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Once A Gambler, Always A Gambler...
The 12th Star Guards is a very large mercenary unit with a long history, dating from the Exodus in 2784. Along with the Eridani Light Horse, it is one of the oldest mercenary units in the Inner Sphere. The unit served admirably for its employers up to and including the time of the Clan Invasion, when the unit was effectively destroyed. The 12th Star Guards were created from regular Star League Defense Force units following Kerensky's Exodus. Two regiments of the SLDF - the 42nd Striker Regiment and the 10th Heavy Assault Regiment - chose not to follow General Kerensky and instead decided to band together and form a mercenary unit. Originally employed by the Capellan Confederation, it guarded twelve star systems and was called the 12 Stars Guards. Eventually, that evolved into the more recognized name for the unit, the 12th Star Guards.
The diorama shows a modified SHD-2H Shadow Hawk from the 1st Regiment of the 12th Star Guards in which ultimately became known as River's Gamblers stumbling on a long forgotten and combat crippled Draconis Combine Wasp rusting along the wall of the ridge. It was during this combat that the unit gained its infamous name. The facts have all been lost over the years but it’s rumored that members of 1st Company's Support Lance encountered an enemy Company on the move protecting a supply convoy moving much needed supplies to the front lines. Severely outnumbered and out gunned they bravely (or foolishly) engaged the enemy from the higher ground of the ridge line and used the dense forests along the supply lines to draw enemy fire slowing the convoy down just long enough to call in support fire from Long Tom Artillery to disable many of the vehicles. They drew the enemy Battlemechs into the dense woods where the Gamblers were able to use their Mechs' maneuverability and smoke from the forest fires to flank the enemy positions and with the help of the rest of 1st Company led by Colonel River ultimately destroyed them in the chaos. It happened to be a gamble that paid off in a big way. With enemy supplies cut off; the front lines fell and the 12th Star Guards were able to get quite a bit of salvage from the campaign which helped expand their forces. Unfortunately their luck eventually ran out during the Clan invasion against Jade Falcon in the years following 3050 which completely decimated the mercenary unit.
Edited by Thurston Bloodstone, 24 December 2012 - 04:51 PM.
