Word of Blake Militia

The Word of Blake Militia was the military arm of the Word of Blake, a splinter group of ComStar. Formed in the wake of the ComStar Schism from members of the Com Guards, the Word of Blake Militia was instrumental first in the capture of Terra from ComStar and then in the prosecution of the Jihad. Following the defeat of the Word of Blake its Militia was disbanded.

History

Formation

With the disastrous end of Operation Scorpion and the heretical reforms instituted by Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht, many members of ComStar became outraged at what was seen as a betrayal of the sacred ideas set forth by Jerome Blake and began fleeing the organization to avoid persecution, among them members of the Com Guards. Among those who left was Precentor Demona Aziz, fleeing to the Free Worlds League where Captain-General Thomas Marik, a former member of ComStar and philosophical ally, agreed to grant the refugees sanctuary.

Despite the philosophical differences, all Word of Blake factions realised that the number of refugees coming from the ranks of the Com Guards made a Precentor Martial necessary for their organisation, as commander of the largest single group of Com Guard refugees and reputation earned during the Battle of Tukayyid, Trent Arian was promoted to that position by nominal Blakist leader William Blane.

As the nascent Word of Blake took shape Marik agreed to grant the organization Gibson as their new homeworld, however the people of Gibson did not take kindly to this change in ownership. In 3053 a full-scale insurgency erupted between members of the Gibson Freedom League and the newly-formed Word of Blake Militia. The conflict would last until early 3055 when it came to shocking end during a confusing large-scale battle involving the Militia, the Freedom League, the Knights of the Inner Sphere and units from the Principality of Regulus, with the detonation of a tactical nuclear weapon by the insurgents. The nuclear incident would serve to accelerate plans by the Word of Blake to conquer Terra.

Operation Odysseus

Main article: Operation Odysseus

Structure and Command

The Word of Blake Militia maintains the same base-six military command structure as the Com Guards, with a Level I unit consisting of a single BattleMech, Combat Vehicle, Aerospace Fighter or infantry unit of four (later six) Battle Armor or 28 conventional infantry.

Ruling Conclave

As the head of the Word of Blake, the Ruling Conclave is required to authorize all military actions except for the defense of Word of Blake holdings or personnel. They have the power to appoint and remove the Precentor Martial at will.

Precentor Martial

The overall commander of the Militia, the Precentor Martial is technically a member of the Ruling Conclave, although he lacks voting privileges in any matter concerning their position. They are advised by a staff of three Precentors: the Precentor Quatermaster is charged with overseeing logistical concerns and the purchase of non-weaponry equipment; the Precentor Arms' responsibility is the purchase of weaponry and war machines; the Precentor Liaison is charged with maintaining good relations with allied factions and units, including mercenaries.

Precentor ROM

Technically ROM, the Word of Blake's intelligence/internal security branch, is a part of the Militia with its head the Precentor ROM reporting directly to the Precentor Martial. In truth the two seldom act together and the Ruling Conclave can issue orders directly to the Precentor ROM when necessary, such as when the Precentor Martial is unavailable.

Precentor Naval

The Precentor Naval oversees all space assets of the Militia, from WarShips and JumpShips to various shipyards and space stations. Recently established in the years following the conquest of Terra, the Precentor Naval reports directly to the Precentor Martial and typically works together with the Precentor Quartermaster to ensure the timely arrival of supplies.

Division Commanders

The commanders of Militia Divisions are appointed by the Precentor Martial himself following careful consideration, though invariable factional politics will guide their decision nearly as much as the individual's command abilities. Division commanders report directly to the Precentor Martial or one of their representatives.

Ranks

As with many aspects of the Word of Blake Militia, the Word utilise the same ranking system as the Com Guards, with Acolytes equivalent to enlisted ranks, Adepts equivalent to junior officers such as Captains and Lieutenants, and Precentors the senior officers equivalent to Colonel or Lieutenant General. One notable point of difference between both militaries is usage of the Demi-Precentor rank, the Word of Blake maintained it as the informal rank it was considered to be prior to the Reformation and all Blakist Demi-Precentors are technically either senior Adepts (multiple Level IIs) or junior Precentors (Level IIIs).

Rank Insignia

Shows theta symbol, indicating JumpShip/WarShip crew. Other service branches replace theta with appropriate Greek letter.

Word of Blake Militia Insignia

Rank	Word of Blake Militia Insignia
Acolyte	Word of Blake Acolytes use a brass medallion.
Adept	Word of Blake Adepts use a silver medallion.
Demi-Precentor	While the Word of Blake still uses the Demi-Precentors in its original "unofficial" form, they use a gold medallion with their branch insignia in silver to show their "midway" position between Adepts and Precentors.
Precentor	Word of Blake Precentors use a gold medallion.

Word of Blake Military Academies

Over its history the Blakist Militia maintained training facilities on Gibson and the "War Triad" in the Terran system.

Sandhurst Royal Military College

Located in Berkshire, England on Terra, the Sandhurst Royal Military College is one of the longest continually active military academies in human history, being considered the most prestigous military academy in the Terran Hegemony and later the Star League. Falling into ComStar hands after Operation Silver Shield, Sandhurst ultimately became the primary headquarters and training facility for the Com Guards before becoming the Blakist's primary academy in the wake of Operation Odysseus. Aside from reinstating the indoctrination courses that the Secular ComStar discontinued, the Blakists ran Sandhurst almost identically.

War Academy of Mars

The former strategy headquarters of the SLDF, the War Academy of Mars was briefly reactivated by the secular ComStar in the wake of Battle of Tukayyid, again falling into Blakist hands after Odysseus. Focusing on ROM cadets, those of other branches training at WAM were only there because Sandhurst was full when they enrolled. This has helped give birth to a bitter rivalry as WAM cadets strive to prove they are superior to those of the more favoured Sandhurst.

Military Academy of Aphros

The home of the SLDF's famed Gunslinger Program, the Military Academy of Aphros was reopened in 3061, taking over the last domed city on Venus. With the failure of the planet's atmospheric stabilisation stations after the collapse of the Star League, the return of Venus' original hellish atmosphere limited the modern academy to training aerospace pilots and naval crews.

Camp Sims and Fort Tukayyid

As part of the FWLM's early assistance to the Word of Blake, League defense forces helped them establish two training bases on Gibson, Camp Sims (named from Primus Adrienne Sims) and Fort Tukayyid. Serving as the training and gathering points for the first five Blakist divisions, after Operation Odysseus and recapture of Terra they were transferred to mercenary control.

Equipment

In the years following the Schism and the conquest of Terra the Word of Blake Militia contained varied mix of BattleMechs, Combat Vehicles and Aerospace Fighters from a number of sources. Though still retaining a number of 'Mech designs dating back to the Star League Defense Force, the Militia made use of a sizable number from the Free Worlds League, and used factories in the League and on Terra to produce their own designs. This was especially true among armor units, which utilized relatively few Star League designs in place of more modern League vehicles. In contrast aerospace forces took relatively few losses over the course of events, leading to a majority still being ex-SLDF fighters.

Bibliography

• ComStar (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: ComStar