9th Sword of Light

Template:InfoBoxStateUnit The Ninth Sword of Light was formed to replace the destroyed Second Sword of Light BattleMech regiment.

History

Formation

Once the pride of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, the Second Sword of Light's support for the Black Dragon Society staged coup on Luthien in 3067 fragmented the regiment between Black Dragon and Loyalist troops. Approximately two battalions of the Second-indcluding their commander Tai-sa Li Sak Do-went over to the Black Dragons. By the end of the fighting on Luthien in early 3075, over 90% of the Second has been destroyed, with only a handful of Loyalist troops left and all traitorous survivors executed.

Rather than rebuild the dishonored Second, Coordinator Hohiro Kurita took the unprecedented move of permanently striking the Second from the rosters of the DCMS, forming in its place the Ninth Sword of Light around its loyal survivors. Due to the ongoing pressure of the Jihad preventing it being raised as a fully functional combat ready unit, by 3076 the Ninth had been given the more ceremonial role of serving as the Coordinator's honor guard during his travels across the fractured Draconis Combine. During these trips, the members of the Ninth were kept away from the Coordinator's baggage train.

As a further sign of their untrusted status, when off-duty the Ninth's members are under house arrest. The Ninth is also the last to receive new recruits and equipment; In 3079 they were only at 25% of their listed strength.

Jihad

The Ninth Sword of Light garrisoned the world of Sabik in 3077. A militia commander accused the Ninth of slaughtering Word of Blake prisoners of war held on that world in a massacre. If true, this would echo the atrocity known as the Kentares Massacre, perpetrated by troops from the Second Sword of Light.

Republic Service

After the conclusion of the Jihad, the Ninth was given as a gift by Hohiro Kurita to The Republic of the Sphere. The Ninth - like several other units "gifted" to the Republic - was split up into a number of companies who were not allowed to stay together. However, breaking with standard procedures, the RAF High Command did not immediately integrate these companies into the nascent Auxiliaries but rather grouped them into three independent battalion-sized commands, which were supposed to act as elite rapid response forces: the Amaterasu, the Tsukuyomi, and the Fujin.

These units were assigned to a tense border region. It was hoped that as the units took casualties, replacement troops from other formations would be transferred in and dilute the loyalty the Ninth felt for the Combine, replacing it with loyalty to the Republic.

• The Tsukuyomi were called in to assist in retaking the world of Tikonov until, in early 3083, they were wiped out by Warrior House Hiritsu.

• The Fujin never saw combat action and were instead merged with the 27th Auxiliaries to create the 9th Princeps Guards in 3082.

• Only the Amaterasu remained in active service - right until their defection to Prefect Katana Tormark's splinter faction in 3132.

See Also

• Dragon's Fury

Bibliography

• Field Report: DCMS
• Jihad Turning Points: Luthien
• Jihad Hot Spots: Terra
• Jihad: Final Reckoning
• Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers