22nd Skye Rangers

History

The Twenty-second Skye Rangers were stationed on Tsukude in 2765. They took up station there after the 21st Skye Rangers were involved in heavy fighting with two Draconis Combine regiments.

Succession Wars

In 3013 the Twenty-second tried to defend diamond storehouse from a raid by the Ninth Rasalhague Regulars. They were unsuccessful, and the Regulars made off with large amounts of diamonds for use in 'Mech armor.

As of 3025, the green-ranked unit was stationed on Fatima. In 3027 newly-graduated Thomas Hogarth would be posted to the Twenty-second CO's command staff.

During the Fourth Succession War the Twenty-second Skye Rangers successfully captured the Draconis Combine-held worlds of Al Hillah on its own during the first wave of Operation Götterdämmerung, later joining the 3rd Donegal Guards and 4th Lyran Regulars to capture Grumium in the follow-up wave.

War of 3039 to Falcon Incursion

Its loyalty to Tharkad regarded questionably by the LCAF High Command following the Fourth Succession War, the Twenty-second Skye Rangers were not slated for offensive operations during the War of 3039, remaining stationed on Fatima during the bulk of the conflict. After local pirates and slavers took advantage of the redeployment of other Lyran units from the Commonwealth's Periphery border to the Combine front to repeatedly raid the world of Engadine, the LCAF responded by transferring the Twenty-second to the planet, serving as a focal point for the defense of the region. Never a strong unit, the Twenty-second struggled to improve upon its general level of experience against the scattered low level pirate raiders it encountered, hampered by the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth and later Lyran Alliance Armed Forces using the Twenty-second as a sink unit and assigned their malcontents to the regiment.

While many observers expected the Twenty-second to fold easily when the Jade Falcons attacked the world in 3058, but instead they fought well, holding the Falcons off for six days. They were poised to push the Second Falcon Jaegers off the world when the Seventh Falcon Regulars dropped behind them. Though eventually defeated the Falcons were so impressed that they took the survivors as bondsmen. After the withdrawal from Coventry these bondsmen were released and returned to the Alliance.

To rebuild the unit, the LAAF High Command decided to merge the survivors of the Tenth Skye Rangers, destroyed during the Falcon invasion of Coventry, with the survivors of the Twenty-second. While officially the LAAF choose to retain the Twenty-second over the more prestigious Tenth was because of the green unit's intact command staff, observers from Free Skye have pointed out the decision was an attempt by Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion to bury the fact that elements of the Tenth were involved in Victor Steiner-Davion's successful ejection of the Jade Falcon's from Coventry.This allowed the regiment to rebuild quickly, but integration issues troubled the unit.

FedCom Civil War

The Twenty-second spent most of the FedCom Civil War moving towards Skye. In the first wave they moved to Miquelon. They then moved to Krievci before landing on Cameron in the third wave. In 3065 the Fourth Skye Rangers tried to conquer the important industrial world of Hesperus II, alongside the Seventeenth Skye Rangers, the Twenty-second Skye Rangers and the Thirty-second Lyran Guards, but were beaten back by the Gray Death Legion, Fifteenth Lyran Guards and 36th Skye Guards. The Skye forces had to retreat.

The Jihad

In September 3073 the Fifty-second Shadow Division attacked Caledonia, wiping out the defending Twenty-second Rangers; according to intelligence obtained by the Draconis Combine noble Chandrasekhar Kurita, famed for his espionage network, the Fifty-second specifically hunted down and killed every single member of the Twenty-second during the attack.

Officers

In 3025 the unit was commanded by Colonel Ivan Petroff.

As of 3062 the commanding officer is Colonel Francisco de Argall. He was also in command during the 3058 Falcon Incursion.

Tactics

They prefer surprise attacks. Contrary to most other lyran units, they have a lot of light Mechs.

Composition History

2765

Twenty-second Skye Rangers (Regular/Fanatical)

3025

Twenty-second Skye Rangers (Green/Reliable)

• CO: Colonel Ivan Petroff

3040

Twenty-second Skye Rangers (Green/Questionable)

3054

Twenty-second Skye Rangers (Green/Questionable)

• CO: Leftenant General Francisco de Argall

3062

Twenty-second Skye Rangers (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

• CO: Colonel Francisco de Argall

• Aide: Lieutenant-Colonel Don Nix

Twenty-second Skye Air Wing (2 Squadrons/Regular/Questionable)

• CO: Kaptain Paulo Velisarios

Notes

For the attack on Hesperus II in 3065, they were equipped with 3 Overlord-class DropShips.

Bibliography

• 20 Year Update
• FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: Lyran Alliance
• Field Report 2765: LCAF
• Historical: War of 3039
• House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3076
• Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers
• Objective Raids
• Operational Turning Points: Falcon Incursion
• The Dying Time (novel)
• Technical Readout: 3025 Revised