Arkab Legion

Arkab Legion
Affiliation	Draconis Combine
Parent Command	DCMS

In 2497, the Combine moved to take control of the planets held by the Azami. However, a virus to which the Azami themselves were immune killed the Kurita forces, leaving the determined natives victorious. After this, the Combine decided to grant the Azami limited autonomy in return for their loyalty and service. To make use of their spirit, they were trained as MechWarriors and granted three regiments worth of light and medium 'Mechs. These forces, known as the Arkab Legions, specialize in lightning-quick reconnaissance and raiding.

History

When the believers in Islam finally left Terra in the mid-twenty-fifth century, their search for the Messiah gradually fused many distinct groups of Muslims into Azami. The Azami groups settled worlds with hot suns and desert sands, which reminded them of their Terran home. Their preference for these harsh worlds kept them separate from most other populations. In 2497, the Combine moved to take control of the planets held by the Azami. However, a virus to which the Azami themselves were immune killed the Kurita forces, leaving the determined natives victorious. After this, the Combine decided to grant the Azami limited autonomy in return for their loyalty and service. This included being able to continue practicing their branch of Islam, which is otherwise forbidden in the Combine. To make use of their spirit, they were trained as MechWarriors and granted three regiments worth of light and medium 'Mechs. These regiments came to be known as the Arkab Legions, specializing in lightning-quick reconnaissance and raiding.

Their unit colors are desert tan or dark green. They are not required to wear the Draconis Combine crest, due to their partial autonomy. Though normally stationed on their homeworlds in the Benjamin and Dieron Military Districts, the legions are expected to go where needed; the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns have suffered many raids conducted by the Azami warriors.

Star League Era

In 2765 the Arkab Legions consisted of five BattleMech regiments, each of which was supported by three regiments of armor and three regiments of infantry. At this time the Legions were quite certain that they were allies of the Dragon instead of its subjects. Despite this, they usually received their supplies in a rapid fashion.

Succession Wars

Over the course of the first two Succession Wars, the First, Third, Fifth, and Seventh Arkab Legions were destroyed, disbanded, deactivated, or otherwise removed from the DCMS' rolls. By the time of the Third Succession War, only the Second, Fourth, and Sixth Arkab Legions were active.

Jihad

In 3071 the world of Arkab was hit by an asteroid strike. This strike was caused by the Word of Blake, and the Arkab Legions waited for six months for the Dragon to send aid. In the chaos of the Jihad aid was slow to arrive, and so the Arkab Legions withdrew from their garrison assignments to return to their homeworlds and began recovery operations. This unilateral action was met with a threat of force from the Coordinator's office. The message was reinforced when the Draconis Combine WarShip Siriwan arrived in orbit around Algedi. The earlier threat issued by the Coordinator's office was from Kanrei Kiyomori Minamoto, who ordered the ship to bring the Arkab Legions back into line. The Arkabs responded by destroying the WarShip with two Peacemaker nuclear missiles and capturing the DCMS survivors. They also declared themselves independent of the Combine. With that declaration they began expanding their industry.

Republic Era

Between the mishandling of events on Algedi and the other Azami worlds and the subsequent exploitation of the rift between the Azami and the government of the Draconis Combine by both the Black Dragon Society and the Word of Blake relations between the Azami - and the Arkab Legions - and the Combine reached their nadir during the Jihad. The Legions had suffered relatively light damage compared to many DCMS formations during the Jihad, and the First Arkab Legion had acted with decorum and respect towards the Tenth Pesht Regulars and the Second An Ting Legion during joint operations on worlds such as Slaithwaite in the wake of the Black Dragon atrocities against the Azami minority population within the Qandahar Prefecture. As the Blakists and their Protectorate began to become a background issue, Coordinator Hohiro Kurita began efforts to bring the Azami and their Legions back into the fold, drawing on the actions of the First Arkab Legion as evidence that a reconciliation would hopefully be possible.

Whilst the Coordinator remained hopeful that a reconciliation can and will be reached, the DCMS continued to treat the Arkab Legions as a foreign command, halting all shipments of supplies, spares and reinforcements to any of the Legions. This left the various Legions rebuilding from resources local to the Azami worlds, with a long journey to reach their pre-Jihad strength.

Four of the five main Azami worlds joined the Republic of the Sphere but a number of significant worlds, including Arkab and Algedi remained within the Combine after the formation of the Republic, and by 3085 the DCMS had joined the Coordinator in actively seeking the restoration of friendly ties between the Azami and the Combine. Steps taken to try and ensure this included the restoration of Algedi as a Prefecture capital world, although it had become a part of the Benjamin Military District. As a part of the restoration of ties between the two groups, the DCMS gained access to the Algedi War College, which had been established during the Jihad to replenish the ranks of the Arkab Legions; while several DCMS instructors were lecturing at the College by 3085, no graduates had yet been assigned to units outside the Legions.

Justifiably paranoid following the atrocities conducted against the Azami, the Legions had begun to redeploy outside the main Azami worlds by the mid-3080s, although all four functioning Legions would remain close to home and the doughty warriors of the First Arkab Legion had made it clear to the government of the Republic of the Sphere that they would respond directly if any such persecution against the Azami were to take place within the boundaries of the Republic. Meanwhile, the Second Legion would go to great efforts to assist in resolving the humanitarian crisis on Arkab, working hard to restore the survivors faith in the Legions and Allah. The Fourth and Sixth Legions would remain close to home, watching for signs of resurgent threats against the Azami.

Dark Age

As of 3145, Arkab Legion commanders insist that half their number remain within the Azami worlds at all times. So far the Coordinator has agreed to this, however with the demands of the invasion of the Federated Suns, may lead to addition demands. The Arkab Legions are also remarkable by that they were not compelled to split into additional forces like many other regiments did. This has allowed for the Legions to maintain their overall quality by remaining together.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the Arkab Legion

Tactics

Different per Unit.

Arkab Legion Details

In 3025 the Procurement Department supplies the Arkab Legions with some slight hesitation because not everyone was convinced that precious supplies should be wasted on those not intimately bound by loyalty to the Draconis Combine. However, the Arkab Legion's many raids against the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns show that if treated right, the Azami and their Arkab Legions will be loyal followers of the Draconis Combine for a long time.

Color Schemes

The paint scheme for the Arkab Legions is desert tan and dark-green. The three Arkab Legions are not required to show the crest of the Draconis Combine. Their crest is a six-pointed star against a yellow and black background.

Units of the Arkab Legion

• First Arkab Legion
• Second Arkab Legion
• Third Arkab Legion
• Fourth Arkab Legion
• Fifth Arkab Legion
• Sixth Arkab Legion
• Seventh Arkab Legion

Color Scheme and Insignia

• 

  Phoenix Hawk in Arkab Legion colors

• 

  Arkab Legions insignia, ca. 2765

• 

  Arkab Legions insignia, ca. 3039

• 

  Arkab Legions insignia, ca. 3058

• 

  First Arkab Legion,
  ca. 3058

• 

  Second Arkab Legion,
  ca. 3039

• 

  Third Arkab Legion,
  ca. 2765

• 

  Fourth Arkab Legion

• 

  Fifth Arkab Legion,
  ca. 2765

• 

  Sixth Arkab Legion,
  ca. 3039

• 

  Seventh Arkab Legion,
  ca. 2765

Notes

• According to ComStar materials dating from the thirty-first century, the origin of the term “Arkab” was “an Oriental corruption of Arab.” This is, in real-world terms, an error. The name “Arkab” is the traditional name for two star systems in Beta Sagittarii (and is also present in the BattleTech universe as a fictional approximation of the real-world stars, and thus the source of the brigade’s name). The word itself derives from an Arabic word meaning “hock” or “Achilles tendon,” apparently in reference to its position near the “ankle” of the constellation Sagittarius.

Bibliography

• House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)
• First Succession War (sourcebook)
• Second Succession War (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: 3085
• Field Manual: 3145
• Field Manual: Draconis Combine
• Field Report: DCMS
• Field Report 2765: DCMS
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3072
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3076