Talon Company

The Talon Group started out as a pre-War army airborne cavalry unit, the 71st Air Cav "Night Ravens." Their
symbol was a Raven carrying an angry baby with the face of a ChiCom soldier. It has since morphed into a skull-headed,
winged apparition with a weeping baby, though examples of the original can be found in some Talon bases. According
to lore within the group, the Ravens had a "Wings" group, the pilots of their VertiBird aircraft, and a "Talon" group, the
actual ground-pounders who did the dirty work. The unit was assigned to relieve forces in the DC area just as the
Chinese started their final bombing of the Capitol. The aircraft were forced to land due to the EMP effect, and the
troops were trapped outside the Capitol. The survivors of the unit stayed together, for the most part, as there was little
else to do.
Flash forward a hundred years, and the situation is this. The survivors formed a mercenary unit, Talon
Company, working for various survivor groups, local governments, and large caravans over the years. They did jobs such
as Raider suppression, seek-and-destroy against the various slavers in the area, and eradication of creatures such as Rad
Scorpions and Deathclaws. About 15 years ago, the command element of Talon Company, led by Colonel Roger Norton,
descendent of the unit's original founder, engaged an unknown foe in the area near the Capitol Building.
Lt. Jabsco, a low-ranking officer, was leading an reserve element of the Company in the area near the Museum
of Technology, when the call came in. he and his troops made their way to the Capitol Building, only to witness Norton's
last stand against a group of huge, green-skinned monsters. Norton died, along with most of the command staff. Jabsco
was scarred for life by what he witnessed, becoming almost obsessed with the Super Mutant threat.
Over the years, Jabsco worked his way up in the leadership of Talon Company. As he did so, the Company
became more and more ruthless in the way it handled threats. The jobs Jabsco was willing to take became less about
protecting people's assets and more about causing mayhem and disorder in the Wasteland. Talon's reputation as an
honest mercenary outfit faded, replaced with a rep for being one step above Raiders, if that. Some shadowy customer
has bought Jabsco's loyalty, and his orders are clear: disrupt the DC Wasteland in every way possible.
Jabsco maintains a presence in the Capitol Building area, with troops taking potshots at the Mutants there. He
also has several small bases scattered around the area, including a camp southeast of Arlington Library, an outpost and
warehouse just west of Grayditch, and another camp near Takoma Park. His headquarters is at Fort Bannister. Roving
teams engage Super Mutants wherever they find them, as well as Raiders, Brotherhood of Steel Paladins, and Outcast
Patrols.
Jabsco is a cancer; his pervasive influence has brought disgrace and ruin to the once proud Talon Company.
Whoever his mysterious benefactor is, he can't be paying enough for what has happened to the unit. Desertions are at
an all-time high, morale at an all-time low. Some communities that once counted Talon as allies have shut their doors.
At this point, wearing Talon armor is enough to get one shot at outside Rivet City, and to draw scorn from the
inhabitants of Megaton and elsewhere. Only the guards of Tenpenny Tower show Talon any respect, and even they are
beginning to question Jabsco's methods. If Jabsco could be thrown down, replaced with someone worthy of respect,
then perhaps Talon could be turned around, and become great once more. If something doesn't happen soon, however,
it may be too late, and the Talon name will live on only in infamy, with the once-proud merc being no more than Raiders
in the eyes of the people of the Wasteland.