Ju-Lei Marshigama
Sarna News
Ju-Lei Marshigama | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | 3000[1] |
| Affiliation | Capellan Confederation |
| Career | |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Profession | MechWarrior |
| Family | |
| Children | Adrienne Marshigama (daughter)[2] |
Ju-Lei Marshigama was the eccentric commander of Marshigama's Legionnaires, a mercenary group in the employ of the Capellan Confederation.[1]
History[edit]
Early Life[edit]
In her own mind, Ju-Lei's story began when she won the "Miss Ningpo 3017" beauty pageant at seventeen years old.[1] This early victory endowed her with preternatural confidence, which some might have described as extreme vanity. It also formed the basis for a strange personal worldview: only those she deemed the most attractive were the most worthy. When she inherited command of the Marshigama's Legionnaires from her parents shortly after her victory on Ningpo, she quickly implemented a bizarre version of her beliefs into the hiring process. Ju-Lei resolved that only the most stunningly attractive women could be members of her unit, while only the most fierce and wild looking men would be accepted. She then proceeded to dismiss any MechWarrior currently serving that did not meet these standards.[3] In spite of these unconventional recruitment practices, Ju-Lei somehow managed to procure a unit of highly-skilled and highly-attractive MechWarriors who managed an unbroken series of victories against the enemies of House Liao from 3017 to 3024.[1]
Ambush on New Aragon, Andurien Secession, and Daughter[edit]
Ju-Lei and her chosen men and women met their first serious defeat during a CCAF-ordered attack on New Aragon in 3024, at the tail end of the Third Succession War. The arrogant battalion of Legionnaires were lured into a command detonated minefield by the First Aragon Borderers and decimated, losing all but a company in the ensuing fighting. Also lost were the unit's signature Goliath and Scorpion 'Mechs. Only Ju-Lei and her executive officer, Ti Ephem, managed to limp away from the ambush with theirs intact. Ju-Lei of course vowed vengeance on the Borderers, but her unit never faced them.[3]
The Legionnaires remained sidelined until the Andurien Succession Crisis of the 3030s. She and her unit were tasked with a raid on the Canopian world of Bethonolog, which while mostly uneventful, led Ju-Lei to an important meeting. During the raid, she intercepted a message sent by what she deemed to be a singularly handsome male Magistracy Armed Forces MechWarrior. Issuing him a personal challenge to battle, Ju-Lei rode out to face him in her Scorpion. The battle that followed was evenly-matched and almost dance-like, but ultimately Ju-Lei prevailed over the man and his Shadowhawk, taking him as her prisoner and keeping him aboard her DropShip. When she and the Legionnaires returned to Capellan space, she released him. In 3033, Ju-Lei gave birth to her daughter, Adrienne Marshigama.[2]
Ju-Lei immediately set about instilling her daughter with her unique values and beliefs, teaching her about the importance of appearance, theatricality, and indifference to the opinions of others. She also gave her daughter all of the training she would need to be a good MechWarrior in the cockpit of her Scorpion. In the aftermath of the raids, Ju-Lei and the Legionnaire's reputation grew and she was able to recruit enough personnel that met her demanding standards to build the unit back out to a battalion size.[2][3]
Rivalries and Retirement[edit]
Over the many years of her service to the Capellan state, Ju-Lei's brash and arrogant attitude made her no shortage of enemies amongst the other mercenaries employed by the Confederation. Foremost amongst these rivalries was the one between her and Wendy Ambermarle of the Ambermarle's Highlanders. The two women could not stand each other and often went out of their way to inconvenience and annoy one another, even if it affected their overall battlefield performance. Ju-Lei passed these enmities down to her daughter along with all of her other idiosyncrasies, unaware that the Ambermarle feud would eventually doom both units to destruction.[4][5]
In 3059, Ju-Lei and Adrienne both agreed that the younger Marshigama was ready to accede her mother's post and take command of the unit. Ju-Lei gracefully stepped down and retired from the public eye, allowing her daughter to take up her mantle as the Capellan Confederation's most iconoclastic mercenary. It is unknown when she died.[2]
BattleMech[edit]
Ju-Lei was known to use a SCP-1N Scorpion BattleMech throughout her career, painted in an intentionally garish black and white camouflage scheme. She nicknamed this 'Mech Black Beauty and was quite skilled in piloting it, despite its reputation for overheating. When Ju-Lei retired in 3059, she passed Black Beauty on to her daughter Adrienne.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), pp. 98-97, "Marshigama's Legionnaires"
- ↑ a b c d e BattleTech: Legends II, p. 98-99, "Adrienne Marshigama"
- ↑ a b c Combat Manual: Mercenaries, p. 57, "Marshigama's Legionnaires"
- ↑ Field Manual: Capellan Confederation, p. 100, "Marshigama's Legionnaires"
- ↑ Field Manual Updates, p. 28, "Marshigama's Legionnaires"