Gray Death Legion

This article is about the mercenary unit. For the sourcebook/scenario pack, see Gray Death Legion (scenario pack).

Gray Death Legion
Unit Profile
Previous Designation	Trellwan Lancers
Formed	3024
Disbanded	3065
Re-formed	3151
Affiliation	Mercenary
Parent Command	Independent

Unit Description

The Gray Death Legion was the elite mercenary unit of military mastermind Grayson Death Carlyle. Starting as an offshoot of the Trellwan Lancers, an ad hoc militia unit set up by Carlyle for the defense of Trell I in 3024, the unit eventually grew to regimental size. The Legion became famous for the discovery of the Helm Memory Core, which set off a technological renaissance throughout the Inner Sphere, as well as for the most effective use of combined arms tactics, culminating in the development and deployment of their own battle armor models.

The unit was all but destroyed in 3065 during the defense of Hesperus II against Skye Rebels.

History

Founding

In 3024, the planet Trellwan was garrisoned for the Lyran Commonwealth by Carlyle's Commandos when forces working for Duke Hassid Ricol of the Draconis Combine tried to seize the world. The invaders, elements from the Oberon Confederation, shattered the garrison and drove the survivors off planet. Grayson Death Carlyle, the son of the Commandos' commander and the sole remnant of the unit left on Trell I, was hired by the planetary government to build a military force to defend the world against the bandits. Under his skilled command and because of his great knowledge about BattleMechs the newly formed Trellwan Lancers achieved some astonishing victories and managed to capture several enemy 'Mechs and MechWarriors including Lori Kalmar, who Carlyle was able to recruit for his Lancers and who would be his future Executive Officer and wife.

Carlyle also met and befriended Renfred Tor, the unlucky starship captain who had been forced to bring the bandits to Trellwan. With the help of Tor and his JumpShip Carlyle, after uncovering Ricol's plot, managed to inform the Lyran Commonwealth of the developing situation, forcing the Duke to leave Trell I after the Combine forces were unable to destroy Carlyle and his troops in a final battle. Carlyle took the remains of the Lancers to create a new mercenary unit: The Gray Death Legion.

This victory is celebrated every November 11, the Day of Heroes, when the Roll of Honor is read and other observations made.

Verthandi Campaign 3025

The newly formed Gray Death Legion traveled to Galatea, known as the Mercenary's Star, seeking employment. There they recruited new members, eventually numbering 186 men and women in the Legion. This included seven MechWarriors and two Aerospace pilots in the roster. In the six months on planet, and facing disbandment due to lack of funds, they were forced to accept an offer 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 initial 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 running the blockade; converted to a steam-powered oceangoing vessel it was actually sailed across the Azure Sea to a safe harbor for repairs. Two of the Legion's members—Captain Ilse Martinez and Davis McCall—were primarily responsible for enabling this transformation.

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 (which, without the DropShip, was their only chance to leave the planet and evade the cruel House Kurita). Several members of the rebel council were against the Legion's participation, primarily due to concerns of their 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, Nagumo learned of the location of the rebel stronghold. He arranged a Draconis Elite Strike Team 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, 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 an enemy Marauder which later became strongly associated with him. The Legion forces caught the Combine 'Mechs in a crossfire during the final moments of the rescue and, despite heavy casualties, the rebel forces emerged victorious and the Combine forces abandoned the planet.

Free Worlds League

After the Verthandi campaign, the unit returned to Galatea to refit. The Legion signed on with the Free Worlds League for a prolonged series of campaigns against the Capellan Confederation. The unit performed admirably during several operations and garnered a good reputation. Following their successful Liberation of Sirius V in early 3028, the unit planned to return to its landholding of Helm. One of the terms of the contract with House Marik stipulated that the Gray Death Legion would be granted an extensive fief on the planet. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to either the Gray Death Legion or Janos Marik, that fief held an ancient Star League weapons cache including a field library.

A rogue ComStar Precentor named Emilio Rachan created a byzantine plot involving a Free Worlds League noble whereby the Legion was framed for the Tiantan massacre, the destruction of the domed city of Tiantan on Sirius V which killed between 12 and 17 million people. 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 their landhold on Helm. The general outrage produced by repeated airings of holovids of the massacre resulted in the Legion being declared outlaws.

Helm Memory Core

While the unit was off-world, Free Worlds League militia units had invaded Helm, among them the Twelfth Atrean Dragoons, believing the story of the atrocity at Sirius V. They killed or captured many of the unit's dependents who had remained. When the Legion returned, they found their strongholds devastated and were themselves under constant attack from League forces. They eventually learned about the possible existence of a Star League cache on the planet; as it turned out, none other than Duke Hassid Ricol had come all the way from the Draconis Combine following the same leads as Rachan and his Marik conspirators. Carlyle struck a deal with Ricol, managed to find the cache, and realized the library to be the true target of Rachan's machinations. Besieged and attacked by pursuing Marik forces, Ricol and the Gray Death Legion narrowly managed to secure a copy of the Helm Memory Core and a small fraction of the cache's extensive treasures before the entire facility self-destructed.

Carlyle subsequently felt that the memory core was too valuable for humanity at large, and too big a blood price had been paid for it, to keep it for himself. He made sure that many copies were created and disseminated throughout the entire Inner Sphere, an action that made him and his unit extremely famous and popular.

Fourth Succession War

The Legion were actively involved in Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, the major Lyran Commonwealth offensive of the Fourth Succession War. During the opening wave of attacks in August 3028 the Legion captured Shionoha, then Aubisson in the followup attacks. Aubisson in special proved the incredible tactical cunning of Grayson: instead of attacking the capital, the then alone Legion attacked PowerOne, the planet's main fusion plant, located in an island. With Khaled leading a frontal attack, Grayson led a lance underwater by the opposite side. Despite having to haul his Marauder over a cliff, the attack caught the defenders by surprise and surrended quickly, with the planet following soon.

The Legion was subsequently hired by a faction within the Lyran Commonwealth in 3029 and tasked with several raids into Kurita space as part of House Steiner's Orestes campaign, including savage fights on Caldrea and Otho, a delaying action on Trolloc Prime and leading the assault on Baldur. In 3030, the unit allowed Steiner forces to disengage on Lothan, disrupted an invasion fleet at Nox, and captured a vast store of supplies and equipment on Darius, growing to regimental size.

Because of his attitude and the experience with Marik, Carlyle would subsequently not consider contracts from Houses Kurita, Marik or Liao.

War of 3039

Altais

The LCAF had special interest in Altais, as a staging point for further invasion and also to block any counterstrikes from the DCMS. The task force invading the planet consisted of the Eighth Donegal Guards supported by two mercenary commands, the First Dragonslayers and the Gray Death Legion. Official reports suggested that the planet should be undefended despite rumors of two unknown formations on planet. The First Ghost were tasked with the defense of vital spaceports. That was also the target of the Gray Death Legion who landed as second unit of the task force on the world. The mercenaries staged simultaneous strikes at the two spaceports, Willas and New Ross. The first combat drops were uncontested but the second were difficult for the Steiner forces. The First Ghost launched three assaults on that position in short order but were always beaten. The other half of the mercenaries traveled over 150 km from their landing point to support their beleaguered comrades. Unexpected by the First, the flanking raids were devastating. The Legion pursued the Ghost forces and barely three companies could retreat off planet.

After the War of 3039 the Legion had a long-term garrison contract with the Federated Commonwealth and were stationed on Sudeten, with occasional pirate hunting missions.

Clan Invasion

When the Clans appeared in 3050 and rolled through any and all opposition, the Gray Death Legion were one of the units to fight them with some success. The Legion suffered heavy defeats on Sudeten where they had been stationed prior to the Invasion, losing that world to Clan Jade Falcon, but on Pandora, despite having to disobey orders to succeed, managed to defeat the Clans for the first time ever. On Pandora they used modified battle armor suits and other upgraded technology. With severe damage to the Legion and having acquired substantial salvage of lostech, or, as the Legion call it "Foundtech," they became very famous as one of the premier mercenary units in the Inner Sphere.

First Skye Secession

In 3056 the Legion was gifted with the world of Glengarry in a political move by Victor Steiner-Davion, but they immediately had to defend the world against Skye Separatists who did not want them there. The defensive guerrilla campaign 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, though the forces on the planet suffered heavy losses and Alexander lost his best friend, Davis Clay, who was the son of one of the original members of the Legion.

Second Skye Secession

The third most senior member of the Legion, Davis McCall, received word from his estranged family that atrocities were occurring on his homeworld of Caledonia, three jumps from Glengarry, and he went, with Alexander Carlyle, to investigate in the event that the Legion were deployed there as per rumors that were heard. This was all part of an elaborate plot by Marshal Brandal Gareth to discredit and disband or destroy the Legion as part of his plot to carve an empire for himself centered on Hesperus in the Skye March. After a failed assassination attempt by Gareth on Grayson and Lori, elements of the Legion deployed to Caledonia and were ordered by the government to fire on civilians, leaving them with the option of either causing atrocities and breaking interstellar law, or refusing to obey and breaking their contract with the Federated Commonwealth. With the previous intelligence gathered by McCall and Alexander Carlyle, Grayson sided with the rebels and, even though outnumbered two-to-one by elements of the Third Davion Guards, defeated them in combat. However, a traitor planted within the unit by Gareth ambushed Grayson Carlyle and crippled him, including damage to his inner ear that would prevent him from ever piloting a BattleMech again.

Meanwhile, Gareth moved against Glengarry in an attempt to destroy the Legion in response to their breaking of the contract with the Federated Commonwealth. Lori Kalmar-Carlyle managed to hold the attacking force at bay until the rest of the Legion arrived from Caledonia and Gareth retreated off-world, leaving the battle to be fought in the courts. The senior staff of the unit were summoned to the capital world of Tharkad just as Katherine Steiner-Davion announced the separation of the Lyran Alliance from the rest of the Federated Commonwealth and the Legion were found guilty of breaking their contract, though Grayson Carlyle resigned from the unit in order to absolve them of blame, citing his personal choice as the deciding factor in the crime. From there, he left the unit and went to work with Gareth on Hesperus, though he was secretly an agent for the Lyran Alliance, attempting to ascertain what Brandal Gareth had planned. He agreed to side the Legion with Gareth in whatever plot was being hatched, pretending to not have any loyalty with the Steiners after their handling of his court martial. Gareth then declared an independent state called the Free Star Republic, having gotten the young, impressionable Daniel Brewer, CEO of Defiance Industries to support his grab for power. The Legion were deployed to support Gareth on Hesperus, but instead turned around and took over the BattleMech factories for House Steiner. Defending them against Gareth's forces while Grayson Carlyle led a daring commando raid to capture a JumpShip and go for help from other House Steiner forces. After these actions, both Grayson and Lori were awarded the McKennsy Hammer by a grateful Katherine Steiner-Davion and again awarded Glengarry as a home.

Destruction

In 3065, they received orders to reinforce the defenders of Hesperus II against possible invaders, whether they might be Victor Steiner-Davion's forces or Skye rebels (at this time, the Gray Death Legion consisted of two 'Mech battalions, one tank battalion, one battle armor battalion and one aerospace wing). There, they fought alongside the Fifteenth Lyran Guards and Thirty-sixth Lyran Guards against the Fourth Skye Rangers, Seventeenth Skye Rangers, and Twenty-second Skye Rangers. They were able to defend Defiance Industries. 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, as the highest-ranking surviving officer Daniel Brewer was also chief executive of Defiance Industries. The Defiance Security Forces were annihilated during the Jihad.

Alexander Carlyle, who had been serving in the LAAF in the Second Royal Guards on Tharkad, had intended to rebuild the Legion, but was prevented by several factors. First, he was not allowed to leave his unit in midst of the FedCom Civil War. In the aftermath of the war, his family was stripped of its holdings on Glengarry, and the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission indicated that because of the Legion's spotty track record with turning on their employers, they could not be appropriately graded. Still an LAAF officer, Alexander Carlyle was on Tharkad when it was bombed from orbit at the onset of the Jihad.

Some of the surviving support staff would return to Glengarry to form Gray Death Technologies, to continue to manufacture and market the Legion's unique battle armor, the Gray Death Standard and the Gray Death Scout. Gray Death Technologies would later be bought out and absorbed into Defiance Industries in the post-Jihad era.

Rebirth

In 3151, after their former LCAF unit, the Twenty-sixth Guards, defected to the Tamar Pact, siblings Ronan Carlyle and Isobel Carlyle formed a mercenary company on Garrison using salvaged equipment and staffed with other former LCAF members, Twenty-sixth Guards loyalists who had been cashiered from the LCAF. The new unit resurrected the Gray Death Legion name and logo used by their great-grandfather Grayson Death Carlyle, their great-grandmother Lori Kalmar-Carlyle, and their grandfather Alexander Carlyle before he joined the LAAF. The reborn Legion won its first battle easily, containing a defecting Lyran recon company, targeting their equipment and stopping them without suffering or causing losses, taking a lot of salvage from the surrendered company. After the battle, an officer of the reborn Tamar Pact informed the Carlyles about the inminent expulsion of the company, suggesting the Legion to recruit them and offering them a contract for the Pact.

Working for the Pact

The Legion commanders accepted the advice, ultimately growing to about two companies, and accepting work for the Tamar Pact. Their first post was on the planet Crimond, recently absorbed by the Pact, in February 3152. There, the unit divided in two: Ronan took the main body to help police forces to crush a terrorist group, while Isobel took the remainder, which she called Carlyle's Commandos to another continent, to secure an old Star League base. Both groups completed the tasks assigned without casualties and in no time, proving their high quality and adaptability, even bringing more recruits to the Legion.

Sometime later, the Legion absorbed the remnants of another mercenary unit shattered on planet, Fitzroy's Fusiliers. That made the Legion a short battalion, with two full companies and the bones of a third. After finishing their work on Crimond, their employers send to garrison Pandora at least for six months.

However, the garrison contract wasn't uneventful: Barely days after the Legion settled on Pandora, the planetary governor launched a coup to attempt to secede from the Tamar Pact, and as the Legion had refused to be bribed, they blamed them for a terrorist attack and attempted to destroy the Legion. However, the Legion was warned and they managed to easily crush a rebel company of 'Mechs, and later launch a counterattack which defeated the secessionists, returning the planet to the Pact's control. The salvage taken allowed the Legion to become a full battalion, at least on paper.

Eventually, after finishing the six months garrison contract with the Pact, the Legion didn't renovate it, and, in 7 June 3152, they were on the Draconis Combine world of Gram, where they made a short stop, while going for their next contract.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the Gray Death Legion
Colonel	Grayson Carlyle	3024–3065
Colonel	Lori Kalmar	3065
Captain	Ronan Carlyle	3151–present

Other Unit Officers

• Randolph Blake in 3039.
• Isobel Carlyle was the reborn Legion's second-in-command in 3151.

Composition History

3024

First Trellwan Lancers (T/O & E - 5 Battlemechs and 147 Troops)

• BattleMech Lance

• Lieutenant Grayson Death Carlyle - Shadow Hawk
• Staff Sergeant Lori Kalmar - Locust
• Garik Enzelman - Wasp
• Yarin - Stinger

• Support

• Master Sergeant Donald Ramage

• Anti-'Mech Infantry Platoon A

• Sergeant Larresen

• Anti-'Mech Infantry Platoon B

• Corporal Brooke

• Technical Support Platoon

3025 (Verthandi)

Gray Death Legion (T/O & E - 7 Battlemechs, 2 ASF and 186 Troops)

• BattleMech Company

• Captain Grayson Death Carlyle - Shadow Hawk
• Delmar Clay - Wolverine
• Lori Kalmar - Locust
• Davis McCall - Rifleman
• Hassan Ali Khaled - Stinger
• Piter Debrowski - Wasp
• Jaleg Yorulis - Wasp

• Infantry Support Company (Reinforced Company)

• Sergeant Donald Ramage

• Anti-'Mech Infantry Platoon A
• Anti-'Mech Infantry Platoon B

• Sergeant Karelian

• Technical Support Platoon

• Transport Division

• Captain Ilse Martinez

• Union-class DropShip Phobos
• Union-class DropShip Deimos

• Aerospace Fighter Lance

• Jeffrie Sherman - Chippewa
• Sue Ellen Klein - Chippewa

3028 Liberation of Sirius V

Gray Death Legion (Combined Arms Regiment)

• BattleMech Company A - Gray Death

• Colonel Grayson Carlyle (Unit CO)

• BattleMech Company B - Training Company

• Lieutenant Gomez de Villar.

• Infantry Support Company (Reinforced Company)

• Captain Donald Ramage
• Sergeant Burns

• Anti-'Mech Infantry Company A

• 3 x Anti-'Mech Commando Platoons.
• Platoons of 40 Troops x 3 = Company of 120.

• Anti-'Mech Infantry Company B

• 3 x Anti-'Mech Commando Platoons.
• Platoons of 40 Troops x 3 = Company of 120.

• Tech & Logistics Support Company (Reinforced Company)

• Lieutenant Alard King (Master Tech)
• 300 Technicians, Drivers, Combat Medics, and Cooks.

• Armored Recon Support Team

• First Tank Platoon

• Lieutenant Mark Baron
• Galleon Light Tanks (8)

• Second Tank Platoon

• Lieutenant Fraser
• Vedette Medium Tanks (12)

• Transport Division

• Captain Renfred Tor

• Invader-class JumpShip Invidious (Originally described as a Merchant, then became an Invader-class. One dropship collar may have needed fixing).

• Captain Ilse Martinez

• Union-class DropShip Phobos
• Union-class DropShip Deimos

3028 (Helm)

Gray Death Legion (T/O & E on Helm. Counting MechWarriors, troops, specialists, and techs, the Gray Death Legion had grown to more than 600 strong. The total approached nearly a thousand with the Legion’s dependants.)

• BattleMech Company

• Command Lance

• Colonel Grayson Death Carlyle - Marauder
• Sergeant Delmar Clay - Wolverine
• Lieutenant Lori Kalmar - Shadow Hawk
• Davis McCall - Rifleman

• Fire Lance

• Lieutenant Hassan Ali Khaled - Warhammer
• Isoru Koga - Archer
• Charles Bear - Crusader
• Sharyl - Shadow Hawk

• Recon Lance

• Lieutenant Francine Roget - Panther
• Harris Graff - Assassin
• Harriman Vandergriff - Commando
• Sylvia Trevor - Wasp

15 April 3028 (Imbros III)

Gray Death Legion (T/O & E for the raid on Imbros III)

• Mechanised Infantry Company (Reinforced Company)

• Captain Donald Ramage

• 1st Platoon - 4 Squads of 7 = 28 Troopers. Maxim Heavy Hover Transport.

• Lieutenant Rallie Disch
• Staff Sergeant Gunter Sammis

• 2nd Platoon - 4 Squads of 7 = 28 Troopers. Maxim Heavy Hover Transport.

• Lieutenant Meyers

• 3rd Platoon - 4 Squads of 7 = 28 Troopers Maxim Heavy Hover Transport.

• Lieutenant Harris

• 4th Platoon - 4 Squads of 7 = 28 Troopers Maxim Heavy Hover Transport.

• Lieutenant Zack Costigan
• Staff Sergeant Kellerman
• Sergeant Janice Brady

19 June 3028 (Shionoha)

Gray Death Legion (T/O & E for the mission on Shionoha)

• Recon Lance

• Lieutenant Sharyl - Shadow Hawk
• Lassiter - Phoenix Hawk
• Harriman Vandergriff - Commando
• Sylvia Trevor - Stinger

• Logistics Support

• Union-class DropShip Kaos

8–13 August 3028 (Wheel Station)

Gray Death Legion (T/O & E for the assault on the space facility in the Wheel Station)

• BattleMech Battle Lance

• Colonel Grayson Death Carlyle - Marauder
• Francine Roget - Panther
• Connor Smit - Wasp
• Dobrovsky - Stinger
• Vomer - Commando

• Infantry Support

• 4th Platoon - 4 Squads of 7 (28 Troopers). Maxim Heavy Hover Transport.

• Lieutenant Zack Costigan
• Staff Sergeant Kellerman
• Sergeant Janice Brady

• Logistics Support

• Union-class DropShip Phobos

8–13 August 3028 (Valdis I)

Gray Death Legion (T/O & E for the assault on Valdis)

• BattleMech Company

• Command Lance

• Major Lori Kalmar - Shadow Hawk
• Lieutenant Hassan Ali Khaled - Warhammer
• Sergeant Delmar Clay - Wolverine
• Marta Garner - Phoenix Hawk

• Assault Lance

• Thomas Reid - Thunderbolt
• Charles Bear - Crusader
• Carmen Santos - Centurion
• Theor "Whitey" Whittim - Orion

• Fire Lance

• Lieutenant Davis McCall - Rifleman
• Isoru Koga - Archer
• Milowski - Blackjack
• Rastovic - Catapult

• Reinforced Armor Company

• First Tank Platoon

• Captain Mark Baron

• Galleon Light Tanks (8)
• Vedette Medium Tanks (12)

• Aerospace Support Squadron - Gray Death Reapers Squadron

• Lieutenant Jocelyn Krueger

• Stingray Medium Aerospace fighters (4)
• Lucifer Medium Aerospace fighters (3)
• Corsair Medium Aerospace fighters (3)

• Logistics Support

• Overlord-class DropShip Juno

• Tech & Logistics Support Company (Reinforced Company)Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Glengarry.

• Lieutenant Alard King
• 578 Technicians, Drivers, Combat Medics, and Cooks. 423 Civilians - families and relatives.

3039

Gray Death Legion

• First Company

• Command Lance

• Colonel Grayson Death Carlyle - Marauder
• Sergeant Delmar Clay - Wolverine
• Sergeant Davis McCall - Rifleman
• Thomas Reid - Griffin

• Fire Lance

• Lieutenant Hassan Ali Khaled - Warhammer
• Sergeant Charles Bear - Crusader
• Sergeant Sharyl - Shadow Hawk
• Francis Bowden - Assassin

• Recon Lance

• Lieutenant Gomez Christobal de Villar - Griffin
• Sergeant Tracy Maxwell Kent - Phoenix Hawk
• Phillip Ashburn - Vulcan
• Winston Royale - Commando

• Infantry Support Company (Reinforced Company)

• 1 Foot Rifle Platoon
• 1 Foot SRM Platoon
• 1 Foot Laser Platoon
• 1 Anti-'Mech Commando Platoon

• Aerospace Support Company

• Transport Lance:

• Union-class DropShip Phobos
• Union-class DropShip Deimos

• First Fighter Lance

• Lieutenant Joshua Diskin - Corsair
• Ensign Carla Staedler - Corsair

• Second Fighter Lance

• Lieutenant Harold Lockhart - Sparrowhawk
• Ensign Larry Quil - Sparrowhawk

3040

Gray Death Legion (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Sudeten

Contract: AFFC

3050

Gray Death Legion (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)

• CO: Colonel Grayson Carlyle

• First Battalion

• First BattleMech Company

• Command Lance

• Colonel Grayson Death Carlyle - Marauder/Victor
• Captain Lori Kalmar - Shadow Hawk
• Sergeant Dallas McKensie - Trebuchet
• Miles Lewis - Griffin

• Fire Lance

• Lieutenant Hassan Ali Khaled - Warhammer
• Sergeant Rachel Nolans - Catapult
• Paul Hansen - Archer
• Wayne LeMat - Centurion (killed in action at Vandmaal on Pandora)

• Combat Lance

• Lieutenant Gomez Christobal de Villar - Griffin
• Sergeant Charles Bear - Crusader
• Mai Li-Fong - Vindicator (KIA at Hammarr on Sudeten)
• Dimitri Oretsov - Enforcer

• Second BattleMech Company

• Command Lance

• Captain Davis McCall - Rifleman
• Lieutenant Delmar Clay - Wolverine (KIA at Hammarr)
• Sergeant Sharyl - Shadow Hawk
• Francis Bowden - Assassin

• Medium Lance

• Sergeant Tracy Maxwell Kent - Phoenix Hawk
• Phillip Ashburn - Vulcan
• Thomas Reid - Griffin
• Winston Royale - Commando

• Fire Lance

• Sergeant Thomas Devin - Archer
• Martha O'Dell - JagerMech
• Craig Priestly - Dervish (KIA at Hammarr)
• Daniel Romig - Rifleman (KIA at Vandmaal)

• Third BattleMech Company

• Command Lance

• Lieutenant Brian Scully - Hatchetman
• Walter Llandaff - Clint
• Regis Matriesse - Phoenix Hawk
• Teresa Stauble - Panther (KIA at Needgate on Pandora)

• Close Combat Lance

• Sergeant Rebekah Frye - Hunchback (KIA at Killiring Crossing on Sudeten)
• Alexandr Ivorlaw - Firestarter
• Charles Lovell - Centurion (KIA at Hammarr)
• Santon Lynn - Javelin (KIA at Killiring Crossing)

• Recon Lance

• Sergeant Israel Curry - Phoenix Hawk
• S.C. Auten - Wasp
• Geno Ferruza - Valkyrie
• Albert Siegel - Valkyrie

• Infantry/Armor Support Battalion

• First Infantry Company

• 1 Foot Rifle Platoon
• 1 Foot SRM Platoon
• 1 Foot Laser Platoon

• Second Infantry Company

• 3 Foot Anti-'Mech Commando Platoons (later Gray Death Armored Infantry)

• Third Infantry Company

• 1 Mechanized Laser Platoon
• 1 Mechanized Rifle Platoon
• 1 Mechanized Machine Gun Platoon

• Armor Support Company

• First Tank Platoon

• Sergeant M.E. Gough - Drillson
• Corporal Barry Davis - Saladin
• John MacKay - Scimitar
• Robert Stuver - Saracen

• Second Tank Platoon

• Sergeant John Wilke - J. Edgar
• Corporal M'Dahlla - Harasser
• Glenn Kellum - Harasser
• Emma Watts - Harasser

• Third Tank Platoon

• Sergeant Harry Zasada - Drillson
• Corporal Diana Norelli - Condor
• Mark Piros - Scimitar
• Donald Lauth - J. Edgar

• Aerospace Support Battalion

• Aerospace Transport Company

• Union-class DropShip the Phobos
• Union-class DropShip the Deimos
• Leopard-class DropShip the Io

• Aerospace Fighter Company (Reinforced)

• First Fighter Lance

• Lieutenant Joshua Diskin - Corsair
• Ensign Carla Staedler - Corsair

• Second Fighter Lance

• Lieutenant Harold Lockart - Sparrowhawk
• Ensign Larry Quil - Sparrowhawk

• Third Fighter Lance

• Lieutenant Thomas Narci - Seydlitz
• Ensign H.W. Iriti - Seydlitz

• Fourth Fighter Lance

• Lieutenant Ryonosuke Shioya - Lucifer
• Ensign Patrick Garrity - Lucifer

3054

Gray Death Legion (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)

• CO: Colonel Grayson Carlyle

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Glengarry.

3056

Gray Death Legion

• First Battalion

• First BattleMech Company

• Command Lance

• Alexander Carlyle - ARC-4M Archer
• Major Davis McCall - Highlander
• Sergeant Dallas McKensie - Trebuchet
• Caitlin DeVries - Centurion
• Davis Carlyle Clay - Shadow Hawk

• Fire Lance

• Lieutenant Andrei Denniken - Cataphract
• Paul Hansen - Archer
• Erica Carver - Dervish
• Stanley Lowdowski - Shadow Hawk

• Recon Lance

• Lieutenant Frieda Bergstrom - Valkyrie
• Sergeant Michael McGuire - Wasp
• Christine Welleman - Stinger
• Alton Caen - Stinger

April 3057 Caledonia

Gray Death Legion (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)

• CO: Colonel Grayson Carlyle

Note: (T/O & E for Caledonia - 37 mechs)

• Third Battalion

• First BattleMech Company - 12 Mechs "Frye's Firestormers"
• Command Lance

• Col. Grayson Carlyle - VTR-9K Victor
• Major Davis McCall - Highlander
• Major Frye - DropShip Ops or Pegasus Scout Tank.
• Captain Allison Lang - Third Battalion XO and Intelligence Officer - Shadow Hawk
• Caitlin DeVries - Griffin

• Combat Lance

• Larry Anders - Catapult
• Sergeant Sharon Kilroy - Vindicator
• Tom Vandermier - Hunchback
• Gonzales - Guillotine

• Fire Lance

• Sergeant Terry O'Reilly -Apollo
• Mechwarrior Aleksanyen - Catapult
• Maria Delgado - Catapult
• Brian Fox - Jagermech

• Second Company - 12 Mechs "Warfield's Warriors"

• Captain Ann Warfield

• Third Company - 12 Mechs "Gray Raiders"

• Captain Duane "Shooter" Gallery - Shadow Hawk
• Bruce Lazenby "Locust
• Captain Walter Dupré - "Zeus".
• Sergeant Hank Corby - "Victor
• Sergei Golovanov - "Marauder".

• Aerospace Fighter Support

• Lieutenant Carta Staedler - CSR-V12 Corsair

• Pilot 2 - CSR-V12 Corsair

• Task Force Strikers

• Captain Alexander Carlyle Archer
• Nighthawk-armored Commandos (Platoon of 20).

• Other Personnel

• Sergeant Lafferty - Chief of Security.
• O'Grady - Security
• Captain Frank - Senior Tech.
• Tech Sergeant Brunner - Crew Chief.
• Mech Tech George Sidney Groton.

DropShip Support

• Union (Endeavor, Defiant, Valiant)

3059 Glengarry

Gray Death Legion (Regiment/Elite/Reliable)

• CO: Colonel Lori Kalmar-Carlyle

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Glengarry.

3151

Gray Death Legion (Company)

• BattleMech Lance

Captain Ronan Carlyle (Unit CO) - Gargoyle

Isobel Carlyle - Hatchetman

Marianne Kojima - Bushwacker

• Aerospace wing consisting of Two Karnov VTOLs.
• Squad of Phalanx Battle Armor suits.

At this point in time the unit was stationed on Garrison.

3152

Carlyle's Commandos (reinforced Lance) B Company, Gray Death Legion

• B1 Lance - three BattleMechs.

• Captain Isobel Carlyle - Hatchetman
• Lieutenant Nick Christensen - Catapult
• Sergeant Yurim Mbaruku - Talon

• B2 Lance - four Myrmidon tanks.

• B3 Lance - A Platoon of 16 Battlesuits.

Uniforms and Color Schemes

Field Uniform

The field uniform is a dark gray, loose-fitting tunic and trousers, featuring several large pockets. Officers wear their rank and unit insignia on the uniforms epaulettes, with rank insignia closest to the point of the shoulder. Noncommissioned officers and enlisted men wear their insignia on the upper sleeves of their tunics, with their unit crest above their insignia.

Dress Uniform

A more formal version of the standard field uniform, the Legion dress uniform replaces to loose-fitting, many pocketed fatigues with tailored pants and a jacket worn over a close-fitting white shirt. The trousers, a lighter shade of grey than the vintage jacket, are trimmed with red stripes running down the outside of each leg. A dark gray half-cape with red silk completes the uniform dress occasions. Rank and unit crest are displayed in the same manner as on the field uniform.

Retired officers add a white shoulder and collar flashes to the Legion's dark gray and red dress uniform.

Color Scheme

The Gray Death Legion employs a gray-on-gray camo pattern. A colored circle on the right leg tells what battalion they belong to. Yellow for first, Green for second, Blue for third and Red for Headquarters and Command.

Gallery

• 

  A GDL Sergeant clearing salvage.

• 

  A Wolfhound in Gray Death Legion colors.

• 

  Grayson's MAD-3R Marauder in the Legion's colors.

‎

Other Appearances

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

• The Gray Death Legion appear in the MechWarrior IV: Mercenaries PC game as potential sponsors. Due to the timeline the game is set in, the Legion is described as rebuilding after their decimation on Hesperus II (instead of being destroyed). This was not considered canon by the writers of the BattleTech timeline. The Legion was also portrayed as being very loyal to House Steiner, a sentiment which is echoed in the BattleTech novel Tactics of Duty. Units sponsored by the Gray Death gain earlier access to Lostech weapons.

Apocryphal Content Ends

Bibliography

• A Lesson Learned (short story)
• BattleTech: Legends
• Blood of Heroes (novela)
• Combat Manual: Mercenaries
• Dawn of the Jihad
• Decision at Pandora (novela)
• Day of Heroes (novela)
• Decision at Thunder Rift (novela)
• The Dying Time (novela)
• Era Report: 3052
• FedCom Civil War
• Field Manual: Mercenaries
• Gray Death Legion
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3070
• Historical: War of 3039
• Mercenary's Handbook 3055
• Mercenary's Honor (novella)
• Mercenary's Star (novel)
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• Operation Excalibur (novela)
• The Price of Duty (novela)
• The Price of Glory (novela)
• Tactics of Duty (novela)