NAME: William Ramses
RANK: Magister
POSITION: Leader of the Magistracy of Canopus
DOB: April 16th, 2996
PREFERRED MECH: GRF-1N Griffin

Born on the 16th of April, 2996 on New Abilene to Solomon and Victoria Ramses. He is the third of three children, all boys, His father is a prominent membver of the New Abilene central Committee, His father is also a member of the Durachi noble class. Though not a major player in interplanetary trade, the Ramses family controls the largest cattle and sheep ranches on New Abilene, as well as several large farms and several clothing firms, primarily those that work in leather and wool based clothing. His Ranches produce over 40% of the planet's beef and mutton.

As a youth, William was quite rambunctious and wild and worked on his father's many ranches. By the age of 12, he was a very skilled horesman and cowpuncher, he could sheer sheep with best of them and was quite heandy with a butcher's knife and rifle. Due to his mother's death when he was 7, William spent more time on the ranches, then with his father, who was very bust, both politacally and professionally. His father did not know how proficient his son William had become at knife fighting, smuggling and other petty crimes. Just prior to his 16th birthday, William's father discovered his hidden cache of illegally gotten goodies and arranged for him to be sent away for further discipline.

Through business contacts in the Taurian Concordat, William was sent to a military prep school/academy on New Vandeberg. It was here he would learn discipline and morality or fail and be labeled as an outcast by his father. His rebelliousness was his undoing in the early stages of enrollment at the New Vandenberg Academy. Among the non-corporal punishments he received was restriction from simulator time. He hated that particular punishment, because he had a certain ability in piloting a 'Mech. Seeing that he could not develop this ability without simulator time, William decide, reluctantly, to clean up his act in order to get the simulator time he needed to progress.

Upon graduation from the Acedmy at age 20, William returned to New Abilene and was greeted by his father who held an Ensign's commission in his hands as a return gift. Additionally, he received his grandmother's ancient, but well maintained, Griffin for his use while serving in the New Abilene Militia's Battlemech Company (9 Mechs total)

As in most militaries, the average soldier has little or no respect for an officer who has purchased his commission and has not proved himself in combat or some other way and with William it was to be no different.After nearly a year fo training with his unit and in exercises with the mercenary unit, Drummond's Destructors, William believed himself and his lance ready for combat. Little did he know that he soon would get his chance.

While the bulk of the destrcutor were on Early Dawn trainig with their sister unit, Harcourt's Aliens, New Abilene was attacked by a band of pirates. The pirates were hitting the warehouses in the lightly populated area west of Maryessa Mountains. His lance, along with a mixed company of conventional forces was there to protect the district against a force of 11 Pirate 'Mechs. Using his two infantry platoons as a recon/ambush force and the platoon of Manticore tanks as fire support unit. With half his infantry armed with portable Srm Inferno launchers and acting as forward observers for the LRMs carried by the Manticores, William was able to funnel the pirate band into an ambush set up by his 'Mech lance. When the pirates rached the ambush site, they had already lost two 'mechs to the infantry/armor force, his lance destroyed a further five, three of which he took, two with head shots. On this day he earned the sobriquet, "Headhunter", which he hates to this very day. He claims the head shots were luck, his men claimed it was skill. Either way the nickname stuck, and he finally earned the respect of his men. In all his unit destroyed 7 'Mechs, with a loss of one Stinger, one Manticore and 11 infantrymen killed or destroyed. The remainder of the pirate force never made it back to their dropship as the aeropscae unit from the Destructors caught them before they could get to their dropship, which was captured by the rest of the militia.

Word of his exploits reached the senior commander of the Taurian Reach on Luxen through the mercenary liasion officer. The MAF Central Commandoffered a position in a line unit and a promotion to Commander. He left New Abilene and was posted to the 5th Recon Battalion on Afarsin. He was assigned to the S-3 (Operations and Training) for the battalion, to get a better grasp on strategy and tactics. After spending a year on the command staff, he was rotated to command of Company C of the battalion. Company was the oddball company of the battalion, due to the fact that the batallion's armor and infatry assets were assigned to the company as well as the standard 12 'Mechs. Though the armor and infantry commanders had more experience and seniority than William, MAF doctrine stated that the commander of a 'Mech unit of equal size was the commanding officer. William learned much from these two commanders, as they had a combined 32 years of experience between them. They trained intensely on combined tactics and very rarely trained as separate units. There trainig was about to payoff, because the Marian Hegemony was about to make a fatla mistake.

The Third Cohort of the Marian Legions launched an attack on Afarsin and divided it forces into three groups, one of which was targeted at the main powerplant located at the Black River Dam. Unfortunately for the Marian forces, Company C was stationed at the dam and would defend it with the best of their ability. Along with a militia company and a mounted platoon of Royal Constables. Using the infantry as a screen against a flanking maneuver on his left flank by the Marian armor, William deployed his APCs, all of which were hover, as a strike force. Sending them out around the Marian left flank, they distracted the Marian commander long enough for his Manticore and Pike tanks to strike at the Marian center and right. With the bulk of the Marian force engaged by his infantry and armor, William took his 'Mechs out around his infatry screen and hit the Marian forces in their rear. His infantry having decimated the Marian armor with Infernos, quickly fell upon the marian 'Mechs that came to support the armor. William then hit the mMarian ' Mechs in the rear and destroyed or damaged the entire Marian century of Battlemechs. The marian forces who had reacted to the APC attack, disengaged their pursuit and came to their aid of their comrades, but met the smae fate as their fellows, losing an additional 7 'Mechs damaged or destroyed. At the end of this battle the Marian forces suffered 10 'Mechs detroyed, 4 captured and 3 severely damaged and the loss of 7 of the 10 tanks involved. William's company lost 5 'Mechs destoyed or severely damaged, three Pikes and 1 manticore destroyed and 39 infantrymen killed or 37 wounded. After this action Commander was promoted to major, which he stioll had to pay for, though at reduced cost, and was assigned to command of the 5th Light Horse Battalion on Adherlwin.

On March 3, 3024, Major Ramses was placed in command of a strike force that would raid the planets of Ballalaba and Islington in the Marian Hegemony. The 5th Recon along with the 3rd Battalion of Hudsenn's Red Devils would strike first at Ballalaba and then Islington on the return of their strike route. On Ballalaba, they encountered little resistance as they destroyed the communications center and destroyed a supply depot, after plundering it of all valuable military supplies.

The raid on Islington was to be vastly different than Ballalaba. His force encountered the remnants of the 3rd Cohort as well as the newly 1st Cohort of the 2nd Legion under the command of Legatus Patrick Ferris. Though his force outnumbered the Marian force by about 10 'mechs, they outmassed and outgunned him. Using hit and run tactics, his force disengaged from the stronger Marian force. Along the way they knocked a civilian telecommunications center, a power substation and set fire to the warehouse district near the spaceport. He retired in good order and made good his retreat from Islington. Though the raid on Islington was a failure, the mission itself was judged as a success, especially when the total combined losses were five 'Mechs destroyed seven damaged, but repairable and three mechwarriors lost. In September of 3024, William was nominated for a colonelcyand command of the 2nd Canopian Light Horse, following the retirement of Colonel Arrianna Dumars. On Ecemder 1st, at the age of 28, he was given command of the Regiment, thus being the youngest regimental commander in over 200 years. As the MAF Command Center begins the rotation of all MAF units, the first such reorganization since the Second Succession War, Willianm looks forward to the new challenges that him and his command.