![[Wilson's Hussars Logo]](whussars.gif)
Back
Wilson's Hussars
Back
Experience: Veteran. Loyalty: Questionable. Not contracted as of 3058.
Often derisively labeled "Wilson's Wimps", these desperate Mechwarriors are completely out of luck. Under the leadership of Captain David Wilson, the Hussars will accept any assignment, from any employer, to help them escape their current situation.
The Hussars are the remnants of a Liao battalion, the Lefarge Hussars. Under the command of the near-legendary Major Alexander Floyd, the battalion had a distinguished history and anticipated in numerous battles, including the Siege of Fletcher I in 2985 and the Third Battle of Tsanna X in 2988. As House Liao's fortunes declined, however, the Hussars received more and more difficult assignments. Then, while defending Burroughs 11 in 2996, the 6th Syrtis Fusiliers crushed the battalion, killing Major Floyd and a third of the other Mechwarriors. The Hussars' two surviving companies surrendered, and were allowed to become a regular military unit attached to House Davion.
The Hussars remained with the Federated Suns for the next decade. During that time, they participated in only two campaigns: Tsarina in 2997 and Wei in 3001. They spent the remainder of their time garrisoning remote backwaters. Owed three months' back pay, the entire battalion (now at full strength) defected from Davion ranks. The Hussars' commander, Major Jennifer Langstrom, believed that mercenary life would yield more profit than would frontier garrison work. At first, events teemed to support her decision.
In 3007, the Hussars negotiated a contract with House Kurita. In their first engagement, they were instrumental in driving Davion forces off New Samarkand, and captured four 'Mechs and a Leopard Class Dropship. The Hussars seemed destines for greatness.
After performing a series of boring garrison assignments and routine search-and-destroy missions against the bandits of Santander V, the Hussars were assigned to attack the Steiner planet Suk II. After a thorough thrashing by Steiner forces, however, Major Langstrom decided to take the unit to the Capellan Confederation for more lucrative assignments.
Eager for a chance to prove her unit, Langstrom accepted low pay contract work with House Liao. There they successfully defended Highspire against Federated Suns forces in 3012, and established a secure planethead for Liao forces on the Davion planet Redfield in 3013. Although, these successes took their toll on the Hussars' 'Mechs, House Liao could not afford to give the unit a rest.
Disaster struck in 3014 when armor units blew Major Langstrom and her Battlemaster to pieces during a Davion raid on St. Ives. Her brother Michael took command of the unit, and the Hussars began to deteriorate in earnest.
Every soldier in the Hussars considered Major Michael Langstrom an incompetent martinet, and unit morale soon plummeted. He commanded by screaming loudly and threatening dire punishment to any whom disobeyed him. His inexperience and inability to learn from his mistakes cost the Hussars a series of battles, several 'Mechs, and the Dropship Morrow. In 3016, the situation became critical, when a Marik regiment surrounded the Hussars on Ingersoll in a blind panic, Langstrom ordered the Hussars' Dropship Katya to rescue them. During her descent, Marik AeroSpace fighters crippled the Katya's attitude jets, and the Dropship crashed into the middle of the Hussars' position, destroying half the unit.
Langstrom miraculously survived the crash, babbling frantically and accusing everyone but himself of failing his duties. Then his 'Mech fell, riddled with particle beam fire. (Although it has never been confirmed, some Hussars believe that Captain David Wilson, Langstrom's own assistant, killed him.) Captain Wilson led the remnants of the battalion safely to their remaining Dropship Red Eagle, which rendezvoused with a Liao Jumpship without incident.
Wilson sold the Red Eagle to purchase transport to the Periphery, where the Hussars nursed their wounds.
Over the next two years, the Hussars' fortune went from bad to worse. Deprived of Dropships, Techs, and air support, they subsisted on marginal contracts, low-pay duty, and occasional piracy.
In 3018, House Kurita hired the Hussars to raid the Steiner world of Patinir II. Although the Hussars performed well, a corrupt Kurita official claimed that the unit took bribes from the Commonwealth, and a Comstar panel decided to withhold the unit's pay. Piqued and angry, Wilson led a raid on the Kuritist Kobe system, but his unit suffered heavy casualties. The Hussars escaped to the Periphery in a stolen Dropship, and eventually found employment with Redjack Ryan.
The Hussars' subsequent raids on Steiner and Kurita worlds made them thoroughly unpopular with both Successor States. However, Ryan was pleased with Wilson's success at discovering supply caches brimming with spare parts.
Then, catastrophe struck again. In 3021, Lieutenant Sheila Bannock (Wilson's close friend and second-in-command) was killed in a barfight on Butte Hold. Saddened by the loss, Wilson made several mistakes during a raid on Kimball Vl, losing equipment and ending the Hussars' employment with Ryan.
The Hussars then settled for work with Helmar Valasek of Santander V. Though making little profit, they at least managed to keep their heads above water. However, after a catastrophic defeat by the Taurian Concordat at Longbow Mountain, Valasek abandoned them in the Outworlds Alliance.
As of 3025, the Hussars are still located in the Outworlds Alliance, barely tolerated by the local authorities and desperate for work. Captain Wilson still leads the Hussars, but the constant strain of the unit's dire situation has drained him. Of the Hussars who survive, only a handful served during the Michael Langstrom period. The remainders are various unlucky and unreliable hangers on, Mechwarriors down to their last credit, desperate for any chance to save themselves. Because of the Hussars' reputation as bandits, Wilson has failed to gain employment with the Alliance. Lord Corrigan, the local governor, distrusts them and may soon force them to leave.
Wilson's Hussars' single objective is to find work. Captain Wilson knows that his company can be a potent fighting force if given a chance, and he is more than willing to work in exchange for spare parts and maintenance. So far, he has found no takers, but he continues to hope.
In a unit as depressed as the Hussars, violence needs little provocation. Hayes's and Chin's anger at their lack of promotion, Walker's drug addiction, the Porraths' criminal record, and Durant's deep hatred for Davion might flare up at any time, initiating unit-wide brawls.
There is a slight ray of hope for the Hussars, though they are not aware of it. Magestrix Kyalla of Canopus has been offering generous contracts to small, impoverished 'Mech units. Her agents are currently scouting the Outworlds Alliance, and with luck, they may find the Hussars before the unit falls apart.
The Hussars' technical situation is rather bleak. Only a handful of Mechwarriors have some technical skill, and the unit employs just two Techs. These men use the Hussars' two battered jeeps to guard the camp while the unit is absent. One of the jeeps has a broken transaxle, but both have fully functional twin machine guns. The unit's spare parts consist of various armor patches, electronic components, a couple of actuators, and a few scrapped 'Mechs.