4th Skye Rangers

Fourth Skye Rangers
Formed	2504
Nickname	Albion
Affiliation
Parent Command	Skye Rangers

Lyran Rangers
Formed	3132
Affiliation
Parent Command	Stormhammers

The Fourth Skye Rangers, later the Fourth Skye Rangers RCT, was an elite Lyran BattleMech regiment and later a Regimental Combat Team in the nominal service of House Steiner. As the top regiment of the Skye Rangers, the historic army of the Federation of Skye, they became well-known for their ties to the Free Skye Movement in the thirty-first century.

History

Their nickname "Albion" stems from the JumpShip freighter of the Federation's merchant founder, Ian McQuiston. The Albion originally brought McQuiston to the world of Skye, which became his home and eventually the seat of his power. The Albion itself received its moniker for the ancient name of the island of Great Britain on Terra, which also became the source of the Fourth Rangers' insignia.

Formation

The Fourth Rangers were formed by Duke Connor Gilderoy of Skye during the reign of Archon Margaret Olsen, employing recently trained MechWarriors drawn from all over the Federation.

The Lyran Civil War

The Skye Rangers

Gilderoy formed the unit to help support Olsen's claim to the throne, which had been challenged by her nephew Robert Steiner, the illegitimate son of Tatyana Steiner, Olsen's deceased sister-in-law. Robert agreed to challenge his aunt's reign only after years of misrule, which saw Olsen rely on psychics and soothsayers, and the advice of Gilderoy and Duke Samuel Natesh of Tamar. The two Dukes had effectively taken advantage of Olsen's insanity, ruling the Commonwealth for their own benefit while the realm suffered severely. The result was the Lyran Civil War, as Olsen and the two Dukes fled Tharkad in 2503 ahead of Robert and his supporters, regrouping on Skye. Knowing Robert would inevitably follow them, Duke Gilderoy hurriedly formed the Fourth Skye Rangers, equipping them with top-of-the-line machines.

In late 2504, Robert Steiner, recognized as Archon by the Estates General, arrived in the Skye system at the head of several Lyran regiments that had pledged their loyalty to him, including the elite 1st Royal Guards. Despite representing a newly formed unit, the Fourth Rangers reportedly gave a good accounting of themselves, mastering the so-called "Squatter's Strike" strategy, deploying away from the enemy and withdrawing every time the opposing forces engaged them. The Rangers continuously chose the field of battle, lulling their foes into a chase-and-fight mentality before finally catching the enemy forces off guard when the situation was ideal, inflicting heavy damage. Despite some successes, numbers and momentum slowly saw the Rangers and other units loyal to Olsen pushed back to the capital city of New Glasgow. Just as Robert's forces had surrounded the capital and seemed poised to capture Olsen, reinforcements from Tamar arrived, interceding against Robert's troops and giving Olsen, Duke Gilderoy and their remaining forces the chance to escape to Tamar. With the aid of Duke Nels Reynolds of Fatima (and the timely intervention of the Terran Hegemony), Archon Robert Steiner proved victorious on Tamar, capturing Olsen and both treacherous Dukes.

Despite their ultimate defeat, the Fourth Skye Rangers remained active, transferring their loyalty to Archon Robert Steiner and to House Lestrade, a prestigious family who had supported Robert and were now raised to the Dukedom vacated by Gilderoy (who was later executed for treason).

The Star League Era

The Fourth Skye Rangers were stationed on Vega in 2765. There they defended the system from "unauthorized raiders" from the Draconis Combine. The command suffered serious losses, but refused to leave to rebuild. They preferred to remain in place until the end of their original tour.

The Fourth Skye Rangers would take their place among the elite regiments of House Steiner during the Star League era, although they were apparently not chosen to participate in the Reunification War. They continued to specialize in the "cautious-aggressive warfare" doctrine, and by the mid-2700s, nearly two-and-a-half centuries after their formation, the Rangers were defending several worlds along the border with the Free Worlds League while they continued to receive the most advanced BattleMechs and equipment the Commonwealth could produce.

The Succession Wars

The Fourth Skye Rangers continued to serve the Federation and the Commonwealth with distinction during the Succession Wars, although flare-ups of Skye separatism prevented the unit from being held in the same regard as units such as the Royal Guards.

In 2990, the Fourth Rangers were based on Deia when a group of pirates attacked the planet and caught them unawares. The Rangers lost three Catapults, among other losses, and the raiders escaped.

By the end of the Third Succession War in 3025, the Fourth Rangers were still considered an elite regiment, based on Ryde and commanded by Hauptmann-Kommandant Kathleen Heany, a Sanglamore Academy graduate. The Fourth Rangers' quality and performance during this time was acknowledged even by their enemies in the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, although Heany's own performance was described as "spotty".

In the buildup to the Fourth Succession War, and as had been done with many other Lyran units, conventional regiments were permanently attached to the Fourth Rangers, officially building them up to Regimental Combat Team (RCT) level, the same formation that had proved so successful for House Davion. In addition, AFFS officers were brought in to "advise" Lyran units in the field, particularly in combined-arms tactics. A Lightning Company was also attached to the regiment, composed of light and medium 'Mechs and staffed by warriors who had been trained in mobile tactics in the Federated Suns so they could take advantage of their superior mobility. None of this seemed to meet with approval by the traditionalist Heany, who preferred the standard Lyran practice of direct assaults with the heaviest 'Mechs available.

Fourth Succession War

In August 3028, Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, a massive invasion of the Draconis Combine, was launched under the overall command of General Nondi Steiner. Aware that the Skye Ranger regiments and other units native to Skye were fountains of Skye separatists, Archon Katrina Steiner seeded these regiments with intelligence operatives beforehand to monitor their activities and loyalty. In this way, she helped prevent Duke Aldo Lestrade from starting a rebellion during the war.

Marfik

The Fourth Skye Rangers, along with 25 conventional regiments, were assigned to invade Marfik. Though a valuable world in and of itself, Marfik was defended by the 11th Legion of Vega, commanded by Tai-sa Theodore Kurita, the Heir-designate of the Draconis Combine. Capturing Kurita, the only son and heir of Coordinator Takashi Kurita, could potentially devastate the Combine for years to come. The Eleventh Legion of Vega, supported by 12 supporting regiments, was composed of the dregs of the Combine military, castoffs and malcontents using inferior, secondhand equipment, and it was believed the superior quality of the Fourth, combined with the AFFS tactics and plans, would be more than enough to easily crush the defenders and claim Theodore Kurita (whose assignment here followed a falling-out with his father) as a prize. So determined were the Lyrans to trap the Dragon's heir on the planet that they used a pirate jump point, quickly making planetfall and seemingly reducing the chance for Kurita to make his escape.

Theodore Kurita, the Fourth Rangers' primary target on Marfik

The original battle plan had called for joint use of 'Mechs, infantry and armor against the Legion. However, when the Eleventh were not encountered at Netaltown, as Davion Intelligence had expected, but were still in Massingham, Heany abandoned that strategy and ignored all AFFS advice. Leaving her armor and infantry behind, she led her heavy and assault 'Mechs in a direct, frontal attack on the Eleventh in the Massingham valley on 29 August, 3028. Kurita responded by leading his second battalion in a charge, all the while his own support regiments were withdrawing into DonnerBrau Forest. The charge was a feint, designed to buy the DCMS forces enough time to escape. The Legion withdrew into the forest in good order, though twelve 'Mechs were lost against the heavier machines of the Rangers. Heany overconfidently ordered her 'Mechs to pursue, where her slower machines and lack of knowledge of the terrain soon led her forces to become lost, having lost contact with the Legion. Meanwhile, Kurita led his Legion 'Mechs against the unprotected support regiments in Gether's Jewel. Still leading second battalion, Kurita wiped out several Lyran conventional regiments there though he faced heavy resistance from the elite 13th Assault Regiment, who spent themselves bought the remaining Lyran forces enough time to take up defensive positions. The Legion then pulled back, having seriously bloodied the Lyrans.

After this, Heany reluctantly returned to the original strategy, including her conventional forces in the campaign and using aerospace fighters to help track the Legion down. This proved effective, and the Rangers slowly began pushing the Kurita forces further east on the North Galfree continent. Clashes between the two sides were brief, as the numbers and quality of the Fourth Rangers took a toll on the Eleventh Legion, which was running low on supplies and spare parts to keep their equipment operational. Theodore Kurita, for his part, did a masterful job keeping his force intact, using guerrilla warfare tactics and repeatedly striking at the Lyrans and fading away back into the forest.

By 26 September, the battlefield losses and lack of supplies had forced the Legion and supporting units to prepare for their last stand in the hills of Sitika, a small coastal city. The Rangers and their own troops had been damaged, but had the overwhelming advantage in numbers, supplies, territory and air support. The following day, the Fourth Rangers began their final push. The Legion seemed to be holding its remaining 'Mechs in reserve, even as the Lyrans used 'Mechs, armor, infantry and aerospace support to push the Combine troops back. In fact, most of the supposed remaining Legion 'Mechs were harmless scrap metal mock-ups. The real 'Mechs only appeared when Lyran armor breached the Legion's lines. When Heany spotted Tai-sa Kurita's Orion leading less than a company of active Legion 'Mechs, she ordered an artillery strike to bring it down, confident she had finally succeeded in her mission. She was dismayed to find that Sho-sa Esau Olivares, the Legion's first battalion commander, was in fact piloting the machine. The entire defense was planned to buy Theodore Kurita enough time to escape Marfik on a DropShip disguised with Lyran colors.

Heany and the Fourth Skye Rangers had successfully taken Marfik, but it had taken weeks longer than was expected and, more importantly, they had failed to capture or kill Theodore Kurita. As a result of the Gether's Jewel incident and the losses incurred there, Heany and several of her command staff were at one point placed under house arrest pending an inquiry by a furious Colonel Randolph J. Thompson of the Thirteenth Assault Regiment, acting under the orders of General Nondi Steiner. Kurita himself escaped to Vega, where he rallied two Legion of Vega regiments to a stunning victory. The Kurita heir continued to represent a major thorn in the side of the Lyran invaders for the remainder of the war.

Later Actions

In the follow-up attacks, the Fourth split into two groups. First and Third Battalions invaded Kimball II, but were unexpectedly opposed by the 3rd Dieron Regulars. Second Battalion and the attached Lightning Company struck at Komephoros, where they were attacked by the 17th Benjamin Regulars. Although they held their own on both fronts, being split up and outnumbered demoralized the Fourth Rangers.

This was the status quo when the war went into a "lull", an unofficial ceasefire that saw fighting even on contested planets reduced to a standstill. The Fourth Skye took full advantage of the lull, resting up and preparing new battle plans. By the time the lull ended, the Fourth Skye Ranger elements on Kimball II were ready to take full advantage, going on the offensive and driving the Kuritans back. On Komephoros, the Rangers managed to push the Seventeenth from their defensive positions, taking the advantage. Despite superior numbers, both Kuritan regiments withdrew from their worlds in late July, and were eventually rerouted to participate in Operation Contagion, an attempted counterassault against the Commonwealth.

Overall, the Fourth Skye Rangers performed admirably during the conflict, capturing three worlds on their own. However, the failure to capture Theodore Kurita on Marfik and possibly the Gether's Jewel blunder would reflect on Kathleen Heany for the rest of her career, and she would be reassigned some years later.

War of 3039

The Fourth Rangers faced two Sun Zhang Academy Cadre units on Kessel

In 3039, First Prince Hanse Davion would launch the inevitable joint invasion of the Draconis Combine in an effort to destroy the ancient enemy of both the Commonwealth and the Federated Suns. The resulting conflict would be known as the War of 3039. The Fourth Skye Rangers were by this time listed as a permanent RCT on the rolls of the LCAF, and more importantly were under the leadership of a new commander: Hauptmann General William Harrison von Frisch. Although a native "son of Skye", von Frisch, a veteran of the fighting on Marfik, fully embraced the new combined-arms strategies, soon whipping the Rangers into a truly formidable unit. Finally, as they were considered a prestigious command with vital objectives, the Rangers were among those units issued experimental Listen-Kill Missiles, a rare new technology that was intended to give them a further edge in combat.

The Fourth Rangers, already based on Ryde, a major jump-off point for the Lyran invasion, would find themselves joining the Second Donegal Guards RCT and Eleventh Lyran Regulars in the Allied attack on Kessel, a key industrial and political capital that had long been disputed between the Commonwealth and Combine. Under the overall command of the Guards' commander, Leutnant-General Caesar Steiner, both Allied RCTs assaulted the planet after jumping into the system from a pirate point, catching the 12th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre by surprise. Converging on the capital city of Sverdlovsk, the defending Kurita training cadre fought well against the Lyran forces, but von Frisch skillfully drew them out of position, feigning a retreat and pulling the Kuritans away from their fortifications. At that point, the Rangers and the Guards lit into the cadets, destroying a battalion's worth of the cadre. The Twelfth Sun Zhang retreated into the northern woods of the continent, and soon thereafter their DropShips were seen boosting into orbit. Despite having apparently conquered the planet, the Lyrans faced a spirited insurgency from the supposed civilian population, facing acts of sabotage and civil disobedience. A number of soldiers were killed, and both units were forced to remain on-planet for months longer than was expected, making them unavailable elsewhere. The fighting with the Cadre had inflicted only light damage on the Rangers.

On 12 July, Kuritan yakuza loyalists, with the support of the ISF and elements of the Twelfth Sun Zhang, began a series of terrorist acts against the occupying force, killing hundreds of Lyran soldiers. When the Diverse Optics plant was raided by 'Mechs, the Lyrans realized the Twelfth Cadre had never left the planet. On 16 July, Kuritan reinforcements arrived. Not only would the Twelfth be joined by the 5th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre, but the elite Second Sword of Light, one of the most infamous regiments in the history of the Inner Sphere, joined the defenders. General Steiner, fearing for the planetary life-support infrastructure at the capital, instead challenged the Kuritans to face him at Gershtad spaceport on the southern continent. Steiner had a slight numerical superiority in his forces, and had several days to prepare defenses. They were disadvantaged, however, by the climate of Kessel, which effectively neutralized their infantry regiments. On 1 August, the Second Sword of Light began the main assault on the entrenched Lyran positions. This time, the Rangers found their LK missiles less effective, as the DCMS troops had developed an ECM jammer to neutralize the new guidance system. At the same time, the Steel Dragon used LK missiles themselves, against which the Lyrans had no defense. After over a week of sparring, the Skye Rangers fell back from their positions on the right flank, giving the Fifth Cadre an opening into which they charged. The Rangers and the Donegal Guards promptly turned on the Cadre, virtually destroying it while taking significant losses themselves. Meanwhile, the Second Sword used artillery and air strikes to smash the lines of the Eleventh before General Steiner and a relief force of Donegal Guards arrived to help push the Kuritans back. Both sides had been bloodied by the fighting, but the DCMS troops still had the support of the yakuza, the ISF and much of the civilian population. Over the next few weeks, both sides settled into a siege mentality, testing each other with pinprick attacks. On 3 September, ISF commandos successfully blew up their main ammunition dump, severely limiting the Lyrans' operations. When no reinforcements or support was forthcoming a month later, General Steiner recognized that victory was not achievable, and he ordered his troops to evacuate. Overall damage to the Fourth Rangers was heavy, but their successful tactics on Kessel helped the unit to maintain its elite standing even in defeat.

After retreating back to Ryde, the Fourth Rangers were rotated to Komephoros, another planet they were already familiar with.

Clan Invasion

Clan Jade Falcon

Main article: Battle of Morges (3054)

When the Clan Invasion struck in 3050, the Fourth Skye Rangers RCT were still based on Komephoros, in the newly reorganized Ryde Theater of the Skye March under the new Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth. Still under the command of von Frisch, they retained their elite status, as well as their questionable loyalty rating. After the Truce of Tukayyid, the Rangers were rotated to the Clan front, and in February 3054, they headed to Morges as part of a task force to counterattack against an invasion by Clan Jade Falcon's Peregrine Galaxy. In addition to the Fourth Rangers, the 20th Arcturan Guards along with Beta Regiment and the Black Widow Battalion of the elite mercenary Wolf's Dragoons, including the legendary Colonel Jaime Wolf, formed the relief force. The Rangers spearheaded the drive to force the Falcons from the planet in a series of intense clashes over a two-day period that saw three-quarters of the Falcon 'Mechs knocked out of the fighting with damage. Although they lost a battalion's worth of their own troops during the battle, the Rangers gained invaluable experience against the Clans. The entire campaign was considered a glowing success for the Rangers and the AFFC, and a humiliating defeat for the Falcons. The Fourth Rangers would remain on Morges afterwards, taking the place of Morges' destroyed garrison.

Second Skye Rebellion

Main article: Second Skye Rebellion

The 4th Skye Guards

In 3056, the Fourth Skye Rangers were relocated back to the Isle of Skye at the order of Duke Richard Steiner, who had ascended to the Duchy of Skye through marriage and was already Field Marshal of the Skye March. Duke Steiner had entered into a pact with his cousin Ryan Steiner, Duke of Porrima and leader of the Free Skye Movement, to secure the independence of Skye from the Federated Commonwealth. The Fourth Skye Rangers deferred to Duke Steiner and the Free Skye movement over the AFFC High Command, and the entire Skye Rangers brigade combined was seen as a strong foundation for the rebellion to build upon. As his first target, Duke Steiner chose to eliminate the mercenary Gray Death Legion on Glengarry, the only formidable "pro-Davion" force remaining in the March. The task force he sent would fall under the overall command of General-Kommandant Wilhelm von Bulow, one of Duke Richard's closest supporters and the hereditary heir to the defunct Barony of Glengarry, and would be composed primarily of the 10th Skye Rangers (who officially had defected as individuals). For conventional assets, elements of the Fourth Rangers' armor and infantry brigades also "defected" and were attached to the task force. Designated the 4th Skye Guards and under the command of Hauptmann-General Leonidas Brannock, an officer formerly on the Duke's staff, the Free Skye rebels arrived in the Glengarry system on 1 April. Despite being outnumbered three-to-one by their enemies and with most of their leadership off-planet, the Legion responded with an effective guerrilla campaign against the separatists, pushing back the Duke's timetable several months. In December, Loyalist reinforcements arrived in the form of Grayson Carlyle and elements of the Northwind Highlanders. Unsupported, low on supplies and exhausted after a long campaign, the separatists were forced to surrender. With Ryan Steiner's death, the revolt would sputter and die. The Fourth Skye Rangers would return to the Clan front.

Lyran Secession

When the Lyran Alliance seceded from the Federated Commonwealth in 3057, the Fourth Rangers remained on Morges. Khan Phelan Ward arrived in the Morges system in November of that year with two Wolf Clan Galaxies in tow, bringing the Refusal War to Inner Sphere space, and they were granted safe passage by the Khan's father, Duke Morgan Kell. The Falcons would soon arrive and engage the Wolves and Kell Hounds in a climactic battle, but the Rangers and the Twentieth Arcturan Guard would apparently be kept out of that conflict. Meanwhile, the former Skye March was reorganized into the Skye Province, nearly matching the borders of the old Federation of Skye. Little changed for the Fourth Skye Rangers, although from their base on Morges they would become part of the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, a semi-independent state formed by Grand Duke Morgan Kell, to defend against the Clans and unofficially to oppose Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion's rule. The Fourth Rangers and their commander, Leutnant-General von Frisch, were particularly disturbed by the Archon designating their sister regiments in the Tenth and 22nd Skye Rangers as "sink" units, filling them with incompetent officers and warriors with questionable loyalties, and primarily arming them with second-rate equipment. There were even reportedly attempts by the High Command to do the same to the Fourth Rangers, but their placement in the ARDC apparently prevented the LAAF from carrying through with that plan.

The Fourth Rangers were again disturbed that the LAAF command did not decide to rebuild the Tenth Rangers after their sacrifice on Coventry during the Falcon incursion of 3058, instead folding them into the 22nd Rangers. The Fourth themselves, as part of the ARDC, were not directly impacted by the LAAF's policies. The Rangers were also disturbed Duke Kell did not release them to raid the Jade Falcon occupation zone, despite the protests of von Frisch, who proposed many offensive operations.

As part of the ARDC, the LAAF refused to send the Fourth Rangers any of the Alliance's new 'Mech designs or equipment, and they were forced to rely on Duke Kell for their logistical needs. Despite this, they continued to boast a high equipment quality, even fielding a small number of captured Clan OmniMechs. They were reportedly back up to full strength as an RCT by this time, with no indications of being short from either the battles against the Falcons or from elements of their conventional assets "defecting" to the Skye Guards back during the rebellion of 3056. They were once again stationed on Morges, and were considered likely neutral in the simmering dispute between Katherine and her brother, deposed Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion. They played no role in Operation Guerrero or in the destruction of the Smoke Jaguars by Operation Bulldog.

FedCom Civil War and the Third Skye Rebellion

Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner, the Rangers' liege lord

In late 3062, FedCom Civil War erupted across both realms of the former Federated Commonwealth. Officially neutral, the Fourth Rangers remained on Morges in the opening months of the war.

Early Actions

Before the first wave of the conflict ended, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner, the son of Ryan Steiner who had succeeded his father as leader of the Free Skye Movement, called all three regiments of the Rangers home to the Skye Province. Although they lacked a command circuit of JumpShips and making their way to Skye would take months, the progress of the war would allow them to make their way through the Alliance while drawing little attention to themselves from either the Lyran High Command or the Allies. In their first relocation, the Fourth Rangers made their way to Summit. Leutnant-General von Frisch had an easy time concealing the Rangers' movements as they made their way to Mesa Verde during the second wave. 10 June, 3064, the Fourth Rangers finally arrived on Skye, greeted by Duke Kelswa-Steiner who honored them with a parade. There are indications that Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner also helped equip the Fourth Rangers with some of the new Lyran 'Mechs and equipment they had previously been denied in the ARDC, such as the Hauptmann OmniMech.

On 16 April 3065, Duke Kelswa-Steiner was arrested by Archon Katherine on charges of sedition and treason. The Duke had planned for this, however, as nominal command of the Free Skye Movement fell to his top aide, General John Claverhouse Dundee. With the situation in the Skye Province further inflamed, the situation was ripe for the rebellion that Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner had planned. The Third Skye Rebellion had begun.

Hesperus II

Main article: Fifteenth Battle of Hesperus

Arrival

On 28 June, the Fourth Skye Rangers arrived in the Hesperus system, accompanied by two Fox-class WarShips, the LAS Illustrious and the FCS Indefatigable, both under control of the Free Skye military. Their ultimate objective was the Defiance Industries complex on Hesperus II, the largest BattleMech factory in existence. Fourteen times opposing powers had attempted to seize Hesperus, and fourteen times the Lyrans had rallied to push back the invaders. With Hesperus in its hands, Free Skye would have the military industrial base needed to win its independence from the Alliance. Albion and its Free Skye allies intended the fifteenth occasion to be the charm, with their commanding General, von Frisch, in overall command of the operation, and the Fourth Rangers designated the primary attack force. The Twenty-second Skye Rangers were already on-planet, having used Hesperus III for cover. The Fourth Rangers' flotilla was confronted by the FCS Simon Davion, an Avalon-class cruiser easily outmassing the two Fox-class corvettes accompanying the Rangers. The Simon Davion destroyed the Illustrious, but a surprise attack by the Indefatigable allowed a successful boarding action, giving the rebels control of the ship and opening the door for the Fourth Skye to approach the planet. Defending the planet were 15th Lyran Guards, the 36th Lyran Guards, the corporate Defiance Self-Protection Force, and the infamous mercenary Gray Death Legion, who had earned the enmity of Free Skye ten years earlier on Glengarry.

Defiance Industries, the Rangers' primary target

Von Frisch's plan called for the Fourth to launch their opening assault on Doering Electronics in the Caran River basin, far from the planet's capital city of Maria's Elegy and further still from the main objective of the Defiance mountain complex, hoping to lure the defenders away from their base. Indeed, once the Fourth's opening target became clear, the Loyalists, commanded by Leutnant-General Gina Ciampa, sent the Legion and a battalion of her own 'Mechs from the Fifteenth to defend Doering, along with two Lyran Guard conventional regiments. On June 30, the two forces clashed, with von Frisch boldly dropping two companies of light and medium 'Mechs on the facilities themselves in a combat drop while the rest of the Fourth Rangers landed and engaged the main enemy force. The Loyalist forces attempted to hold Doering, but took serious losses once Albion was able to bring its full strength to bear, scattering the Lyran Guards battalion and driving Legion back. The defenders were forced to retreat to their DropShips and withdraw back to the capital, effectively surrendering the facility to the rebels. General Von Frisch left an armor regiment and two infantry regiments to hold Doering, then set his sights on his primary objective. The rest of the Fourth Rangers loaded back into their DropShips, and headed towards Defiance Industries.

The Defiance Self-Protection Force found themselves under attack by Skye aerospace fighters and artillery, looking to clear the way for both Ranger units to attack. Skye Ranger 'Mechs soon followed, as the Fourth and Twenty-second began their first push. Although the corporate force couldn't match the skill of the rebels (and certainly not the Fourth Rangers) they, equipped with some of the best 'Mechs Defiance could offer, were well entrenched with their own artillery support, and used static defenses and minefields to good effect. With a six-to-one advantage, however, the Rangers drove the DSPF back. It would be up to the Fifteenth Guards and the Gray Death Legion to stop the rebels from taking the factories. The Gray Death Legion desperately attempted to make it back to the Myoo Highlands using MagLev trains, but Skye Rangers were able to ambush the train and scatter much of the Legion. The commander of the Fifteenth, Leutnant-General Gina Ciampa, attempted to send a call for reinforcements from the LAAF High Command through ComStar. The Simon Davion, with its advanced sensors, detected the signal, and alerted von Frisch. Realizing the danger, von Frisch ordered the Simon Davion to bombard the ComStar HPG station from orbit in order to prevent the transmission. Von Frisch understood the danger, but intended a surgical strike. The WarShip Kaptain, Elena Cerlenko, inadvertently exceeded this, however, destroying not only the HPG station but much of the entire spaceport of Maria's Elegy, where both the Fifteenth Guards and the Legion had been based. Thousands were killed, including much of the Fifteenth Guards' conventional forces along with several 'Mechs. The barracks the Gray Death Legion had been using was also destroyed, as well as several Legion aerospace fighters. This action could be considered a war crime under the Ares Conventions, and a horrified Von Frisch resolved himself to capturing the planet to ease the dishonor done to his command and to Skye.

For a full week, the loyalists and rebels sparred. The GDL raided Free Skye positions, attempting to harass and harry them. Despite some successful strikes by the Legion, longtime legionnaire Lieutenant Colonel Davis McCall, the unit's executive officer, was killed during the fighting on 8 July, crippling the Legion's morale and forcing them to retreat. A few days later, the Rangers received reinforcements when the 32nd Lyran Guards RCT, who had been negotiating with Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner and his representatives for some time, arrived in-system under Skye's banner. Also arriving were the 17th Skye Rangers, who had finally made it back to their home province. Von Frisch ordered the Thirty-second, which would make planetfall on the 18th, to make a low-altitude drop directly on the Defiance complex. The Fourth and Twenty-second Rangers would support the landings, and the entire force would then attack in force. He further ordered the Seventeenth to head to Maldon to keep the Thirty-sixth Guards from joining the other defenders in the Myoo Highlands. This gave the three remaining Free Skye units, led by the elite Fourth, a distinct numerical advantage over the other defending units - the Fifteenth, the Legion and the HSPF - who had all already taken serious damage during the campaign.

First Assault on Defiance

The Gray Death Legion opposed the Rangers on Hesperus

On 18 July, the rebels launched their main assault, with the relatively fresh Thirty-second Guards leading the main drive, supported by the Skye Rangers. The result was the bloodiest fighting of the campaign. The Red Arrows pushed directly into the Gray Death Legion while the Rangers pressured the Fifteenth Lyran Guards, driving them back towards the mountain facility. The Fifteenth managed to destroy the Twenty-second Rangers as a cohesive unit, though with heavy losses. The Legion, however, was forced to hold the line against the turncoat Thirty-second, supported by elements of the Fourth Skye Rangers. Despite massive casualties to all sides, the defenders were driven back into the mountain complex. Lead elements of the Thirty-second Guards actually drove deep into the Defiance cavern in a running battle with the loyalists. In the end, the Legion successfully checked the assault, capturing the Thirty-second's commander, Leutnant-General Alice Day, when her Axman was destroyed by Captain Brewer and his lance. The loss of their commander led the Thirty-second Guards to withdraw, and the Skye Rangers were forced to follow suit. The Legion, however, had been all but obliterated themselves. Colonel Lori Kalmar-Carlyle, the Gray Death Legion's commander, was killed by Free Skye infantry after ejecting from her Victor. Less than a company of 'Mechs had survived, with other combat elements suffering even worse casualties. With most of their ranking officers killed, the Gray Death Legion, one of the most respected mercenary units in the Inner Sphere for fifty years, had effectively been destroyed, their survivors - led by Duke Daniel Brewer, Captain in the Legion and CEO of Defiance - incorporated into the HSPF.

Despite destroying the Legion and heavily damaging the Fifteenth Guards, the Fourth Rangers and their allied units had all been mauled over the course of the fighting. The Thirty-second Lyran Guards, without their commander, were completely demoralized with internal dissent, despite having only suffered moderate damage overall. The Seventeenth Rangers had been mauled opposing the Thirty-sixth Guards, and the Twenty-second Rangers, who had spearheaded the campaign to begin with, were down to a few survivors, a unit existing mostly on paper. The Fourth Rangers, for their own part, had escaped with moderate damage, but could not capture the vaunted factories themselves. As the defending loyalist units lacked the strength to drive the rebels from the planet, however, the campaign fell into a lull. Months passed, with neither side able to do anything to dislodge the other. Meanwhile, the Loyalists of Katherine Steiner-Davion were denied the 'Mechs of Defiance Industries.

Second Assault on Defiance

On 3 March, 3066, General Dundee was able to send reinforcements in the form of the 14th Lyran Guards, another RCT defecting to the Free Skye movement. The Fourteenth, despite being under orders to wait for Maria Esteban to arrive, immediately assaulted the Thirty-sixth Guards at the Maldon mining complex. Although the Fearsome Fourteenth were successful in smashing the Air Surfers and driving them away, the Fourteenth took significant losses themselves during a counterattack by the Air Surfers. Overall, losses to both Lyran Guard units were moderate at that point. Meanwhile, Leutnant-General von Frisch and his troops, seemingly recharged by the Fourteenth's actions, rallied and drove on Defiance once again. The Fifteenth Guards and the HSPF were pushed nearly to the brink with serious losses, but the Free Skye forces were once again forced to retreat. This time, losses to the Fourth were heavy. This last setback convinced von Frisch that the Free Skye forces could not achieve a victory on Hesperus, and that his troops had shed enough blood in the name of independence. He ordered his Fourth Rangers to begin withdrawing on 11 April, heading back to Skye. Ironically, General Esteban was already in-system, burning towards the planet, along with the newly formed Skye Guard as further reinforcements. The question of whether Esteban could have won if the Fourth Skye Rangers had remained would be left to the historians.

Skye

Archon Peter Steiner-Davion

On 19 June, the Fourth Rangers arrived back in the Skye system. Their arrival proved seemingly fortuitous to the rebels, as Skye was under attack by the elite Eleventh Arcturan Guards RCT. Although Skye had been defended by the Skye Jaegers and numerous planetary militias, they proved no match for a unit that had previously chased Prince Victor's Allied task force halfway across the Inner Sphere. At the direction of General Dundee, the Jaegers had been forced to abandon the capital of New Glasgow, engaging in a mobile defense all over the continent of New Scotland. When they heard the arrival of the Fourth Skye Rangers, the Eleventh Arcturan, commanded by Leutnant-General Linda McDonald, broke off pursuit of the Jaegers and focused instead on the capital, which was still loyal to the Free Skye movement and full of insurgents. General von Frisch, however, contacted McDonald, informing her he intended to remain neutral in the battle, having already lost too many men in the name of independence during the crucible of Hesperus. Before McDonald could resume her pursuit of the Jaegers, however, she received a recall order from General Nondi Steiner on Tharkad. Allied forces were gathering with a presumed strike against the capital, and every Loyalist unit available was needed for the defense. The Eleventh soon boosted off Skye, headed to Tharkad. Meanwhile, Robert Kelswa-Steiner decided to hedge his bets by sending word from his prison cell for the Fourth Rangers to join Peter Steiner-Davion and his "Pan-Lyran" allied coalition at Tharkad. Although effectively ending his war for independence, it would earn the Duke a much better political position in the Alliance in the coming new order. Not long thereafter, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner was released from Garvinny prison on Donegal in October, a feat achieved by the Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards RCT at the direction of Morgan Kell.

Tharkad

The Fourth Rangers made planetfall on Tharkad in mid-January 3067, joining allied forces already on-planet. These included the first regiment of the Kell Hounds, the Twenty-first Rim Worlds and 1894th Light Horse Regiments of the mercenary Blue Star Irregulars, the Fourth Wolf Guards of Clan Wolf-in-Exile, and the Fourth Rangers' old ally from the fighting on Morges, the Twentieth Arcturan Guards RCT. They were opposed by the First and Second Royal Guards RCTs, the Alarion Jaegers, the Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards RCT, the Eleventh Arcturan Guards RCT and ComStar's 66th Division, all under the command of General Nondi Steiner, Katherine's Regent on Tharkad. By the time the Rangers arrived, both sides had taken losses, with the Alarion Jaegers destroyed by the Kell Hounds and the Twenty-first Rim Worlds having been savaged by the Eleventh Arcturan. The task force was based at the Nagelring, where Peter Steiner-Davion held a meeting of the unit commanders, including von Frisch, on 19 January. Steiner-Davion made it clear that he was not pleased with the Fourth Skye Rangers, given their actions on Hesperus in support of Free Skye. He expressed the belief that the Fourth Rangers were on Tharkad to salvage Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner's political position. Nevertheless, given the massive stakes of the coming battle, Steiner-Davion, in his bid to become Archon, could not decline the offer. The Allies settled in, skirmishing with the Loyalists over the next month and waiting for his great-aunt to make the first mistake.

On 23 March, the Regent made her move, leading most of her units against the Allies and engaging them at the Wash. The Fourth Rangers played a key role, using their specialty and leading the elite Eleventh Arcturan out of position as Linda McDonald attempted to hunt Albion down. This forced Nondi Steiner to commit her reserves, the Com Guards, to prevent her flank from being exposed. Steiner-Davion exploited this, pressuring the Sixty-sixth and Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards until they were pushed back so far that the First Royal Guards were split in two. The Loyalists were routed, with Peter and his Allies taking a decided advantage. Four days later, the Allies moved on Tharkad City, eventually emerging successful. Casualties to the Fourth Rangers were considered serious, though they fared better than most Allied units and certainly better than the Loyalist forces.

After the war, the Fourth Rangers relocated back to Skye for rebuilding. Their rather odd actions during the conflict led to them being watched not only by the Lyran Intelligence Corps but by its fellow units in the Skye Rangers brigade, suspicious over their departure from Hesperus. By 1 August, the Fourth Rangers' 'Mech regiment was up to 55 percent strength, with 65 percent of those machines boasting advanced technology. Their aerospace and armored vehicle brigades were at similar levels. Their infantry brigades claimed only 35 percent strength. Yet all units of the RCT continued to merit an elite rating. Hauptmann General von Frisch retained command.

Jihad

In December 3067, with the dissolution of the Second Star League, the Word of Blake Jihad struck the Inner Sphere.

The Burning of Skye

On 4 February 3068, a Free Worlds League fleet led by the FWLS Percival, an Eagle-class WarShip, arrived in Skye's orbit using a pirate point. The Marik ships ignored hails and quickly detached their DropShips. Although the aerospace elements of the Skye Jaegers had some success blunting the initial landings, all that changed when the Percival turned its naval guns on the planet, as a devastating orbital bombardment rained down upon New Glasgow and the Fourth Skye Rangers. Landing north of the city, the invaders wore the colors of the 2nd Sirian Lancers. Although at full strength, the Lancers were quickly attacked by the Rangers and the Jaegers, who contained the FWLM troops. Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner conscripted all militias and mercenary units on-planet, including Gannon's Cannons, to help defend the heart of the Federation. Within a day the Seventeenth and Twenty-second Rangers arrived as reinforcements, supported by the Fox-class LAS Katrina Steiner, forcing the Marik troops to retreat. Although Skye and the Fourth Rangers had survived, tremendous damage had been done to heavy industry and agriculture, leaving millions on Skye impoverished. As Archon Peter Steiner-Davion was incommunicado on Tharkad, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner wasted little time unilaterally declaring war on the League on behalf of the Skye Province, with the Bolan Province following suit a month later. The Free Worlds League would later insist the Lancers and the Percival had gone renegade in their attack on Skye. Only later would it be revealed that the Word of Blake had engineered the entire event. The Sirian Lancers were actually Word of Blake troops flying under false colors, and their actions were supposedly in response to the assassination of Helen Thrall by the Word in December of 3067, an event blamed on the Lyrans in general and Skye agents in particular. For their own part, the Fourth Rangers went to bold lengths to remain combat effective after the bombardment of Skye, including conscripting qualified field mechanics into crewing their combat vehicles, including such machines as the Typhoon. Although their combat performance may have been relatively poor, these crews helped maintain units that would otherwise have been unsalvageable.

Operations ÜBERSCHATTEN and Broken Fist

Main article: Operation Broken Fist

The Fourth Skye and their fellow Rangers spearheaded Operation ÜBERSCHATTEN, the invasion of the Free Worlds League, capturing many worlds. These included Cascade, Megrez and Togwotee in the first wave. Albion, despite being understrength, distinguished themselves particularly well, capturing Thermopolis in the second wave during three weeks of fighting and destroying the proud Fifth Fusiliers of Oriente. However, as Jeremy Brett, Marshal of Tamarind, and the FWLM rallied, commencing Operation Broken Fist, the Lyran forces were quickly driven back. Within three months, the LAAF troops had not only been forced to give up their gains, but had lost many underdefended Lyran worlds as well. The Rangers and their allies were forced to retreat, desperately trying to defend their own worlds. Although the Lyrans were able to retake some of those planets, the Jihad had by then heavily impacted both nations, who were no longer in position to launch major offenses against each other. By December 3069, it had bogged down, and by 3071 the fighting had reached a complete halt. During the conflict, the Rangers continued to receive the best equipment Duke Kelswa-Steiner could acquire for them, such as the redesigned Condor Hover Tank, produced by the Quikscell Company. Nevertheless, the Fourth Rangers took approximately over 50 percent losses during the conflict with the League, and with so many military production facilities destroyed or captured by the Blakists by this point, there would be great difficulty in recovering from those losses.

Defending the Homeland

The Fourth fought alongside Devlin Stone on Skye

Over the next few years, the Rangers and other Skye forces did the best they could to recover from their losses, but found themselves trying to defend the Isle of Skye from the expanding Word of Blake Protectorate. Outnumbered, all the Rangers regiments were forced to give up ground, often rotated from the front as they desperately attempted to rebuild. The Fourth Rangers, while continuing to serve as the vanguard of the brigade, where somewhat limited in their movements, perhaps due to their RCT status. They opposed the Blakists whenever they could, however, taking heavy losses along the way.

In 3073, word reached Devlin Stone's Coalition that the Word of Blake Precentor Martial Cameron St. Jamais was preparing to launch a massive invasion of Skye itself. Stone proposed personally leading a coalition force to reinforce Skye, an offer Duke Kelswa-Steiner was forced to accept given the projected enemy forces he would face. Stone's Lament, Stone's personal command, would join their commander in combat, along with the 13th Wolf Guards from Beta Galaxy of Clan Wolf-In-Exile, the 1st Wolf Lancers from Delta Galaxy of the parent Clan Wolf, along with elements of the Com Guards. In total, these troops represented approximately three regiments, with the addition of a small number of coalition WarShips in orbit. These reinforcements would join the forces already on-planet, including the Fourth Skye Rangers RCT and the hastily rebuilt Skye Jaegers, as well as surviving elements of other Skye Ranger and Skye Guard forces. All of the LAAF troops were understrength, however, having been through the meat grinders of the civil war, the conflict against the Free Worlds League and finally the defense against the Word of Blake.

Stone and his troops arrived on 21 March, and had barely enough time to engage in preparations with the Skye troops when the Word of Blake task force arrived on 27 June using a pirate point to avoid most of Skye's orbital defenses. The task force included the 3rd and 18th Divisions, a Light of Mankind special forces unit and two regiments of mercenaries. Four WarShips (armed with nuclear weapons) would support the invasion. Though outnumbered, the defenders formed a hard defensive line around New Glasgow, and inflicted heavy losses on the invaders when they struck. For over a month the battle stalemated. The coalition fleet then attempted to force the issue and drive the Blakist ships away, only for the Blakist armada to respond by unleashing their WMDs. Clan Wolf-in-Exile lost their flagship, the Cameron-class CWS Ulric Kerensky in the onslaught, and Clan Wolf lost their Texas-class CWS Nicholas Kerensky. Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner attempted to order his forces to respond in kind with their own hidden cache of nuclear weapons, and it was only Devlin Stone's intervention that stayed his hand. The following day, Stone led a mixed battalion against the Third Division, capturing their commander. This broke the morale of the remaining invaders, and they soon retreated off-planet. Not before, however, an orbital bombardment destroyed much of the Sanglamore Academy, as well as the on-planet facilities for the Shipil Company and Avanti Industries. Despite the vast damage, most of Skye's industry and population survived intact.

Later Jihad

Continuing to work to rebuild as they had for nearly a decade, the Fourth Skye Rangers continued to defend the Isle of Skye. They were apparently not chosen to participate in Operation SCOUR, Stone's liberation of the Protectorate, and drive on Terra.

By 3079, they were up to only 40 percent strength, but retained their elite status. It is possible their rebuilding was slowed by a desire to maintain their quality. Regardless, they had been rotated to garrison Graceland on the Jade Falcon border.

Republic of the Sphere

The Hastati Sentinels

After the formation of the Republic of the Sphere and the Sphere-wide downsizing of military assets, the Fourth was among those commands "gifted" by the Lyran Alliance to the new Republic Armed Forces, along with much of the surviving Skye brigade. This was naturally accepted by the Rangers, as Skye and most of the old Federation worlds would become part of the Republic, realizing Free Skye's long held dream of "independence" with Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner emerging as Lord Governor of Prefecture IX. The Fourth Rangers were broken up, with many of its units becoming the foundation of the 18th Auxiliaries. In the wake of the Capellan Confederation's attack on the Republic in 3081, the Eighteenth Auxiliaries were combined with the 4th Auxiliaries (built from the former Nova Cat Grenadiers Cluster), to form the new IV Hastati Sentinels. The Fourth, one of the most elite commands in the new RAF, soon saw action on Tikonov and Algol, emerging successful despite facing heavy fighting on both occasions.

Dark Age Legacy

By 3130, many descendants of the original Fourth Skye Rangers were part of the Republic Skye Militia, protecting their "native" world of Skye. After the fall of the HPG network in 3132, Landgrave Jasek Kelswa-Steiner, the grandson of Robert Kelswa-Steiner, seized the opportunity to try and break away from the Republic, forming a new command out of the Skye Militia in the tradition of the old Skye Rangers. Known as the Lyran Rangers, this new unit would help champion Jasek's position that Skye and its worlds should return to the Lyran Commonwealth. The Lyran Rangers reportedly favored the "traditional" Lyran approach of heavier 'Mechs. Unlike the traditional emblems of Skye, the Rangers brigade or the Fourth Rangers in particular, the Lyran Rangers incorporated an insignia showing the white blade of a stylized halberd against a blue disk, an obvious homage to the Lyran Regulars brigade of the Succession Wars era.

The unit motto was "Why use a small 'Mech when a bigger one will do?"

In August 3133 a detachment of the Lyran Rangers tried to raid Towne and hijack the HPG, but run afoul of the 21st Centauri Lancers who had been hired to defend the planet. The fierce fighting failed to prevent the Rangers from commandeering the communications grid and accomplishing their mission broadcasting his call to all House Steiner loyalists to support his movement.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the 4th Skye Rangers Regimental Combat Team
Hauptmann-Kommandant	Kathleen Heany	3025 – 3028
Hauptmann-General	William Harrison von Frisch	3039 – 3067
Commanding Officers of the Republic Skye Militia
Commanding Officers of the Lyran Rangers
Colonel	Antonio Petrucci	3134
Colonel	Drew Quentin	3136

Other Officers

• Lieutenant-Colonel Ríona Ní Chaoimh, unit executive officer in 3134.
• Specialist Sunshine Reagan, armored vehicle operator in the Jihad.

Tactics

Hauptmann-Kommandant Kathleen Heany, although an inspirational leader and competent administrator, proved herself an "old school" Lyran General, with little willingness to adjust to modern military strategies. Hauptmann General William Harrison von Frisch took command. A Sanglamore Academy graduate like Heany and most Rangers officers, he otherwise stood in stark contrast to his predecessor. Von Frisch fully embraced the tactics and strategies of the new AFFC, and his Rangers were skilled in a wide variety of tactics. Commanding the Rangers for at least 30 years, von Frisch was a loyal "son of Skye", ultimately supporting his Duke's push for independence.

At their creation and for centuries afterwards, the Fourth Skye Rangers employed a "cautious-aggressive" strategy, waiting for their opponents to make mistakes and avoiding direct confrontation with the enemy until then. Pulling back whenever an engagement was forced and constantly driving their opponents to give chase tended to result in fighting on territory of Albion's choosing, giving them a decisive advantage. At the time of the Fourth Succession War, under Hauptmann-Kommandant Heany, the Rangers, although still an elite unit, seemed to have become more reliant on "traditional Lyran" tactics, leading with heavy and assault 'Mechs and consigning conventional elements to their rear areas. They showed little signs of their previous innovation, largely as a result of their leadership. Under von Frisch, however, the Rangers became effective in a wide range of imaginative combat tactics, fully employing the diverse range of units in the RCT. Like the original Fourth Rangers, they preferred to lure an enemy into overextending themselves before attacking at a time of their choosing.

Composition History

2765

Fourth Skye Rangers (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Vega.

2786–2821

4th Skye Rangers (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the light-weight unit was stationed on Vega. In 2821 the command was reduced to 51 percent of its strength and was deployed on Baxter.

2830

4th Skye Rangers (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Baxter with an operational readiness of 117 percent.

2864

4th Skye Rangers (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Eltanin with an operational readiness of 88 percent.

3025

4th Skye Rangers (Regiment/Elite/Questionable)

• CO: Hauptmann-Kommandant Kathleen Heany

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Ryde.

3040

4th Skye Rangers RCT (Regiment/Elite/Questionable)

• CO: Hauptmann General William Harrison von Frisch

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Komephoros.

3050

4th Skye Rangers RCT (Regiment/Elite/Questionable)

• CO: Hauptmann General William Harrison von Frisch

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Komephoros.

3054

4th Skye Rangers RCT (2 Battalions/Elite/Questionable)

• CO: Hauptmann General William Harrison von Frisch

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Morges.

3062

4th Skye Rangers (BattleMech Regiment)

CO: Leutnant General William Harrison von Frisch

XO: Colonel Mary Edwards

4th Skye Rangers Aerospace

CO: Kaptain Alman Jackson

• 91st Skye Air Wing
• 113th Skye Air Wing

4th Skye Armor Brigade (3 Regiments)

CO: Colonel Hanson Lourdes

Aide: Leutnant-Colonel Maire Richards

• 19th Skye AR - CO: Colonel Duggan Brennan
• 44th Skye LA(R) - CO: Colonel Archibald Myles
• 22nd Eaton AC(R) - CO: Colonel Louis Badoglio

4th Skye Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments)

CO: Colonel Dwayne Corelli

Aide: Leutnant-Colonel Devla Clavell

• 191st Skye LI (R) - CO: Colonel Candace Lawhead
• 21st Summer HI (R) - CO: Colonel Harper Timmons
• 11th Skye MR (R) - CO: Colonel Morgwen Luchenko
• 19th Alphecca MTR - CO: Colonel Rowan Thomas
• 3rd Skye CMR - CO: Colonel Shane Welsch

3067

4th Skye Rangers (BattleMech Regiment)

CO: Hauptmann General William Harrison von Frisch

• The Fourth Rangers 'Mechs was at 55 percent strength

4th Skye Aerospace

CO: Kaptain Alman Jackson

• The Fourth Rangers aerospace assets was at 60 percent strength, with 70 percent of those units considered upgraded

4th Skye Armor Brigade

CO: Colonel Hanson Lourdes

• The 4th Rangers Armor brigade was at 55 percent strength, with half of those units considered upgraded

4th Skye Infantry Brigade

CO: Colonel Dwayne Corelli

• The Fourth Rangers Armor brigade was at 35 percent strength

3079

4th Skye Rangers (Regiment/Elite/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Graceland. The Fourth Rangers had been reduced to 40% of full strength by 3079, although 75% of their equipment featured upgraded technology.

Insignia and Color Scheme

The Fourth Skye Rangers' regimental insignia shows the green island of Britain against a sea of blue, in reference to McQuiston and Skye's Scottish settlers. Their standard color scheme is primarily dark red with 'Mech arms, vehicle turrets and aerospace fighter rudders painted black. The Fourth's signature on the traditional Skye Ranger scheme are green highlights. Infantry dress uniforms employ dark green in contrast to Lyran blue.

• 

  Commando in Fourth Skye Rangers' colors

• 

  The Fourth Skye Rangers insignia

• 

  The flag of Skye

Notes

• According to Technical Readout: 3025 Revised, the pirates who attacked Deia in 2990 was commanded by Redjack Ryan. This seems impossible, as Ryan would have been two at the time according to other sources. Most likely, it was some other "bandit king".
• There is some discrepancy as to when the Fourth Skye Rangers fought the Jade Falcons alongside Wolf's Dragoons on Morges. Many sources support the assertion that the battle took place in 3054, well before the Lyran Secession, and involved Beta Regiment and the Wolf Spider Battalion. Meanwhile, Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised clearly states unnamed elements of the Falcons attacked Morges during the incursion of 3058, also facing the Fourth Rangers, the Twentieth Arcturan Guard, and elements of the Dragoons, namely Alpha Regiment. (Again, resulting in a victory for the Inner Sphere forces.) However, most sources chronicling the Falcon Incursion of 3058 make no mention of the Falcons attacking Morges during that conflict, and seem to contradict it. The developers, as of this writing, have suggested that mention of the 3058 conflict was in error, confused with the supported 3054 battle. Therefore, this article assumes that the second conflict did not take place.
• According to the Storm Hammers MW:DA Dossier originally posted on the WizKids website, the Fourth Skye Rangers were never disbanded but instead became the Republic Skye Militia, a unit that was technically part of the Republic of the Sphere but still owing its loyalty to the Duke of Skye. This obviously contradicts the account given in Field Manual: 3085. Because the Field Manual takes precedence in canon, this article assumes the view that the Fourth Rangers were ultimately broken up into the Hastati Sentinels as explained above, but that the relevant descendants of those soldiers were inevitably drawn home to join the Skye Militia, ultimately explaining their origins before joining the Lyran Rangers.

Bibliography

• 20 Year Update
• Blood of Heroes
• Bred for War
• CBT Forum Battle of Morges question
• Dawn of the Jihad
• The Dying Time
• Endgame
• Era Digest: Dark Age
• Era Report: 2750
• Era Report: 3062
• FedCom Civil War
• Field Manual: 3085
• Field Manual: Lyran Alliance
• Field Manual: Mercenaries, Revised
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: LAAF
• Field Report 2765: LCAF
• Fire at Will (novel)
• First Succession War
• Handbook: House Steiner
• Heir to the Dragon
• Historical: War of 3039
• Historical Turning Points: Glengarry
• House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)
• Jade Falcon Sourcebook
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3070
• Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents
• Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2
• Natural Selection
• Objective Raids
• Second Succession War
• Shattered Sphere
• Storm Hammers MW:DA Dossier
• Technical Readout: 3025 Revised
• Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade
• Technical Readout: 3075
• Total Chaos
• Wolf Pack