Kwaidan

Kwaidan
Vessel Profile
Type	DropShip
Class	Union (see notes)

History

The Kwaidan was a DropShip attached to the JumpShip Katana, both operated by Isesaki Shipping of the Draconis Combine. The ships were impounded for smuggling by Federated Commonwealth officials at the nadir jump point of the Tharkad system in mid-3050.

Both ships and their crews were subsequently requisitioned by then-Major Adam Steiner when he formed the 1st Somerset Strikers. According to available sources, the Draconis Combine consented with the requisition of the ships and sanctioned their service with the 1st Somerset Strikers.

The Strikers, the Kwaidan and the Katana became famous through Tharkad Broadcasting Company's (somewhat inaccurate) holovid about the unit's exploits; the 'real' existence of the vessels and their involvement with the unit was confirmed beyond said holovid by other sources.

It was not stated what happened to the ships after the 1st Somerset Strikers were disbanded.

Notes

• Within the animated TV series ("holovid show"), the Kwaidan is consistently described and depicted as a Union-class DropShip. However, the show is frequently described as inaccurate and having taken considerable artistic license, and the Kwaidan's class is not explicitly stated anywhere in canon. Technically, the class of the Kwaidan is thus unconfirmed beyond it being depicted as a Union in a source that exists within the BattleTech universe but is notoriously inaccurate.

Bibliography

• 1st Somerset Strikers (sourcebook)
• Era Report: 3052
• Jade Falcon Sourcebook (for date of attack on Somerset)