Katherine Oltion
Katherine Oltion | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Affiliation | Draconis Combine |
| Career | |
| Rank | Tai-sa[1] |
Katherine Oltion was the commanding officer of the Sixth Ghost Regiment as of 3039.[1]
History
When future Coordinator Theodore Kurita was seeking officers to command his new Ghost Regiments, Oltion's engineering school records earned her command of the newly-formed Sixth Ghost. Oltion would go on to justify Kurita's faith in her by developing her unit into a veteran force with exceptional skills in maneuver warfare.[2]
On 13 July 3039, Tai-sa Oltion's Sixth Ghost and Tai-sa Andé Lantau's Fifth Ghost arrived in the Biham system in order to liberate the Draconis Combine world from the occupying Eighth Crucis Lancers and Laurel's Legion. Oltion's unit, newly-created and mostly comprised of women from the Combine's lower classes, lacked battlefield experience prior to the Biham operation and was unable to achieve a quick victory against the disorganized Federated Suns forces. Oltion's Sixth Ghost spent the early phases of the battle launching quick attacks against the Eighth Lancers' defenses, keeping the hostile unit off-balance while allowing the Combine to gather intelligence on their enemy's tactics and positions. The Ghosts soon developed an effective set of tactics, rapidly striking against targets all across Biham and then withdrawing before the Lancers could mount any response. On 6 August, the Lancers' acting commander ordered his soldiers to form a defensive perimeter around the planetary capital, effectively ceding control of the rest of Biham to the Fifth and Sixth Ghosts.[1]
The tide momentarily turned against the Ghosts when Laurel's Legion, previously stationed on the Tiberius Orbital station, ignored orders to hold their position and launched an orbital drop directly behind the Ghosts' lines. Using the Ghosts own tactics against them, the sole battalion of legionnaires forced twice as many of Oltion's Sixth Ghosts to redeploy from the forward siege lines in order to address the mercenary threat. Fortunately for the Ghosts, ongoing disagreements between the acting commander of the Eighth Lancers and Constance Laurel prevented the the Lancers from aiding the Legion, leading to the mercenaries' forced withdrawal from Biham on 27 August. While the Lancers could have held the capital city for an indefinite period of time, they too abandoned Biham to the Ghosts' control on 4 September, granting Oltion and Lantau victory.[1]
During the Clan Invasion, Oltion and the Sixth Ghost were stationed on Marshdale when Clan Smoke Jaguar's Third Jaguar Cavaliers invaded in November 3051. The Ghosts proceeded to maul the Third Cavaliers by leading them into a series of traps—many of which were designed by Oltion personally—and would have been able to continue battering their foes if they had not been caught in a stand-up fight in the city of Thoughnet. After enduring heavy casualties, the Sixth Ghost retreated from Marshdale at the expense of most of their aerospace fighters, and Oltion continued to command the unit on Meinacos by 3059.[2][3]
Following the First Combine-Dominion War, Oltion retained command of the Sixth Ghost and was stationed on Benjamin by 3067.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Historical: War of 3039, pp. 80–82: "Wave Two and Counterattack - Biham"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 116: "6th Ghost Unit Profile"
- ↑ Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 135: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3059"
- ↑ Field Manual: Updates, p. 116: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3067"