8th Marik Militia

Brigade Insignia of the Marik Militia
Eighth Marik Militia
Nickname The Black Mark[1]
Affiliation Free Worlds League
Parent Command Marik Militia


History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The Marik Militia brigade was formed in the early twenty-third century as the primary offensive and defensive brigade of the newly-formed Free Worlds League. The Eighth Marik Militia would serve the League for centuries. Like the other regiments of the brigade, the Eighth was dedicated to serving and defending the people of the League, rather than serving the Captain-General, a distinction that separated the Militia from other federal formations such as the Atrean Dragoons and Free Worlds Guards.[1]

Star League Era[edit]

When the Star League Council issued the Council Edict of 2650 limiting the size of the military maintained by each Great House the Eighth was one of nineteen active regiments within the Marik Militia. Like the other regiments of the Militia, the Eighth remained a popular unit with both the commoners within the League and the peerage because of their public dedication to the people of the League, and like the other regiments of the Militia often acted as training grounds for troops across the League. A significant number of the personnel serving in other more prestigious federal units and various provincial forces within the League had actually begun their careers in the Eighth or another of the Marik Militia regiments.[1]

The Eighth Marik Militia was one of two Militia regiments to fight for Oliver Marik during the Marik Civil War, fighting against the forces of Captain-General Elise Marik and her son, Bertram. After the Civil War ended with the Treaty of Verona Bertram pardoned the Eighth and the other Marik Militia regiment that fought alongside them, the Third,[1] and both regiments returned to duty. A number of officers within the command staff of both regiments were quietly retired in the years following the civil war,[2] and a number of the other Marik Militia regiments would bear grudges against the Third and Eighth for decades afterwards, although both regiments spent at least the next thirty years going out of their way to prove their loyalty to Bertram and his successors, Ewan and Kenyon Marik.[1]

Succession War Era and Destruction[edit]

Despite the best efforts of the Third and Eighth Marik Militia, the League Central Coordination and Command never fully trusted either regiments when the Succession Wars erupted. Thus both the Third and the Eighth was assigned to some of most difficult and dangerous missions during the early days of the Succession Wars, partly in the hope of eliminating potential troublemakers through attrition. Despite this, both regiments would ultimately survive the meat grinders of the First Succession War.[3]

The Eighth would finally fall during the final decades of the Second Succession War to a sneak-attack while not in direct combat. Part of a string of deep offensive strikes launched by the Capellan Reserves' Justine's Grenadiers against the Free Worlds League's interior worlds starting in 2838, the Grenadiers would hit Wisconsin where the Eighth and another reserve regiment were on R&R. In a daring dawn attack, the Capellan unit's air lances would strike a mortal blow against the unprepared Eighth, decimating the unit. Though the other local defenders would prevent the Grenadiers from escaping with any salvageable equipment, the shattered Eighth's tainted reputation would ensure it was never reconstituted.[4]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 8th Marik Militia

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

Eighth Marik Militia (Regiment/Green/Fanatical)[5]

- At this point in time the Eighth was stationed on Camlann.[5]

2786 - 2821[edit]

Eighth Marik Militia (Regiment/Green/Fanatical)[6]

- At this point in time the Eighth was a medium-weight regiment operating at full strength and based on Oriente.[6]In 2821 the unit was operating at between one-third and half-strength, and was located on Hassad.[6]

2830[edit]

8th Marik Militia (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical) [7]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Hassad with an operational readiness of 94 percent. [7]

2864[edit]

8th Marik Militia (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical) [7]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Hassad with an operational readiness of 62 percent. [7]

Rules[edit]

First Succession War[edit]

  • As a Marik Militia regiment the Eighth receives no modifiers to die rolls when generating forces on RAT tables during the First Succession War.[8]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 10, "Marik Militia"
  2. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 90, "Marik Militia"
  3. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 53 "FWLM Rosters - Marik Militia: Mailed Fist in a Velvet Glove"
  4. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 92 "The Capellan Military - BattleMech Regiments - Capellan Reserves - Justine's Grenadiers"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 10, "Regimental Status"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 First Succession War, p. 138, "Free Worlds League Military (FWLM)"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Second Succession War, p. 98
  8. First Succession War, p. 147, "RAT Die Roll Modifiers by Combat Command Table"

Bibliography[edit]