Grave's Dancers

==Unit Description==
Crave's Dancers is a fan created Mercenary BattleMech Regiment which was formed during the early years of the Jihad (3067-3081). This unit was created by Battletech player Kojak.
==Unit History==
===Formation and Early Years of the Jihad===
Jean Graves is the son of a traditional Davion military family from Bonneau. He progressed through military school, where he took advanced studies in strategy, to the Point Barrow Military Academy. At that controversial school, he worked hard to live up to the family tradition. As a result, he became a skilled Mechwarrior and an early selection for OCS.
Then the dreams started.
At first they were merely annoying. Jean resolved to ignore them, and threw himself into his studies with renewed vigor. But as time passed, the dreams became clearer and more vivid, waking him sweating at night. Or screaming.
It is a credit to Jean's persistence that he managed to keep up his performance in one of the Federated Suns' most demanding schools, graduating with honors to a commission in the Addicks Draconis March Militia. There, he was given command of a company, and showed what seemed to be an instinctual flair for tactics. His on-the-spot improvisations changed the course of many a skirmish, both simulated and real.
Little did anyone know, Jean was actually listening to the voices in his head.
As the visions continued to intensify, Jean tried to find distractions, as he had in school. He got involved in politics, taking Katherine's side just for the sake of school tradition. But that quickly proved to be even more troublesome, and Jean finally turned to drinking to calm his nerves. Eventually, his superiors noticed, and Jean was ordered to seek medical help during his unit's regular rotation. The doctors thought his problem was treatable; Jean hoped they were right.
As it turned out, they weren't.
The exact sequence of events is unclear, but historically, the base where Jean's unit was stationed was bombarded by artillery from the Davion Assault Guards during the opening stages of the FedCom civil war. Jean says that he doesn't remember what exactly happened, but his men say that he led them through the chaos as if he knew where every single shell was going to fall. Guided by Jean's uncanny instincts, the Dancers fought their way to their DropShip, lifted off, hijacked a Merchant JumpShip, and escaped Addicks.
For the next several years, Jean's company, Graves’ Dancers, was the terror of the Draconis March. Being a Davion unit stationed on Davion ground, the Dancers knew where and when to hit Victor's forces and DCMS invaders alike. And with the aid of other loyalists, they hit them hard. But in late June of 3066, a massive Allied task force landed on New Avalon. It seemed clear that both Katrina and the last Loyalist bastion in the Federated Suns would fall, and with it would fall the Dancers' cause. Jean's men say that he seemed utterly unsurprising at the news. And then he led them to the Chaos March, where they sought to take refuge from Davion retaliation until the war was finally declared over.
After languishing on Outreach for nearly six months, they had built up a mountain of debt, forcing it to liquidate virtually all of its salvage and hock its JumpShip and DropShip to local arms dealers in order to stay afloat. Jean was right on the verge of disbanding the unit when he was approached by a representative of the Word of Blake. The Blakist recruiter offered a simple deal: perform a highly covert, extremely dangerous deep-penetration data raid against a target in the Draconis Combine, and the Word of Blake would pay the Dancers enough to buy their transport assets back.
Seeing no choice but to take the contract, Jean dispatched the Dancers’ scout lance, which was transported by a series of Blakist-owned “civilian” JumpShips to the planet Tok Do. After being snuck onto the planet in the cargo hold of a Blakist Aurora, Hawkeye’s lance executed a tightly planned, textbook nighttime raid which immediately went wrong. Having sent in a squad of Achileus-equipped battlesuit troopers to sneak into the compound and steal weapons data from a remote Alshain Weapons testing site, the Dancers had been planning on simply dashing in before the corporate security forces could react and extract the advance team without ever having to fire a shot. But the battlesuit troopers were forced to fight their way out of the weapons facility, and the Dancers encountered a lance of corporate BattleMechs. After a fierce firefight in which the Dancers skillfully eviscerated the entire opposing force, the mercenaries managed to escape with all four pilots, and three of their ‘Mechs. Alshain Weapons, fearful of the DCMS cutting back its research subsidies as punishment, declined to inform the Combine government of the raid, allowing the Dancers to escape detection on their journey back out of the Combine.
Leveraging the guncam footage as evidence of his unit’s prowess, Jean managed to score a lucrative contract with Interstellar Expeditions, a private organization devoted to historical research and Spherewide archaeology. Hired on to essentially act as a troubleshooter unit with the option to accept additional contracts on the side, the Dancers were given generous salvage rights and compensation.
Their first job, a corporate revenge raid against some warehouses just outside of Keid’s primary spaceport, was a resounding success. Jean personally led the Dancers on the mission, a surgical strike made under the cover of an intense blizzard. While the raid was not a particularly notable one, it did the mark the beginning of a recurring trend among the fledgling mercenary unit: striking their target in the midst of impairing or extreme weather conditions. It was a tactic they would continue to hone as time went on.
Upon returning to Outreach, Jean began to use the Dancers’ newfound largesse to finance the expansion of the unit, beginning with a lance of Pegasus hovertanks. Though this lance would eventually expand to a full company, its baptism of fire was in the Temptown Uprising on Outreach. Hired on the spot by Blackwell Industries to escort a high-ranking corporate executive and his entourage out of the urban-center-turned-warzone, the Dancers fought off a large detachment from the rogue 51st Dark Panzer Jaegers and shepherded the Blackwell convoy to safety. Soon afterward, Jean became convinced that Outreach was no longer a safe base of operations for the unit, and convinced their employers to transfer them to Galatea, the famed “Mercenary’s Star”.
===Rest & Expansion===
Time spent on Galatea gave Jean the opportunity to expand the Dancers even further, adding another two lances of hovertanks along with a team of crack mechanics specializing in combat hovercraft repair. Those new assets were immediately put to good use, when the unit was subcontracted by Earthwerks Ltd. for a retaliation strike against a Capellan competitor on Styk. It was another resounding success the netted the Dancers two salvageable BattleMechs and another hefty chunk of C-bills. As ever, Jean reinvested a portion of those earnings to enlarge the unit, adding another lance of ‘Mechs and Mechwarriors. He also reshuffled the unit slightly, giving Eric McClair command of his own C3-eqiupped force.
A quiet garrison assignment in the northern tundras of Acamar promised to be a period of rest and recreation for the Dancers. But as per the mercenaries’ usual luck, a roving band of pirates showed up in-system just a week after the Dancers’ arrival. Landing near the mining complex the Dancers had been tasked with protecting, the so-called “Lafayette Legion” clearly intended to loot the mines for the extremely valuable refined germanium they produced. But the would-be raiders never made it near their targets. Almost immediately after they disembarked, the Dancers smashed into them in a massive cavalry charge. The pirates were overrun and killed to the man, and the Dancers managed to salvage a dozen ‘Mechs and another lance of hovertanks. This salvage, along with a particularly fruitful recruiting run on Galatea, allowed Jean to expand Eric’s new lance into a full company. Newly-minted Captain McClair immediately began putting the force through its paces, and the latest additions to the Dancers quickly began to show a great deal of promise.
Those new recruits got their chance to prove that their training together had paid off just a few weeks later. Shortly after arriving for a new assignment on Skye babysitting an archaeological site, a Free Worlds League invasion force jumped in-system at a pirate point, landing forces on Skye before defenders could respond. While most of the Leaguers dropped outside of New Glasgow, a small detachment of unidentified mercenaries took control of a deserted LCAF airstrip and began running bombing missions against the planetary capital. With Skye’s regular forces committed to the defense of New Glasgow, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner contacted the Dancers with promise of a handsome reward if they would neutralize the airfield. Jean led both ‘Mech companies through the swamp just outside the air base’s southeastern perimeter. Waiting until most of the mysterious mercenaries had powered down their ‘Mechs for maintenance, the Dancers rushed out of the swamp and swept through their foes like a thresher through wheat. The C3-equipped Striker Lance was particularly devastating, using their deadly-accurate firepower to dislodge a force more than twice their number from an entrenched position. Only a handful of the unknown invaders managed to escape, and though the Dancers’ ‘Mechs took a great deal of damage, all of them were able to leave the field under their own power.
With a spate of successful missions under their belt, the once-fledgling mercenaries were now flush with both victory and profit. Little did they know of the tragedy that awaited them in the deserts of Solaris. Sent once again to guard an archaeological dig, the Dancers detected the breakout of fighting in Solaris City and mounted up in their ‘Mechs to safeguard the site in the event an enterprising gladiator decided to get nosy. But what happened next was what they least expected. A combined-arms battalion from the Word of Blake’s Eighteenth Division swept in out of the desert wastes to strike at the mercenaries with devastating force. While the Dancers finally managed to force the Blakists to retreat, they did so at the cost of three of their Mechwarriors and serious damage to almost all of their ‘Mechs. Only the generous salvage rights granted by their contract with Interstellar Expeditions allowed them to make a profit from the endeavor, and it came at the cost of a serious blow to the unit’s morale. Since their career as mercenaries had begun, the Dancers had managed to make it more or less unscathed. But the deaths of three of their comrades pierced their sense of invincibility. Jean made a stop at Galatea to repair their BattleMechs and hire three new Mechwarriors to fill the empty slots, and then continued on to their latest destination: a two-month rest period on the Lyran world of Tomans.
Or at least, what they’d assumed would be restful. Stationed near a beachfront IE research complex, the Dancers were the closest force on hand when the enigmatic Green Ghosts launched a snatch-and-grab raid against the campus. Graves managed to get four ‘Mech lances, including the command lance, into the field, and proceeded to fend off the pirates. But just when the Dancers were on the verge of forcing the Ghosts to retreat, they were struck by a Trinary of Jade Falcon OmniMechs. The Falcons, who’d landed on Tomans to test the mettle of some of their newest warriors, nearly dealt a crushing blow to the Dancers; it was only Jean’s leadership and the Dancers’ skills that allowed them to carry the day, ultimately turning the Falcon forces back and taking several bondsmen, including a Bloodnamed Star Captain, Anna Pryde. Most of the salvaged Clan technology was sold to Interstellar Expeditions and the LAAF for an astronomical profit; only a largely-intact Night Gyr was retained, in order to prevent undue strain on the Dancers’ technical teams. However, the damage the research complex sustained during combat, while not enough to reduce the Dancers’ payment for their contract, left Interstellar Expeditions very unhappy with their employees, and they declined to renew the Dancers’ contract at the end of August.
Eric McClair, still back on Galatea with the rest of the Dancers, had not been idle while Jean and the others were away. A virtual hiring spree, combined with the massive payout from the conclusion of their IE contract, allowed for the expansion of the unit to a full combined-arms regiment. Composed of a BattleMech battalion, a tank battalion and a third battalion made of airmobile battlesuit infantry, the Dancers were now starting to get attention from major employers, Great House and megacorp alike. With the chaos erupting around the Inner Sphere making reliable mercenaries such a valuable commodity, Graves’ Dancers were able to score a choice contract with the Free Worlds League. Attached to an FWLM assault force tasked with capturing Giausar, a key Lyran border world and major logistical hub for the LAAF, Jean knew that the Dancers were in for some heavy combat. The entirety of Graves’ Dancers lifted off of Galatea almost immediately after Jean’s return, headed for their new assignment.
The fighting on Giausar was difficult – two more Mechwarriors were killed in the fighting – but it was also a highly profitable venture. The final push to drive the Lyran mercenaries known as the One-Eyed Jacks off Giausar resulted in nearly two companies worth of salvaged ‘Mechs and the capture of the Overlord-class Royal Flush. Jean sold off the vast majority of the salvage upon the Dancers’ return to Galatea and then invested some of the resulting profits into replacing his trusty Penetrator with an incredibly expensive customized Mad Cat Mk II from the Diamond Sharks. He also decided that the Dancers as a whole needed a break after the constant action of the last few years. For the following year, he rarely dispatched more than a company at a time from the Dancers’ new home on Galatea. He took the time to expand the logistical arm of the Dancers, making sure they were able to handle the increased size of the unit and the Clantech and other advanced technology that appeared throughout the unit. He also slowly began to form a fourth company for the Dancers’ First Battalion, along with filling out the crew for their new Overlord.
Following a contract on Benjamin that dealt devastating damage to the Dancer force due largely to the precise application of Arrow-IV homing artillery by the defending 6th Ghost Regiment, Jean decided to spend a large portion of the unit's built-up warchest to expand his Dancers even further. He rearranged the 'Mech battalion so that it included a separate battalion command lance, bringing the total number of BattleMechs to fifty-two. He also added a fourth company to Second Battalion, equipped with a two lances of Manteuffels (one lance configured as MBTs and the other as Arrow IV carriers), along with a lance of Myrmidon Type 2s, giving the Dancers a powerful new tool in their bag of tricks.
Unfortunately, those tools were not enough to save them from the fate in store for them on Donegal. Contracted by the Lyran Intelligence Corps to rescue some VIPs from the rapidly deteriorating situation on that planet, Jean dispatched a mixed battalion led by Hawkeye, confident that such a relatively large concentration of force would deter any enterprising pirates or marauding Blakists. But even the veteran Captain Hawkins was unprepared for the cyborg supersoldiers of the Manei Domini. Meeting on the vast Nag’s Head Plains, the Dancers sold themselves dearly to give the VIPs time to escape before they too fled in the face of the nearly unstoppable Domini. The toll on the Dancers was high: twenty personnel were killed (three ‘Mechwarriors, sixteen tankers and a battlesuit trooper), largely in brutal battlefield executions as they were dragged from their machines by Domini infantry. Six ‘Mechs and a full lance of tanks were also lost, and the forces that managed to escape took severe damage. As always Graves’ Dancers would rebuild and regroup, but between the disaster on Donegal and the fighting on Solaris two years prior, the Word of Blake had garnered a new and deadly enemy. Jean and the Dancers’ swore they would avenge their fallen comrades by littering the Inner Sphere with Blakist dead.
That thirst for vengeance was only deepened by subsequent events on the Blakist Protectorate world of Kalidasa. Mister Askai, a broker who had come to prominence in the merc world in recent years, hired the Dancers to collect a bounty on Precentor Timothy Mayo, newly-assigned head of the Kalidasa HPG garrison and former CO of the Word of Blake Militia’s infamous Third Division. Colonel Graves assigned the newly minted Fourth Company, under the command of Captain Peter Takeda, giving them a chance to prove themselves as a unit outside of training exercises for the first time. Striking while Mayo led a portion of the garrison force through exercises at the local weapon range, Fourth Company sought to catch the Blakists off-guard, but the Blakists quickly rallied and forced back the numerically inferior mercenaries. Captain Takeda ultimately chose to withdraw rather than lose the entire company, and a full lance of ‘Mechs and one Mechwarrior were lost in the process. Upon his return to Galatea, Takeda immediately offered his resignation, which was refused by Colonel Graves. Instead, Graves directed the entire regiment to begin training relentlessly in anti-Blakist tactics; he was certain the Jihad was far from over, and knew that it was only a matter of time before they would face the fanatics of the Word again.Original post of on BG.Battletech.com/forums by Kojak
===Jihad - 3069-3071===
It was ironic, then, that the Word of Blake would be responsible for exactly the big break the Dancers needed. In spite of their misadventure on Kalidasa, Mister Askai came to them yet again with an extraordinarily lucrative contract, this time assisting in a planetary assault on Sian. Askai claimed to be representing the Federated Suns, contracting mercs for a retribution strike for the Capellan assault on New Syrtis. Colonel Graves hand-picked four Mechwarriors who accompanied a lance from the Dragon’s Breath mercenary regiment in a diversionary assault on Beilin, a port city south of the planetary capital. They were dropped from a converted Mule in the midst of a furious tropical storm, their objective to delay some picket forces from the Red Lancers and keep them from reinforcing the defenders at the Forbidden City. Instead, they stumbled across two lances from the elite 3rd Canopian Fusiliers and another from the legendary Death Commandos. Reacting quickly, the Dancers split into pairs and began a series of rolling ambushes through Beilin’s warehouse district, using their superior mobility to draw out their opponents and destroy them piecemeal. They used these tactics until less than half of the original ‘Mech company was standing, then surrounded the survivors alongside the Dragon’s Breath lance and crushed the remainder in a final overwhelming blitz. All four of the Dragon’s Breath ‘Mechs were destroyed in the charge, and the Dancers, fearing reprisal from the Death Commandos, hunted down and killed every ejected Mechwarrior. While far more brutal than the Dancers’ normal conduct, the fearsome reputation of the Death Commandos was well known and the mercs had to be sure they could not be connected back to the raid. They exfiltrated under the cover of the hurricane and escaped the system under a total communications blackout to avoid detection. It was only upon their return to Galatea that they discovered the supposed Federated Suns assault was actually a Word of Blake operation. Colonel Graves confronted Mister Askai, furious at the deception; Askai claimed that he too had been deceived and offered a large bonus on top of the already enormous sum paid out for the contract. Grudgingly, Graves accepted the money; a sizable portion was immediately re-invested into a massive upgrade for Third Battalion, replacing the Achileuses and Pumas with modified Elemental and Salamander battlesuits acquired through the same Diamond Shark connections that the Colonel had used to obtain his customized Mad Cat Mk II. Another half-dozen ‘Mechs throughout First Battalion were substantially modified to increase their effectiveness as well.
===Jihad - Late 3070===
That would turn out to be money very well spent. In late 3070 the Dancers were contracted by a corporate consortium of Suns and League origins, tasking them to eliminate the defenders of Sheratan, the mercenary unit Grim Determination. Colonel Graves wasted no time in seizing the initiative and throttling it: after jumping into a pirate point that allowed the Dancers to be within Sheratan's atmosphere in less than twelve hours, he kicked off their assault by personally leading an audacious combat drop directly on top of Grim Determination's main airbase. Although the Grims put up a stiff defense, the attack ended with most of Grim Determination's aerospace assets captured intact and the Dancers in an immediate position of air superiority. It also resulted in the capture of Major Anne Martinez, commander of third battalion of the Grims' 'Mech regiment. The following day, Major Purcell's hovertank company came across a mixed company of light and medium 'Mechs from the Grims while conducting recon-in-force. Though outgunned and outmassed, Purcell refused to retreat, instead leading a series of high-speed cavalry charges that left a lance of Grim 'Mechs smoking wreckage and forced the rest of the company into retreat. Pressing forward, Purcell's company discovered nearly two battalions of Grim 'Mechs and tanks preparing to launch a counterattack against the Dancers' LZ. Armed with this information, Major McClair made a lightning strike against the bulk of the force with a reinforced mixed battalion while Hawkeye led his 'Mech company on a flanking maneuver through the city of Daggaknott, just east of the main Grim encampment. While Hawkeye's company annihilated twice their number in 'Mechs and tanks, McClair's forces crashed head-on into the core of the Grim task force. Leading the task force was Grim Determination's XO and chief intelligence officer, Major Byron Smith. Used to battling the low-level insurgencies that plagued Sheratan, Smith believed that only overwhelmingly-concentrated firepower could cow the Dancers at this point. To that end, Smith kept his 'Mech bunched up into tightly-clumped formations. This proved to be a fatal mistake when, at the outset of the battle, the Dancers' twin Stukas swooped in and dropped over three dozen cluster bombs on Smith's company. Within moments, Smith was dead and nearly a company of 'Mechs were crippled or destroyed on the spot. The remaining Grims never had a chance; the rest of McClair's attack force swept over them like a tidal wave, with only five 'Mechs managing to break away from the Dancers and return to their comrades.
In the end, the fall of Grim Determination was something of an anti-climax. Colonel Oliver Haarhar led the last of the Grims in a headlong charge against a mixed battalion of the Dancers headed by Jean Graves himself. Pinpoint artillery fire brought down the Grims' heaviest 'Mechs, while Captain Surikov and Captain Takeda's companies encircled and tore apart the rest. Colonel Haarhar tendered the unit's surrender shortly thereafter, trading the entirety of their transport division for the return of their POWs and passage back to Galatea. Seeing the opportunity to finally alleviate the major transportation headaches that had plagued the unit ever since its initial expansion, Colonel Graves sold the vast majority of the Grims' DropShips and JumpShips in order to finance the purchase of an entirely new fleet and hired on much of the Grims' former spacer and technical corps to crew and maintain them. This greatly softened the blow when, shortly after returning to Galatea, the Dancers discovered that they had once again been deceived; the so-called corporate consortium that had hired them to take down Grim Determination was merely a smokescreen for the Word of Blake, who had incorporated Sheratan into their burgeoning Protectorate days after the Dancers left the system. Looking to finally even the score with the Blakists, Jean took a contract with the Solaris Home Defense League, and the unit mounted up to free the Game World from the Word's tyrannical grip.
t turned out the Dancers had arrived just in the nick of time. Since its formation by Erik Gray in early 3069, the SHDL had been stuck in a stalemate against the occupying Twenty-fifth Division (The Nightwatchmen IV-beta); attrition had slowly worn down the Blakists and their morale, but their superior numbers and the effectiveness of ROM had allowed them to root out several major SHDL cells and keep the gladiators on their back foot. With the entrance of Graves' Dancers into the fight, the resistance fighters' morale soared; their combined strength finally allowed them to mount an assault on Blakist strongholds in Solaris City itself. As the majority of the League struck the Nightwatchmen's positions in Cathay and Montenegro, Captain Surikov's company and a dozen gladiators overran the under-defended International Zone; there, they found hundreds of impounded BattleMechs and several warehouses full of fresh supplies. As every nearby Mechwarrior and wannabe claimed a machine and began to fight with both the Blakists and anyone else they encountered, the city erupted into chaos. The SHDL and the Dancers holed up in the International Zone and the Twenty-fifth Division pulled out of Solaris City altogether a month later, destroying the planetary HPG as they withdrew. Though the League claimed victory, the alliance began to fracture; numerous firefights erupted as gladiators, fueled by relentless media coverage, began seeking out their rivals and settling grudges.
By August, the Nightwatchmen had received reinforcements, and they made a heavy push into Solaris City. Supported by several heavy artillery batteries, the Blakists attempted an incursion into the International Zone, but Colonel Graves led two handpicked companies of Dancers Mechwarriors and SHDL fighters in a ferocious rearguard defense that held off the Twenty-fifth long enough for the rest of the League to empty the warehouses of their remaining impounded 'Mechs and fall back to the Reaches. Graves' force so badly bloodied the fanatics that the resistance was able to push them back out of Solaris City by mid-October, reclaiming the capitol once and for all. A final counterattack led by Precentor Sariana Pryor nearly penetrated Nowhere in an attempt to destroy the last intact repair and refit facilities on the planet, but once again Graves' Dancers and the SHDL forces left out of the assault on Solaris City mounted a fierce defense that wrecked most of the attacking Level III (including the Precentor's King Crab, brought down by Colonel Graves himself). By December of 3071, the battered Blakist forces retreated offworld; thanks to the help of Graves' Dancers, Solaris had finally been liberated from the Word of Blake. In four long years of fighting, it was the first time the Dancers had won a decisive victory over the Word. But it would be far from the last.
As word of their breaking of the Solaris stalemate spread, the Dancers came to the attention of Victor Steiner-Davion and his fledgling anti-Blakist coalition. The Precentor Martial was assembling a task force to retake Donegal from the Word of Blake, comprised of a diverse alliance of House, Clan, ComStar and mercenary units. By showing the rest of the Inner Sphere that everyone could unite against the Blakist threat, Victor hoped for nothing less than to finally halt the Jihad's momentum and reverse the course of the war. In late October 3071, members of ComStar ROM made covert contact with Colonel Graves, offering him and his regiment the chance to help wrest yet another world from the Blakists' grasp; the Colonel's response was that if Victor wanted the Dancers' help, he'd have to ask for it personally. In December, Jean and a few other officers traveled to the task force's hidden staging world in an unlisted star system to meet with the former Archon-Prince. Assuming that Victor would highhandedly offer forgiveness for opposing him during the civil war, they were instead surprised to find him offering his apology, asking that they forgive him for putting them in the position of having to fight his rebellion in the first place. He then implored them to put old grievances behind them and join him in ending the Blakist threat, passionately declaring that Donegal would be the place where the end of the Jihad would begin. Impressed at Victor's magnanimity and eloquence, the Dancers accepted the contract, and by the beginning of 3072, the regiment was training alongside the Exiled Wolves' First Wolf Legion and the Com Guards' 116th Division for the assault.
===Jihad - 3072===
Task Force Copernicus jumped into the Donegal system at a pirate point on 22 January 3072, and it quickly became clear that the Word of Blake would not be giving the world up without a fight. The Essex-class Righteous Honor, backed by two Level IIIs of aerospace fighters and a bevy of assault DropShips, moved to intercept the task force as they entered Donegal's orbit. Fortunately, Victor's flagship, the famed Cameron-class battlecruiser Invisible Truth, was leading the defense, and alongside two Trinaries of the Exiled Wolves' finest assault DropShips and a swarm of ComStar and Wolf fighters, they managed to blunt the Blakist attack, though at a devastating cost – more then half the fighters and nearly two-thirds of the assault DropShips were lost, largely due to the tenacious Manei Domini pilots who accounted for far more than their Militia compatriots. The Righteous Honor, brutalized by several broadsides from the Invisible Truth, tried to jump away, but the damage to its drive core was too severe, and it detonated instead, utterly annihilating the WarShip along with a few other fleeing Blakists. The savage and costly nature of this first encounter would set the tone for the rest of the campaign.
The Blakist defenses on-world were concentrated around the capital city of Marsdenville, which sat at the apex of a set of broad and gently sloping hills, and consisted of an array of fortified heavy turrets at critical junctures all around the city's perimeter. Copernicus grounded at nearby Bladensburg, scattering the meager defenders and establishing a base of operations. For the next three weeks the allied forces slowly ground down the Marsdenville cordon, playing a bloody game of attrition that once again saw the Fiftieth Shadow Division giving far better than they got. After lulling the Blakists into this back-and-forth tempo, the First Wolf Legion made a daring assault drop on a strong point in the Blakist defenses on 14 February, coordinated with artillery and a hard push from both Graves' Dancers and the 116th Division. The defending Eighteenth Division, an old enemy of Graves' Dancers from the early days of the Jihad, was unable to withstand the assault; with their Manei Domini allies focused solely on the Clan and Com Guard forces, the vengeful Dancers tore through the Eighteenth's lines, sending the remnants fleeing and forcing the Fiftieth Shadow to fall back with them or risk being isolated and destroyed. While the Wolves and Com Guards hared off after the Shadows, the Dancers pushed through to the planetary HPG, splitting the Blakists' attention. By forcing them to spread themselves too thin, the rest of the assault force was able to isolate and overwhelm pockets of Blakists while the Dancers easily fended off several desperate but ineffectual counterassaults on the HPG compound. Realizing Donegal could no longer be held, the Manei Domini Precentor Sabnock signaled a full retreat offworld, though not before personally executing the Eighteenth's commanding officer, Precentor Ernst Regan, for his part in the fiasco. Less than half the Fiftieth Shadow and only a few paltry remains of the Eighteenth escaped the fighting. By the end of the day, Victor Steiner-Davion declared Donegal freed. With this victory coming on the heels of their Solaris campaign, the Dancers' morale was sky-high as they returned to Galatea to rest and rebuild. They had no idea what waited in store for them in the coming months.
Well, almost no idea. While the rest of the unit spent the months after their return enjoying some well-earned R&R, Jean was wracked with dreams of impending doom. Quietly, the Colonel began slowly transferring many of the Dancers' support assets and dependents to a new facility on Arc-Royal, taking advantage of the contacts they'd made with Clan Wolf-in-Exile while fighting alongside them on Donegal. By September of 3072, over three quarters of the Dancers' non-combat assets had been relocated off of Galatea. It was only this nigh-prescient move on the part of Jean that spared the Dancers from the horror that would shortly befall so many of their fellow sellswords on the Mercenary's Star.
On 5 October, the Northwind Highlanders, missing in action for nearly five years, suddenly appeared at the zenith jump point. Burning hard for Galatea, the ships were bearing Highlander colors and broadcasting Highlander IFF codes, so it was not until several of their DropShips were directly over Galaport and Blakist 'Mechs began dropping from their open bays that the ruse became clear. The Word of Blake had come for Galatea at last, with the Forty-seventh Shadow Division and the Eleventh WoBM Division leading a diverse coalition of Word-contracted mercs. Already grounded at Galaport, the Eleventh rapidly secured the spaceport, while the Manei Domini executed a series of precision hot-drops that decapitated the most powerful half-dozen mercenary units in the capital; Group W, Harlock's Warriors, the Lone Wolves, Rubinsky's Renegades and the 48th were all victims. The only unit not caught by surprise was Graves' Dancers. Out of paranoia, Colonel Graves had had the entire unit drilling and operating on high alert for the past month, and they were in their machines within minutes of the news of the Blakists' arrival. When the Word came for Graves' Dancers this time, they were more than ready; the Domini-led assault on the Dancers' compound was an utter fiasco.
===Jihad - Manei Domini Assault on Graves Compound===
By this point Graves' Dancers was infamous among the Word of Blake for their role in ejecting the zealots from Solaris and Donegal, and so to ensure they would be punished for their sins, Precentor Apollyon dispatched one of his proteges to lead this particular mission. The deadly and imposing Precentor Astaroth and a combined force of Domini, Militia and mercenaries hot-dropped onto the Dancers' compound, only to find it seemingly abandoned. Detecting several lances of Dancer 'Mechs nearby, the Blakist force advanced through the thicket of buildings that lay between them. The initial engagement was tentative, the Dancers losing a lance of 'Mechs skirmishing back and forth with the Blakist lead elements, until the mounting losses triggered a seeming panic. The Blakists charged forward with predatory exuberance; due to this and the limited lines of sight, they did not realize they had stumbled into a line of small fields of fuel tanks. Weapons fire lanced out from several Dancer 'Mechs, and a split-second later a series of massive explosions consumed nearly half the Blakist attackers. Astaroth attempted to rally the survivors to push forward, but as his Archangel emerged from the fire and smoke, he stumbled upon the Dancers' headquarters lance. He tore into the Victor that fell into his crosshairs, but Leftenant Murphy's gauss rifle snapped off an incredibly lucky shot in reply, the shell punching straight through the cockpit and obliterating Astaroth in an instant. As the massive assault 'Mech crashed to the ground, Graves' Dancers surged forward, enveloping the remaining Blakists and slaughtering them mercilessly. As soon as the last fanatic fell, the Dancers immediately withdrew to their DropShips, already loaded with the rest of the regiment's assets, and boosted for the nadir point. Colonel Graves' willingness to give credence to his visions had once again saved the Dancers from utter disaster, although once again he refused to divulge the motives behind his recent actions, preferring to cultivate the mystique it accrued to his person. The tale of his crushing victory over Astaroth reached Arc-Royal before he did, and when Graves and his fellow Dancers arrived in Old Connaught they were the toast of the town for weeks.
While most of the regiment had left for Arc-Royal in the wake of Galatea's fall, Major McClair's lance and Captain Surikov's company headed spinward. Shortly before their latest exodus, the Dancers had received an unusual contract: an offer from Clan Nova Cat to act as auxiliaries in their upcoming assault on Benjamin. An attempted nuclear assault on their capital world of Irece earlier that year had so thoroughly infuriated the Nova Cats that they had hired on mercenary support for their attacks as a symbol of their hatred for the Blakists, and as renowned foes of the Word, the Dancers were selected as the candidate to fight alongside Galaxy Commander Ajax Drummond and his Vision Keshik. Tau Galaxy fell upon the Forty-fifth Shadow Division like a meteor, and once its constituent Clusters engaged with the Manei Domini, Drummond led the Vision Keshik in a pinpoint strike against the division's command Level III. Arioch and his compatriots proved a tough nut to crack, and nearly half the Nova Cats fell or sustained severe damage in their zeal to wipe the Blakists out. But it was the Dancers' own Anna Pryde who delivered the killing blow to Precentor Arioch himself, vaporizing his Archangel's cockpit with a blast from her Night Gyr's particle cannon. By the time it was all over, the Shadows had been reduced to barely a battalion, and the Cats and Dancers immediately filed back into their DropShips and boosted away, leaving the surviving DCMS forces still onworld to reclaim the planet.
Jean still drinks, and still dreams. But he has come to terms with his madness. His skills are sharp, his instincts are scary accurate, and his growing unit is highly effective. Only time...or Jean's visions...will tell what the future may hold for the Dancers.2nd Link from Bg.battletech.com/forums post by Kojak
==Officers==
Rank 	Name 	Command 	
Commanding Officers of Grave's Dreamers	Commanding Officers of Grave's Dreamers	Commanding Officers of Grave's Dreamers	Commanding Officers of Grave's Dreamers
Colonel 	Jean Graves 	3081 	
Major 	Norm Houston 	3081 	
==Tactics==
The Dancers use mobile raiding tactics, in the tradition of units like the Eridani Light Horse. Their battle plans are often improvised on the fly, according to whatever is guiding Jean's thoughts at the time; the Dancers have learned not to question their Colonel's quick judgment, and follow his orders to the letter.
A few tactics, however, have become trademarks of the Dancers since their transition to the mercenary lifestyle. They have become quite skilled at fighting in adverse weather and lighting conditions, and often time their raids to coincide with storms or blizzards in order to impair the ability of their foes to detect them. In the same vein, the numerous ECM suites the unit deploys are often used to put up a screen of electronic interference in advance of the main force.
==Support==
Unknown.
==Dragoon Ratings==
===3067===
Dragoon Rating: A* (214)
==Unit Composition==
*Grave's Dancers - (Mixed Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)Unit Composition from bg.battletech.com/forums thread for Grave's Dancers and Air Dancers
*Dancers Air - (Wing/Veteran/Reliable) 
===Headquarters Lance===
Colonel Jean Graves (1/1) – Mad Cat Mk II GD
Leftenant Albert “Big Al” Murphy (2/3) – Victor VTR-10L
Mechwarrior Robert Kotare (2/4) – Templar TLR1-OS
Mechwarrior Tucker Case (2/3) – Sasquatch SQS-TH-005
*Note: BV2: 21,119
===First Battalion===
====1st Company====
Command Lance
BV: 17,692
Major Eric McClair (2/3) – Templar TLR1-OGD
Leftenant “Anxious” Andrea Reimer (2/2) – Stealth STH-2DG
Mechwarrior Deandra Voss (2/4) – Salamander PPR-7SG
Mechwarrior Ian Sharpe (2/4) – Thunderbolt TDR-10SEG
Fire Lance
BV: 14,518
Leftenant Ukla Mauok (2/3) – Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD
Sergeant Matthew “Rawhide” Francis (2/4) – Dervish DV-8DG
Mechwarrior Michiko McCloud (3/4) – Dervish DV-8DG
Mechwarrior Manny Calavera (2/3) – Enforcer III ENF-6GD
Hunter Lance
BV: 10,867
Leftenant William Sanderson (2/4) – Wolverine WVR-8KX
Sergeant Major Frederick Jacob “Red” Nelson (2/4) – Stalking Spider GD
Mechwarrior Eamon O’Malley (3/4) – Morpheus MRP-4T
Mechwarrior Gina Hammer (3/3) – Nightsky NGS-7S2
====2nd Company====
2nd Company
Striker Lance
BV: 12,471
Captain Alan “Hawkeye” Hawkins (2/3) – Firestarter FS9-OGD
Leftenant Aisha Nasir (2/2) – Nightsky NGS-7S
Mechwarrior Gabriel Goto (2/4) – Champion CHP-2X
Mechwarrior Isabelle Rodriguez (3/3) – Enforcer III ENF-7GD
Backboard Lance
BV: 12,255
Leftenant Jack McClintock (3/4) – Night Gyr A
Sergeant Gina Conlon (3/5) – Cataphract CTF-4R
Mechwarrior Max Reynaud (3/3) – Thunderbolt TDR-7SEG
Mechwarrior Jerome Thomas (3/4) – Guillotine GLT-5X
Skirmisher Lance
BV: 12,769
Leftenant Dietrich Hoffmann (2/3) – Griffin GRF-6SG
Sergeant Noah Levine (3/4) – Wolverine WVR-8DG
Mechwarrior Carl Sigurdsson (3/2) – Beowulf BEO-13
Mechwarrior Quinn Dexter (3/4) – Phoenix Hawk PXH-6D
====3rd Company====
Juggernaut Lance
BV: 15,635
Captain Ivan “Crazy Ivan” Surikov (2/3) – Yu Huang Y-H10GD
Leftenant Anna Pryde (2/2) – Night Gyr G
Mechwarrior Dominic Yamamoto (3/4) – Tempest TMP-4Mr
Mechwarrior Giovanni Agnelli (3/4) – Axman AXM-4R
Cavalry Lance
BV: 11,868
Leftenant Cheyenne Black (2/3) – Warhammer WHM-9DG
Sergeant Ross Barrett (2/5) – Ostsol OTL-7M
Mechwarrior Sanjiv Singh (3/4) – Ostsol OTL-7M
Mechwarrior Tommy Zhào (3/5) – Huron Warrior HUR-W0-R4O
Pursuit Lance
BV: 10,124
Leftenant Omar Little (2/3) – Wraith TRX
Sergeant Marlowe Freeman (3/4) – Spector SPR-5F
Mechwarrior Manion (2/3) – Viper M
Mechwarrior Xavier Davis (3/4) – Osiris OSR-4D
====4th Company====
Battle Lance
BV: 13,032
Captain Peter Takeda (2/3) – Sunder SD1-OGD
Leftenant Gerard Ventress (2/4) – Avatar AV1-OGD
Mechwarrior Rosa Morales (3/4) – Gallowglas GAL-5GLS
Mechwarrior Renard Duval (3/4) – Enforcer ENF-4D
Vanguard Lance
BV: 11,200
Leftenant Sofia Carter (3/2) – Warhammer WHM-10T
Sergeant Alexander bin Harud (3/4) – Falconer FLC-8RG
Mechwarrior Athena Zhai (3/5) – Falconer FLC-8R
Mechwarrior Zbigniew “Z-Big” Kowalski (3/4) – Black Hawk-KU BHKU-O
Force Recon Lance
BV: 10,453
Leftenant Ezra Graves (1/2) – Grendel Prime
Sergeant Paul Capra (3/3) – Cicada CDA-4P
Mechwarrior Callum “Doc” Cochrane (3/4) – Spider SDR-8V
Mechwarrior Daphne Bristow (3/4) – Ostscout OTT-11S
===2nd Battalion===
====1st Company====
Headbanger Lance
BV: 7,646
Major John Purcell (2/4) – Regulator Hovertank
Driver Jose King
Gunner George Oraszco
Corporal Randall Johnston (3/4) – Regulator Hovertank
Driver Hector Throckmorton
Gunner Emmanuel Warner
Corporal Geoffrey Kava (3/4) – Regulator Hovertank
Driver Karen Leach
Gunner Yaron Eckert
Corporal Anwar Mansur (3/4) – Regulator Hovertank (RAC)
Driver Perry Wu
Gunner Lana Carson
Calypso Lance
BV: 7,712
Leftenant Daniela Alexander (3/4) – Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank (GD)
Driver Andrew Okubo
Gunner Gallin Sanchez
Gunner Wei Yin
Sergeant Steven Doggett (3/4) – Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank (GD)
Driver Vassily Epstein
Gunner Lukas Kiefer
Gunner Desta Khaskheli
Corporal Osamu Higashi (3/4) – Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank (GD)
Driver Abdul Karim Tarkhan
Gunner Dale Zhornyak
Gunner Jacob Naysmith
Corporal Bernardo Garcia (3/4) – Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank (GD)
Driver Garth Melicharov
Gunner Tony Maliro
Gunner Kelsey Qian
Tango Lance
BV: 5,962
Leftenant Julius Bennett (2/3) – Pegasus Scout Hovertank (GD)
Driver Salah al-Zayman
Gunner Damian Perkins
Sergeant Roland Mueller (3/3) – Pegasus Scout Hovertank (GD)
Driver Nona Hoover
Gunner Leonard Gronko
Corporal Kaitlynn Hunt (3/4) – Pegasus Scout Hovertank (GD)
Driver Rich Tavoularis
Gunner Latasha Knight
Corporal Park Lee San (3/4) – Pegasus Scout Hovertank (GD)
Driver Benjamin Glover
Gunner Abby Baughman
====2nd Company====
Jive Lance
BV: 6,643
Captain Darryl Schlatter (3/3) – Musketeer Hovertank
Driver Lonnie Dalhquist
Gunner Neil Perrella
Gunner Stephanie Mills
Leftenant Lance Cray (3/4) – Musketeer Hovertank
Driver Hillary Macintosh
Gunner Kurt Davin
Gunner Tomás Guerrero
Corporal Cody Okada (3/4) – Regulator Hovertank
Driver Ted Nicola
Gunner Tyrone Stokely
Corporal Christian Loreto (3/4) – Regulator Hovertank
Driver Aimee Lamarck
Gunner Fernando Peron
Tarantella Lance
BV: 5,585
Leftenant Giovanni Cavallaro (3/4) – Regulator Hovertank
Driver Dale Rafer
Gunner Charlie Allan
Sergeant David Stapler (3/4) – Condor Heavy Hover Tank (Laser)
Driver Lee Nowak
Gunner Steffen Bouland
Gunner Nelson Hill
Corporal Mary Garcia (3/4) – Drillson Heavy Hover Tank (SSRM)
Driver Ron Stockdale
Gunner James Dasari
Gunner Emilio Cabrera
Corporal Pjotr Wassermann (3/4) – Stygian Strike Tank (Armor)
Driver Steve Stogdon
Gunner Joe Sisto
Samba Lance
BV: 5,982
Leftenant Cynthia Balmaceda (3/4) – Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank
Driver Anthony Tyzack
Gunner Cathan Foster
Gunner Maurice Godina
Sergeant Patrick Cordero (3/4) – Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank
Driver Michael Kadlec
Gunner Steven Walker
Gunner Jonathan Walsh
Corporal Victor Ames (3/4) – Stygian Strike Tank (Armor)
Driver Vlastislav Lenska
Gunner Chris Sellers
Corporal Jeff Kwan (3/4) – Stygian Strike Tank (Armor)
Driver Marko Raskovic
Gunner Rusty Rothwell
====3rd Company====
Troika Lance
BV: 4,500
Captain Tomás Rodríguez (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver Gabriel Hong
Gunner Elizabeth Raferty
Sergeant Tobias Zarikos (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver You-liang Zeng
Gunner Alec Eliassen
Corporal Sara Wynn (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver Simon Mason
Gunner Cliff MacInnes
Corporal Matheiu Bourges (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver Nancy Kandic
Gunner David Timson
Pavane Lance
BV: 4,500
Leftenant Abdul-Mujib bin Saad (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver Marianne Jez
Gunner Tom Kamida
Sergeant Joseph Chau (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver Sofia Maddock
Gunner Ryan Harper
Corporal Elliott Godden (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver Orazio Fausti
Gunner Ken Ichikawa
Corporal Nathan Garnett (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank
Driver Casimir Schulberg
Gunner Shane Quarell
Jitterbug Lance
BV: 4,044
Leftenant Magnus Nyhuus (3/4) – Striker Light Tank (Laser)
Driver Isabella Coney
Gunner Kong Wu
Sergeant Louis Constantinescu (3/4) – Striker Light Tank (Laser)
Driver Bruno Andretta
Gunner William Ivens
Corporal Russell Melendez (3/4) – Striker Light Tank (LRM)
Driver Gianna Marchand
Gunner Joswa bin Yasser
Corporal Guy Kingwell (3/4) – Striker Light Tank (LRM)
Driver Stuart Potts
Gunner Jean-Marie Neveu
====4th Compan====
Disco Lance
BV: 7,623
Captain Lisa Ito (3/3) – Manteuffel Attack Tank GD
Driver Neal de Weerdt
Gunner Rod Fahad
Gunner Greg O’Finnerty
Loader Preston Howell
Leftenant Jonasz Weich (3/3) – Myrmidon Medium Tank (Type 2)
Driver James MacColl
Gunner Marvin Dupree
Sergeant Colin Armistead (3/4) – Myrmidon Medium Tank (Type 2)
Driver Edgar van Ginderen
Gunner Carl Naadir
Corporal Micah Cool (3/4) – Manteuffel Attack Tank GD
Driver Ruben Rodriguez
Gunner Sang-Wook Fa
Gunner Emanuel Johnsen
Loader Les Seccombe
Foxtrot Lance
BV: 5,551
Leftenant Solomon Pullman (2/3) – Zephyr Hovertank
Driver Tyrik Glover
Gunner Joandra Boyd
Sergeant Joel Sommer (3/3) – Zephyr Hovertank
Driver Sid Myer
Gunner Winter Marcotte
Corporal Jera Bryant (3/4) – Zephyr Hovertank
Driver Godfrey Harper
Gunner Sera Thomas
Corporal Yukiko Hasegawa (3/4) – Zephyr Hovertank
Driver Honor Campbell
Gunner Galen Reed
Watusi Lance
BV: 6,760
Leftenant Lucas Walden (3/4) – Manteuffel Attack Tank W
Driver Tarik Omoro
Gunner Adam Schmitt
Gunner Eddie Arkle
Loader Simon Putman
Sergeant Samuel Da Costa (3/4) – Manteuffel Attack Tank W
Driver Neel Lakhani
Gunner Sully Peters
Gunner De-wei Xue
Loader Marian Sullivan
Corporal Anthony Quinn (3/4) – Manteuffel Attack Tank W
Driver Jacek Anguissola
Gunner Clive Green
Gunner Sierra Fou
Loader Silas Rose
Corporal Su’ud bin Saud (3/4) – Manteuffel Attack Tank W
Driver Tobias Holowczyc
Gunner Tim Milan
Gunner Brian Panagoulias
Loader Nathan Howard
===3rd Battalion===
====1st Company====
BV: 8,006
Elemental Squad (2)
 Major Pavel Kovelevsky
 Sergeant Harry Carrick
 Corporal Donovan Udell
 Corporal Shaun Ryan
Elemental Squad (3)
 Leftenant Gérard Philippe
 Sergeant Heath Dougan
 Corporal Al Zhang
 Corporal Demetrio Vizzoni
Salamander Squad (3)
 Leftenant Rory Sheppard
 Sergeant Nick Usachev
 Corporal Paul MacGillreick
 Corporal Neal Schutzhauer
Salamander Squad (3)
 Leftenant Raymond Morello
 Sergeant Kyle Hodge
 Corporal Nathan Grant
 Corporal Lester Borland
Pilot Dan Subodh (3/4) – Hawk Moth Gunship (GD)
Gunner Tyrone Raguraman
Pilot Robert Joneson (3/4) – Hawk Moth Gunship (GD)
Gunner Gregor Goudie
Pilot Henry Shenton (3/4) – Karnov BA Transport (GD)
Gunner Dwayne Wells
Pilot Jason Oglethorpe (3/4) – Karnov BA Transport (GD)
Gunner Nelson Blanco
====2nd Company====
BV: 7,834
Elemental Squad (3)
 Captain Keith Rousseau
 Sergeant Ethan Bennett
 Corporal Carl Subbanna
 Corporal Chet Ronson
Elemental Squad (3)
 Leftenant Patrick Logan
 Sergeant Tamir Jones
 Corporal Rajminder Shraddha
 Corporal Andreas Pannett
Salamander Squad (3)
 Leftenant Stanley Durand
 Sergeant Isaac Bashlakov
 Corporal Ethan Ritchie
 Corporal Greg van de Voorst
Salamander Squad (3)
 Leftenant Vic Whittleton
 Sergeant Oscar Hulland
 Corporal Kazuki Hagashi
 Corporal Sam Hughes
Pilot Ewan Naysmith (3/4) – Hawk Moth Gunship (GD)
Gunner Jay Nance
Pilot Gil McKaig (3/4) – Hawk Moth Gunship (GD)
Gunner Tim Winterflood
Pilot Pat Marchington (3/4) – Karnov BA Transport (GD)
Gunner Claude Magnin
Pilot Owen Powell (3/4) – Karnov BA Transport (GD)
Gunner Gary Mbugua
====3rd Company====
BV: 7,834
Elemental Squad (3)
 Captain Liam Pascoe
 Sergeant Marek Cobanoglu
 Corporal Dobieslaw Vojtus
 Corporal Ignacio Rodriguez
Elemental Squad (3)
 Leftenant Lance Hambley
 Sergeant Preston Brauer
 Corporal Donal McBride
 Corporal Ronan Stein
Salamander Squad (3)
 Leftenant Tony Sousa
 Sergeant Larry Scroggs
 Corporal Emil Flannery
 Corporal Orrin Kelly
Salamander Squad (3)
 Leftenant Connor Miller
 Sergeant Renny Tyler
 Corporal Jon Bailey
 Corporal Sharif bin Wasim
Pilot Adam Barrera (3/4) – Hawk Moth Gunship (GD)
Gunner Mike Ho
Pilot Craig Aston (3/4) – Hawk Moth Gunship (GD)
Gunner Glen Knight
Pilot Brad Eckstein (3/4) – Karnov BA Transport (GD)
Gunner Kieran Cranworth
Pilot Rolf de Ruijter (3/4) – Karnov BA Transport (GD)
Gunner Paul Kiyomizu
===Dream Air===
Beginning first as an air lance and then a squadron, its expansion to a full wing in early 3071 allowed Dancers Air to continue to provide efficient air cover for the regiment's operations.
====1st Squadron====
1st Squadron
BV: 13,932
Major Norm Houston (2/3) – Stuka STU-D6
Sergeant “Little John” Washington (3/4) – Stuka STU-D6
Leftenant Beauregard Travis (3/3) – Corsair CSR-V14
Pilot Aaron Whittaker (3/4) – Corsair CSR-V14
Leftenant Yulia Chelekova (3/3) – Sparrowhawk SPR-7D
Pilot Rafael Herrera (3/4) – Sparrowhawk SPR-7D
====2nd Squadron====
2nd Squadron
BV: 16,616
Captain Finlay Green (3/4) – Thunderbird TRB-D36b
Sergeant Connor MacPherson (2/3) – Thunderbird TRB-D36b
Leftenant Persephone Laganas (2/4) – Lightning LTN-G15b
Pilot St. John Yates (4/3) – Lightning LTN-G15b
Leftenant Adrianne Salazar (3/3) – Sabre SB-27b
Pilot Melanie Cook (4/5) – Sabre SB-27b
====3rd Squadron====
BV: 15,486
Captain Sierra Garrick (2/4) – Riever F-700b
Sergeant Timeus Golgos (3/3) – Riever F-700b
Leftenant Xiao Hong Ts'ai (2/4) – Stingray F-95
Pilot Mohammad Duran (3/3) – Stingray F-95
Leftenant Javier Acevedo (3/3) – Cheetah F-13
Pilot Zula Blades (3/5) – Cheetah F-13
==Personel==
===Command Lance===
Born: 6-27-3036
Homeworld: Bonneau, Federated Suns
Rank: Colonel (Commanding Officer)
Abilities: Tactical Genius, Weapon Specialist (ER PPC), Maneuvering Ace, Sniper
Kills: King Crab KGC-008, Vanquisher VNQ-7U, Yu Huang Y-H10G, Highlander HGN-734, Cerberus MR-V3, Emperor EMP-6A, Crockett CRK-5003-1, Longbow LGB-12C, Seraph C-SRP-OA, Penetrator PTR-4D, Toyama TYM-1C, Thunderbolt TDR-9SE [x2], Huron Warrior HUR-WO-R4O, Enforcer ENF-4D, Raijin RJN101-C, Hatchetman HCT-6D, Preta C-PRT-OA, Preta C-PRT-OD, Locust LCT-5M, Maxim Heavy Hover Transport (I), J. Edgar Light Hover Tank (TAG), Karnov UR Transport (BA) [x2], Cavalry Attack Helicopter [x2] (BV: 37,916)
Colonel Jean Graves is possessed of what superstition calls a sixth sense; doctors would call it schizophrenia. Jean doesn't know what to call his problem, he just knows that what he sees in his head is more often right than not. It has taken time, but Jean has developed a darkly risqué humor and sense of style as an effective defense mechanism against his dreams; with his madness now somewhat under control, he has proven to be a great leader. His first ‘Mech, a customized Penetrator, was well suited to his mobile, improvisational style of fighting, mounting Clantech particle cannons and a light fusion engine salvaged from a rebel Marauder during the civil war. Additional salvage from the battle with the Jade Falcons on Tomans allowed Jean to upgrade the rest of the weapons array and the electronics suite to Clan specifications. In the wake of the massive windfall that was the Giausar campaign, Jean upgraded to a heavily-modified Mad Cat Mk II (which cost as much as a company of advanced heavy and assault ‘Mechs), and the Penetrator was stripped for parts, its Clantech used to upgrade the ‘Mechs of several company and lance commanders. This new 'Mech, christened "Reynard", has seen Jean through many hard-fought campaigns in the years since, and has yet to fall in battle.
Born: 3-30-3031
Homeworld: Acamar, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Pain Resistance, Weapon Specialist (Gauss Rifle), Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Archangel C-ANG-OD, Cerberus MR-V3, Salamander PPR-6S, Toyama TYM-1A, Tempest TMP-3M, Wolverine WVR-7K, Crab CRB-27b, Firestarter FS9-OD, Firestarter FS9-OX, Drillson Heavy Hovertank (SSRM), Regulator Hovertank [x2], Myrmidon Medium Tank (BV: 18,693)
Albert Murphy, or “Big Al”, as he has been called throughout his Mechwarrior career, is formerly of the 3rd Davion Guards. A veteran of Operation Bird Dog, he was part of the company-sized force known as Allen’s Animals, which was dispatched in mid-May of 3059 to wage a guerilla campaign against Clan Smoke Jaguar on the world of Luzerne. Only one lance was recovered from the operation – and his wasn’t one of them. When his Clantech-equipped Atlas was shot out from under him by a trueborn Star Captain from the 6th Striker Cluster, he was taken bondsman and forced to work as a laborer for nearly two months until the planet was officially liberated on the 8th of August. Bitter from what he saw as abandonment and incompetence on the part of the AFFS, he left House Davion’s service, and settled in for a quiet and anonymous life on Acamar, only to be caught up in the chaotic civil war that overtook the planet just a few months later. Joining up with the mercenaries dispatched there as part of the bit of corporate adventurism known as Operation Stiletto, he helped to secure a stable government for the war-torn world. For the next four years, the small mercenary force remained on Acamar on a cushy garrison contract with the planet’s fledgling government. In 3066, Big Al and the other mercs were scattered by Olson’s Rangers, a mercenary regiment in the employ of the Capellan Confederation and intent on installing a pro-Liao government. The Capellan mercenaries were driven from the planet by Cunningham’s Commandos, a mercenary unit sent by Duke George Hasek, just a few weeks after their landing, but Big Al decided he’d had enough of the quiet life. When Graves’ Dancers arrived on Acamar, Big Al contacted Jean Graves and offered his services, and his extensive resume landed him the spot vacated by Eric McClair. Big Al now pilots a stealth-armored Victor salvaged during the Dancers’ contract on Styk.
Born: 3-16-3021
Homeworld: Huntress, Clan Homeworlds
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Jumping Jack, Clan Pilot Training, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Black Knight BL-13-KNT, Toyama TYM-1C, Warhammer WHM-7M, Tempest TMP-3M, Thunderbolt TDR-9SE, Drillson Heavy Hover Tank (BV: 9,420)
Robert Kotare is an old man by Clan standards. Operation Revival began less than a decade after he tested out of his sibko and into the 267th Battle Cluster, of Clan Smoke Jaguar’s vaunted Beta Galaxy. He gained both the rank of Star Captain and a Bloodname over the course of the Jaguars’ blitzkrieg drive into the heart of the Draconis Combine. But the historic Battle of Tukayyid would prove his undoing. The rest of his Clan regarded the survivors of Tukayyid as cowards and weaklings, and an upstart Star Commander challenged Kotare for command of his trinary and won. Disgraced and dishonored, Kotare was transferred to the 7th Garrison Cluster, a sinkhole unit at the back end of the Jaguar Occupation Zone. Having been relegated to the dregs of the Jaguar warrior caste, Kotare’s career was effectively over. When Operation Bulldog swept the Smoke Jaguars out of the Inner Sphere, the 7th was one of the last units to fall, and its warriors were mostly taken bondsman by the 22nd Dieron Regulars. As a Bloodnamed warrior, Kotare was “debriefed” by the ISF and then thrown into a Marduk labor camp to rot. He spent three years doing hard labor and reflecting on his past, and he came to the conclusion that if he ever escaped he would become a Mechwarrior again no matter what the cost. The opportunity arrived in 3063, when an invasion of Marduk by the 1st Chisholm Raiders prompted a mass breakout from the labor camp. Kotare managed to slip away in the confusion, and soon found a way offworld, where he made his way to Solaris VII, having heard of other Clansmen making names for themselves on the Game World. He joined Huntsmen Stables, which hosted a number of renegade Clansmen, and quickly befriended Tucker Case, finding a strange kinship with another man who found himself so out of place in his surroundings. When Tucker’s drunken hijinks resulted in his rapid exodus from Solaris, Kotare decided to leave with him, the revelation of the Huntsmen’s mafia connections being too much for him to stomach. Like Tucker, he joined Graves’ Dancers, where he was given the Templar that once belonged to Colonel Darrel Duke of the One-Eyed Jacks. Customized with Clan weaponry and improved jump jets, Kotare has proven to be an absolute terror at its controls, pouncing on his enemies and tearing them apart like a true Smoke Jaguar.
Born: 4-4-3033
Homeworld: Solaris VII, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Weapon Specialist (Long Tom Cannon), Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Asura Medium Battle Armor Squad [x2] (BV: 766)
Tucker Case is a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy’s body, a math and physics whiz who nevertheless made his living as a gladiator for Huntsmen Stables, a Solaris stable of moderate fame. While not necessarily his chosen vocation, Tucker knew his good looks and skills in a ‘Mech would guarantee him far more money, fame and women than a programming job could ever get him. But when he accidentally demolished his stablemaster’s hoverlimo during a drunken liaison, he swiftly found himself on the run from his mob-connected ex-bosses’ goons. Fleeing to Galatea with a fellow former member of Huntsmen Stables, Robert Kotare, he found there was only one employment opportunity left for them: mercenary work. Signing on with Graves’ Dancers due to both their generous pay and rising reputation in the merc community, Tucker brought with him the highly-customized ‘Mech he had “borrowed” from his infuriated former employer. His Sasquatch is outfitted with, among other things, a deadly Long Tom artillery cannon, and Tucker’s savant-like skill with mathematics gives him incredible aim with the weapon due his understanding of trajectories and differential calculus. This has earned him a space in the new Headquarters Lance, where he uses his unusual ‘Mech to dig out entrenched enemies with surprising ease.
====1ST COMPANY====
*Command Lance
Born: 10-22-3035
Homeworld: Woodbine, Federated Suns
Rank: Major
Abilities: Natural Aptitude/Gunnery, Maneuvering Ace, Tactical Genius
Kills: Atlas AS7-S, Gallowglas GAL-1GLS, White Flame WHF-3C, Thunderbolt TDR-9M, Black Hawk-KU BHKU-O, Helios HEL-3D, Centurion CN9-D, Chameleon CLN-7W, Komodo KIM-2, Jackal JA-KL-55, Zephyr Hovertank (C3i), Pegasus Scout Hovertank, Cavalry Attack Helicopter (BV: 17,350)
Eric McClair met Jean Graves at Point Barrow Military Academy, where they both studied. Born on Woodbine, his parents were simply another pair of miners, but McClair managed to earn a scholarship that financed his time at Point Barrow. When he and Jean graduated, they were both assigned to the Addicks DMM, and Graves managed to have him transferred to his company’s command lance. McClair has been the most loyal follower of Graves ever since. He is, like the others in his unit, an ardent Loyalist to Katrina –- his disdain for Victor Steiner-Davion turned to hatred when his parents were killed in the fighting on Woodbine in 3063. After the raid on Styk, McClair was promoted to command of his own C3-equipped lance, designed to give more hard-hitting firepower to a unit more dependent on maneuver warfare than overwhelming force. Leading them to success after resounding success, McClair was rapidly promoted to Captain and then Major. He is now third-in-command of the Dancers, after Jean and Hawkeye, often overseeing the administration of the unit when Jean is away.
Born: 2-23-3035
Homeworld: Imbrial III, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Dodge Maneuver, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Longbow LGB-7V, Falconer FLC-8R, War Dog WR-DG-02FC, Grasshopper GHR-6K, White Flame WHF-3C, Raptor RTX1-OC, Bolla Stealth Tank Dominus, Po Heavy Tank (LBX), LRM Carrier, Maxim Heavy Hover Transport (I) (BV: 13,356)
Few Mechwarriors have been bounced from one unit to another as many times as Leftenant Andrea Reimer. Then again, not many have the nervous tics and hyperactive nature that earned Reimer her nickname along with so many transfers. Out of a ’Mech, she looks and acts like someone with an adrenaline or sugar high coupled with a caffeine or amphetamine overdose -- a fact confirmed by the accidents that seem to follow her around. Once inside her Stealth -- “Lightning” -- she seemingly melds with the ’Mech and is nearly unstoppable, though curiously her ’Mech takes on many of her unique mannerisms. She was eventually reassigned to Eric McClair’s Striker Lance, her modified ‘Mech now serving as the spotter for the rest of her C3-equipped lancemates.
Born: 3-24-3042
Homeworld: Numenor, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Legacy LGC-03, Wraith TR1, Hunchback HBK-5S, Huron Warrior HUR-W0-R4O, Blue Flame BLF-21, Hatchetman HCT-6S, Hellspawn HSN-7D, Griffin IIC 6, Talon TLN-5W, Demon Heavy Tank (HGR), Zephyr Hovertank (C3i) (BV: 14,556)
Deandra Voss is the youngest daughter of Angela Voss, the Major General who commands the Davion Light Guards infantry brigade. Raised in the staunch military tradition of the Voss line, Voss was trained to be a Mechwarrior from the age of twelve. After graduating from the prestigious Albion Military Academy, she was assigned to the 8th FedCom RCT, just in time to get caught in the conflict on Kathil that kicked off the Federated Commonwealth civil war. A terrible meatgrinder that consumed multiple regiments on both sides, Voss saw most of her fellow soldiers captured or killed as the 8th FedCom was pounded to pieces from years of being at the forefront of the Loyalist offensives. After almost three years of continuous conflict, the Loyalist remnants on Kathil finally surrendered to the rebel forces, ending one of the biggest battles of the civil war. Released from a prisoner-of-war camp at the conclusion of the war, Voss left the AFFS to pursue a career as a mercenary. Months on Outreach without a job left her despairing, but when she saw a MercNet ad for Graves’ Dancers, whose exploits she had heard about from her comrades on Kathil, she jumped at the chance to join up with such a storied Loyalist unit. She now pilots a Salamander in Eric McClair’s Striker Lance.
Born: 2-5-3025
Homeworld: Skye, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Archer ARC-8M, Gallowglas GAL-1GLS, Shadow Hawk SHD-11CS, Blue Flame BLF-21, Musketeer Hovertank, Asura Medium Battle Armor Squad (SRM) (BV: 7,787)
Ian Sharpe was born on Skye into a large family, all of whom had close ties to the Free Skye movement. These connections, in addition to his high scores on martial aptitude tests, got him admitted to the Sanglamore Academy. After graduating in 3047, he was assigned to the elite 17th Skye Rangers. Just a few years later, the Rangers were caught in the voracious maw of the Clan Invasion, facing off against the Jade Falcons on Barcelona and then again on Black Earth. The second time nearly resulted in Sharpe’s death, when his Zeus was disabled by Elementals. In an attempt to resist the battle-armored soldiers with his service pistol, his femoral artery was severed by a ricochet in the cramped confines of the ‘Mech cockpit. The Skye Rangers overran his position just moments later, and a medic was able to get to him in time to save his life, but at the end of the Black Earth campaign he was given an honorable discharge for medical reasons. Retiring to Skye, he was revered as a war hero and eventually took a job as a consultant for Cyclops Incorporated, the largest producer of military-grade hovertanks in the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth. He also maintained an unofficial role as a training officer at the Sanglamore, where he gained quite a reputation for turning out disciplined and skillful soldiers. When the Skye Jaegers began to coalesce in late 3059, soon-to-be-Colonel Steve Pitcher visited Sharpe to recruit him for a position as Hauptmann of one of the unit’s six BattleMech companies. Sharpe accepted the offer, and it was largely due to his rigorous training regimen that resulted in the Skye Jaegers being the first Jaeger unit to reach combat-ready status. When the Free Skye uprising began in the latter part of the FedCom civil war, Sharpe and the rest of the Jaegers were eager participants. But after the drubbing the Jaegers received at the hands of the Arcturan Guards while the Fourth Skye Rangers sat back and watched from the sidelines, Sharpe became disillusioned with the Free Skye movement, and left the service of the LAAF. Deciding to seek his fortunes as a mercenary, Sharpe joined up with the Dancers during their final stopover on Outreach. He now pilots a Thunderbolt in Eric McClair’s Striker Lance, which has seen numerous battles since its formation. He has also become, alongside Hawkeye, one of the primary trainers for the Dancers’ Mechwarrior battalion, where his experiences with the formation of the Skye Jaegers have proven to be an invaluable asset.
*Fire Lance
Born: 5-7-3027
Homeworld: Algedi, Draconis Combine
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Weapon Specialist (ER Medium Laser), Sniper, Hopping Jack, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Cerberus MR-V2, Kingfisher Prime, Gunslinger GUN-1ERD, Seraph C-SRP-OD, Penetrator PTR-4D, War Dog WR-DG-03FC, Cataphract CTF-4L, Guillotine GLT-6WB, Catapult CPLT-C6, Tempest TMP-3M, Black Hawk-KU BHKU-O, Grigori C-GRG-OB, Rifleman RFL-8D, Apollo APL-1M, Griffin GRF-3M, Griffin GRF-5L, Men Shen MS1-OJ, Wolverine WVR-7M, Chameleon CLN-7W, Huron Warrior HUR-WO-R4L, Spirit, Gurkha GUR-8G, Raven RVN-4L, Jackal JA-KL-1589, Javelin JVN-10P, Spider SDR-8M, Burke Defense Tank (HPPC), Drillson Heavy Hover Tank, Regulator Hovertank, Asura Medium Battle Armor Squad (BV: 45,430)
A fierce Azami warrior formerly of the 15th Dieron Regulars, Ukla Mauok initially piloted a nearly 200-year-old Dervish that one of his ancestors captured. Languishing in the disgraced unit for years, Mauok felt little loyalty to the DCMS, and when his ‘Mech was crippled by Jean Graves in combat on Addicks in 3065, he leapt at the chance to escape the Combine and joined the Dancers (the Dancers had returned to the system for a jump recharge at nearly the same time as the DCMS flotilla hit the opposite jumppoint, and the Dancers dropped on-planet to support the DLC against the Combine aggressors; of course, they immediately fled as soon as the Davion Assault Guards arrived in-system). He then upgraded the ‘Mech to the DV-8D standard, but bizarrely, his near-surgical precision with the Dervish’s medium lasers made him a terror at close range. During a raid on Lyons, an Axman thought little of a Dervish at close range and tried to make quick work of him. After chopping at the Axman’s armor with his missiles for several minutes, Mauok closed and finished the Davion warrior off toe-to-toe. After the losses taken during fighting on Solaris, Mauok was promoted to command of the 1st Company’s Fire Lance to fill the slot vacated by the slain Leftenant Mykelby. He also was given a Black Hawk-KU, gifted to the Dancers by the Duke of Skye himself, pre-loaded with the popular Echo configuration. After the Giausar campaign left the Dancers with a moderate amount of salvaged Clan weaponry, Mauok’s Black Hawk was reconfigured with Clan lasers and electronics, some stripped from Colonel Graves’ old Penetrator. With the deadly Ukla Maouk at its joysticks, it will certainly cut a swath of destruction through any that stand in his way.
Born: 3-12-3029
Homeworld: Taygeta, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Pain Resistance, Gunnery/Missile, Maneuvering Ace, Sandblaster
Kills: Devastator DVS-2, Longbow LGB-7Q, War Dog WR-DG-02FC (x2), Grasshopper GHR-6K, Axman AXM-1N, Tempest TMP-3M, Blitzkrieg BTZ-3F, Crab CRB-27b, Partisan Air Defense Tank (XL), Pegasus Scout Tank (U), Karnov UR Transport (BA) (BV: 15,702)
Known for his tenacity and rugged pursuit of opponents, Matthew “Rawhide” Francis is formerly of the Caph Rowdies, a mercenary company that frequents both sides of the Capellan March. He is probably known best for his reported chasing down of a fleeing Shadow Hawk across 350 kilometers of the Salazaar desert on Bromhead. After Leftenant Mykleby’s death and Sergeant Maouk’s elevation to his position, Rawhide was likewise promoted to take Maouk’s place.
Born: 11-3-3041
Homeworld: Northwind
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Blitzkrieg BTZ-3F, Huron Warrior HUR-WO-R4L, Hatchetman HCT-5S, Vindicator VND-5L, Javelin JVN-10F (BV: 6,161)
Michiko McCloud was born of liaison between a Northwind Highlander and a DCMS samurai, but although she was trained as a Mechwarrior at the Northwind Military Academy, she decided to strike out on her own rather than continue either of her parents’ martial traditions. After stints with the Lone Wolves and Hampton’s Hessens, she took a position with Graves’ Dancers mostly for the chance to pilot the venerable Dervish once piloted by Ukla Maouk.
Born: 7-21-3042
Homeworld: Delacambre, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Weapon Specialist (Gauss Rifle), Sniper, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Sagittaire SGT-8R, Longbow LGB-7Q, Falconer FLC-8R, Guillotine GLT-6WB, Tempest TMP-3M, Ostsol OTL-7M, Huron Warrior HUR-W0-R4L, Talon TLN-5W, Spider SDR-8M, Void Medium Battle Armor Squad [x2] (BV: 14,654)
The youngest member of the original Dancers, Cartago native Manny Calavera, is so brash and cocky that it makes everyone who meets him want to slug him as soon as he opens his mouth. His only saving grace is that the young hotshot is nearly as good a Mechwarrior as he claims to be. A crack shot with his gauss rifle, Calavera holds the unit record for the most enemy pilot kills, although when engaged in his continual bragging he grossly inflates the number. He also takes it upon himself to personally assist in the upkeep of his Enforcer III, “Grim Fandango”, although he usually is more a headache to the techs than a boon. He takes great pride in “Grim Fandango”, and has painted a motif, depicting a dancing reaper holding a scythe in one hand and a castanet in the other, across the ‘Mech’s chest.
*Hunter Lance
Born: 7-22-3034
Homeworld: New Damascus, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Orion ON2-VA, Lineholder KW1-LH3, Firestarter FS9-OF, Manticore Heavy Tank (BV: 5,406)
William Sanderson made his name as an expert city fighter with Hansen's Roughriders. When his beloved Warhammer was destroyed, his regimental commander offered him a captured Wolfhound. Grateful that he did not join the ranks of the Dispossessed, but determined to capture a heavy 'Mech, Sanderson is a very aggressive fighter; a trait which, unfortunately, led to his being “let go” by the Roughriders. His Wolfhound bore the scars of several near-disastrous encounters, but after joining the Dancers, his behavior was reined in a great deal. During the latest reorganization of the ‘Mech battalion, Sanderson was promoted to Leftenant of the newly-renamed Hunter Lance and given a customized Wolverine captured from the 6th Ghost Regiment to replace his battered Wolfhound.
Born: 5-20-3037
Homeworld: Tsamma, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant Major
Abilities: Jumping Jack, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: King Crab KGC-008, BattleMaster BLR-4S, Toyama TYM-1B, Archer ARC-6S, Anvil ANV-7M, Shadow Hawk SHD-5D, Shadow Hawk SHD-11CS, Blitzkrieg BTZ-3F, Phoenix Hawk PXH-6D, Cicada CDA-3M, Komodo KIM-2, Hollander BZK-F3, Night Hawk NTK-2Q, LRM Carrier (WoB), Regulator Hovertank (BV: 22,798)
Frederick Jacob “Red” Nelson is a native of Tsamma. His nickname comes from both his first name and his fiery hair. He grew up working on his family’s homestead, and has a farmhand’s barrel chest; he stands two meters tall, weighs 150 kilograms, and easily lifts over twice his weight! Fortunately, Red is usually a gentle giant; he is gregarious, loyal to his friends, and enjoys showing off his strength. Red’s one notable flaw is his general lack of sophistication. He is actually fairly bright, but his simple mindset reflects his humble origins, and often makes him a "straight man" for the rest of Graves’ Dancers. But as with most of life, Red just takes the role in stride. For several years Red piloted a heavily customized Bishamon, but it was utterly annihilated in the fighting against the Manei Domini on Donegal. As a reward for his longtime service, Colonel Graves used to the same contacts with Clan Diamond Shark that enabled him to acquire his own deadly Mad Cat Mk II, and purchased, at great expense, a rare Clan medium ‘Mech known as the Stalking Spider. A variant that is equipped with improved jump jets and a short-ranged, energy-heavy armament, it fits perfectly with Red’s proclivity for jumping quad ‘Mechs and will certainly serve as a worthy successor to his old Bishamon.
Born: 9-7-3040
Homeworld: Donegal, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Hopping Jack, Maneuvering Ace, Melee Specialist
Kills: Uziel UZL-2S (BV: 1,352)
Maya Hammer comes from a long line of Lyran soldiers; her father was a jump infantry hauptmann with the Donegal Guards and her mother was a senior warrant officer charged with leading a BattleMech technical crew. Maya enlisted with the LAAF straight out of high school, pleasing her fiercely patriotic family when she was assigned to the brand-new First Donegal Jaegers. Her rough-and-tumble attitude, youthful moxie and memorable name her made her an instant star on “Fighting for Peace”, the trivid show that followed the trials and travails of the fledgling regiment. When the civil war broke out, the Donegal Jaegers stayed out of the conflict until near the very end, when they put up only the most perfunctory fight against the efforts of the 25th Arcturan Guards to keep them contained to Donegal (and thus unable to reinforce the Loyalists' last stand at Tharkad). Just a few months after the beginning of the Jihad, a Blakist fleet centered around the Vincent-class Blake's Redemption appeared over the planet. Swatting aside the Jaegers' fighter wing, they unleashed a barrage of naval weaponry and nuclear strikes against the key infrastructure of every major city on Donegal, killing millions in the process; Maya's parents were among them. When the Blakists finally landed troops nearly two years later, they systematically crushed what was left of the Jaegers, and Maya found herself in a Blakist prison camp. Most of her surviving comrades died in the work gangs and mass executions of the next two years, and Maya became deeply embittered by what she saw as the failure of the LAAF to protect its own. When Victor's coalition liberated the world in early 3072, she approached Graves' Dancers for employment due to their budding fame as a premier anti-Blakist unit. Needing to fill the hole left by Padraig O'Malley's death, the Dancers hired her on, providing her with a salvaged Nightsky. Prior to seeing combat with the Dancers, she spent months customizing her BattleMech in a manner broadly similar to Lieutenant Nasir's (though it traded the hatchet and a jump jet for a mace); this kept her in good stead during the fighting on Galatea, where she faced off against an Uziel from the Martian Cuirassiers and beat it to pieces.
Born: 7-29-3032
Homeworld: Summer, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace, Melee Specialist
Kills: None
Eamon O’Malley, Padraig’s “younger” brother by twelve minutes, was always the more adventurous of the two. Charming and roguish where his brother was stern and disciplined, they both served in the Summer Militia, but where Padraig flourished, Eamon felt stifled and left as soon as his term of service was over. Working as a prospector, scout, bodyguard and even bounty hunter, he eventually learned how to pilot a ‘Mech while on a stint with Interstellar Expeditions. Eamon floated across the Inner Sphere and Periphery for years before finally ending up on Solaris VII, where he joined a low-level Mechwarrior co-operative. When his brother Padraig showed up on the lam from angry nobles, they teamed up and fought as a team in the gladiatorial pits of Solaris, making enough money to acquire ‘Mechs of their own and (eventually) customize them to their heart’s content. Fleeing to Galatea when Padraig’s past caught up with them, they were quickly snapped up by the Dancers, who were looking to fill the two recently vacated slots in First Company’s Hunter Lance. In 3072, Padraig was killed assaulting the Manei Domini's positions on Donegal, and Eamon swore vengeance, promising to litter the battlefields with Blakist dead. Eamon’s customized Morpheus uses a pair of armor-rending claws, and he and his brother often ganged up on a single ‘Mech, tearing it to pieces in a flurry of deadly melee attacks. It is a tactic he is trying to practice with Maya Hammer, though they have not yet achieved nearly the level of coordination he and his brother once had. 
===Second Company===
Personel Roster for Second Company2nd Company individual personnel roster from bg.battletech.com/forums
*Striker Lance
Born: 9-9-3013
Homeworld: Kirklin, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain (Executive Officer)
Abilities: Gunnery/Laser, Sniper, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Cerberus MR-V3, No-Dachi NDA-2KO, Vindicator VND-3L, Hitman HM-1, Tarantula ZPH-1A (x2), Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank, Cavalry Attack Helicopter, Pinto Attack VTOL (BV: 11,865)
Alan Hawkins, or “Hawkeye”, as he insists everyone call him, is a disgruntled veteran Mechwarrior from Kirklin, and the Dancers’ XO. Formerly of the 22nd Avalon Hussars, he was sent to the Addicks DMM after being wounded during the Clan Invasion. During their time together in the DMM, Hawkeye became Graves’ mentor, of sorts, teaching him to appreciate the tactical and strategic value of the mobile raiding tactics the Dancers came to specialize in. His experience and cynicism balance Jean’s more instinctual, holistic style; together, they make a good command team. Hawkeye projects the old school attitude and barking voice of a drill sergeant; he chain-smokes cigars, and is an unrepentant alcoholic. But beneath his gruff exterior, Hawkeye has a sensitive streak; he genuinely likes the other Dancers, and does all he can to support them, both as a public leader and private counselor.
Born: 1-26-3035
Homeworld: Dabih, Draconis Combine
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Lynx LNX-9Q, Tarantula ZPH-1A, LRM Carrier (WoB), Pike Support Vehicle (BV: 5,376)
Aisha Nasir is an Azami and an unusual one at that. A hellion from a young age, she soon fell in with the local yakuza gangs, and in the rebuilding of the DCMS that followed wake of the Clan invasion, she was recruited by her gang to join the 6th Ghost Regiment, a unit known for its unusually high proportion of female warriors compared to the average DCMS force. Aisha’s tenacity earned her a promotion to Chu-i by 3061; she later led her lance in the Dominion War, fighting the 5th Bear Guards on Schuyler and capturing a Clint IIC 2 in the process. When the 2nd New Ivaarsen Chasseurs, backed by Graves’ Dancers, made a deep strike against the prefecture capital of Benjamin, the 6th Ghost was waiting for them. Though they fought savagely, the AFFS and mercenary forces proved too much for them, and Aisha was captured by an SAR team from Graves’ Dancers. Knowing her gender would always hold her back as long as she remained a DCMS warrior, she offered to sign on with the Dancers if they would allow her to retain her rank and her Clint. Jean agreed, and Aisha was made XO of the newly-reorganized second ‘Mech company. Aisha was one of the survivors of the fighting on Donegal, but only barely escaped with her life; her ‘Mech was shot out from under her and she was forced to make her way through the badlands for several days before a Lyran SAR team managed to find her and return her to her comrades. It has since been replaced with a cutting-edge new Nightsky, which matches the movement curve of her old Clint and nearly matches the firepower.
Born: 1-30-3034
Homeworld: New Kyoto, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Quickdraw QKD-8K (BV: 1,583)
Gabriel Goto is a survivor of the famed Blue Star Irregulars, who mostly perished during the evacuation of Black Earth when the Jade Falcons invaded in 3069. Raised in a family whose members had been with the 1894th Light Horse since the days of the SLDF, Gabriel was raised practically from birth to become a Mechwarrior. While he never attended any military academy, growing up and training with some of the most elite ‘Mech pilots in the Inner Sphere was the kind of education most young, ‘Mech-obsessed boys could only dream of, and by the time Gabriel reached his majority in 3052 he was given a slot in the 1894th. When his father, Dengo, fell in a Jade Falcon raid on Rasalgethi a few years later, Gabriel inherited the family BattleMech. He went on to win considerable renown in fighting against the Jade Falcons on Morges and the Eleventh Arcturan Guards on Tharkad at the end of the FedCom Civil War. Following the total decimation of the Irregulars at the hands of Clan Jade Falcon in 3069, Gabriel took his Champion to Galatea, hoping to find another elite unit in which he could carry on the family tradition. Colonel Graves managed to entice Goto into joining the Dancers by offering to refit his Champion to its original specs. “Ghost”, the Goto family Champion, is over four centuries old, and has been in the family’s possession for over three of them. It began its life as a testbed for various advanced Star League technologies, and preserved them up through the Second Succession War, during which it became, like many technologies of the time, untenable to maintain. Now that it has been restored to its original condition, it is a deadly mobile sniping platform that, due to its potent combination of the null-signature system and the Chameleon light polarization shield, is nearly invisible at range.
Born: 9-8-3038
Homeworld: Delacambre, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace, Jumping Jack
Kills: Goliath GOL-4S, Archer ARC-8M, Gallowglas GAL-1GLS, Lineholder KWI-LH2, Spider SDR-7M (BV: 7,267)
Like Eric McClair, Isabelle Rodriguez was a member of Graves’ command lance in the Addicks DMM. She inherited her Japanese mother’s beauty, including long black hair and a petite, athletic build. She grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the poor parts of Delacambre, and her rough childhood taught her to conceal her sensitive side under a “bad girl” mask. Isabelle gained admission to the Kilbourne Academy by virtue of her cleverness, and was assigned to the Draconis March Militia after her graduation. Isabelle is a hotshot and gambler, and has never lost a quickdraw contest. She is also an incorrigible tease, and enjoys using her “feminine wiles” on the Dancers’ male members. But if she has any genuine romantic interests, she is keeping them to herself for now.
*Backboard Lance
Born: 8-18-2977
Homeworld: Metis Habitat, Sol System
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Nightsky NGS-5S, Myrmidon Medium Tank, Goblin Medium Tank (BV: 2,415)
Jack McClintock is, by all appearances, in his early forties. Unbeknownst to all but a few, however, he was actually born in 2977. A native of the Trojans, one of the main Belter colonies in the Terran system, he is the son of a member of ruling Metis Commission and a beneficiary of the finest in Belter medicine and genetic engineering. McClintock was uninterested in following his father’s footsteps into politics, and after a falling-out with his parents over the subject, he left to find his fortune among the stars. After stints as a lostech prospector and arms broker, he decided to try his luck as a mercenary Mechwarrior. Training at the Blackjack School of Conflict gave him the skills he needed for his new career, and after graduation, he drifted from merc unit to merc unit. Along the way, he participated in almost every major war from the Fourth Succession War to the Clan Invasion to the FedCom Civil War. During his most recent stop on Galatea, recently freed from his latest contract with the Lone Star Regiment, he met Eric McClair and became one of the first of many new recruits during the Dancers’ massive expansion. His connections among arms dealers and the military-industrial complexes throughout the Inner Sphere were the key factor in acquiring the equipment and manpower that were used to equip nearly a full battalion of new troops. McClintock himself took to the controls of a factory-fresh Guillotine GLT-8D, yet another advantage of his myriad network of contacts. Following Leftenant Crawford’s death in the fighting on Giausar, McClintock was elevated to command of Backboard Lance, and by the end of the campaign his Guillotine had been replaced with a captured Night Gyr. Jean hopes his lengthy experience will provide him with the skills he needs to hold together a lance that has already seen the deaths of two pilots.
Born: 1-17-3033
Homeworld: Summer, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Cerberus MR-V2, Thunderbolt TDR-7SE, Buccaneer BCN-5W (BV: 5,203)
Gina Conlon grew up on Summer, inducted into the Free Skye movement in her teen years. When the group began to splinter following the failure of the Third Skye Rebellion, Conlon, who’d since become a pilot for the Summer Militia, left for Galatea. She soon found work with the Wilde Turkeys, a relatively small-time mercenary unit. The Turkeys were shattered by Graves’ Dancers on Giausar, but Conlon decided to use this as an opportunity, and offered to join the Dancers following her capture by Marik SAR teams. She now pilots the Cataphract formerly piloted by Kevin Tsang and Bryce Crawford, a ‘Mech many in the Dancers consider cursed. Interestingly, she served in the Summer Militia at the same time as the O'Malley twins, and witnessed Padraig's duel with Graf Upnor shortly before she struck out for Galatea. Eamonn has made no effort to hide his interest in her (rumor has it they had a fling during their time in the militia together), and there is a running bet among many of the Dancers over how long it will take for Gina to succumb to his charms.
Born: 12-21-3036
Homeworld: Bonneau, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Tempest TMP-3M, Pike Support Vehicle, Myrmidon Medium Tank, Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun (BV: 4,016)
Max Reynaud is from Bonneau, like the commander of the Dancers. He is a veteran of the Remagen CrMM, and was there to see the final battle of the civil war in the fighting on New Avalon. Like so many other Loyalists who mustered out of the AFFS following the end of the war, he decided to try his hand as a freelancer. He was also a fellow student at Point Barrow, and when he found out his former classmate had founded a successful mercenary unit, he offered his services and joined the Dancers during a 3069 recruiting run.
Born: 5-7-3044
Homeworld: Acamar, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Quickdraw QKD-8K, Sturmfeur Heavy Tank, Partisan Heavy Tank, Condor Heavy Hovertank (Laser) (BV: 4,633)
Jerome Thomas is a former employee of Contard Mining who got his start with the Dancers during their time on Acamar. A lone Duan Gung from the Lafayette Legion had slipped past the rest of the unit and was headed toward the nearby mining facilities that were the target of the pirate raid. Only Thomas and his MiningMech were standing between it and the company’s outpost. Using only the rudimentary sensors and the tracking skills he had learned during his time in the Acamar militia, Thomas managed to spring an ambush on the pirate ‘Mech. By spraying industrial lubricant across a hastily prepared chokepoint, he managed to cause the Duan Gung to slip and fall; he then pinned the ‘Mech to the ground with the weight of his MiningMech and sawed off its legs with a rock-cutter. Impressed by this display of bravado, Jean Graves offered Thomas employment with the Dancers, which he eagerly accepted. He threw himself into the Mechwarrior lifestyle with vigor, and spent hours in simulator pods trying to bring his skills up to those of the other Dancers. His performance on Giausar showed that his efforts have paid off, and following the conclusion of that campaign Thomas was given his lance commander’s old ‘Mech, a Guillotine.
*Skirmisher Lance
Born: 7-24-3036
Homeworld: Drosendorf, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Marauder MAD-9M, Summoner Prime, Bulldog Medium Tank, Saladin Assault Hover Tank, Karnov UR Transport (BA) (BV: 5,702)
Dietrich Hoffmann is the youngest son of the Duke of Drosendorf, Ludwig Hoffmann. Trained for military service as a Mechwarrior from the time he was old enough to shave, he eventually graduated from the War College of Buena OCS with perfect grades and the rank of Leutnant. He was given command of his own lance in the storied 2nd Donegal Guards, where he remained for several tours of duty. After gaining the attention of his superiors during the Guards’ operations in the Draconis Periphery, hunting down remnants of the shattered Smoke Jaguar Clan, he was given a factory-fresh Griffin and a transfer to the prestigious 3rd Royal Guards. When the FedCom civil war erupted, Hoffmann and the Royal Guards were sent to Dalkeith, a world which would become a meatgrinder to rival Kathil and Tikonov. Over the course of nearly four years, Loyalist and Allied forces pounded away at each other in a brutal slugfest that eventually ended in a Loyalist victory. With the outcome of the war, however, the victory was a hollow one; after fighting for so long, Hoffmann could not stomach serving under Archon Peter Steiner-Davion, and left the service of the LAAF with his Griffin in tow. After his arrival on Galatea, he read up on Graves’ Dancers on MercNet, and decided to apply for employment based on their Loyalist credentials. Leading Skirmisher Lance, Hoffmann has molded them into a cohesive combat force which fought in several decisive engagements during the Giausar campaign.
Born: 10-20-3033
Homeworld: Exeter, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Marauder MAD-6L, Fire Falcon Prime, Bulldog Medium Tank (BV: 4,378)
Noah Levine is one of the few survivors of the 3rd Robinson Rangers, one of the Loyalist units which fought in the cataclysmic Battle of New Avalon at the end of the Federated Commonwealth civil war. His time spent in POW camps after the war cemented his eventual decision to take up a career as a mercenary, and as a staunch Loyalist he eagerly joined up with the Dancers shortly after his arrival on Galatea.
Born: 11-16-3031
Homeworld: Grumium, Free Rasalhague Republic
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Summoner C, Emperor EMP-6A, Stalker STK-8S, Condor Heavy Hover Tank (Laser), Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun (BV: 7,919)
Carl Sigurdsson is an expatriate from the Free Rasalhague Republic’s Kungsarme, specifically the 3rd Drakons. Sigurdsson had deserted from the Kungsarme when his lance was cut off from the rest of their unit by Clan Wolf forces during a raid on Thun. He managed to escape by paying a local resistance movement to smuggle him and his ‘Mech out of the Occupation Zone, and made his way to Galatea to search for work. As with several of the other new Dancers, Sigurdsson contacted the unit because of a MercNet ad, and was hired almost immediately after the interview. Like many of the 3rd Drakons’ ‘Mechs, his Beowulf has been customized with a hatchet. Sigurdsson has made a number of other modifications as well, outfitting it with triple-strength myomer and a sophisticated electronic warfare suite. In battle his ‘Mech is always at the head of any charge, tearing into nearby enemies with a berserker fury.
Born: 9-24-3028
Homeworld: Augustine, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Nightstar NSR-9J, Myrmidon Medium Tank (BV: 3,214)
Quinn Dexter is technically not a member of the Dancers at all: he is in the midst of trying to join Romanov’s Crusaders, and is dedicated to the ideals of chivalry and heroism. He petitioned Jean Graves to join the unit after deciding it the best way to discover the nature of his “quest”, an expedition that all potential Crusaders must go on before they are allowed to join the unit. With their travels across the Inner Sphere, Dexter is certain to find his true path to Knighthood.
====3rd Company====
*Juggernaut Lance
Born: 5-26-3027
Homeworld: Tikonov, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Marauder II MAD-4D, Bandersnatch BNDR-01B, Hellbringer C, Nightsky NGS-4S, Karnov UR Transport (BA) (BV: 7,825)
Ivan Surikov is a born-and-bred Tikonovian, who grew up in a staunchly patriotic middle-class family in the heart of Tikograd during the height of the short-lived Tikonov Free Republic. After graduating from the Mechwarrior program at the Tikonov School of Military Discipline, Ivan was recruited by the 3rd Republican Guard, where he spent the next eighteen years. He initially met Jean Graves when he fought side by side with the Dancers, first on Algol and then on Tikonov, during the civil war. With the disbandment of the Republican Guards at the end of the war, Ivan decided to retire to the quiet backwater world Smolensk. However, he discovered that retirement did not suit him, and in late 3067 contacted Jean Graves to offer his services and expertise. Graves promptly offered him the command of a lance of freshly salvaged ‘Mechs, and Ivan accepted immediately. When the unit was expanded to a full regiment, Ivan was given command of the 'Mech battalion's third company. Leading from the cockpit of a deadly Yu Huang assault ‘Mech, Ivan’s Juggernaut Lance is built to shatter heavier enemy units that stand up to the initial charges by the rest of the Dancers. Off the battlefield, he shares Hawkeye’s affinity for fine cigars and strong liquor, and the two of them can often be found drinking together in the nearest bar.
Born: 11-1-3038
Homeworld: Ironhold, Clan Homeworlds
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Clan Pilot Training, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Archangel C-ANG-OA, Berserker BRZ-X4, Manticore Heavy Tank ('55) (BV: 5,443)
Anna Pryde is a complicated woman, a rebel from a Clan that demands conformity. Part of the same sibko as Brian Pryde, protégé of Loremaster Kael Pershaw, Anna passed her Trial of Position with two kills, and her skills both as a pilot and as a leader gained her an assignment to the 2nd Falcon Jaegers. Unlike the vast majority of the Jade Falcon warrior caste, however, Anna was an outspoken Warden; the apparent perfidy of Khans Crichell and Chistu during the Refusal War only hardened these views. Though her incredible talent and years of experience secured her the rank of Star Captain and, eventually, the Pryde Bloodname, her politics kept her from ever advancing further within the Clan. Only the support of Star Colonel Taman Malthus, who valued her expertise as an officer, stopped endless Trials of Grievance from the more conservative warriors under his command. Nevertheless, as time passed, Anna began to chafe at the limits of her stymied career, bitter at the knowledge that her honest opinions, and not her martial abilities, were her only real barrier to promotion. When her Trinary was dispatched to Tomans as part of a “seasoning” raid to give the newest members of her unit some combat experience, Anna was expecting a cakewalk. Instead, the Falcon force was shredded in a stand-up fight against Graves’ Dancers, and she and nearly half her Trinary were taken as bondsmen by the mercenaries. Impressed by Jean Graves and his Dancers, and recognizing this as an opportunity to escape her dead-ended life within Clan Jade Falcon, Anna promised to serve her new masters faithfully if Graves would allow the rest of the captured Falcons to return to their Clan. Jean agreed, and Anna Pryde now pilots a captured Night Gyr in Ivan Surikov’s Juggernaut Lance. While still a Clanner behaviorally, she has lived in the Inner Sphere (albeit largely in the Occupation Zones) for most of her life, and she has shown a marked interest in learning about its profusion of cultures and lifestyles. She has even taken to cornering random members of the Dancers and interrogating them about their homeworlds, a practice most find off-putting in the extreme but which they have learned to accept as one of Anna’s many “quirks”.
Born: 6-21-3036
Homeworld: Clipperton, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Seraph C-SRP-OA (BV: 2,268)
Dominic Yamamoto, Dom to his friends, is a former Irian test pilot who was hired by the Dancers on the recommendation of Jack McClintock. Dom doesn’t speak much about his past, although his bearing and demeanor indicates he was an FWLM vet. He is also an avid rugby player, and has organized an intra-unit league since joining the Dancers.
Born: 8-28-3026
Homeworld: Genoa, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Seraph C-SRP-OD, Warhammer WHM-7M, Zephyr Hovertank (C3i) (BV: 4,449)
Giovanni Agnelli hails from a Genoa, a rocky and mineral-rich world. Growing up in the vast but cramped underground cities of his homeworld, he yearned for the chance to see other worlds, and signed on with a passing mercenary unit as soon as he got the chance. Giovanni saw years of grueling combat all across the Chaos March, working his way up from the infantry ranks to become a Mechwarrior after he led his platoon in the downing of a Capellan Vindicator. But when the mercs signed on with the Word of Blake, Giovanni resigned from the unit, refusing to work for an employer he saw as dangerously fanatical. The Dancers found him on Galatea in 3068, and hired him to take the slot of the late Felipe Deleón. Giovanni is still learning the ropes on his new Axman, which is by far the largest and most advanced ‘Mech he has ever piloted.
*Cavalry Lance
Born: 11-25-3037
Homeworld: Wroxeter, Federated Suns
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Cyclops CP-11-G, Marauder MAD-7L, Cataphract CTF-4L (x2), Apollo APL-1M, Griffin IIC 8, Lightning LTN-G15b, Warrior H-7 Attack Helicopter (BV: 12,957)
Cheyenne Graves (née Black) was a fellow member of the Addicks DMM. Unbeknownst to any of the other Dancers, she was also Jean’s lover during their time in the service. She was on Addicks at the onset of the civil war, but unlike Jean and the original Dancers, she was not one of those who escaped the onslaught of the Davion Assault Guards. After the surrender of the remaining Loyalists, Cheyenne sat out the war in an Allied POW camp. For years, she heard stories of the Dancers and their exploits, both during and after the war. After her release, she was hesitant to approach Jean because of their relationship before the war; hence her surprise when Jean himself contacted her, asking her to lead a fire support lance in the Dancers’ third company. Shortly after Cheyenne joined the unit, they resumed their relationship, culminating in their marriage upon returning from Sheratan in early 3071.
Born: 1-28-3039
Homeworld: Rexburg, Free Worlds League
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: None
Ross Barrett started his career in the 6th Marik Militia. A troublemaker and rabble-rouser, Ross’ disdain for the chain of command and military protocol in general always kept him one step away from a dishonorable discharge. Only his skills in a BattleMech stopped his superiors from such an action, but Ross knew he did not mesh with the strictures of the FWLM, and voluntarily mustered out after his second tour of duty. Stints in corporate security and test pilot work likewise proved dissatisfying, and so Ross leapt at the chance to exercise his skills when Eric McClair offered him a slot in the then-newest BattleMech company of the Dancers.
Born: 4-7-3037
Homeworld: Aitutaki, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Myrmidon Medium Tank (BV: 815)
Sanjiv Singh fought on Hyner against the Smoke Jaguars during Operation Bulldog. A Mechwarrior in the 1st Regulan Hussars, he helped to crush the 3rd Jaguar Cavaliers when they marched straight into the SLDF’s guns. Returning to Regulus, he quickly grew tired of the politics of the FWLM, and the continual disregard of the Hussars by the LCCC particularly galled him. Desiring the freedom the mercenary lifestyle offered, Singh ended up on Galatea, like so many others. Hired by the Dancers in mid-3068 as part of their third ‘Mech company, he fits in well with rest of his unit, feeling he is finally part of a unit free of the depredations of politicians and noblemen.
Born: 2-16-3039
Homeworld: Sian, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: None
Tommy Zhào grew up on the streets of Sian, and his disgust with the authoritarianism and corruption of the Capellan government led his eventual membership in the Free Capella organization. As a Mechwarrior in the Blackwind Lancers, he helped hold off the Confederation Reserve Cavalry in the grinding siege of Ambergrist during the St. Ives War. Following the fall of the Compact, Tommy decided to try his luck as a gun-for-hire. Taking jobs wherever he could, he joined the Dancers largely for the prospect of steady work in a (semi-)respectable mercenary unit.
*Pursuit Lance
Born: 4-25-3035
Homeworld: Sakhalin, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Preta C-PRT-OA, Demolisher Heavy Tank (Arrow IV) (BV: 2,551)
Omar Little, another lance commander who came on Jack McClintock’s recommendation, is the sort of the mercenary who straddles the fine line between soldier and pirate. He is wanted on over a dozen worlds for such crimes as bank robbery, grand theft and wanton destruction of property, and has no compunctions about killing those who get his way. Nevertheless, Omar is possessed of a keen tactical mind and fine leadership skills, and his talents at the controls of his Wraith are unparalleled. The freewheeling nature of the Dancers appealed to him, and he struck a deal with Jean to rein in his excesses in exchange for a free hand with the tactics of his lance. Omar’s defining feature is the facial scar that cuts from his left temple down to the side of his mouth, a souvenir from a near-fatal run-in with a bounty hunter.
Born: 10-14-3032
Homeworld: Fletcher, Chaos March
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Blood Reaper 2 (BV: 2,290)
Marlowe Freeman is a native of Fletcher, a planet that “went dark” in 3057 following the destruction of its HPG by Zhanzheng de Guang guerillas during an uprising against the FedCom-loyal government. The planetary government dissolved, and eventually city-states and two-bit warlords established a new “equilibrium” in which vast stretches of territory became lawless no-man’s-lands. It was in this environment that men like Marlowe thrived; he became a bodyguard-for-hire, guiding others through the wastes and protecting them from the predations of bandits and rogue mercenaries with his skills as a Mechwarrior. After years in this profession, he realized his skills could net him more lucrative work than the low-paying jobs available on Fletcher. To that end, he hitched a ride to Galatea, and there he found work with the Dancers, ecstatic at the chance to pilot a highly advanced Spector as part of the new Pursuit Lance.
Born: 9-20-3028
Homeworld: Hector, Clan Homeworlds
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: None
Manion is a freeborn Ice Hellion solahma who now finds himself stranded in the Inner Sphere. Serving with the 175th Attack Cluster during the Hellion invasion of the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone in 3071, Manion took part in the fighting on Wotan, Evciler and Seiduts, taking a Jade Falcon Viper as isorla along the way. He was at the heart of Raina Montose's last stand on Vantaa, and was one of the last to fall; his 'Mech was buried under a shower of rubble after orbital fire from the Hellions' own WarShip ignited a chemical pipeline, triggering a massive explosion. Manion was knocked unconscious, and when he awoke nearly two days later, the few Hellion survivors had already fled. Managing to limp his 'Mech to a spaceport hundreds of kilometers away and then convincing some civilians fleeing the dying planet to give him passage, he made his way to Arc-Royal. With his own 'Mech and nowhere to go, Manion resigned himself to the mercenary life. When Graves' Dancers arrived in late 3072, they hired him on, as they have already proven to be a mercenary unit surprisingly hospitable to Clan warriors.
Born: 6-20-3034
Homeworld: Corydon, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: LRM Carrier, Zephyr Hovertank (C3i) (BV: 1,652)
Xavier Davis was once an AFFC leftenant, but went AWOL with his Javelin when Operation Guererro transformed the Sarna March into the Chaos March. For nearly fifteen years, he hired himself out as bodyguard and extra muscle for any petty baron that could pay. He ultimately landed in Graves’ Dancers during a stint on Galatea, where the promise of an upgrade to a brand-new Osiris was too tempting an offer to refuse.
====4th Company====
Battle Lance
Born: 8-29-3017
Homeworld: Luthien, Draconis Combine
Rank: Captain
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Longbow LGB-12C, Karnov UR Transport (BA), Nightshade ECM VTOL (LPPC) (BV: 2,669)
The newest Captain in Graves’ Dancers, Peter Takeda is a man with a past as checkered as it is storied. Just another orphan fending for survival on the streets of Luthien, Takeda fell in with a yakuza gang at a young age, where his combination of tenacity, street smarts and leadership skills ensured his rapid ascent through the ranks. As a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, a venerable yakuza clan over a thousand years old, he was one of the initial candidates selected for membership in Theodore Kurita’s nascent Ghost Regiments. Takeda first saw action against the AFFS in the war of 3039, where his unit, the Second Ghost, was ultimately shattered by the Gray Death Legion on Altais. Like the other survivors, he was transferred into the Third Ghost to help bolster the understrength regiment. Just a year later, the regimental oyabun, Yasir Nezumi, was executed following a failed assassination attempt against Takashi Kurita, and any latent loyalty that the Third Ghost might have had to the DCMS died with him. In the wake of Operation Bulldog, the regiment was moved to Dumaring, along the new Ghost Bear border, where they languished for several years. During the Dominion War, the Ghosts attempted to raid the world of Marawi and were demolished by the Bears’ Seventeenth and Thirtieth PGCs. Takeda himself was taken bondsman by the Bears, and once again he fought his way up through the ranks. Becoming a member of the warrior caste, he managed to get his hands on a salvaged Sunder, which he customized with Clan omnipods shortly before escaping for the Bears during a raid on Shirotori. From there he smuggled his new ‘Mech to Galatea, where he was recruited by Jean Graves’ to head up the fourth and final company of Dancers’ reinforced First Battalion. With over thirty years of combat experience and a powerful assault ‘Mech with which to lead his new company, Jean is certain that Takeda will quickly shape Fourth Company into a force to be reckoned with. Takeda is covered in elaborate tattoos from his neck down to his ankles, a mark of his time in the yakuza. He is also a firm believer in keeping one’s body in peak condition, and leads his company in calisthenics drills every morning.
Born: 1-7-3033
Homeworld: Glengarry, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Jumping Jack, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Cyclops CP-12-K, Archer ARC-6S, Warhammer WHM-9S, Buccaneer BCN-3R, Enforcer ENF-4R, Karnov UR Transport (BA), Nightshade ECM VTOL (LPPC) (BV: 8,495)
Gerard Ventress is one of the few survivors of the Gray Death Legion, the famed Lyran mercenary force that was almost completely wiped out holding off the Free Skye assault against the Defiance Industries complex on Hesperus II. He was one of the most talented Mechwarriors in Hassan’s Assassins, the Legion’s elite second battalion. A Glengarry native who’d joined up with the Legion at the age of eighteen, the deaths of most of the Legion hit Ventress hard. He retired to Glengarry, where he found a job as a “security consultant” for Gray Death Technologies. In 3068, he decided to once again take up the mercenary profession, and traveled to Galatea. Hired to be the new fourth ‘Mech company’s executive officer, Ventress pilots a heavily-modified Avatar that mounts several pieces of Clan weaponry and advanced electronics. On the battlefield he is a patient hunter, wearing down his opponents at range before leaping in for the kill with a lethal pointblank barrage.
Born: 3-3-3036
Homeworld: Cerillos, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Highlander HGN-732b, Crockett CRK-5003-1b, Awesome AWS-9Q, Blackjack BJ-1DB (BV: 7,532)
Rosa Morales hails from the “southwestern” world of Cerillos, a hardbitten frontier world on the anti-spinward end of the Free Worlds League. She is a tough and skilled fighter, a veteran of the Sixth Orloff Grenadiers who has seen combat against both the Lyrans and the Circinians. As a fiercely independent woman, she left the FWLM due to their constant attempts to stamp out the unique traditions of the Orloff regiments. Mercenary life suited her well, and she drifted through various mercenary units until her recent hiring by the Dancers.
Born: 12-29-3037
Homeworld: Labouchere, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: None
Renard Duval is a man who lives by the motto “Fight smart, not hard.” A LoaderMech pilot turned merc, he prides himself on having never once been shot out of his ‘Mech. He prefers to be the backboard of his lance, staying toward the back of formations and laying down long-range support rather than closing in. Some might consider it cowardly; Duval just sees it as the smart way to make a living. Duval’s Enforcer, though heavily upgraded, is nearly three centuries old. The “Sun King”, as he calls it, still has an ancient inscription on its chest from its days in the AFFS: Ultima Ratio Regum, or “the last argument of kings”.
Vanguard Lance
Born: 10-25-3034
Homeworld: Hardcore, Magistracy of Canopus
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Manticore Heavy Tank ('55), Karnov UR Transport (BA) (BV: 1,456)
Sofia Carter grew up on Hardcore, a glitzy entertainment world in the Magistracy of Canopus. Her mother was a BattleMech gladiator who’d achieved some minor success in the arenas of Hardcore, and she brought up her daughter to follow in her footsteps. After training under her mother to become a Mechwarrior, she enlisted in the MAF, but her lack of monies and social connections resulted her being relegated to the 3rd Canopian Light Horse, a sink unit left to fester at a dead-end posting on Andherlwin. Like so many dissatisfied soldiers before her, she eventually resigned from the MAF, and freelanced her way to Outreach and then Galatea. That was where the Dancers found her, and in the rigorous testing prior to formation of First Battalion’s new Fourth Company, her skills both in command and at the controls of her Warhammer secured the leadership of the new Vanguard Lance.
Born: 10-17-3040
Homeworld: Markab, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Lao Hu LHU-3B (BV: 1,497)
Alexander bin-Harud is another Addicks DMM veteran who spent the war as POW in the wake of the DMM’s surrender at the war’s outset. Due to two separate escape attempts, bin-Harud was cashiered from the AFFS when the civil war concluded. Quickly burning through what little savings he had remaining, bin-Harud used what was left to get to Galatea, where he offered to join the Dancers after learning of their pedigree.
Born: 5-2-3038
Homeworld: Tantara, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Marauder MAD-9M, Javelin JV-10F (BV: 2,539)
Athena Zhai is a St. Ives expatriate, a former member of Aliesha’s Mounted Fusiliers. Her dislike of House Liao turned to hatred when her husband and two sons were killed in the horrific Black May nerve gas attacks. When the Compact rejoined the Confederation following the conclusion of the Xin Sheng War, she was one of the many SIMC soldiers who mustered out, unable to serve under the enemy she had fought so hard against. With only her skills as a Mechwarrior to live on, she turned to the mercenary trade. Now a member of Graves’ Dancers, Zhai pilots her Falconer with the reckless abandon of someone who has nothing left to lose.
Born: 2-7-3024
Homeworld: Circinus, Circinus Federation
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Hot Dog, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Goliath GOL-4S, Tempest TMP-3M, Crab CRB-27b, Karnov UR Transport (BA) (BV: 5,505)
Zbigniew Kowalski, better known as “Z-Big”, is a Circinian pirate turned Solaris gladiator turned mercenary ‘Mechjock. A Circinus native, he tried to join the Black Warriors but was rejected in the final phase of his hazing. In spite of this setback, Kowalski managed to gain passage to Solaris to ply his skills as a Mechwarrior in the Game World’s famed arenas. Although he never achieved much fame (or success, for that matter), Solaris proved to be an excellent test of his mettle, sharpening his skills and giving him enough of a reputation to gain the attention of several mercenary recruiters. After several stints with various merc units, he ended up with Graves’ Dancers, hired to round out Vanguard Lance.
Force Recon Lance
Born: 7-29-3039
Homeworld: Sheridan, Clan Homeworlds
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: Jumping Jack, Clan Pilot Training, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Deva C-DVA-OD, Blackjack BJ2-OF, Stealth STH-1D, Condor Heavy Hover Tank (BV: 5,000)
Ezra Graves’ relation to Graves’ Dancers is complicated, to say the least. Born on the Clan Star Adder capital world of Sheridan into a Mechwarrior sibko, he experienced the brutal upbringing that all Clan warriors undergo. His sibko was bred directly from the legacy of Ezekiel Graves, founder of the Graves Bloodhouse and twin brother of Jeremiah Graves, of whom Jean is a direct descendant. Ezekiel, always the more adventurous of the two brothers, had left with Aleksandr Kerensky and the SLDF, but Jeremiah elected to stay behind and return to his homeworld. Ezra’s sibko trainers often remarked that he was possessed by that same wandering spirit, a portent of things to come. He won his Trial of Possession with two kills and was assigned to the 73rd Adder Cavaliers, who were immediately thrown into the frenzied fury of the Absorption War. Leading the charge on Priori, the Cavaliers smashed the Blood Spirits’ 12th Blood Drinkers and then swept through the remnants of the 19th and 65th Assault Clusters. Ezra personally downed eight Blood Spirit ‘Mechs in the course of the campaign, including an audacious zellbrigen duel where he simultaneously challenged two Spirit assault ‘Mechs in his Grendel and emerged victorious. Following the fighting on Priori, Ezra was sponsored for and won the Graves Bloodname, cementing his place in the Adders’ genetic program. The Cavaliers were then reassigned to Marshall, where the Adders were in the middle of a major territorial war with Clan Goliath Scorpion. Ezra, now a Star Captain, led his Trinary in a series of stunning victories that attracted the personal attention of Galaxy Commander Colin Yeh, the highest-ranking Scorpion officer on Marshall. Yeh sought him out on the battlefield, and after a vicious duel, Ezra found himself a bondsman of the Galaxy Commander. Yeh saw a great deal of potential in Ezra, and after declaring him abtakha, he took Ezra under his wing and taught him the ways of the Goliath Scorpions. Yeh also helped induct Ezra into the Seeker movement, where his restless ways proved an excellent fit. He soon set out on a necrosia-inspired quest to the “paradise” worlds of the Inner Sphere, searching for artifacts related to his Bloodhouse founder. When a newsfeed he was monitoring made a passing reference to Graves’ Dancers, Ezra knew he had finally found what he was looking for, and immediately sought out Jean Graves, hoping to test his mettle against a man who seemed to be his genetic equal. The duel that followed was the most challenging of his life. For the second time in his career as a warrior, he found himself taken bondsman; Ezra was quickly adopted into the Dancers and given command of the newly-formed Force Recon Lance. Though young, Ezra has more battlefield experience than many officers twice his age, and his phenomenal skills at the joysticks of a BattleMech are matched only by Jean’s own.
Born: 3-13-3039
Homeworld: Sirius, Free Worlds League
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Axman AXN-1N (BV: 1,374)
Paul Capra was formerly a member of the 2nd Sirian Lancers. While he was fiercely committed to the Sirian cause, he could not stomach the unit’s wholesale defection to the Word of Blake in 3068 and chose to flee to Galatea with his Cicada. In late 3070 he was hired by Graves’ Dancers to fill a slot in Force Recon Lance, taking the place of the late “Gorgeous George” Georgousopoulos.
Born: 9-22-3023
Homeworld: Inarcs, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Stalker STK-5S (BV: 1,423)
Callum “Doc” Cochrane is the son of a lostech prospector from the far reaches of Lyran space, near the old Rim Worlds Republic. His father struck big in 3037, when he found the wreckage of an old SLDF Hussar built as a testbed for what would become the Royal model. Cochrane’s father spent the rest of his savings (and life) rebuilding the machine by hand, and when he died of heart failure in 3056, Cochrane decided to finish what his father had started. By 3063, he had restored it to fully functional status and began hiring himself out as a professional scout for lostech hunters throughout the near Periphery. He was hired by the Dancers through Jack McClintock’s vast network of contacts, and piloted his hyper-advanced light BattleMech as part of the new Force Recon Lance. Unfortunately, Doc was shot out of his Hussar during the raid on Kalidasa, and the Dancers were forced to leave it (and two other 'Mechs) behind when they retreated. He viewed the Spider it was replaced by with some disdain until the Sheratan campaign, when its TAG proved vital in smashing Grim Determination's command lance.
Born: 6-15-3040
Homeworld: Markesan, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Myrmidon Medium Tank (BV: 815)
Daphne Bristow is yet another ex-Loyalist scooped up the Dancers. A veteran of the 15th Deneb Light Cavalry, Daphne saw combat on Algol and Tikonov, fighting alongside the Dancers on both worlds; when the Cavalry made their last stand on Marlette, she was among the final bitter holdouts who were taken prisoner by the Allied forces at the end of the civil war. Like many of the other former Loyalists in the Dancers, Daphne left the AFFS after the war; she now rounds out the 4th Company’s Force Recon Lance, using the jamming capabilities of her Ostscout to sneak behind enemy lines and strike at vulnerable support units and supplies.
===Dancers Air===
Personel Roster for the Grave's Aerospace Component.Dream Air's Personnel listing from Bg.battletech.com/forums
====1st Squadron====
Born: 3-16-3033
Homeworld: Macintosh, Federated Suns
Rank: Major
Abilities: None
Kills: Warhammer WHM-7M, Shoden Assault Vehicle, Schrek PPC Carrier, Manticore Heavy Tank ('55) (BV: 4,791)
Norm Houston is a graduate of the Armstrong Flight Academy. Or at least, that’s what he leads most people to believe. In actuality, Houston was expelled from the famed institution during his last semester after he was caught taking an instructor’s fighter for a “joyride”. But in spite of his expulsion, his talents landed him a job as a test pilot for Jalastar Aerospace. Taking part in the Battle of Panpour during the FedCom civil war, Houston earned his biggest claim to fame when he single-handedly shot down a half-dozen fighters from the Islamabad CrMM before he was forced to make an emergency landing on a freeway on the outskirts of Kantara. Deciding he’d tired of such a relatively quiet life after getting a taste of adventure, Houston headed for Galatea to find employment as a mercenary. Hired by Jean Graves to head up the Dancers’ newly-expanded aerospace contingent, Houston was eager to once again take to the skies, this time with his new wingmates at his side. In the contract on Benjamin, his Stuka was shot down and scattered to pieces along a hillside, but in a stroke of incredible luck, Houston managed to survive with nothing more than cuts and bruises despite the malfunction of his ejection seat. Even more unbelievably, this happened yet again during the fighting on Sheratan, earning him a new callsign: Lucky. Following the conclusion of the Sheratan campaign, his squadron was expanded to a full wing and Houston was promoted to Major. Despite the disparate nature of the wing's new pilots, the intense fighting to retake Donegal proved to be the crucible that forged them into a cohesive whole.
Born: 7-27-3026
Homeworld: Hobbs, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: None
Kills: Cerberus MR-V2, Longbow LGB-12C, Rakshasa MDG-1A, Warhammer WHM-7M (x2), Shoden Assault Vehicle, Schrek PPC Carrier, Manticore Heavy Tank, LRM Carrier (x2) (BV: 13,462)
“Little John” Washington is yet another veteran of the FedCom Civil War. He was a fighter pilot with the 5th Syrtis Fusiliers, and fought in the infamous Battle of Axton, where the 5th FedCom RCT deployed nuclear weapons against the Hasek forces. Little John is a giant of a man; dwarfing every other member of the Dancers, he is often assumed to be a former Clan Elemental. His size befits the massive Stuka he pilots, which he handles with a deft grace unusual for such a bulky craft.
Born: 5-27-3019
Homeworld: Australia, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Beauregard Travis is one of the few survivors from Storm’s Metal Thunder, the corporate mercenary unit that fought for the Loyalists during the FedCom Civil War and was annihilated in the Jade Falcon assault on Blue Hole in 3064. His brusque mannerisms and disheveled appearance made it difficult for him to find new jobs, but Graves’ Dancers was more than willing to overlook his eccentricities in order to put him on the payroll, as he is a lifelong Corsair pilot.
Born: 3-12-3044
Homeworld: Praxton, Outworlds Alliance
Rank: Pilot
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Aaron Whittaker started his career as a cropduster on his homeworld of Praxton, just like his father and his before. But his adventuresome spirit yearned to travel across the stars, and to that end, Aaron enlisted in the Alliance Military Corps. What he’d assumed would be a star-spanning romp, however, turned out to be exactly the opposite: he was assigned to the Alliance’s 4th Wing, permanently stationed on the iceball world of Lushann, the primary source of petrochemicals for the Outworlds Alliance. Realizing that the skills his training had bestowed on him would make him a valuable commodity as a freelancer, Aaron mustered out of the AMC after his first tour of duty, and for the next few years he wandered across the Inner Sphere, taking escort contracts with merchant fleets to pay his way. When he ended up on Galatea, he took a job with Graves’ Dancers, the lure of steady pay and constant travel being too much for him to resist.
Born: 9-7-3038
Homeworld: Drozan, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: None
Kills: Lightning LTN-G15b, Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun (BV: 2,245)
Yulia Chelekova is formerly a member of Hell’s Black Aces, one the most famed (and feared) aerospace-based mercenary groups in the Inner Sphere. She is the granddaughter of one of the original Aces, one Vasily Chelekova, and grew up around aerospace fighters and fighter pilot culture. However, following the conclusion of the Xin Sheng War, the Black Aces became closer and closer to the CCAF; those who did not desire reintegration with House Liao slowly began to resign from the unit, and Yulia was among them. She joined Graves’ Dancers on Galatea during their post-Tomans recruiting run, and now pilots her nimble Sparrowhawk with deadly precision.
Born: Unknown
Homeworld: Unknown
Rank: Pilot
Abilities: None
Kills: Lucifer II LCF-R16K (BV: 1,109)
Rafael Herrera is something of an enigma; no one else, save Jean Graves, knows about his past. Suffice to say that he produced some form of credentials that satisfied Jean, for he has thus far decided to respect Rafael’s privacy. Rumors within the unit speculate that he is a former pirate or perhaps even a renegade Blakist. What is known is that he is a crack fighter pilot, and that is more than enough to gain him acceptance from the rest of the Dancers.
« Last Edit: 14 May 2019, 20:45:05 by Kojak »
====2nd Squadron====
Born: 2-9-3031
Homeworld: Epsilon Indi, Chaos March
Rank: Captain
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Finlay Green was an Adept in the Com Guards until his unit, 2nd Division, was slaughtered by the Word of Blake on his homeworld in early 3068. One of the few survivors, he managed to smuggle himself to nearby Sheratan. As an experienced squadron commander, he was immediately hired on by Grim Determination, whose aero contingent had been cut in half by personnel leaving to join one side or the other in the FedCom civil war. When Grim Determination was dismantled by the Dancers, he once again transferred his loyalties, seeing the Dancers as the perfect partners in his plans for vengeance against the Word of Blake.
Born: 10-21-3041
Homeworld: Canonbie, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Connor MacPherson was one of the top graduates in the class of '63 at the Flight Academy of Thorin, the last class it graduated before its closure. Assigned to the elite Ninety-First Skye Air Wing, he was part of the heavy fighting on Hesperus II and flew against the Eleventh Arcturan Guard during the final stand of Nondi Steiner on Tharkad. However, as a Skye loyalist, he was disgusted by the Fourth's disloyalty to the Free Skye movement at the end of the war, and mustered out to find mercenary work. He took his current job with the Dancers after they offered him a brand new Thunderbird, which was all the incentive MacPherson needed.
Born: 11-26-3040
Homeworld: Marantha, Magistracy of Canopus
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Persephone Laganas is the daughter of pharmaceutical magnate Demetria Laganas, a Maranthian Elector and powerful member of the Durachi faction. While Persephone's older sister was groomed to succeed their mother, Persephone became a fighter pilot, graduating from the Canopian Institute of War in 3062. Assigned to a fleet squadron that traveled with MAF forces through Capellan space, she saw action in the Chaos March. Her time there convinced her that the Capellans were only using the Magistracy to further their own aims, a view that was hardened when her squadron was thrown into the Blakist maw over Pleione in 3069. As the sole survivor, Persephone escaped aboard an fleeing smuggler's JumpShip, deserting the MAF to become a soldier of fortune. Snapped up by the Dancers on Galatea when they found out she was a qualified Lightning pilot, she was assigned to lead the lance of them in 2nd Squadron.
Born: 1-28-3036
Homeworld: Flushing, Federated Suns
Rank: Pilot
Abilities: None
Kills: None
St. John Yates is from a minor noble house on Flushing, deep in the Crucis March. Yates is a decent pilot (taught by his house's master-at-arms), but mostly became a mercenary pilot for the fame and money (and women). He constantly spends his money on frivolous but expensive items like luxury sunglasses and bespoke suits. While he may not be the wing's best pilot, he is definitely their snappiest dresser.
Born: 4-11-3040
Homeworld: Cadiz, Draconis Combine
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Adrianne Salazar was one of the members of the 6th Benjamin Regulars who refused to participate in the Black Dragon rebellion in early 3068. Knowing she would likely face torture and imprisonment at the hands of the ISF for her association with the traitors, she instead fled to Galatea. Unable to find a mercenary unit to sign on with initially, she began offering lessons to tutor other pilots in the finer points of the trade. Eventually, she was noticed by the Dancers and hired to lead a Sabre air lance, using a more advanced model than the SB-27 she had flown with the Regulars.
Born: 2-1-3049
Homeworld: Galatea, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Pilot
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Melanie Cook is the daughter of two of the Dancers' technicians, both of whom have been with Graves' Dancers since it first became a mercenary unit. After graduating high school she told her parents she wanted to become a fighter pilot; then-Captain Graves had the unit pay to put Melanie through pilot courses at the ARTCP on Arc-Royal. Having just graduated and returned to Galatea to join the unit, she has been given a shiny new Sabre, which she is excited to fly in real combat conditions.
====3rd Squadron====
Personnel Roster for the Third Aerospace Squadron.Third Squadron info from bg.battletech.com/forums.
Born: 10-06-3037
Homeworld: Pollux, Free Worlds League
Rank: Captain
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Sierra Garrick was born on Pollux during its time in the Federated Commonwealth. Like much of the world's population, Sierra's parents were deeply patriotic, loyal to the old Sirian Concordance government. At a young age, Sierra's parents had her smuggled offworld to live with her uncle, a Lieutenant Commander with the 1st Sirian Lancers' fighter wing (the Flame of Sirius). Managing to gain entrance to the Lloyd Marik-Stanley Aerospace School, Sierra graduated just in time to participate in the liberation of Pollux; there, she saw firsthand the aftermath of the terrible crimes committed by the mad former ComsStar Adept Alisendar Gyrn and his followers. Her parents were among the dead, and Sierra swore revenge against ComStar in all its forms. By the mid-3060s she had taken her uncle's place as squadron leader. Deeply perturbed by the slow creep of Blakist tendrils into the unit in the years leading up the Jihad, Sierra watched in horror when the entire Sirian Lancer brigade declared for the Blakist Protectorate in mid-3070. She and her squadron fled to Galatea, where they were soon hired on to form the third squadron of Graves' Dancers' aero wing.
Born: 2-14-3028
Homeworld: Procyon, Free Worlds League
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Timeus Golgos grew up on the streets of Guilded Halls, the central megacity of Procyon. Initially a small-time criminal, he eventually became a bounty hunter, traveling all over the region. In his travels he learned how to pilot a fighter (among many other things). When he heard about the atrocities committed by Alisendar Gyrn on his homeworld, he returned to Procyon and signed on with the Sirian Lancers. Like Captain Garrick, he has no love for the Blakists, having run afoul of them several times during his bounty-hunting years; the unconfirmed rumor among the unit is that they're responsible for the loss of his right eye. Golgos acts as the unit enforcer and disciplinarian, able to rely on his large size and intimidating manner to keep the rest of the squadron in line. His fellow pilots often joke that the only reason he pilots his hundred-ton Riever is because it's the only fighter big enough to fit him.
Born: 12-25-3021
Homeworld: Wei, Capellan Confederation
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Xiao Hong Ts'ai was a pilot in the Wei SMM when the Capellan Confederation arrived to retake Wei after nearly thirty years of Federated Commonwealth rule. The initial attack by McCarron's Armored Cavalry was defeated when Wei nationalists released UrbStryc-A nerve gas, killing an entire battalion of Mechwarriors. The Confederation responded by sending in the Death Commandos. Over the next seven days, the Commandos systematically murdered the entire upper echelon of the Wei government and military...including Hong Ts'ai's wife, a major with the SMM's armor corps. Bereft, he fled Wei and ended up on Sirius, where in a fit of pique he signed up with a Sirian military recruiter, his considerable skills getting him due consideration for a non-Sirian. By the time of his squadron's break from the Lancers in 3070, he had become a respected member of the unit. He still mourns his murdered wife, and has sworn to kill any Death Commando he encounters (or die trying).
Born: 6-18-3040
Homeworld: Graham IV, Free Worlds League
Rank: Pilot
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Mohammad Duran is the son of lostech hunters who combed the radioactive ruins of their homeworld, Graham IV. Once a jewel of the Terran Hegemony, Graham major population centers were leveled with mass nuclear bombardments by Amaris troops during the Star League Civil War, leaving only a small fraction of the population huddled in refugee camps and barely rebuilding over the centuries. Looking to escape the unstable lifestyle of his parents, he signed on with a Sirian Lancers recruiter, and after showing sufficient aptitude, was sent to LMS on New Olympia. Assigned to the Flame of Sirius after graduation, he fully supported Captain Garrick when the squadron refused to join the Blakists. Now that Graham IV is under their sway, Duran is glad to see that his new employers have taken a decidedly anti-Blakist bent.
Born: 9-22-3037
Homeworld: Sirius, Free Worlds League
Rank: Leftenant
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Javier Acevedo is a Sirian by birth but left when he was just a child. Raised on Augustine by parents who were minor nobility, he attended Our Lady Maria Auxiliadora Preparatory School. Ostensibly a finishing school for young nobles, it is in fact a school of assassins, who are then able to carry on the various feuds that typify relations between the various minor houses of the League. Like Captain Garrick, he also attended Lloyd Marik-Stanley, and was assigned to the 1st Lancers along with Garrick upon graduation. In his Cheetah, he strikes swiftly and from unexpected angles, as befits his true profession.
Born: 2-6-3044
Homeworld: Procyon, Free Worlds League
Rank: Pilot
Abilities: None
Kills: None
Zula Blades was initially trained as a fighter mechanic before a pilot in the Sirian Lancers let her take his Cheetah for a joyride. Discovering she actually had some skill at the joystick, she managed to get a brevet promotion to pilot when the unit broke away from their newly-Blakist comrades. She has been training hard in both sims and live exercises, and insists on doing nearly all the maintenance on her own Cheetah, which she has nicknamed “Chester”.
===Other Noted Personnel===
Born: 4-20-3024
Homeworld: Mizar, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Major
John Purcell was formerly a Sergeant-Major in the Wolf’s Dragoons’ Home Guard, but with the decimation of the Home Guard during the uprising in Temptown, he decided to seek employment elsewhere. A cynic and a sarcastic misanthrope, Purcell’s attitude meant he was always just one step away from being fired (he had once been a Captain in Beta Regiment’s Long Riders, but was sent to the Home Guard for “attitude problems and insubordinate behavior”). When Jean Graves offered him command of his own company of hovertanks, he jumped at the chance for such a big promotion. Over the years, the company became a reinforced battalion. He has already put the battalion through its paces, and his irreverent command style meshes well with Graves’ own quirky sense of tactics. Off-duty, Purcell is an enthusiastic musician, whose love of rock music led to him installing a music system in his Regulator on which he plays his tunes of choice during missions – usually with the volume turned all the way up. Purcell's first outing with his company in 3068 was a wash: his Regulator was responsible for decapitating the Capellan commander's Victor, but his crew was killed when weapons fire from a Crusader penetrated the cabin. Purcell himself was badly injured, nearly losing his right leg. He now walks with a limp, and must take powerful painkillers multiple times a day. This has not begun to affect his leadership yet, but it certainly has not improved his disposition, either.
Born: 11-9-3029
Homeworld: Novaya Zemlya, Federated Suns
Rank: Major
Pavel Kovelevsky is the commander of the Dancers’ Third Battalion, an airmobile battalion of Elemental and Salamander suits with air support from a combination of Karnov and Hawk Moth VTOLs. Kovelevsky himself is a Novaya Zemlya native who was one of the early graduates of the New Avalon College of Military Sciences’ battle armor program. Like Leftenants Hawkins and Crawford, he is a hardened veteran of the 22nd Avalon Hussars, where he commanded a company of the 3rd Avalon Armored Infantry. Since his younger sister was killed by the Word of Blake in the fighting on Donegal, he has developed a hatred of the Blakists that nearly matches their own fanaticism. He has begun drilling Third Battalion relentlessly, and he has sworn that any Blakist that falls under his guns will die where they stand.
Born: 2-22-3020
Homeworld: Sabanillas, Federated Suns
Rank: Chief Technician
Angus MacGyver is the Dancers’ master technician. He comes from Sabanillas, though his brogue has been diluted by his technical education. He has been working on machines since he was old enough to turn a wrench; as a child, he once took apart his father’s farm tractor just to see how it worked! He is precise in technical matters, but his strange sense of humor often makes others question his sanity. Angus might be crazy, but he is certainly not stupid, and his ability to improvise complex repairs with only minimal resources makes him the Dancers’ most valuable supporting asset.
Born: 5-8-3025
Homeworld: None
Rank: Commodore
John Armstrong Brannigan has been a spacer his entire life; he is descended from a long line of JumpShip captains. Ever since the hull of the Toorna Prophet was laid down in 2683, a Branngian has been at its helm. In 3056, John was thrust into command of the Prophet when his parents were killed while attempting to fend off a pirate raid on the ‘Ship. Brannigan managed to lead the crew to fight off the last of the pirates and make an emergency jump out of the system. In the intervening years, the Prophet mainly plied the spacelanes along the FedSuns-Combine border. Finding themselves over Addicks when the initial fighting of the civil war broke out, the Prophet was commandeered by the nascent Graves’ Dancers in their haste to escape the onslaught of the Davion Assault Guards. The relationship between the Dancers and the Prophet’s crew was extremely tense at first, but as the years went on Jean and his soldiers showed themselves to be honorable and fair. Branngian and his crew managed to eventually reach an accord with the Dancers, and when Jean decided to make his force a mercenary unit, he promised to provide the Prophet’s crew a sizable percentage of a profits, far more than they ever made as merchants or couriers. When the Dancers expanded their fleet in 3071, Brannigan and his crew bade farewell to the Prophet and transferred over to the Tramp-class Nostalgia for Infinity. As the Dancers’ senior naval officer, Brannigan’s word carries nearly as much weight as Jean’s, he rarely exercises that authority, preferring instead to trust that his immediate subordinates can accomplish whatever tasks he sets them to.
Born: 7-4-3023
Homeworld: Porrima, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Light Commodore
Antoinette Bax grew up on the windy, low-grav world of Porrima. Porrimans are common among Lyran starship crews due to their superior ability to maneuver in low-G environments, and most Lyran merchant guilds have recruiters who eagerly snap up any Porrimans looking to leave their home and see the rest of the Inner Sphere. It was one of these recruiters who convinced Bax to sign on with Meier-Star Shipping after graduating from a local university, where she was apprenticed to a senior crew member aboard a Tramp-class JumpShip. A decade later she was captaining the ship herself. When the Jihad broke out, Meier-Star's HQ was destroyed in the attack on Tharkad, and their secondary site on Donegal was leveled a few months later. Those members of the fleet who had not been dragooned into service with the LAAF found themselves without an employer. Bax held a vote among the crew to decide their next course of action, and they voted to head to Galatea and find work. Unfortunately, upon arriving at Galatea's zenith point, the JumpShip suffered twin blown helium seals, forcing the crew to abandon the ship. Taking small jobs at the orbital repair yard to get by, Bax hit a stroke of luck when the Dancers' network of contacts reached out to her in early 3071, looking for crew for one of their new Tramps. Bax and her old crewmates now operate the Gnostic Ascension, clearing each new jump point with their cargo of assault DropShips before the rest of the unit follows in the Nostalgia for Infinity.
Born: 2-28-3031
Homeworld: New Avalon, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain
Noah Mountford’s childhood dream was to become a DropShip captain in the Federated Suns Navy, and he spent his entire adolescent life striving toward that goal. Eventually graduating from the premier Armstrong Flight Academy on Galax, he was assigned to the Addicks DMM’s naval group, and by the outbreak of the civil war had worked his way up to command of the Union-class Charon; this was the ship responsible for the transport of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Company, also known as Graves’ Dancers. Like many among the DMM, Mountford was an ardent Loyalist, and in the chaos of the attack on Addicks, he was more than willing to escape with the Dancers in tow. Mountford has been ultra-loyal to the Dancers ever since that day, and still dresses in his FSN naval uniform when on duty, enforcing the same strict standards among his crew. While a taskmaster, Mountford’s cleverness at the helm of his ship is undeniable, and his quick thinking has saved the Dancers’ bacon in more than a few combat drops. In 3071, Mountford was given command of the gleaming new flagship of the Dancers fleet, the Conquistador-class Sancho Panza; he is practically slavering to put it through its paces.
Born: 9-21-3030
Homeworld: Uzghorod, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Captain
Sidorova Darenkov has long been a DropShip-captain-for-hire. She has traveled to every major state in the Inner Sphere and Periphery, and even the Clan Occupation Zones; she lost her right eye during an encounter with Clan Jade Falcon in the late 3050s. Commanding the Overlord-class Royal Flush at the time of its capture on Giausar by the Dancers, she was more than happy to sign on with her would-be captors as long as she retained her command and her pay. She was even happier in 3071 to have the Royal Flush replaced with the Colossus-class Hyperion, which now carries the bulk of the regiment's ground forces.
Born: 8-3-3013
Homeworld: None
Rank: Captain
Yuri Sokolov is a man with a reason to be on the move: he has eight ex-wives across six interstellar states, all of them constantly chasing him to collect the alimony he owes them. He has helmed his Mammoth-class DropShip, Malyshka, for over three decades, ever since he won it in a high-stakes game of four-card drax on Kyeinnisan. Signed on with the venerable mercenary unit Grim Determination since the mid-3060s, he and his crew were asked by the Dancers to stay on when Malyshka was among the ships retained after the Grims' fall on Sheratan. Sokolov agreed to stay on under the condition that the Dancers pay off his not-insubstantial gambling debts and keep his ex-wives at bay.
Born: Unknown
Homeworld: Unknown
Rank: Captain
Joanna Deville, known to her crew as the Devil, has captained the Thunderchild since its hull was laid down in 3059. One of three Excalibur-class pocket WarShips leased out to mercenary collectives in advance of Operation Bulldog, the Devil and her crew saw action at Port Arthur, Luzerne and Meinacos; over Luzerne, they were instrumental in holding off the Lola III-class Storm Cat until the survivors of the SLDF flotilla could withdraw. After Bulldog concluded, they bought out the Thunderchild and began contracting themselves out to anyone willing to meet their steep fees. The Dancers were more than willing to pay said fees, and now the Thunderchild is the command vessel of the Dancers' attack fleet.
Born: 11-13-3035
Homeworld: Galax, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain
Robb Newmark is the former Count of Malabar, moon of Galax. His father, the previous Count, died on Somerset with the 2nd New Ivaarsen Chasseurs during the Clan Invasion when Robb was just seventeen (although rumors persisted for years afterward that he was taken bondsman by the Falcons, rumors that Robb still believes are true). Robb had just been accepted to the Armstrong Flight Academy, and after graduation he was apprenticed to the Captain of one of the earliest Overlord-A3s, the FCS Tizona. Disgusted at Victor's appointment of his sister Yvonne to the regency, whom Robb saw as far too weak to lead the nation, he became an early Loyalist in the FSN and was rewarded for his loyalty with a promotion to captain of the Tizona and an assignment to the FCS Alexander Davion's flotilla. He was there at the fall of the New Avalon at the end of the war, and both Tizona and its sister ship Colada were some of the few ships to escape the Allied onslaught. Newmark was stripped of his title in absentia, and the two ships forced their way across the Federated Suns, essentially holding up merchant JumpShips at “gunpoint” in exchange for transit to the next system. Using this unconventional “command circuit” allowed to them to stay well ahead of the Allied naval detachment sent in pursuit of them, and eventually the two ships arrived at Galatea, just barely avoiding their doom when the news of Outreach's scourging reached them a single jump away and they were able to “re-route”. For several years the government of Galatea kept both ships on retainer to supplement the system's defenses, but in 3071 they were hired on by Colonel Jean Graves, whose Loyalist credentials (and sizable signing bonuses) were far more appealing. Captain Newmark is somewhat reclusive when the ship is not actively on an operation, usually combing through newsfeeds looking for any evidence that his father might still be alive; an unlikely possibility nearly twenty years later, but one that the Count still obsessively clings to.
Born: 3-18-3025
Homeworld: Le Blanc, Federated Suns
Rank: Captain
Lucas Beauvoir is from Le Blanc, a world famously described in a common ComStar atlas as “a giant rock in space”. With barely enough atmosphere to breathe and gravity twenty percent lower than average, Blancs are generally well-suited to life in space. His father was an administrator at the Vasily Sandoval Memorial Spaceport in Port Paix and his mother worked as mercenary liaison for the AFFS. This exposed him to both the military and particularly assault DropShips from childhood onward; Le Blanc being a military hub for the Draconis March, a great many assault DropShips passed through the spaceport. Vowing to one day captain an attack ship of his own, he applied and was accepted to the Robinson Battle Academy, where he was taught by many instructors who were fresh veterans of the War of 3039. Within a few years of graduating he was in command of an Avenger, which he regularly schooled his fellow captains with in intra-fleet exercises. When the first Overlord-A3s were completed in 3058, Beauvoir was one of the handful of officers selected by the Director of the Navy, Fleet Admiral Alistair Buchwald, to helm one. Fresh from the Galax Megaplex, the FCS Colada was Beauvoir's dream ship, and he put it to excellent use against the Clans as part of the FCS Antrim's DropShip contingent. In the famed Battle of Trafalgar, Captain Beauvoir helped hold off a flanking maneuver by the Congress-class Shining Claw long enough for the task force's WarShips to cripple the two Ghost Bear Whirlwinds. At Huntress, the Colada outmaneuvered the Vincent Mk 42-class Simias Osis and punched missiles through its rear armor, detonating its KF drive and destroying the vessel. This marked the first time since the Second Succession War that a WarShip had been destroyed by a DropShip, and upon Beauvoir's return to the Federated Suns, he was awarded the Federated Commonwealth Medal of Honor and his entire crew the Federated Commonwealth Star. Offered plum assignments anywhere they wished, Beauvoir and every sailor under his command elected to stay on the Colada with the Antrim. Like their sister ship, the FCS Tizona, they were part of the Loyalist naval defense of New Avalon at the end of the civil war, and escaped into the mercenary life alongside them.
==Rolls of Honor==
List of Dancer personnel who died for the unit.
Born: 11-9-3020 (KIA 6-16-3068)
Homeworld: Terra
Rank: Leftenant
Kills: None
Robert Mykelby, a Terran from the British Isles, joined the Com Guards a few years before Operation Serpent. Assigned to the Second Division, he witnessed firsthand the bloody fighting on Huntress. Unlike most of his comrades, he survived, but barely, and with serious emotional scars. No longer able to stomach the leadership of “the incompetent dwarf”, to use his words, he left the Com Guards with his Falconer, looking for mercenary work on Outreach. On the battlefield, he and his ‘Mech were a force to contend with. Off the battlefield, he was a vociferous opponent of Victor Steiner-Davion, whom he blamed not only for the deaths of his friends on Huntress, but also for ComStar losses during the FedCom Civil War. After the uprising in TempTown on Outreach, Mykelby’s Falconer was damaged beyond repair, but it was replaced by a brand-new Warhammer of the WHM-9D model. Mykelby was one of those killed in the fighting on Solaris, his BattleMech decapitated by a heavy gauss shell from a Blakist Demon tank.
Born: 12-2-3028 (KIA 6-16-3068)
Homeworld: Kittery, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant
Kills: None
Kevin Tsang was born in Can Fu City on Kittery during the opening months of the Fourth Succession War, and his parents were killed in a suicide bombing by a member of the Kittery Tong when he was only an infant. Spending his childhood in a series of state orphanages, Kevin proved to be an extremely self-reliant individual, and he devoted all of his energy to pursue his dream of becoming a Mechwarrior. Years of hard work and good grades paid off when he was accepted into the St. Ives Academy of Martial Sciences. Kevin was a model student, and earned Compact citizenship while also slaving away at his coursework. Upon graduation, he was accepted into the ranks of the Chevaux Legers, one of the workhorse regiments of the St. Ives Compact. A dozen years of service with the unit ended when they were shattered on Indicass by Star League “peacekeepers” at the beginning of the Xin Sheng War. Embittered by the Capellan Confederation’s absorption of his adopted home at the conclusion of that conflict, Kevin decided to make his fortunes on Galatea. Fortunately, he did not arrive until just after Group W had brought an end to the fighting that had engulfed the planet for the past eighteen months. Taking various small jobs to get by, he was finally hired by Graves’ Dancers when he responded to an ad on MercNet. He piloted one of the ‘Mechs freshly salvaged from Acamar, a heavily modified Cataphract. Sadly, he was killed on Solaris when a man-pack SRM fired by some Blakist infantry pierced his ‘Mech’s cockpit.
Born: 5-12-3030 (KIA 6-16-3068)
Homeworld: Colorado, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Kills: None
Jane Danton had often been called “Crazy Jane” throughout her career, though no one would ever do it to her face. A lifelong mercenary, she had been ejected from no less than seven other mercenary units for everything from “striking a superior officer” to actually firing on a fellow Mechwarrior in combat for, in her words, “crowdin’ me.” Were it not for her talent at the controls of a BattleMech, she likely would have found herself unemployed, but Jean felt that the more relaxed environment of his Dancers would give her the space she felt she needed to do her job. Tragically, she was killed in the fighting on Solaris when a Blakist Nightsky stove in her cockpit with its hatchet.
Born: 4-13-3035 (KIA 8-1-3068)
Homeworld: Exeter, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Kills: None
Danica Weiss was a cousin of Sergeant Noah Levine, and was also a member of the 3rd Robinson Rangers. She had retired from the AFFS following the conclusion of the Civil War, but when a spot opened up in Backboard Lance, Levine contacted her and convinced her to join with the Dancers. Danica piloted the Enforcer formerly piloted by Sergeant Crawford. She was killed in action on Tomans when laser fire from a Fire Falcon vaporized her cockpit.
Born: 8-19-3034 (KIA 9-2-3068)
Homeworld: Saginaw, Federated Suns
Rank: Sergeant
Kills: None
Bryce Crawford, like the Dancers’ XO, fought with the 22nd Avalon Hussars, and also like many of the Dancers, was a veteran of the civil war. During the end of the brutal fighting on Talon, Crawford was flash-blinded by laser fire. Crawford used nearly all of his savings in order to have sight-restoring implants surgically embedded in his eyeballs. This had the side-effect of giving his eyes an eerie, electric-blue glow which most people found fairly unnerving. Crawford was just grateful to still be a Mechwarrior, and figured that a life as a mercenary would be the best way to put a few C-bills back into his emptied bank accounts. With his recent promotions to Sergeant and then to Leftenant, he had gotten that much closer to his goals. Sadly, he was killed shortly after the start of the Giausar campaign, when a particle bolt from a militia Myrmidon penetrated his Cataphract’s cockpit.
Born: 10-5-3033 (KIA 9-2-3068)
Homeworld: Hesperus II, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Kills: None
Felipe Deleón was formerly a pilot in the Defiance Self-Protection Force; they were nearly destroyed to the man during the Free Skye assault on Hesperus II. A vicious close-in fighter who specialized in urban combat, he liked to slowly stalk his opponents and then eviscerate them in a single sneak attack. The Axman he piloted perfectly suited his methodical style. He died in the fighting on Giausar when the neurohelmet feedback from an ammunition explosion knocked him unconscious. Unable to keep his ‘Mech upright, it toppled to the ground, and in the fall Deleón’s neck was fatally broken.
Born: 7-3-3040 (KIA 4-19-3070)
Homeworld: Novaya Zemlya, Federated Suns
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Melee Specialist, Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Deva C-DVA-O, Apollo APL-1M, Chameleon CLN-7W, Watchman WTC-4M, Komodo KIM-2 (BV: 6,879)
Sasha Kovelevsky was the little sister of Major Pavel Kovelevsky, the commanding officer of the Dancers’ airmobile 3rd Battalion. Like her older brother, she attended the New Avalon College of Military Sciences, and due to the political climate at the time, she was assigned to the Bremond DMM, just prior to the outbreak of the FedCom civil war. The Bremond DMM would go on to become part of the nucleus of the First Royal Cavaliers, who fought for the Loyalists against the First and Third Crucis Lancers on Tsamma. Like the rest of her unit, she was cleared of any war crimes charges at the conclusion of the war, but nevertheless she felt she could no longer serve in the AFFS. When her brother contacted her with an offer to join Graves’ Dancers, she immediately accepted. She piloted a heavily customized No-Dachi salvaged during the fighting on Benjamin. Sasha was one of those killed fighting the Manei Domini hunter-killer force on Donegal. While she managed to take one of them with her, smashing her ‘Mech’s fist through a Deva’s cockpit, four other Blakist ‘Mechs surrounded her and tore her No-Dachi apart. Her ejection mechanism failed, and she was torn from her cockpit and executed by a Domini battlesuit.
Born: 9-12-3034 (KIA 4-19-3070)
Homeworld: Sadurni, Free Worlds League
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Shogun SHG-2H, Thunderbolt TDR-9M, Manticore Heavy Tank, Stygian Strike Tank, Cavalry Attack Helicopter, Pinto Attack VTOL (BV: 6,901)
Furio Castelluccio was born on Sadurni into a family that owned a small but well-regarded winery in the Avellino region of Katerini. When he was eight, Castelluccio’s parents were killed in a car accident, and he was left in the care of his uncle, a drunk who verbally and physically abused him on a regular basis. At the age of sixteen, Castelluccio ran away from home, hitchhiking his way to the capital city’s spaceport and stowing away aboard a cargo DropShip bound for Solaris VII. One of his cousins was a Mechwarrior with Fitzhugh Stables, and got him a job as an astech. It was during this time that Castelluccio first began to develop a fascination with the Mechwarrior lifestyle. He began to spend his nights (and paychecks) using the ‘Mech simulators incessantly, and took night classes on the weekends. Finally, after years of honing his skills, Castelluccio began to petition Andre Fitzhugh to allow him to join the Stable as a Mechwarrior. With his cousin vouching for him, Fitzhugh had him tested against the Stable’s veterans, and he passed with flying colors. He soon became a successful fighter on the Class Three circuit, and at the height of his career he was considered one of the best medium ‘Mech pilots on Solaris, having made it into the Top Twenty for his Class during four different seasons. Over the years, however, Andre Fitzhugh’s feud with Bromley Stables grew more and more obsessive, with accusations of inter-stable sabotage surrounding almost every match between the two rivals. Several Mechwarriors from Fitzhugh Stables became fed up with the situation, and Castelluccio was one of them; he spent his accrued winnings on a ticket to Outreach, hoping to find employment as a mercenary. He was one of several Mechwarriors hired by Graves’ Dancers during their last layover at Outreach, and was given the vacant slot in Hawkeye’s Scout Lance. During the reorganization of First Battalion in 3069, he was reassigned to the new Hunter Lance under recently-promoted Leftenant William Sanderson. Furio met his end in the brutal fighting on Donegal; his machine was pounded to pieces by a Manei Domini Seraph and he was executed in the field like every other Dancer captured by the fanatical Blakists.
Born: 3-19-3036 (KIA 4-19-3070)
Homeworld: Cavanaugh II, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Stalker STK-8S, Toyama TYM-1A, Tempest TMP-3M, Minion ATV (TC) (BV: 6,028)
As part of a strike lance in the First Bolan Jaegers, Jason Bouchard earned himself a commendation for valor from Margrave Richard Steiner at the battle for Cavanaugh II (his homeworld) during the FedCom Civil War. Though the commendation came well-earned -- Bouchard had personally accounted for five kills with his LNX-9R Lynx, including a Cataphract from the Forty-second Avalon Hussars -- Steiner’s summary execution of Jaegers commander Megan O’Heron in the face of her calls to seek a cease-fire with allied forces prompted Bouchard to join the legions of those who defected when the battle turned against the Loyalist forces. Arriving on Outreach with his Lynx in tow, he was hired by then-Captain Graves almost immediately. Tragically, Bouchard was among those killed fighting the Manei Domini on Donegal. A deadly-accurate barrage of plasma fire from a Deva eviscerated his Lynx, forcing him to eject, and he was captured and shot by Blakist armored infantry shortly thereafter.
Born: 3-6-3036 (KIA 7-6-3070)
Homeworld: Thermopolis, Free Worlds League
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: None
Giorgos Georgousopoulos, better known by his nickname “Gorgeous George”, was a former Oriente Hussar who was cashiered from the FWLM for participating in illegal underground boxing leagues while stationed on Van Diemen IV. His skills in a boxing ring were equaled by his skills at the controls of a BattleMech, and he soon found himself fighting in the arenas of Solaris. He was off-world when the Word of Blake struck the Game World in mid-3068, and when he got word of the situation, he knew his career as a gladiator was over. Turning to mercenary work, he signed on with the Dancers shortly after they left Giausar. Gorgeous George firmly believed in the old boxing adage “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, and used his swift Bloodhound to make repeated passes at his opponents, wearing them down until they were forced to retreat or fall. Unfortunately, this tactic failed him in the fighting in Kalidasa, when an attempt to bring down the Dancers’ target, Precentor Timothy Mayo, ended with a snub-nose PPC from Mayo’s Grand Crusader obliterating the Bloodhound’s cockpit.
Born: 7-29-3032
Homeworld: Summer, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Mechwarrior
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace, Melee Specialist
Kills: Hauptmann HA1-OB, Gallowglas GAL-1GLS, White Flame WHF-3B, Blitzkrieg BTZ-3F (BV: 6,642)
Padraig O’Malley and his fraternal twin brother Eamon were orphaned at the age of seven by a Kuritan raid on Curitiba, the capital of Summer. Both lived on the streets for a time before serving in the Summer Militia, as all Lyran citizens are required to do. Padraig flourished as an infantryman and worked his way up the ranks, eventually managing to score a coveted assignment to the militia’s ‘Mech lance. The lance’s commander Graf Johann Upnor, a nobleman who loathed Padraig for his lowborn status, did everything he could to make the new Mechwarrior’s life a living hell. When Padraig made some extremely coarse remarks about the Steiner-Davion family’s treatment of the Isle of Skye, Upnor challenged him to a duel. The duel ended when Padraig uprooted a tree with the hands of his Banshee and smashed in the cockpit of Upnor’s Zeus. Fearing retribution at the hands of the powerful Summerite nobility, he fled to Solaris VII, where his brother had made a living for the past several years as a gladiator. Padraig and Eamon began fighting tag-team matches in the Solaran Reaches, billing themselves as “The Boys of Summer”. Eventually, however, their fame caught up with them, as they found themselves confronted by bounty hunters sent after them by relatives of Graf Upnor. Deciding that a life on the move might be a more survivable career choice, the brothers left Solaris and headed for Galatea with their BattleMechs in tow. They were hired on by Graves’ Dancers in early 3070, shortly after their arrival. Padraig’s Cudgel, nicknamed “Shillelagh”, packed a powerful energy-weapon array and a mace enhanced by triple-strength myomers, which allowed it to smash through even assault ‘Mechs with ease. In early 3072, Padraig was in the thick of the fighting on Donegal, helping lead a charge against the 50th Shadow Division's position outside Marsdenville, when a heavy gauss slug from a Blakist Demon heavy tank shattered his 'Mech's head, killing him instantly.
Born: 5-20-3037
Homeworld: Furillo, Lyran Alliance
Rank: Sergeant
Abilities: Maneuvering Ace
Kills: Demon Tank (Horned Demon), Drillson Heavy Hover Tank (SRM) (BV: 2,070)
Tina MacArthur was just another Dispossessed Mechwarrior looking for a job on Galatea when she took her current position in the Dancers. She was formerly a recon specialist in the Fighting Urukhai’s 8th Striker Regiment, until that unit was devastated and ultimately disbanded during the DCMS counter-assault on the Draconis March. After taking various jobs in the Chaos March, she ended up on Galatea looking for work, and the Dancers hired her to pilot a Cicada in Pursuit Lance, where her scouting proclivities worked well the CDA-3G’s sophisticated active probe system. During a contract on Benjamin hunting Manei Domini alongside Clan Nova Cat's Vision Keshik, MacArthur strayed too close to a Seraph and took a heavy PPC bolt to the cockpit for her troubles.
==Quirk List==
===Individual Mech Quicks===
*Mad Cat Mk II GD: Combat Computer, Cowl, Extended Torso Twist, Protected Actuators, Reinforced Legs, Stable, Improved Cooling Jacket (ER PPC) [x2], Non-Standard Parts, Difficult to Maintain
*Victor VTR-10L: Reinforced Legs
*Templar TLR1-OS: Command BattleMech, Fast Reload, Modular Weapons, Protected Actuators, Reinforced Legs
*Sasquatch SQS-TH-005: Improved Cooling Jacket (Laser AMS)
*Templar TLR1-OGD: Command BattleMech, Fast Reload, Modular Weapons, Protected Actuators, Reinforced Legs
*Salamander PPR-7SG: Cowl, Difficult to Maintain
*Stealth STH-2DG: Improved Sensors, Reinforced Legs
*Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OGD: Narrow/Low Profile, Modular Weapons
*Enforcer III ENF-6GD: Fast Reload, Accurate (Gauss Rifle), Improved Cooling Jacket (Gauss Rifle), Difficult to Maintain
*Wolverine WVR-8KX: Improved Sensors
*Stalking Spider GD: Distracting, Narrow/Low Profile, Stable, Difficult to Maintain
*Morpheus MRP-4T: Distracting
*Firestarter FS9-OGD: Modular Weapons
*Champion CHP-2X: Difficult to Maintain, No/Minimal Arms
*Enforcer III ENF-7GD: Fast Reload, Accurate (LB-10X), Improved Cooling Jacket (LB-10X), Difficult to Maintain
*Guillotine GLT-5X: Easy to Pilot
*Griffin GRF-6SG: Protected Actuators
*Wolverine WVR-8DG: Improved Sensors
*Phoenix Hawk PXH-6D: Improved Sensors, Improved Targeting (Long)
*Warhammer WHM-9DG: Difficult to Maintain, Searchlight
*Ostsol OTL-7M: Improved Sensors
*Wraith TRX: Cowl, Difficult to Maintain
*Spector SPR-5F: Improved Sensors, Improved Targeting (S/M/L), Non-Standard Parts
*Osiris OSR-4D: No/Minimal Arms
*Sunder SD1-OGD: Stable
*Gallowglas GAL-5GLS: Improved Communications
*Enforcer ENF-4D: Fast Reload, Accurate (LB-10X), Improved Cooling Jacket (LB-10X)
*Warhammer WHM-10T: Searchlight
*Black Hawk-KU BHKU-O: Easy to Maintain, Narrow/Low Profile, Modular Weapons
*Cicada CDA-4P: No/Minimal Arms
*Spider SDR-8V: Improved Sensors, Improved Targeting (S/M/L), Cramped Cockpit, No Ejection System
*Ostscout OTT-11S: Improved Communications, Improved Life Support, Improved Sensors, Improved Targeting (S/M/L), Multi-Trac
===Aerospace units===
*Stuka STU-D6: Easy to Pilot
*Corsair CSR-V14: Atmospheric Flyer, Accurate (Aft Small Lasers)
*Lightning LTN-G15b: Easy to Pilot, Easy to Maintain
*Riever F-700b: Accurate (Nose UAC/20), Accurate (Nose LRM-10)
*Stingray F-95: Atmospheric Flyer
==Special Game Rules==
[Abilities: Graves’ Dancers have the Maneuvering Ace SPA (AToW, pg. 223), and may use the Hidden Units rules (TW, pg. 259) unless a scenario specifically disallows it.
The Dancers have become adept at using foul weather to their advantage. All units receive a -1 modifier to all Gunnery Skill rolls when the battle takes place in non-standard weather or lighting conditions, so long as those conditions cause their own to-hit modifiers.
Since Major Kovelevsky’s sister was killed by the Word of Blake in April 3070, the Major has been putting his battalion through endless exercises in anti-Blakist tactics, drilling them to be just as merciless as the fanatics they face. Whenever battle armor units from Third Battalion are facing Word of Blake opponents, they receive a -2 to-hit for all Swarm and Leg attacks.]
==References==
Category:Fan Mercenary Commands