My unit from the Jihad and from my AU, Trinary in the Jihad, Cluster/Keshik in AU
Clan Nova Cat Non-Canon Unit
The Nova Cat Watch Trinary: Cats of War
The ‘Cats at War’ were formed in the wake of Clan Nova Cat’s Adjournment from Clan Space in 3060 and the Nova Cats joining of the newly reformed Star League Defence Force. Throughout his journeys and battles against the forces of the Inner Sphere Khan Santin West had always been an admirer of Inner Sphere Special Forces. Discussing this with saKhan Karl Devalis they decided that the Nova Cats would form their own Special Forces Cluster which would be attached to the Watch, the Clans Intelligence Wing, and would operate individually of any other unit.
In Early 3061 the command was formed under Star Colonel Elizabeth Radick, formerly a Clan Wolf Solahma Warrior Elizabeth had been captured from the Crusader Wolves in a deep raid, Elizabeth had never fitted into the Nova Cat’s Warden leanings and the Watch Special Forces team and her seemed to be the perfect match. A unit that had been specifically built to combat Inner Sphere special forces teams and pirate forces and a warrior who hated the Inner Sphere and everything it had done to the Nova Cats.
Unfortunately the Khans of Clan Nova Cat regretted this decision, in May 3061 the Cluster on a deep space training mission encountered Vance Rezak’s: Band of the Damned. Vance Rezak feeling opportunistic assaulted the Clansmen after several hours he realised his force was doing little damage and ordered a retreat. As the pirate force retreats under the massed firepower of the Clansmen Elizabeth became infuriated. Instead of reporting the attacks and returning to their Periphery base she ordered the Watch Trinary to give chase and destroy the Band of the Damned. The Nova Cats chased the Damned to a small periphery colony unclaimed by anyone there they engaged the Damned and were winning until unknown reinforcements arrived and opened fire on the unit killing all but a Stars worth of warriors before the Nova Cats could escape the planet and system.
Returning to the Irece and without proof that it was not just a simple pirate unit that destroyed the unit Khan Santin West ordered the unit decommissioned. Following this action Khan Santin West declared that the Nova Cats couldn’t afford such a loss against such a pitiful opponent’ despite Radick’s claims that there was another unknown force present. Elizabeth Radick was stripped of her rank before she could declare a Trial of Grievance she was killed by MechWarrior Canin, the other surviving MechWarrior of the debacle against Rezak‘s Pirates. With Elizabeth Radick dead and the Khans unwilling to reform the unit all this all but signalled the end of the unit with the remaining survivors and equipment transferred to other units.
The unit remained consigned to history for five years until July 3066 when a survivor of the unit’s first mission MechWarrior Canin Rosse gained the rank of Star Colonel in the Nova Cat Touman during the Ghost Bear War. Canin Rosse challenged the Khans of Clan Nova Cat to a Trial of Possession for the unit claiming that a vision had given him reason, Khan West vetoed the Trial however because of the ongoing war. Following the War Khan West, himself a strong believer in visions, turned to Star Colonel Canin Rosse and gave him what he wanted without a Trial. Although not at the same scale as before, now the unit would only be a Trinary in strength, West did give Rosse the pick of the Nova Cat Touman to form the unit and by November 3067 and the Star League Conference on Tharkad the unit is formed and once more on the secret Nova Cat Periphery Training Base.
In 3070 when Khan West had a vision of a man named Devlin Stone who would end the Word of Blake’s Jihad and bring peace to the Inner Sphere the Watch Trinary were reassigned to the Nova Cat’s Delta Galaxy under the command of the Clan’s, saKhan Karl Devalis. Along with the rest of Delta Galaxy, and several Nova Cat WarShips, the Watch Trinary then disappeared off the scopes only to reappear over Kittery on the Federated Suns/Capellan Confederation border in the region claimed by Devlin Stone known as the Kittery Prefecture. Why the Watch has been assigned to this unit is unknown as is the whole reason for the Nova Cats being on Kittery.
The Watch Trinary use a plain black paint scheme with dark-blue highlights for their main camouflage scheme although recently units using gold, green and black striping has been seen as well. The Insignia of the Watch Trinary is officially a single Nova Cat sitting staring into the dark, which is eerily similar to that of Tau Galaxy. However considering Star Colonel Rosse’s nickname many have added a silhouette of a Nova Cat staring straight into an upturned top hat
OFFICERS
Star Colonel Canin Rosse was eighteen when Elizabeth Radick lead the unit against Vance Rezak. Other than Radick, Canin was the only MechWarrior to survive the battle. Following the decommissioning of the Watch Cluster and his back reassignment to the Nova Cat’s regular Touman Canin’s career continued to rise. He gained the Rosse Bloodname in a Trial of Bloodright just six months later following a successful operation against pirate forces trying to play the Nova Cats against the local DCMS forces, a group the Nova Cat Watch eventually linked to the Black Dragon Society. Over the next five years he raised in rank until the Dracois Combine/Ghost Bear Dominion War where during his time with Delta Galaxy saKhan Karl Devalis, Delta Galaxy’s Commander, gave him a chance to win the rank of Star Colonel. Canin took the chance and as soon as he had won his Trial of Position he immediately challenged the Khans for the right to reform the Watch Cluster claiming a vision was driving him forward. Following the end of the War Khan West granted the request without Trial. With the dawning of the Jihad and the horrors beginning to be unleashed on the Nova Cat Clan Canin Rosse knows he will get plenty of opportunities to repay the saKhan for his belief in him.
Other than being regarded as one of the Clan’s most capable heavy Mech pilots Canin Rosse also has the distinction of being one of the first MechWarriors to pilot the Dragon Cat OmniMech in the field. During a training exercise when Canin Rosse lead the Command Star to victory over both other stars separately and collectively. One of the victorious warriors noted that Canin was the ‘Top Cat’ of the unit, the nickname stuck and one of the warriors pasted a cartoon picture from the twentieth century on every Mech.
Star Captain Jennifer Nova Cat is the next generation of Nova Cat Trueborns and is considered to be a ristar like her commander, at seventeen years old she was already a Star Captain passing her Trial of Position almost six months before her eighteenth birthday. On turning eighteen and due an assignment many were shocked when she accepted the Watch assignment without complaint, the Watch is generally considered be a backwards assignment with no advancement. Within the Trinary there is a rumour that she is involved in a relationship with Canin Rosse although a serious romantic relationship between trueborns is almost unheard of even among the Nova Cats, which is one of the most liberal of the Clans, this could explain Jennifer‘s choice to join the unit. Now that the Watch Trinary has been assigned to Delta Galaxy and the Galaxy has been fielded so far from Nova Cat space the Watch Trinary is no longer seen as a backwater assignment.
TACTICS
The Watch Trinary use a unique structure for their Force Composition with each of the three Stars being formed around a Mech, Four Vehicles and Ten Battle Armour Suits. This structure is the brainchild of Star Colonel Canin Rosse, he hopes it will give them more flexibility and killing strength when fighting opponents although it is completely untested.
SUPPORT
Considered a front-line unit by the Nova Cat Leadership the Watch Trinary has 100% support by some of the best techs in the Nova Cat Touman, several were formerly part of the Research and Development team on Avon. For transport the Trinary has a Tramp-class JumpShip, named Watchman, modified with an HPG transmitter and heavier armour along with three Broadsword A1-class Transport DropShip. The Broadsword A1 was created specifically for this unit and each is able to transport a single combined-arms Star.
Command Star (Fighting Past Ghosts)
SPECIAL
Star/Elite/Fanatical
CO: Star Colonel Canin ’Top Cat’ Rosse
Outfitted with some of the Nova Cat’s finest/newest tech the Command Star is led by a seventy ton Dragon Cat OmniMech piloted by the unit commander, Canin Rosse. Supporting the Star Colonel are two factory new fifty ton SM1 Tank Destroyers. Although known as ‘Suicide Machines’ by some, the warriors of these hover-tanks regard their assignments with great pride and have proven deadly in combat simulations working closely with the two seventy ton Shoden Assault Tanks which cover their rapid assaults with massed Advanced Tactical Missiles. Rounding out the Star are two points of ten Standard Elemental Battle Armour Suits which are extensively trained at knee-capping Mechs with Satchel Charges.
Alpha Star (Looking for Future Trouble)
SPECIAL
Star/Veteran/Fanatical
CO/Trinary XO: Star Captain Jennifer Nova Cat
Star Captain Jennifer pilots one of the new Conjuror 3 (Hellhound) while a pair of Svantovit Infantry Support Tanks and a pair of Tyr Infantry Support Tanks provide the armour support for the Mech and give the units battle armour full mechanised support making Alpha Star the perfect mobile reserve over open ground, in situations of broken ground however these units are relegated to a support roll as they are unable to traverse broken terrain in their Hovercraft. The Battle Armour of Alpha are ten Clan Standard Battle Armour, the Nova Cats newest Battle Armour. Star Captain Jennifer is also the Trinary’s communications expert and has extensively modified her BattleMech with electronics making it one of the most expensive/and complicated Mechs in existence.
Beta Star (Supporting the Team)
SPECIAL
Star/Veteran/Fanatical
CO: Star Commander Cameron Nova Cat
Star Commander Cameron is an Elemental Warrior leads the Star and his point of Void Battle Armour, the units second battle armour point is five freeborn warriors outfitted in Infiltrator Mk II suits. It is unknown where the Nova Cats were able to acquire five of the Federated Suns premier Battle Armour suit however the five freeborn users of this battle armour have shown they are extremely effective with the design defeating regular Elementals in trials and even the defeating heavier Gnome suits using the Infiltrator II‘s impressive Magshot Gauss Rifle. The vehicles of Beta are Inner Sphere produced, a pair of ninety-five ton Alacorn Mk VI Heavy Tanks and a pair of eighty ton Shrillton Assault Tanks together they provide devastating long range weapons fire that can only be defeated with massed rushing assaults. The Mech of Beta Star fits nearly perfectly with the other units of the star, a brand new ninety ton Supernova 2 Assault BattleMech which excels in support missions with its massed Advance Tactical Missile Launchers and can act as a perfect anchor sitting between the vehicle formations providing the support vehicles with heavy support when needed.
EDIT: What if Timeline
In the What if Timeline the Watch Unit is formed on Tortuga Prime deep inside the Nova Cat’s Den under the command of Star Captain Canin Rosse. It begins as a simple Trinary one Mech star, one vehicles star and one battle armour star. Following a year of training with the Fox’s Teeth company of the Federated Suns now-Star Colonel Canin Rosse transfers the unit into a three Trinary Cluster using the same format as the Watch Trinary. With a command star and a star of aerospace fighters.
Following a year in the Federated Suns training with various units and fighting in the Capellan Confederation the unit returns with a Limp Sword Award, a St Ives Diamond and a Syrtis Medal of Honour and a Conquistador-class DropShip as a gift from the AFFS.
With Canin Rosse ascending to the rank of saKhan Canin Rosse decided to take the Watch Cluster as his command Keshik in Delta Galaxy and added a star of ProtoMechs brining the unit to four Trinaries. Three at above set up and one with a mixed star like the rest of the unit, a star of OmniFighters and a Star of ProtoMechs. With the modified Conquistador which became the Vanguard-class the Cluster is entirely mobile with one DropShip and is one of the largest and hardest hitting Keshiks in all the Clans. The unit uses purely Clan Tech.
Hope you enjoy
