The 6th Alshain Avengers - Red Ronin
Heed well this warning
Although we have fallen
We will be avenged
Final words of Tai-sa Tracy Miyazaki,
c/o 11th Alshain Avengers HistoryAll was not lost on Alshain...When the four standing regiments of the Alshain Avengers embarked on their unauthorized crusade to drive the Bears from their former capital of Alshain, some remained behind - the injured, the dispossessed, and those still training to prove their worth. The full wrath of the Coordinator was brought down upon the Alshain for their part in starting the Combine-Ghost Bear War. Those who partook in the assault were stripped of all past honor, their names struck from official record, their land and titles revoked. Those who stayed behind were shunned for the actions of the Avengers, carrying the blame for the war and every life lost because of it.
It wasn't until the war ended that the Dragon's rage subsided, and wisdom guided his hand once more. Though foolish and costly, the Alshain Avengers acted out of love for their land. They paid the ultimate price for their mistake, but the ones who took no part were the ones being punished. In an act of contrition, the highest-ranking officer of what remained of the Avengers offered his own life if the Coordinator would remove the dishonor of those Avengers who had no part in the war. As the Alshain officer - Rokuro Konjo - plunged the blade into his abdomen, the stain of his brethren was wiped clean, and the Alshain Avengers were reborn.
In honor of Rokurou Konjo, sixth son of minor noble Katashi Konjo, the remnants of the Alshain took up the mantle of the 6th Alshain Avengers. Their rebuilding was a slow process. Those injured who could return to duty were put back on the roster, and those recruits who showed potential were promoted to
Heishi, but their ranks were still less than half-full. This problem was solved when Duke Hassid Ricol - governor of the Alshain Military District - gifted the new Avengers with a battalion's worth of Mechwarriors, hand-picked from garrisons in his district and a handful from his own private guard. To the dispossessed Avengers he gifted the unit with twenty-four state-of-the-art battlemechs. Alshain was, after all, his District, and the Avengers were his unit. Some speculate that The Red Duke might have had some hand in the Avengers failed attempt to retake Alshain, and his display of such generosity made such claims more credible, but no real evidence has ever surfaced to legitimize such beliefs. Regardless, by early 3064 the 6th Alshain Avengers were back on the DCMS active roster. Within a year their force had been expanded into a full Forward ARC, and it is said that the Dragon himself has taken an interest in their exploits and dedication.
Unit DescriptionThe 6th Alshain, dubbed "Red Ronin", are a fanatically loyal unit, working hard to rebuild the honor of their once-proud name. Their skill ranges from elite to inexperienced, largely due to the make-shift reformation of their battlemech regiment.
The parade colors of the 6th Alshain is a strong red paint, accented in black or darker shades of red. Most units paint the head of their battlemech in white, while commissioned officers paint their heads gold or a mixture of white accented with gold. Much like the original Alshain Avengers, the 6th do not often utilize camouflage paint schemes, prefering to be seen, and be feared. The 6th Alshain use a bastardization of the Ghost Bear's emblem as their unit logo, with two katana driven through the head of a much less-aggressive looking bear, and the
kanji for the numeral "six" on the rightmost paw.
LeadershipAs a means to prevent the 6th Alshain from repeating the mistakes of their predecessors, neither the C/O or X/O of the 6th Alshain are original members of the Alshain Avengers.
Sho-sho Hiro Matsumura was given command by the direct word of Coordinator Theodore Kurita, while Chu-sa Richard Watanabe was made executive officer by the dictate of the Avengers' patron Duke Hassid Ricol.
Sho-sa Wataru Ito and
Sho-sa Momiji Omura are the two highest-ranked original Avengers, while Kimiko Sato - the unit's other
Sho-sa - is formerly one of Duke Ricol's personal guards.
Ken BattalionKen Battalion is comprised of their best warriors, and in turn, the best equipment available to them. One of the battalion's companies (Naginata) is comprised entirely of Kuritan-made omnimechs - twelve of only thirteen such mechs in the entire regiment - while the remaining two companies are mostly made up of mechs designed after the Clan Invasion. Yari Company is notable for using only energy-based weapons, allowing them to remain in battle longer than any unit, or opperate far beyond their supply lines. The commanding officer of the entire 6th Alshain,
Sho-sho Hiro Matsumura, leads his army from the head of Ken Battalion's Shirebu Company, rather than hiding in the back lines in a command lance. His
Tai-Sho model battlemech is networked to his entire company through a pair of C3 master units, giving Shirebu Company a strong tactical advantage.
Yaiba BattalionObservers are never quite sure whether to call the warriors of Yaiba Battalion brave, or suicidal. The first and second companies - Nodachi and Katana respectively - are made up of modified variants of older model battlemechs, each outfitted with a surprise compliment of Inferno SRMs. For their own safety, these refits are often designed to run cold, sacrificing firepower for additional heat dissipation. To-date no Yaiba warrior has suffered an internal ammo explosion due to overheating, although explosions from battle damage are as common with them as any other unit. Mechs of first and second company have been repeatedly known to defeat battlemechs many tons greater than themselves, most often by causing critical meltdowns in their opponents' reactors. Wakizashi company plays a support role to the rest of the battalion, giving long-range firepower to the unit through multiple LRM banks on each mech.
Kissaki BattalionThe third battalion is, compared to the rest of the Forward ARC, a rather unremarkable force. Their battlemechs are mostly succession-war era designs, almost all of which are stock models with no customization. This is largely because Kissaki Battalion is the least-experienced unit, consisting largely of former recruits promoted more due to necessity than skill. Losses are highest in Kissaki Battalion, and it is not uncommon to see their ranks at less-than-battalion size. In spite of their relative lack in skill, Kissaki Battalion is often the first unit to the fight as the 6th Alshain know that hands-on combat is the only solution to their lack of experience.
Yumi RegimentAlmost none of the 6th Alshain's air support can claim to be from one of the original four Avenger regiments, as sky jockeys suffer far less injuries in their line of work. Death is the far more common result, as space and sky are far more unforgiving than land.
Ō-yorio BattalionUsually operating from behind the lines the Red Ronin Armored Command Company, or RAC, is both the command center for the Alshain Avengers' armored battalion, and their primary long-range support unit. The entire company is outfitted with a C3 network, enabling the fast-moving hovercraft to spot targets for the missile and artillery batteries.
1st and 2nd Rokugu, the battalion's real fighting force, is best suited to urban or open-plains combat. Away from pavement or smooth terrain, they suffer a disadvantage in mobility, but treacherous ground is why battlemechs superceded tanks as the kings of the battlefield. In cities however, the Rokugu hold the advantage, and without causing nearly as much damage to civilian buildings and infrastructure.
Infantry RegimentYep, it's a bunch of men with guns. Oh, no, wait...that one's a woman with a gun. My bad.The 6th Alshain infantry is not as rigidly organized as the rest of the army. Most of the time there is roughly one battalion's worth of battle armor, one battalion of mixed motorized and mechanized infantry, and a third battalion of simple foot soldiers. Jump infantry is uncommon now that most battle armor does the same job only much better, but on occasion the Avengers have been known to borrow some jump equipment from the DCMS quartermaster.
Unit TO&EUnit Commander: Sho-sho Hiro Matsumura
Second in Command: Chu-sa Richard Watanabe
Base of Operations: Luthien, Draconis Combine
House Affiliation: Kurita
Major Opponents: Clan Ghost Bear, Clan Hell's Horses, Clan Wolf
That's the long-winded bio for my (currently) largest Battletech army. To-date, I have about half of the listed battlemechs purchased and assembled, with Tsurugi Company 100% complete (sans-paint). The biggest thing holding up completion of this army is Archive fees. I also have about 1/2 of the vehicles, 2/3rds of the fighters in Micro scale, and a sizable force of AeroTech warships, jumpships, and dropships (not yet listed). The infantry is the only thing I don't plan to collect all of. Yes, I have a smattering of mechanized, mobilized, and battle-armor. But I really don't see a need to have an actual battalion's worth of infantry bases.
No pictures yet, but the 6th Alshain are the first priority in my long list of Mechs to be painted. One or two are an ink-wash away from done, another half-dozen are mostly finished, but the majority are only primed. So pictures way down the road.
Funny story, which might explain a couple things of why I chose some of those units above...
When I began collecting Battletech again after almost a decade hiatus, I started out planning to build one company for each of the five major houses. The plan was to use designs that would be viable in both 3025/3039 Succession War scenarios, and in 3050+ Clan Invasion battles. Each company was carefully researched, and all five companies balanced to within 32BV between highest and lowest. (For the record, Tsurugi Company is the Kuritan unit I began with.) Mission successful...except I had all my old minis which never got painted, and I didn't want them to go to waste. Before I knew it, I'd gone full R-Tard and plotted out almost an entire Kuritan Forward ARC, a Davion Light Infantry Brigade, one Regiment worth of Steiner, and my previously-listed Unseen mercenaries. And because I plotted it all out, I must buy it. I MUST, MORBO COMMANDS IT!
So yeah, kinda went overboard. I do that...
Oh, and the armored battalion is all-wheeled (except the J-Edgars and LRM Carriers) because I also wanted to try that - an all-wheel tanker force. To square off against it, my Davion force has an all-hover/VTOL battalion. Will the madness never end?
Oh, and one more thing. There is a LOT of hidden detail and/or attention to detail in the naming of units, etc. Someone who speaks Japanese should figure it out pretty easy, the rest of you, well, google exists. That's how I learned all this stuff. =p
