Editing The Battle Corps Legion

{{otheruses|the mercenary unit|the website/online magazine|BattleCorps}}

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[Image:The Battle Corps logo.png|191px|Insignia of The Battle Corps]]
| Designation    = The Battle Corps Legion
| formed         = [[3065]]
| Disbanded      = 
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = 
| Affiliation    = Mercenary
| Parent Command = Independent 
| Sub-Command    = 
}}

==Overview==
'''The Battle Corps Legion''' (also occasionally referred to as '''The BattleCorps''', '''The Battle Corps''' or '''The BattleCorps Regiment''') is a combined arms [[mercenary unit]] with a reputation for high standards, honesty, and compassion. They are renowned for their "civilians first" doctrine.

==Canonicity==
The unit, as well as some of its background history and exploits, is [[canon]] by virtue of its appearance and write-ups in several canonical sources (see [[The Battle Corps#Bibliography|Bibliography section]] below).

The Battle Corps is the canonized version of the BattleCorps Regiment, a mercenary group developed as an ongoing, online fan project by subscribers to the [[BattleCorps]] website. Although moderated by BattleCorps site admins and [[BattleTech]] author [[Joel "Welshman" Bancroft-Connors|Joel Bancroft-Connors]], the rich and colorful writing about the BattleCorps Regiment by various contributors in the BattleCorps forum is not considered canonical. However, given that the unit and most of its history were carried over into proper canon, the remaining information can arguably be regarded as apocryphal.

==History==
=== Formation ===
The unit was raised on [[Outreach]] in early [[3065]] by [[Joey Nichole]]. It was constructed from disparate elements hailing from all corners of settled space, even including some expelled [[Clans]]men. Nichole is said to have family ties to [[ComStar]], the [[Word of Blake]], and [[Smithson's Chinese Bandits]].<ref name="MSUp30">''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 30, "The Battle Corps"</ref>

Within a week of forming the Battle Corps had received their first contract from [[Duke]] [[Randy Hasek-Bills]], a noble of the [[Capellan March]] of the [[Federated Suns]]; this contract called for the Battle Corps to perform a number of raids and extractions along the FedSuns border of the [[Capellan Confederation]]. This was followed by the Battle Corps being hired by [[Lyran Alliance]] "talent scouts" in [[3066]], a contract allegedly arranged by relatives of Nichole's within Smithson's Chinese Bandits without her direct knowledge, although this has not been proven. This was then followed in [[3067]] by another contract apparently arranged through Smithson's Chinese Bandits, this time with [[Australis Ales]] of [[Alula Australis]].<ref name="MSUp30"/>

=== The Jihad ===
Having suffered a run of bad luck on [[Kansu]] in [[3067]],<ref name="JHS:Tp36">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 36, "S.O.S."</ref> the Corps earned the enmity of the [[Word of Blake|Blakists]] through a contract dispute with Australis Ales, who were backed by the Word of Blake.<ref name="JHS:Tp36"/><ref name="MSUp30"/> Subsequent testimony given to the [[MRBC]] by Nichole following the Battle Corps filing a grievance and terminating their contract with Australis Ales after being ordered to destroy a local supply dump while wearing the colors of another unit, something that the Corps felt clashed with their ideals.<ref name="MSUp30"/>

The unit had suffered significant losses against pirates and mercenaries by [[3070]]. It took the combined intervention of the [[Allied Mercenary Command]] and [[Duke|Duchess]] [[Alys Rousset-Marik]] to prevent the Corps from disintegrating entirely; Rousset-Marik offered the Corps a focus for activities sanctioned by the AMC against the Word of Blake by operating through or in conjunction with Rousset-Marik's resistance network along the border between the [[Free Worlds League]] and the [[Skye Province]] of the Lyran Alliance.<ref name="MSUp30"/> The Battle Corps also joined the [[AMC]], who helped the Corps rebuild their numbers by developing a recruiting network on [[Galatea]].<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update'', p. 14</ref> The second battalion of the Legion was then almost wiped out on [[Liberty]] by the [[Opacus Venatori]].<ref name="JHS:Tp36"/>

Despite the efforts of Rousset-Marik and the AMC, the Battle Corps found itself constantly on the edge of imploding after two years of constant anti-Blakist combat; the promise of revenge against the Blakists helped hold the unit together and ensured a constant stream of recruits from Galatea, but with travel routes from both Galatea and Rousset-Marik's homeworld of [[Augustine]] running through enemy territory, many recruits were in danger before even being able to join the Corps, and the Corps was perennially short of working machines to put their new recruits in.<ref name="MSUp30"/>

Despite the constant combat, supply problems and human resources problems that went with drawing on personnel from seventeen nations, by [[3071]] the Corps had been pulled into a cohesive combat unit that allowed each member to retain their personal culture, in large part due to the efforts of Major [[John Al-Hawad]], the CO of the Corps' second battalion, which while barely holding onto its status as the second battalion still served by providing training and indoctrination into the Corps for new recruits.<ref name="MSUp30"/>

As [[Operation SCOUR]] began the Legion was one of a number of units selected to serve as a part of the mobile command tasked directly by [[General]] [[Belle Lee]], rather than being specifically tied to a particular task force. General Lee assigned the Legion to a reconnaissance mission on [[Yangtze]] ahead of the planned Federated Suns front attack on the world, only for the Legion to be in trouble from the very start. Within half an hour of landing on Yangtze the Legion's Alpha Battalion had lost a complete company, with the remaining ground forces going to ground shortly after having taken heavy casualties. The CO of Alpha Battalion ordered the Legion's transport ships to lift off immediately, and the information obtained by those ships that survived was used by [[Field Marshal]] [[Katheryn Sandoval-Ito]] when she planned the follow-up attack on Yangtze. The level of defenses reported by the Legion saw Sandoval-Ito task all three ''[[Fox (WarShip class)|Fox]]''-class [[WarShip]]s available to the task force to the attack on Yangtze. The few survivors of the Battle Corps recovered from Yangtze provided enough intelligence for Group I to outflank the Blakist defenders on the ground and to hit the strongest areas of resistance with targeted strikes from orbit.<ref name="JHS:Tp36"/>

In [[3074]] the Corps was sent to [[Hesperus II]]. There they and [[ComStar]]'s [[1st Army (ComStar)|1st Army]] were ordered to remove the [[Word of Blake]] from the [[Defiance Industries]] complex. They weren't able to dislodge the [[2nd Division (Word of Blake)|2nd Division]] and [[38th Division (Word of Blake)|38th Division]] but they did inflict heavy casualties on the Blakist units.<ref nam<ref name=JTP:Hp9>''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 9</ref><ref>''Jihad Secret: The Blake Documents'', p. 66</ref>

As part of the Coalition forces on [[New Home]], The Battle Corps fought against the [[43rd Shadow Division|43rd]], [[45th Shadow Division|45th]], and [[47th Shadow Division]]s.<ref name="jhst-74">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 74</ref> Though successful in destroying the Blakist units,<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 134</ref> the fight cost the Battle Corps dearly: only 30% of the unit managed to survive the conflict.<ref name="jhst-74"/>

The unit's infantry, made up of young battlefield refugees from across the Jihad, were not intended to be deployed in battle. Being able to pass for teenagers (or even younger) the Irregulars specialized in infiltration of urban environments for the purpose of collecting
vital information. The Irregulars successfully performed several vital intelligence operations during Operation SCOUR.<ref name=TRO3085S/>

=== The Dark Age ===
After the [[Jihad]] the Battle Corps sought work amidst the remains of the dissolved [[Free Worlds League]]. With a choice of at least half a dozen offers to draw from, the Battle Corps accepted a contract from the world of [[Al Jubaylah]] to defend the world against aggression from their large neighbor, the [[Principality of Regulus]]. The contract between Battle Corps and the Mullahs of Al Jubaylah formed part of a report by [[INN]] journalist [[Rachel Francis]] on the thriving market for mercenaries growing amidst the remnants of the League.<ref name="J:FRp25">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 25, "Fear, Uncertainty, Fuel New Mercenary Market In Former League"</ref>

In [[3145]] the Battle Corps was the only mercenary formation of a significant size employed by the [[Calderon Protectorate]] and were deployed to the world of [[Albaracht]].<ref name=FM:3145p182/>

==Organization and Equipment==
The Battle Corps has often owed its survival to the effective tactics of the Baker Street Irregulars, the distinctly unconventional infantry forces that acted as scouts for the Legion. Comprised almost uniformly of orphans from various worlds affected by the [[Jihad]], all of whom were capable as passing for teenagers or even adolescents, the Baker Street Irregulars infiltrated cities and other urban environments to obtain vital information. With few people paying attention to "children", the Irregulars were able to gather information essential to the Battle Corps, just as their fictional counterparts had once done for the Victorian era detective, Sherlock Holmes.<ref name="TRO:3085Sp6">''Technical Readout: 3085 Supplemental'', p. 6, "Key Infantry"</ref>

A few years before [[3100]], the Battle Corps acquired two [[Arrow IV (Combat Vehicle)|Arrow IV Assault Vehicles]]. The vehicles had served the Legion well, being rebuilt at least eight times by [[3145]].<ref>''Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation'', p. 22</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 Battle Corps'''
|-
| [[Colonel]]||[[Jocelyn Nichole|Jocelyn "Joey" Nichole]]||[[3065]] - [[3122]]<ref name="MSUp30"/><ref nam<ref name=JTP:Hp9/><ref name=FM:3145p181>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 181</ref>
|-
| Colonel||[[Elisa Nichole]]||3122 - [[3137]]<ref name=FM:3145p181/>
|-
| Colonel||[[Joshua Nichole]]||3137 - [[3145]]<ref name=FM:3145p181/><ref name=FM:3145p182>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 182, "Notable Mercenary Forces - Calderon Protectorate"</ref>
|-
|}

==Dragoon Ratings==
===3071===
'''Dragoon Rating: D''' <ref name="MSUp30"/>

==Composition History==
===3071===
'''The Battle Corps'''
* 1st Battalion: Consisting mainly of heavier [['Mech]]s, one [[company]] from the 1st Battalion consists of a mix of [[Inner Sphere]] and [[Clan]] BattleMechs organized as a [[trinary]] for the benefit of the Corps's members of Clan origin. A second company combines fast 'Mechs with heavy armor.<ref name="MSUp30"/>
:* CO: Colonel [[Jocelyn Nichole|Jocelyn "Joey" Nichole]]
* 2nd Battalion: The 2nd Battalion is currently concentrating on recruiting, training and indoctrination of new recruits.<ref name="MSUp30"/>
:* CO: Major John Al-Hawad
* '''Acme Delivery Company''' (Air Wing): despite the number of pilots available to the Corps and their high levels of skill and experience, the Corps has been unable to field a large air component due to a chronic lack of equipment. It was reported that Colonel Nichole was considering procuring cheap conventional aircraft with which to equip the Acme Delivery Company so that greater support could be given to ground operations.<ref name="MSUp30"/>

* '''Baker Street Irregulars''': Unconventional infantry force<ref name=TRO3085S>''Technical Readout: 3085 Supplemental'', p. 6 "Mercenary Infantry"</ref>

===3145===
'''The Battle Corps''' (1 Battalion/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=FM:3145p182/>
* CO: Colonel [[Joshua H. Nichole]]
:- At this point the Battle Corps were at eighty-five percent of full strength.<ref name=FM:3145p182/>

==Other Information==
There is another fan project that was canonized as a mercenary unit - the [[1st Rim Commonality Guards|Chaos Irregulars]]. They became a regular military unit for the [[Rim Commonality]] following the [[Jihad]], however, ending their mercenary career.

==Unit Scheme==
The Battle Corps utilize tan with blue highlights. Individuals paint their Mech's left leg or fighter's left wing in the colors of their previous unit to show their former loyalty.<ref>[https://camospecs.com/unit/the-battle-corps/ Camo Specs Online]</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Scout Inf 3085.png|Baker Street Irregular, ca. [[3085]]
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* [http://www.battlecorps.com/community/viewforum.php?f=68 BattleCorps Regiment] section of the [[BattleCorps]] website's forum (apocryphal) (dead link)
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* [http://www.battlecorps.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=4222 Introductory thread] for the Battle Corps in the ''BattleCorps Regiment'' section (dead link)
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]''
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]''
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II]]''
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental Update]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3085 Supplemental]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation]]''

[[Category:Mercenary Commands|Battle Corps Legion, The]]