SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED CONTRACT
Unit Assigned	Date Commenced	Date Concluded	Processed By	Confirmed By
Black Stars	14th of July, 2012	21st of August, 2012	mahendra_thapa	Jmari Winson

Registered Contract: PY-CD-02-02

Region:	Periphery
System:	Lordinax
Galactic Coordinates:	X: -474.02 Y: -174.27
Days to Jump Point:	16 days
Planet:	Lordinax
Primary Planetary Climate:	Alpine
Approximate Population:	100 Million People
Capital City:	Cheshirah
Contract Type:	Cadre Duty
Primary Operational Terrain:	Sub-Arctics
Contract Duration:	2 Months (30 Days in REAL TIME) non-negotiable
Employer:	Marian Hegemony
Employer Contact:	Legatus Jordan Kess
Command Rights:	Faction Command
Forces Recommended:	A Company Strength Detachment
Supporting Forces:	Kess's Cohort
Enemy Forces:	N/A
Supplement Contracts Offered:	Objective Raid
Bounty Per Word:	400 C-Bills
Minimum Bounty:	6,000 Word Transcript
Bonus Salvage Bounty Target:	N/A
Bonus Salvage Category:	N/A

PLANETARY DETAILS:
Lordinax's thin atmosphere and cold climate make it uncomfortable for most off-worlders. The people who live here tend to be a hardy folk who are accustomed to the cold and enjoy the world's brilliant sunsets and quiet snow-capped pine forests filled with a close analog to the Terran Reindeer.

For generations Lordinax was underdeveloped. Cities were far and far between, typically forming a belt around the Equator where the temperature was warmest. As part of the Lothian League, the world was largely left to it's own devices.

All that changed when the Marian Hegemony invaded and absorbed the worlds of the Lothian League. The people of Lordinax put up a spirited resistance, often aided by the fact that they were accustomed to the planet's thin atmosphere, while a recently arrived Hegemony soldier would struggle for days or weeks to adapt. The guerrilla war often got ugly, resulting in numerous atrocities on both sides. That resistance ended with the deal struck by Julius O'Reilly and Elana Logan.

In the years since, Lordinax has seen a small boom of industries. In particular, the petrochemical industry has flourished under Hegemony rule, primarily under the auspices of Pontifex Petrochemicals Ltd. The oil fields across the world are increasingly being tapped by drilling operations and refineries are being built. All of this is reaping significant financial dividends for the Hegemony and the people of Lordinax.

Most of the population remains in communities and cities along the equatorial belt. But a significant number of petrochemical industry workers venture out into the colder regions of the planet to work for months at a time. With a population barely numbering 100 million, much of the planet remains uninhabited.

Socio-Industrial Levels:
Technological Development	World of moderate advancement; average educational systems and medical care; microelectronics can not be manufactured.
Industrialization Level	Basic heavy industry at level of 22nd century; fusion engines possible but no complex products (including BattleMechs).
Raw Material Dependence	World/system produces some of the raw materials needed and imports the rest.
Industrial Output	World has a small industrial base that may produce a limited number of products for export.
Agricultural Dependence	World has and environment producing most foods, but relies on some imports for food not capable of being grown.

EMPLOYER SITUATION REPORT:
New St. Andrews was originally settled by refugees from the Rim Worlds Republic fleeing the onrush of the Star League Defense Force that swept through Amaris’s homeworlds. Until now, New St. Andrews and its warring Scottish Clans were thought of as backward and minor in the grand scheme of things.

That may have changed with this new discovery. A merchant jumpship that had visited New St. Andrews was intercepted in the Marian Hegemony. Seized over smuggling charges, the jumpship captain was found to have a diary in his possession, the diary of William MacGregor, a loyal Scotsman of Clan MacGregor who was the chosen Keeper of a little known secret that his Clan has reportedly been keeping for hundreds of years.

MacGregor’s diary tells of a buried spacecraft deep in New St. Andrews’ wilderness. This spacecraft was one of the dropships that carried the refugees to their new home. But according to the diary, something was left onboard, a computer core he calls “Janis”, a designation that doesn’t make sense to us. However a cross-reference of some files stolen from the Lyran Alliance dating back to the Amaris coup suggest a memory core, at least on par with the fabled Helm Memory Core, was not accounted for at the end of the war. The core had been located at the University of Apollo but was missing when General Kerensky’s troops invaded the planet (and didn’t turn up when the world joined the Lyran Commonwealth either). Although it is a very thin thread, it is the best we have.

The possibility that this could be another Helm Memory Core is a tantalizing prospect. The remote possibility that it could be a Prometheus, a complete data record from the Star League, is a lostech holy grail that cannot be ignored. A discovery like this could elevate the Marian Hegemony overnight. As a nation fighting the image of a “bandit” kingdom on the road to becoming a legitimate and recognized government, this could be a significant boost to our prestige. Not to mention the potential for a technological leap forward or even just the sheer bargaining power we’d have with the Successor States.

We have to tread carefully. We believe MacGregor’s hidden knowledge may have spread elsewhere already. One report suggested elements of the Order of the Faithful pirate group were packing up for a raid to New St. Andrews. We may not be the only party to know of this and so must act quickly.

The diary includes vague and cryptic instructions that read like a map to the spacecraft. Our best guess puts the spacecraft deep within the territory of Clan Stirling, an enemy we can expect to fight. At the same time our presence might be tagged as hostile by all the Scottish Clans, who are very wary of outsiders and the Hegemony in particular. Once they learn what we’re up to, they will probably seek to stop us. The local Clans are relatively low tech, with just a few ‘mech and vehicle units between them, most notably Nelson’s Longbows, but also a few remnants of shattered units from the Free Worlds League that took refuge there after the FWL Civil War, turning over vehicles and ‘mechs in exchange for refuge and a place at the dinner table. Those units aside, these Scotsmen have a respectable infantry force at their disposal and know the territory well enough to be a major threat. Scots have a reputation as fierce warriors, and these are no different.

We’re assembling an ad hoc Cohort consisting of Battlemechs, armor and mechanized infantry. These units were handpicked from among the most loyal members of the Fourth Legion. An additional specialized Century of Architechi (Engineers) with engineering vehicles and personnel has been allocated. A logistical field support and transportation unit of Century size rounds out the unit, allowing it to operate independently of bases and dropships in the field. Legatus Jordan Kess, a loyal Marian soldier and noted historian, has been chosen to lead this expedition. He will be bringing along several civilian scientists, including archaeologists, historians and computer experts, some of the best scientific minds in all the Hegemony.

We’re concerned that this force may not be sufficient if the task becomes dangerous and threatened from multiple competing parties. Therefore we are adding your unit to Legatus Kess’s expedition. Your job is to support and defend the expedition in any way he requires. Toward that end we recommend you bring a variety of forces and capabilities, including support units. You will be under Kess’s command. It may be necessary to comb the landscape looking for the signs and markers indicated in the diary. That could mean lengthy ground searches in hostile territory. With no realistic assessment of how long this could take, we’re planning and supplying a lengthy expedition.

We will be handling this in two parts. Your first contract will be on Lordinax at Kess’s temporary headquarters near the remote oil refinery complex of Warwik, where you will train with the ad hoc Cohort (called simply Kess’s Cohort) as its component units arrive and are formed into a single command. You will also have ample time to study the MacGregor diary and help Legatus Kess and his civilian advisers plan the expedition as the needed supplies, dropships and jumpships arrive from all parts of the Hegemony.

Once this stage is complete, you’ll conduct the expedition to New St. Andrews in the Supplemental contract.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
1) Train with Kess's Cohort
2) Plan the expedition to New St. Andrews

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
1) Preserve the security of the operation from prying eyes and ears
2) N/A