The Knights of Montreal

### The First Knights

The Knights of Montreal refers to two power-armored units based out of the city of the same name. During the period after the Two Week War, the original Knights made themselves famous in what would be known afterwards as the Battle of Montreal, in which the Knights fought to halt the Vannai Puppet advance that had exterminated Ottawa. The battle ended with the Puppets defeated, though the city itself was destroyed and the only survivor of the Knights own number was one young pilot named Michael Garcon.
The sacrifice of the Knights might not have saved Montreal, but it did save the rest of Quebec from annihilation, and for this, Garcon inherited the glory, praise and adoration of the surviving French-Canadians. Garcon became an instant celebrity-pilot, albeit a local one, and the fame spurned him to refound the Knights as defenders of the region.

### The Second Knights

Very quickly, however, Garcon's interests became more twisted and selfish as the fame went to the young pilot's head. Rather than a power armored team dedicated to keeping their homeland safe, the new Knights of Montreal became a cult of personality centered around Garcon, the 'Golden Knight'.
Despite the change in character, the Knights did manage to keep Quebec safe, and at no point during the war did the Quebecois encounter the hardship of a VP assault. Each intercepted assault brought fresh waves of praise to Garcon and his Knights, and the arrogant pilot quickly shed whatever veneer of humility he had and began to regard himself not simply as a protector or servant of the Quebecois, but a martial ruler by who's whims and desires did his "realm" continue to prosper. Garcon, at the encouragement of his Knights, chiefly Maximillian Didier, began to harbor political aspirations, feeding the formerly anemic Monarchist elements of the populace into a legitimate party. Garcon would not simply serve Quebec, he now saw fit to rule it.

### Decline Of The Knights And The False Hunt

Garcon and the Knights enjoyed essentially absolute power thanks to being the largest power armored group in the region. They were free to take what they wanted and do as they pleased, but the position they found themselves in as saviors of the country rarely required such behavior. The Quebecois public were more than happy to accommodate the Knights in exchange for continued protection. The Knights in turn regarded themselves less as simple pilots and more as nobles of Garcon's unofficial royal court.
However, as the years went on and VP sightings became fewer and fewer, attitudes began to change. Fearing confrontation, the Knights sought out reasons to continue to validate their role in Quebecois society, leading to the establishment of the Hunt. The Hunt was originally nothing more than a name for sortie operations to "Hunt" for Puppets, but as time went on, the Hunts became less a matter of course and more a stageplay to ooh and aah the public and win their continued worship. Hunts were carefully coordinated and arranged by Didier to minimize any chance of surprise or defeat, with Puppets often being harried for hours by enemies outnumbering them as much as 5:1 or more before the cameras started rolling. The ruse worked flawlessly, and the Knights reputation remained unblemished, fast-tracking Garcon himself to become the monarch of Quebec.
Of course, even this was only a temporary measure. By 2018, most Puppets in North America had been wiped out by the American Coalition's reconquest, while the Quebecois border remained unchanging. Public concern began to turn away from the dwindling existence of the Puppets and more towards the border disputes with the AmC. The expectation became that if war broke out between the two nations, the Knights of Montreal would hold the line against the invaders just as they always had.
Garcon found this prospect far from satisfying, but the situation was beyond his control, having more to do directly with the respective governments between the two nations rather than anything a celebrity like himself could manage. Despite their reputation as an elite unit, none of the Knights had done any serious fighting for several years, and had become complacent fighting weakened, outnumbered and feral enemies.
Eager to find a way to delay facing the Coalition, Garcon's prayers were answered by the arrival of a Dark Wanderer his Knights had encountered seeking passage north. In exchange for continued safety and anonymity, the wanderer designed a machine with the ability to destroy and distort cyberbrain data, turning the unfortunate victim into what was, at least as far as anyone observing would be concerned, a Puppet.
Using this "Dragon", Garcon was able to stage a continued trickle of "Puppet" activity over the border area that kept the Coalition disinterested and the public enthralled, while also allowing him to conveniently dispose of any potential rivals to his control.

### The Knights Exterminated

Not everyone was as enamored with Garcon and the Knights as he preferred to think, however. There were intense anti-monarchist sentiments in the existing government, who felt that Garcon's position, attitude and actions would eventually lead to a costly and unnecessary war with the Coalition. Secret dealings were worked with both the AmC and ACC to enact an elaborate assassination plot, which would be known as Operation Sympathy Take Me To Darkness in AC's records. Although each faction attempted to manipulate aspects of the plan to their gain, the two pilots entrusted with the mission were able to accomplish the goal of eliminating Garcon, as well as all of the Knights, paving the way clear for Quebec's annexation into the American Coalition.