Davion Heavy Guards History

 

 

Created in 2642, the Davion Heavy Guards were the seventh unit to belong to the Brigade. Commissioned during the "Century of Peace" the Heavy Guards were soon chosen to garrison New Avalon. But more importantly the Heavy Guards were also to be ready, at a moment’s notice, to deploy anywhere in the Federated Suns to bolster key defenses or to repel any invaders. During these early years of our history peace was the order of the day. The Star League was a dream for mankind and a dream worth keeping. Our first true call to action did not come until 2725, when Mary Davion-Kurita oldest son, Vincent Kurita, would press his claim to the throne. Later history would call this time the War of Davion Succession. Others would say it was the beginning of the end for the Star League.

 

The Draconis Combine, lead by Coordinator Takiro Kurita, attacked the world of Marduk in an attempt to force their claim to the Davion throne. Soon the clash over the world Marduk would become a full-scale invasion by the forces of the Dragon. Not prepared for this invasion, the Federated Suns, and the Heavy Guards, was repeatedly thrown from world after world. The shear number of troops that the Kurita’s had thrown into the invasion raised serious doubts as to where all those troops where coming from so suddenly. (It was later learned that they had been violating the Cameron Edict of 2650, which limited house armies, for years) It was not until General Kessem reached the Combine world of Ludwig, threatening to cut off the Kurita advance that the “Army of the Crucis” finally got some breathing space. It was during this time that the forces of the Federated Suns rallied and began to take back worlds from the Dragon, with the Heavy Guards in the lead. Wanting to stop the invasion and put the Dragon on the defensive, General Kessem began to fight his way to meet up with Prince Joseph force. Both forces met on the planet Royal in 2729. The Combine army had not expected both forces to suddenly merge, and were thrown into disarray. In an impulsive moment, the Prince opted to lead the forces on Royal personally from his Marauder. It was a decision that would cost him his life and threatened to cost us the war. The Princes Mech was disabled in the fight, and a malfunctioning escape mechanism trapped Prince Joseph inside his Mech, and the Kuritans closed in and killed him. With the Princes death all Davion troops retreated from Royal. It was at this critical moment the Star League chose to honor its promise to help the Davions in the advent of a Kurita invasion. The Star League Regular Army arrived at Royal and imposed a cease-fire. The war was over and all Davion units now began the process of rebuilding. The Heavy Guards returned to New Avalon more determined than ever to never again allow a foreign power to do what House Kurita had done. Unfortunately history would show these plans to be ineffective.

 

For the next thirteen years the Heavy Guards prepared for what their Prince thought might happen, the end of the Star League. A militia system was created on all worlds, and the entire Federated Suns military was expanded, but never in violation if the word of the Edict of 2650. Then in 2743 the First Lord of the Star League was killed in a freak accident while inspecting a mining facility. In an unprecedented show if faith in the Star League, newly christened Prince John Davion argued for, and won, the support of his fellow Council Lords to appoint General Aeksandr Kerensky, then commander of the Star League Army, as Regent and Protector until the young First Lord (then 8 years old) reached his majority at age 18. During the Regency years Prince John was a strong supporter of General Kerensky’s initiatives as Protector and Regent. It was during the Regency that our Prince could see the beginning of the end. The last straw was the passing of the Periphery taxation act, which our Prince opposed to the end. Then starting in 2758, the Capellan Confederation forces began to harass mercantile interests along the border. This continued until 2760, when the Prince finally felt obliged to muster a force of Household troops for a strike into Capellan space. The Heavy Guards were assigned the world of Wei to take in the mane of the Federated Suns. The invasion lasted for two years and ended with the withdraw from Wei and Tsamma, as the Prince now had more pressing matters to attend, Richard Cameron had come of age.

 

The new First Lord had passed Executive Order 156, calling for the disbanding of all the House armies. Once the Council Lords were all on Terra, Prince john rose to talk to the new young First Lord. In an eloquent speech, he admitted that an ideal League would eliminate the House Armies that could create such internal disputes as the Kurita attack on his own realm 40 years earlier. In an ideal universe, all six Houses would be united under the banner of the Star League Regular Army. He went on to say, however, that the Star League was a voluntary association of sovereign states created to promote cooperation and discourage needless conflicts. The Star League had specifically left domestic policy- including defense – in the hands of the member states, and it had no right to encroach on the sovereign rights of any member now. Prince John further maintained that each state in the League needed its own armed forces for protection in case a tyrant ascended to the throne of First Lord. The Executive Order was repealed, and the Council Lords minds were only briefly put at ease. The Brigade was put on a high state of alert in preparation for any new trouble from the new First Lord or its neighbors, but nothing ever happened. Then in 2765, the periphery again erupted in rebellion. The entire Federated Suns Armed Forces were put on high alert, and the Heavy Guards were began preparing for a Taurian assault on the rimward portion of the Federated Suns. But the Star League Regular Army rapidly moved to put down this uprising. By the end of 2767 almost 75 percent of the Regular Army was in the periphery fighting the rebellion. Then the unthinkable happened, the leader of the Rim Worlds Republic, Stefan Amaris, assassinated the First Lord.

 

General Kerensky immediately recalled all of the Star League Army from the periphery and began the process of retaking the Terran Hegemony. It was during this time that the Heavy Guards were released to General Kerensky to help train replacements needed to keep the Star League Armies manpower strength up. When General Kerensky began to retake worlds from the Usurper the Heavy Guards would follow behind and garrison worlds that the Regular Army had vacated. We would provide humanitarian relief and protect the populace from renegade Rim World Republic troops. Once the Terran Hegemony was free of the Usurper, the Heavy Guards returned to New Avalon while the Council Lords met on Terra to discuss the new situation. Prince John returned to New Avalon and began preparations for war after the failed Council meetings. It wasn’t until the departure of General Kerensky in 2784 that war finally broke out, and once again the Federated Suns was caught off guard. On May 1^st, 2787, the Draconis Combine military poured across the border to attack the Federated Suns.

 

Once again the Federated Suns were on the defensive and the Heavy guards were called into action. Unfortunately the Federated Suns had been preparing to attack the Capellan Confederation, and were completely out of position to respond effectively to the Dragons advances. The best the Heavy Guards could do was fight delaying actions until the Davion military could organize and respond. But this was not enough. So many units had fallen of been mauled that even the entire Brigade of Guards could not stem the tide. World after world fell and the Heavy Guards were almost reduced to a ghost of their former selves. Then a miracle happened. A sniper had killed the Coordinator of the Combine on a world called Kentares IV. The Combine military, in a fit of rage had tried to slaughter the entire population of the planet. Soon the cry of “Remember Kentares” was being shouted throughout the Federated Suns. Davion troops everywhere were rallying and throwing back the invaders. The Heavy Guards and the entire Brigade was now able to redeem their losses in the eyes of their Prince and nation. The invasion ended in 2818 with the Dragon being routed to near the original border. The Heavy Guards and many heavily damaged units were rotated to the rear to rebuild and re-supply. For now the Federated Suns had survived, but peace was a long ways off.

 

By 2825 the war was heating up again, and the Heavy Guards were itching for some action. Striking deep behind enemy lines at planets with supply warehouses, we were able to tie up several key regiments. This enabled the Federated Suns forces to take the worlds of Demeter, Algot, Velexa and Ulan Batar. The Princes attention was turned back to the Draconis Combine 2840. The Dragon had launched a series of attacks that had almost cost the Federated Suns the worlds of Tancredi, Anguilla, and Sturgis. Using the same trick that the Combine had used to mass troops on the Davion border in 2787, the Prince massed troops on Schedar. The Heavy Guards attacked Mallory’s World and after a savage battle managed to push the defenders off world and claim the planet in the name of the Federated Suns. The Heavy Guards then were ordered to Mara where they helped the 2^nd Davion Guards push the Kurita defenders there off that world. The war slowed with the death of Prince Paul of a heart attack in 2842, and did not pick up again until 2843. The Davion Heavy Guards were at the forefront of the war, leading the assaults on the worlds of  Hoan, Galatia III, Addicks and Errai. In early 2862 an assault on the planet St. Ives by the Davion Assault Guards had caught the Chancellor Dainmar Liao on the planet, resulting in the Liao suing for peace. By 2864, it looked as the war was once again slowing down. The Heavy Guards once again began to re-supply and refit the unit’s battalions. The many years of fighting had sapped the strength of the unit and it personnel. By the beginning or 2870 the Heavy Guards had replenished their ranks and spirits.

 

In 2876 Melissa Davion took command of the realm and army. In a move to keep regiments working together she ordered of the permanent creation of the Regimental Combat Teams around Battlemech regiments. The Heavy Guards welcomed this chance to keep the units attached to them. Working hard to overcome the inherent difficulties of working so closely with other support units, the Heavy Guards became an even deadlier force now. Unfortunately the Armistice of Van Diemen IV prevented the Heavy Guards from carrying the fight to the Capellan Confederation again. During this time Princess Melissa died from Joshallan Fever and the Heavy Guards would garrison New Avalon until 2928, when Prince Peter Davion called the Heavy Guards into action once again. Operation Rolands Horn had the Guards attacking the planet Ruchbah. The Heavy Guards landed almost unopposed and soon realized the defenders had abandon the planet. Similar results were found when the Guards landed on Fomalhaut and took that planet. Then the Heavy Guards were rapidly packed up and shipped to Lee in a very quiet operation and joined several other regiments and a large Aerospace Fighter force. The MI10 had discovered plans for the Confederations upcoming attack on the planet Lee and Prince Peter was planning a surprise for the invaders. When the battle was joined the Heavy Guards Aerospace Brigade was instrumental in repulsing the massed Confederation aerospace assault while the Heavy Guards Battlemech regiment and supporting units drove the Capellans off the planet below. That day later became known as “The Great Lee Turkey Shoot” because of the number of aerospace fighters the Capellans lost that day. After the last Capellan forces were destroyed the Heavy Guards joined the rest of the Brigade to accompany Prince Peter Davion on a tour of the newly recaptured planet of Breed. It was here that the Brigade suffered one of its darkest moments. Several traitorous Mechwarriors killed the Prince in an ambush. Andrew Davion, then a Major in the Heavy Guards, assumed the reins of rulership. Several Davion regiments refused to swear fealty to the new Prince due to the past “favoritism” shown to the aerospace branch in the past. Gathering the Brigade about him and a large Aerospace Fighter contingent, Prince Andrew swiftly and savagely attacked the mutineers. In the course of the campaign that cumulated in the destruction of the 2^nd Avalon Borderers on Deshler, all the rebellious Mechwarriors had either surrendered of had been killed in combat. Once again the Heavy Guards returned to New Avalon to rebuild and prepare for when their Prince would need them again.

 

The Heavy Guards would remain on New Avalon until 3014, when Prince Hanse Davion would lead the regiment on one of the most important missions of its history. MI10 had found out that the Draconis Combine on Halstead Station had discovered a Star League Era university housing a huge, unopened vault. Realizing the value of the vaults contents, the Prince gathered the entire RCT and went to Halstead Station to recover the vaults contents. Upon landing the Guards fought their way to the escavation site with their Prince in the lead. Smashing open the vault with his Battlemasters hands Prince Hanse discovered books. But not just any books, technical manuals on everything from metallurgy to zenobiology. Gathering up as many books as possible, and destroying what they could not carry, the entire RCT fought their way back to their dropships with the priceless cargo. (It was later learned that a sizeable portion of the vaults contents were not destroyed and the Draconis Combine recovered most of them) These books, known as the Halstead Collection, became the centerpieces of the new New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS) that was built on New Avalon over the next few years. The Heavy Guards once again was assigned to protect the Davion homeworld and capital of the Federated Suns. It would remain this way until 3028, when Hanse Davion married Melissa Steiner and launched his invasion of the Capellan Confederation.

 

On August 20^th, 3028, Prince Hanse Davion was married to Archon-designate Melissa Steiner of the Lyran Commonwealth. This marriage combined the two most powerful realms in the Inner Sphere. At the reception later that evening Melissa Steiner Gave her new husband “a regiment of ‘Mechs and the means to support them into perpetuity.” Prince Hanse Davion with a smile on his face, toasted his bride, saying the words “I give you the Capellan Confederation!” Thus started the 4^th Succession War. The Heavy Guards played a important part in the invasion, and the later ambush of a Capellan Counterattack designed to slow the invasion and give the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces time to regroup. During the First Wave of Operation Rat the Heavy Guards RCT were teamed up with the 20^th Avalon Hussars to capture the world of Styk. The world was the Confederations second largest production center, and also had the third largest ‘Mech production facility located there, Tao ‘MechWorks. Styk was defended by the Third Battalion of the Fourth Confederation Reserve Cavalry, and House Fujita. MIIO operatives destroyed several of the planets Air and Space Control Centers, which allowed both RCT to land amid only scattered Capellan aerospace fighter resistance. As the 20^th Avalon Hussars were destroying the Reserve Cavalry, the Heavy Guards engages the Elite warriors of House Fujita. The Heavy Guards manages to catch the infantry battalion of the elite force in a city and surrounded them. After a week of savage fighting, Elite Special Forces finally manages to eliminate the last of the infantry battalion. The Heavy Guards then turned their attention to the remaining half of House Fujita, the elite ‘Mech battalion. Once the Fujita warriors seen the demise of the infantry battalion they scattered into the surrounding countryside and adopted hit-and-run tactics. The Heavy Guards used their superior Aerospace Fighter forces to hunt down and corner the Fujita ‘Mechs. Field Marshal Ran Felsner, commander of the RCT, ordered his entire ‘Mech regiment and a tank regiment into the Dirbar Forest to destroy the cornered Fujita troops. Seeing they had no chance of survival, the Fujita troops retreated to a hidden Overlord dropship and lifted off the planet. As the dropship lifted off it exploded in a tremendous fireball. A MIIO operative had planted an explosive device in the dropships engineering section and the blast destroyed the retreating Capellan troops. Later that week the elite jump troops of the Heavy Guards prevented the militia troops from blowing up the Tao ‘MechWorks facility, and the planet surrendered. The hussars left an occupying force and the Heavy Guards lifted off for New Aragon to prepare for a trap designed to destroy more Capellan units. The Heavy Guards set up on New Aragon with the New Aragon Boarders, who returned from their successful Wave Two assault on the planet Hunan, and the fresh 1^st Ceti Hussars RCT from their garrison on the planet Nopah. As Wave Four of Operation Rat commenced, enemy units that were suppose to be present were no where to be found, and the Davion high Command guessed that Chancellor  Liao was about to launch his counteroffensive. Strict radio silence was ordered on all the Davion resupply worlds so as not to give away the trap. Each unit was assigned to protect one of the warehouses on the planet, and the Heavy Guards were assigned the Fort McMichael depot. The Heavy Guards waited in hiding as the as the Third Battalion of the First Chesterton Voltigeurs with two supporting heavy tank battalions advanced after their landing. As the light and medium ‘Mechs of the First Voltigeurs advanced they ran into two assault companies or the Heavy Guards. No match for the Davion machines, the Voltigeurs retreated, hoping to lure the advancing Davion ‘Mechs into an ambush by its heavy tank battalions. Just as the plan seemed to be working, both flanks of the Voltigeurs tank battalions erupted in fire as swift hovertanks from the Heavy Guards swept in to attack. At the same time twelve Davion Fighters began strafing runs on the Voltigeurs ‘Mechs. In a matter of moments the First Voltigeurs Third Battalion was shattered and they surrendered. In later days the Heavy Guards Aerospace Fighters Wings assisted the faltering Aragon Boarderers in repelling the First and Third Battalions of the Second Chesterton Voltigeurs from the Fort Ellison Depot. As Fort Ellison was secured, the Heavy Guards ‘Mech and support regiments joined with the Borderers to drive the Second Voltigeurs across the planet. As the Voltigeurs retreated they called for their dropships to come and pick them up. The dropships were jumped by no less than seven Fighter wings above New Aragon, three of which belonged to the Heavy Guards, and as the Voltigeurs witnessed the destruction of a landing dropship their will finally gave in, and they surrendered. The Heavy Guards replaced their meager losses and packed up to attack the world of Tsingtao in Wave Five, which was schedules to begin in late April of 3029. Tsingtao was protected by the Second Battalion of Hurloc’s Hussars and several regiments of militia. The Hussars did not oppose the Heavy Guards landing and used the planets heavy forests to protect them from the aerospace fighter wings of the Guards. Conducting hit and run raids on the advancing Heavy Guards did not slow the advance of the Davion force. In a surprise attack the Heavy Guards managed to capture both of the Hussars waiting dropships, sealing their fate. The Hussars then fought among themselves over what course of action to take, resulting in only nineteen ‘Mechs surviving to surrender with the remaining militia forces. Tsingtao was secure. Wave Six was scheduled to begin the second week of August, and the Heavy Guards were assigned to take the world of Truth. While only militia defended the planet, they were well trained. In fierce fighting the militia acquitted themselves well, but by the end of the second week a lack of supplies mad continued resistance futile and the militia surrendered. With the Comstar interdiction hampering the operation, Davion forces rushed to occupy worlds vacated by the Capellan Confederation brfore calling a halt to offensive operations. The Heavy Guards packed up once more to participate in Wave Seven, scheduled to begin in the third week in November. The Heavy Guards occupied Lesalles and protect it from any incursions by the Free World League. Here the Heavy Guards would remain for four years to protect what they had fought to gain. With the 4^th Succession War over, the Heavy Guards would once again return to New Avalon, except now they were returning to their Prince who now had an Heir! Victor Steiner-Davion had been born and the dream of a united Star League looked to be a reality with the birth of the Federated Commonwealth!

 

In the years of peace that followed the Fourth Succession War the Heavy Guards sent officer teams to many Lyran regiments and trained then in combined arms tactics. Many Lyran ‘Mech regiments were being formed into Regimental Combat Teams, and those regiments had to learn to fight together and put aside the bickering that plagued Lyran units. During this time the Heavy Guards slowly rebuilt their losses from the War and made the change over to the new Federated Commonwealth ranking system and uniforms. The Heavy Guards wore their new uniforms with pride, with many members fully expecting to see a new Star League with a Steiner-Davion at the helm before their death. Word came down the command that the Heavy Guards were once again to pack up for an offensive operation. Moving out, the Heavy Guards headed towards the Draconis Combine border to participate in the planned invasion. On April 18^th, the Heavy Guards attacked the world of Marduk, home of Norse BattleMech Works, and defended by the 17^th Benjamin Regulars. Fighting was fierce, but the Heavy Guards gained the upper hand early on, forcing the Regulars to retreat off world. Reports were coming in from all over the front. It looked like that Steiner-Davion assault had caught the Dragon napping and would enjoy the same success as Operation Rat in the 4^th Succession War. They could not be more wrong. Waiting for the order to move on to their next target world in Wave Two, scheduled to begin in late July, the Heavy Guards suddenly picked up messages of a counteroffensive that was thrusting deep into the Federated Suns! The Dragon had lulled the attackers into a trap, and the Steiner-Davion had fallen for it. The Heavy Guards immediately left Marduk and headed to Corydon to set up their to stop the Combine offense. But before they reached the world, the War of 3039 was over and the combatants could lick their wounds. The Heavy Guards returned to New Avalon to study what had went wrong and prepare for when their Prince would need them again. Little could any of them ever have realized that their next large battle would be AGAINST the lost descendants of the Star League Army.

 

In March of 3050 a mysterious attacker struck at the rim of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth. These strange attackers swept regiment after regiment gefore them like straw before the wind. It wasn’t until the Outreach Summit that all the Great house leaders learned of the true origins of the invaders and of the mysterious Wolf’s Dragoons. At the beginning of the invasion the Heavy Guards packed up and headed for the frontier to engage and hopefully defeat the mysterious invaders, but before they reached their station the ComGuards had fought the Clans and won a fifteen year truce known as the Truce of Tukayyid. The Heavy Guards took up station on the world of Fort Loudon, conducting raids on the Jade Falcon and Wolf Clans. Their orders was to recover as much salvage as possible so scientists of the NAIS could attempt to unlock the secrets of the Clans advanced ‘Mechs and construction techniques. It was during these raids that the Heavy Guards began to install refit kits into their ‘Mechs and began to receive new ‘Mech designs to test out against the Clans. After almost 4 years of constant raiding, the Heavy Guards were rotated back to New Avalon to rest and refit. While the years of raids had netted the unit many captured Clan units, it had also weakened the unit. Barely able to field two battalions of ‘Mechs and only half of their supporting regiments intact, the unit looked forward to this period of rest and relaxation. By the end of 3057 the Heavy Guards were once again combat ready, with many new and upgraded ‘Mechs filling its ranks. The Heavy Guards packed up and moved to the Draconis Combine as part of the reborn Star League Defense Force, where they would take the fight back to the Clans with the purpose of utterly destroying one entire Clan. The Smoke Jaguars would be the target, and everything depended on the success of their destruction. On May 15^th, the Heavy Guards sent one company of volunteers to recon the world of Asgard as part of Operation Bird Dog. Their mission was to cause as much confusion as possible by destroying communications, command and control centers and destroying any supply depots they could find. The rest of the RCT would follow on May 20^th with the Third Benjamin Regulars, the Third Proserpina Hussars and the 278^th ComGuard Division to liberate the world. The Guards and Comstar unit would secure key sites and stage recon patrols while the two Kurita units destroyed the Fourth Dragoons Cluster and the Epsilon Galaxy Command Trinary. The two Kurita units drove the Jaguar units before them, using the Heavy Guards RCT and ComGuard Division as the anvil to destroy them on. The Heavy Guards Third Company, Second Battalion was involved in the battle of Odin’s Retreat where the Epsilon Galaxy Command Trinary was destroyed. With the battle for Asgard won, the Heavy Guards repaired their units and prepared for their part in Wave Three of Operation Bulldog. On the 10^th of August the Heavy Guards RCT hit Schuyler with the most elite units in the invasion force. The 10^th Lyran Guards, 1^st Genyosha, 91^st ComGuard Division, 1^st St. Ives Lancers, and the 4^th Wolf Guards Assault Cluster. Arrayed against them were the 4^th and 12^th Jaguar Regulars and the Nu Galazy Command Trinary. While fighting was fierce, the Clan clusters were beaten back. The 91^st, 1^st St Ives and 4^th Wolf Guards pinned down the 12^th Jaguar Cluster while the Heavy Guards, 10^th Lyran and 1^st Genyosha went after the 4^th Jaguar Cluster. Despite chasing the Clan forces down and almost destroying them on several occasions, a significant portion of the Jaguar forces retreated off Schuyler. With the Jaguars in full retreat across their Occupation Zone, the Heavy Guards headed to the Combine world of Wolcott for repair and refit, while Wave Four commenced, before joining their Prince in his journey into the Periphery to destroy any remaining Jaguar forces. Once the Heavy Guards joined Prince Victor they learned that the Clans had not just retreated to the Periphery, but to back to the Clan homeworlds, where their presence would certainly spell doom for Task Force Serpent. Making a difficult decision, Prince Victor took the Periphery force, 15 ‘Mech regiments and two RCT’s strong, to go and save Task Force Serpent from the retreating forces. The force, including the Heavy Guards, arrived on Huntress just in time to save Task Force Serpent for certain destruction. The Guards then traveled with Prince Victor to Strana Mechty, where Star League forces won a series of battles that forever stopped the Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere. The was was over.

 

Upon returning to the Inner Sphere, the Heavy Guards took up their traditional post on New Avalon. But not all was as they had left it. Katherine Steiner-Davion had assumed the throne of the Federated Commonwealth in Prince Victors absence. While this action was totally illegal, Prince Victor did not want to see his realm torn apart by a civil war. Prince Victor in turn was appointed to command the new Star League Defense Force as its first Commanding General in almost 300 years! During this time the Heavy Guards rebuilt their strength. Unease with Katherines rule had turned ugly on many worlds in the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth alike. As Archon-Princess Katherine harshly silenced critics to her rule, the Heavy Guards began to rething their position on Katherine. She had illegally taken the realm from the true Archon-Prince and was now abusing her authority and people she was sworn to protect. The Heavy Guards, and indeed the entire Brigade of Guards, silently began to support a return of Prince Victor. To show our displeasure we have reverted to our old Federated Suns uniforms and ranks. This has not gone un-noticed though. We have been “exiled” from New Avalon and sent to garrison the world of Galax. We now openly support the return of Prince Victor, and our patience and loyality have paid off. On December 10^th of 3062 our Prince has returned to command us. We stand ready to back the rightful ruler of the Federated Commonwealth and Federated Suns with our lives. Long live the realm and long live the Prince!