| 17th Raven Striker Cluster (The Blood Ravens) |
4 Trinaries/Regular/Reliable Insignia: Beta Galaxy insignia with clouds in shades of red Paint Scheme: Terrain appropriate camouflage with red highlights CO: Star Colonel Conner Siegel
Alpha Mech Trinary
Beta Mech Trinary
Gamma Supernova Trinary
Delta Wing Trinary
Epsilon R-Team
Naval Support
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| Overview |
| As of 3063, the 17th Raven Striker Cluster is a unit
filled with problems and factionalism. When the unit formed from the
remnants of the 17th Solahma Cluster, the solahma troops were kept in
the unit and brought back to frontline duty with new sibko graduates
rounding out the ranks. This has led to resentment on the part of the
younger warriors, who mostly resent being placed in the same Cluster
as a bunch of "slower" older warriors, and a cluster that
uses dishonorable tactics to boot. The solahma, for their part, are
justifiably proud of being in a frontline unit, and tend to either
ignore or resent the younger warriors for being fools. Having seen the
"dishonorable" tactics in action, most of the solahma troops
are enthusiastic converts.
The second problem with the unit is the officers. When Star Colonel Conner Siegel defeated former Star Colonel Edwin McKenna, the latter did not leave the Cluster, but reverted to a trinary command. Conner's other enemies in the unit have also remained, such as Star Captain Uther, commanding Gamma Supernova Trinary. Most of the younger warriors, discontent with Conner's command, have gravitated towards his two enemies, while most of the solahma troops serve with Conner himself in Alpha Trinary. Delta Wing trinary and the naval support units are new to the 17th, having been drawn from Alpha Galaxy. They are neutral in the faction fights, and may perhaps serve to moderate both sides, despite their unfamiliarity with Conner's tactics. |
| Tactics |
| The 17th is an oddity for a Snow Raven Cluster, being extremely
Omnimech heavy, as well as being dominated by a mere four types of
mech - Fire Moths, Vipers, Summoners, and Executioners, as well as a
mere three types of aerospace fighters - Batus, Visigoths, and Scythas.
All units were chosen for their speed and/or their jumping mobility -
one of Conner's key requirements. In addition, the 17th fields it's
own custom configurations on every mech, emphasizing laser weaponry
for lack of resupply problems.
The Cluster as a whole has been trained in Inner Sphere-style tactics: Ambushes, camouflage, teamwork, and an emphasis on fire support. It is common for warriors of the 17th to ignore both batchalls and zellbrigen against all opponents. Alpha Trinary is the heaviest element of the Cluster, and in addition to being Conner Siegel's personal command is also the solahma bastion of the unit, with all but a mere two warriors being held over from the old 17th. The Star Colonel's Executioner SR star most often features not only the Star Colonel's personal mech, but also a pair of primaries, a B, and a C configuration. The Summoner SR stars usually operate with three primary configurations backed by a pair of As. Beta Trinary is the home of most of the discontent against the Star Colonel, being commanded by Edwin McKenna as well as containing nothing but younger warriors. In tactics, Beta is supposed to serve as a multi-role medium trinary, backing up either Alpha or Gamma as the case warrants. In practice, Edwin McKenna often does his own bidding, to the ire of the Star Colonel. Beta's Summoner SR star contains three primary configurations as well as a pair of As. The Viper SR stars contain a pair of primary or A configurations, a pair of Cs, and a B. Gamma Supernova Trinary is a mixed bag. Commanded by a staunch opponent of Conner Siegel, Gamma is split roughly 60/40 between older and newer warriors, which greatly inhibits it's performance in battle. Tactically, Gamma is the most revolutionary of the 17th's units, being trained to operate in pack tactics, shuttling Elementals to the front and then performing hit and run attacks. Gamma's Fire Moth SRs are commonly deployed with a pair of primary configurations as well as an A, B, and C configuration. Delta Wing Trinary is politically neutral, and are adapting quickly to the new tactics - their role is air support for the ground units, which sees them commonly loaded with energy weapons - Batu primes or Bs, Visigoth Bs, and Scytha Bs are popular - as well as Arrow IV missiles or guided bombs. Epsilon R-Team is also politically neutral. Epsilon's personnel vary from mission to mission, as various mechs, different elementals, and different techs are assigned to it. Like many Snow Raven units, the 17th is adept at creating R-Teams on the fly, pulling away a mech or two, some elementals, and rushing out techs in a hover APC or similar vehicle. |
| Deployment |
| The 17th Striker Cluster is currently listed as being deployed on Bearclaw with the rest of Beta Galaxy, but is more often found deployed on raiding missions, especially on Steel Viper units. The 17th Striker Cluster and the 23rd Strike Cluster maintain something of a feud, and elements of one or the other cluster often engage each other. |