Editing Raging Horde

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[File:Raging Horde.png|150px]]
| Designation    = Raging Horde
| formed         = 
| Disbanded      = 
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = 
| Affiliation    = [[Mercenary]]
| Parent Command = Independent
| Sub-Command    = 
}}

==History==
The '''Raging Horde''' is unique among [[mercenary unit|mercenary units]] in that it was founded entirely by a group of ex-Clansmen - specifically, [[Elemental|Elementals]] from several Invasion [[Clans]], although the majority of the Raging Horde came from [[Clan Nova Cat]]. Claiming to follow the visions of their founder, a former Nova Cat named [[Calvin Moon]], the Horde took several contracts across the [[Inner Sphere]].<ref name="MSUp97">''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 97: "The Raging Horde"</ref>

The transition into being mercenaries was difficult for a number of members of the unit, as the [[Clans]] traditionally looked down upon professional soldiers; to help ease the transition and overcome the qualms of those in his unit, Jeremiah West encouraged the Raging Horde's members to maintain Clan customs and beliefs and thereby keep their Clan heritage alive. As a result leadership positions within the Raging Horde were decided by Clan-style [[Trial of Position|Trials of Position]]; this was the route by which a number of personnel from Clan Nova Cat and [[Clan Diamond Shark]] joined the Raging Horde, and the explanation for the two co-leaders of the Raging Horde during the early years of the [[Jihad]] were members of these two Clans.<ref name="MSUp97"/><ref name="MSIIp56"/>

Initially ill suited for the finer points of negotiating employment contracts, the Raging Hordes were reliant upon a lesser nobleman named [[Bartholemew Alexander]], who sponsored the Raging Horde in exchange for a twenty percent management fee; despite his eccentricity, Alexander was able to assist the Raging Hordes in obtaining their first few contracts within the Inner Sphere. Those initial contracts saw the Raging Horde fight against [[Clan Jade Falcon]] and [[Clan Wolf]], and the losses taken during those contracts saw the Raging Horde recruit its first personnel from the Inner Sphere — although only those who could pass the requisite Trials were permitted to join the Horde.<ref name="MSUp97"/><ref name="MSIIp56"/> While Alexander's recommendation that the Horde recruit personnel from the Inner Sphere allowed the Horde to rebuild, it also proved a source of tension between those personnel from the Inner Sphere and those from the various Clans, with occasional conflicts flaring up even as late as [[3067]].<ref name="MSIIp56"/>

The Raging Horde were serving on the [[Federated Suns]] world of [[Lindsay]] in [[3066]] when forces from the [[Taurian Concordat]] overran the world briefly as a part of the Taurian campaign to reclaim the [[Pleiades Cluster]]. When Alexander learned of the Taurian capture of Lindsay he promptly emptied the Raging Horde's bank account and fled [[Galatea]], assuming the worst. When the Raging Horde escaped from Lindsay and learned of Alexander's actions they swore to enact vengeance against him, going so far as to sell two of their four ''[[Sassanid]]''-class [[DropShip]]s to finance their quest for revenge.<ref name="MSUp97"/><ref name="MSIIp56"/>

The Horde's spokesperson, one Captain Caroline, subsequently conducted an interview with [[MercNet]] that generated both new notoriety for the unusual mercenary unit and an influx of experienced [[battle armor]] personnel — including several former Clansmen. The personnel influx gave the Raging Horde access to enough people to rebuild their losses and to expand; after six months of rebuilding the Raging Horde had increased in size to a full [[Cluster]] and began an intense twelve-month training period to acclimatise their new personnel to the Horde's customs and tactics.<ref name="MSUp97"/>

The Raging Horde returned to the mercenary market in June [[3069]], accepting a contract to conduct garrison and cadre training duties on Skye, which was still rebuilding after the brief war between the [[Lyran Alliance]] Bolan and Skye Provinces and the [[Free Worlds League]]. As an incentive, the Skye recruiters offered the location of Bartholomew Alexander; this generated a brief and heated discussion between [[Colonel]] [[Jeremiah West]], [[Major]] Maine and their various subcommanders before the Raging Horde accepted the contract.<ref name="MSUp97"/>

As the Raging Horde assembled to transfer to Skye, the various [[Trinary]] commanders within the Horde conducted a bidding process for the honor of killing Alexander. The overall winner of the bidding process was [[Captain]] [[Jason Henne]], who bid himself, unarmed; as a consequence, when the Horde acted on the intelligence given to them by the Skye government and traveled to [[Callisto V]], Henne departed the ship alone to hunt for Alexander. Henne reportedly found Alexander but spared him when Alexander confessed to his crimes and requested ''[[surkai]]''. Henne returned to the Horde's DropShips with two very large security cases containing the bulk of the Horde's misappropriated funds; Colonel West recognized Henne's success and his tact in completing the mission by formally adopting the Spheroid as a Clan warrior.<ref name="MSUp97"/>

The Raging Horde took advantage of a sweetener offered by Duchess [[Hermione Aten]] when accepting employment on Skye and as a result was one of the first mercenary units to purchase a number of [[Saxon|Saxon APCs]] at a notable discount as a part of their employment contract.<ref name="MSUp146">''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 146: "Saxon APC"</ref>

The Horde survived the [[Word of Blake Jihad]], and, in [[3151]], accepted a contract with the newborn [[Alyina Mercantile League]]. Their knowledge of Clan and Inner Sphere tactics fitted the AML's needs perfectly.<ref>''Tamar Rising'' p. 49</ref> The Horde saw action very shortly, when they were part of the AML's [[Trial of Possession]] for the planet [[Blackjack (system)|Blackjack]]. They needed the planet's training facilities and cadets, and the local commander, Star Colonel [[Derek-Jaim Clees]], agreed. The Horde's commander, Star Colonel [[Murchinson]], played a key role in the bloodless trials, and the AML was victorious.<ref>''Tamar Rising'' pp. 49–50</ref>

==Officers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Rank
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Command
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the Raging Horde'''
|-
| [[Colonel]]||[[Calvin Moon]]||[[3067]]
|-
| Colonel||[[Jeremiah West]]||[[3072]]
|-
| Star Colonel||[[Murchinson]]||[[3151]]
|}

===Notes===
The commanding officer of the Horde in 3067 was Colonel Calvin Moon, a former Nova Cat who led the unit based on his visions of the future; he was a charismatic individual, as evidenced by his ability to form the Raging Horde in the first place. Colonel Moon's XO was Major [[Roberto Maine]], a Clan Diamond Shark warrior who failed his Trial to remain active but who remained adept at infantry tactics, logistics and futures trading and who retained a number of contacts within the Diamond Shark merchant caste.<ref name="MSIIp56"/>

The commanding officers of Omega and Gamma Trinaries at this point were Captain Jason "Verlog" Henne, a giant ex-Com Guard armored infantry officer who left [[ComStar]] after [[Anastasius Focht]] retired, and Captain Caroline "Bulldog" MacIntosh, a former [[Federated Commonwealth]] officer who survived the Civil War and left the FedCom after [[Princess-Regent]] [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion]] returned to power.<ref name="MSIIp56"/>

==Tactics==
The Horde uses a fusion of traditional Inner Sphere and Clan anti-[['Mech]] tactics, utilizing the various abilities of the different kinds of battle armor suits they employ.

==Composition History==
===3067===
'''Raging Horde''' (1 [[Cluster]]/Veteran/Questionable)
* CO/Command Star: [[Colonel]] Calvin Moon
* XO/Alpha Trinary: [[Major]] Roberto Maine
* Omega Trinary: [[Captain]] Jason "Verlog" Henne
* Gamma Trinary: Captain Caroline "Bulldog" MacIntosh
:- At this point in time Omega and Gamma Trinaries were predominantly staffed with Inner Sphere personnel, while Alpha Trinary was still predominantly staffed with Clan personnel. Each Trinary was short approximately a [[Star]], and while the unit was organized along Clan lines, each Star contained either five points of Clan battle armor or four points of Inner Sphere battle armor depending on the makeup of the Star. While the Elemental forces within the Raging Horde used a mix of Elemental battlesuits, the Spheroid troopers were equipped primarily with either [[Longinus]] or [[Infiltrator Mk. II]] suits.<ref name="MSIIp56"/>

===3072===
'''Raging Horde''' (1 Cluster)
* CO: Colonel Jeremiah West
* XO: Major Roberto Maine
- The Horde fields a full five [[Trinary|Trinaries]] of armored infantrymen, equally mixing troopers of Inner Sphere and Clan heritage in each [[Star]].<ref name="MSUp97"/> The Clansmen use [[Elemental (Battle Armor)|Elemental]] suits of various loadouts, while the Spheroids mostly use [[Longinus]] and [[Infiltrator Mk. II]] suits.

Surprisingly, the Horde has enough transport assets to mobilize the entire unit. Aside from a captured ''[[Invader]]''-class [[JumpShip]], they also field two ''Sassanid''-class DropShips — the ''[[Slasher]]'' and the ''[[Pouncer (Individual Sassanid-class DropShip)|Pouncer]]'' — and a single ''[[Triumph]]''-class DropShip, ''[[Stormbringer]]''. Due to battle damage, however, the ''Slasher'' and ''Pouncer'' have had to refit their weapons bays with Inner Sphere equipment instead of their original, superior Clan loadout.<ref name="MSIIp56">''Mercenaries Supplemental II'', p. 56: "Raging Horde: The Mongrel Huns"</ref> The Horde also fields a number of brand-new Saxon personnel carriers.<ref name="MSUp97"/>

==Color Scheme==
The Horde paints all of their battle armor in a red desert camouflage pattern.<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental II'', p. 56</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental II]]''
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental Update]]''
* ''[[Tamar Rising]]''


[[Category:Mercenary Commands]]
[[Category:Non-'Mech Mercenaries]]