1st Genyosha

Brigade Insignia of the Genyosha
First Genyosha
Formed 3027
Previous Designation(s) Yuutsu[1]
Nickname Legacy of Yorinaga[2]
Affiliation Draconis Combine
Parent Command Genyosha

The First Genyosha is an elite heavy BattleMech regiment in the service of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery.[3]

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The Battle for the Silver Eagle[edit]

Lord Yorinaga

The unit was formed in 3027 by the personal order of Coordinator Takashi Kurita. The unit was led by Yorinaga Kurita, who was instructed to handpick and train fifty of the best warriors from any unit in the Combine. He would be their teacher and commander. From there, his men would train fifty more warriors. The Coordinator told Yorinaga these men would form the core of his new command, the Genyosha or the Black Ocean.[4] Its original mission was the destruction of the mercenary Kell Hounds, whom Yorinaga felt had robbed him of his honor. The unit was based on the world of Nashira, where it started to train members according to Yorinaga Kurita's standards. The Genyosha was up to battalion strength by the time it was considered operational to conduct missions for the Dragon.[5]

The unit first saw action on an asteroid in the Styx star system. They were to retrieve the Archon-Designate Melissa Steiner, who had been kidnapped by the Heimdall terrorist group. The Genyosha was to back up an elite ISF commando team sent from Dieron to assist in the capture.[6] However, once they arrived in the Styx system, they discovered that the ISF raid had failed. Worse, Yorinaga's rivals, the Kell Hounds, were attempting to rescue the hostages. The two forces clashed, with the climax of the battle being the fight between Yorinaga and the Kell Hound leader, Lt. Colonel Patrick Kell. Their heated engagement resulted in Kell being shot down. However, Yorinaga's victory was short-lived as Kell Hound Lieutenant Dan Allard crashed his Valkyrie into Yorinaga's Warhammer and disabled the Warhammer. This turn of events resulted in the escape of the Archon-Designate, the hostages, and the Hounds from Kurita space.[7] After Lord Kurita was shot down, the Genyosha withdrew to their DropShips and left the system in defeat.

Fourth Succession War[edit]

Morgan Kell, honored foe of the Genyosha

Lord Yorinaga dedicated the Genyosha to confronting Colonel Morgan Kell. In the months after the Silver Eagle Incident, he added and trained more troops to raise the Genyosha to full regimental strength using various Combine ethnic groups like Rasalhagians, Azami, and other warriors to do so.[8]

When the Fourth Succession War broke out in late August 3028, the Genyosha deployed from its base on Nashira to hunt the Hounds. They had received word of the Kell Hounds being on the Davion held world of Northwind. They discovered the world had already been invaded by Tai-sho Palmer Conti and his Fifth Sword of Light in January of 3029. The Sworders and their supporting unit, the Thirty-sixth Dieron Regulars, had destroyed a mainline unit there but were being overrun by Davion mercenary forces. The Genyosha landed on planet and pushed the invaders back from the Fifth's Headquarters and seriously mauled the mercenaries, including Team Banzai.[9] The Genyosha ultimately found the intelligence of Morgan Kell's presence on Northwind to be false and only found Bradley's Bravos, the Kell Hound Third Battalion.

The Genyosha arrived back on Nashira in April to investigate the reported destruction of their base by the Kell Hounds. Yorinaga Kurita was able to interpret the configuration of the ruins as a map indicating where the two units should fight next.[10] The map indicated meeting on the Lyran world of Ryde by June. The Genyosha arrived on Ryde only to discover that the Hounds had not arrived; a raid on the world of Lyons had delayed them. Yorinaga Kurita had his son Chu-sa Akira Brahe send a holovid to the Hounds on where to meet next: Nusakan.

The Genyosha went to Moore, where its leaders met with Prince Theodore Kurita, who pushed for a new offensive into the vulnerable Lyran region of Skye. The Genyosha was to lure the region's only remaining potential defenders, the Kell Hounds, away to their duel on Nusakan, far from the Isle of Skye. The Genyosha assisted Prince Theodore's efforts to secure an advanced base on Dromini VI. Afterwards, they left the planet, passing an inbound Lyran raiding force on the 15th of September.[11]

On 24 October, the unit finally caught up with the Hounds. They came to find they had been engaged in a battle with the Fifth Sword of Light for the last twenty hours, whose commander came to steal Yorinaga Kurita's victory.[12] The Genyosha arrived at a desert battlefield where they found 'Mechs of the Fifth Sword and some of the Kell Hounds strung along the ground. A make-shift area had been made in part of the battlefield where the Fifth's commander Conti fought Third Battalion commander Scott Bradley, who tried to avenge his loss to Conti on Northwind.

After Conti's defeat, Yorinaga Kurita and Morgan Kell finally dueled in the makeshift arena, fighting in the form of a bushido samurai duel. The two fought unlike anyone had ever seen, resulting in Yorinaga's defeat with Morgan Kell bowing his Archer to Yorinaga.

The Genyosha staff witnessed their beloved leader's seppuku ceremony with the Hounds and the Fifth Sword survivors also in attendance. After the ceremonial suicide, the Rasalhagian Genyosha members left the Genyosha following the lead of Yorinaga's son Akira to join the Kell Hounds. Chu-sa Narimasa Asano took command of the Genyosha and departed the planet. He pledged the unit to Theodore Kurita, which earned the Coordinator's disfavor until Theodore's appointment as Gunji-no-Kanrei and Theodore's directive that the Genyosha report directly to him.[2]

Ronin War[edit]

War of 3039[edit]

Clan Invasion[edit]

The First Genyosha were major parts of two Clan Invasion victories: that of Wolcott and Luthien.

Wolcott[edit]

In October 3050, the Gunji-no-Kanrei and his heir, Hohiro Kurita, joined the Genyosha on the world of Wolcott. The planet's swampy forests negated the Clan's range advantages, and hid traps set by the defenders, including tiger pits and hanging sensor baffles. Kanrei Theodore then hid the true identity of the Genyosha as the green "Yuutshu" regiments and created false dossiers for his troops. Galaxy Commander Dietr Osis was hesitant to take the bait, but relented when reminded of the inferiority of the dregs of Combine society in barely functioning equipment they faced. When promised that the Combine forces were going to withhold some of their strength so as to not waste lives, Galaxy Commander Osis agreed to transfer four OmniMechs and twenty-four Elemental suits, and that Clan Smoke Jaguar would never again attempt to take the world if the Inner Sphere forces prevailed. After hovercraft strikes and hidden 'Mechs savaged multiple Smoke Jaguar machines, Osis called an end to the battle, admitted he had been outwitted, and was summarily executed.[1][13][14]

Luthien[edit]

Luthien aftermath

The First and Second Genyosha joined the force of twelve Combine and assorted conventional units alongside the mercenary Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons regiments to face five Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Nova Cat Galaxies to open the Fifth Wave of the Invasion. The Genyosha led the counterassault against the Smoke Jaguars' Fifth Jaguar Regulars and faced the 315th Jaguar Battle Cluster alongside their mercenary inspiration, the Kell Hounds. The Genyosha suffered among the best in the Combine forces, with only about half of their warriors injured or dead.[15][16]

Late Clan War[edit]

Tai-sa Narimasa Asano was advanced to Coordinator Theodore's advisory council upon his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, and Hohiro Kurita was given command of the Genyosha in January 3056. The Genyosha was a part of ComStar hosted war games on Tukayyid in April 3058, and tapped to end the First Jade Falcon Incursion of Coventry, though they were ultimately unneeded. This joint effort did lead to the Second Star League accords at Whitting, though, and the planning of the end of the Clan Invasion.[17]

Operation Bulldog[edit]

Deployed in 3059 during Operation Bulldog, the unit was part of the newly formed Star League Defense Force Task Force that destroyed Clan Smoke Jaguar's units on Kiamba alongside the Com Guard Eleventh Division, the Davion AFFC's First Kestrel Grenadiers and the Free Rasalhague Republic's 3rd Drakøns. Caught off-guard due to the efforts of Operation Bird Dog, the commander of the 362nd reacted too late to deploy his aerospace fighters, and the SLDF task force landed without incident. Facing overwhelming odds, the 362nd was easily destroyed, with the coalition forces suffering only minimal losses.[18][19]

Traveling to the recaptured world of Yamarovka during the second wave, the First Genyosha formed part of Victor Steiner-Davion's "Dream Team" to capture the important target of Schuyler during the third wave.[20] The First Genyosha journeyed with Victor Steiner-Davion's task force to Huntress and ultimately the Clan homeworld of Strana Mechty in 3060. There, Tai-sa Hohiro Kurita led the command company as part of the Great Refusal trial against the Clan Invasion. The Genyosha fought Clan Blood Spirit's Blood Guard Keshik, defeating them and their khan.[21][22]

Dominion War[edit]

In 3062, units of the Alshain Avengers were the trigger of the Combine-Ghost Bear War. During the first offensive, the First Genyosha relieved the 4th Pesht Regulars on Kiamba. The unit fought and inflicted severe damage to Ghost Bear's forces later in that year.[19]

Federated Suns Incursion[edit]

Jihad[edit]

Battle of Luthien (3067-3074)[edit]

See also: Battle of Luthien (3067)

In February 3068, the First Genyosha was augmented by an understrength battalion of surviving members of the Fourteenth Sun Zhang Cadre on Luthien. Commanded by their executive officer, Tai-sa Shih Chou, as their commanding officer, Hohiro Kurita, was stranded on Tharkad, the unit survived the Luthien campaign with the strength of only two reinforced companies. The shattered remnants of the Otomo and Izanagi Warriors operated under the direction of the First, and Sorenson's Sabres, a mercenary unit contracted under the First Genyosha's command, was used as a flanking and reserve force in some of the larger engagements; they left the planet in 3071.[3]

On 18 July 3069, the Second Sword of Light, along with the Sixth Benjamin Regulars and Fortieth Dieron Regulars, moved to disrupt the effectiveness of the Loyalist forces operating in the vicinity of the LAW City ruins on Guthry Island. Prematurely alerted to their presence by an engagement with an encountered Word of Blake salvage team, the First Genyosha levied heavy casualties on the Sixth, scoring a victory for the Loyalists.[23]

On 14 March 3074, the Word of Blake ROM had leaked information regarding the presence of Buda Weapons Chief Researcher Hideoshi Yamika and his prototype Large X-Pulse Laser to the Kokuryu-kai as a means of wearing down Loyalist defenders in Skytower City. The resulting battle ended with Yamika and his prototypes being hustled aboard a Blakist DropShip.[24]

Republic Era[edit]

After the liberation of Terra and the end of the Jihad the First Genyosha kept the six remaining recruits from the Fourteenth Sun Zhang. Those officers have developed a training program to evaluate the replacements submitted to the regiment. The First Genyosha remained on Luthien as the former capital world's garrison.[25]

For the next six years, the First Genyosha rebuilt. Though they had only four lances after Terra and had lost some personnel to transfers, by 3085 they had quadrupled their numbers. In order to bring their new recruits some field experience, the First Battalion requested a transfer off of Luthien. Since the Second Battalion was nearly at full strength, this request was granted. The First Battalion took up station on Marlowe's Rift, and the battalion found itself initiating raids into the Federated Suns as well as responding to AFFS raids.[26]

Dark Age[edit]

When the Draconis Combine invaded the Republic of the Sphere and recaptured most of the Dieron Military District worlds it had given up years before, the First Genyosha led the way. They took Al Na'ir, Chichibu, and Ashio quickly. In 3141, they were recalled to the Combine in order to smash the rebellious Clan Nova Cats. They struck Algedi and Benjamin before going silent and landing on Irece and destroying the Cats.[27]

Though hoping to join the invasion of the Federated Suns, the First had been assigned to the Rasalhague Dominion border. Once the invasion has reached an end of sorts, the First expects to lead the liberation of the former Vega Prefecture worlds annexed by the Dominion.[28]

During Operation TIAMAT in 3149, the First Genyosha successfully conquered Deneb Kaitos in conjunction with the Sixteenth Sun Zhang Cadre.[29]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the First Genyosha
Lord Yorinaga Kurita 30273029[30][31]
Tai-sa Narimasa Asano 30293054[32][33][34]
Tai-sa Hohiro Kurita 30563059[17]
Tai-sa Shih Chou 30673068[3][35]
Tai-sa Hachirou Ito 3085[36]
Tai-sa Diablo Reed 3141[27]
Tai-sa Willard Graves 3145[37]
  • Commanders of the Genyosha do not accept promotions above tai-sa out of respect for their founder, Yoriniaga Kurita.[17]

Other Officers[edit]

Tactics[edit]

The First Genyosha is trained in similar tactics to those of the Kell Hounds, including mobile warfare.[17] The First Genyosha was the original of the Genyosha and focused fire on the most dangerous of enemies first. Lances of Genyosha 'Mechs were known to force an enemy to flee or be destroyed by combined fire.[2]

Composition History[edit]

3028–3029[edit]

Genyosha (BattleMech Regiment/Elite)[30]

  • CO/First Battalion: Tai-sho Yorinaga Kurita

3040[edit]

First Genyosha (Regiment/Elite/Questionable)[40]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Shitara.[40]

3050[edit]

First Genyosha (heavy 'Mech Regiment/Elite/[2]Questionable)[41]

  • CO: Tai-sa Narimasa Asano[41]
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Shitara[41] and support units included a heavy aerospace fighter wing, and a regiment each of heavy combat vehicles and conventional infantry.[2]

3052[edit]

First Genyosha (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[33]

3054[edit]

First Genyosha (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[34]

  • CO: Tai-sa Narimasa Asano

3059–3067[edit]

First Genyosha (BattleMech Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[17][42]

Note: Abt. 3059, the unit was made up of a battalion each of light and medium BattleMechs, with two assault-weight companies with a company of Inner Sphere OmniMechs with Clan weapon pods.[17]

First Genyosha Aerospace (Expanded Wing/Elite/Fanatical)[17][42]

First Genyosha Armor (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[17][42]

First Genyosha Infantry (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[17][42]

3074[edit]

First Genyosha (2 Reinforced BattleMech Companies)[3]

3079[edit]

First Genyosha (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[43]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Luthien.[43]

3085[edit]

First Genyosha (Elite/Fanatical)[36]

First Genyosha Aerospace (Wing/Veteran/Fanatical)[36]

First Genyosha Armor (Elite/Reliable)[36]

First Genyosha Infantry (Elite/Fanatical)[36]

3145[edit]

First Genyosha (Elite/Reliable)[37]

  • CO: Tai-sa Willard Graves

First Genyosha Aerospace (Wing/Elite/Fanatical)[37]

First Genyosha Armor (Veteran/Reliable)[37]

First Genyosha Infantry (Elite/Reliable)[37]

Color Scheme and Insignia[edit]

The First Genyosha continued to use the original paint scheme of the unit, dark gray, with the Black Star Tsunami insignia on the upper left torsos or upper left arms. The House Kurita Dragon is placed on the upper right leg or the corresponding spot on a combat vehicle or fighter.[17][44]

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • Special Rules for the First Genyosha can be found on Combat Manual: Kurita, page 48,[2] Jihad Turning Points: Luthien, page 6,[3] and Era Report: 3145 page 164.[45]

References[edit]

  1. a b Lethal Heritage, ch. 38
  2. a b c d e f Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 48: "First Genyosha"
  3. a b c d e Jihad Turning Points: Luthien, p. 6: "1st Genyosha"
  4. Warrior: En Garde, p. 104
  5. Warrior: En Garde, p. 246: Clovis Holstein observes another JumpShip with a single Overlord class DropShip, which is limited to carrying up to a battalion of 'Mechs
  6. Warrior: En Garde, p. 238: Coordinator Takashi Kurita orders ISF director Subhash Indrahar to send his ISF agents in and call in the Genyosha to assist in the capture
  7. Warrior: En Garde, pp. 312–318
  8. Warrior: Riposte, p. 59
  9. Warrior: Riposte, p. 238
  10. Warrior: Coupé, pp. 58–60
  11. Warrior: Coupé, p. 271: Theodore Kurita tells the captured Frederick Steiner that he wished that the Genyosha had gotten a chance to fight Steiner's unit in battle, but he had just missed them leaving the system
  12. Warrior: Coupé, p. 291
  13. Invading Clans, p. 57
  14. Invading Clans, p. 68
  15. Luthien, p. 44
  16. Invading Clans, p. 62
  17. a b c d e f g h i j Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 76: "Unit Profile"
  18. The Dragon Roars, pp. 10, 15
  19. a b Field Manual: Updates, p. 110: "1st Genyosha (Legacy of Yorinaga)"
  20. The Dragon Roars, p. 50
  21. Twilight of the Clans, p. 13: "results of the Great Refusal"
  22. Twilight of the Clans, pp. 38-40: "Scenario 10: The Great Refusal"
  23. Jihad Turning Points: Luthien, pp. 8–9: "Bullet In the Blue Sky"
  24. Jihad Turning Points: Luthien, pp. 10–11: "Light Machine"
  25. Field Report: DCMS, p. 12
  26. Field Manual: 3085, p. 43
  27. a b Era Report: 3145, p. 48
  28. Field Manual: 3145, p. 56: "First Genyosha"
  29. Shattered Fortress, p. 72
  30. a b NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 108
  31. Warrior: Coupé, p. ??
  32. 20 Year Update, p. 40
  33. a b Luthien, p. 16
  34. a b Objective Raids, p. 28
  35. Eye of the Beholder, p. 12
  36. a b c d e Field Manual: 3085, p. 50: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3085"
  37. a b c d e Field Manual: 3145, p. 64: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3145"
  38. Technical Readout: 3039, p. 266: "BMB-10D Bombardier - Notable MechWarriors"
  39. Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade, p. 206
  40. a b Historical: War of 3039, p. 139
  41. a b c 20 Year Update, p. 40
  42. a b c d Field Manual: Updates, p. 119: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3067"
  43. a b Field Report: DCMS, p. 12
  44. "1st Genyosha". CamoSpecs Online. Retrieved 2025-02-13. Per FM: Draconis Combine, pages 75 and 76.
  45. Era Report: 3145, p. 164: "First Genyosha"

Bibliography[edit]