Editing 4th Marik Militia

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[File:Marikmilitia04th.png]]
| Designation    = Fourth Marik Militia
| formed         = 
| Disbanded      = 
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = The Fearsome Fourth (2765);<ref name="FR2765:FWLMp10"/><br>The Fighting Fourth (3015)
| Affiliation    = [[Free Worlds League]]
| Parent Command = [[Marik Militia]]
| Sub-Command    = 
}}

==History==
===Formation===
The Marik Militia [[brigade]] was formed in the early [[twenty-third century]] as the primary offensive and defensive brigade of the newly formed [[Free Worlds League]]; the '''Fourth Marik Militia''' served the League for centuries. Like the other regiments of the brigade, the Fourth was dedicated to serving and defending the people of the League, rather than serving the [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]], a distinction that separated the Militia from other federal formations such as the [[Atrean Dragoons]] and [[Free Worlds Guards]].<ref name="FR2765:FWLMp10">''Field Report 2765: FWLM'', p. 10: "Marik Militia"</ref>

===Reunification War===
The Fourth Marik Militia fought alongside the [[1st Marik Militia|First]], [[3rd Marik Militia|Third]] and [[Fifth Marik Militia]]s in the [[Reunification War]] as a part of the Marik Auxiliary Corps assigned to support the [[Star League Defense Force]] [[VII Corps (Star League)|VII Corps]] during the invasion of the [[Magistracy of Canopus]]. VII Corps was the largest of the corps at the time, and was commanded by [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] [[Marion Marik]]; the Marik Auxiliary Corps was commanded by [[General]] [[Ian Marik]], and while VII Corps took the lead on many of the planetary campaigns, elements of the Marik Auxiliary Corps were present on almost every campaign of the war between the [[Star League]] and the Magistracy. The 4th were no exception to this, seeing service in no less than five planetary conquests.<ref name="H:RWp148">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 148: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (Jump-Off - 2582)"</ref><ref name="H:RWp149">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 149: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (2583-2588)"</ref><ref name="H:RWp95">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 95: "SLDF Task Force Canopus"</ref>

====Payvand====
The Fourth were stationed on the world of [[Hindmarsh]] when military operations against the Magistracy began, and were the only regiment out of the four Marik Militia regiments to not be involved in a planetary invasion in [[2577]]. That changed in [[2578]], when the Fourth was assigned to the operation against [[Payvand]]. One of three former [[Free Worlds League]] which had defected to the Magistracy in the 2550s, Payvand was a heavily industrialized world even at the time of the Reunification War, and when the SLDF task force invaded in July there was a significant level of resistance despite the lack of MAF units on the world.  Although four regiments from the FWLM had been assigned to the invasion of Payvand - the Fourth, alongside the Fifth Marik Militia, the [[Second Oriente Hussars]] and the [[Juggernaut (Free Worlds League)|Juggernaut regiment]] of the [[Stewart Dragoons]] - the Marik forces didn't get to make a major contribution. All four were [['Mech]] formations, assigned alongside the [[Thirty-fifth Royal CAAN Marine Regiment]] to support the VII Corps' [[Fifty-seventh Brigade]], and the level of resistance was such that the Fifty-seventh was forced to occupy both the city of New Barcelona and the PayMax Industrialplex, one of the very few occasions in the Magistracy campaign where the terms of the [[Ares Conventions]] were breached. Despite the need to operate in urban areas because of the local resistance, the Captain-General ordered that 'Mech troops must not operate in urban areas on Payvand, leaving the Fifty-seventh Brigade's infantry regiments to clear buildings, stage riot control operations and deal with the urban guerrilla resistance. Although Payvand was declared to have been pacified by late November [[2578]] and the planetary governor had already begun the process of requesting readmission to the Free Worlds League, resistance to the SLDF garrison would rumble on until [[2580]].<ref name="H:RWp100a">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 100: "Ruschegg, Payvand and Scheuerheck (July December 2578)"</ref>

====Obrenovac and Afarsin====
When the war began, [[Obrenovac]] was a key trade hub for the [[Magistracy of Canopus]], and in March [[2579]] it was targeted for conquest by the [[Star League Defense Force]] task force. Following setbacks earlier in the war the task force was proceeding slowly but steadily in [[2579]], ensuring that planets were invaded by overwhelming numbers of troops to reduce the effect of any resistance; in a short campaign lasting from the 19th to the 25th of March 2579, Obrenovac was conquered by the combined forces of the SLDF [[55th Brigade|Fifty-fifth]] and [[Fifty-sixth Brigade]]s supported by the First and Fourth Marik Militia. With more than twenty assorted regiments of troops used in the conquest of Obrenovac the occupation itself was little more than a police action, with the SLDF rapidly taking control of government buildings and infrastructure. By January 2580 the task force had also secured the worlds of [[Eleusis]] and [[Bethonolog]] alongside Obrenovac, and in doing so had secured the entire anti-spinward flank of their advance into the Magistracy.<ref name="H:RWp148"/><ref name="H:RWp100b">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 100: "Eleusis, Obrenovac and Bethnolog (March 2579-January 2580)"</ref>

[[Afarsin]] was an agrarian world of little strategic importance and which hadn't merited a MAF garrison so far during the war, but which was seen as a stepping stone to other worlds, based on Afarsin's location as one of the most anti-spinward worlds in the Magistracy. The SLDF moved in force to capture the world in April [[2583]], deploying the [[Fifty-fifth Brigade]] along with four Marik regiments to secure the world. This was the first combat action since Obrenovac for the Fourth, who served alongside the Second Oriente Hussars, [[Second Orloff Grenadiers]] and the [[Third Regulan Hussars]] and the assembled strike force captured the world quickly.<ref name="H:RWp149"/><ref name="H:RWp150">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 150: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (Jump-Off - 2582)"</ref><ref name="H:RWp102">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 102: "Afarsin, Adherlwin, Megarez and Nobel (March-April 2583)"</ref>

====Marantha====
In comparison to the previous battles the Fourth had fought since the Reunification War began, [[Marantha]] was by far the toughest fight the Fourth had seen - and would see - during the war. In addition to the Fourth, the strike force used against Marantha in [[2584]] consisted of the VII Corps' Fifty-sixth Brigade, who the Fourth had served alongside during the campaign for Obrenovac, and the Third Regulan Hussars. This time, the Fourth would face more than just home guard forces; the MAF had positioned the elite [[First Canopian Light Horse]] on Marantha, as well as the mercenary unit [[Mieselsen's Marauders]]. Both Canopian units bitterly contested the invasion of Marantha, and when the First Light Horse finally retreated from the planet the Marauders had already fought until the unit had been effectively been destroyed.<ref name="H:RWp149"/><ref name="H:RWp151">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 151: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (2583-2588)"</ref><ref name="H:RWp105">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 105: "Mopping Up (2584-2588)"</ref>

====Candiear====
The battle for [[Candiear]] was the last major engagement for the Fourth during the Reunification War. By the time the SLDF task force moved against the world in [[2585]], the ultimate fate of the campaign was already certain but the remaining MAF units continued to resist. VII Corps dropped an ad hoc [[division]] of troops on Candiear, consisting of the combined forces of the Fifty-sixth Brigade, the [[Sixty-first Royal Brigade]] and the [[Sixty-second Royal Brigade]]. The Fourth deployed alongside the Second Oriente Hussars and the Third Regulan Hussars again, as they had on Afarsin. Although heavily outnumbered, some of the best units in the MAF were defending Candiear; the SLDF troops had to face both the [[2nd Canopian Light Horse|Second]] and [[Fourth Canopian Light Horse]] as well as [[Buquoy's Bandits]], the personal regiment of the MAF commanding officer, [[Colonel]] [[Adam Buquoy]]. Although the SLDF strike force outnumbered the Canopian regiments, they couldn't pin them down and destroy them, and all three regiments escaped to fight again on other worlds.<ref name="H:RWp149"/><ref name="H:RWp151"/><ref name="H:RWp105">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 105: "Mopping Up (2584-2588)"</ref> The campaign was marred by the bitter war of words that erupted between the CO of the Third Regulan Hussars and others regarding the performance of the various units, a war of words that was the direct consequence of the general feeling amongst the Third Hussars that they had been slighted by not being selected for the assault on Canopus the year before.<ref name="H:RWp38">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 38: "Third Regulan Hussars"</ref>

===Star League Era===
When the [[Star League]] Council issued the [[Council Edict of 2650]] limiting the size of the military maintained by each [[Great House]] the Fourth was one of nineteen active regiments within the Marik Militia. Like the other regiments of the Militia, the Fourth remained a popular unit with both the commoners within the League and the peerage because of their public dedication to the people of the League, and like the other regiments of the Militia often acted as training grounds for troops across the League. A significant number of the personnel serving in other more prestigious federal units and various provincial forces within the League had actually begun their careers in the Fifth or another of the Marik Militia regiments.<ref name="FR2765:FWLMp10"/>

===Early Succession Wars===
The Fourth was effectively destroyed more than once during the early Succession Wars; in [[2793]],<ref name="FSWp61">''First Succession War'', p. 61: "Losing Ground"</ref> the destruction of the Fourth at the hands of the [[Twenty-first Centauri Lancers]]<ref name="HM(TFWL)p29"/> - a [[battalion]] from the [[Third Centauri Guards]] regiment of the [[St. Ives Armored Cavalry]]<ref name="Errata">Developer Level Errata, Catalyst Game Labs Forum, 26 0243Z Jan 2015</ref> - as part of a Capellan counterstrike against the world of [[Anegasaki]] was an omen for the [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] that the tide of his war against the [[Capellan Confederation]] was changing.<ref name="HM(TFWL)p29">''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 29</ref> The Third Centauri Guards were part of a task force consisting of the Guards, three support regiments and a battle fleet; the recapture of Anegasaki removed a critical world from the logistical network being used by the FWLM to prosecute the war against the Confederation. Combined with the use of a strong task force directed against the center of the FWLM front, the defeat at Anegasaki was enough to cause the FWLM to pause and consolidate their forces, rather than continuing to push deeper into the Confederation.<ref name="FSWp61"/>

The rebuilt Fourth were considered heroes in the Free Worlds League, and were destroyed for a second time by Capellan forces, this time on the world of [[Berenson]] in [[2840]].<ref name=FMFWL56>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 56: "4th Marik Militia Unit Profile"</ref>

===Anton's Revolt===
Though not a participant in the [[Marik Civil War (31st c.)|Marik Civil War]], the Fourth was rebuilt from the remnants of forces loyal to [[Anton Marik]] and parts taken from a raid on [[Nanking]] by the [[Sixth Marik Militia]] in [[3021]]. The decision by the newly formed unit to name themselves after the destroyed Fourth sparked controversy at the time, and resulted in a posting to the backwater world of [[Park Place]]. The reconstituted Fourth was staffed initially with a mixture of inexperienced cadets and malcontents from other regiments of the Marik Militia that [[Duncan Marik]] wanted to be rid of, commanded by [[Colonel]] [[Vernon Cherenkov]] - an officer Duncan Marik despised, and who was renowned for dissecting dead opponents in the name of science.<ref name="HM(TFWL)p92">''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 92: "4th Marik Militia"</ref><ref name=FMFWL56/>

===Fourth Succession War===
The Fourth spent the entire [[Fourth Succession War]] on their garrison world, Park Place, but despite the lackluster posting the Fourth did take the opportunity to launch several raids against [[Second Try]] and [[Tsitsang]] in the decade between the Fourth Succession War and the Andurien Secession.<ref name=FMFWL56/>

===Andurien Secession===
Captured [[Ryerson]] from secessionist [[Andurien]] forces in [[3038]] in conjunction with the [[2nd Marik Militia|Second Marik Militia]].<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', pp. 76–77</ref>

===Operation Guerrero===
The Fourth Marik Militia invaded Denebola along with the [[Sixth Free Worlds Legionnaires]] and the [[Atrean Hussars]]. Though normally defended by a [[Armed Forces of the Federated Suns#Capellan and Sarna March Militias|Sarna March Militia]] unit, the [[Denebola FTM]] was conducting exercises on [[Caph]] with [[Gustafson's Grenadiers]] at the time<ref>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 114</ref> which left the system's defense to the small planetary militia. The planetary militia surrendered without firing a shot.<ref name=ShSp-74>''Shattered Sphere'', p. 74: "Operation Guerrero, First Wave"</ref>

===Operation Bulldog===
The Fourth Marik Militia didn't participate in [[Operation Bulldog]]. In [[3065]] however they were redeployed to [[New Delos]], the world which Anton Marik used as his headquarters.<ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 148</ref>

===Jihad===
The Fourth Marik Militia was persuaded to take up station in the [[Rim Commonality]] by Colonel Sandra Relph, commander of the [[8th Orloff Grenadiers]]. The Grenadiers returned to Orloff but didn't want to leave the Commonality defenseless. The Fourth split into two smaller subcommands, with [[Lesnovo]] and [[Campoleone]] both receiving a detachment of Militia troops.<ref name=frfwl13>''Field Report: FWLM'', p. 13</ref>

===Post-Jihad===
As the Free Worlds League fragmented, the Fourth Marik Militia and their sister regiment the [[Ninth Marik Militia]] both chose to defect to the Rim Commonality, which sorely lacked an able defensive force at the time. Having taken up station within the Commonality, the Fourth soon began establishing themselves as a native military organization, changing uniforms and color schemes. The new pattern set by the Fourth rapidly became the new standard uniform for those other units serving within the Commonality.<ref name="J:FRp92">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 92: "The Rim Commonality"</ref>

==Officers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Rank
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Command
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the 4th Marik Militia'''
|-
| [[Colonel]]||[[Vernon Cherenkov]]||[[3021]]-[[3025]]<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 94</ref>
|-
| Colonel||[[Kenneth Gunderson]]||[[3050]] - [[3065]]<ref name=20YUp56>''20 Year Update'', p. 56: "FWLM Deployment Table"</ref><ref name=FMFWL56/>
|-
| [[Commodore]]||[[Becky Sorhagtani]]||3065<ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 148</ref>
|}

==Tactics==
The Fourth Marik Militia of the late thirty-first century was composed mostly of light and fast medium 'Mechs. They specialized in reconnaissance missions and supporting other friendly units by attacking an enemy's flanks.<ref name=FMFWL56/>

==Composition History==
===2765===
'''Fourth Marik Militia''' (Regiment/Green/Reliable)<ref name="FR2765:FWLMp10A">''Field Report 2765: FWLM'', p. 10: "Regimental Status"</ref>
:- At this point in time the Fourth was stationed on [[Uhuru]].<ref name="FR2765:FWLMp10A"/>

===2786===
'''Fourth Marik Militia''' (Regular/Reliable)<ref name="FSWp138"/>
:- At this point in time the Fourth was a light-weight regiment operating at full strength and based on [[Berenson]].<ref name="FSWp138">''First Succession War'', p. 138: "Free Worlds League Military (FWLM)"</ref>

===2786–2821===
'''Fourth Marik Militia ''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=1SWp138>''First Succession War'', p. 138</ref>
: Note: At this point in time the light-weight unit was stationed on [[Berenson]]. The unit was destroyed during the war.<ref name=1SWp138/>

===3025===
'''Fourth Marik Militia''' (Green/Reliable)<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 108: "FWLM Deployment Table"</ref>
* CO: Colonel Vernon Cherenkov

===3028===
'''Fourth Marik Militia''' (Regiment\Green\Reliable)<ref name=HBSp86/>
:Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on [[Park Place]].<ref name=HBSp86>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 86</ref>

===3050===
'''Fourth Marik Militia''' (Regiment/Green/Reliable)<ref name=20YUp56/>
:* CO: Colonel Kenneth Gunderson<ref name=20YUp56/>
: Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on [[Park Place]].<ref name=20YUp56/>

===3059===
'''Fourth Marik Militia''' (1 [[Regiment]]/Green/Reliable)<ref name=FMFWL56/>
* CO/First [[Battalion]]: [[Colonel]] Kenneth Gunderson
** XO: [[Force Commander]] [[Corvette Garret]]
* Second Battalion: Force Commander [[Shigenori Tsuijishima]]
* Third Battalion: Force Commander [[Stephanie Chipuisat]]

- Almost of the 'Mechs weigh less than 45 tons, with less a [[company]] being upgraded with new technology

'''Fourth Militia Aerospace''' (2 [[Squadron]]s/Regular/Questionable)<ref name=FMFWL56/>
* Wing Commander: [[Commodore]] Becky Sorhagtani

- Skilled in ground operations

'''Ninth Park Light Armor''' (1 Regiment/Green/Questionable)<ref name=FMFWL56/>
* Armor Commander: Force Commander [[Simon Ferrier]]

'''121st League Airmobile [[Brigade]]''' (2 Regiments/Green/Questionable)<ref name=FMFWL56/>
* Troop Commander: [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Chris Daniels]]

- Includes [[Karnov|Karnov UV]] and [[Planetlifter]] transports as support.

===3067===
'''Fourth Marik Militia''' (Green/Reliable)<ref name=FMUp160>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 160: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3067"</ref>
* CO: Commodore Becky Sorhagtani
: Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on [[New Delos]].

'''Fourth Militia Aerospace''' (2 [[Squadron|Squadrons]]/Regular/Questionable)<ref name=FMUp160/>
* CO: [[Captain]] [[Anwar Jordan]]

'''Ninth Park Light Armor''' (Regiment/Green/Questionable)<ref name=FMUp160/>
* CO: Force Commander Simon Ferrier

'''121st League Airmobile Brigade''' (2 Regiments/Green/Questionable)<ref name=FMUp160/>
* CO: Lieutenant Colonel Chris Daniels

===3079===
'''Fourth Marik Militia ''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name="frfwlm13">''Field Report: FWLM'', p. 13</ref>
: Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on [[Lesnovo]] and [[Campoleone]].<ref name="frfwlm13"/> During the [[Jihad]] the Fourth lost a quarter of its troops.<ref name=frfwl13/>

==Colors==
When the Fourth became state troops of the Rim Commonality they chose to adopt a new uniform and color scheme. Firmly in place by [[3081]], the new uniform consisted of a new uniform for the troops, featuring bloused trousers over which a khaki closed-collar jacket was worn, with a red fez for headgear. The color scheme for the Fourth's equipment changed as well, with 'Mechs and vehicles painted a sandy yellow with crimson accents.<ref name="J:FRp92"/>

==Notes==
It was confirmed that the Twenty-first Centauri Lancers were a battalion within the Third Centauri Guards in 2793 and responsible for the destruction of the Fourth Marik Militia on Anegasaki by the BattleTech Developer Adrian Gideon in the Catalyst Game Labs [http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=3660.msg1173832#msg1173832 official errata forum]:

{{quote|Handbook House Liao (print)

Pg 30, Timeline: First Succession War, Dev-level errata:
2793 - The Twenty-First Centauri Lancers destroy the Fourth Marik Militia on Anegasaki, in one of their first contracts as mercenaries after the Star League Defense Force's withdrawal.

Replace with:
2793 - The future Twenty-First Centauri Lancers, a battalion of the 3rd Centauri Guards, destroy the Fourth Marik Militia on Anegasaki.|Adrian Gideon, BattleTech Developer, 0243 26 Jan 2016}}

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Free Worlds League]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Field Report: FWLM]]''
* ''[[Field Report 2765: FWLM]]''
* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)|First Succession War]]''
* ''[[Historical: Brush Wars]]''
* ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]''
* ''[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]''
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Second Succession War (sourcebook)|Second Succession War]]''
{{div col end}}


[[Category:Free Worlds League Commands|Marik Militia, 04th]]