Friday, November 7, 2008

The Timashek Legion

The Timashek Legion is an elite mercenary unit originating from the Timashek system. They have a formidable reputation throught the Duran Sector as being unstoppable. Their mere presence in a combat zone will often cause an enemy to come to some sort of terms. Those that don’t often face total annihilation.

The peoples of Timashek have always had a fearsome reputation as warriors. For as long as there is recorded history before their first interstellar contact they warred upon one another. Shortly after first contact, however, they settled most of their differences and unified to deal with the new perceived external threat.

The Timasheks continued their warrior tradition by, first, making war with their interstellar neighbors. Then, later, as the neighbors were subjugated or otherwise brought to terms, Timashek provided forces for the defence of the sub-sector and many, many prized recruits for the armed forces of the Imperium.

Timashek has also maintained a large standing armed force for defence of the homeworld and occasional interstellar expeditionary forces.

For thousands of years the Timashek home world and surrounding system operated as a system wide democratic republic. Regional governments, based on the original tribal homelands, elected representatives to a world council which then elected a president for 10 year terms.

About fifty years ago there were a series of terrorist worldwide attacks against citizens of Timashek. The worst saw an entire city vapourized in a nuclear explosion. The President used a long forgotten law to extend his term of office indefinitely in a “Time of Emergency” and the system has lived in a state of marshal law under a despotic dictator who has dismissed most regional governments and had many, many political opponents assassinated or executed on trumped-up charges of plotting terrorist activites.

This is when the Timashek Legion came into being. After a few years of this new order a few of the military commanders didn’t like this new system and tried to oust the president in a coup, planning to bring back free and democratic elections. The main military force involved in the coup was the 32nd Timashek Hussar Regiment. The coup was crushed, many of the leaders were captured and executed as would the entirety of the 32nd Hussars if it had not been for some members of the System’s navy being involved in the plot, which lifted a large portion of the survivors and transported them out of the system.

This group of outcasts became the Timashek Legion. For a while the Legion was able to recruit more members from Timashek political refugees and exiles, but their numbers have dwindled in recent years from a full regiment to just a few mixed companies.

The leadership of the Legion is entirely elected and the eventual hope is to return to Timashek and lead a worldwide revolution against the tyrant, but with the current political climate, and the ever diminishing strength of the unit, that hope seems further than it ever has…

Organization

The Timashek Legion is an Armoured Cavalry force with organic armour, mechanized infantry, and assorted support elements. There are no permanent company/squadron groupings, rather company/squadron formations are deployed on an as needed basis. The most common formation is a Squadron HQ element with two tank troops, two infantry troops and a direct support troop

Current Order of Battle:

CO – Headquarters and Signals Squadron with Mobile Tactical Operations Command Centre (G)
4x Squadron HQ Elements
1x FAO Element from Artillery
1x FAC Element from Space Fighter Squadron

9x Tanks Troops (Heavy Grav Tanks)
8x Infantry Troops (IFV+2 Infantry sections)
3x Infantry Support Troops (IFV + mortar and smart missile sections)
2-3x Recce Troops
4x S-P Artillery Troops

Space Fighter Squadron – 4 flights capable of atmospheric operations
8x Drop Ships
4x Interstellar Troopships

Symbols and Insignia

The Timashek Legion uses very little insignia or symbols. The original symbol on the colours of the 32nd Timashek Hussars is the Utnamarnopushtim – an all but extinct fercocious beast native to Timashek. Some crews still paint the symbol on their vehicles. Utnamarnopushtim, like most names in Timashek, is descriptive and roughly translates to “one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater”.


Utnamarnopushtim Device

Uniforms

(click on the plate for a more detailed view)


From Armies of the Duran Sub-Sector 2356 to now (Kestrel Military Publishing’s Men of War Series #23587)

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Weapons and Equipment of the Timashek Legion and BATTLE REPORTS!!!

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