Editing Wannamaker's Widowmakers

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	In late [[3077]] the [[Twelfth Atrean Dragoons]] fought the Widowmakers on [[Outreach]]. This battle was the first time the [[Kopis]] battle armor was used in combat.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3085'', p. 12</ref>		In late [[3077]] the [[Twelfth Atrean Dragoons]] fought the Widowmakers on [[Outreach]]. This battle was the first time the [[Kopis]] battle armor was used in combat.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3085'', p. 12</ref>
		+
		+	===Description===
		+	The Widowmakers paint their machines black, with a red spider-like mask (rumored to have changed from gold due to Major Wannamaker’s resentment towards the Dragoons, and the possibility of a feud) painted over the faces of the unit’s BattleMechs and the fighters’ engine cowlings. <ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 64</ref> As a command, the Widowmakers nearly died over [[Outreach]] before ever setting foot inside a Hiring Hall when a [[Wolf’s Dragoons]] WarShip destroyed part of the incoming force over a communications mishap. According to Major Cheryl Wannamaker, this accidental destruction of half of her Widowmakers — with no apology or restitution from the overprotective Dragoons—took a promising up-and-coming outfit and turned it into yet another hard-luck case. Despite this, her mercenaries slowly rebuilt by absorbing the remnants of other shattered commands and accepting short-term contracts from the [[Chaos March]] to the [[Taurian Concordat]].
		+
		+	{{Plagiarism|All of the remaining text in this section is a complete copy and paste from Mercenaries Supplemental Update}}
		+
		+	After numerous appeals to the [[MRBC]] regarding the [[Outreach]] incident, Major Wannamaker pulled her command from the [[MRBC]]’s rolls and set up shop on [[Galatea]]. Rebuffed by both [[Lyran Alliance]] and [[FedSuns]] representatives during the FedCom war, the Widowmakers took over as a garrison force on [[Galatea]] when [[Group W]] left and were still in place when the [[Word of Blake]] approached them in [[3068]].
		+
		+	Impressed by the sheer power and audacity of the Word in hammering the Dragoons both at
		+	[[Mars]] and on [[Outreach]] (rumor has it that the Widowmakers threw a massive party upon hearing
		+	news of the Outreach assault), Major Wannamaker jumped at the offer to garrison worlds in the
		+	[[Blake Protectorate]]. The Blakes relocated the mercenaries to [[Epsilon Eridani]] to help train the new
		+	Protectorate forces there. As part of their payment, the Widowmakers were supplied with brand-new equipment,
		+	including two [[Union]] DropShips to help transport the command. Eager to take advantage of the Word’s technological edge, the
		+	Widowmakers began trading their older machines for newer Blake models. Unfortunately, Major Wannamaker neglected to read the fine
		+	print of their long-term contract and was shocked to discover that much of the new equipment was on credit, rather than a free exchange.
		+	Resigned to a company store fate, she determined to make the best of a bad situation.
		+	Informing her fellow warriors of the matter, she offered to buy out any warriors who wished to leave. Only two Widowmakers took
		+	the major up on her offer—both of whom died in a tragic shuttle mishap a short time later. The remaining Widowmakers, realizing that
		+	they were in the best position they had ever been in despite the company store, determined to stick it out.
		+	In late [[3070]], the [[Word of Blake]]—impressed by the Widowmakers’ training performance on several Protectorate worlds—rewarded
		+	Wannamaker’s command with a unique garrison posting: [[Outreach]]. Nominally assigned as a garrison unit, the Widowmakers were given
		+	a large range of latitude with the posting, allowed to keep half of any salvageable technology found among the ruins of the Dragoon and
		+	[[Blackwell Heavy Industries|Blackwell]] factories on [[Remus]], where they were stationed. To encourage this effort, the Word even supplied the unit with several  [[Oppie]] Class HazMat vehicles.
		+	The Widowmakers have encountered little guerrilla activity on [[Outreach]] since their arrival in January of this year. In February, however,
		+	a company of vehicles managed to distract the bulk of the command’s forces near a salvaging operation, allowing a small team of
		+	[[Seventh Kommando]]s to infiltrate and steal the computer core the Blake mercenaries were in the midst of recovering. The guerrillas also
		+	made off with one of the Widowmakers’ [[Blue Flame]]s that was on “ready-five” status. Embarrassed by this thievery, Major Wannamaker
		+	has begun rounding up the inhabitants of the local refugee camps and herding them at gunpoint to the shattered remains of [[Blackwell
		+	Corporation]]’s VIP retreat center. Reportedly, she intends to hold them there until the [[Word of Blake]] returns with another supply shipment,
		+	though one has yet to arrive, even ten months later. <ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 117</ref>
	==Officers==		==Officers==

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{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand | image = [[File:Wannamaker's Widowmakers.jpg|150px]] | Designation = Wannamaker's Widowmakers | Formed = ca [[3054]] | Disbanded = | Previous Designation = | Nickname = | Affiliation = [[Mercenary]] | Parent Command = Independent | Sub-Command = }} ==History== ===Troubled Beginnings=== Founded by [[Oberon Confederation]] native [[Major]] [[Cheryl Wannamaker]], the newly-formed '''Wannamaker's Widowmakers''' were heading to the Hiring Hall on [[Outreach]] when they made the disastrous choice to arrive via a [[Pirate Point]] above the planet. The blunder was compounded by the Widowmakers' ''[[Union]]''-class [[DropShip]] suffering a radio failure and a lack of knowledge as to the proper approach protocol. The unit was unaware they were entering restricted airspace above Remus and assumed the ''[[Congress#Named_Vessels|WDS Beowulf]]'' off their port side was merely an escort. Still continuing on their course, the [[WarShip]] opened fire, ultimately destroying the Widowmakers' DropShip and inflicting heavy losses on the newborn unit.<ref name=FMM-13>''Field Manual: Mercenaries", p. 13 "Slamming the Door Closed"</ref> <ref name=FMM-93>''Field Manual: Mercenaries", p. 93 "Wannamaker's Widowmakers"</ref><ref>''Mercenary's Handbook 3055'', p. 6</ref> An enraged Wannamaker pushed the [[Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission]] for compensation and censure of the Dragoons, but the MRBC refused, insisting the Widowmakers were in the wrong for not heaving to at the sight of a WarShip, or sending a shuttle to explain their communications problems, and reprimanding the JumpShip captain for using a pirate point. Bitter and frustrated, the Widowmakers salvaged what they could and took the first contract that would get them off Outreach. <ref name=FMM-93/> Rebuilding on the fly over the next two years, Major Wannamaker recruited members of other shattered commands and increased the Widowmakers’ integrity and experience by taking small, short-term contracts first in the [[Chaos March]] and later in the [[Periphery]]. The accident in orbit of Outreach left Major Cheryl Wannamaker with a deep hatred against the [[MRBC]] and [[Wolf's Dragoons]]. ===FedCom Civil War=== As the [[Federated Commonwealth]] slid ever closer toward civil war, the Widowmakers—fresh from a long pirate-hunting stint for the [[Taurian Concordat]] approached representatives from both sides for possible employment, only to be rebuffed in favor of commands perceived to be more reliable. Undaunted by this setback, Major Wannamaker continued advertising for employment, and the Widowmakers moved back to the [[Inner Sphere]] to set up shop on [[Galatea]]. Arriving after [[Group W]] finished putting down planetwide riots that broke out shortly before the start of the [[FedCom Civil War]], the Widowmakers hired on with Galatean City authorities and helped to keep the peace in the wake of [[Group W]]’s departure, remaining there ever since. Wannamaker, however, was said to be negotiating a lucrative offer for work in the [[Chaos March]] again, and may be taking her unit off [[Galatea]] soon. Major Cheryl Wannamaker’s grudge against Wolf’s Dragoons still simmers. In 3061, she officially pulled the Widowmakers from the MRBC and closed their offices in the Dragoons’ Hiring Hall after moving to Galatea, having had her fill of what she termed “Dragoon hypocrisy.” Though the resulting loss of their official mercenary rating has hampered their ability to find work (the Widowmakers have yet to reregister, even with the Galatean MRBC office), Major Wannamaker maintains the attitude that the less her unit has to do with Wolf’s Dragoons, the better.<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 64</ref> ===The Jihad=== The Widowmakers were hired by the Word of Blake to train [[Protectorate Militia]] divisions on [[Epsilon Eridani]]. The contract included a provision for new equipment, including ''[[Union]]''-class DropShips. However the equipment wasn't a straight swap, but a credit. This led the Widowmakers into the company store syndrome. In late 3070 they were ordered to relocate to Outreach.<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 117</ref> While garrisoning Outreach, the Widowmakers salvaged Dragoon equipment and sold it to other mercenary groups.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade'', pp. 8, 96</ref><ref>''Starterbook: Wolf and Blake'', p. 18</ref> In [[3071]] they were working in a salvage area of a detachment trying to salvage a [[Blackwell]] computer core that had survived the Blakist bombardments. But just prior to being able to take it, Wolf's Dragoons survivors attacked them and recovered the computer core, even salvaging one of the Widowmakers' new [[Blue Flame]]s.<ref name=WW_Outreach>''BattleCorps: INN Newscast (Solaris Broadcasting Co. section), news item published [03/03/3071]: "Widowmakers Fail Again"''</ref> The Wannamaker's Widowmakers acted as the Blakist garrison on [[Outreach]] for years during the Jihad, until the liberation of Outreach in late [[3077]]; it was discovered by the allied coalition forces that during the course of their garrison duties on Outreach, the Widowmakers had suffered heavy casualties at the hands of a rebel group named the Four Horsemen, led by an individual using the name [[Tara Lucas (31st c.)|Tara Lucas]].<ref name="JHS:Tp53">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 53, "Outreach Freed"</ref> They also lost several DropShips to the surviving members of the [[Seventh Kommando]] who were on Outreach.<ref>''Starterbook: Wolf and Blake'', p. 19</ref> In late [[3077]] the [[Twelfth Atrean Dragoons]] fought the Widowmakers on [[Outreach]]. This battle was the first time the [[Kopis]] battle armor was used in combat.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3085'', p. 12</ref> ===Description=== The Widowmakers paint their machines black, with a red spider-like mask (rumored to have changed from gold due to Major Wannamaker’s resentment towards the Dragoons, and the possibility of a feud) painted over the faces of the unit’s BattleMechs and the fighters’ engine cowlings. <ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 64</ref> As a command, the Widowmakers nearly died over [[Outreach]] before ever setting foot inside a Hiring Hall when a [[Wolf’s Dragoons]] WarShip destroyed part of the incoming force over a communications mishap. According to Major Cheryl Wannamaker, this accidental destruction of half of her Widowmakers — with no apology or restitution from the overprotective Dragoons—took a promising up-and-coming outfit and turned it into yet another hard-luck case. Despite this, her mercenaries slowly rebuilt by absorbing the remnants of other shattered commands and accepting short-term contracts from the [[Chaos March]] to the [[Taurian Concordat]]. {{Plagiarism|All of the remaining text in this section is a complete copy and paste from Mercenaries Supplemental Update}} After numerous appeals to the [[MRBC]] regarding the [[Outreach]] incident, Major Wannamaker pulled her command from the [[MRBC]]’s rolls and set up shop on [[Galatea]]. Rebuffed by both [[Lyran Alliance]] and [[FedSuns]] representatives during the FedCom war, the Widowmakers took over as a garrison force on [[Galatea]] when [[Group W]] left and were still in place when the [[Word of Blake]] approached them in [[3068]]. Impressed by the sheer power and audacity of the Word in hammering the Dragoons both at [[Mars]] and on [[Outreach]] (rumor has it that the Widowmakers threw a massive party upon hearing news of the Outreach assault), Major Wannamaker jumped at the offer to garrison worlds in the [[Blake Protectorate]]. The Blakes relocated the mercenaries to [[Epsilon Eridani]] to help train the new Protectorate forces there. As part of their payment, the Widowmakers were supplied with brand-new equipment, including two [[Union]] DropShips to help transport the command. Eager to take advantage of the Word’s technological edge, the Widowmakers began trading their older machines for newer Blake models. Unfortunately, Major Wannamaker neglected to read the fine print of their long-term contract and was shocked to discover that much of the new equipment was on credit, rather than a free exchange. Resigned to a company store fate, she determined to make the best of a bad situation. Informing her fellow warriors of the matter, she offered to buy out any warriors who wished to leave. Only two Widowmakers took the major up on her offer—both of whom died in a tragic shuttle mishap a short time later. The remaining Widowmakers, realizing that they were in the best position they had ever been in despite the company store, determined to stick it out. In late [[3070]], the [[Word of Blake]]—impressed by the Widowmakers’ training performance on several Protectorate worlds—rewarded Wannamaker’s command with a unique garrison posting: [[Outreach]]. Nominally assigned as a garrison unit, the Widowmakers were given a large range of latitude with the posting, allowed to keep half of any salvageable technology found among the ruins of the Dragoon and [[Blackwell Heavy Industries|Blackwell]] factories on [[Remus]], where they were stationed. To encourage this effort, the Word even supplied the unit with several [[Oppie]] Class HazMat vehicles. The Widowmakers have encountered little guerrilla activity on [[Outreach]] since their arrival in January of this year. In February, however, a company of vehicles managed to distract the bulk of the command’s forces near a salvaging operation, allowing a small team of [[Seventh Kommando]]s to infiltrate and steal the computer core the Blake mercenaries were in the midst of recovering. The guerrillas also made off with one of the Widowmakers’ [[Blue Flame]]s that was on “ready-five” status. Embarrassed by this thievery, Major Wannamaker has begun rounding up the inhabitants of the local refugee camps and herding them at gunpoint to the shattered remains of [[Blackwell Corporation]]’s VIP retreat center. Reportedly, she intends to hold them there until the [[Word of Blake]] returns with another supply shipment, though one has yet to arrive, even ten months later. <ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 117</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 Wannamaker's Widowmakers''' |- | [[Major]]||[[Cheryl Wannamaker]]||[[3055]] - [[3077]]<ref name= FMMercsp111/> |- |} ==Tactics== Since acquiring two lances of light and medium [[BattleMechs]], Wannamaker’s Widowmakers has slowly learned to use reconnaissance to their advantage. During their most recent contract for the [[Taurian Concordat]], these scout lances provided advance warning of an attempted flanking maneuver by pirate forces, allowing the Widowmakers to prepare for them. The unit use light and medium 'Mechs as protection of the flanks and for reconnaissance. Forged from constant training as an OpFor for various Protectorate forces, Major Wannamaker has put together a cohesive battle force from the remnants of many shattered commands. Now a reinforced battalion, heavily equipped with advanced technology, the Widowmakers have become extremely adept at utilizing C3i systems and have managed to integrate these systems in both reconnaissance missions and the preparation and execution of deadly ambushes. Wannamaker has also been using these skills to further her prospecting operations on Outreach, looking forward to the next eighteen months of the Widowmakers’ garrison assignment.<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 117</ref> ==Support== The Widowmakers have enough technical support for the entire unit but lack sufficient [[DropShip]] assets and must hire additional transport capacity when needed. ==Composition History== ===3059=== '''Wannamaker’s Widowmakers''' (1 Company/Green/Questionable) <ref name= FMMercsp111/> :* CO: Major Cheryl Wannamaker <ref name= FMMercsp111/> : Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on [[Epsilon Indi]]. <ref name = FMMercsp111 >'' Field Manual: Mercenaries'', p. 111</ref> ===3067=== *'''Wannamaker's Widowmakers''' (1 [[Battalion]]/Green/Reliable) ** CO: [[Major]] Cheryl Wannamaker ** XO: [[Captain]] Tomas Vokoun *'''Wannamaker's Flying Widowmakers''' (1 Element/Regular/Reliable) ** Wing Commander: [[Lieutenant]] Shawna White ==Notes== * The Widowmakers paint their machines black, the unit's insignia is a gold spider-like mask painted over the face of their [[BattleMech]]s and the engine cowling of their [[aerospace fighter]]s. They may have swapped to red to signify their feud with Wolf's Dragoons.<ref name=FMM-93/> * The main force are heavy and assault designs. The first thing Wing Commander Shawna White did when the Widowmakers signed with the Word was to upgrade both of her fighters and purchase an additional four. Indeed, a large part of the reason the mercenaries are so indebted to the Blakes is because of this spending spree. The massive upgrade has definitely increased the mercenaries’ deadliness in the air, augmented by constant training—partially in punishment—that has seamlessly integrated these aerospace assets with the lighter recon elements of the ground-based Widowmakers. ==References== <references /> ==Bibliography== * ''[[List of Solaris Broadcasting Co. articles#Widowmakers Fail Again|BattleCorps Solaris Broadcasting Co., 03/03/3071: "Widowmakers Fail Again"]]'' * ''[[Field Manual: Mercenaries]]'' * ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]'' * ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental]]'' * ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental Update]]'' * ''[[Mercenary's Handbook 3055]]'' * ''[[Starterbook: Wolf and Blake]]'' * ''[[Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade]]'' * ''[[Technical Readout: 3085]]'' [[Category:Mercenary Commands|Wannamaker's Widowmakers]]

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