Leopold Ransom: Duke of Alcyone Alsun II is ruled by Duke Leopold of Alcyone, eleventh of his line in a peerage created in 2807 by Paul Davion. Almost a century later, Alcyone fell to the growing strength of House Liao, though there were whispered hints of treason by the then Duke of Alcyone, Fenris Ransom. Liao Planetary governors ruled Alcyone through the line of Alcyone Dukes, maintaining the line in order to maintain their legitimacy. Only recently, military reversals against House Liao at Redfield and Stein's Folly have resulted in House Davion's securing a firm foothold in this system. Duke Leopold is not popular with the people he rules. Though he publicly supported Hanse Davion and led the call for reunification with the Federated Suns after Redfield, it is widely rumored that the move was designed to save his own skin, that he is, in fact, still in the pay of Liao agents and secretly working against the interests of the ever-popular Prince Hanse Davion. Davion himself has never acknowledged these rumors, though he has certainly heard them. Publicly, at least, Leopold is Davion's faithful servant, and Davion has confirmed him as the designated ruler of Alsun II. Leopold is also a close supporter and confidant of Prince Davion's brother-in-Law, Michael Hasek-Davion, Duke of New Syrtis. If the general population of Alcyone expected to receive a new ruler with the passing of their Liao overlords, they were disappointed. Public unrest and discontent have been swelling in recent months, and Duke Leopold has three times declared a planetary state of emergency and employed household troops to crush local insurrections. MERCENARY TICKETS Because of the widespread public unrest, Duke Leopold has been unwilling to employ native Alcyonian militia forces for duties such as personal or palace security, or for crowd and riot control. In one of the recent declared emergencies, local militia forces joined rioters in the streets and were put down only when Leopold's own House Guard, tile notorious Alcyone House Reds, fired into the crowd, killing thirty and wounding well over two hundred. With his military and paramilitary resources severely limited, Duke Leopold has recently issued a call for mercenaries to extend the strength and scope of his personal forces. Mercenary duties reported by BattleTechnology correspondents include escorts of military and government con- voys; security details for factories (including the Hobson-Redeye complex), dams, bridges, power stations, or BattleMech repair facilities; and highly prestigious duties as ceremonial guards at the Ducal Palace at Gratura. On July 2nd, 3027 (TC) a 20-man mercenary security force opened fire on a rioting crowd outside the Plaza Concordiat two kilometers from the Ducal Plaza, killing three and wounding seven. The mercenaries were immediately overrun by armed rioters. After a sharp fight in which two more civilians and one mercenary were killed, the security detail was rescued by a detachment of Alcyone Reds and managed to retire to the Palace in good order. TICKET DETAILS Though details vary depending on the individual mercenary ticket, the following information describes typical service standards in previous mercenary contracts signed with Duke Leopold of Alcyone. MISSIONS RETAINER TERRITORIAL CAMPAIGN (riot duty, crowd control) STATIC DEFENSE (including garrison duty, training cadres, and providing security) LENGTH OF SERVICE 6 to 9 months REMUNERATION Infantry, Armor, Artillery: Veteran, Elite: Cb 12,000 - 15,000 per squad per week Regular: Cb 7,000 - 10,000 per squad per week Green: Cb 2,000 - 5,000 per squad per week MechWarriors, AeroSpace Pilots: Veteran, Elite: Cb 1,500 per warrior per week Regular: Cb 700 per warrior per week Green: Cb 500 per warrior per week GUARANTEES ComStar Intermediary: An agreed-upon sum (generally equal to one third of the entire agreed-upon sum for the mercenary unit for a six-month period, less a 5% fee for ComStar's services) is placed in an escrow account at the ComStar offices in Gratura, Alcyone. Contractual noncompliance by either side is grounds for release of funds to the aggrieved party, after adjudication by a neutral ComStar precentor. COMMAND RIGHTS Command will be designated as a House Command, with the unit placed directly under the orders of Baron General Fitzhugh Ransom of the Duke's personal staff. Where possible, the mercenary force will operate independently of local planetary forces but will be responsible to the planetary Staff Command. Under some circumstances, Duke Leopold retains the right to introduce an integrated command structure, with local planetary troops augmenting or replacing various of the mercenary forces. TRANSPORT The mercenary unit is generally expected to provide its own transport to Alcyone. In exceptional cases, the Alcyone Government may arrange for transport at Alcyone's expense. ASSESSMENT Though well-rated in need and average to above-average in pay and conditions, mercenaries considering applying for a merc ticket on Alcyone are strongly urged to consider the deteriorating political situation. Indeed, Alcyone's code rating of "M" in the Conditions category is as low as it is principally because of the volatile political situation on the planet. Analysts have predicted that Alcyone's government cannot remain in power without instituting still further draconian measures against the population. Intervention by either Davion or Liao in order to "restore order" is a distinct possibil- ity. Also possible is full-blown armed revolution or all-out civil war. Whether successful or not, any such rising would have as principal targets any offworlder mercenaries in the pay of the hated Duke Leopold. Further, revolutionary governments tend to show an almost uniform failure to honor mercenary contracts and agreements signed with former governments. The overthrow of Duke Leopold by a popular rising could strand Leopold's mercenaries on a hostile world, leaving them at the mercy of a bloodthirsty mob. Even direct intervention on behalf of the government by Hanse Davion's forces, or those of the Duke of New Syrtis, would likely come too late to help offworlder mercs marooned on Alcyone. BattleTechnology's recommendation is that mercenary MechWarriors and infantry alike avoid Alcyone. There are other tickets available which pay as well or better--and without the risk of becoming involved in a bloody and bitter civil war. BattleTechnology Mercenary Employer Assessment Alsun II: Alcyone CODE: B/J/M ASSESSMENT: Negative: Fair pay; high risk Back to BattleTechnology Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1987 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com