Sendai Massacre

Sendai Massacre
Part of First Succession War
Start Date 14 June 2798 End Date On or before 23 June 2798 Location Aobayama City, Sato, and Sendai City Planet Sendai Result Destruction of all Draconis Combine military and government assets and personnel
Factions
(Attacker) Eridani Light Horse	(Defender) Draconis Combine
Commanders and leaders
Major Teller Kroger (Fiftieth HCB) and Major Stedman (Eighth Recon)	Planetary Administrator Kol Dojiro
Forces involved
Fiftieth Heavy Cavalry Battalion and 8th Recon Battalion, of the 151st Light Horse Regiment	Sendai Militia

The Sendai Massacre was an early First Succession War military operation that was undertaken by the Eridani Light Horse mercenary unit against their former employers, the Draconis Combine.

Overview

After the Eridani Light Horse departed the planet of Sendai, the dependents of two battalions of the 151st Light Horse Regiment were taken hostage, and the Planetary Administrator demanded that the battalions return and surrender to his control. When the demands were not met, the dependents were executed. On their own initiative, the two battalions reversed course and laid waste to Sendai, killing every member of the government and military on planet that they could find.

Background

When Operation EXODUS was launched, the majority of the Eridani Light Horse chose to stay behind, mainly due to loyalty towards the people of the Rasalhague District of the Draconis Combine. The Coordinator of the Combine, Minoru Kurita, made numerous offers of employment to the Eridanis, but their leader, Colonel Bradley, rebuffed the overtures. Only when Minoru threatened to cancel all trade with the unit did the commander finally agree to negotiate and finally signed a mutual defense and nonaggression pact. The Combine agreed to tolerate the presence of the Eridani Light Horse in their space, as long as they defended their worlds and did not make any moves against them. The Eridanis dutifully fulfilled the pact, protecting the Rasalhague worlds against Lyran Commonwealth thrusts. However, it was a forced and unstable pact. The Combine, who despised mercenaries, could not allow the presence of so strong a unit they could not control. The Eridanis would not break the pact without major cause, however, the Kuritans would give them one.

On 4 June 2798, Eridani Light Horse commander Colonel Bradley, with the backing of the regimental commanders, invoked the escape clause of their contract with the Draconis Combine. The reason for this was the Kentares Massacre, the killing of millions of civilians on Kentares IV in retaliation for the death of Coordinator Minoru Kurita. They cannot, in good conscience, follow a state capable of so much horrible crimes. Besides, they feared than Jinjiro could turn against them. All the Eridani members hated to abandon their worlds, but all knew that a confrontation with the Kuritans was inevitable. The next day, the regiments were informed of the decision and ordered to begin preparations to move out.

By 13 June, the combat units were in orbit, with the dependents of two battalions still on planet. The decision was made to remove combat units from the planet to avoid conflict with Combine troops expected to arrive soon. Then Kol Dojiro, the Planetary Administrator, seized the DropShips carrying the dependents of the 8th Recon and Fiftieth Heavy Cavalry. If the battalions did not return and surrender within eight hours, the dependents would be executed. His orders were openly impossible: even if the ELH attempted to comply, they would need two times that number of hours, but they attempted to negotiate a peaceful solution with Dojiro.

The Battle

The negotiations failed, and the next day, Dojiro sent the video of the execution of the dependents. Majors Kroger and Stedman ordered their DropShips to reverse course and burn for the planet at 1.5 Gs. The mission was to execute every planetary minister, bureaucrat, and militia member and destroy every government and militia building possible. No one was required to take part, and no action would be taken against anyone who refused those orders, though in the end none abstained. The Fiftieth was tasked with landing at Aobayama City, while the Eighth grounded at Sato.

Aobayama City

The Fiftieth landed at Aobayama City expecting one infantry regiment, one armor battalion, and one company of BattleMechs. Most had been sent on to Sendai City, however. The spaceport was taken in a matter of minutes. ELH aerospace fighters engaged militia conventional fighters overhead while ground forces moved into the city. The defenders attempted to fight, but to no avail; the Eridanis, enraged by their dependents' deaths, crushed them. The militia attempted to hold, but they were annihilated. Every government building - banks, schools, museums, police and fire stations - was destroyed. A lance commanded by Lieutenant Rafe Fraser demolished the main administration building. In excess of the given mission, only hospitals were spared, and the city was left aflame. The Eridani units suffered only damage.

Sato

Sato was assaulted by the Eighth Recon Battalion. As most of the militia was gathering on Sendai City, they only found light resistance.

Sendai City

By the 16th, Sendai City was under siege. All remaining militia units were dug-in, defending from the Eighth to the north and the Fiftieth Heavy Cavalry to the south. Artillery was shelling the defenses and the city proper. The bridges, spaceport and docks were destroyed, along with all watercraft and aircraft.

Sometime during the battle, some armed forces of Rasalhague arrived on planet. That did not help Dojiro or his men; when they heard about the administrator's deeds, they withdrew, leaving them to be punished.

Through the 18th, the Light Horse fought their way into Sendai City, granting no quarter. The militia, reinforced by police and volunteers, attempted to hold their ground, but died in groves. As the First Assault Company approached the Administration District, a convoy of vehicles escorted by the Planetary Administrator's personal guard lance was spotted making for the docks. It was intercepted and, after the 'Mechs and combat vehicles were destroyed, Administrator Dojiro, his wife, and two children were captured personally by Rafe Fraser.

Aftermath

“	Our hatred for the Draconis Combine is simple and requires little explanation. They plumbed the depths of depravity when they murdered our families to bring us to our knees. We will never grant them mercy nor expect it.	”
	—  Brevet General Armstrong of the ELH.

Dojiro was tried and executed. All government ministers that were captured faced a firing squad. Militia equipment was either destroyed or salvaged by the Eridani Light Horse, and all government buildings were destroyed. The 8th and 50th returned with the Eridani main group, grim and battered. Although the officers of both units had acted without orders, Colonel Bradley refused to accept both leaders' resignations, as he considered they've done the right thing. Since then, the 50th, nicknamed The Bloody Half-Hundred because of Sendai, and the 8th are tradition-bound to protect all the Eridani dependents. After leaving Sendai, the Eridanis began service with the Free Worlds League. They didn't work more for or with the Combine until the Second Star League's establishment. The Eighth Recon Battalion had previously held the largest concentration of Mercury BattleMechs post-Exodus, with twelve Mercurys, all of which were destroyed in the fighting.

The Massacre would have further consequences for the Combine – after hearing about the Light Horse's loss, several mercenary commands also fled the Combine as quickly as they were able, most even switching sides in battle to fight for the Federated Suns, weakening the Combine even more and helping to contribute to their defeat in the war.

The ELH never forgot Sendai, especially the 50th, who added a red patch to their uniforms in remembrance of the massacre.

Sendai never recovered from the devastation of the massacre; the planet was abandoned before the Third Succession War.

Bibliography

• Handbook: House Steiner
• The Hunters
• Mercenary's Handbook
• No Tears (in: No Greater Honor)
• Technical Readout: 2750
• Technical Readout: 3025 Revised