VI Legio

VI Legio Ripariensis
Formed	3063
Nickname	The Caesar's Cavalry
Affiliation	Marian Hegemony
Parent Command	Marian Hegemony Armed Forces

History

Formation

The origin of VI Legio lies in the conquest of the Illyrian Palatinate by Caesar Julius O'Reilly in 3063. The Palatinate had retained two mercenary units to defend itself with against the Marian Hegemony; the Arms of Thor and Cavanaugh's Cavalry. Invading with the better part of three full legions behind him, Caesar O'Reilly gave the Illyrian mercenaries the opportunity to recant their contracts and enter his service as a part of his legions. Feeling that they had little choice, Cavanaugh's Cavalry agreed to switch allegiance to the Marian Hegemony Armed Forces.

Having turned traitor, the Cavalry remained largely on the sidelines until the final three days of the campaign on Illyria itself. As the Arms of Thor launched attacks in an attempt to break through the Marian lines and destroy the Caesar's headquarters, the Cavalry decided that the Arms of Thor were clearly doomed, and chose to act. Entering the Illyrian capital in the guise of being friendly forces, the Cavalry promptly captured the city in the name of Caesar. The Arms of Thor launched one final attack in an attempt to reach Caesar O'Reilly but failed, and two hours after the capture of their capital city, the Illyrians surrendered. Cavanaugh's Cavalry then accompanied a triumphant Caesar back to Alphard, where Julius commissioned the former mercenaries as VI Legio.

Caesar then added additional numbers to the nucleus of VI Legio by incorporating veteran MechWarriors, trusted officers from II Legio and a number of recent graduates from the Marian Collegium Bellorum Imperium, bringing VI Legio up to a full cohort by equipping the inductees with equipment drawn from the vanquished Arms of Thor. A few months later the Caesar added a second cohort.

VI Legio then spent the remainder of 3063 on Alphard alongside I Legio; while this posting was ostensibly for training purposes, Caesar was clearly waiting to determine the loyalty of his newest legion and its commanding Prefect. With the former mercenaries heavily outnumbered by warriors of proven loyalty to the Caesar and veteran and reserve volunteers, it was considered unlikely that the thirteen survivors of the Cavalry would pose any threat to Caesar or the Hegemony, although Prefect Jared Cavanaugh rapidly built himself a reputation as a cavalier and selfish individual who would gladly seize on any opportunity to enrich himself, complete with allegations of selling former Arms of Thor equipment on the black market.

Marian Hegemony/Circinus Federation War

When Caesar O'Reilly launched his invasion of the Circinus Federation in 3066, VI Legio was one of the four legions used in the initial assault on the worlds of Blantleff and Maximillian. President H.R. "Little Bob" McIntyre retaliated by dispatching troops disguised as IV Legio to attack the Marian forces. As the masquerade was uncovered, the disguised troops landed on Blantleff and attacked VI Legio, who promptly surprised friend and foe alike with the determined ferocity with which they counterattacked. Within two weeks VI Legio had defeated the disguised Federation forces and begun rebuilding their losses using the equipment they captured, remaining alert for any further Federation military actions.

The Jihad

In early February 3071, elements of VI Legio Ripariensis who came to Niops V to plunder the world's Star League–era technology found defending the Black Heart Roses. As the Legio approached the warehouses, they discovered that it was defended by two companies of Niops Association Militia troops. The Legio's commander, Legatus Onufry Sopaczak, attempted to marshal his troops. However, Colonel Heart-Rose launched a surprise attack with her battalion of BattleMechs into the rear of his formation. Rose's Briar Patch Guards, newly equipped with advanced Mk XXII Nighthawk Battle Armor, attacked the spread-out Marian troops. The Nighthawks of the Guard were noted for their takedown of VI Legio commander's Starslayer, the Marian troops breaking at the sight of their commander being defeated by mere infantry.

During the Jihad and the breakup of the Free Worlds League, the new Caesar of the Marian Hegemony, Cassius O'Reilly, drove the Word of Blake–backed Circinus Federation forces out of the Hegemony and then took advantage of the chaos within the former League to attack a number of former League worlds. The invasion was brought to a halt when II Legio took heavy damage after they were hit by nuclear weapons on San Nicolas. With the invasion stalled, VI Legio remained on the newly conquered world of Huntington until at least 3079.

Having been relegated to garrison duty on Huntington, when II Legio was forced to withdraw VI Legio acted without orders, launching a surprise raid on Atzenbrugg to ensure that the Free Worlds League Military was kept too busy to pursue II Legio, before returning to Huntington.

The Dark Age

Despite being far from Alphard and unable to recover losses easily, VI Legio continued to stand ready to renew the Marian campaigns of conquest, in defiance of the bitter disappointment they were left with as the Jihad ended. Based out of Huntington, Hazeldean and Illyria in the Illyrian District, VI Legio continued to actively raids on non-Marian planets almost constantly at least until the end of 3085.

The Ordo Vigilis made an unfortunate discovery in the early 3120s - the former Free Worlds League had more than a dozen spies active within VI Legio. The result was a purge of VI Legio and a further investigation, one which revealed widespread corruption, even amongst seemingly loyal citizens. Caesar Lucian O'Reilly had VI Legio redeployed to the opposite side of the Hegemony, well away from the border with the former League; VI Legio would stay on the rimward border for twenty years, honing their combat skills against raids from pirates and the Magistracy of Canopus alike, but even by 3145 their morale hadn't recovered.

In March 3150 a cohort from VI Legio took control of Thraxa. The rest of VI Legio landed on Gambilon and Marantha. Marantha fell quickly, but on Gambilon the 1st Magistracy Highlanders forced the Legio to fight for several weeks before evacuating the world.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of VI Legio
Prefect	Jared Cavanaugh	3064
Prefect	Albert DeVereaux	3067
Prefect	Tirto Klerken	3085
Prefect	Lazaro McNeill	3145

Other Officers

• Legatus Onufry Sopaczak, in early February 3071.

Notes

As of 3064, an independent observer to the unit was attached by the Caesar: Principes Rudolf Kess. Within the Legio, the thirteen former members of Cavanaugh's Cavalry occupied higher ranks than the Marian-born officers later added to the Legio.

Tactics

VI Legio used a combination of its small number of artillery pieces combined with a charge from the lighter elements within the Legio to turn each fight into disorganized chaos; in the resulting free-for-all, VI Legio then picked off enemies in a piecemeal fashion.

Composition History

3064

VI Legio (Regular/Questionable)

Prima Cohors (1 Cohort/Veteran/Questionable)

• CO: Legatus Douglas Gilbody

Secunda Cohors (1 Cohort/Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Legatus Joakim Boalt

- At this point Secunda Cohors was understrength by a number of machines, and as a result was operating in four-position centuries rather than the standard five-position.

Auxilia Comitatensis (1 Legion/Green/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Lucius Corelli

- At this point the Auxilia Comitatensis had yet to operate as a full unit.

3067

VI Legio (Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Albert DeVereaux

Prima Cohors (1 Cohort/Veteran/Questionable)

• CO: Legatus Rudolf Kess

Secunda Cohors (1 Cohort/Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Legatus Joakim Boal

Tertia Cohors (1 Cohort/Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Legatus Anchor Wu

VI Auxilia Legio (1 Legion/Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Lucius Corelli

VI Caelum (1 Wing/Veteran/Fanatical)

• CO: Legatus Davis Polem

3085

VI Legio (Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Tirto Klerken

Prima Cohors (Elite/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Satarina Maharet Ichmal

- Prima Cohors was the largest of the cohortes at this point in time, operating at 95% of full strength and with 30% of their equipment featuring advanced technology. Prima Cohors was based on Illyria alongside Quinta Cohors and VI Caelum Wing.

Secunda Cohors (Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Michiko Zeeger

- Secunda Cohors was based on Huntington alongside VI Auxilia Legio at this point in time, and was operating at 80% of full strength. 22% the equipment used by Secunda Cohors featured advanced technology.

Tertia Cohors (Veteran/Fanatical)

• CO: Legatus Kalyana Davidovic

- The smallest of the cohortes, operating at just 60% of full strength, Tertia Cohors was based on Hazeldean alongside Quarta Cohors. Despite the small size of Tertia Cohors, it still had enough upgraded technology to equip 13% of the cohors' forces.

Quarta Cohors (Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Quirinus Verhoeven

- Quarta Cohors was the only cohors within VI Legio to not deploy any advanced technology at this point.

Quinta Cohors (Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Legatus Aviyah Jonckersen

- Quinta Cohors was operating at 70% of full strength at this point, but only fielded enough advanced technology to upgrade 8% of their equipment.

VI Auxilia Legio (Veteran/Fanatical)

• CO: Legatus Vilhelmiina Phan

- Fielding 43% of their equipment with upgraded technology, VI Auxilia Legio had more advanced equipment in the field than any other cohors within VI Legio. It was also operating at 80% of full strength.

VI Caelum Wing (Elite/Fanatical)

• CO: Prefect Stig Brankovic

- Like Quarta Cohors, VI Caelum Wing fielded no advanced technology; it was operating at 85% of full strength at this point, however.

3145

VI Legio (Veteran/Questionable)

• CO: Prefect Lazaro McNeill

Prima Cohors (Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Dominic Brinkman

Secunda Cohors (Veteran/Questionable)

• CO: Prefect Fredric Gilmore

Tertia Cohors (Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Prefect Oswaldo Jude

Quarta Cohors (Veteran/Questionable)

• CO: Legatus Tuan Hilliard

Quinta Cohors (Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Legatus Jonas Haskins

VI Prima Auxilia Legio (Veteran/Questionable)

• CO: Prefect Kenneth Hannah

VI Secunda Auxilia Legio (Regular/Questionable)

• CO: Legatus Claud Engel

VI Caelum Wing (Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Legatus Gus Dowell

- At this point in time VI Legio was based across the worlds of Algenib, Islington and Marius' Tears and only Prima Cohors was at full strength; the other cohortes and legiones were at between fifty-five and eighty percent of full strength.

Notes

• Although Field Report: Periphery and Field Manual: 3085 describe VI Legio Ripariensis as being involved in the conquest and occupation of Lahti, maps in both texts and Jihad: Final Reckoning do not show Lahti as a Marian world, nor do the maps show VI Legio as having been deployed on Lahti at any point; in each instance where VI Legio is shown deployed, it is on Huntington, not Lahti. It was confirmed by a Line Developer that the maps are correct.
• Special rules for VI Legio can be found in Field Manual: Periphery, p. 153 and Field Manual: 3145, p. 210.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: 3085
• Field Manual: 3145
• Field Manual: Periphery
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: Periphery