Gray Death Legion

Template:InfoBoxMercUnit The Gray Death Legion is a mercenary company formed by Grayson Death Carlyle. It began as an offshoot of Carlyle's Commandos, a mercenary unit formed by Grayson Carlyle's father, Durant. During fighting on Trell I, the unit suffered heavy losses and was reformed under Grayson Carlyle. Through subsequent actions it reached regimental strength and went on to face the Clans and feature prominently in the Lyran Alliance civil war. The Gray Death Legion has also taken credit for the Gray Death Battle Armor and the Gray Death Scout Armor.

Emerging from the campaign against Duke Hassid Ricol on Trell I with a small unit consisting of five 'Mechs and veteran ground troops, the Grey Death Legion traveled to Galatea, known as the Mercenary's Star, seeking employment. There they were hired by a representative of the Verthandi Revolutionary Council. The planet had been traded to the Draconis Combine several years earlier by House Steiner as part of a treaty obligation and many people were engaged in a guerrilla war against the Combine forces. The Legion was hired to provide training for the rebels, especially in anti-'Mech infantry combat. The contract was for 900 hours of training, but no combat engagements. The unit traveled to Verthandi and barely succeeded in running the blockade. The DropShip Phobos was severely damaged while trying to evade the blockade and was converted to a steam-powered ocean-going vessel and actually sailed on the Azure Sea to safe harbor for repairs.

The unit soon began training the rebels. It quickly became clear to Carlyle that the Legion forces would not be able to simply train the rebels, but would need to participate to ensure that the rebellion was successful. Several members of the rebel council were against the Legion's participation (primarily due to concerns of the ability to pay the mercenary unit), but Carlyle succeeded in reassuring them that his forces were committed to fighting the injustices on the planet regardless of their mercenary status.

While the Legion trained the rebel pilots and infantry, Governor-General Masayoshi Nagumo struggled to locate the mercenary unit. His lord, Duke Hassid Ricol (the same Duke that Carlyle had beaten on Trell I) was pressuring him to crush the rebellion. Through the capture of Sue Ellen Klein, one of the two Gray Death aerospace pilots (the other was killed while running the blockade), Nagumo learned of the location of the rebel stronghold. He arranged a Draconis Elite Strike Team (DEST) raid on the complex which resulted in many of the rebels being killed or captured, including rebel leaders and the Legion's technicians. The Legion 'Mechs were on a raid elsewhere when the base was attacked and avoided the ambush relatively unscathed. They then launched a prolonged, yet accelerated, guerrilla campaign, increasing their attacks on outposts whenever possible and encouraging outright rebellion by the populace.

The rebellion was concluded successfully when Carlyle led a raid to free Lori Kalmar who had been captured by the Kuritan forces. The raid freed Kalmar and several of the rebellion's leaders. During the raid, Carlyle was able to secure a Marauder which later became strongly associated with him. The Legion forces caught the Combine 'Mechs in a cross-fire during the final moments of the rescue and, despite heavy casualties, the rebel forces emerged victorious. The Governor-General was presumed dead following the raid though his body was never recovered.

After the Verthandi campaign, the Legion signed on with House Marik. The unit performed admirably during several operations and was well-respected within the Free Worlds League. Following a successful campaign on the planet of Sirius V, the unit planned to return to its landholding of Helm. A rogue ComStar Precentor named Rachan created a byzantine plot involving a Free Worlds League noble whereby the Legion was framed for the merciless slaughter of the planet's inhabitants. Once the Legion had left Sirius V, 'Mech forces disguised as the Gray Death Legion and under the command of Lord Garth, Duke of Irian, destroyed domes protecting the cities on Sirius V and killed millions of inhabitants. The unit was kept uninformed about the atrocities committed following their departure, yet, sensing something amiss and despite orders from the Duke to go to Marik, Carlyle instead led the Legion back to Helm. The general outrage produced by repeated airings of holovids of the massacre resulted in the Legion being declared as outlaws.

While the unit was off-world, Free Worlds League militia units had invaded Helm, believing the story of the atrocity at Sirius V. They killed or captured many of the unit's dependents who had remained, believing them to be members of an outlaw unit. When the Legion returned, they found themselves under constant attack from League forces. Through the unlikely assistance of Duke Hassid Ricol, they learned about the possible existence of a Star League cache on the planet. Carlyle determined the likely location of the cache and led his forces on an expedition to secure the site. The League units attacked in force, but the Legion secured the BattleMech stockpile and, more importantly, the Star League library core. They copied the core and gave one to Duke Ricol who promised to copy and disseminate it; the Legion retained the other. More copies were made and one eventually made its way to the New Avalon Institute of Science.

Following the secession of the Lyran Alliance, the Legion was gifted with the world of Glengarry in exchange for an oath of fealty. They immediately had to defend the world against terrorists who did not want them there. The defense was led by Alexander Carlyle, the son of Grayson and Lori Kalmar Carlyle. The younger Carlyle held out until the unit could return home to take care of things.

Following this, they were posted to garrison Hesperus II. There, they valiantly defended Defiance Industries against Skye separatists led by Maria Esteban. The victory of the Lyran forces essentially spelled the end for the rebellion, though it came at a heavy cost to the Legion. They ceased to exist as a combat command. What remained of the unit was folded into the Defiance security forces, which were annihilated during the Jihad.

The whereabouts of Alexander Carlyle, who had been serving in the LAAF, remain unknown.

References

• Decision at Thunder Rift - FASA, 1986. William H. Keith, Jr.
• Mercenary's Star - FASA, 1987. William H. Keith, Jr.
• Price of Glory - FASA, 1987. William H. Keith, Jr.
• Field Manual: Mercenaries
• FedCom Civil War
• Dawn of the Jihad
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3070