Bishop Sortek
Sarna News
Marshal Bishop Sortek (b. 3010[1] - d. October 3063) was the Commanding Officer of the Davion Brigade of Guards and First Davion Guards RCT up until his death during the FedCom Civil War.
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Family
Bishop Sortek was the cousin of Field Marshal Ardan Sortek, a legendary hero of the Federated Suns and its military, as well as being the former Prince's Champion. His parents were both officers within the Brigade of Guards, and both were also casualties of the Third Succession War; after his parents died in combat, Bishop became a "Guards Brat".[2]
Early Career
Although Bishop could have entered military training at a higher level, he refused to take the position he was entitled to and instead entered the Albion Military Academy as a common cadet. Bishop subsequently graduated with honors, and his first posting was to the elite Davion Heavy Guards. Bishop proved to be a highly successful and innovative officer, and advanced rapidly through the ranks; at the age of thirty-four he became commanding officer of the First Davion Guards, a clear indication that he was one of the chosen Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth officers of his generation. Bishop was also strongly associated with First Prince Hanse Davion and this ensured that he also maintained a close relationship with the AFFC High Command.[2]
Bishop led the First Davion Guards during Operation BULLDOG, securing victories over Clan Smoke Jaguar on both Port Arthur and Yamarovka. With the promotion of Jackson Davion to Marshal of the Armies, Bishop was promoted to command the Brigade of Guards, and it was a measure of his abilities that none of the other commanding officers within the Brigade contested his promotion. Bishop's promotion came in troubled times, and both he and the First Guards soon became lightning rods for those who supported Victor Steiner-Davion.[2]
Standing Up to Tyranny
At the start of the Federated Commonwealth Civil War, Marshal Sortek informed Katherine Steiner-Davion, Archon of the Lyran Alliance and Regent of the Federated Commonwealth, that the First Davion Guards stationed on New Avalon would not swear an Oath of Allegiance to her, as the Guards were sworn to protect the citizens of the Federated Commonwealth. In response, "Archon Katrina" ordered her Loyalists to frame the Guards for acts of "terrorism" against AFFC installations, then threatened to arrest Sortek and the entirety of the 1st Guards if they did not stand down, lay down their arms and submit to DMI investigations. Sortek launched his own investigation into the matter and ordered his RCT to stand down, but not allow themselves to be disarmed. On June 25, 3063, a furious Katherine ordered the arrest of the 1st Guards and that the unit be disbanded and stricken from all AFFC records.
Field Marshal and current Prince's Champion Simon Gallagher attempted to negotiate with Sortek, but Sortek refused to speak with Gallagher. On the following day, Sortek completed his investigation and determined that there was little, if any, evidence that First Guards personnel had engaged in terrorist acts.
Because Gallagher failed to convince Sortek and his soldiers to effectively surrender, Marshal of the Armies Jackson Davion next attempted to reason with Sortek. Once again, Sortek refused to capitulate to the Archon's demands. Field Marshal Gallagher had enough of Sortek's rebellion and ordered the 3rd Robinson Rangers to lead a Loyalist task force to forcibly disarm and arrest the 1st Davion Guards, per the Archon's orders. The Guards repelled this blatant attack by the Rangers; Sortek then made a planetwide broadcast to the people of New Avalon, calling upon them to take up arms against the Loyalists, but Archon Katherine managed to shut down all planetary news broadcasts, including HPG transmissions.
Sortek ordered his First Guards, reinforced with Davion supporters, to counterattack the Loyalist task force: the 3rd Robinson Rangers, the 10th Deneb Light Cavalry, the New Avalon CMM and Loyalist militia units stationed on New Avalon. As the Guards marched to Avalon City, the Loyalists made several attempts to block the Allied advance, but each time the Guards broke through and escaped. When the Guards reached Avalon City, Sortek's force was reinforced by many cadets and faculty members of the NAIS College of Military Science and Albion Military Academy. The Guards and their reinforcements established two bases in the Camelot region of Avalon City and continued to repel attacks from the Loyalists, now commanded by Marshal Werner Gast.
On July 26, Marshal of the Armies Davion made one last attempt to negotiate with Sortek, who once again refused to surrender. On July 29, Sortek decided to use unconventional tactics to throw the Loyalists off-balance. The Guards cut off the power to Avalon City and most of the continent of Albion, also disabling all communications in that region. During the blackout, the Guards made a covert attempt to capture the AFFC High Command at the Fox's Den, but the Loyalists uncovered and thwarted the Allied attack.
Defiant to the End
Sortek would not give up so easily. He continued the guerrilla tactics against the Loyalists by having AFFC and DMI databases sabotaged and hiding his special forces troops among the civilian population of Avalon City.
By mid-October of 3063, the Guards managed to break the backbone of the New Avalon CMM, leaving the Rangers and DLC to pursue the Guards through the Grand Avalon Mountains outside of Avalon City. As the Guards made their way through the mountain passes, Sortek came up with the idea that two companies of Assault 'Mechs piloted by elite MechWarriors could hold off the Loyalists long enough for the Guards to escape. Sortek insisted that he lead the delaying action, since he was the unit's CO.
Bishop Sortek and 23 of the best soldiers of the 1st Davion Guards sacrificed themselves so that their fellow soldiers could continue the fight.
Major General Wendy Adams assumed command of the remains of the Guards and led them out of the mountains on December 15. Five days later, the 10th DLC and the combined CMM/3rd Rangers RCT surrounded the last brigade of the Guards and destroyed them almost to the last man.
However, the legacy of Bishop Sortek continued to live on. Later that same day, Sortek's special forces sprung into action and sabotaged three of New Avalon's major military hardware manufacturers: Achernar BattleMechs, Corean Enterprises and Lycomb-Davion IntroTech. The saboteurs also disabled the entire AFFC planetary command network and later incited anti-Steiner demonstrations and riots to keep the Loyalists off-guard. Secretly, Sortek had ordered an entire combined-arms regiment from the 1st Davion Guards to hide in the Grand Avalon Mountains and wait for Allied RCTs to arrive on New Avalon so that Guards could take part in the planet's liberation. In 3067, a large Allied task force personally led by Victor Steiner-Davion crushed the Loyalists on New Avalon and forced Katherine to surrender, ending the FedCom Civil War.
Titles and Succession
Notes
Rules
3062
References
- FedCom Civil War, pp. 60-61, 77-78, 156