Joy Corelli

Joy Corelli
Personal
Died	October 3062
Affiliation	Federated Commonwealth
Profile
Rank	Marshal

Joy Corelli was the commanding officer of the Twenty-sixth Lyran Guards between 3039 and 3062.

History

War of 3039

Alnasi

On 15 April 3039, a flotilla consisting of the Twenty-sixth Lyran Guards RCT and the First Argyle Lancers appeared at a Pirate Jump Point above the Combine world of Alnasi, an industrial world defended only by a small planetary militia. Woodruff Patterson, now holding the rank of General in the LCAF, commanded the invasion force, and was determined to secure the planet quickly. The Alnasi militia, however, waged an effective guerrilla war despite fielding only a company of 'Mechs. Ultimately, however, Patterson was able to surround the capital of Gantarius, forcing the planetary government's surrender. It took the invaders until mid-May, however, before they could run down the militia 'Mech Company. With the planet in their grasp, the Guards and the Lancers dug in to prepare for the possibility of a DCMS counterattack. The Twenty-sixth Guards losses during the conquest were considered light.

Unfortunately for the Guards, guerrilla warfare by the surviving militia and an insurgency by the local population (and supported by the Internal Security Force) kept them from ever fully securing the planet. Sabotage to Lyran equipment became commonplace, and matters were not helped when the Argyle Lancers were rotated offworld to prepare for followup attacks. On 22 July, Combine reinforcements arrived in the form of the Sixth Alshain Regulars and the Fifth Sun Zhang Academy Cadre, using the same pirate point the Lyrans had. Although they held an advantage in skill, experience and sheer numbers over the Regulars and the Cadre, their position was highly compromised. Patterson sent his aerospace fighters to interfere with the incoming enemy transports, but they inflicted only minor damage before being chased off by Kuritan fighters and assault DropShips. The Guards then sent their second battalion (supported by armor forces) and their lightning company to harry the DCMS landing zones. They were quickly repulsed by the overwhelming ferocity of the Alshain Regulars, piloting 'Mechs (provided by ComStar) never before seen by the Lyrans. The Kuritans soon built a formidable defensive position around their LZ, and within a few days, the Regulars were prepared to attack the Lyran-held capital from the west while the Cadre struck from the northeast. The Cadre's approach was botched, however, when they ran into entrenched Lyran armor positions. Nevertheless, the Guards faced a deteriorating position, attacked on two sides and facing heavier opposition within the city. By 30 July, Patterson was forced to pull his troops back deeper within the city. The entrenched men and women of Steiner's Boots proceeded to repulse five Combine assaults in succession, but terrorist attacks by the ISF and the local citizenry grew progressively worse. On 5 August, a suicide bomber killed General Patterson and 26 other members of the Guards. Two days later, Colonel Joy Corelli, acting commander of the Twenty-sixth, ordered the Guards to begin withdrawing from the planet. Within a week, the last remaining Lyran troops had lifted offworld. Overall casualties to the unit during the counterattack were moderate, allowing it to maintain unit cohesion. The Twenty-sixth returned to Phalan, and ultimately were rotated back to Tamar when the war ended. After the conflict, Colonel Corelli was promoted and confirmed as the Twenty-sixth's commander.

Clan Invasion

The Twenty-sixth Guards, like the rest of the LCAF, became part of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth when it was formed after the war against House Kurita. At the dawn of the Clan Invasion in 3050, the Twenty-sixth Guards were once again stationed on Tamar as that world's primary defenders. Corelli remained in command of the veteran RCT, now holding the rank of Marshal.

Tamar

The Fall of Tamar

Main article: Battle of Tamar (3051)

Despite the protests of Duke Selvin Kelswa III, the government of the Federated Commonwealth refused to provide reinforcements to Tamar's defense to meet the coming invaders, citing the need to defend other worlds. Furious, Kelswa returned to Tamar City to prepare his own defenses, refusing to cooperate with any AFFC officials, even those of the Twenty-sixth Guards, despite their years of service as Tamar's principal defenders. On 7 November 3051, saKhan Natasha Kerensky of Clan Wolf arrived in orbit over Tamar, leading the Wolves' Alpha Galaxy. The former command of Nicholas Kerensky, the Dire Wolves were arguably the premier formation in all the Clans, the elite of the elite. Marshal Corelli accepted Kerensky's batchall, and arranged her defenses between the Clan landing zones and Tamar City. The first major clash between the two forces came at Shonick Dale, where the Wolves attempted to break through the Lyran lines of defense. Although they held for six hours against Kerensky, the Wolves' second attempt came at night and drove the Guards back amidst vicious fighting. Corelli reorganized at Smitton, a village north of the capital, organizing her troops in the thick forests to offset Clan air cover and their superior weapon ranges. Unfortunately, this allowed two Elemental head hunter stars to easily penetrate their lines, sowing confusion and chaos. When Alpha Galaxy attacked, they were forced to pull back once again. When they attempted to organize again at Tamar City, they were denied entry by Duke Kelswa, who by this point had gone mad. The Twenty-sixth Guards reluctantly set up their defenses outside the city walls, awaiting the coming Wolves. The following day, the assault began with a series of air strikes, followed up with harrying attacks by the Thirteenth Wolf Guards. With nowhere left to run, Corelli decided to preserve the remainder of her forces and retreat offworld. Offering transport to Kelswa, the Duke declined and would ultimately die with his men, but did send his daughter, Morasha Kelswa, along with the Guards. Steiner's Boots retreated to Kobe. Not long thereafter, the Wolves attacked the capital, leading to the destruction of the Kelswa Guard and the Tamar War College Training Battalion, with both units fighting almost to the death. Duke Kelswa himself fell at the controls of his Atlas. Despite the betrayal of Duke Kelswa, one of the Guards' armor units, the 343rd Tamar Heavy Armor Regiment, would serve as Duchess Morasha's honor guard in the years to come, and were permanently detached from the Twenty-sixth.

Kobe

On Kobe, the Guards had little time to prepare before Clan Wolf's Beta Galaxy arrived in December, commanded by Khan Garth Radick. The Twenty-sixth Guards were supported by the First and Second Kobe Mechanized Brigades, but these were green militia troops, with little hope of slowing down the Clans. In the first clash at Ash Valley, the Arctic Wolves repeated the tactic that Alpha had used against the Guards on Tamar, deploying Elementals to slip behind enemy lines and seek out the Lyran command. The elite Clan infantry severely injured Marshal Corelli, and knocked her into a coma. Her replacement as acting commander, Leftenant General Jinders Green-Davion managed to stabilize the situation, and there were further battles at New Pompeii and Cinder Bay. The Guards were ultimately too damaged to hold Kobe, and they retreated to Thun.

Recovery and the Lyran Alliance

The Clan Invasion was eventually halted at the Battle of Tukayyid. The Twenty-sixth Guards were so damaged by the fighting that they did not even appear in a ComStar report on the deployment of AFFC forces in 3054. Nevertheless, they managed to avoid being formally disbanded. Like most traditional Lyran units, the Twenty-sixth switched their loyalties to Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion and the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces during the secession of 3057, this despite the fact their commanding officer was a distant cousin of the ruling Davion family. Although they took no part in Operation Bulldog or other major actions, the Guards nevertheless maintained their veteran status when they returned to full strength. Joy Corelli officially remained commander, despite still lingering in a coma. As of late 3061, the Guards were stationed on Port Moseby.

In October 3062, Corelli finally passed away. As November 3062, the Guards remained on Port Moseby.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: SLDF