18 replies to this topic

[Will9761]

In battletech, there were always factions that became powerhouses, either through conquest or alliances. From that rose foreign legions, who would fight for the Inner Sphere or Clans. It is noted that some clans capture bondsman for isorla, but give them lesser ranks. While others are minor powers with alliances. But, I'm not sure that you can call a Mercenary Unit a foreign legion, since they only fight for money.

Here are some of the Foreign Legions of each faction:

Federated Commonwealth
Steiner and Davion assets has been mixed to each other territory. So they are like a foreign legion in a way.

Draconis Combine
Clan Nova Cat- Became a Foreign Legion after they defected to the Inner Sphere.

Clan Ghost Bear
Free Rasalhague Republic-Though it was a minor power, it became a foreign legion after its capture by Clan Ghost Bear. The Bear Khans made units based on captured Rasalhague soldiers to reconcile them.

Arc-Royal Defense Cordon(Lyran half of the Commonwealth)
Clan Wolf in Exile- During the aftermath of the Refusal War, the Exiled Wolves left to Arc-Royal accompanied by Khan Phelan Kell.

Free Worlds League
Spirit Cats- Became part of Jessica Marik's Operation Homecoming and became part of the Clan Protectorate
Clan Sea Fox- Same as the Spirit Cats

Edited by Will9761, 30 December 2013 - 05:36 PM.

[CyclonerM]

Will9761, on 30 December 2013 - 08:03 AM, said:

In battletech, there were always factions that became powerhouses, either through conquest or alliances. From that rose foreign legions, who would fight for the Inner Sphere or Clans. It is noted that some clans capture bondsman for isorla, but give them lesser ranks. While others are minor powers with alliances. But, I'm not sure that you can call a Mercenary Unit a foreign legion, since they only fight for money.

Here are some of the Foreign Legions I know for each faction:

Federated Commonwealth
Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth assets can be traded to eachother. So they are like a foreign legion in a way.

Draconis Combine
Arkab Legion- Became a Foreign Legion after the Combine succumbed to a virus on Arkab, they were even allowed not to use the Kurita logo.
Clan Nova Cat- Became a Foreign Legion after they defected to the Inner Sphere.

Clan Ghost Bear
Free Rasalhague Republic-Though it was a minor power, it became a foreign legion after its capture by Clan Ghost Bear. The Bear Khans made units based on captured Rasalhague soldiers to reconcile them.

Does anyone else know of any other factions who became a foreign legion to another faction?

Clan Wolf in Exile with Lyran Alliace?

[Will9761]

I think it was the ARDC with the Exiled Wolves though.

[Kenyon Burguess]

nova cats traded local firepower for a place to live in kuritan space, then stone, and finally in marik.

[Will9761]

The aftermath that followed was that, Stone had disappeared for some reason, the Nova Cats died at the hands of their Kurita allies. The Spirit Cats were born and Clan Sea Fox (formally known as Clan Diamond Shark) became a foreign legion with the creation of the Clan Protectorate.

[Abivard]

Not one of your examples fits the notion of a foreign legion. Instead most are what would be called rogue or renegade units. While a couple others appear to be semi-autonomous Military units. Some are just mercs.

[Lord Ikka]

The Arkab Legions aren't Foreign Legions. Arkab was given a limited-autonomous status by the Combine in return for loyalty and service, and allowed to raise three regiments worth of Medium/Light Mechs. The Arkab citizens are full citizens of the Draconis Combine- a Foreign Legion is by definition filled with mainly foreigners.

[Will9761]

Well, I was trying to say that some of the smaller factions acted like a foreign legion or had qualities of such.

Edited by Will9761, 30 December 2013 - 05:17 PM.

[Alexander Steel]

Yeah Clan Wolf in Exile joined the Kell Hounds, not House Steiner as Katherine Steiner-Davion was responsible for blowing up the Phelan's Mom. To the point when Phelan saw her again he pinned her against a wall and would have strangled her to death if the other people in the room didn't convince him to stop.

[wanderer]

Capellans have a system that often takes mercs and turns them into regular units (in a friendly manner, vs. the Kuritan "company store" system that was common prior to the Clans). McCarron's Armored Calvary is the most notable example, but other units follow along as Citizens Honored brigades- a formalization of the relationship these units had with Liao that stretched back to before the 4th Succession War.

[_Comrade_]

I don't really like the dark age novels like most BT fans. But i do think that it's cool that sea fox/diamond shark becomes interstellar merchant nomads, living and trading out of their ships

[Hayden]

The St. Ives Compact traditionally hosted various 'mech regiments from the Federated Commonwealth on a rotating basis, but two fairly permanent fixtures were the 14th Donegal Guards (on Taga) and 7th Fed Com RCT (on Nashuar), both of which were stationed on their respective St. Ives worlds for much of the 50s. The Federated Commonwealth even issued a decoration for personnel deployed in defense of St. Ives, the St. Ives Diamond.

FM: Federated Suns describes the medal:
The Diamond has become one of the more commonly presented awards in the AFFC, as the Capellan Confederation has attacked the St. Ives Compact numerous times over the past three decades. The St. Ives Diamond is a diamond-shaped silver medallion inset with eighteen small emeralds, representing the worlds of the compact.

NOTE: The compact has 17 worlds. Spica confuses a lot of people.

[Darth Buddha]

http://www.sarna.net...n_%28Brigade%29

The Shin were a Liao Regiment... But we now follow the dragon,,,

[wanderer]

Darth Buddha, on 23 June 2014 - 09:23 AM, said:

http://www.sarna.net...n_%28Brigade%29

The Shin were a Liao Regiment... But we now follow the dragon,,,

..until 3061, where after being treated like disposable garbage, the Chancellor offered his merciful hand and accepted the Shin Legion back without any punishment whatsoever. In 3071, they die as honorable Capellans after fighting the Davion scum and then being bombarded by asteroids by the Blakists. Yes, the Word of Blake had to drop giant space rocks from orbit to exterminate them, fearing what might happen if they even fought the tattered remnants of what was once three great regiments.

[Darth Buddha]

wanderer, on 30 June 2014 - 12:01 AM, said:

..until 3061, where after being treated like disposable garbage, the Chancellor offered his merciful hand and accepted the Shin Legion back without any punishment whatsoever. In 3071, they die as honorable Capellans after fighting the Davion scum and then being bombarded by asteroids by the Blakists. Yes, the Word of Blake had to drop giant space rocks from orbit to exterminate them, fearing what might happen if they even fought the tattered remnants of what was once three great regiments.

Yea We get around...

[Arcainite]

wanderer, on 30 June 2014 - 12:01 AM, said:

..until 3061, where after being treated like disposable garbage, the Chancellor offered his merciful hand and accepted the Shin Legion back without any punishment whatsoever. In 3071, they die as honorable Capellans after fighting the Davion scum and then being bombarded by asteroids by the Blakists. Yes, the Word of Blake had to drop giant space rocks from orbit to exterminate them, fearing what might happen if they even fought the tattered remnants of what was once three great regiments.

The writers were such Davion fanboys that it turned everyone against Davion. I find this amusing.

[Darth Buddha]

It is kinda a badge of Honor that they had to throw rocks at us... makes me feel warm inside..

[Kyone Akashi]

Will9761, on 30 December 2013 - 01:41 PM, said:

The aftermath that followed was that, Stone had disappeared for some reason, the Nova Cats died at the hands of their Kurita allies.

Alongside their Kurita allies, you mean.

The Nova Cats sided with Tai-shu Tormark and Emi Kurita in a short civil war of the Dieron Military District against Coordinator Yori Kurita and her coterie of conspirators over the succession of the Chrysanthemum Throne. Unfortunately, General Tormark and her forces lost, and the Nova Cats were amongst those who had to pay the price for siding with the rebels.

Lord Ikka, on 30 December 2013 - 03:36 PM, said:

The Arkab Legions aren't Foreign Legions. Arkab was given a limited-autonomous status by the Combine in return for loyalty and service, and allowed to raise three regiments worth of Medium/Light Mechs. The Arkab citizens are full citizens of the Draconis Combine- a Foreign Legion is by definition filled with mainly foreigners.

Apologies, but I am not sure this is correct.

"In 2516, an Azami delegation arrived on Luthien. In return for formal autonomy, they agreed to allow Kurita exploitation of their mineral resources, to act as border units for the Draconis military, and to serve when required as cross-border raiders, with their Kurita-provided light and medium 'mechs travelling in Kurita Jump- and DropShips."
- Handbook : House Kurita, p119

The Arkab Legions are not required to bear the Kurita crest on their 'mechs, and their policies are set by the Arkab Military Board rather than the DCMS. The Azami as a whole seem more like allies rather than subjects, especially given how loosely the Combine has enforced the Dictum Honorum when dealing with them. As such, the Arkab Legions might be a valid example of a "Kurita Foreign Legion" after all.

The already-mentioned Shin Legion is a much more obvious case, however.

Edited by Kyone Akashi, 15 November 2014 - 08:47 PM.

[Rear Admiral Tier 6]

Only remotely similar in my opinion as French Foreign Legion is the McCarron Armored Cavalry,since it is part of the standing military of House Liao and still recruits in similar fashion as the merc units.