Archer Tactical

The files contained in this document are evidence as part of the Federation v. Archer Tactical and the Alliance v. Pritchard, in the aftermath of the Atwood Incident. For Official Use Only. For details, contact the Atwood Joint Investigative Task Force.

Archer Tactical
Active	2905 - 3052
Unit Composition	Mech and support assets
Size	Megacorp detachment
Headquarters	Dreighton Building, Jackson's Hold
Campaign(s)	Lussan, Titan
Callsign(s)	NEWTON
Commanders
ARMCO Mission Lead	Lauren Raines
Field Officer	Lieutenant Zachary Belton

Founding

Archer Tactical was the brainchild of Michael Alexander, who spearheaded the union of several competing security, defense, and private military companies with corporations providing the necessary support infrastructure to form a single monolithic company. With all support and administrative services coming as part of the military package, Archer offered a simple solution to the problem of security and defense- simply commission a garrison and Archer would handle all aspects of military and intelligence themselves. From the start, however, the company was a black box. In addition to companies formally participating in the founding, a number of other companies dissolved and found many of their personnel coincidentally working for Archer. When Archer first began operations on March 23rd 2905, the seeds of the threat it would become were already sown.

The following is the official list of corporations involved in the founding of Archer:

• Ares Holdings: a major security contractor with an excellent track record in vicious gang suppression.

• Descroix Personnel: a staffing company that provided much of Archer's initial numbers.

• Longsword LLC: a relatively inexperienced PMC with access to a substantial stockpile of surplus weaponry.

• Murtaugh Combatant Research: a company combining weapons research with a small test unit.

• Polk, Holt, and Foxworthy: a high-powered Core Worlds law firm.

• Orion Shipping: a minor transport company looking to conduct a major expansion.

• Blackthorne-Nguyen Tactical Group: once one of the mightiest PMCs in the core, since greatly reduced by its failures in the Kalypsan Independence War. Retained significant assets and an important name but offered little institutional experience.

The following corporations are suspected to have been folded into Archer without formal process:

• Threshold Solutions: an advanced biotech and cybernetics research firm with a focus on transhumanism. Shut down for illegal experimentation in 2892, but employees nearly universally continued their projects (those arrested seemed fanatically devoted to their work and considered it a near-religious calling). Ex-employees were folded into Archer en masse shortly after its founding.

Organization

Operations Division

The primary arm of Archer's business, providing law enforcement and defense services across the inner core. Although primarily geared for combating planetborne gangs, Operations was theoretically capable of peer-to-peer conflict. In practice, however, a lack of combat experience, institutional complacency, and poor organization would likely have rendered any serious conflict an impossibility for the company per-militarization. Operations was organized by contract, with most contracts representing a pledge to provide a permanent garrison of around a million enforcers and any required support personnel. Known purchasers of contracts include:

• Atwood: site of first exchanges between Archer and Federation forces, August 3rd 3052. Orbit secured with the help of a Kalypsan Navy task force, but Archer holdouts continued to wage a guerilla war for five years after nominal liberation.
• Laika: a major stronghold of rebel forces during the Archer Civil War. Was attacked by Kalypsan special forces shortly afterwards, at the cost of only one life. Surrendered upon first arrival of a Federation fleet, March 16th 3053.
• Isabella: first Alliance world to become embroiled in the spreading conflict. Severely damaged in nuclear exchange between Archer forces and Alliance garrison.
• Jackson's Hold: land for weapons testing and research provided in lieu of payment. Successfully resisted three attempts at liberation before a joint Alliance-Federation-Syndicate task force (with mercenary support) managed to break through.
• Dawn: Archer assets gained control of planetary government and lured a Syndicate task force into a nuclear ambush. Surrendered after a tense negotiation, featuring threats to deploy nuclear weapons against the civilian populace.
• Carcosa: home of a number of the more potent Special Projects, including extensive nanofacturies developed through OSC contracts. Subject to continued blockade and hunter-killer missions by the Joint Task Force as of January 5th 3061.
• Dualla: a major Federation world and hotbed of resistance during the Archer Civil War. A particularly stubborn SAM battery was subjected to orbital bombardment from Archer light cruiser Chixulub, with three laser heads landing multiple hits and silencing the battery. Given this reckless display of force, the people of Dualla rose up against Archer shortly after the start of the Atwood Incident, leading to a bloody guerilla war but seeing the world freed within only a few short weeks.

Client Relations Division

Responsible for Archer's public image and marketing. Largely focused on creating the image of Archer as a useful bridge between the government/corporation and the confusing world of military affairs, by providing clean, efficient defense and security services.

Administrative Division

Responsible for Archer's IT, HR, accounting, legal, and internal affairs. Complicated internal practices made this department a practical black box, allowing the Company to shunt funds around at will and cover up the extent of its use of indentured servitude.

Special Projects Division

Officially used as a catch-all department to cover operations not under the umbrellas of other Divisions, Special Projects quickly became responsible for corporate espionage, unethical research, and other illegal activities. While it contained an impressive “shadow roster” nearly from the start, the Division quickly ballooned into a labyrinthine structure of projects, operations, and personnel deliberately impenetrable to an outsider. Known groups operating within Special Projects include:

• Archer’s ARMCO mission (included under catchall)

• YONDER section (illegal corporate espionage)

• HAWKER section (assassination, sabotage)

Personnel Files

Jameson Pritchard

Native of Atwood, wealthy parents, high-end district of capital city of Schray. Bachelors of business from Fuchida University, orbiting Barnard’s Star. Hired by Threshold Solutions, worked there two years as a manager for two years before it took part in the founding of Archer Tactical. Became Operations Chief on Dualla- made a name for himself by using preemptive arrests and chemical weapons to seamlessly disrupt a planned protest, setting him on a track for leadership. After a stint as Director of Accounting (where he was largely responsible for creating the impenetrable tangle of numbers that we know today), he was transferred to head the Special Projects Division. His previous service with Threshold served him well here- with his working knowledge of important programs like Stranger and Diomedes and his practice in a cutthroat and paranoid environment, he quickly got the existing roles of the division under control and began expanding his powers and responsibilities ruthlessly. It is believed that his influence was crucial in advocating for the ARCMO operation, and the resulting militarization of the Company.

Lauren Raines

Born on Aquilla, poor parents, farmstead outside New Halifax. Bachelors in project management from the University of Fundy, full scholarship. Hired by Archer Tactical out of college into the Personnel Resources Division, she quickly proved adept at diplomacy and manoeuvre, leading to her being directly headhunted by Pritchard, placed in charge of a joint operation with Integrated Defense Logistics, and given a Research team and orders to use them for everything they were worth. Raines dismantled the company over the course of three months: siphoning off their proprietary technologies, advising their forces into ambushes, and sabotaging their supply lines to the point that the company share price collapsed. Archer was able to acquire the company, and Raines was given a far more delicate mission- spearheading the militarization of the Company by liaising with ARMCO.

Zachary Belton

Born on Jackson’s Hold, middle-class parents, capital city of Landing. Bachelors of mathematics (minor project management) at Sawyer College on Clemens, scholarship paid by Archer Tactical (establishing him under the Alternate Employment Act). Began basic training in mech warfare out of college, piloting Diamondback and Rattler light mechs and earning the callsign NEWTON for his repeated failures to understand ballistic math. Gained passable scores (but excelling in battlespace awareness) and proved his loyalty on New Houston, where his company was deployed to deal with a protest, and did so with significant force. After two uneventful tours primarily spent sitting in a hangar, he was selected to join the ARMCO operation, serving under Joint Operations Lead Lauren Raines.

Pre-Lussan

Communications

Analysis by a military enthusiast blogger on Archer Tactical’s capabilities, just prior to the Lussan Campaign

An up-and-coming PMC, mainly providing private security across several core worlds. In corporate circles, Archer is known for its professionalism, innovation, and discipline: in less generous company, it has a reputation for using technology and shiny uniforms to cover for its dearth of experienced personnel and the inability of its officers to deal with unexpected situations. In an attempt to remedy these flaws (and gain a PR boost from the heroes of Haven) Archer has signed a limited partnership deal with ARMCO. While Archer's PR team is arguably more useful to ARMCO than its soldiers, the corporation has nonetheless thrown itself into the partnership with a will and entered units into the bidding for ARMCO's next combat drop. Archer's mix of infantry, drones, limited air power, support orbitals, and light armor is better suited for dealing with protestors and gangs than actual combat, but the corporation hopes that working alongside ARMCO's diverse mix of veteran companies will give it much-needed organizational experience to help it reform its own forces into something to be proud of.

Archer's front-running entrant to the bidding is Lieutenant Zachary Belton, who earned the callsign NEWTON for his struggles with the ballistic math needed for entry into Archer's largely artillery-and-air-defense-based mech corps. Once he was in the cockpit and his computer could help with the aiming, however, NEWTON proved to have excellent battlespace awareness and a knack for anticipating the maneuvers of hostile aircraft which saw him quickly rise through the ranks. He pilots a Diamondback II, Archer's proprietary refit of the Owens equipped for longer range artillery and SAM operations.

Doctrine

Pre-militarization, Archer Tactical was a security force first and foremost. The Company’s primary arm was its enforcers, a large force of minimally-trained and lightly-armed indentured soldiers mainly used for law enforcement and as cheap muscle. Equipped with a simple tactical vest and carbine or submachine gun (with riot gear available when necessary), their lack of training nevertheless would likely render them useless on the battlefield even if properly equipped. They were supported by heavy weapons teams, with surprisingly well-developed mortar capabilities (primarily used for delivery of chemical weapons to deal with riots) and nominal access to ATGMs and heavy machine guns for actual combat situations. This was supported by a small corps of vehicles, largely various trucks or ATVs equipped with guns or missiles, and a slightly larger (though still less than fifty) mech corps. The Company also owned three orbitals (although others would be leased as necessary): Seventh Day Genesis, a science vessel previously specializing in terraforming and now converted into an orbital command center; Chixiclub, an aging demilitarized light cruiser generally used as a patrol vessel or VIP transport; and Sixteen Tons, a mass conveyor typically used to transport entire garrisons at a time.

In the event of planetary invasion or other full-scale conflict, enforcers would be deployed en masse to bog down invaders while the vehicles would flank to deal the actual damage and mechs served to deal with special threats, such as aircraft or armor. While this strategy might have worked on paper, the low quality and morale of the average Archer enforcer and vehicle would have likely seen the entire line collapse immediately on contact. However, despite the struggles of their conventional forces, the Company retained significant indirect combat capacity. When taken off the usual corporate espionage work, their intelligence teams were top-notch, and they retained the services of multiple capable special operations teams. It is difficult to estimate what impact they would have in a full-scale invasion, but they would likely be deployed against leadership and profitable enemy targets, with the intent of rendering the entire operation unprofitable and forcing a withdrawal.

The impact of projects such as Stranger and Diomedes are not factored into this analysis.

Lussan Campaign - May-June 2930

Personnel

Jameson Pritchard

Director Jameson Pritchard of the Special Projects Division was apparently willing to sit back and avoid micromanaging his pet project. His trust in Ms. Raines was borne out by the Lussan Campaign’s success, and the Director saw his influence in the Company continue to wax.

Lauren Raines

Joint Operations Lead Lauren Raines deployed to Lussan along with Mr. Belton aboard the converted terraformer Seventh Day Genesis, and followed him aboard the flagship Endurance. She managed to stay out of the way of the boarders (and keep her security detail out of the fray), and spent the majority of the campaign aboard the ship, running a mission control center for NEWTON, collecting intelligence, and attempting to acquire prisoners for the Company under the Alternate Employment Act.

Zachary Belton

Lieutenant Zachary Belton deployed aboard Endurance alongside QRF SLEIPNIR, and dropped near FOB SAND RAT to provide anti-air cover, eventually destroying multiple enemy fliers and torpedoes in defense of the damaged Heimdallr and a captured assault shuttle.

Communications

Address to shareholders in preparation for the Lussan Campaign

Archer Tactical is pleased to announce that, in fulfillment of our partnership with the Armitage Free Company, we will be joining in ARMCO’s deployment on the world of Lussan. The people of this frontier planet live beyond the protection of the core governments, and lack the resources to field their own defense force. They’ve turned to us to help, and we are proud to answer the call. Thirty hours ago, ARMCO-Archer fleet assets arrived in orbit and began deploying ground forces in defense of local population and infrastructure centers. Our intelligence suggests that a pirate attack is imminent- these vagabonds will be flying into the teeth of a prepared defense, manned by hardened veterans of the miracle on Haven and backed by the extensive expertise and technological edge of Archer. With these advantages in our corner, Lussan will doubtlessly be safe once more. ARMCO-Archer: together, we will make a better tomorrow, on Lussan and elsewhere.

FROM: Jameson Pritchard, Director for Special Projects

TO: Lauren Raines, Joint Operations Lead

Lauren,

Congratulations on your promotion. You did good work with IDL, and I have no doubt that you will continue to do so with ARMCO. However, while your approach with IDL was incredibly effective, I wanted to caution you against taking a similar tack with ARMCO. Our relationship with ARMCO is considered imperative to the future growth and success of Archer, and as such every effort should be made to maintain a positive relationship with them. You have a Special Research team- do not use them unless you have a DAMN good reason, and you are DAMN sure you won’t get caught. ARMCO has a zero-tolerance policy on looting, and while I don’t believe it extends to intellectual property, I’d rather we understand the limits of the law before we start trying to work around them. This is one case where we’re asking you to do your job as listed, not exceed it. Lieutenant Belton is a capable officer, you can trust him to handle his side of things. Just make sure everything goes smoothly on the corporate end, and I’ll make sure the funding keeps coming.

Pritchard

FROM: Lauren Raines, Joint Operations Lead

TO: Jameson Pritchard, Director for Special Projects

Director,

Our mission on Lussan should be considered a success. ARMCO successfully engaged multiple pirate threats, including battleship-scale orbitals, and emerged with light casualties. Lieutenant Belton destroyed numerous assets in the process, and has proven Archer’s competence and usefulness to the organization- he is to be commended. Attempts to acquire additional assets under the Alternate Employment Acts were largely unsuccessful, but it does seem to be largely possible under ARMCO jurisdiction, and we can proceed with less circumspection in future. Finally, we have obtained frontline intelligence about an emerging regional threat known colloquially as “the wireheads”- see attached dossier. I recommend we make them an intelligence priority and begin a pivot towards facing them on a larger scale. This is an opportunity to make us another fortune.

Raines

Doctrine

Despite Belton’s good showing on Lussan, the action revealed much of Archer’s weaknesses. The pirates’ swarm tactics closely mirrored the Company’s intended strategy, and their abject failure was taken very seriously. Raines noted in particular the effectiveness of artillery in destroying even heavy enemy units, and strongly urged investigating this further. However, her intelligence on the machine threat known as the wireheads was considered to be a higher priority, and Archer began to pivot to oppose them. This took the form of a general training initiative to bring enforcers up to modern standards, the purchase and deployment of anti-materiel rifles as a standard weapon for use against the expected more heavily armored targets, the activation of three Research teams, and the buttressing of those Research teams with the products of the Stranger program.

Titan Campaign - September-November 2930

Personnel

Jameson Pritchard

During the Titan Campaign, Pritchard took direct control of the ongoing pivot towards combatting the AI threat known as the Wireheads, ordering the creation of Project Bulter to centralize all such operations. While Archer was still a long way from ready for a full-scale war, briefing materials were prepared should any company detachments come face-to-face with them ahead of time (or for sale to planetary garrisons).

Lauren Raines

Raines stepped into a more active role during the Titan Campaign. Here Special Research team was augmented into a full YONDER section, and she used it to its fullest in support of Operation HELIOS MIRROR. While the rapid collapse of the Yos regime meant that intelligence efforts in general had minimal impact on the situation, these efforts proved that Archer's intelligence capabilities were indeed applicable to a live military situation and set the stage for similar operations in the future. Given this success, Director Pritchard temporarily transferred her to an lead Project Butler's talent acquisition efforts.

Zachary Belton

NEWTON saw little combat on Titan. Surviving Battlegroup TYPHOON's hotly contested drop on the northern airfield by sheer luck and arriving once the area was already secured, the mech proceeded north to help an infantry force from Battlegroup TORNADO secure a series of unidentified structures, which YONDER suspected to be part of a bioweapons lab. This guess proved correct, but danger in the area proved to be primarily inside the lab, so NEWTON could only circle helplessly and pass communications from inside back to YONDER in orbit. Once the lab was evacuated the declared off-limits, NEWTON proceeded south into the Citadel, arriving too late to assist in its capture. The mech stood in rearguard for forces using the western hovercraft to evacuate, but made no contact with the enemy before the area was cleared and NEWTON withdrew with the rest of ARMCO.

Communications

FROM: Jameson Pritchard, Director for Special Projects

TO: Lauren Raines, Joint Operations Lead

Lauren,

Your proposal to the Board has been approved. You are to proceed to Titan with the main ARMCO fleet and participate in the operation against the Kingdom of Yos. Standing orders remain the same. You are free and clear to deploy your Research team in its fullest capacity against the Kingdom as you see fit. Give them hell.

Pritchard

FROM: Lauren Raines, Joint Operations Lead

TO: Zachary Belton, NEWTON

Zach,

Congratulations on your successful campaign. As you know, completing a third campaign with ARMCO will fulfill your contract and see you become a fully vested employee of Archer, but we felt your conduct thus far was worth of other recognition. It is my honor to grant you the rank of Captain in the Archer family, and bestow upon you the rights and privileges inherent to the position. Should you ever operate separately from ARMCO, you are entitled to command a lance in combat- but until then, you can count on having my ear and that of the Board. You've more than earned it.

Raines

The Archer Civil War

During the ARMCO fleet's stay over Titan, a series of disasters rocked the Kalypsan flagship KNV Dawnstar. Investigation quickly revealed that these events were sabotage, and planted evidence pointed towards rogue Archer agents acting on behalf of the defunct Blackthorne-Nguyen Tactical, in direct and flagrant violation of standing orders. The Kalypsan Admiralty acted quickly, withdrawing the dreadnaught to Kalypso and informing Archer of the situation. Special Projects responded promptly, opening a direct line of communication between Director Pritchard and Admiral Wren Alpin and providing a brief on the Stranger program (determined to be the most likely agents if ARMCO was involved). While Kalypsan special forces and a team of OSC androids reasserted control of the warship in the wake of attacks in transit, Director Pritchard seized the opportunity. Declaring the attacks to be actions of a conspiracy within Archer, facilitated by a parallel fork of the Stranger program, he clamped down on his rivals in Operations and Admin and placing his own loyalists in positions to control both branches, which had the side benefit of granting him control over the Board. Several planetary garrisons attempted to resist, but demonstrations of the nightmarish capabilities of the Stranger program and a nuclear strike on Dualla quickly crushed any opposition. Within twelve hours, the Director had cemented himself as the sole power within Archer Tactical.

The Kalypsan Cold War

Despite a growing understanding that Archer Tactical was not in fact responsible for the Dawnstar Incident, high Kalypsan officers increasingly began to see Director Pritchard's tactics as dangerous and began to act accordingly. Kalypsan special forces were deployed to Archer-garrisoned worlds, and began to conduct aggressive intelligence efforts against Archer bases.

Glossary

Alternate Employment Act

A controversial act passed throughout the core by the Federation government, considered long obsolete by the time of Archer but far too profitable for the richest in society to be repealed. It essentially legalized indentured servitude, and while it was primarily intended to be deployed on a small scale so as to largely avoid constitutional challenge, Archer used it en masse to amass thousands of practically unpaid enforcers, preventing challenge through bribery and naked force.