In the years following the dissolution of the Oriente contract, Blackthornes Dragoons found themselves facing a slow extinction. Though they maintained the contract for Emris IV's continued defense, this would only cover one of the four company-strength groups that the corps had left after the battle on Salur. The remaining Hearth Guard filled this role nicely, leaving the victors of the battle suffocating under the weight of their own stellar success. Drastic measures had to be taken to prevent the group from going under. In the end each active battalion would field just one company of mechs, with the rest of the corps's assets being mothballed for a later date. A few would be even loaned out to such corporations as Oriente Weapon Works for study and experimentation. Lastly, the remaining Widowmaker company was further divided down by its three lances and sent into small time work, training local military forces from one planet to the next.
This setup remained in effect until the beginning of the Fourth Succession War in 3028.
Though reluctant to join the war actively, the FWLM worked diligently behind the scenes to make sure that it would have forces available to strike if and when the Captain-General ordered. The Blackthornes Dragoons, while now much too small to be considered a primary source for the frontlines, still sought for a contract with the FWLM. A proposal was made instead for the Dragoons to be moved to Dieudonne in mock secrecy and have the garrisoned force of Twenty-Fifth Marik Militia transferred to Emris IV under the belief of avoiding another issue like the Deep Raid on Ling. In reality, however, the mothballed assets were brought out and repainted to match with the Militia's standards, while the Hearth Guard and Widowmaker forces both proceeded with their transfer orders. It left Dieudonne in a risky position of being undergarrisoned but provided the FWLM with a full veteran unit at its disposal. Unfortunately, the plan did not take into account a mole for the Lyrans. The Dragoons were never challenged during this time, but the Twenty-Fifth met with heavy losses during its assault on Wyatt.
