Editing Lawrence Dade

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{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = 
| caption             = 
| name                = Lawrence Dade
| birthdate           = [[3004]]<ref name=BAW>''Bad and Worse''</ref>
| died                = 
| othernames          = The One-Arm Bandit
| affiliation         = [[Federated Suns]]
| rank                = [[Captain]]<ref name=BAW/>
| title               = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}

'''Lawrence Dade''', aka "Bandit" or "The One-Arm Bandit", was a [[captain]] in the [[33rd Avalon Hussars|Thirty-third Avalon Hussars]] before later becoming a [[mercenary]] and then a [[pirate]].<ref name=BAW/>

==History==
===Federated Suns career===
Dade was a [[Federated Suns]] MechWarrior. He served his first tour in the [[CMM]], where he received high marks and performance evaluations. Thanks to this, he was assigned to the Thirty-third Avalon Hussars, who were sent on an offensive operation, his first battle. This was the assault of [[Liao III]] during the invasion of the [[Capellan Confederation]] at the beginning of the [[Fourth Succession War]], the day of his twenty-fourth birthday. He was piloting a ''[[Commando]]'' BattleMech, but he lost an arm on his 'Mech and was knocked down at the beginning of the combat by a Liao ''[[Rifleman]]''.<ref name=BAW/>

When he awakened, he found a squad of Liao infantry trying to open his cockpit. Dade managed to stand his ''Commando'' up, scattering the infantry. After recovering his 'Mech's arm, he searched for his target, a militia command post. There he surprised three empty 'Mechs, a ''[[Cyclops]]'', a ''[[Cicada]]'' and a ''[[Vindicator]]'', managing to down them all, preventing the pilots from boarding them, and taking the post; he held it until reinforcements arrived. After ending the battle, he was dubbed ''The One-Armed Bandit'', and considered a hero. His superiors gave him the ''Cicada'', a medal, and eventually promoted to captain.<ref name=BAW/>

By [[3032]], Dade had become too arrogant and was returned to the CMM. On [[New Syrtis]], he began drinking too much and fighting drunken brawls... until he killed a militia lieutenant, being dishonorably discharged and losing his 'Mech. He never drink alcohol again, but it was too late to save his career.

===Career as Mercenary===
Bandit, searching to became mercenary, traveled to [[Galatea]], but being dispossessed, spent months searching for a job, making a living working for prostitutes and pimps. Finally, a small unit named the [[Hades Irregulars]] recruited him, giving him a barely functional ''Panther''.

In [[3036]], the Irregulars traveled to a Periphery planet called [[Black Earth]] to protect a smelter. Soon they were attacked by an unnamed pirate gang much stronger than his unit. The Irregulars' leader was killed, and the rest were forced to flee. The Bandit's 'Mech, which, ironically, again lacked an arm, was pursued by a pirate ''[[Jenner]]'' and only managed to escape by downing a tree on top of it.<ref name=BAW/>

Bandit and the other two 'Mech survivors, Wang and Adebayo, met up, waiting for the pirates to depart. Later, the mining company which had contracted them wasn't happy with them and canceled the contract, but later contracted them again to protect the smelter and perform construction work with their 'Mechs.

Two months later, the same pirate group attacked the planet again, and the Irregulars, as they weren't contracted, simply stayed out of the fight. A former Irregular, which had joined the pirates, contacted them and made them an offer to join their groups, as he had done. Only Bandit accepted, turning pirate.<ref name=BAW/>

===Career as Pirate===
The pirates were a former mercenary group called [[Ralston's Raiders]], led by a Colonel Ralston, with their base at a Periphery planet called [[Homebase]], where they lived and cared from the population.<ref name=BAW/>

In [[3038]], Bandit was forced to kill his lance commander, Lieutenant Marquez, to prevent him killing civilians during a raid. The loss of Marquez's ''[[Centurion]]'' delayed his 'Mech's purchase of an arm, but also made him the Raiders' executive officer.<ref name=BAW/>

By 3049, the Bandit, who had finally obtained a new arm for his 'Mech but was still called the One-Arm Bandit, was returning from his third command of a raid, when Homebase was threatened by an unknown force led by [[Star Captain]] [[Ramsey Littleton]]; calling themselves [[Clan Jade Falcon]], they contacted the Bandit.<ref name=BAW/>

Bandit had the option to flee, but ultimately chose to protect his people, agreeing to fight the invaders with all that they had. Ramsey sent the Falcons' attacking force composition. Fearing something would go wrong, Bandit finished his journal and sent it to his JumpShip before descending to fight.<ref name=BAW/>

==Legacy==
Dade's chronicle bounced around for years, until, in [[3057]], the [[Lyran Commonwealth|Lyran]] historian [[Misha Auburn]] found it, verified it, and managed to identify the Bandit's real name nad prove its veridity. She suspected Dade's group was the first in the [[Periphery]] to be attacked during the [[Clan Invasion]], and wanted to publish his memories in the ''Nagelring Journal of Military History'', which would rescue him from the oblivion into which he and his people had fallen.<ref name=BAW/>

==BattleMech==
Lawrence Dade's first [[BattleMech|'Mech]] was a ''[[Commando]]'', later a ''[[Cicada]]'', and finally a [[House Kurita|Kuritan]] ''[[Panther]]''.<ref name=BAW/>

==References ==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Bad and Worse]]'' (short story)


[[Category:Mercenary Characters|Dade, Lawrence]]
[[Category:Pirates||Dade, Lawrence]]