Official Forces
1st Battalion, Hearth Guard
The Hearth Guard name was originally attributed to the Blackthornes Dragoons entire Battlemech division. It stems from the unit typically seeing action as a defensive force. As the castle on Alhena where the Blackthornes were stationed had become known as Tarasque's Hearth, it seemed only natural that for the most powerful arm of this military to be known as it's Guards.
2nd Battalion, Widowmakers
After the escape from Alhena, Captain Flick of the Psycho Spiders was promoted to Major in a rare majority vote, rather than from a superior. Though originally the Spiders were intended to only be of company strength, efforts were made to expand the unit into a full battalion as resources became available. Rather than keep their original name, the Psycho Spiders designation would remain only with the lead lance, while the battalion would become known as the Widowmakers. Unlike the 1st Battalion, the group is well known for its constant state of flux. Very rarely has it ever operated at exactly full Battalion strength, and it is not uncommon for the unit to find itself a few odd extra or deficit. Likewise, the names of the subsequent lances within the 2nd Battalion have changed over the years, with the exception of only the Psycho Spiders, who have always remaind as the lead unit in honor of the group's founders and inspiration.
3rd Battalion - Coming Soon
Unofficial Factions
Old Guard
This designation is only held within the division by those who are no longer in the active mercenary squad. The reasons for their 'limbo-like' status have become varied, but this was originally a temporary assignment given to all veterans who were considered too shell-shocked by the fallout of the Schism. Since then, the designation as been given to any and all officers who remain in good standing, but no longer serve on active duty. They are loosely considered as part of all battalions, though many personally only associate themselves with the original group they were assigned. The pilot's former rank has even less defined, as some have been known to retake command, while others have instead chosen to follow their juniors' orders during missions.
Heart Guard
The name for a band of pirates that raided along the periphery of the FWL and Magistracy borders. Based on the planet Ceara, the group was slowly bled dry of resources in an aggressive game of attrition by Blackthornes Dragoons. BTD continued to rebuild its ranks by offering captured pilots the option to serve their sentence within BTD's ranks on a provisional basis. Some of these pilots, such as Hybridtheory, would remain on to eventually even hold officer rankings within the unit. Today the group is still informally held within BTD, but only serving as another 'bloodline' through which the group recruits.
Well-Known Units
'Hammer' Company (Star League Era)
'Striker' Company (Star League Era)
'Broadsword' Company (Star League Era)
ThingGumMaJig
