TBC8

==Chapter 8 - The Broken Commonwealth==
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===Kowloon Military Review - 3145===
Overview: Kowloon Status of Forces 3145 (October) 171st Kowloon Brigade
Ground Force Militia formations active:
171st Volunteer Brigade Kowloon -CO Brigadier Charles Icaza
-HHC 171st-mixed assets.
1st Hue Province , "The Falcons of Hue" (Regular/Reliable, Cluster formation) 
CO: Mai Phen Mattlov
Trinary Nova Sweep
Trinary Nova Strike
Trinary Nova Secure
Trinary Support
Trinary Aerospace
Unit Review: On the whole, the 171st is short of Battlemech assets, with the majority of 'mechs assigned to the Hue Cluster, where the most common design is the Blackhawk-KU Heavy OmniMech, with the remainder being left-over and carefully maintained Clan machines dating back to the 3060s or even earlier.  The current CO of the Hue Cluster pilots a Summoner.  The Hue Cluster's various Trinaries are configured as Novas, with 5 Elementals assigned to each Battlemech.  The 'Secure' Trinary is equipped with the heaviest remnant machines, while Sweep Trinary and Strike Trinary range with lighter machines in the Sweep, and mid-range heavies in Strike.  The artillery component for the Hue Cluster is tube artillery focused, using tracked 'Patton' derived artillery tracks.  The majority of Hue Cluster's personnel were decanted from Iron Wombs and constitute effectively a small concentration of Trueborn warriors, mostly from Roshak, Pershaw, Icaza, Mattlov and Von Jankmon bloodlines.  Unit Crest is the Kowloon planetary flag with a Jade Falcon superimposed.
The current CO of the Hue Cluster is Major (ppStar Captain]]) Phen Mattlov
2nd Battalion-Pride of Ia Drang
Company A. (Green/Reliable) Aviation (VTOL)
Company B. (Green/Reliable) Airborne Infantry
Company C. (Regular/Reliable) Airborne Infantry
Battery D Field Artillery (Regular/Reliable)
Support and Logistics Company(Regular/Reliable)
3rd Battalion-New Saigon
Echo Troop (Regular/Reliable) Armored Cavalry (APC and armored Infantry)
Foxtrot Troop (Regular/Reliable)Armored Cavalry (APC and Armored Infantry)
Golf Troop (Green/Fanatical) Tanks
Hotel Battery (Green/Reliable) Field artillery battery
Support/Logistics Company
4th Battalion-Golden Lake District/Memories of Dinh Diep
India Company (Regular/Reliable) VTOL attack aircraft
Juliet Company (Veteran/Fanatical) Mechanized Infantry
Kilo Company (Regular/Fanatical) Mixed Tank and APC with Infantry
Lima Battery (Green/Fanatical) Field Artillery Battery
Service and Support Company
22nd Wing Aerospace, Kowloon Coast Guard
VF-221 Squadron (Veteran/Fanatical)-12 SL-19KS fighters
VF-222 Squadron (Veteran/Reliable)-12 SL-19KS
VFA-223 Squadron (Veteran/Fanatical) 24 SB-27 Fighter
(Note on designations: VF= Fighter, Air Superiority/multi-mission, VFA= Fighter, Ground Attack and precision bombing)
The 171st Kowloon Volunteers has a history dating back to the 2760's.  Disbanded numerous times over the last 300 years, this most recent incarnation incorporates a clan-style 'Cluster' as one of the Battalions.  Clan influences can be found in the over-all organizational layout, including the usage of 5 man fire teams, 25 man infantry companies, and so on.  Elements retained from prior incarnations include the integration of artillery batteries at the battalion level, the integration of service and support companies at battalion level, and the offloading of most Aerospace support assets to the Coast Guard.  (The Hue Cluster retains its own Aerospace fighter contingent, armed with Visigoth Aerospace fighters.)
Profile: Brigadier (Colonel) Charles Icaza
Charles Icaza is one of the few 'school trained' officers available to Kowloon, with prior service assignments with the LCAF beginning in the 3120s.  He is notable for his physically imposing size and a keen strategic mind.  a 'Trueborn' in the sense of having been the product of Iron Womb technologies and creche' raising in the former Jade Falcon enclave of Hue, Icaza did his five in the LCAF and went home with a reserve commission, which translated into a fairly decent period of service in Kowloon's ground forces militia, where he rose from the rank of Hauptmann (Captain) to the rank of Colonel-of-Reserves before the events of 3143.  Brigadier Icaza is known to have a close personal relationship with Duchess Sharon Ngo, and the two of them have dated off-and-on for several years.  
As an officer, he is considered to be remarkably calm under pressure and focused, and his staff work was rated by LCAF as 'exceptional'.  While an Elemental breed, Icaza is qualified on multiple Battle Armor types including Fenrir, Rottweiler, Clan Elemental, IIInner Sphere Standard"", and ""Gray Death Medium"", but he also holds qualification as a Battlemech pilot and has a certified flight qualification on six airframes including VTOL, Conventional (Propellor), Conventional (Jet and Twin Jet) and Aerospace Shuttle.  His current 'ride' is a desk, but he maintains proficiency with the Blackhawk-KU, Summoner, and Kit Fox as well as the Enfield, as well as maintained proficiency as a Tank Commander.  (this is his idea of being 'well rounded').
On the tactical level, Icaza favors maneuver warfare and deception operations over open field direct engagements, and favors combined arms operations over single-type specialization or dueling (though he is proficient at dueling type engagements).
Quote: "If the fight is fair, we did something wrong."
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===Profile: Duchess Sharon Ngo===
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Profile: Duchess Sharon Ngo
Born: July 22nd, 3110
Family: Elizabeth Ngo (Deceased, Grandmother), Nathan Roshak (Deceased, Grandfather), Amanda Ngo (Deceased, Mother), Gerald von Kaufenberg (Deceased, Father), Caroline (Deceased, Older Sister), Patrick (Uncle, whereabouts unknown).
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Mixed European/Asian
Build: Weightlifter 
MOS: Wet-Naval/Space-Naval officer. (Dual certification)
Education: Coventry Military Academy (2 years), Coast Guard Training Center Giap Island (3 years), Coast Guard Spider Moon (2 years)
Qualifications: 
-Jumpship Navigation
-Dropship Helmsman
-Submersible vessel Navigation
-Damage Control Crewman/Maritime
-Damage control crewman/Space
Armored Infantry
Light Infantry
Jump Qualified
5 year tour in LCAF suspended/Deferment
;Family: Duchess Sharon Ngo is the second daughter of her parents, whose first child died in 3105 after overdosing on heroin. As the second child and second attempt to produce a viable heir, she spent the majority of her childhood with nannies and tutors with much of the rest spent at residential schools with only token visits with her biological parents.
;As Duchess: Sharon Ngo's focus upon achieving her current role, has been entirely local to Kowloon, with a notable disdain for the politics of the rest of the Commonwealth.  Her term as Duchess has seen a push to return to 'the old ways' on Kowloon, including open support for re-militarization and industrial development, the decision to 'ignore' laws passed by the Estates General that impede this, and an emphasis on local self-reliance in terms of industry and economic development.
Lohengrin rates Sharon Ngo as "Unreliable", which is one step up from 'Disloyal'.
Duchess Ngo is known to be in an off-and-on relationship with a subordinate, Colonel (brigadier) Charles Icaza of Hue.
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