Kiyomori Minamoto

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Warlord Kiyomori Minamoto

Kiyomori Minamoto (b. 3022 - d. 11 January 3102[1]) was an officer in the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery who became the Gunji no Kanrei (Deputy for Military Affairs) during the Jihad. He had a reputation as a traditionalist samurai warrior who strictly adhered to bushido. He resisted the "new bushido" of Coordinator Theodore Kurita.

Character History

Minamoto began his military career under the reign of Coordinator Takashi Kurita, where he learned to abide by the traditional ways of the samurai. He became a model soldier who eventually gained command of the Seventh Sword of Light just before the Clan Invasion. As Tai-sa of the Seventh Sword, he was instrumental in rebuilding the unit after the Clan invasion of Luthien. He politely refused promotion beyond the command of the Seventh Sword.

He felt the Seventh Sword of Light was the keeper of Draconis Combine tradition and culture. He showed his resolve to keep traditions alive by pushing his warriors of the Seventh to live their lives on and off the battlefield in the tradition of bushido.[2]

Operation BULLDOG

In 3059, Tai-sa Minamoto led the Seventh Sword of Light in the defense of Pesht. Elements of Clan Smoke Jaguar's Delta Galaxy counter-attacked in response to Operation BULLDOG, the massed invasion of their occupation zone.[3]

Combine-Ghost Bear War

When the Alshain Avengers triggered the First Combine-Ghost Bear War in 3062, Minamoto's unit was stationed on Turtle Bay when Clan Ghost Bear attacked forces on nearby Idlewind. Minamoto's forces arrived too late to assist the Ninth Pesht Regulars. Minamoto kept the enemy forces occupied and contained on Idlewind until the end of the war in 3063.[4] It was Minamoto who made issued the Courchevel Challenge that ended the First Combine-Ghost Bear War, the Challenge being a proposal that the pre-war borders be restored and the war ended, depending on the outcome of a series of one-on-one duels fought on Courchevel in the style of the duels fought three centuries before between the Gunsliners of the Star League Defense Force and members of the DCMS.[5] Minamoto was also responsible for nominating Tai-sho Tomoe Sakade, wife of Coordinator Theodore Kurita, for the Glory of the Fallen Samurai after her death during the War, honoring her as the first woman to be nominated for the award, which was granted to great leaders who fell in battle.[6]

Pre-Jihad

Coordinator Theodore Kurita met with Minamoto try to convince his unit to change to the New Bushido philosophy he had instilled in many other DCMS regiments. At their meeting, the Coordinator was impressed with the Tai-sa's keen mind and stance on traditionalism. In 3066, the coordinator promoted Minamoto to Tai-shu, making Minamoto a personal aide to Kurita.[7]

Masters and Minions:The StarCorp Dossiers

Jihad and Black Dragons Coup

At the breakout of the Jihad and Black Dragon's coup, Tai-shu Minamoto was touring the Galedon District of the Combine, while the Coordinator had traveled to Tharkad for the Star League Conference in 3067. Things got complicated when Minamoto received news that Theodore's son and heir Hohiro Kurita was leading the attack to re-take Dieron from Word of Blake forces in April, but later was captured in June.[8]

File:Kiyomori Minamoto from Jihad Secrets.jpg
Kiyomori Minamoto Portrait from 3075

In August 3068, with word that the Coordinator had fallen ill, Minamoto declared himself Gunji-no-Kanrei and took control of the Draconis Combine.[9] until Hohiro Kurita could be rescued from his Blakist captives on Dieron. Minamoto made his headquarters aboard the Kyushu Class Frigate, DCS Dieron Star.

In November 3068, Kanrei Minamoto announced to the people of the Combine that he had issued General Order 9. The order shifted the capital of the Draconis Combine to New Samarkand. He told the people that he made this decision on his own, due to the illness of the Coordinator and the heir being occupied with the siege of Dieron. The announcement was made from his flagship.[10] In the message, he did not reveal the truth about the death of the Coordinator nor Hohiro being captured by the Blakists. He also issued orders to DCMS commands to destroy Greenburg's Godzillas and Camacho's Caballeros for deserting their contracts.[11]

In 3071, Gunji-no-Kanrei Kiyomori Minamoto tried to appeal to the Azami people to return to their duty to the Dragon.[12] In late January 3072 the Later the Kirishima-class cruiser DCS Siriwan arrived in orbit above Algedi and issued afinal ultimatum, citing Kanrei Minamoto as the authority. When the Azami refused to comply, the Siriwan bombarded two cities on the surface of Algedi before being destroyed by nuclear weapons launched by the defenders.[13] It was later discovered that the WarShip was being influenced by the Black Dragons.[citation needed]

In March of 3072, Minamoto issued a national message, warning the Combine's people that there were traitors among them, including renegade troops controlling WarShips and attacking people in Combine's name. The message warned these soldiers that if they did not comply that they would be declared ronin and threatened to take action against them.[14] On the 19th of November 3073, Minamoto was the target of an assassination attempt on Benjamin launched by rogue ISF operatives, although the attempt failed.[15] Just under a month after the failed assassination attempt, Minamoto issued another invitation to the leaders of the Azami to join negotiations on Benjamin, along with the claim that Black Dragon elements within the local DCMS units and ISF contingents had been purged.[16] The leaders of the Azami accepted the offer on the 21st of January 3074.[17]

Minamoto's promise of aid to the devastated world of Shinonoi on 1 August 3075 was a different response than that given when Arkab had been struck by an asteroid earlier in the Jihad; Shinonoi was promised aid by Minamoto and Devlin Stone less than three weeks after Shinonoi had been struck by asteroid SH01378-A, a decision that provoked outcry from Arkab leaders.[18][19]

In December 3076 General Belle Lee of the allied coalition announced that Minamoto had been asked to serve as leader of the coalition forces due to begin operating on the Combine front of Operation SCOUR. In contrast to the other coalition forces, the second-in-command to Minamoto was also a member of the DCMS; Tai-shu Isoroku Kurita was selected, having recovered from injuries sustained in the campaign for Pesht. Minamoto's forces would include not only noted DCMS units, but also such units as the Second Davion Guards from the AFFS and Clan Wolf's Iota Galaxy, as well as four[20] of the seven surviving Draconis Combine Admiralty WarShips.[21]

The relationship between Minamoto and General Lee was not smooth, however; the DCMS attempted to redeploy the New Samarkand Militia along with the Toguran Military Garrison to the recently liberated worlds of Deneb Algedi and Telos IV in March 3077. Contradicting Minamoto's orders, the allied coalition rerouted these forces to garrison two newly-freed worlds on the Free Worlds League front and assigned militia forces from the Federated Suns in their place. This was an act that drew protests from Minamoto to General Lee.[20]

The Second Combine-Dominion War and Death

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On the 11th of January 3102, shortly after the Second Combine-Dominion War, Minamoto was summoned to a private audience with Hohiro Kurita. An hour later the Coordinator proclaimed that Minamoto had committed seppuku.[1] The post of Gunji-no-Kanrei would fall vacant for thirty-five years after Minamoto's death, only being resurrected in 3137 when Coordinator Yori Kurita appointed Warlord Matsuhari Toranaga of New Samarkand to the position.[22]

Politics

Minamoto's political inclinations have been the subject of some speculation; intelligence reports prepared for the leadership of the Republic of the Sphere reported that there were a number of indications that Minamoto may actually be a member of the Black Dragon Society, and that the purges he directed against the organization merely removed expendable members while allowing those of importance to escape.[23]

Positions

Preceded by Warlord of the Pesht Military District
3066-3068
Succeeded by
????
Preceded by
????
Gunji-no-Kanrei
3068-3102[1]
Succeeded by

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Historical: Wars of the Republic Era, p. 23, "Kiyomori Minamoto"
  2. Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 87 - "7th Sword of Light profile, Tai-Sa Minamoto's commanders encourage their warriors to live the way of the Samurai".
  3. Field Manual: Update, p. 111 - "7th Sword of Light profile" - Unit's actions while under the command of Minamoto.
  4. Field Manual:Updates, p. 111 - "7th Sword of Light's activities under command of Minamoto during the Combine-Ghost Bear conflict".
  5. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 75, "Sinister Conflict"
  6. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 153, "Glory of the Fallen Samurai"
  7. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 76 - "Kiyomori Minamoto profile" - Minamoto is promoted to Warlord of Pesht and made a personal aide to Coordinator Theodore Kurita.
  8. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 16 - "Hohiro attempts to re-take Dieron from Blakist, but is captured 2 months later".
  9. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 18 - "Timeline" - August 3068 Minamoto takes declares himself Kanrei.
  10. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 27 - "Saving the Core" - Minamoto announces from DCS Dieron Star that he moving the capital to New Samarkand.
  11. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 28 - A "DEATH TO MERCENARIES, REVISITED" - Minamoto issues a destruction order for the Caballeros and Godzilla mercenary companies for desertion.
  12. Jihad Hot Spots: 3072, pp. 52-53 - "AZAMI RETURN HOME" - Article regarding Azami not abiding by Minamoto's requests for their regiments to return.
  13. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 20, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  14. Jihad Hot Spots: 3072, p. 75 - "RONIN!" - Minamoto threats death to renegade warriors of the Combine.
  15. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 34, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  16. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 38, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  17. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 48, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  18. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 17, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  19. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 54, "The Jihad In Review"
  20. 20.0 20.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 30, "Official Update"
  21. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 30, "DCA Readiness Report"
  22. 22.0 22.1 Era Report: 3145, p. 21, "Dragon Rising"
  23. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 90, "Foreign Relations"

Bibliography