Field Manual: Royal Federation (Concertverse AU Sourcebook)

[Steve]

The Crown's Fist: The Royal Assault Brigade

History

Like many of the other Royal formations of the AFRF, the Royal Assault Regiments are products of the Second Age of War's early years.  The growing conflicts shaking the Inner Sphere made clear that the newly-formed Royal Federation needed a stronger punch, especially in opposed landings on enemy worlds.  Taking their cue from the Lexington Combat Group, the AFRF ramped up purchases and production of assault 'Mechs to create concentrated fists of might, capable of air or orbital drop deployment into an enemy target zone to disrupt enemy defensive formations.  While they performed well in the War of Donegalian Succession, it was the Terran War where the Royal Assault Brigade would forge its legacy, joining assault operations from the relief of Arcadia in 3051 to the mass drop on New Earth in February 3059 in Operation NEMESIS.

Over the years the RARs, as they are sometimes identified (among other monikers), have grown to an impressive size, though keeping these formations in assault machines has always provided a keen challenge to the Supply and Procurement Department.  Despite the name, a number of the Assault Regiments may only have as little as forty percent of their number in actual assault-weight BattleMechs, the remainder being heavy-weight 'Mechs or the occasional "trooper" medium-weight line combat machines.  Even then the need to outfit multiple regiments requires using assaults and heavies of all generations, so these royal units tend to have the "lower" unit ratings despite their importance.  Of course, none would deny that while an older assault 'Mech may not have the better weapons, it will still mount enough arms and armor to be worthy of concern, and concentrating them into units of this size will cause quite a lot of intimidation in its own right.  The Royal Assault Brigade have proven this time and again in the century since their founding, and have on repeated occasions brought their crushing force down upon the foes of House Proctor with devastating results.

Never growing beyond ten regiments in size, the force was reduced to five by the losses of the Fourth Succession War.  This has had the ironic effect, over time, of making them even more purely assault-weight formations than their pre-Fourth Succession War predecessors, with only two of the regiments having less than fifty percent of their 'Mechs be of assault weight as of this time.  These concentrated regiments of heavy machines have long earned their nickname as the Crown's Fist.


Commanding Officer
Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Proctor-Grimke comes from one of the original cadet branches of House Proctor.  Named for his prestigious predecessor and the founder of the Proctor-Grimke line, Sir Alexander was raised primarily by governesses and military tutors as part of a family that placed military service above all other considerations.  For him, and the rest of his family, the AFRF is not merely a profession, but the highest calling and duty that a soul can perform.  Needless to say, General Proctor-Grimke has been a lifelong AFRF officer, beginning service as an emergency commission lieutenant in the Arcadian Guards during the Dominate War before finishing his military education at AMSA.  He served with noted distinction in the Fourth Succession War, being wounded four times during that bloody decade and having two BattleMechs shot out from under him.  He ended the war as the brigadier and 'Mech regimental CO of the Proctor Assault Guards.  He assumed command during the debacle on Sirius in 3123 and extricated his division from the Oriento-Capellan envelopment that threatened its destruction, then saw to its return to the LZs and safe extraction as Operation MORNING STAR came to its abysmal conclusion, being severely wounded in the final phase of the withdrawal by an attack on his command post.  He spent several years recuperating from his grievous injuries while serving in the reserves, returning to active service in 3132 with a permanent promotion to Major General and command of the Proctor Heavy Guards for a tour of duty in Skye Theater.  He was promoted again four years later and served as Planetary Defense Command for New Dallas, then Skye, before being offered the Royal Assault Brigade.  He has held his post there since and was a presumed favorite to assume command of the Household Guards.  High King Nathaniel selected a different candidate for the post, however, and while Sir Alexander is more than due for a promotion to four-star general, he remains at his current rank and posting.  That this has reputedly strained his relationship with the new ruler is of little surprise, and Lord Arnold Proctor-Steiner is reputedly pressing for Sir Alexander's appointment to head of Arcadia Theater Command.

Forces
The Assault Brigade's regiments are some of the smallest stand-alone units in the AFRF.  They do not bring along support brigades, simply a mixed wing of aerospace fighters to cover their approaches.  If needed they are assigned armored infantry for specific operations, but the point of the formation is their own independent ability to be dropped or deployed into a combat zone to smash local opposition, allowing for the balanced combined arms formations to exploit the resulting carnage.  With the exception of one command DropShip they deploy primarily using the like of Sunhawk-class assault transports, by company level, and have gunships supporting their landings along with their aerospace contingent.


Colors and Insignia
The Assault Brigade's insignia is a downward mailed fist of gray with a gold-crowned white hawk upon it, set on a blue circle with a red edge, with lightning bolts emanating from the fist, as if generated by its impact with an unseen object.  The parade colors of the Assault Brigade are gray, white, and gold.


1st Royal Assault Regiment: Metal Rain

First raised in 3039, the First paved the way for the succeeding regiments through repeated combat actions in the War of Donegalian Succession on both fronts.  In victory or in defeat they gained a reputation for hitting hard once they were firmly on the ground and tenaciously holding their ground.  Their reputation saw them included in the first wave of Operation SERPENT, the only Royal Assault Regiment still sufficiently intact for operations after New Earth, joining the Lexington Combat Group's combat drop into the Rhone Valley to pave the way for the landing forces.

Through the remainder of the Second Age of War and on through the Fourth Succession War, the First were rarely the heaviest of the assault regiments but repeatedly proved themselves in hitting the hardest, leaving them called upon often to smash enemy formations in support of wider landing operations.  This nearly proved their undoing with their final two major combat operations of the latter war, as they first supported the Proctor Assault Guards' liberation of New Dallas with a direct combat drop on the IOCF-controlled Fort Houston. The assault failed to break the defense but tied down the defending units enough that their allies prevailed. While recovering from this operation, the First was appended to the relief of Atreus.  They were brought down on top of the Knights of the Shining Star to preserve the Third Royal Guards from collapse, successfully breaking up the IOCF attackers but again at high cost.  The First was all but broken by the Peace of Dieron and was only preserved for rebuilding due to their prestige.

Through the peaceful decades that followed, the First has primarily spent its time in the Atreus Theater to safeguard against any renewal of warfare with the Empire.  They are currently partially through a four year deployment to Stewart to defend that march capital and the vital Corean industrial plants working to rebuild the AFRF.

The First employs the Assault Brigade's insignia with a red "1" on the fist and gray-colored droplets flanking the image.


Officers
Brigadier Yupanqui is a descendant of the former rulers of the Cajamarcan state of the 30th and 31st Centuries and a commoner of the branch of House Yupanqui that opted to stay in the Royal Federation after their former throne world was transferred to the Principate.  A veteran MechWarrior and lifelong member of the Assault Brigade, the Brigadier is a rare member of her notoriously-'Mech-hating house to choose this field of service.

Tactics
Nothing is more important for a drop unit than post-drop cohesion and organization, and nothing is harder.  The unit tradition is to encourage every MechWarrior to quickly identify each other and coalesce into fighting formation, even if it means mixing lance and company elements.  "The first five minutes are the most important" is the unofficial unit motto.


1st Royal Assault Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Brigadier Luz Yupanqui
 1st Batt./XO: Lt. Colonel John Scholl
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Timothy Gephardt
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Alan Richards
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Gunther Beauchamp
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Tricia Brewster
The First has a fair distribution of assault and heavy weight machines, with nothing lighter than sixty tons weight.  The Marauder II remains a favorite of their assault lances while their best 'Mechs are concentrated in the First Battalion's assault companies.  The Aerospace Wing includes the assault carriers and a flight of Wild Weasel-class gunships.


2nd Royal Assault Regiment: Crushing Fury

The Second began their history during the War of Donegalian Succession alongside the Third, coming into service in 3040 and being thrown immediately into the desperate fighting in Donegal.  Their counterattack on the heavy NCAF invasion of Thuban prevented an early move to cut off the Loyalists from their Arcadian supporters. They participated in Operation MJOLNIR during the Terran War and secured the Nagelring campus from the defending ComStar and Terran troops with a direct orbital drop.  Towards the end of the war they were involved in the Assault Brigade's mass drop on New Earth, taking severe casualties but succeeding in their mission objectives.

The Fourth Succession War put the unit to the test repeatedly.  They came within a kilometer of capturing the League Communal Assembly during the siege of Sudeten and would, despite being forced to retreat, inflict heavy losses on the Communal militia forces that overwhelmed their positions.  The devastation wrought by the Second during the fighting on Sudeten was such that they gained an immensely negative reputation among the CLAF, compelling their transfer to the Imperial front.  They ended the war with the successful capture of Van Diemen alongside their sister regiment, the Third, whom they would absorb to restore combat losses in the time after the Peace of Dieron.

In the years since Dieron the Second have been moved from march capital to march capital as part of the AFRF's reserves.  It raised some eyebrows in 3140 when the unit arrived at its newest posting, Fort Pilecki on Porrima, which puts them within a few jumps of the Communal League.  Nothing official has been said of this, but there is no doubt the CLAF took notice.

The regimental insignia is the Assault Brigade insignia with a red "2" emblazoned in the fist.  The likeness of a smashed tank is visible below the iron fist.


Officers
Brigadier Lupansky began his career as a tanker but qualified for BattleMech training after three years of service.  He has worked his way up the ranks as a mustang, aided by his stellar combat record from the latter years of the Fourth Succession War.


Tactics
The Second is not so much about organization as it is about shock. The unit's commanders believe that once every 'Mech is grounded the MechWarriors' first priority is opening fire on an enemy target or doing something to cause damage to the enemy's positions, undermining enemy cohesion and softening them for allied forces to seize advantage.


2nd Royal Assault Regiment (Regular/Fanatical/D)
CO: Brigadier Gerald Lupansky
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Giselle Martinez
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Giuseppe Marconi
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Donald Thomason
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Pauline Winthrope
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Xu Jieshi
The Second is one of the lighter of the Assault Regiments by weight, with machines as light as forty-five tons found in some of its fire support lances, though it is still a majority assault-weight formation by average.  Supply and Procurement is working to provide heavier machines as they become available.


4th Royal Assault Regiment: The Rose Tramplers

Formed on an emergency basis during the dark days of late 3041, the Fourth Royal Assault Regiment was pitched straight into the fray at McAffe during the initial counterattack against the IOCF invasion.  By the time the fight was over, the unit had endured enough losses they were rolled into the Third.  They would be resurrected during the Terran War, participating in multiple operations from Tongatapu in 3053 to New Earth in 3059.  It was the fighting of the mid-60s with the Empire that gave them their fullest reputation when they landed on Atreus in 3065 as part of a counterattack against Imperial invasion.  The Fourth came down on the Order of the Rose outside of Corin, taking advantage of the Rose Knights' distraction against the Second Atrean Dragoons to break their organizational poise.  The Rose Knights would lose many of their best in that battle, and the Fourth would gain the moniker it has gone by since: the Rose Tramplers.

In the Fourth Succession War the two units would have rematches.  The Rose Knights nearly broke the Fourth on Dickinson during the strategic Imperial counterattack of 3114.  Five years later, the Fourth would be part of the relief of Atreus and would once more come down on the Rose Knights' position, this time in the company of the Atrean Rangers.  Despite their battlefield losses and fatigue from the long siege, the Rose Knights fought doggedly, and by the time they withdrew from the field, most of both attacking units were casualties, though they did win the day.

In the decades since the Fourth has remained primarily along the Imperial border.  The key world of Rochelle is their current garrison point, placing them within three jumps of several strategic worlds that could be threatened by Imperial aggression.

The unit insignia is the Assault Brigade insignia with a red "4" on the fist and a smashed rose beneath.


Officers
Brigadier Nagarlar is a career MechWarrior who survived the final years of the war as a cadet-officer.  She has served with numerous regiments of the AFRF before beginning service in the Fourth Royal Assault in 3135 as a battalion CO.  Her knowledge of the tactical styles of various formations has provided for the training of her unit in the best means to disrupt them upon a drop.


Tactics
The Fourth places its emphasis on maximizing disruption of an enemy foe, even at the cost of their own organizational cohesion.  MechWarriors of the Fourth are trained to act independently if need be and to always place their emphasis on engaging enemy targets rapidly and decisively once their drop is complete.


4th Royal Assault Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Brigadier Aishwarya Nagarlar
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Erez Barak
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Roshanara Rostami
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Periklis Katsaros
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Abhijit Begum
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Tushar Bandyopadhyay
Given their presence in the Principality of Hesperus and proximity to Defiance Industries' main factories, it should not be surprising that a great many of the Fourth's 'Mechs are of Defiance manufacture, with numerous examples of various Defiance machines in their ranks.


8th Royal Assault Regiment: Warhammers

The Eighth was formed in 3057 as the AFRF geared up for the grinding offensive into Terran territory.  The unit earned its moniker early on for the immense number of Warhammer 'Mechs of various types that were added to the regiment, everything from WHM-2-9Ds to the oldest WHM-6Rs pulled from refurbishment and scrapyards.  It was further earned by the regiment's successes on Lyons, Zollikofen, and Muphrid, and New Earth, where the Eighth was usually by design or by accident the unit that dealt with the strongest portion of the Terran defenses.  They succeeded in each operation at a commiserate cost in blood.

The Eighth's battle history since the fall of Terra has been one of the bloodiest and most successful of the Assault Brigade.  In 3065, they would smash flat the Second Liao Guards on Amity, and only diplomatic intervention from New Avalon prevented their success in reclaiming Stewart.  The Concord-Compact War saw them landing on New Avalon as part of OpForce Excalibur and liberating New Scotland from occupation, liberating the world of Coloma a year later.  Fighting through the 3080s and into the Dominate War, where they utterly smashed a cohort of the KING of Pilpala's legion in the capture of Ellijay, capped their 31st Century battle history.  The Fourth Succession War would see the Eighth deployed to a multitude of operations, culminating with the capture of Carver V in 3119 that left the unit nearly broken from combat losses.

Since the war ended the Eighth has primarily been kept in the Skye Theater, rebuilding and training up to a heightened readiness under the authority of a succession of veteran commanders.  They have one of the highest readiness and combat skill ratings in the Assault Brigade as a result.  Currently they are assigned to the garrison of Hesperus to keep that vital industrial center well-protected from any sudden strike.

The unit's insignia is the Assault Brigade's insignia with the red number "8" on the fist with the insignia contained within the silhouette of a Warhammer.



Officers
Brigadier Gwanja is one of the older officers of his rank.  An ace MechWarrior of the Assault Brigade during the Fourth Succession War, his lack of ambition is a constant note among his peers and superiors, leading to his slow rise.  It is not a lack of passion so much as Gwanja's deliberative personality and nature, which served him well on the battlefield but does tend to not go as well with Personnel's Promotion Boards.  There is no complaint about his effectiveness, however, and throughout his career his abilities as a leader, commander, and trainer have been evident, as is his skill in the unit's preferred machine, the WHM-II-9D Warhammer II.

Colonel Proctor-Steiner-Adelhiede is from one of the original branches of the Proctor-Steiner line, the youngest daughter of Princess Raquel Proctor-Steiner.  Like most of her elder siblings and their children, she joined the AFRF to serve as part of the family tradition and has built a career out of being solidly competent and a capable 'Mech pilot, including decorations won as a young officer fighting on the Galedon front of the Fourth Succession War with the Eighth Donegal Guards.  She pilots Otrera, the Atlas III her mother once piloted.

Tactics
The Eighth train extensively in the best means to hit enemy fortifications from the air or ground, preferring combat drops right onto enemy bunkers where feasible to carry the fight behind their land-facing defenses.


8th Royal Assault Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Abiola Gwanja
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Lady Matilda Proctor-Steiner-Adelhiede
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Nejla Hodžić
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Genrikh Pasternak
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Mariyam Ismailova
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Garret Fitzroy
Being assigned to Hesperus has given the Eighth a greater number of newer war machines than usual for the Assault Regiments.  The Ragnarok is found in greater number than other assault machines, as are newer marks of the unit's favored Warhammer and other 'Mechs.


10th Royal Assault Regiment: The Crown's Maul

The Tenth Royal Assault Regiment was a creation of the Concord-Compact War and the 3078 Army reforms pushed by High King Ethan.  Ethan's organizational reforms brought the Assault Brigade up to an authorized strength of ten.  The Tenth Royal Assault would be a personal creation of Ethan's, overseen by his cousin Lord Joachim Steiner, and would join the formations that Ethan typically brought with him on campaign.  The best assault and heavy 'Mech pilots were the only candidates for the positions in the unit, and all underwent rigorous training for the various air, orbital, or ground deployments they might make.  Their first engagements would come with the successful assault on Vega in 3084 and the defense of Donegal in 3087 from Sudeten's Operation REGICIDE.  The unit was nearly destroyed on Nova Roma in 3111 when the Empire broke Ethan's offensive into the Grand Duchy of Oriente.

Restored by High Queen Jacqueline, the Tenth would participate in a number of engagements on both major fronts of the Fourth Succession War.  In 3119 they proved instrumental in salvaging the liberation of Paracale from Galedonian troops, conducting a dangerous combat drop onto the Ryu-no-tekken-yon as the Galedonian assault force broke through the lines of the FolksArme's exhausted defenders.  The maneuver cost the Tenth terribly but disrupted the Galedonians sufficiently for the FolksArme to rally and the Wolfram Division to arrive and turn the Galedonians back from the liberation forces' LZ.

Following the peace of Dieron the Tenth was rebuilt slowly.  Its commanders over the last twenty years have placed an emphasis on quality in new additions, turning down the reactivation of battalions until they had sufficient pilots of desired skill to fill the billets.  While this meant they only reached their approved strength in 3138, the unit's cohesion and skill level is a match for the brigade's best, in keeping with their traditional place in the Assault Brigade.  They are assigned to Denebola in New Earth March, placing them in a position to deal with either the Empire or the Azami should hostilities recommence.

The unit's insignia is the Assault Brigade insignia with the number "10" in red on the fist within the outline of a medieval war maul.


Officers
Brigadier Hundessa is a veteran of Paracale and has worked his way up the unit's ranks since the end of the war.  He is committed to the design of maintaining both the Tenth's high concentration of skill and readiness and their unwavering devotion to fighting the enemies of House Proctor.  His posting on Denebola has gone overlong in his view and he has repeatedly asked for assignment to Arcturus Theater, to the frequent refusal of the Command Staff.  Word is that he has personally appealed to High King Nathaniel for the Tenth to be sent to face "the Butcher of Freedom" but given the situation with the Looking Glass, there is no telling how Nathaniel will respond, if he does at all.


Tactics
The Tenth's pilots are encouraged to maintain personal initiative but to never pass up a chance to consolidate after a drop.  "Skill and organization are each vital to the battle, but together they are unbeatable".


10th Royal Assault Regiment (Veteran/Fanatical/C)
CO: Brigadier Hachalu Hundessa
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Yoshiro Okamura
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Ervīns Ozoliņš
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Alan Xun
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Hidayat Wibowo
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Yevdokiya Kozhedub
The Tenth's skill level and focus on effectiveness leads its quartermasters to be more discerning in which machines are kept in the 'Mech bays.  While the nature of the Assault Brigade means that older machines are still evident in the ranks, the Tenth employs a higher level of Terran-grade kit than its sibling formations, with over a lance worth of newer machines per company, including several examples of both the SBT-3 model Sabaton and Defiance's Ragnarok.

[Steve]

Fearless Chargers: The Royal Lancer Corps

Formed initially from refurbished militia 'Mechs and the most adventurous, ambitious pilots to be drawn from the Arcadian Free March's militia brigades, the Royal Lancers have served with daring for the past century, taking the field during the War of Donegalian Succession with an audacity that has become their custom.  Fielding primarily medium and light BattleMechs, the Lancers are fast shock troops by training and purpose, capable of maneuvering through or around enemy strongpoints and exploiting enemy weakness.  The MechWarriors who man the Lancer regiments are not the faint of heart by any means, but selected and trained to be quick, decisive, and fearless above all else.

The Fourth Succession War was particularly grueling for the Lancers, especially the final years when they were called upon to strike hard and deep into the Sirian Commonality as part of the effort to reclaim the worlds lost to the Empire over the decades.  While their offensive was a success, it reaped significantly of their ranks, such that by war's end only eight battered regimental combat teams remained of a corps of a dozen proud Lancer formations.  Consolidated to their current strength of five RCTs, the Lancers are posted on a number of key worlds as reserve units for counterattacks upon enemy incursions.  They train and prepare for the day when they will next charge into the enemy's ranks, living up to the Lancer Corps motto "Semper Audacia": "Audacity, Always".



Commanding Officer

Lieutenant General Sir Krystoff Adamczyk is a Lancer veteran from Abramkovo, a border system in the Principality of Bolan.  After an initial term of service in the Bolan Hussars after his graduation from Ayrshire, General Adamczyk fought for much of the Fourth Succession War in the ranks of the proud Third Royal (Polish) Lancers, the famed Winged Hussars.  One of the few survivors of that formation after the Sirian Commonality campaign of 3118-20, General Adamczyk joined the rest of his fellows in being transferred into the First Royal Lancers, where he completed his career rise, making CO of the 'Mech regiment and then of the whole RCT through the 3120s and 30s.  After a stint of time as an instructor at the Raquel Steiner Memorial Academy on Donegal, he served as commander of Donegal Planetary Defense Command and executive commander of the Royal Lancers before his final promotion and rise to command of the Corps in 3141.  A devout family man outside of the service, General Adamczyk has professed his support for the peace overtures to House Halas-Liao, believing the legions of the Flavian Principate and the forces of House Kurita are by far graver threats than the isolated Oriento-Capellan Empire. He has also become notorious in government circles for a tendency to harangue - if extremely politely - members of the AFRF budget committees to call for the reformation of his old regiment, to the point where the Lancers joke that Adamczyk’s appearance in a select committee is more terrifying to senators than a scandalvid reporter with printouts of their expenses.  He continues to wear the shako insignia plate and shoulder badges of the Winged Hussars to this day, in cheerful defiance of AFRF uniform regulations and with the tacit but unofficial approval of his superiors and peers.


Forces
The Lancers favor medium and light 'Mechs, typically only taking some heavy machines if they have the maneuverability and speed to keep up with the lighter elements.  The armored regiments of the RCTs tend to be drawn from the ranks of the Royal Light Horse with a focus on hovercraft and aviation support.  By quality they tend to be fairly well-equipped, with plentiful use of OmniMechs and OmniVehicles.  Speed and firepower are the principal concerns of the Lancers; they are an offensive formation by reputation, and given their lighter weight compared to heavier line units, require the speed in order to disrupt enemy reactions.

Given the emphasis on maneuver warfare the Lancers employ fewer infantry regiments than other RCTs, typically only three or four, and up to four vehicle regiments instead of the two normal to RCT formations.  The infantry are typically a mix of air cavalry or mechanized, but this varies between RCTs given the AFRF's slow rebuilding after the Peace of Dieron and the cultures of the specific formations.


Colors and Insignia
The Royal Lancers tend towards an array of colors, though blue and silver are common to all the RCTs.  Each unit's insignia includes a pair of silver lances crossed upward on a blue field and topped with a golden crown, with a specific RCT's chosen insignia placed prominently between the lance handles, and a motto wrapped around the insignia.

All serving personnel in the Lancers are permitted to wear the unique Lancer shako with a plate bearing their RCT's insignia.



1st Royal Lancers: Death or Glory

The First entered service at the start of the War of Donegalian Succession, where they joined the First Royal Guards in relieving the besieged forces of Thomas Proctor and Johanna Steiner on Donegal.  They would fight in the failed defense of Westerstede in 3040 before succeeding in seizing Pobeda in a surprise operation the following year, then defending the captured world from repeated counterattacks. They would end the war on Summer as part of the last-ditch offensive to reclaim that vital world for the Consolidant, where a final charge into a compromised point of the Third Tikonov Lancers' defense line broke a Compact position and ensured the reclamation of Summer.

This wartime performance became the standard for the First Royal Lancers, who would perform similarly through the coming decades of conflict.  From their charge against the Terrans approaching Worcester in 3050 to breaking the lines of the Tenth Galedon Regulars on Chandler in 3119, the First would live up to their motto and fearlessly strike at the foes of House Proctor in defiance of enemy skill or position.  They remain one of the most skilled Lancer RCTs.  In 3142 they were assigned to the defense of Donegal, placing them in position to reinforce either the Sudeten or Kuritan borders should the need arise.

The First's insignia places a death's head insignia between the lance handles on the Royal Lancer insignia and the unit motto, "Death or Glory", on the seal border.  They tend to add black to the silver and blue of the Lancer color scheme.


Officers
Like many of her rank and age cohort, Major General Cargill is a hardened survivor of the fierce fighting of the Fourth Succession War.  She piloted a Pathfinder in the recon lances of the Second, Third, and Ninth Royal Lancers during that conflict, always managing to bring her machine back from the field under its own power.  Her fearlessness and audacity saw her singled out for promotion and rise into the command ranks, culminating in her posting to command of the First Royal Lancers in 3141 as the handpicked choice of General Adamczyk.

Tactics
The First Lancers have long practiced employing their fire support elements, especially among their vehicle regiments, as cover fire for 'Mechs equipped with shorter-range heavy weapons to get close and start hammering enemy units and positions where local conditions make them weakest.  This is a high risk, high reward tactic befitting the unit's motto and combat style.


1st Royal Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Major General Fiona Cargill
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Oliver Farbaer
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Daniel Short
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Sonya Botha
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Lynette Harmaajärvi
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Ashgar bin Husayn


1st Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Mahesh Gandhi
 7th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Anna Navarro
 3rd Royal Light Horse (HR): Col. Mariyka Belova
 4th Royal Light Horse (HR): Col. Lauren Stauss
 1st Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvB): Colonel Viktor Koszorús
 1st Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Elliana Wiśniewski


1st Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore John Rahl
 1st Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Prem Sharma
 1st Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Olaf Ackermann


1st Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Sergo Kapanadze
 7th Royal Grenadiers (H(A)IR): Col. Kwadwo Adebayo
 26th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Fareed al-Amin
 8th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Chinweuba Morales
 34th Royal Air Cavalry (AiC(A)R): Jean-Francois Picault


2nd Royal (Irish) Lancers: Clear the Way!

Officially formed on Arcadia in 3040, the Second Royal Lancers drew heavily from MechWarriors recruited from the Arcadia and McAffe militia formations, and the common Irish heritage of many of the pilots prompted the unit's initially-unofficial designation.  The Second was due for deployment to the Donegal front but held back to meet the prospect of an IOCF invasion, which saw them nearly destroyed in battles for Bondurant and McAffe.  A bold countercharge into the lines of the Third Liao Young Guards prevented the fall of New Edinburgh and kept the AFRF fighting on McAffe until relief forces arrived in late 3041.  The recorded order of Major John Meagher - "Irish Lancers, clear the way!" - became the unit's motto and traditional battle cry.

Since their celebrated start the Second Lancers has consistently been held as the premiere formation of the Royal Lancer Corps.  The best pilots and machines are made available to their formations, and in engagements from the liberation of Uhuru in 3052 to the recapturing of Tongatapu in 3119, they have lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon them.  Their skill remains among the highest in the modern AFRF and ensured their participation in the WALLACE wargames on Northwind with the Compact states, where they managed an even record with the First Tikonov Lancers and the First St. Ives Lancers.  The allure of the unit has led to it rarely being Irish by plurality, much less majority, but the designation earned in their early history remains. The attitude can be summed up by John Meagher's retirement address in 3079 to the Irish Lancers Association: "All members of the Second are Irish, whether it be by birth, by adoption, or by conviction."

Currently the Second is posted to Kalidasa as strategic reaction forces for the Atrean Theater's long border with the Empire.

The unit's insignia presents the likeness of a charging Shadow Hawk BattleMech between the lance handles of the Lancer insignia, the machine painted in emerald green.   The motto on the seal is the unit's famed battle cry, "Faugh a Ballagh!", the Gaelic for "Clear the way!"  Green is the unit's preferred color beside blue and silver.


Officers
Major General Gilroy is a proud "fourth generation" Lancer, with parents and grandparents having served tours with the Second and his great-grandfather, Erskine Childers Gilroy, being a founding officer of the regiment.  A veteran of the Fourth Succession War with three prosthetic limbs from the brutal fighting to reclaim Tongatapu, General Gilroy is a long-practiced veteran of the Lancer Corps' favored tactics and strategies, and often guides his pilots and troops through field exercises from the cockpit of his Shadow Hawk II.


Tactics
The Second Lancers often leverage the quality of their pilots and their fierce reputation with practicing multiple tactical approaches and loadouts.  Their goal is to intimidate their foe with the uncertainty and anticipated ferocity of their charges, with 'Mechs often joined to formations of hover and cruiser tanks and supporting battle armor for needed flexibility in the immediate tactical engagement.  If it works, a foe will not be sure where to expect the focus of a charge nor the exact nature of a charge, whether it is to get within range of heavy autocannon and missile weapons or to provoke an enemy response to pull attention from another location.


2nd Royal (Irish) Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Elite/Fanatical/A)
CO: Major General James Gilroy
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Keenan O'Malley
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Peder Jenson
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Marcin Sadowski
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Saifullah Sherazi
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Wullem Frenske
The Second has enjoyed a recent surfeit of largesse from Procurement, with a number of new and high quality designs assigned to its lances.  The Ranger has become particularly evident among the command lances and companies of the regiment and makes up the entirety of the Fourth Battalion's heavy response company.


2nd Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Gavin Murdoch
 19th Royal Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Bridget McGowan
 2nd Royal Light Horse Regiment (CR): Col. Thomas Weiss
 7th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Mark Greevey
 2nd Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Samuel MacCallister
 2nd Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Prudence Reynolds
The Nineteenth Armored is one of the heaviest armored regiments in the Lancer Corps, with its First Battalion consisting primarily of Rhino and Razor OmniTanks.

2nd Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Patricia McBride
 2nd Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Rowan MacGregor
 2nd Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Fiona Stone

2nd Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Frances McConnell
 13th Royal Grenadiers (H(A)IR): Col. Keto Bolkvadze
 25th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Zawar Khan
 7th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Kathleen Guinness
 27th Royal Air Cavalry (AiC(A)R): Col. Luitpold Marden


4th Royal Lancers: The Queen's Own

The Fourth was stood up during the darkest days of the War of Donegalian Succession, coming into service in 3041 just as the Compact states launched their NEMESIS offensive into the Federation and Consolidant.  Drawn from a number of systems along the Donegal frontier, the Fourth were one of the few units that could be spared to help Queen Johanna in her fight with the Steiner Legitimists and NCAF.  They spent the war accompanying her and her Second Donegal Guards on campaign; by the time the New Commonwealth collapsed and she was secure on the Donegalian throne, the pilots of the Fourth were the most loyal Arcadian forces Johanna had in her operations area.  While the Second Donegal remained her formation of choice, the Fourth Lancers were often stationed alongside or as defense on Donegal.  By the time the Terran War came in 3050, they were known as "the Queen's Own".

The Terran War saw the Fourth in many of the thickest fights alongside their monarchs. They joined the relief of Arcadia in 3051 and charged the 19th ComGuards Division in the defenses around Tharkad City during the capture of the former Lyran capital.  Losses in the liberation of Skye in 3056 and the taking of Muphrid in 3059 kept the unit from joining Johanna for SERPENT, though a number of the unit's most decorated and battle-ready pilots would form the core of the Seventh Lancers that did join Johanna's part of Wave Two.  The Fourth would once more ride with Johanna during the fighting of the Concord-Compact War over ten years later, and it would be their command staff who died with her and High King Thomas when a crashing Galedonian aerospace fighter struck the Fourth Lancers' HQ during the fighting for Tikonov.

While much has changed since that day, the Fourth are still known for their solid devotion to the throne and to the High Queen or Consort who is seated there.  The unit's tradition draws the most devoted loyalists to House Proctor-Steiner to their ranks, though as of late this has led to a disproportionately young and inexperienced force compared to other RCTs.  Currently the Fourth serves as part of the AFRF's general strategic reserve and the main AFRF line unit assigned to the Silver Eagle Free State and the world of Rexburg: an assignment that has not been the smoothest given the strong republican inclinations of the residents.  A number of altercations are noted to have happened between the most ardent royalists and the most provocative republican citizens.  It is possible the unit will need to be redeployed at some point if tensions grow too much hotter.

The Fourth's specific insignia places the likeness of a charging horse between the lance handles.  The unit's favored motto, "Semper Paratus", is written into the seal.  Their parade colors are Lancer blue and silver with gold.


Officers
Major General Burke is a veteran of the Royal Light Horse regiments who graduated from the Patton School of Mechanized Warfare in the opening years of the Fourth Succession War.  He has boasted to have never lost a hover vehicle under his personal command and none have found a contradiction in his service record, though some note that this accomplishment relies upon certain interpretations of "losing" vehicles.  Burke's record does bear out his skill as a commander of hover and VTOL formations, with multiple commendations as a field command officer during the war.  His promotion to command of a Lancers RCT is seen as a long-deserved culmination to his career, especially as a non-MechWarrior assigned to oversee a major BattleMech formation.

Brigadier McRory has spent his career moving between the various corps of the AFRF.  A MechWarrior veteran of the late Fourth Succession War, McRory has piloted everything from ultralight anti-infantry 'Mechs to hundred ton assault 'Mechs, and has served in a variety of formations with unique tactics.  His assignment as XO to the Fourth was primarily a means to give him a long-deserved promotion and keep his career moving forward.


Tactics
The Fourth's history serving alongside other major formations in monarch-led groups gives it a history of working to complement the tactical operations of other forces.  In recent years the relative lack of experience has led to a further undermining of any concept of specialized or favored tactics in field operations.  Wargames with the Silver Eagle Republic Federal Militia reflects this in both positive and negative ways: the inexperienced forces of the Fourth Lancers make many mistakes, but the enemy can never be sure what precisely they will do.


4th Royal Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Green/Fanatical/B)
CO: Major General John Burke
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Ian McRory
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Mirsada Kovac
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Rikuto Akabane
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Theresa Breen
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Fianna Lewis


4th Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Fanatical/B)
CO: Brigadier Yolanda Sutton
 14th Royal Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Kevin Taggart
 6th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Harry Michaels
 17th Royal Light Horse (HR): Col. Lord Fumnanya Idowu
 4th Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvR): Colonel Përparim Bulku
 4th Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Andrew Reynolds
The RCT's aviation regiment boasts a second battalion of VTOLs.  The entire brigade's vehicles tend towards the lighter side, making them superb flankers for the main 'Mech force.

4th Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Fanatical/B)
CO: Air Commodore Susannah Towers
 4th Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Raina Meriweather
 4th Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Kevin Burroughs

4th Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Green/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Victor Lamarck
 6th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Samira Bhutto
 53rd Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Allan Richards
 21st Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Donovan Laughlin


5th Royal (Irish) Lancers: Pride of Erin

The Fifth Royal stood up in 3049 as part of a fresh recruitment drive from the Federal Militia formations.  As a measure to promote increased unity soldiers from the Donegal half of the Federation were set to form half of the unit, and to pass on needed experience, a core of veterans from the Second Royal Lancers were promoted to leadership.  Between the origins of a number of the recruited militia and the officers, the Fifth soon identified itself as an Irish formation culturally and as a sibling of the Second Lancers.  Like the Second they would face their trial by fire defending McAffe from invaders, this time meeting the Terran invasion of December 3050.  They survived the battle, though victory was primarily in that survival as the Terran withdrawal was a strategic calculation, not from any battlefield reverses, and the Fifth survived as a coherent formation only due to that timely withdrawal.

Survival gave the Fifth a chance for further glories, which would be won on the battlefields of the counterattack against Terra and on into the remainder of the Second Age of War.  In a Corps already noted for its suicidal bravery, the Fifth became particularly noted for aggressive maneuvers through enemy defenses.  During the Concord-Compact War, they played a key role in the Federated Suns' recovery of Coloma from the Concord by isolating and breaking through the defensive positions of the Macomb Minutemen outside of Mento, forcing the Concord to withdraw from the city.

Nearly stood down from battle losses on Styk at the end of the Fourth Succession War, the Fifth absorbed survivors of the Eighth and Tenth Lancers and ultimately remained on the active rolls of the AFRF.  Like the Second, they have maintained their traditions of being an Irish formation though as few as one tenth of the officers and soldiers have hailed from communities of Irish heritage.  They are currently posted to the Fifth's original home and standing up post, Fort Dunmore on McAffe's Erin continent, as part of the AFRF's strategic reserve and defense formations for the Arcadia Royal March.

The unit's insignia places the traditional Irish symbol of the Harp of Erin between the lance handles. The motto on the insignia seal border is the Irish Diaspora's longstanding motto "Erin go Braugh", an Anglicized Gaelic phrase that means "Ireland Forever".  Like the Second, the unit's colors are Lancer blue and silver mixed with emerald Irish green, though the Fifth borders its green with the orange found on McAffe's planetary flag.


Officers
Major General Correia is considered a rising star of the Lancer Corps and the AFRF as a whole.  She was only nineteen in 3118 when given an emergency commission to command a recon lance in the Ninth Skye Rangers and won commendations for bravery in the capture of Procyon.  She would return in 3123 as a scout with the Proctor Light Horse as part of MORNING STAR and again be commended for taking command of her isolated company and leading them back to friendly lines.  A recon specialist, Correia transferred into the Lancers after making lieutenant colonel and has won promotion at a regular pace.  In 3140 she assumed command of the Fifth Royal as the youngest officer of major general rank serving in the AFRF.


Tactics
The Fifth has been experimenting in recent years with using more coordinated fire support teams to support tactical charges through enemy defense positions.  C3 systems have been outfitted to many vehicles and 'Mechs to allow improved long range fire accuracy.  This will undoubtedly help with the unit's traditional tendency to push charges into even the most formidable enemy positions.


5th Royal (Irish) Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Fanatical)
CO: Major General Thalita Correia
XO: Brigadier Miłosław Śląski
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Maureen O'Sheen
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Karl Lucas
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Lady Natalia von Schulenberg
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Patrick O'Keefe

5th Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO/RCT XO: Brigadier Olabode Irele
 12th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Gintarė Astrauskas
 6th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Mary Duchamps
 11th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Alejandro Diaz
 5th Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvR): Colonel Akeem al-Barrani
 5th Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel James Winters
The Aviation Regiment includes a second battalion of fire support VTOLs to support the RCT's ongoing tactics testing.  Whether the assignment remains permanent remains to be seen, though both Major General Correia and Brigadier Irele are pressing for Procurement and Corps HQ to confirm it.

5th Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Vissarion Gerasimov
 5th Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Andrew McCarter
 5th Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Johann Stigler

5th Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Donald McGovern
 3rd Royal Grenadiers (H(A)IR): Col. Omiko Sugihara
 17th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Paul Fitzroy
 32nd Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. John Fisher
 4th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Mattias Erzburger



7th Royal Lancers: The Blades of Donegal

The Seventh were formed from former militia of the Kingdom of Donegal in 3048 as part of the AFRF's absorption of the old KDAF.  Primarily drawn from Donegal's planetary military 'Mech pilots, the unit was still being trained when REVIVAL came and the Terrans invaded Donegal as part of their initial push. The Seventh fought valiantly but where overwhelmed and mostly destroyed outside of Marsdenville after a week of fighting.  They were reformed eight years later by Thomas Proctor and Johanna Steiner through subscription efforts by Donegal's citizens and refurbished war salvage and materials.  Staffed with veterans from the battered Fourth Royal Lancers and a number of other skilled pilots from the AFRF"s ranks, the Seventh would land on Terra alongside High Queen Johanna in Wave Two of Operation SERPENT.  In August of 3060 the Seventh Royal Lancers broke the surviving members of the Terrans' Twenty-Fifth Armored Cavalry on the Promontory of Quebec in what became known in some circles as the "Plains of Abraham Massacre", as the Seventh killed the unit to the last man due to the Terran units' notorious massacres of civilians and militia from Antares to Palmyre Deans.  An official inquiry found that no surrenders had been offered by the Terrans and the unit was exonerated of wrongdoing, a finding that has been disputed by some civilian reporters and scholars, and giving the Seventh a reputation for ruthlessness that has persisted to the modern day.

The Seventh served with pride through the remaining conflicts of the Second Age of War; noteworthy among their accomplishments was breaking the lines of the Twenty-Second Communal Regulars during the Communal League's invasion of Donegal in 3088 and expelling XV Legio's II Cohors from Rosice in 3100. During the Fourth Succession War they were part of the GAUNTLET offensive into the Communal League, ultimately reaching Sudeten and fighting to seize the League capital until the COMINTERSTEL counter-offensive compelled their withdrawal.  Due to concerns about the unit's ability to work with their former enemies, the Seventh was repositioned to the Skye Theater, where they fought Azami and Galedonian troops through the rest of the war until 3118.  They descended upon Wasat during the Lancer Corps' invasion of the Sirian Commonality and fought the Second Sirian Lancers and Second Oriente Fusiliers' detachments on-planet.  By the time they were withdrawn in December 3119, the Seventh was at less than one third strength in effective personnel and machines.  Only the utter devastation wrought upon their sister formations kept the Seventh from being chosen for stand-down.

After a post-Dieron career of being moved about the border marches, in 3136 the Seventh was brought home to Donegal. They've remained on their founding world since, training opposite other formations and completing their post-war rebuilding.

The insignia of the Seventh is a raised blade between the lance handles, fringed in blue light.  The unit motto on the seal border is "Face Donegal's Fury".  Aside from silver and blue, the Seventh favors black and green as parade colors.



Officers
Major General Kane is the younger brother of the Count of Waterford-Donegal and a member of the aristocracy. A Nagelring graduate and Fourth Succession War veteran, Kane has a mixed reputation; a capable commander and tactician, he is also unapologetically classist in the worst Lyran style.  He and his family continue to harass the AFRF and the Foreign Office over the death of Graham's father, Count Thomas, in a CLAF POW camp on Sudeten. While the official finding is that Thomas died of his extensive battle injuries before falling captive, Graham believes he was intentionally killed by the Communals out of revolutionary hatred for nobility, and has been a vocal critic of the Federation's reconciliatory stance towards the League.  That Graham has risen to assume command of a Royal formation RCT despite his controversial behavior is seen by some as a result of his ardent Lyrantreu beliefs, given the number of higher officers of similar allegiance.

Brigadier Torres hails from Sheridan in the Arcadia March.  A graduate of the Atrean Military Academy who came of age too late to serve in the Fourth Succession War, Torres' capability as an administrator and commander have him marked for higher command.  Unfortunately, his combination of lower class background and being from a former League world has led to friction with his commanding officer, the first to have ever given negative or critical remarks in personnel reports concerning Torres.


Tactics
The Seventh's tactical approach emphasizes shock and ruthless seizure of opportunity. The enemy's mental state is as much a target as his physical form, and in war games the Seventh's commanders repeatedly use psychological warfare tactics on adversaries.


7th Royal Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Major General Lord Graham O'Kane
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Harris Torres
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Fiona McBride
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Darren Brosnan
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Donald Kupansky
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Marigold Lewis
The unit's morale rating is a matter of some debate given the ongoing friction in the RCT's command echelon.  Some believe it's only a matter of time before Kane's apparent disdain of Torres affects their subordinates; others believe this may already be affecting the MechWarriors in the Seventh.


7th Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Roger Ewald
 4th Royal Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Arturo Matteo
 5th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Anandi Kulkarni
 10th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Vitold Gavrilyuk
 14th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Trayan Stanev
 7th Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Mark O'Malley
 7th Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Ophelia Rogers
The Seventh's overstrength armored brigade reflects both their posting as protectors of Donegal and the unit's growing preference for heavy backup.


7th Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Lady Regina Smith-Clinton
 7th Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Lord Ewan McHugh
 7th Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Adria Liotta
By all accounts the Air Regiment is the best-run element of the entire RCT.  A social equal to General Kane in the nobility, Lady Regina is a demanding commander but fair to her subordinates and with far less of a classist demeanor.  Her pilots are among the best in the entire Lancer Corps.

7th Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Quentin Fenworth
 23rd Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Donna Masters
 5th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Walter Okafor
 25th Royal Air Cavalry (AiC(A)R): Col. Hafsatu Danforth
 12th Royal Rangers (JI(A)R): Col. Charles Forward

[Steve]

Ever Ready: Brigade of Dragoons

Founded in 3038, the Brigade of Dragoons started as a third-line force intended to support wider operations through striking minor targets, garrison reaction support, or adding mass to major assaults.  The 3078 Army Reforms saw their absorption of what remained of the Donegal Grenadiers, a formation with a similar purpose built by Klaus Steiner in the leadup to the War of Donegalian Succession.  No longer a regiment of 'Mechs backed by support battalions, the modern Dragoon regiments are combined-arms formations meant to fight alone or alongside the frontline forces, where they typically supplement the frontline as harassers or flanking units.

Unlike House Marik's Atrean Dragoons, these units are not for the glamorous or the ambitious.  The Dragoons exist to get the job done with whatever hardware that Supply and Procurement can muster, in situations where a full-sized RCT or division would be too strong a show of force.  Personnel assigned to the Dragoons either seek transfer out as quickly as they can or acclimate and gain the stubborn pride many in the units have in their unglamorous status.  Indeed, a number of the Dragoon units have storied battle histories and hard-won trophies from the wars stretching back to the War of Donegalian Succession.  Once twenty in number, they were reduced to ten by the losses and unit re-assignments of the Fourth Succession War.


Commanding Officer

Major General Dame Mozhdeh Darzi hails from Rasalas in the Principality of Atreus.  A veteran of the Atrean Dragoons and the desperate battle for Atreus, war wounds left her invalided out of field service for nearly a decade and denied her continued status as a MechWarrior.  Rising in the ranks in the staff, she was assigned to the Dragoons in 3140 to "get the Brigade back in shape", a task she has taken to with relish.  Some whisper the true purpose of her promotion was to prepare the Dragoons for a major conflict in the near future.


Forces

By organization the Dragoons employ mixed regiments with a battalion each of BattleMechs, armor, and infantry, with a support battalion of mixed artillery and VTOL assets.  A squadron of aerospace fighters accompanies each formation.  Infantry formations typically consist of soldiers in standard powered infantry suits supported by a company of light and medium-weight battle armor infantry.

The Dragoons prefer kit that's rough, handles well in multiple environments, and easy to maintain, which means little Royal-level technology is found amongst their number, nor are many 'Mechs with endo-steel internals or other elements that require greater effort to repair.  They favor assault DropShips for transport between worlds since it permits wider flexibility in deployment, especially if deploying into enemy defenses becomes necessary.


Colors and Insignia

The Brigade of Dragoons employ an insignia depicting a rifle-toting rider atop a trotting horse.  These are placed on a checkered blue and red field inside a golden circle with hawk wings coming from the sides.  The regiment's number is usually displayed in white in the lower section of the insignia.



1st Dragoons: First to Fight

Founded in 3038 in the aftermath of the Second Andurien War, the First Dragoons would be part of the Campbelton garrison three years later when the Oriento-Capellans' NEMESIS offensive landed on-planet and became the first of the Brigade to face combat.  The Kearnish Knights nearly annihilated the regiment on the banks of the Atholl River at Talvering, with the sacrifice of a battalion's survivors and attached militia allowing their escape to the defenses of Fort Campbell.  They would survive the campaign and, to the surprise of many, volunteer to join the counterattack that reclaimed Tongatapu and Norwich for the Federation and Commonality.  They would reinforce this reputation in the Terran War; while part of the garrison of Dixie, the unit volunteered to join the initial reinforcement landing at Arcadia, where they distinguished themselves in the hard fighting around occupied Roslyn even with their inferior hardware. A number of the survivors were inducted into the Arcadian Guards while the tradition of the First Dragoons had been solidified.

Following their significant losses in the Fourth Succession War's final battles, the First were among the initial units rebuilt to full strength. They landed on Procyon in 3123 as part of MORNING STAR and were pressed by IOCF strikes on the LZs, ultimately suffering forty percent casualties before the suspension of combat operations.  Rebuilt once more through the 3120s, they remained in Skye Theater to meet potential Azami and Combine raids into the region and repulsed several small strikes by the former through the 3130s.  In 3140 they were rotated to Hesperus to serve a tour as part of the world's defensive garrison.  Access to the factories of Hesperus has seen a few new models and upgraded machines circulate into the unit, but the First continues to rely on older gear as per the unit's standard TO&E practices.

The insignia is the standard Dragoon insignia with the white numeral "1" presented.  A golden wreath bordering the insignia is present as a battle honor to commemorate their history, particularly their role in the 3051 liberation of Roslyn from Terran occupation.




Officers


Colonel Strahlsund was one of the aces of the war's final years, serving an emergency commission in the First Atrean Dragoons during the fierce battle for Atreus in 3118-19.  Her career since has been marked by regular promotions and continued officer education.  Many of her peers consider her assignment to the regular Dragoons, even the First Dragoons, as a punishment assignment of some sort, with dark whispering among some that she has been slighted by Lyrantreu looking to keep Atrean Principality officers from higher postings.  The more likely explanation is that there are only so many billets for other units and Strahlsund's assignment is meant to keep her in service, and gaining experience at command, while awaiting an open billet in a more prestigious unit.  Colonel Strahlsund herself has taken to the assignment with diligence, keeping her unit honed to face any contingency and training them as rigorously as the lethal environs of Hesperus permit.


Tactics
The First Dragoons have a long tradition of initial offensive contact, typically in support of heavier formations or on their own against enemy militia or third-line mercenaries.  LZ establishment and defense training continues to be a priority.


1st Dragoons Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Yvonne Strahlsund
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Alexander Sutton
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Rhee Yeong
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ruslan Omarov
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Joanna Ridley
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Omar Lewis
While most of the unit still uses gear standard to the Brigade, the command company's 'Mechs now include two modern Mad Cat II OmniMechs, a Ragnarok, and an Eradicator, all from Hesperus' famed factories.



2nd Dragoons: The Misfits

Formed from a collection of militia and line personnel transferred from their units as "undesirables", the Second quickly earned their moniker with a series of disciplinary infractions that culminated in a brawl with the Third Donegal Cavalry during a joint defensive assignment to Clinton. The same unit would fight at their side through the final days of the New Commonwealth, capturing Carlisle from a diminished and demoralized NCAF garrison. The Second became a garrison force for the planet through the Terran War before joining the advance on Skye, where they were rendered hors d'combat in the brutal fighting at New Glasgow.

Through that war and later conflicts, the Second has maintained its air of barely-kept discipline and ill-fitting demeanor.  The unit frequently leads the Dragoon Brigade in disciplinary infractions, demerits, and poor evaluations for personal upkeep and parade readiness.  Many a disciplinarian has been placed in command to shape the Second up and driven to despair by the Misfits' culture, to the extent the AFRF stopped trying by the time of the Fourth Succession War.  For all their poor behavior, the Second has proven again and again it can and will fight, and whatever the poor appearance of their kit, it will still work as intended once the shooting starts.  A sign of the AFRF's trust in the unit's readiness can be found in their current posting on Muphrid, placing them in a reserve position to support either the Imperial or Azami borders from any incursion.

The unit uses the numeral "2" on the brigade insignia.  Many vehicles and 'Mechs will customize the logo, typically by painting the rider in garish uniforms or costumes; brave souls will replace the rider altogether with different, even cruder figures, much to the fury of the Brigade's commanders.


Officers
Colonel Wallace hails from Pingree in the Silver Eagle Free State.  He is a competent, if not highly-marked, officer and commander, and tends towards the practical, making him a better fit for the notorious Misfits.  Many in the unit believe his republican, anti-monarchist, and particularly anti-Lyran viewpoints prompted his assignment to the Dragoons and the Second as a punishment by Lyrantreu in the Personnel Department


Tactics
The Misfits have no particular affinity for a given tactic. Their entire character is arguably one; an enemy looking at their sloppy camo jobs and badly-applied markers will undoubtedly believe they're facing a unit with half-ready machines and discover, the hard way, that the Second Dragoons' Techs are on average as studious in actual combat readiness as any other Dragoon regiment.


2nd Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Tamir Wallace
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Uwe von Schulenberg
 Armored Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Hannah Schmitz
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Karl Fischer
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Tommaso Costanzo
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Paul Rockwell



3rd Dragoons: Gloryhounds

The Third were brought into service as relations with the New Commonwealth deteriorated in late 3038.  They were posted as a defensive garrison to Gallery in 3039 to protect the supply lines linking Arcadia to the Donegalian Loyalists.  Full of young and upcoming officers and personnel, they spent the war aching for the call to action, and would ultimately be summoned to the front to shore up the faltering effort in 3041, joining the retaking of Tetersen alongside Loyalist forces. The Third would distinguish itself by the ferocity with which they fought, often exceeding their immediate tactical orders to pursue greater battlefield success to mixed but ultimately positive results.  Their furious OpForce commander would write to the AFRF that the Third were "a bunch of attention-seeking gloryhounds", news of which spread to the unit and prompted their adoption of the moniker.

The Third's record of service in the following century of conflicts is a steady one.  It has not always pushed with the tenacity of its initial members, but unit traditions nevertheless took root that demanded aggressiveness on the field and readiness to volunteer for any duty that involved shooting.  This finally brought the unit to near-destruction during COMINTERSTEL's RIKOTILO offensive of 3112; assigned to Ballynure, they volunteered to be the rearguard when the order came down to evacuate, ultimately costing the unit two-thirds of their material strength before the survivors got away under supporting aerospace cover.  The Third would defend Labouchere from rogue Principate forces in 3115 before spending the rest of the war in rear area garrisons.  They would be merged with survivors of the Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Dragoons to be restored to full strength after the Peace of Dieron.

In recent decades the Third was primarily kept in the Dar-es-Salaam March on strategic reserve duties, but recently this changed, and in 3141 the unit was assigned to the frontline garrison of Marik to face the Empire.  This assignment has also seen an uptick in new equipment, including Royal-grade gear not often found among the Dragoons.

The Third has the numeral "3" on the brigade insignia.  It is a common practice, tolerated if not loved by the Brigade command, to give the rider a companion hound as part of the design.


Officers
Colonel Balázs accepted assignment to the Dragoons recently, his first at the regimental level after serving as executive officer of an armored regiment attached to the First Marik Regulars.  An ambitious officer of the post-Dieron generation, Balázs lives up to his unit's moniker in his expressed hopes for some form of defining combat assignment in the near future.  Privately his sentiments towards High King Nathaniel's peace initiative are said to be the sort of thing that has gotten higher-ranked officers relieved of their commands if expressed publicly, but so far Balázs has kept such views to himself.

Tactics
In wargaming the Third is often on the attack, whether aggressor or defender.  This can and has been used against them, but it has often caught unsuspecting opponents by surprise.


3rd Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Károly Balázs
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Gennady Tarasov
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Fred Gregson
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Darren Waltrip
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Kilikina Noa
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Donna Yang
Given their border posting, the Third has recently seen an uptick in new kit, though not nearly to the same level as other units on the Imperial border.



4th Dragoons: Dirty Work

From the time of their founding the Fourth Dragoons had little illusions as to their purpose.  They were not there to win glorious battles but to fill holes as needed in the AFRF's defense plans.  "We're the ones doing the dirty work" was used early and often by the members of the Fourth as they were bounced from assignment to assignment among the Federation's worlds, supplementing militia defenders as they went.

Given their name, the Fourth has ironically become the only Dragoon regiment to enjoy a major royal honor, and a position in the popular consciousness of the peoples of the Royal Federation.  After sustaining losses reclaiming Nusakan in 3056, the Fourth was reassigned to the planet Chaffee to recuperate and protect the world's defense industries.  Shortly after arrival they were confronted by one of the Terrans' dreaded Armored Cavalry Regiments, the Nineteenth, who had just perpetrated the Whittington Massacre.  General Furlough, as was his custom, broadcast his intentions to implement Director-General Kerensky's "Reprisal Doctrine" before landing, and sent his forces after both Defiance's factories on-world and the surrounding communities housing the workers.  Unable to defend everything, the Fourth focused on protecting the civilians, and at great cost successfully held back the Nineteenth from the civilian centers.

While the loss of the factories frustrated Defiance, the successful protection of the civilian population made the Fourth Dragoons heroes to the peoples of the Royal Federation and Defiance-Hesperus Consolidant.  The unit was officially awarded, as a whole, the Order of the Sword and Hawk by a royal decree, and many individual members won a variety of commendations from the AFRF and DISC as well as transfer to more prestigious units.  The remainder of the Fourth returned to the "dirty work" of a third-line regimental force.  Nothing since Chaffee has compared in the unit's battle history, though it would participate with some distinction on the Azami front of the Fourth Succession War.  Currently the Fourth Dragoons are posted to the garrison of Alarion, serving as a reserve force for the Federation's most-quiet border while training up their young and inexperienced personnel.

The unit's insignia uses the numeral 4.  The Order of the Sword and Hawk is typically integrated into the Fourth's insignia as a background to the regular Dragoon Brigade emblem.  Some artists add the Hesperan Star to the backdrop of the Brigade logo to reference the history as well.


Officers
Colonel Vernadskia is a Fourth Succession War veteran of the Dragoons who rose through the ranks as a mustang.  One of the oldest colonels still in field service, her assignment as CO of the Fourth is considered to be a terminal posting before her planned 3144 retirement date.  She intends to have the Fourth ready for field operations before her retirement comes and has pressed the unit in repeated training exercises and wargames with the other units in the Alarion garrison.

Tactics
The relative inexperience of many in the Fourth, either as a whole or in their current command positions, leaves the unit with little in the way of a specialized or favored tactic.  Vernadskia has pushed them on repeated training to better prepare defenses, emphasizing the Dragoons' role as supporting flank guards for larger AFRF or allied formations.


4th Dragoons Regiment (Green/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Marta Vernadskia
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Eliisabet Kask
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Estaban Aguado
 Infantry Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Jorge Rodriguez
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Cheng Go Lu
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Natalya Shub



5th Dragoons: The Furious Fifth

The Fifth Dragoons mobilized as the War of Donegalian Succession hit its peak in 3040. Assigned to defense of the Arcadian border, they were among the units caught in the Oriento-Capellan Empire's Operation NEMESIS, with the Fifth Young Liao Guards landing on Uhuru to seize the world.  The Fifth Dragoon's orders were to withdraw if facing superior force, but the on-site commanders chose a risky direct assault on the IOCF troops with the support of the Uhuru militia.  The IOCF unit, being a rebuilt formation with something to prove after humiliation fighting the Capellan Hegemony, reacted by trying to hold long after it was clear the Fifth Dragoons had gained a superior tactical position, which led to over half the regiment being destroyed or forced to surrender.  This victory was the sole early victory of its kind in 3041, preventing the fall of Uhuru as the IOCF swept towards McAffe and Arcadia.  Called upon to emulate this success in the defense of McAffe, the unit would have far less luck against the Second Fusiliers of Oriente, suffering extensive losses and only being preserved by the arrival of IX Legio and the rest of the PAF relief force in late 3041.  The unit would sit out the next year's fighting before joining the expulsion of Tikonov and Azami forces from Mizar towards the end of the conflict.  Their battlefield aggression led to an embedded journalist dubbing them "the Furious Fifth" in a dispatch to the Donegal Broadcasting Service, ensuring the unit's reputation and name.

The Fifth emerged from the Fourth Succession War as one of the most intact Dragoon regiments, but it would suffer severe losses in the attempted capture of Sirius during MORNING STAR in 3123.  Being ordered to abandon the attack resulted in the mass resignation of the unit's command officers in disgust at what they saw as Parliament's "cowardice and abandonment of our slain comrades".  The remaining personnel would harbor the grudge as well, transferring it to new recruits over the following decades as the Fifth was rebuilt.  Personnel in the Fifth have repeatedly been reprimanded for being outspoken in politics, particularly their view that Parliament should be punished for resisting rearmament and for compelling the Crown to abandon Sirius and Procyon in 3123, and every attempt to shape the unit up has failed.  In 3136 the Fifth were dispatched to join the light garrisons of the Alarion March, an assignment that has only increased the dissatisfaction in the ranks.  There are rumors they were due to transfer to the New Dallas March but so far they remain on York, observing the quiet frontier of the Federation's Ghastillian allies and maintaining a basic level of combat readiness through drills.

The unit insignia is the Brigade emblem with a white numeral "5".  Some personnel have taken to drawing the outline of a burning flame around it to symbolize the unit's noted anger and fury in combat, but this is not an official insignia with approval from the Brigade or the AFRF.



Officers
Colonel Harper is by all accounts not a happy man.  At Ayrshire he was near the top of his class in the post-war classes, having just missed the Fourth Succession War, and was assigned to the Second Royal Guards.  But that unit didn't see action on Procyon and Sirius as hoped, and as the years passed Harper was passed on for promotion until the prospect of a company command forced him to accept reassignment to a Federal unit.  His most recent promotion to command required he give up a battalion command in the Hyde Lancers to take command of the Fifth, which he accepted on the anticipation that the Fifth was due to transfer back to a "frontline" assignment.  Instead it remains in the quiet Alarion March and Harper's own fury and resentment grows by the day; evaluations show a distressing tendency to assume persecution.  This has not gone well with the Fifth's poor morale rating and it is entirely possible Harper will find the Fifth to be the end of his career. 


Tactics
The Fifth's reputation is to rely on aggression to undermine enemy reaction and decision-making.  Whether or not the unit can employ such a tactic in its current state is another question.


5th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Questionable/E)
CO: Colonel Paul Harper
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel John McGruder
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Donald Cruthers
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Irene Wallace
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Britt Nordberg
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Janice Walker



6th Dragoons: Hexagon

The Sixth Dragoons were initially stood up in 3047 and would serve as a secondary unit in a number of Terran War campaigns before suffering shattering losses during the Concord-Compact War in the fighting on Tikonov.  But the modern Sixth is more the inheritor of the Sixth Donegal Grenadiers, who won battle honors for defending Cameron from the Terran raids after the start of REVIVAL and playing the primary role in the surprise destruction of the 137th Royal BattleMech Division on Buckminster in 3055.  The unit's insignia and nickname are drawn from the Sixth Grenadiers, who were merged with the survivors of the Sixth Dragoons in 3078.

During the Dominate War the Sixth were called in to protect Stewart from repeated IOCF attacks on local industry. This culminated in an outright invasion to recapture the world for the Empire in 3099, with the Fifth Free Worlds Guards and Warrior House Inti landing to face the Sixth and other local defenders.  Outnumbered and outgunned, the Sixth turned to a strategy of maintaining control of defensive strongpoints around Glencoe.  While not all of these positions were held successfully, they delayed the IOCF's approach long enough that reinforcements arrived from the Consolidant, preventing the planet's fall and ensuring the eventual defeat of the invasion.

Following the savage fighting on Yamarovka at the end of the Fourth Succession War, the Sixth would be rebuilt to full strength and assigned to various systems in the border marches facing the Empire.  As of 3142 they were posted to Irian.  Rumors are they were due to receive some upgrading of kit, but so far their outfitting is running average for the Brigade.

The unit insignia employs a white "6" on the Dragoon Brigade insignia.  While not official, many machines see a hexagon drawn around the insignia where it is used on the machines.


Officers
Colonel Joshi is considered an up-and-coming officer, and is one of the youngest graduates of DIMA to reach their current rank.  Personnel reviews reflect Joshi does not evince the typical ambition and competitiveness that DIMA is known to instill, doing much to explain their rise in the ranks compared to the average for DIMA graduates.  The years spent as a cadet on Hesperus makes Joshi very nearly an expert in hazardous terrain operations and this is being passed on to the rest of the Sixth.

Tactics
The Sixth favors establishing advantageous defensive positions around natural terrain features where available, then forcing a foe to dig them out.  Colonel Joshi is adding counter-attack training to supplement this tactic and give the Sixth offensive bite.

6th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Sushil Joshi
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ladi Shehu
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ignatius Gomez
 Infantry Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Ophelia Reynolds
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Samuel Richards
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. John Gossett

[Steve]

7th Dragoons: The Magnificent Seventh

The Seventh's nickname is an earned one.  They have fought campaigns from the defense of Arcadia in 3050 to the capture of Marik in 3118, and while rarely a major factor in specific engagements, the Seventh's tendency to play their supporting role has given them a prestige few of the Dragoon regiments enjoy, with one of the highest retention rates in the Brigade.  Typically, if an enlisted soldier or officer chooses to remain a Dragoon for an extended period, they will end up serving in the Seventh, and they enjoy the highest average performance reviews and skill ratings in the Brigade.  Their assignment to Labouchere places them within a jump of Tamarind and the Principate border while making them a first wave reserve force to defend the Principality of Atreus.

The unit's insignia is the Dragoon Brigade emblem with a white "7" as numeral.



Officers
Colonel Afolabi is one of the longest serving officers in the Brigade.  Command of the Seventh reflects his recognized seniority among the Dragoons.  A veteran of the desperate fighting in 3119, Afolabi is a believer in preparation and trains his soldiers as often as the regs allow.  A promotion to brigadier and a likely post as XO or chief of staff of the Dragoon Brigade is considered inevitable.

Tactics
The Seventh have no preferred tactics beyond those common to the Brigade.  Training has made them quite effective however they may choose to fight.


7th Dragoons Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Olufunmilayo Afolabi
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Hakeem Kayode
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Yolanda Torres
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Richard Lakeland
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel John Ewald
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Deirdre McBride
Given their skill level and place in defensive assignments, the Seventh has been provided with some examples of Terran-grade weaponry and machines, including an entire company of Razor tanks for their armored battalion.  This makes them one of the few Dragoon formations to require the means to repair and maintain XL Fusion engines.



8th Dragoons: The Cutthroats

The Eighth Dragoons were formed in the desperate early days of the Terran War from the survivors of the Arcadian Federal Militia brigade and a defecting unit of mercenaries initially forced into Terran service, Carranzo's Cutthroats.  The fusion of angry bitter militia and formerly-indentured mercenaries provided for a unit that became notoriously brutal on the battlefield towards Terran foes, with one of the lowest prisoner-taking rates of the AFRF.

As the war became less desperate this led to the Eighth's reassignment from the front to the Ghastillian-held Periphery to help that state fight the growing pirate problem caused by the Terran conflict.  To no one's surprise, conflict with pirates did nothing to soften the Eighth, and the AFRF gave up on trying to rehabilitate the unit, turning it into a sink for soldiers deemed "prone to violence" but who had not yet crossed lines under military law.  The Eighth would find itself repeatedly loaned to the Ghastillians for anti-piracy duty but was still rotated into other conflicts, particularly the Dominate War and the Fourth Succession War.  Some officers wished to remove the Eighth from the front or even dissolve the unit, fearing it would one day "blow up in our faces" through some atrocity or massacre, but the Eighth would fight with discipline and courage while at the front; while their rate of prisoners taken remained among the lowest in the AFRF, they never violated the laws of war, and surrenders were always honored.  One commander briefly rotated into the unit would be heard to observe, in dark humor, "the way the Cutthroats see it, if you manage to surrender to them before they kill you, you've earned their mercy".

Emerging intact, though bloodied, from the war, the Eighth was restored to strength over the years.  During the heightened raiding campaigns on Bolanese worlds the Eighth was sent in, catching a raiding force on Abramkovo and wiping it out to the last pilot.  Convinced the unit was one of the KING of Pilpala's personal troops the unit called for authorization to counter-raid, but was denied by the AFRF, frustrating many who felt that the KING was not being punished for his aggression.  They were pulled back to Alula Australis in 3139 after the raiding died down, where they remain in a position to either respond to fresh attacks along the Principate border or to rush towards the Imperial frontier.

The unit uses the Dragoon Brigade insignia with a white "8".  Occasionally the seal is bordered in crimson when placed upon machines.


Officers
Colonel Fisher is not a happy man.  A Nagelring graduate and heir to the Landgraf von Heidelberg on Eidsfoss, Lord Wendell has spent much of his career in the Royal units, including lance and company commands in the Third Royal Guards.  But his conduct has gained him the ire of many in the AFRF, with poor command performance reviews from superiors for mistreatment of commoner subordinates, exceeding regulations on the rights of the nobility in service, and irregularities in his unit's petty funds and support accounts.  MCIS investigations have not yet found direct evidence of criminal activity, but the cloud over Fisher undoubtedly contributed to his shunting to the command of the Eighth Dragoons in 3141.  This has not done the Eighth any favors, as the unit is a difficult command for many and Fisher's attitudes have only exacerbated problems.  Worse is the unit's assignment, as Alula Australis is a planet with communal government and no recognition nor social acceptance of nobility.  With no fellow nobles to socialize with on-world and a unit of "the most violent and savage bastards the service will tolerate" (in Fisher's own words from a memo recently taken by MCIS investigators), Fisher is becoming increasingly unreliable and Lt. Colonel Graham has had to take over more of the Eighth's daily operations.

Tactics
The nature of the Eighth's makes them a ruthless foe on the battlefield.  Whether on the attack or defense, they are prodigious with their weapons fire.

8th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Questionable/E)
CO: Colonel Lord Wendell Fisher
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel John Roland
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Frederick Wahlgren
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Francis Johnson
 Support Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Teresa Graham
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Adewale Goldsmith



9th Dragoons: The Lion Tamers

Founded in the Terran War from survivors of the Concord and McAffe militias, the Ninth would distinguish themselves during the relief of New Olympia, relieving the position of Tabot's Brigade outside Darienbad by smashing through the lines of the Terran 224th Royal BattleMech Regiment, one of the noted (and notorious) "Lions Brigade".  A sympathetic press release dubbed the Ninth "the Lion Tamers" due to their victory over a foe with such an edge in firepower, creating a nickname that has stuck.

While their first great action was done as allies of the IOCF, the Ninth's career has been primarily in conflict with the Oriento-Capellan forces they once aided.  They were involved in the failed invasion of New Olympia in 3064 and it may have even been a MechWarrior of the Ninth who fired the fatal shot that killed Prince-Imperial Alexander Halas-Liao in the fighting near Darienbad (analysis of battleROMs is inconclusive).  The Order of the Rose would avenge the fallen heir months later on Atreus, virtually destroying the Ninth Dragoons outside Corin.  The unit would be reconstituted and go on to serve through the Fourth Succession War, ending the conflict fighting on Sirius as flank support for the Proctor Heavy Guards.  They would return during Operation MORNING STAR in 3123, where one third of the unit was lost to aerospace interception in orbit.

Once more rebuilt, the Ninth remains one of the steady workhorse formations of the AFRF.  After spending years on the Imperial border, they were relocated to the Donegal Theater in 3140 as part of a reorganization, and have spent the time since posted on the march capital of Arc-Royal.  Access to the Kells' 'Mech production and joint training wiith the famed Kell Hounds has kept the Ninth's combat readiness to a keen edge.

The unit's standard insignia is the Dragoon Brigade insignia with a white "9".  A common, if unofficial, alteration is to replace the horse with a lion.



Officers
Colonel French is one of the AFRF's less-ambitious officers, maintaining a steady but not swift rise through the ranks that typically sees her kept at rank to the very edge of AFRF practice.  Her repeated promotions despite not standing out or pushing her candidacy for higher commands is undoubtedly due to her steady, if not exceptional, performance evaluations, and her assignment to command a Dragoon regiment was undoubtedly to keep her active in service at her proper rank more than any merit or lack thereof.  One of the harsher reviews of French during her Colonelcy Board consideration came from her former regimental CO in the Fourteenth Donegal Guards: "This officer, while not terrible, can be said to have simply not reached her level of incompetence."  French does seem aware of her reputation and is open about accepting criticism and advice from peers, subordinates, and superiors alike, an attitude that has won her some attention and support from Archduke Ethan Kell.


Tactics
The Ninth have shown a recent propensity to emulate the rapid engagement tactics of the Kell Hounds. They train frequently alongside the Second Regiment of the Kell Hounds as part of the AFRF's standing agreement with the Kells.


9th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Pauline French
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Quentin Daley
 Armored Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Pərviz Qurbanov
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Richard Jones
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Harold Tillman
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Patrick Hill
While most of their gear is standard for the Dragoons, a number of newer designs have been percolating into the Ninth's ranks, including an entire lance of Warhound OmniMechs.



10th Dragoons: Legions' Bane

The Tenth Dragoons were founded during the Terran War and enjoyed a respectable combat record through the following forty years of existence.  It was during the Dominate War that they would finally stand out amongst the Brigade.  Rushed to assist in the defense of Zvolen and the valuable aerospace factories located on-world, the Tenth was not expected to do more than delay Scipio's invasion forces.  But for the duration of the fighting, from 3098 all the way to their relief in January 3100, the Tenth Dragoons managed to prevent the fall of Zvolen and bedevil Scipio's forces all the while, meeting and besting in various engagements elements of no less than four specific legions, including Scipio's prized XII Legio when he sent their III Cohors to "liquidate the insurgency of Zvolen".  Employing hit-and-run tactics, closed terrain defensive positions, and shifting HQ posts, the Tenth would become the epitome of the AFRF's defiant resilience against the onslaught and gained the name they have known since: "the Legions' Bane".

Nearly shattered twice in the hard fighting of the Fourth Succession War, the Tenth's recent fame and ability to remain a coherent formation saved them from amalgamation to a more intact unit following the Peace of Dieron.  They were deployed to Shionoha in defensive support of SOVEREIGN SON in 3134 and would repulse a terror attack by the Sixth Tok Do Regulars in 3136.  In 3139 they were assigned as support to the relief of Freedom and fought several pursuit battles against the retreating Second Sword of Light.  The following year they rotated back to the Arcadia Theater, where they were assigned to the resettled world of Duantia to protect the colonies slowly rebuilding the planet's biosphere from First Succession War-era damage.

The unit insignia is the numeral "10" on the Dragoon Brigade emblem.  Since Zvolen, the unit typically adds Roman-style victory laurels when they depict the emblem on their machines.


Officers
Colonel Wallace is an older Succession War veteran who has served in administration for most of his career.  He won command of the Tenth in 3140 by dint of seniority and finishing command courses at Ayrshire.  There is some concern about his suitability as a command commander and the assignment is seen as a chance to gauge his capability.

Lieutenant Colonel O'Brien, commander of the MechWarriors of the regiment, is the younger daughter of Count O'Brien of Eire, making her a fairly-high ranking member of the McAffe and thus old Free March nobility.  An Ayrshire graduate, she was sent to the Tenth after service with the Proctor Heavy Guards to prepare her for a higher command position due to her high performance evaluations.  Her father is said to have protested the assignment as an insult, but all indications are that Colonel O'Brien is taking to the Tenth's culture and style, even considering asking for consideration to be made XO when Colonel McMasters' scheduled promotion comes through in 3143.


Tactics
The Tenth have perfected the hit-and-run tactics that bedeviled the legions of Scipio, preferring lighter machines to maintain a speed advantage while their remaining heavy elements are typically employed for ambushes and fighting retreats.


10th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Donald Wallace
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Lady Meghan O'Brien
 Armored Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Paul McMasters
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Jubal Arnolds
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ronald Eckstein
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Natalie Winthrop