7th Syrtis Fusiliers

Insignia of the 7th Syrtis Fusiliers
Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers
Formed Age of War

Reformed 3145 (approx.)[1]

Disbanded Prior to 2864
Nickname Dragon Riders[2]

Giant Killers (formerly)

Affiliation Federated Suns
Parent Command Syrtis Fusiliers

History

Early History

The Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers can trace its origins back to the Age of War or earlier and the private military force raised by House Hasek to defend its mining and drilling concerns on New Syrtis. The Syrtis Fusiliers became the private guard and personal army of the Hasek family, with their star rising alongside that of the Hasek family and New Syrtis; the Syrtis Fusiliers expanded, and as time progressed the brigade became the official guard of New Syrtis and then the perhaps the most important military command within the Capellan March Principality of the Federated Suns.[3]

Davion Civil War

The bulk of the Syrtis Fusiliers brigade supported Prince David Varnay and his wife Cassandra Davion loyally throughout the Davion Civil War, opposing first the combined forces of Laura Davion and Nikolai Rostov and then First Prince Alexander Davion. At the end of the war Prince Alexander offered an amnesty to the survivors from the brigade, and reintegrated the Syrtis Fusiliers into the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, the restructured military that replaced the Federated Peacekeeping Forces as the state military of the Federated Suns.[3]

Alexander's clemency towards the Syrtis Fusiliers and his subsequent actions in rebuffing the attempt by Richard Varnay to seize control of the Capellan March cemented the Fusiliers' loyalty to New Avalon and the wider Federated Suns.[3]

The Star League

The Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers served the Federated Suns well in the two centuries following the Davion Civil War; when the Star League council issued the Council Edict of 2650, sharply limiting the size of the military each Great House was allowed to maintain, the Seventh and her sister regiments were left untouched. The brigade would remain ten regiments strong until shortly after the repeal of the Council Edict of 2650.[3]

Dark Age

The Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers was just as shocked as the rest of the Capellan March when the Capellan Confederation invaded. To their credit, they responded by performing a series of raids against the CCAF from the "Frazer Thumb". The Seventh's large aerospace contingent and experience in rapid deployment and high-altitude drops allowed them to disrupt Capellan operations. In one case they even stole a JumpShip filled with supplies intended for Capellan forces. The Seventh's success made them a high priority target for the CCAF, and as a result the Seventh moved frequently. It was unusual to find them on any world for more than a month.[4]

ilClan Era

The Dragonriders played a part in the Pleiades War. They had barely finished a well-deserved refit cycle when the Third Taurian Lancers attacked Aucara, where the Seventh was stationed. After nearly a decade of relentless fighting against the Capellans, the Seventh was ready to receive the Taurians. Their Duke, Alexander Hasek, was a captive of the Taurians and ordered them to stand down; the Seventh not only ignored the orders, but attacked, expecting to free their Duke. After sizing up their foe, the Seventh quickly went on the offensive. Taking risks that could never have work against Capellan or Combine forces, their MechWarriors delivered a stinging blow. Despite the superior Taurian BattleMech numbers, they were countered by the Dragonriders' supporting armor and a full regiment of battle armor, backed by deadly accurate artillery fire. The Lancers, after losing about a third of their numbers—including their commanding officer, Colonel Griffin—were forced to retreat, putting an end to the war. The Seventh cobbled together two Taurian Lamprey VTOLs, and Colonel Theresa Nelson's neurohelmet, but they felt humiliated by the fact that their duke had to be ransomed, and the end of operations against the Taurians. The Dragonriders' General Suhanto Lexian even dared to say, in private, that the duke should have showed some patriotism by dying in battle before than returning humiliated, and left clear their disgust, asking for "a transfer to an active theatre of operations".[5][6]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 7th Syrtis Fusiliers
Leftenant General Suhanto Lexian 3145-3152[1]

Tactics

2765

Due to the slow speed of the Seventh - a consequence of the preponderance of assault BattleMechs within the command - the regiment relied on reconnaissance being performed by local forces whenever the regiment deployed.[3]

Traditions

The Dragonriders had a trophy collection of Capellan, Combine and Taurian neurohelmets, which they were proud of what they called "hat tricks", and used them for a rite of passage for new lieutenants to drink PPCs from the helmets on important regimental anniversaries.[2]

Composition History

2765

Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[7]

- At This point in time the Seventh were stationed on Monongahela.[7] The Seventh was an assault regiment, with Emperor and Longbow 'Mechs being the most common 'Mechs in service with the regiment.[3]

2786–2821

Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[8]

- At this point in time the Seventh was an assault-weight unit operating at full regimental strength, and was based on Monongahela.[8] In 2821 the unit was operating at just over a third of full strength.[8]

2830

7th Syrtis Fusiliers (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[9]

Note: At this point in time the assault-weight unit was stationed on Monongahela with an operational readiness of 81 percent.[9] The unit was destroyed during the war.[9]

3145

Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers LCT (Elite/Reliable)[1]

  • CO: Leftenant General Suhanto Lexian

Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers Aerospace Brigade (Elite/Reliable)[1]

Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[1]

Seventh Syrtis Fusiliers Infantry Brigade (Elite/Fanatical)[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Field Manual: 3145, p. 89: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Dominions Divided, p. 94
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 18: "Syrtis Fusiliers"
  4. Field Manual: 3145, p. 78
  5. Dominions Divided, p. 52
  6. Dominions Divided, p. 94
  7. 7.0 7.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 19: "Regimental Status"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 First Succession War, p. 135: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Second Succession War, p. 95

Bibliography