Lyran Regulars

Lyran Regulars
Formed	Unknown
Nickname	The Crucible
Affiliation	Lyran Commonwealth
Parent Command	LCAF

Originally a Lyran national brigade that was only considered semi-permanent, the Lyran Regulars frequently waxed and waned in size depending on the needs of the military. When the LCAF needed to move more capable units into combat positions, the Regulars would swell with a mix of reenlisting veterans and soldiers rushed through incomplete training. The Lyran Regulars see themselves as the backbone of the LCAF, providing a capable, no-frills combat force that's more interested in getting the job done than playing the political games so common in the LCAF's upper echelons. Because of this, the Regulars have historically lacked patronage. This, combined with their emphasis on tactics considered "unorthodox" within the LAAF, has generally kept them on the low end of the supply chain and often assigned missions seen as hopeless or somehow below more prestigious brigades.

History

First Succession War

As the House militaries grew in the last years of the Star League, the Regulars became a permanent part of the LCAF. In the rush to build up forces following Operation CHIEFTAIN and the collapse of the Star league, the Regulars were bolstered by a mix of mercenaries as well as former members of the SLDF and Rim Worlds Republic military. Consequently, they were regarded dubiously by the high command, who doubted their loyalty. The unit expanded massively prior to the outbreak of the First Succession War, going from five regiments in 2765 to 22 at the outbreak of the war.

Unlike their prior role as a defensive force, the Lyran Regulars were heavily involved in offensive operations at the start of the war, especially Operation ELBOW JOINT, the campaign in the Bolan Thumb. They played a major part in the campaign for Bella I, when the Twelfth and Fourteenth Lyran Regulars attacked the world under the command of Colonel Raymond Hempsted, former commander of the Stealths, and his aide, Leutnant-Colonel Richard Steiner, the Archon-Designate.

Second Succession War

The Regulars played host to two notable leaders in this time: Hendrik Grimm and Henry DeCalidore. Grimm was once a rising star in the LCAF, but his behavior became increasingly unstable. While his ties to House Steiner saved him from a court martial, they could not save his career, and he went from a battalion commander in the prestigious Third Lyran Guards to commanding the Sixth Lyran Regulars. Though the posting on Graham IV was considered "safe," a Marik force slipped over the border and attacked the world. Grimm believed the Archon had abandoned him and led his unit into piracy. After adding defectors from the Fifth Lyran Regulars, the unit disappeared into the Periphery, which Grimm used to set himself up as king of the Oberon Confederation.

Henry DeCalidore, on the other hand, was given his post as a reward. A former Speaker of the Assembly for the Estates-General and member of the Triumvirate Regency, DeCalibore weas architect of the plan to reactivate the LCS Invincible to save Hesperus II from Draconis Combine attack and now fancied himself a military genius. Rather than deal with self-aggrandizing and meddling, new Archon Elizabeth Steiner mustered the Twenty-third Lyran Regulars and placed them under his command. Colonel DeCalidore was killed in action on Sakhalin, though his unit blunted the DCMS assault.

As with many brigades in the LCAF, the losses began to mount in earnest during the war and its number of regiments in the Regulars began to decline. Ten of the 23 regiments were lost by 2864.

Jihad

After the Jihad ended, most of the Lyran Regulars' units had more troops available than any other Lyran command, but these troops suffered from very low morale. This stemmed from their extremely high losses at the beginning of the Jihad, where the unit lost three regiments outright and suffered heavy casualties throughout the surviving units. Their fading morale was exacerbated by LCAF High Command leaving them in garrison, as they were seen as reliable defensive units, and they were forced to stand by while other Lyran units fought in all the major battles. The combination of older veterans coping with losses, inexperienced rookies being pumped into the brigade to replace them, and both types of MechWarrior eager to but disallowed from participating in the fighting, took such a toll that they were considered in 3079 as having the worst morale of any brigade in the LCAF. In an unusual twist for the brigade, the Fifteenth Lyran Regulars became the top choice of assignment for new graduates, likely due to that unit's service as the primary garrison force for Melissia and, as the Royal Court took up residence there during the Word of Blake's occupation of Tharkad, the opportunity to rub shoulders with nobility and people of importance.

Dark Age

Their history as a defensive command was changed in Operation HAMMERFALL. The entire Regulars brigade was used during that attack, and though they initially were successful, the tides of war turned against them. The brigade lost four Lyran Regulars regiments to combat, and the rest of the Regulars were heavily damaged.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the Lyran Regulars

Tactics

Different per Unit.

Units of the Lyran Regulars

• 1st Lyran Regulars
• 2nd Lyran Regulars
• 3rd Lyran Regulars
• 4th Lyran Regulars
• 5th Lyran Regulars
• 6th Lyran Regulars
• 7th Lyran Regulars
• 8th Lyran Regulars
• 9th Lyran Regulars
• 10th Lyran Regulars
• 11th Lyran Regulars
• 12th Lyran Regulars
• 13th Lyran Regulars
• 14th Lyran Regulars
• 15th Lyran Regulars
• 16th Lyran Regulars
• 17th Lyran Regulars
• 18th Lyran Regulars
• 19th Lyran Regulars
• 20th Lyran Regulars
• 21st Lyran Regulars
• 22nd Lyran Regulars
• 23rd Lyran Regulars
• 65th Lyran Regulars

Notes

• There are conflicting reports as to which regiment deserted with Hendrik Grimm, with some sources claiming it was the 54th Lyran Regulars and others claiming it was the 65th Lyran Regulars. Second Succession War (Sourcebook), combined with an official ruling by Assistant Line Developer Ray "Adrian Gideon" Arrastia, establishes that the 65th never existed, and should be read as "6th plus elements of the 5th".

• The 1st Lyran Regulars was destroyed during Operation Revival.
• The 3rd Lyran Regulars was destroyed by Word of Blake forces at Woodbine during the Jihad.
• The 4th Lyran Regulars suffered heavy losses against the 9th Regulan Hussars)
• The 5th Lyran Regulars was destroyed by Free Skye forces during the FedCom Civil War)
• The 6th Lyran Regulars deserted with Hendrik Grimm; reformed sometime before the Dark Age.
• The 7th Lyran Regulars was destroyed by the 2nd Knights of the Inner Sphere during Operation Broken Fist.
• The 11th Lyran Regulars was destroyed by Free Worlds League forces during Operation Broken Fist.
• The 12th Lyran Regulars was destroyed around 2928; survivors formed Markson's Marauders mercenary unit.
• The 13th Lyran Regulars was destroyed during Third Succession War; survivors joined 7th Lyran Regulars.
• The 14th Lyran Regulars was destroyed.
• The 22nd Lyran Regulars was destroyed during Third Succession War; survivors joined 7th Lyran Regulars.
• The 23rd Lyran Regulars Supposed to be destroyed on Sakhalin between 2860 and 2863.
• The 65th Lyran Regulars never existed; mis-reporting for the "6th plus elements of the shattered 5th" when they went rogue under Hendrik Grimm.

Color Schemes and Unit Insignia

The Lyran Regulars paint their equipment "drab green" (mottled between olive and pine green), with tan or khaki highlights.

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  Commando of the 3rd Regulars

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  Commando of the Lyran Regulars

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  Insignia of the Lyran Regulars Brigade

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  3rd Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  4th Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  5th Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  7th Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  8th Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  9th Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  10th Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  11th Lyran Regulars Insignia

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  15th Lyran Regulars Insignia

Bibliography

• Field Manual: 3145
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: LAAF
• Field Manual: Mercenaries Revised