Grieg Samsonov
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Grieg Samsonov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 2970[1] |
| Died | 3030 |
| Affiliation | Draconis Combine |
| Profile | |
| Rank | Warlord of the Galedon Military District[1] |
| Title(s) | Knight of the Dragon[1] |
Grieg Samsonov was an early 31st Century Draconis Combine MechWarrior, Military Officer, Politician, and Warlord of the Galedon Military District.[citation needed]
Contents
Character Description
Samsonov was know for being a tall and handsome man, despite signs of age from wrinkles and a sagging jowl. Notable traits include having a very good sense of judgment and an aptitude for interrogation. Combined with an aggressive and emotionally charged attitude, personal interactions with him could easily become difficult for anyone he disagreed with or disapproved of.
History
Early Life
Grieg was born and raised from a poor family on Tinaca. Despite their low status, the Samsonovs underwent state-sponsored education as schooling was guaranteed for all Draconis citizens. During this period, Grieg used his deductive abilities to discover a local ISF agent placed there. Soon afterwards, and unbeknownst to this agent, he would utilize the spy's resources to set himself on career to become a MechWarrior.
Career as Military Officer
While attending Wisdom of the Dragon, he learned a reasonable degree of leadership skills while excelling in administrative abilities. After graduating his military schooling, he entered into the DCMS and became involved in its political dealings. Using his administrative skills, Grieg worked within the military bureaucracy to keep whatever command he was assigned to well supplied, making him an extremely valuable officer as most Combine units at the time suffered from logistical dysfunction. His success earned the enmity of other officers, especially those of higher rank whom he regularly outperformed.
He eventually ascended to become commanding officer of the 19th Galedon Regulars. While in command, his unit conducted a successful series of raids against border worlds of the Federated Suns during the later years of the Third Succession War. Targeting Elidere, McGehee, Errai, and Kesai IV, his unit did not always win, but it usually did better than any other DCMS regiments in the area.[1]
Warlord of the Galedon Military District
In 3018, Coordinator Takashi Kurita asked Samsonov to become the new Warlord of the Galedon Military District. He accepted the post and, as his military reign progressed, he increasingly gained both wealth and prestige. However, since the position was one of true politics and less so of actual military operations, he also became more petty. Furthermore, his antics would more often include subterfuge to further his goals, often at the cost of others.
During Galtor III campaign, it was discovered that Samsonov was blackmailing mercenary companies within his district. These manipulations would cause significant problems during the fighting as they further fueled the general distrust for the Dragon among mercenary units. A notable consequence of this was Warlord Yoriyoshi's troops coming to suffer hardships due to their mercenary support regularly loading up with supplies ahead of his house troops.[2]
By 3025 there had been many scandals in the Hachiman government, some of which pointed to Warlord Samsonov. These eventually triggered an ISF response that included several agents being sent to infiltrate the planetary government.[3]
Arguably, his greatest political endeavor took place from 3023 to 3028 with his conspiracy against Wolf's Dragoons during their five-year contract with House Kurita. Initially, Samsonov was directed by the Coordinator to cause just enough discredit to the Dragoons to justify a decreased performance rating with the Mercenary Review Board. With reduced marketability among the other Houses, the likelihood of the Dragoons being hired elsewhere would become uncertain and possibly force a renewal of their contract to the Combine for a longer timeframe.
Ultimately, this plan would not only fail but also backfire due to the nature of Samsonov’s methods. Under the premise of enforcing Military Regulations, he would send representatives with overbearing instructions, administratively restrict Dragoon resourcing, and even have officers personally loyal to him engage in espionage and sabotage against Dragoon operations. Throughout all of this, he would openly voice his disdain for mercenaries, berate Dragoon leadership for incompetence, and regularly express his intent to have all Dragoon regiments placed under his direct control.
His ire would also be directed at anyone who formed a positive relationship with the Dragoons, including the DCMS Mercenary Liaison Officer, Minobu Tetsuhara. Indeed, Minobu’s professionalism was often key to Dragoon success, which only served to hamper Samsonov’s progress. Eventually, tensions would reach a boiling point that caused the Dragoons to consolidate on the frozen world of Misery where they would await their contract’s expiration and Draconis forces seeking retribution.
In an effort to cover his failure and to exact revenge against Minobu Tetsuhara, Samsonov would send Tetsuhara to lead the campaign against the Dragoons culminating in the Battle of Misery. The battle would end in failure and would cost the Combine substantial losses within several experienced DCMS units.[4]
He was eventually killed in 3030 by Michi Noketsuna (under the guise of the Bounty Hunter) after being declared rogue by Takashi Kurita for his actions against Wolf's Dragoons.[5]
Titles and Positions
BattleMech
- Samsonov was a noted Atlas pilot, and used a personally modified version of that 'Mech during the Galtor Campaign.[6]
Notes
- Samsonov had what warriors call the "sixth sense", an unnatural ability to anticipate approaching danger. This was the reason he was able to get away with so much without being caught.[1]
- Samsonov had a natural aptitude for interrogation, which he uses on most everyone.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 173: "Grieg Samsonov profile"
- ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 175: Grieg Samsonov/profile - Basic history of character
- ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 182: "Hachiman"
- ↑ Wolf's Dragoons
- ↑ Heir to the Dragon, pp. 223–232
- ↑ Historical Turning Points: Galtor, pp. 2, 19: Samsonov's Customized Atlas for Galtor campaign. Including record sheet info