Vxheous Kerensky, on 01 May 2015 - 07:14 AM, said:
Wolf's Dragoons did not go rogue per se, they were ordered by the Khan of Clan Wolf at the time (Khan Kerlin Ward) to refuse any order originating from the Clans except for his own, and to prepare the IS for the eventual Clan invasion. The Khan of a Clan is the embodiment of the will of the Clan (Clan Wolf) and thus Wolf's Dragoons fulfilled the wlll of their clan (Clan Wolf) by resisting the Clan invasion. Note that Wolf's Dragoons did not fight Clan Wolf during the invasion, they and the Kell Hounds were dropped on Luthien to resist the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats.
Also, an untold number of Wolfs Dragoons returned to their parent clans for the invasion. We all know Natasha Kerensky returned and became even more famous (or infamous) for doing so, but we don't know who else returned and to which clans they returned to. The Inner Sphere is vast, where trillions of humans live on thousands of planets and in space. To think that the lore covers all of everything is silly. I recently posted in Facebook a little story of the Finnish soldiers who fought with the Germans between the Winter War and the Continuation War. How many people in the forums here even know what I'm talking about? Finns in the Waffen SS? Finns that were SO VALUABLE to the Germans that they never even had to take the Fuhrer Oath and subscribe to {Godwin's Law} stuff? Finns so valuable, they were able to dictate the terms of their contract with Germany (the refused to fight against anyone but the Russians). They kicked arse everywhere they went. But how many people know of these 1400-ish men and their story? We might here of famous examples in history, but we don't hear the whole story without digging deeper. The novels only skim the surface of Battletech lore/history. Do you guys really think Task Force Serpent REALLY wiped out the ENTIRETY of Clan Smoke Jaguar? That's absurd too, though, like the Knights Templar in World History, they were considered wiped out and gone. Other historians theorize that the Knights Templar, in exile from the Roman Catholic world went on to help Robert the Bruce fight for independence AND their own freedom by providing the heavy cavalry, mailed knights and the know how to kick British arse and secure their lives, even if they could not advertise they were Knights Templar.
And so, the Devil Dogs, part of Wolfs Dragoons in our lore, believed that it was necessary for the Wardens to win the Battle of Tukayyid. That Comstar and the Blakists are the Devil Dogs traditional enemy, we were compelled to side with Clan Wolf, from which many of our ranks were born - free or trueborn. I myself am Smoke Jaguar, but my loyalty is now to a higher calling. The Devil Dogs have no nation, but we fight to rid the world of darker forces than Clan and House politicians. Our Nova Cat mystics have foreseen that to allow Comstar to win would give the Blakists enough confidence to foment a great jihad within the inner sphere if ever allowed to feel so superior and confident. We hope to have ended that threat.
So, why do people fight? We had lore reasons to fight on Tukayyid, as we'd been fighting the Blakists for many years even before the Clan Invasion began. I cannot speak for mercenary units that fight purely for the C-Bills, nor on the lore of any other unit. But the Devil Dogs fought the good fight, along with the 57th Squadron of the Wolfs Dragoons. Loyalty to flags is fine and all, but when you know the TRUTH, it is better to get the flags out of your face and fight the real evils of the world. If we don't, than who will?
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