2. Mechwarrior Principles: Honor and Duty
A Draconis Combine mechwarrior always aspires to excel as a samurai in his overwhelming devotion to personal betterment as a warrior and honorable service to his liege lord.
"Known as the samurai’s code of chivalry,
Bushido describes the principles of honor followed by the military class that ruled feudal Japan. It is a synthesis of borrowings from three sources. It borrowed stoic endurance and scorn for suffering and death from Zen, worship of country from Shinto, and the social ethic of the five relationships from Confucianism. Bushido emphasizes constant physical and mental training to maintain and improve fighting techniques, and discipline to develop the character, confidence, and inner self-control that the samurai needs to unflinchingly face an opponent in battle to the death. The Kurita samurai owes his Coordinator uncompromising loyalty until death. Indeed, he is willing to sacrifice his life without a moment’s hesitation." —From The Resurgence of Japanese Culture, by Darby Pollack, Dragon Tooth Publishing, 2751.
The Example of Minobu Tetsuhara
"
Tai-i Minobu Tetsuhara commanded a company of the Second Sword of Light on Dromini VI in 3021 when he first encountered Jaime Wolf. Wolf’s
Archer had shut down due to excessive heat, but rather than claim the easy prize, Tetsuhara spared the unknown MechWarrior.
"Tetsuhara was relieved of his post after the defeat on Dromini VI. He was forbidden to pilot a BattleMech and given only administrative duties. When the Dragoons entered Combine service, Tetsuhara was their first liaison officer. After saving Wolf’s life again, they both realized he had done so once before. The two became fast friends. Tetsuhara helped the Dragoons stymie Warlord Grieg Samsonov’s efforts to subjugate the mercenaries, earning both he and the Dragoons the Warlord’s hatred.
"In 3025, the Coordinator conceived the Ryuken and named Tetsuhara its first commander, primarily due to his friendship with Wolf. When Tetsuhara was severely wounded on the Ryuken’s first operation, the regiments were placed under Samsonov’s command and expanded to multiple regiments. Each was stationed on a world along with a Dragoons regiment.
"After the Dragoons defeated the forces seeking to prevent their departure from Combine space, Tetsuhara was given command of all Ryuken regiments and ordered to destroy the Dragoons. Despite his friendship with Wolf, he obeyed his order as a dutiful samurai. The Dragoons defeated the Ryuken on Misery and Tetsuhara accepted full responsibility. He committed
seppuku on 27 May 3028, with Dragoon regimental and battalion commanders in attendance.
"The wasteful death of his dear friend led Wolf to declare a personal feud with the Coordinator on the eve of the Fourth Succession War."
Duty and the Clan Threat
Tetsuhara's death, as well as Yorinaga Kurita's after failing to defeat Morgan Kell, signaled the death of the old way of doing things in the Combine. In the years since, top units like Genyosha under Narimasa Asano and the Ryuken regiments have pledged their service directly to the Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita instead of to the Coordinator Himself. Their duty - and that of all front-line units facing the Clan threat, is to Dragon.
Death is of no concern for the true samurai, who will gladly step in front of enemy forces if that serves the greater purpose. The duty to the Dragon must never be sacrificed to the temptations of individual honor.
Individual achievements in battle carry no honor if they do not contribute to the overall victory of the Combine. Kurita mechwarriors fight not for themselves, but for the Dragon. Kurita mechwarriors will always seek to improve their mastery of their weapons of war, as well as
the discipline to serve the Dragon by fighting when told to fight, and holding when told to hold by their drop commanders.
To act recklessly, selfishly or stupidly in the face of such a threat to the Combine is to court dishonor. When traditional commanders blinded by the old ways failed to defend the world of Teniente, the Coordinator's own grandson Hohiro was almost lost to the Clans for a second time. (The first was in Turtle Bay, when yakuza elements and the civilian population sacrificed everything for the Dragon.) Takashi Kurita's response to the two commanders was swift: he ordered them to commit seppuku, so that he could remember a time when they were still honorable men.
There is no room for individual pride in the Draconis Combine. Honor is attained by fulfilling one's duty to the Dragon. If you are not ready to accept this, you know what to do.
Edited by Freeman 52, 03 January 2017 - 04:42 AM.
1
