The Grimm's Reapers are a non-canon custom unit.  An assault company of high-tech 'Mechs, most armed with physical attack weapons.  They are the ultimate shock troops, priding themselves on wading into combat and getting as close as possible to the enemy.  They practice relentlessly, and command high prices from their clients. 

Unit History

The Grimm’s Reapers were born in 3057 during the secession of the Lyran Alliance from the Federated Commonwealth. Formed by Captain Cyrus Grimm, how the Reapers got their start is something of a long story. Now a recognized force with the MRBC and a name well-known as a mercenary company to be reckoned with, the Grimm’s Reapers got their start in the war of 3039, when Captain Cyrus Grimm was a simple lance commander with the famed Gray Death Legion.

When the Federated Commonwealth launched it’s assault on the Draconis Combine, the Legion took part in a combined assault on Altais during the opening stages of the war. Assigned to a medium lance under the command of the Gray Death’s new executive officer Davis McCall, Grimm was part of an attack on the spaceport at the city of New Ross; an attack that quickly turned into a defensive operation when half of McCall’s forces were unable to drop due to faulty drop equipment. Pulled into a defensive perimeter around the spaceport, the remaining forces under McCall were under siege by the Combine’s newly formed elite First Ghost Regiment. Alone and outnumbered, the Legion held on by engaging the Ghosts in fierce hand-to-hand combat, lasting until Colonel Grayson Carlyle showed up with the rest of the Legion, driving the Ghosts back and rescuing the beleaguered troops under McCall. Grimm was instrumental in this fighting, showing a talent for hand-to-hand ‘Mech combat and taking out no less than four Ghost ‘Mechs in his battered Hatchetman. From that point on, at McCall’s request Grimm was made the Legion’s hand-to-hand ‘Mech combat expert, and he was allowed to train and recruit members for his lance, unofficially dubbed “The Grey Reapers” by the rest of the Legion.

Once the war was over, the Legion went back to duty in the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth. Over the next few years, Grimm continued to perfect physical combat techniques for ‘Mechs;  techniques that would be very handy in the coming years, when the Legion faced the greatest threat the Inner Sphere has ever known;  the Clan Invasion.

The Clans struck the Inner Sphere in the early 3050’s, and the Gray Death Legion was in the thick of the fighting. First meeting the Jade Falcons on Sudeten, the Legion was forced to retreat in the face of the Clan’s far superior technology. However, after the loss of their Il Khan the Clans retreated for a year, allowing the Inner Sphere time to breathe; and time to refit with new equipment, equipment designed to combat the Clans on something of a more level playing field. After refitting the unit, Colonel Carlyle led the Legion in an attack on the Jade Falcons on Pandora, this time driving the Clan warriors off the planet through sheer tenacity and skill. Once again, now Captain Cyrus Grimm carved a swath of destruction through the enemy with his unmatched hand-to-hand combat skills, taking his company right in to the thick of the fighting with the Falcons and turning their stylized form of warfare into a street brawl. Battle ROMs reviewed after the fighting indicated that the Grey Reapers had exacted a terrible toll from the Falcons, crippling and destroying over a dozen of their Omni-Mechs during the fighting. Several of the Reapers were lost, but the proof of their talent and the value of their particular expertise was undeniable. From captured Clan warriors word quickly reached Carlyle’s ears that combat with physical weapons such as the Reaper’s now trademark hatchets was considered vulgar and dishonorable…something Carlyle and the Reapers took satisfaction from, knowing that they beat the Clans using tactics that they were unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. As a reward for their service, the Reapers were allowed first pick of the salvage they captured. Surprisingly, they opted only to use captured weapons, engines and heat sinks; none had any interest in captured chassis, preferring instead to upgrade those that they had,
a pattern that continued through the unit’s history. Refitting their machines with what Clan weapons they  could and picking from the near flood of volunteers to join the company, the Reapers rebuilt along with the rest of the Legion and continued with the war.

Things took a different turn for the Reapers in 3057. After gaining the Lyran world of Glengarry from Victor Steiner-Davion in 3056 as a new home, the Legion was under attack by forces opposed to Victor. Skye separatists attacked Glengarry, and the Legion was forced to fight them alone;  political conditions would not allow Victor to send troops to support them. Even worse, Grayson Carlyle was wounded and forced to retire, leaving the running of the Legion to his son Alexander and his wife, Lori. The next year, Katherine Steiner split with Victor, claiming the Steiner half of the Federated Commonwealth as her own, re-naming it the Lyran Alliance; and divesting the Legion of Glengarry as their home world. Forced to once again fight again for their home, the Legion managed to hold on against the Lyran forces, but at a terrible price in men and equipment. Lori Carlyle negotiated a deal with Katherine that allowed the Legion to keep Glengarry, but at the cost of swearing loyalty to Katherine and sending Alexander to be a member of the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces. The
Gray Death Legion was no more. Shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, Cyrus Grimm and his three remaining Grey Reapers appealed to Lori to let them leave the planet and strike out on their own. Carlyle agreed, and Grimm left with his people, taking what equipment they could and heading for Outreach. The Grey Reapers were gone, but the Grimm’s Reapers were ready for a fresh start. Upon arrival, the near destitute Grimm found housing for his ‘Mechs, even setting up living quarters in the ‘Mech-bay and started planning his future. He purchased only one other thing in that first day on Outreach; paint. He wanted a fresh start and a new identity, and didn’t want to wait for it. So, he pooled his money and bought what he could afford; 2 dozen containers of black
paint, 1 dozen white and 3 containers of purple; all he could find at the price he could afford. Mixing the black and white, he repainted the unit’s four ‘Mechs with black bodies, grey arms and legs, and some purple trim; and, of course, his new unit crest of a grinning, axe-bearing Grim Reaper wearing a purple cloak. The Grimm Reapers were ready for business.

The Reapers billed themselves as a hotshot assault lance, trading heavily on their successes against the Clans to earn them their first missions. Grimm had a plan, and needed two things to accomplish it;  cash flow, and success. Grimm made it clear that he would take nearly any mission if the pay was high enough, with only one condition to the MRBC; he would never again work for the Lyran Alliance, not while Katherine was on the throne. The unit took several jobs over the next few years, and through shrewd contract negotiation (mostly by the company XO and the first person Grimm ever recruited back when his company was first formed under the Legion, Jenny Horrigan) the Reapers grew in fame and in wealth. But Grimm’s plan was not to grow the unit in a half-hazard fashion. He realized that his success in the past was based on his ability to control his unit, and
he realized he could never effectively control more than a company-sized unit; not with the kind of fighting the Reapers were used to. So, rather than go for size, he went for quality and specific equipment, as well as for that particular type of MechWarrior who could fight the way Grimm was used to; up close and personal. Grimm invested heavily in equipment and training, often working with new recruits himself to show them the finer points of ‘Mech infighting and instituting a brutal training regimen. He paired up members of the unit in a “battle buddy” system;  each warrior had a partner, or wingman, and they stayed together at all times in an operation. These battle buddies did everything together;  they never trained alone, they learned to support one another in battle, and they outfitted their ‘Mechs to complement one another. To further inspire his people to
fight in his own style, Grimm instituted a series of rewards and traditions that remain to this day. Kill markers on Grimm Reaper ‘Mechs are only allowed for physical attack kills. A pilot only "ships his crest" - wearing the unit insignia on the right and not the left side of his ‘Mech - after his first physical kill, and earns a one thousand c-bill bonus for that first kill, as well as a company dinner/drinking party held in his or her honor. Further physical kills in combat are rewarded with a 500 c-bill bonus, and a head kill with a 2000 c-bill bonus. This program has encouraged the unit to learn to fight up close, and to use their physical weapons and skills to their utmost. While some mercenary commanders think this policy encourages recklessness, there is no doubt that it works, and that it's drawn some very talented people to Grimm's recruiting office.

By the time of Operation Bulldog and Serpent, the Inner Sphere’s response to the invasion and a
combined assault against the Smoke Jaguars, Grimm had re-grown his unit into a reinforced assault
company, with sixteen assault ‘Mechs and highly skilled pilots, plus two Union-class drop ships; one for the ‘Mechs, and the other as a mobile repair shop, complete with full technical support. The unit contains a varied assortment of ‘Mechs, with nearly every one modified in some way. Of the 16 ‘Mechs in the unit, 12 are equipped with ‘Mech-sized physical weapons: swords, scythes, hatchets or maces. The remaining ‘Mechs are assigned to the company fire support lance, and include the preponderance of the company's high-tech weaponry. Grimm was set to be a round-out assault company with the new Star League Defense Force, but was selected at the last minute to accompany Task Force Serpent in the assault on Huntress; the home of the Smoke Jaguars.

 Acquitting themselves honorably in this horrific battle, the Reapers once again found
themselves needing to re-build. Included in this restructuring was the most unusual member of the unit; a former Smoke Jaguar warrior, captured in battle. Ephraim Showers joined the unit as a bondsman, but was quickly freed and allowed to pilot his own ‘Mech as a member of the unit. Though somewhat disdainful of the Reaper’s gleeful approach to close-combat, the former Star Captain recognized that these were warriors indeed, and that he could possibly learn a thing or two from the small mercenary unit. Following the traditions of his new “clan”, Showers even modified his ‘Mech to a unique variant, one that suited his style of combat.

After leaving Huntress and returning home to Outreach, Grimm continued re-building the unit, once again capitalizing on captured Clan equipment. He appeared on the cover of Mercenary Today magazine in his customized Atlas “Sluggo”, a ‘Mech so modified from the original design that it was unique. The rebuilding wouldn’t last long, however, before the Reapers once again went to war; this time against their own home worlds in the Fed-Com civil war between Victor and Katherine. Outraged by Katherine’s treatment of Victor after Bulldog and Serpent and the Refusal War on Strana-Mechty, Grimm told his unit that he was temporarily refusing all contracts and going to war on Victor’s behalf. Recognizing that only three of the unit’s members were from the original team who were torn from Glengarry by Katherine, he gave all the members a choice; they could go with him and work until the money ran out, or they could leave then, freed from their contracts and with recommendations signed by Grimm personally to join other mercenary units. Not a
single member opted out, and the Reapers left Outreach once again, this time headed for Lyran space. Joining Victor’s cause, the Reapers battled with the Lyrans just as viciously as they had any former opponent. By the end of the conflict, the unit was near bankruptcy, but was indemnified for their losses by the new Archon Peter Steiner-Davion and allowed to pick salvage and rebuild. Miraculously, they suffered no serious casualties during the fighting, and emerged more or less intact.

After the war, Grimm decided it was time to rest, and took the unit to the planet Murchison for a three-year contract, courtesy of Yvonne Davion (and at Victor’s request). Ostensibly, the Reapers were on duty as security, guarding the planetary armory Thor’s Lightning Shed. In reality, they were given a plum contract as a reward for their services in the war. The planet was wealthy, with a diverse population and a balance between urban and rural lifestyles. With their new-found economic independence and no war in sight, the Reapers settled down to relax, retrain and retool for the next three years. Fortunately for them, the rest proved necessary. In 3064, another Whitting Conference was held by the Star League. At this conference, the Free World’s League submitted a request for membership for the Word of Blake. The application was rejected, but the Blakists were content to wait; they believed they would eventually gain admittance and would be able to further their goals in that way. However, at the next conference in 3067, the Lyran Alliance, Federated Suns,
and Capellan Confederation all withdrew from the accords, sundering the Star League once again; and dashing the hopes of the Blakists. Outraged, the Word of Blake launched a jihad against the inner sphere in an attempt to get these three realms to return to the Star League. The attack was a return to total war, including nuclear bombardments, bio and chemical weapons, and the deliberate targeting of civilians. The mercenary world of Outreach was attacked as well, as the Word took up their old feud with the Wolf’s Dragoons. Now, as the Jihad rages on, Cyrus and the Grimm’s Reapers are once again at work, this time as part of the Dragoon’s mercenary cooperative, taking the fight to the Word of Blake.

Notable Pilots

Cyrus Grimm, Captain. Cyrus was born on Kooken’s Pleasure Pit, and left home at an early age to work in the ‘Mech factories of Hesperus II. At the age of 18, he signed up to join the Gray Death Legion, and moved up to a position as lance commander by the time he was in his early twenties. Grimm is a study in contradiction. Never the most graceful ‘Mech pilot, he is nevertheless a crack shot, and when engaged in hand-to-hand ‘Mech combat he moves the machine as if it were his own body. He has a keen grasp of small unit tactics, but no strategic sense to speak of. He is completely fearless and ruthless in combat, but when off duty enjoys the more passive pursuits of classic literature, and music (Grimm is an accomplished cellist, and plays as often as he can with a few other members of the unit who also have musical talent). After the fighting in the Fed-Com civil war, Grimm’s notoriety increased. He has been seen more than once in the company of Maeve Wolfe, and was invited to visit Arc Royal by none other than Morgan Kell. In 3060 a company on
Solaris developed a computer simulation that would pit various famous ‘Mech pilots against each other in combat, letting viewers bet on the outcomes. Such mythical names as Jaime Wolf, Natasha Kerensky, Kai Allard-Liao, Justin Allard, Morgan Kell and Rhonda Snord were all included, and Grimm himself was included in the mix. Much to the joy of his command, the simulated Grimm fought and killed Natasha Kerensky and Justin Allard in hand-to-hand combat, and fought Kai Allard-Liao himself to a draw (he lost in open terrain, but won when in close quarters). Allard-Liao was quoted as saying that while he’d never met Grimm, he respected his reputation and had no desire to even have that contest for real. In response, Grimm publicly toasted Allard-Liao, saying that he had his everlasting respect and that he’d gladly serve with him anytime, anywhere. In addition, Grimm once recieved a communique from the infamous Bounty Hunter, requesting a meeting. They
did meet, but what was said at that meeting has never been repeated. All that anyone knows for sure is that the Bounty Hunter and Grimm have steadfastly avoided each other, refusing assignments that would bring them into contact. Rumors abound about what this is so. Some claim that Katherine Steiner recruited the Bounty Hunter to destroy Grimm's command, and that he refused after sizing his potential enemy up. Still others insist that the Bounty Hunter is actually Cyrus Grimm's father, and that he met his son to try to recruit him...having failed, they both simply went their own ways.

Cyrus's personal ‘Mech is a modified Atlas dubbed Sluggo. Sluggo has been refit nearly completely with Clan tech equipment. Grimm has equipped the machine with Clan extended range lasers, and eschewed the normal big guns of the Atlas design for a single Clan tech PPC. The saved weight allowed him to mount a huge axe in the ‘Mechs left arm. Outfitted with triple-strength myomer (another gift from House Davion), Sluggo is capable of crushing any other ‘Mech on the battlefield; and the Grimm’s Reapers have the battle ROM’s to prove it.

Unit TO&E

Battlemech Assets
Size: Reinforced Company
Command Lance (Major Cyrus Grimm); assault and C&C
"Axe" Lance (Lt. Clarrisa Oakes); assault
"Butcher" Lance (Lt. Ephraim Showers); fire support
"Cudgel" Lance (Lt. Wayne Johnson); assault

Aerospace Assets
2 Union-Class Dropships
Dropship "Death's Head"; ‘Mech and personnel transport
Dropship "Zombie"; ‘Mech repair and supply