Black Venom lacks a formalized command and rank structure. This is largely due to the small size of the company. However, individual skills and abilities vary widely, so it is not uncommon for the group to rely almost exclusively on one person's expertise in a particular field. For example, when security matters are involved, the group defers to Lloyd Flemming, our Master of Stealth.
That's not all the characters...well, those are the important ones, but don't forget the Ancillary Characters.
Quick note about email addresses: Keeping track of this group of vagabonds can be quite a task, so I've removed the email addresses. If you need to get an email through, send it to the address at the bottom of the mainpage and include the character name in the subject.
- Callsign: Disco King/Viper
- Mech: WHN-7S Warhammer (heavily modified)
- Physical:
- Height: 5' 11"
- Weight: 178 lbs
- Age: 22 years
- Personal:
- Place of Birth: Kalidasa, Free Worlds League
- Father: Deceased. Formerly a lieutenant in the 23rd Marik Regulars.
- Mother: Works as a secretary at Hadden Industries of Kalidasa.
- Military Training:
- FWL Basic Training
- Other University stuff to be decided at a later time by the Disco King
- History (Occupational and Military):
- Steven's father, an officer in the 23rd Marik Regulars, was killed by an unknown mercenary company while defending the city of Toconro in the Irian system. The loss of his father left a void in Steven's life and the young boy spent a lot of time at his mother's work. Shortly thereafter, a young executive took interest in his mother and treated Steve and his siblings as his own. His older brother hated David (the executive), and left to join the Marik military as soon as he could. David took an interest in Steve and taught his about negotiation, bureaucracy, and the finer points of protocol. At fifteen, Steve joined the military to follow in his father's footsteps.
- Steve became well trained in the function of vehicles, weapons, and technical studies during this year at the academy. After being posted to the 51st Marik Regulars, a devastating defeat caused his capture by Steiner forces. Steve enjoyed the high standard of living and orderly government in Steiner space and decided to stay a few years. In 3054, Steve decided to get his Lyran citizenship and joined the ranks of the 123rd Steiner militia He was stationed near the Clan border and helped keep supplies and equipment moving and in good shape. Three years later, after much boredom, Steve decided to strike out on his own. He soon found a mercenary company and joined. The group was called Hell's Handmaidens and was destroyed in a conflict with the Roughriders. Steve narrowly escaped. He kept the Phoenix Hawk mech the Handmaidens had loaned him and went to find a new group. Eventually, he joined up with Jim, Alan, and Trevor to form Black Venom.
- Quirks:
- Always has classical music playing when in battle (late 20th century).
- Can actually dance.
- Enjoys a good beer after every battle, and occassionally during if it doesn't look like there will be a good ending.
- Heavily motivated by personal gain.
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- Callsign: Wraith
- Mech: TR-1 Wraith
- Physical:
- Height: 5' 5"
- Weight: 140 lbs
- Age: 23 years
- Personal:
- Place of Birth: Minacora, Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation.
- Father: Illegal arms dealer.
- Mother: Commonlaw wife of an illegal arms dealer.
- Military Training:
- None. Learned how to pilot a mech from his father.
- History (Occupational and Military):
- Lloyd was born on the dropship Chase. He learned everything military from his parents who are *legitimate* gun runners for House Liao. He worked as a mech pilot escort for about four years and then, after a huge family squabble involving explosives, he and his sister left their parents to form their own destinies. Lloyd managed to find himself a place as a mech pilot/recon man for Black Venom, while his sister went off to Maskirovka training school (yikes!). Lloyd's callsign has changed several times in recent memory, and we're pretty sure that he prefers it to his real name.
- Quirks:
- Hates it when people dress in the cliche of all black.
- Doesn't like his given name but is unwilling to change it.
- Doesn't get along well with his sister or parents.
- Willing to bend the law for profit or personal enjoyment.
- Despite being a product of the Confederation, Lloyd bears considerable malice against House Liao.
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- Callsign: Gator
- Mech: ARC-5S Archer
- Physical:
- Height: 6'2"
- Weight: 210 lbs
- Age: 28 years (born July 14, 3030)
- Personal:
- Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisianna Territory, Terra
- Father: Deceased. Former ROM agent.
- Mother: Deceased. Former communications dispatcher at Hilton Head.
- Military Training:
- LCAF Basic Training; specialization in Mech and Infantry
- AFFC, Support weapons training
- AFFC Special Forces, Counter Terrorism Team
- Officer Candidate School, Lyran Alliance
- Black Venom, Elite Mech Training
- History (Occupational and Military):
- Jim was one year away from graduating as a lieutenant in the Lyran Military when the battle for Terra began. His father, a Comstar ROM agent, was one of the millions killed by a biological weapon that the Word of Blake unleashed at ROM headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. Jim's mother was no more fortunate; a tactical nuke destroyed Hilton Head where she was working as a communications dispatcher. After several denied requests for leave so that he could fight for his homeworld, Jim quit his training. Upon returning to Terra, Jim joined up with a partisan militia unit. During the fighting Jim saw the often startlingly effective tactics employed by mercenary units. When the Com Guards conceded defeat and retreated off-world, Jim, having lost both parents in the fighting, also pulled back. He left Terra in the hope of joining a Merc unit that could give him a chance to do some real butt kickin'. Under advice from his unit leader "Gator" joined up Alan Powell and Trevor McNabb to form Black Venom.
- Quirks:
- Jim has an affinity for walking his Archer through buildings.
- The Ol' Jimmer is a member of the Terran Liberation Organization.
- Personal maxim: it takes 42 muscles to frown, but only four to pull the trigger of a decent sniper rifle>
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- Callsign: Stryker
- Mech: WVR-7M Wolverine, STK-5M Stalker
- Physical:
- Height: 6' 4"
- Weight: 195 lbs
- Age: 28 years
- Personal:
- Place of Birth: Omaha, Newbraska, Federated Commonwealth
- Father: Baron Ronald McNabb of Grand Island, Newbraska
- Mother: Baroness Cynthia McNabb of Grand Island, Newbraska
- Military Training:
- AFFC Basic Training
- AFFC OCS MOS: Battlemech (NAIS)
- AFFC OCS FOS: Leadership (NAIS)
- History (Occupational and Military):
- Being the first son of a noble had its perks. His high aptitude test scores and his parents' clout enabled Trevor to attend House Davion's prestigious New Avalon Institute of Science. Despite his exceptional piloting abilities and successes in simulated mech combat, poor Trevor was prone to numerous piloting errors once engaged on a real battlefield. He did, however, attain exceedingly high scores that placed him near the top of his graduating class. Ultimately, his failures in the field, coupled with apparent disdain for leadership training, resulted in Trevor being placed as the AFFC's military attache to Archernar Industries. While at Archernar, Trevor had the privilege of testing out ground-breaking technologies such as the infamous mechanical jump-boosters.
- Once he had completed his five years of military service for the Federated Commonwealth, Trevor set out exploring the Inner Sphere with a Wolverine mech that his family bought for his twenty-first birthday. it was eventually decided that Trevor and some friends would form a mercenary company. The McNabb family provided some startup funds for the group, but since then Trevor and Black Venom have been on their own.
- Quirks:
- Trevor couldn't get his mech to walk a straight line if his life depended on it.
- Skilled swordsman, proficient in many styles; especially enjoys using the new vibro-katana.
- Likes to finish off opponents with the crowd-pleasing Atomic Leg Drop: defying gravity, he hovers above his opponent's head before dropping like a 15-megaton bomb. Devastating.
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- Callsign: Razor
- Mech: TDR-7M Thunderbolt (Razor's Edge)
- Physical:
- Height: 5' 4"
- Weight: 145 lbs
- Age: 28 years
- Personal:
- Place of Birth: Wolcott, Draconis Combine
- Father: Solaris VII medium-weight mech combatant.
- Mother: Deceased.
- Military Training:
- 2 years officer training with DCMS
- 3 years special forces training as fast attack mechwarrior.
- History (Occupational and Military):
- After Special Forces training, Alan worked with his father on Solaris doing odd jobs and participating in simulator combat. He won his Thunderbolt (Razor's Edge) in a bet with a hotshot loud mouth who couldn't live up to his own expectations. After leaving Solaris, Alan travelled to Arc Royal hoping to become a member of the famous Kell Hounds mercenary company. He did work for the Kell Hounds, but it was as a labourer loading munitions on to transports. After sixteen months of hard labour he quit to become a founding member of Black Venom Mercenaries.
- Quirks:
- Alan cannot stand XL engines.
- He abhors LRM-5s.
- Disapproves of people who can't do what they say they can.
- Bears malice against people who won't do what they say they will.
- Feels sick at the thought of people who don't respect their adversaries.
- Looks coldly upon diet soft-drinks.
- And finally, he steers clear of loud-mouths.
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- Callsign: Plague
- Mech: AXM-1N Axman
- Physical:
- Height: 5' 7"
- Weight: 165 lbs
- Age: 23 years (born May 11, 3034)
- Personal:
- Place of Birth: Kitzingen, Bolan Province, Lyran Alliance
- Father: Deceased. Casualty of the War of '39
- Mother: Deceased. Casualty of the War of '39
- Military Training:
- AFFC Basic Training
- AFFC MOS Battlemech
- AFFC MOS Battlemech Repair
- AFFC Technical Support Training
- History (Occupational and Military):
- When little David was just seven years old the Stevenson family embarked on a vacation to Port Moresby. Unfortunately for them the War of '39 started up while they were there. House Kurita's 12th Night Stalker regiment dropped onto the planet and began a running battle with the defending Lyran Guard troops. While the Stevensons ran down a street looking for cover, an evil Kuritan Locust raced up beside them. The Martell laser located under the mech's cockpit turned and blew up both of Dave's parents in one shot. Dave, covered with goo from his dead parents, fell to the ground as the evil Locust, with a fresh hole in its side, collapsed beside him; the only Urbanmech in the Inner Sphere not owned by House Liao had just saved Dave's life.
- Taken in by the Steiner Special Forces and raised as a superior technician with knowledge of all things mech-like, Dave grew into a fine young man. The technical wisdom he provided helped the FedCom forces slow the Clan invasion. However, this young man also has a dark side. Dave is wanted on thirteen (13!) Steiner worlds for misuse of a pet monkey, substance abuse, and many other weird criminal activities. He now works as a mechwarrior and chief technical technician for Black Venom.
- Quirks:
- Dave maintains a hatred of Martell medium lasers because of his brush with death.
- That same incident has endowed him with a healthy respect for Urbies.
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- Callsign: None
- Aerospace fighter: SL-25 Samurai
- Physcial:
- Height: 5' 11"
- Weight: 142 lbs
- Age: 24 years
- Personal:
- Place of Birth: Valeria, Kincaid II System, Outworld's Alliance
- Father: Edward Vansen, farmer
- Mother: Patricia Vansen, farmer's wife
- Military Training:
- AMC Basic Training
- AMC Aerospace Training
- AMC Tactical and Strategical Studies
- History (Occupational and Military):
- Samantha was born on the planet of Valeria within the Kincaid System of the Outworld's Alliance. Generations ago, the Vansen family moved to the Alliance to lead a tranquil farming life away from the tragedies of the Succession Wars. Although the rather weak periphery state was spared from the wars, frequent pirate raids were beginning to take their toll on the Alliance.
- Motivated by patriotism, Samantha joined the Alliance Military Corps with aspirations of being accepted in to the aerospace branch of the military. Natural talent and extensive training provided by the aerospace arm of the AMC resulted in Samantha becoming one of the best pilots ever produced by the Alliance. Cadet Vansen's exploits against the pirates and raiders of Antallos earned her the respect of the Alliance's people in addition to several promotions. Quickly, Squadron Commander Samantha Vansen became a minor celebrity within the small periphery state.
- In 3056, when the Outworld's Alliance and Tauran Concordat initiated a swap of skilled personnel, Commander Vansen was among the many Alliance aerospace experts that had the task of recommending improvements to the Concordat's aerospace defence tactics and training programs. During her deployment in the Concordat, while travelling between the Ishtar and Samantha systems, a band of pirates attacked her dropship convoy. Alliance pilots aboard the dropships launched their fighters and handily defeated the outclassed pirates. The situation garnered a great deal of attention, and again placed Samantha and some of the Alliance's best pilots in the media spotlight.
- Having completed her assignment in the Tauran Concordat, Commander Vansen elected to take an extended leave of absence from the Alliance Military Corps. After a brief period of leisurely travel through the Inner Sphere, Vansen teamed up with Black Venom on the planet of Thorin.
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