Samuru Olowenn

Samuru Olowenn
Character Profile
Affiliation Draconis Combine
Rank Tai-sa


Samuru Olowenn was the commanding officer of the 30th Dieron Regulars in 2788.[1]

History[edit]

In 2788 the Thirtieth was serving as the garrison of New Rhodes III, one of many Federated Suns worlds to have been captured in the devastatingly successful invasion launched by Coordinator Minoru Kurita the year before. The Tenth Robinson Chevaliers had been the defending Armed Forces of the Federated Suns regiment on New Rhodes at the time of the invasion, and like most commands caught in the tsunami of the invasion, were believed to have been destroyed, either in the initial invasion or during the later consolidation efforts. Whilst the bulk of the Tenth had been destroyed, one of the Chevalier battalions, the Chargers battalion, had survived and gone to ground.[2] The civilian population of New Rhodes proved more obstinate than anticipated by the Combine garrison, a problem that was made no easier to deal with by the presence of the Chargers. Despite these problems, in December 2788 Tai-sa Samuru Olowenn believed that he had crushed the last of the armed resistance. Having reported to the DCMS High Command that his troops were victorious. The High Command designated New Rhodes as a major depot, intent on using the planet as a warehouse to supply troops throughout the local region, and began shipping large quantities of weapons and ammunition for onward distribution.[1]

Whilst the Thirtieth proceeded to stockpile the shipped supplies in every available open space at the Xerxes City Spaceport, Olowenn laid plans to impress upon the civilian population that the Combine's occupation of New Rhodes was now absolute and unquestionable, beginning with a military parade to cow and impress the planetary business leaders, media and civilian administrators. The parade was duly held on the morning of the 23rd of March 2789, with much fanfare - only to be disrupted by Captain Conrad Warrent of the Tenth Robinson Chevaliers, who had used the river that flowed past the southern edge of the spaceport to bring a reinforced company of Chevaliers 'Mechs within striking distance of the piled supplies. The piles of supplies stretched as high as five stories, and as the DCMS security forces attempted to engage his troops, his 'Mechs jumped into the maze created by the stacked shipping containers and began destroying supplies and battling their pursuers. Explosions caused by missed shots ignited several stacks of assorted munitions, and the resulting inferno swept through half of the hangars and the spaceport, destroying more than a thousands tons of supplies and generating a thick plume of black smoke that spread through the sky for several kilometers.[1]

Having destroyed the supplies - along with two companies of DCMS 'Mechs and armor - more than half of Warrent's raiders escaped to rejoin the resistance; with so many of the media present, it was inevitable that copies of footage from the day would survive the best efforts by Combine officials to track them down and have them destroyed. Footage of the DCMS being humiliated was shown around New Rhodes and spread to other worlds, providing a welcome morale boost for the AFFS; the strike also convinced the High Command that New Rhodes wasn't secure enough to use as a supply world, leading to the eventual decision to instead use Kentares IV as a supply hub instead.[1]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 First Succession War, p. 43-45, "Rebellion on New Rhodes"
  2. First Succession War, p. 40, "Rout"

Bibliography[edit]