm. Screen across from him crossed his arms smirked as he watched quietly. Andrew “Venom” Rezak finally flopped down in his chair and signed deeply “This sucks man”.
The Man on the monitor finally spoke up…
“Are you done now? Good. Okay I know you wanna be out here with us, and yes, we do need you out here, but, I have a more important job for you. One that will most definitely get you some trigger time and benefit us in the long run. You’re the only one I trust to handle a delicate job like this one.”
Venom raised a brow and tilted his head “you couldn’t have said that before I threw all this paperwork around eh?”
“I get a kick out of seeing you worked up. It’s my job as family” he laughed. “Anyway, this is highly classified….even for us. Two days ago comstar intercepted a transmission from one of the detachments of the kellhounds stationed on The Rock. Based on what I know, they were hunting one of the Pirate units out there when they ran into….well, we don’t really know what they ran into. The only information our agent in the area was able to relay before he went dark was that it was not something we’ve ran into before.”
Venom nodded slightly “so how do we get our hands on this tech?”
“Great minds think alike” he smiled. “I need you to reach out to an old friend of yours. Our source says that there are a few people that survived the exchange, but they are keeping it to themselves. There has to be a reason why…”
“Let me guess….” He interrupted “Nikolas knows something…”
Vance nodded “Bingo. I’ve already sent word that you’re going to be paying him a visit. Give him full disclosure and your full support. It might take a few months, but something tells me that they will be one of the first to get access to whatever that technology is. Even if it’s just high level Intel. Best case scenario, the payout will be worth it.”
“Okay…I’m assuming I’m to sever ties to Band of the Damned for now to avoid…backlash on the Shadow Hounds? I’m guessing you have some extracurricular activities involving raids and thefts scheduled now that Port Krin is ours?”
“That’s affirmative. I’m sure we have DC spies amongst us so you will be classified as a deserter to keep things…believable. I will have someone shadow you and contact you when a debriefing is in order. For now, you are to go dark. Just gather as much Intel as you can and relay when we make contact.” Nodding again, Vance Smiled “Andrew, you’re the only one I can trust to do something like this. Just watch your ******* there. From what we know, these bandits don’t play around. Your Shuttle should be arriving shortly to take you to their HQ. Once you arrive there, do not talk to anyone, just Nikolas. Tell him our plans and let him decide where he will place you within his ranks. After that, just do what you do best and help him in any way you can. The rest will all fall into place when the time is right. Good luck Venom…and god speed.”
“Understood. I’ll leave for the Shadow Hounds Base immediately. Good Luck Vance. I will see you soon”.




Aug 16, 3049
Shadow Hounds Base of Operations
Location: Classified

Venom had arrived on schedule, and as expected, he was escorted to a secured office, where a long conversation took place between him and Shadowwolf. Hours later, they both emerged and parted ways to prepare for the upcoming battles. A mutual respect between the two was understood, and no information was released to the rest of the unit in regards to what took place during that conversation. From this day onward though, Venom Rezak, Cousin and Enforcer of Vance Rezak of the Band of the Damned ceased to exist, replaced by Lieutenant Andrew “Venom” Rezak, a pirate deserter turned mercenary.

Scion Koga:

August 16th, 3049
Shadow Hounds Base of Operations
Nikolas Kell: CO's Office
Location: Classified

A quick rap on the open door to the CO's Secretary office signaled Vincent's arrival. The space was plain enough, with a desk in front and waiting seats to the left. A Lieutenant who must of been half of Vincent's age was sitting in a waiting chair reading something out of a beige folder. A closed door to the right led to the CO's office, and Nikolas Kell. Standing before the desk, the secretary still remained with her head down looking at what seemed a mountain of paperwork. I hate paperwork thought Vincent as he looked over the rolling hills of papers. Growing agitated that the secretary still wasn't paying attention he cleared his throat saying in a mock plea, "I respectfully request to see his majesty, the Colonel."

The secretary, without raising her head said in an annoyed voice, "Sergeant, can't you see that i'm busy? Come back another time when i'm not, and the CO is not. You after the Lieutenant, and besides you should not be talking to Colonel directly. I would advise you to use your chain of command."

This was starting to create a crack in Vincent's normally calm exterior. With agitation growing in his voice Vincent replied, "Look, uhh, Tara is it? I don't really have time to play your little games, so i'm just going to let myself in, alright deary?"

The Lieutenant, whom had been listening in now decided it was his turn to speak before the secretary could respond. "Hound! Stand your *** at attention Sergeant!" Spitting the word Sergeant out like an insult.

Turning around slowly Vincent took stock of this blow hard pompous *****. The lieutenant's uniform was impeccable (meaning he didn't work) compared to Vincent's dirty and smudged coverall. The man was maybe half Vincent's age, and couldn't of been out of the academy for more than a couple years. His hair was tight to his head and kept straight, while Vincent's looked like he just rolled out of his barrack's rack.

The crack in Vincent's calm exterior was now becoming a fissure as the two mean locked eyes. Pulling out his cigarettes, Vincent placed one between his lips and lit up the end of it with his favorite lighter (a memento from Nikolas, ironically). The lieutenant was soon becoming visibly irritated as Vincent inhaled and blew a plume of smoke into his superior's face. Smacking his lips in appreciation, he replied, "Look kid, you see this lighter?" Pointing to the old fashioned Terra styled Zippo in his left hand. "This thing has was with me killing Dracos while you were still playing in your own ****. You are 'Senior' to me in rank only buddy. Not experience." Turning his back to the red faced lieutenant Vincent strode to the Colonel's door. Upon reaching the door and opening it, Vincent merely remarked to the *** behind him, "Buzz Off."

Entering into Nikolas's office, he saw his old friend. Although weathered and looking far older than his age it was still the same man that he knew those many years ago. Closing the door behind him Vincent crossed his arms and leaned back against the door. Taking a drag from his cigarette, Vincent said in a slightly bemused voice, "Well, Hello your hignessness!"

Shadowwolf Jerricho:

"Whats up Sci?" Nikolas doesnt even look up from his desk. "Causing trouble again I see. What can I do for you?" Nikolas stands up and walks over to his friend to shake his hand. "I see you still have the lighter I gave you, here lets have a nice Terran cigar instead of what you got there." Scion looks at Nikolas "Shadow, why have I been assigned a Sargent's rank? I have known you for 20 years, we went to the academy together, I was an XO for you?" Shadow turns and thinks about what he is going to tell his friend. "Sci, I am very glad to have you back among my Hounds. It hasnt been the same without you around but you do have a tendency to head off to handle things without notification or afterwards letting me know. Sargent is a good spot for you because it doesnt have other green mechwarriors counting on you to remain calm and handle things accordingly. I can tell you this, you do have a promotion upcoming once the Hounds Merc Academy is operational. I have assigned you to my lance, only person you will answer to is me. Best I got for you at this time, now lets head to the Hounds Den for a pint or 5 and talk much needed **** and Mech stories, besides you are already recieving a higher pay due to your history with the unit. Stop picking fights with my admin officer and that young Lt outside. Any other questions?"

Dale Kufahl:

August 16th, 3049
Shadow Hounds Base of Operations
Enlisted Barracks
Location: Classified

Sgt. Maj. Kufahl stopped before entering the barracks to address his uniform. He was still overheated from some drills he had just run in the simulators. His Spider had been acting up again, the alignment on his medium lasers were off. The techs were still addressing it. In the meantime, Kufahl had been forced to practice in a simulator until his 'mech was combat ready again.

Well, in the meantime...time to turn these pups into hounds...

**

“Read 'em and weep, gentlemen...”

Cpl. Christine Feretti laid her cards on the table. A full house, Kings over Jacks. The Sergeant across from her stared, mouth gaping.

“And I believe, that takes the pot.” Feretti stood up, pulling the stack of C-Bills towards her.

“What? That's impossible...there's no way. You must have-”

The Sergeant was interrupted by Sergeant Major Kufahl stepping into the room.

“Sergeant Major! Excellent timing!”

“Apparently. Alright, all of you, listen up. The officers seem to be otherwise occupied this morning, so we're on our own. I want all of you outside in PT gear in five minutes.”

Kufahl held up his hand to stifle the groans.

“Stow it. I have no room for flabby ***** in this outfit. Get moving.”

Once the room had cleared, Kufahl allowed himself a small smile.

**
August 16th, 3049
Shadow Hounds Base of Operations
Outside the CO's Office
Location: Classified

Why that little...

Lieutenant Marshall Parthos was fuming. He stormed from the Lieutenant Colonel's office, his collar burning.

Can he just get away with that kind of insubordination? I don't know what he...ah!

Walking right in front of him was the Sergeant Major.

He'll take care of this...

“Sergeant Major!”

Kufahl spun on his heel and stood at rigid attention.

“Yes, sir?”

“I'm Leftenant Marshall Parthos. Just transferred in. I understand you're a former AFFC NCO.”

“Yes sir, from the Deneb Light Cavalry.”

“Excellent. I have a problem I'd like you to look into. One of your NCO's was just insubordinate. I can't have him up on charges here, apparently he's a friend of our CO or something. But I want you to take care of it. I won't have some punk Sergeant giving me attitude like that.”

“I see, sir. Absolutely. His name?”

“Vincent Calore.”

Kufahl hesitated.

“Sir, permission to speak freely?”

“Go ahead.”

“I've read Sgt. Calore's file. The man has been uprooted and replanted more times than I can count. He was an officer, a Major. Why he's a Sergeant now is beyond me, but I'm looking in to that. I'll address him on proper respect, but if I may, I would suggest you keep his record in mind as well. Plus, as a NCO myself, I can understand how a relatively new Lieutenant, we're not in the Federated Suns anymore by the way, could view his attitude the wrong way.”

“I....see....dismissed, Sergeant Major....”

“Yes, sir.”

Kufahl spun again and continued on his former path, while Parthos stood where he was, fuming.