Bronson's Horde

Bronson's Horde
Formed	2869
Disbanded	3074
Affiliation	Mercenary
Parent Command	Independent

History

Bronson's Horde was formed in 2869 by Colonel William Bronson and other members of the Eridani Light Horse who believed that the former Star League unit should fully embrace the affluence of mercenary life. While in command of the Light Horse, Bronson had begun drifting away from that unit's traditional ideals of upholding Star League principles in favor of seeking personal riches and glory. This caused a substantial rift between his supporters and the overwhelming majority of the unit, who eventually abandoned the wayward colonel in the Free Worlds League. Left with just his immediate family and a few loyal lances of MechWarriors and support personnel, Bronson moved into the Periphery and began recruiting replacements from the pirates, outlaws, and outcasts there. These rough-around-the-edges dregs soon formed the core of the newly-established Bronson's Horde. Despite their suspect origins, Bronson's rigorous and merciless training program ensured that they maintained a high degree of competency, and earned the unit an impressive reputation during the Succession Wars.

In 2946, Commander Russel Bronson, who succeeded his father as commanding officer after his death, learned that the Eridani Light Horse had formed a base of operations on New Karlsruh and were currently rebuilding after taken losses from an extended campaign. Thinking to teach what he considered "deserters" a lesson, Bronson canceled his Horde's contract with the Federated Suns and traveled to the Light Horse homeworld to launch an immediate assault. While the surprise attack initially caught the Light Horse off guard, they were quickly able to respond to and contain the situation. As Bronson pressed towards the Light Horse command center, he neglected his flanks and was quickly cut off and outmaneuvered by the better trained Light Horse troops. The fight was brutal and cost the Horde over a regiment's worth of equipment, including Bronson's personal Cyclops 'Mech and all of their space assets. Their abandonment of contract and subsequent defeat greatly diminished their reputation as a mercenary force, and around another regiment's worth of MechWarriors left the unit for greener pastures. Though few reputable employers wished to sign the Horde after this black mark, the unit managed to find enough contracts to sustain itself. Instead of moving past the defeat, Bronson developed a hatred for the Eridani Light Horse, blaming them for all of the unit's misfortunes. This hatred was passed down through multiple generations of Bronson's Horde commanders and personnel, and continued well into the Clan Invasion. It was reported that when the 71st Light Horse Regiment was destroyed by Clan Jade Falcon, Dwayne Bronson opened an entire case of champagne, which he subsequently destroyed in a fit of pique when he learned they had been reactivated.

In 3063, the unit was retained by the Marian Hegemony at the start of its operations against the Circinus Federation in order to defend worlds near the Illyrian region. For unknown reasons, the Horde suddenly broke their contract with the Marians and agreed to work for the Circinians against them. The Horde's subsequent actions against the Hegemony led to the failure of their invasion and a significant reduction of their Dragoon Rating. The Hegemony petitioned the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission to sanction the Horde. At the conclusion of their work for the Federation, the Horde accepted a long-term contract with the Word of Blake, likely with the hopes of facing their perpetual rivals once more.

By 3068, the MRBC had officially declared Bronson's Horde a rogue unit and issued bounties for their capture or destruction. Their wanted status was gained by their perpetration of a variety of offenses, including war crimes, attacks on civilian targets, and piracy. According to the MRBC bulletin, they were last spotted on Epsilon Eridani. While contracted with the Word, the Horde was stationed on Epsilon Eridani and Orestes before being deployed as a garrison unit on Tybalt, where they trained both of the Protectorate Militia Divisions on planet, the First and the Second Tybalt Protectorate Militia.

In 3071, Bronson's Horde was redeployed to New Avalon to assist the Word's forces in defensive operations there. Though they had lost a majority of their experience and professional skills due to working in the Periphery for so long, the Horde managed to keep the defending Davion forces on their toes through a series of raids between the Second and Third Battles of New Avalon. They launched an abortive attack on the North Albion Observatory near Mount Mitre that was repulsed as soon as the First Davion Guards felled a single Horde 'Mech, but other raids succeeded in hampering the Guards' repair efforts. Shortly thereafter, they supported another raid by the Thirty-sixth Division that sought supplies in Hamilton City. The Fifth FedCom RCT repelled the Blakists but the Horde was able to escape with several hundred tons of supplies and repair equipment. Despite their initial success in their raids, the unit lost a great deal of their 'Mechs and material, and was tapped to accompany the Forty-fourth Shadow Division when that unit landed to reinforce Blakist efforts during the Third Battle of New Avalon. The heavy fighting they saw destroyed the mercenary command prior to the Word's eventual withdrawal from New Avalon.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of Bronson's Horde
Colonel	William Bronson	2869
Colonel	Russel Bronson	2946
Colonel	Dwayne Bronson	3051 - 3074

Tactics

The oversized regiment rarely likes to split its forces, and prefers to use massed fires to open holes in the enemy formation. The openings are then held by a battalion while the other three exploit them to destroy the enemy.

Support

The Horde's transport assets includes two Invader-class JumpShips and enough DropShips to carry the unit's assets. The Horde's techs can cover most of the common repairs, and retains an 80% optimum efficiency rating.

Mercenary Rating

3059

Dragoon Rating: A-

3067

Dragoon Rating: C

Composition History

3059

Bronson's Horde (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Colonel Dwayne Bronson
• Base: Alphard

3067

Bronson's Horde (1 Expanded Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)

• CO/Command Battalion: Colonel Dwayne Bronson
• XO/1st Battalion: Lieutenant Colonel Robyn Bronson
• 2nd Battalion: Major Tomas Malec
• 3rd Battalion: Major Jan Hlavac

Note: All 'Mechs are upgraded, and the command lance has been expanded to a full battalion in strength.

Bronson's Vengeful Spirits (2 Wings/Green/Reliable)

• 1st Wing Commander: Major Paul Russo
• 2nd Wing Commander: Major Stanislav Chistov

Color Schemes and Unit Insignia

Prior to 3059, Bronson's Horde painted its 'Mechs and vehicles with orange and black striping. A later iteration changed this scheme to flat sunset orange with black striping accents. Critics of the unit often claimed this color scheme made the Horde look like walking jack-o'-lanterns. For their unit insignia, the Horde uses a black silhouette of a rampant, saber-wielding horseman against a circular shield of red and gold.

Gallery

• 

  A Vindicator of Bronson's Horde.

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Bibliography

• Blake Ascending
• Field Manual: Mercenaries Revised
• Jihad Turning Points: New Avalon
• Mercenary's Handbook
• Field Manual: ComStar
• Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents
• Dawn of the Jihad