Laurel's Legion


Laurels Legion logo-3061.png
Laurel's Legion
Formed 3014
Nickname Something Old, Something New
Affiliation Capellan Confederation
Parent Command Citizens' Honored

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

Laurel's Legion was a mercenary unit created by a retired member of the Northwind Highlanders in 3014,[1] and have been based on Tigress since 3025.[2] The Legion was known as the only all-female mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere.[citation needed] In the Third Succession War they were one of the few Capellan mercenary units that could go toe-to-toe with Federated Suns forces.[3] In 3020 the Legion, along with elements of the Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers, raided New Rhodes III and captured two Corsair aerospace fighters. Four years later they halted Armed Forces of the Federated Suns attacks on Fletcher and Epsilon Eridani.[4]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

In the Fourth Succession War, two companies retreated after the failed defense of Tigress, but one defected to the Federated Suns. The other two companies were later used on Kawich where they took part in Operation RIPOSTE and this time both defected to the Federated Suns.[1] The two companies that did not surrender were forced onto their DropShips at gunpoint by elements of Warrior House Hiritsu.[5] During the fighting on Tigress, the Legion inflicted heavy damage on the headquarters unit of the Third Crucis Lancers.[6]

Their abduction would come back to haunt the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces as the Legion landed on Kawich. The warriors of the Legion were openly hostile to the battalion of Trimaldi's Secutors that they were working with. When the Legion encountered elements of the Third Crucis Lancers RCT, they either surrendered or withdrew instead of fighting. The Secutors opened fire on the Legion warriors, and the Third easily surrounded the two Capellan forces. They promptly overwhelmed the Capellan units, and both surrendered. Marshal Pedroza, the Third Crucis Lancers CO, heard the case of the Legion warriors and arranged their transport back to Tigress.[7]

Andurien/Canopus Invasion[edit]

War of 3039[edit]

During the War of 3039, Laurel's Legion and the Eighth Crucis Lancers took Biham. The Legion was responsible for taking the Tiberius gas mining facility, which it did with no losses.[8] When the Fifth Ghost and Sixth Ghost regiments arrived to recover the system for the Draconis Combine, the Legion attempted to provide support for the embattled Eighth Lancers. Unfortunately the Eighth's commander was dismissive of the Legion's aid, and the two forces could not communicate effectively as a result. This allowed the two Ghost regiments to force the AFFS units out of the system.[9]

Jihad[edit]

Laurel's Legion formed a part of the Capellan forces which assaulted Halloran V in 3077, as did their sister regiment within the Citizens' Honored, Lockhardt's Ironsides. The Legion took heavy damage and was twice forced out of their defensive positions by Word of Blake forces before managing to regroup behind the Fourth McCarron's Armored Cavalry and subsequently driving the Blakists off. The Legion was then redeployed, returning to garrison positions near the St. Ives Commonality, where it could draw on the manufacturing base present within the Sian Commonality to rebuild.[10]

Republic Era[edit]

The Legion was initially kept out of Operation GOLDEN FORTRESS, the offensive against the Republic of the Sphere launched by the Capellan Confederation in 3081. The Legion was forced to watch with growing frustration as the campaign headed for disaster, and when the Legion was finally deployed to New Macao to act as a reserve force, the temptation to act became too much. The Legion abandoned its assigned post and lifted for the nearby world of Styk when it heard that Republican forces were attacking the Warrior Houses defending the planet. When the Legion made landfall on Styk, it found that both Warrior House Dai Da Chi and Warrior House Tsang Xiao were already in full retreat to their DropShips, leaving the legion to face Stone's Lament on their own. The resulting three-hour battle saw the Republican regiment reduce the Legion to just a company of effective forces, with losses including the Wolverine piloted by the Legion's commanding officer, Alexia Laurel. After Sao-shao Betsy "Sugar" Lindsey surrendered the remains of the command to the Republic Armed Forces, the Republic repatriated the survivors to the Confederation as a part of the Treaty of Tikonov, although the Republic kept a sizeable amount of the Legion's equipment.[11]

The Legion's actions saw the CCAF downgrade the Legion's loyalty rating to questionable. Had the Legion had not been a formation of proven combat ability — and if it was not for the Legion's vehement hatred of the Republic of the Sphere — the Legion would likely have been disbanded after Operation GOLDEN FORTRESS.[11]

Dark Age[edit]

The Legion has spent much of their time fighting alongside the Second McCarron's Armored Cavalry during the CCAF's campaign. However when the time came to "liberate" their homeworld, the Legion insisted upon doing alone. In a brief campaign, the Legion ejected the Federated Suns mercenaries Narhal's Raiders and brought Tigress back under Capellan rule.

In August 3146, Laurel's Legion faced the Dawn Guards on Tigress. The Guards inflicted moderate damage, and then withdrew from the world.[12]

October 3149 found the Legion on New Home, facing off against the XIII Hastati Sentinels. The Sentinels had been reduced to a battalion in size, but their extensive defensive emplacements and RISC-based technology upgrades held off the entire Legion for several weeks. To offset the advanced weaponry, the Legion used multiple airstrikes and extensive armor unit support. The Thirteenth Sentinels finally left the world in the last week of October.[13]

In 3150 the Strategios assigned Laurel's Legion to Operation CLARITY, an assault on Northwind. They were paired with Warrior House Imarra to assault the Northwind Military Academy. Another unit assigned to Operation CLARITY, the Fourth McCarron's Armored Cavalry wanted to charge into Tara after the defenders withdrew, but Sang-shao Qiao convinced the Fourth to proceed with caution. Shortly thereafter the Legion and Imarra assaulted Fort Barrett, home of the Academy. Held in place by a battalion of the XII Hastati Sentinels, instructors and cadets of the Academy flew aerospace bombing sorties against the CCAF troops. Laurel's Legion was familiar with the Highlanders' tactics, and was able to break through their lines, allowing Warrior House Imarra to engage in mop-up operations.[14]

Shortly after the Fortress fell, the Legion moved in as the garrison. Stone's Defenders First Battalion, the Republic of the Sphere's Highlanders battalion, and elements of the Gray Watch counterattacked Fort Barrett alongside the remnants of the Twelfth Sentinels. After a brief conflict, the Legion had to withdraw to avoid being overrun.[15]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of Laurel's Legion
Colonel Elyse Laurel 3025[4]
Colonel Constance Laurel 3039 - 3059[16][17][18][19]
Sang-shao Alexia "Zi" Laurel 30633081[1][20]
Sang-shao Betsy "Sugar" Lindsey 3081–3085[21]
Sang-shao Julie "Jinx" Qiao 3145[22]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

3025[edit]

Laurel's Legion (Battalion/Regular/Reliable)[23]

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

3040[edit]

Laurel's Legion (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[24]

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

3050[edit]

Laurel's Legion (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[17]

  • CO: Colonel Constance Laurel
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Tigress.

3054[edit]

Laurel's Legion (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[18]

  • CO: Colonel Constance Laurel
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Tigress.

3059[edit]

Laurel's Legion (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[19]

  • CO: Colonel Constance Laurel)
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Tigress.

3063[edit]

Laurel's Legion (1 Battalion/Veteran/Reliable)[1]

  • CO: Sang-shao Alexia Laurel
  • XO/First Battalion: Zhong-shao Gabrielle Montagne
  • Second Company: Sao-shao Adam Strao

Twelfth Aldebaran Home Guard (Aldebaran Everblades) (1 Battalion/Regular/Reliable)[1]

  • Armor Commander: Zhong-shao Avrom Rabinowitz

3067[edit]

Laurel's Legion (1 Battalion/Veteran/Reliable)[20]

  • CO: Sang-shao Alexia Laurel

Twelfth Aldebaran Home Guard (Battalion/Regular/Reliable)[20]

  • CO: Zhong-shao Avrom Rabinowitz

Tigress Citizen's Brigade (2 Battalions/Green/Fanatical)[20]

  • CO: Zhong-shao Mar Su Mer

3079[edit]

Laurel's Legion (Battalion/Veteran/Reliable)[10]

Note: Based on the worlds of Bithinia, Eom and Jasmine, the Legion had rebuilt to 50% of full strength by 3079 and used advanced technology on 60% of their equipment.

3085[edit]

Laurel's Legion (1 Battalion/Elite/Reliable)[21]

  • CO: Sao-shao Betsy "Sugar" Lindsey

Twelfth Aldebaran Home Guard (Battalion/Regular/Reliable)[21]

Tigress Citizens' Brigade (2 Battalions/Veteran/Reliable)[21]

3145[edit]

Laurel's Legion (Veteran/Fanatical)[22]

The Flying Tigresses (2 Flights/Regular/Fanatical)[22]

Laurel’s Armor Legion (Veteran/Reliable)[22]

Tigress Citizens' Brigade (Regular/Fanatical)[22]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Field Manual: Capellan Confederation, p. 96: "Laurel's Legion Unit Profile"
  2. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 107
  3. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 55
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 96: "Laurel's Legion Profile"
  5. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 38
  6. The Fourth Succession War Scenarios Volume One, p. 18
  7. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 93
  8. Historical: War of 3039, p. 34
  9. Historical: War of 3039, pp. 80–82
  10. 10.0 10.1 Field Report: CCAF, p. 16: "Citizen's Honored"
  11. 11.0 11.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 27: "Laurel's Legion"
  12. Shattered Fortress, p. 23
  13. Shattered Fortress, p. 74
  14. Shattered Fortress, p. 94
  15. Shattered Fortress, p. 95
  16. Historical: War of 3039, pp. 80–82: "Wave Two and Counterattack - Biham"
  17. 17.0 17.1 20 Year Update, p. 24
  18. 18.0 18.1 Objective Raids, p. 17
  19. 19.0 19.1 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 108
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Field Manual: Updates, p. 33: "CCAF Deployment Table - 3067"
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Field Manual: 3085, p. 34: "CCAF Deployment Table - 3085"
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Field Manual: 3145, p. 47: "CCAF Deployment Table - 3145"
  23. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 107: "Deployment Table"
  24. Historical: War of 3039, p. 141

Bibliography[edit]