Ryan Lewis

Name: Ryan Lewis

Call sign: Black Cat

Position:  Major, 201st Strykers Regiment, Charlie Battalion

Affiliation
Mercenary, mercenary, mercenary…okay, there’s a bit of Davion in there, too. Ryan’s father was a MechWarrior with the Eridani Light Horse mercenary unit’s 151st Light Horse Regiment and Ryan grew up on Colchester with the unit’s families. Ryan tries to keep out of politics, but there is a bent of Federated Suns ideas in his leanings.

Description
Slightly taller than average, Ryan Lewis has fair skin, close cropped dirty blond hair, and green eyes. His once lean, athletic frame has collected extra weight the last few years, but he still takes care of himself and is ready for action in or out of a BattleMech cockpit.

Traits
With other units, Ryan was reserved and kept himself isolated. Here with the 201st, Ryan has opened up. He is still fairly quiet and listens more than he talks in combat, but he joins in the good natured ribbing with his new brothers and sisters. He’s fiercely loyal to the 201st Stryker Regiment, and has recently surprised himself by become one of the faces of the unit’s renewed recruiting drive.

His promotion to lieutenant has thrust him into a leadership position on the field of battle as well as off. It has been more than a decade since he lead his fellow warriors in battle, but he has proven that the skill is still in place, effectively leading the rescue mission that saved the life of fellow Stryker, Divad Tanaka's sister.

'Mechs
Currently piloted and typical loadout: 'Mechs previously piloted:
 * On behalf of the 201st Stryker Regiment, Gunnery Sergeant Divad Tanaka presented schematics for an advanced electronics suite to Colonel Jaime Wolf, commander of Wolf's Dragoons.  In return, the Strykers were rewarded with several pieces of advanced equipment, including a Mad Cat OmniMech that Ryan loaded on the DropShip for his next mission.  Ryan has not settled on a name for the 'mech yet, but based on the current weapon configuration—which is similar to what he mounted on the Victor—he has been referring to it as Slayer II. Following the engagement with Graham's Gorillas on Jezersko, he modified the build; though he hasn't formally named it yet, he thinks of it as Darlig Ulv.
 * Following the mission on Scheat, Lt. Lewis modified his WVR-7K Wolverine to add Artemis IV to the SRM racks. The 'mech mounts 2 SRM-6s with the improved targeting and 4 tons of ammo, 3 medium lasers, a large XL engine, and half a dozen jump jets.  He renamed the 'mech Bad Wolf.
 * Victor . Sgt. Lewis tends to gravitate toward jump capable heavy and assault ‘mechs. His platform of choice was a  Victor ( Dragon Slayer ) with an LB 10-X, PPC, two MPLs, and dual SRM-6s that he took to Scheat. The Dragon Slayer was destroyed on Scheat leading to his capture.  He had named this 'mech Slayer.
 * His reserve 'mech for the mission to Scheat was his  WVR-7K Wolverine  called  Lone Wolf .  Lone Wolf mounted 3 SRM-4s in place of the 2 SRM-6s that are carried by the Bad Wolf.

Short Bio
Ryan Lewis is a mercenary, pure and simple. Before settling in with the 201st, he drifted from unit to unit, depending on the pay and the potential risk of the mission.

He grew up around the Eridani Light Horse’s families and support staff, and most of his training and his first assignment was with the 71st Light Horse regiment of that unit. Though the assignments went well, it wasn't a good fit, and Ryan began serving as a lone wolf mercenary, primarily hiring on with other mercenary units, building his war chest.

Know as Drifter in his lone wolf days, Ryan has worked for all the Inner Sphere’s best mercenary units: Wolf’s Dragoons, the Kell Hounds, the Gray Death Legion, Eridani Light Horse (his father’s unit), the Northwind Highlanders, and the list continues. All in all, Ryan had served some thirty-odd merc units, several more than once.

Every other mercenary unit had given Ryan a reason to move on, but the 201st Stryker Regiment welcomed Ryan. This is his family, his brothers and sisters. His callsign may have been Drifter before he settled in with the 201st, but Ryan “Black Cat” Lewis has found his home.

Recent History
(aka "What's He Done In the Story")

During the mission to Scheat, Ryan successfully lead a challenging rescue mission that required combat in and out of his Victor. His team rescued Yoshi Adder, Divad Tanaka's half sister, as well as the CO and XO of Valkyrie Wing, who had been shot out of their AeroSpace Fighters providing close cover for the DropShip that had been dispatched to exctract Ryan's rescue team.

A short time later, Ryan was shot out of his 'mech in combat with elements the Draconis Combine's Fourth Proserpina Hussars. Despite the efforts of Gregor Heimler to mount a rescue, the Combine forces drove the other Strykers off and Ryan was captured. During his time in captivity, Ryan was beaten and tortured by Shenju Tuo-zhou, a special agent working for radical forces inside the Draconis Combine nobility. Just before he was rescued, he watched as his fellow POWs, Jennifer Bennet and Shakeel Sailendra, were murdered in front of him and it was broadcast on planet for all to see.

Since meeting in November of 3050, Ryan has been romantically involved with Zoey Luik, a fellow MechWarrior and member of the Black Lace Pirates.

Following the rescue mission on Scheat, Ryan and Divad went on an intelligence collection mission that took them deep into the heart of the Draconis Combine. Upon their return, the two led a mission into Clan Ghost Bear territory where they confronted and finally overpowered Shenju. A cave in buried Ryan and Shenju and they have not been seen or heard from since September 3051.

Ryan is officially MIA and his services to the Strykers were honored along with his fallen colleagues in April of 3052.