Pryde's Crucible
Overview
Commander Neil Pryde ran a fairly competent company-sized mercenary outfit, though he was prone to choosing contracts which would suggest less fighting for a higher paycheck. His philosophy was simple: why would one work much harder, and take much higher risks, when there was a sure paycheck behind boring work. As such, his outfit was often where younger mercenaries wound up learning the rudimentary parts of the trade and they would transfer out to more active outfits after getting a solid handle on the fundamentals. Of course, Lieutenant Dallas would often lament they were choosing to die in a blaze of stupidity instead of glory. Commander Pryde would simply remark "they make their choices chasing fortune and glory, and we persist".Even with what seemed like a level head on his shoulders, Neil Pryde as a man often held little respect for those who would not risk themselves. He disdained needless battle, but when a serious battle was underway he intended to be on the front when it would count. His personal BattleMech was a Warhammer WHM-6R he had helped salvage and then worked to restore to working order, and many times on the "low risk" jobs it was a foregone conclusion the Warhammer would be on the field leading the charge.
As the Fourth Succession War ended, Pryde's Crucible was tapped as part of a contract for the Free Worlds League Military to investigate rumors of a cache on White Reach. Upon arrival, and finding the planet suffering a communications disruption, he opted to seek information from the only contact he was aware of on the planet: Antan Exports.
White Reach Operations
On July 12th, 3031, Pryde's Crucible fought a small outfit calling themselves "The Apollon Sons" and carved out a sizable secure location near Pierson Lake. Founding Calderon Firebase, they began investigating the opposition and securing the area as much as they could. Meetings with Antan Exports proved troublesome, requiring personal attention and a much higher expense to communicate with his employers back in the League. These meetings frustrated Commander Pryde, and he was unaware Elisanne Kreiss was feeding his communications to her own superiors.When the Harbingers retreated from the Skirmish of the Third Ward, they found themselves in a small settled area on the outskirts of the Lind Badlands and Commander Pryde sent a detachment to determine what force these other mercenaries had. It turned out the Harbingers were much better-equipped than anticipated, and on August 29th Pryde's Crucible was forced to defend Calderon Firebase from a full-on invasion by the Harbingers. (See: Pryde's Fall )
Assuming the Harbingers were ill-equipped due to never having heard of them was a mistake which cost Commander Pryde his prized Warhammer and his life. During the height of the battle Commander Adamant Dupree's Atlas AS7-D fired its Defiance 'Mech Hunter Autocannon/20 into the Warhammer's right side and caused a catastrophic explosion of the missiles stored within. When the explosion rippled the Warhammer apart and took Neil Pryde's life, the executive officer quickly surrendered and parlayed to leave the battlefield with anything she could manage.
Disbandment
Following their encounter with the Harbingers, Pryde's Crucible retreated from the planet with most of their assets intact but lacking the heart of their command structure. With most of their liquid assets drained by the ordeal and their members exhausted by the operation, most of the members chose to dissolve the outfit so the members could seek fortune elsewhere. It is unknown were many of the members wound up, but Pryde's Crucible would be one of countless small mercenary outfits which would fail within a decade of their creation.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
3023 - 3031
Type
Military, Mercenary Group
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