Units: 21st Rim Worlds - 1894th Light Horse
Kerensky's war against Amaris the Usurper lasted from 2767 to 2779 - twelve long years of hardship and deprivation as the Star League Defense Force ground down Amaris's armies and advanced toward Terra. After the civil war, Aleksandr Kerensky created the Blue Star medal to recognize MechWarriors who displayed unswerving loyalty and devotion to duty in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Only thirty-seven of these medals, known as the Blue Star of Kerensky, were ever awarded. When Kerensky called for the Exodus, gathering to him the core of the SLDF in preparation for the massive emigration, all thirty-seven Blue Star recipients chose to remain behind and continue to serve the Inner Sphere.
Within a year of the Exodus, three recipients retired and two others dropped from sight. Then in 2788, as the First Succession War tore the Star League apart, Blue Star recipient Colonel Jeremiah Brighton put out the call for all other Blue Star holders to join him in an effort to preserve their honor and traditions. All thirty-two remaining recipients answered his call and brought the remnants of their former SLDF units along with them. The three regiment formed with these troops - the 1894th Light Horse, the Avatars of Painful Death, and the Twenty-first Rim Worlds 'Mech Regiment - comprised the Blue Star Irregulars.
The regiments chose House Davion from among the Great Houses as the contender truest to Star League ideals and entered service with the Federated Suns. For more than three hundred and fifty years, these regiments remained together and devoted to House Davion. When Prince Hanse Davion accepted the Steiner peace offering and formed the Federated Commonwealth, it seemed as if the mercenaries' dream of a reunited Star League might be at hand.
The Return of Kerensky
Initially, the Blue Star Irregulars refused to believe the rumors of the Clans' SLDF origins.When the point became irrefutable, however, the Irregulars requested immediate posting to the Clan front, so that they might challenge these perversions of Kerensky's legacy. They made it just as the Tukayyd truce brought a relative peace back to the Inner Sphere, and resigned themselves to preparations against the day when the Clans would roll forward again.
But the jade Falcons surprised them, striking out at the Twenty-first Rim Worlds regiment stationed on Ft. Loudon - apparently, the Clan's warriors had heard of the Irregulars'SLDF origins and wished to prove themselves against such worthy opponents. The Falcons first captured the regiment's JumpShips, then proceeded to overwhelm the mercenaries in a prolonged assault. Only two shattered companies remained, hidden in the planet's mountains, by the time a relief force arrived. The Jade Falcons pulled back to the occupied world of Quarrel, convinced of their superiority.
The other two Irregulars regiments immediately petitioned Morgan Hasek-Davion for permission to assault Quarrel. At his reluctant approval, the regiments jumped into the Quarrel system and, to their detriment, ignored the Falcons' requests for a batchall. Consequently, three clusters of Falcon OmniMechs prepared to meet the mercenaries' ground assault, while a single Falcon Fredasa-class corvette and Falcon OmniFighters launched an attack against the Blue Star JumpShips. This time, the Falcon aerospace attack was met by the mercenary fighter regiment Hell's Black Aces, which emerged from hidden positions and quickly claimed space superiority over Quarrel. The Clan WarShip seemed undeterred, however, and when it attempted to close with a severely damaged Blue Star JumpShip, the JumpShip captain was forced to ram the Falcon vessel with his own. The dangerous tactic worked, however, destroying the WarShip's primary command center. The Black Aces claimed it and an escorting Falcon DropShip in the name of the Blue Star Irregulars.
The mercenaries fared less well on the ground, unable to overcome the Falcons' technological and numerical advantages. The 1894th Light Horse managed to hold its own and destroy several Jade Falcons supply dumps, but the Avatars soon became trapped between two Falcon Clusters. Before the Light Horse could act, the Falcons collapsed their trap around the Avatars and destroyed the regiment.
Realizing that the battle was lost, Colonel Alexander Duff-Gordon led his Light Horse against a large Falcon supply cache and captured it. He then issued a challenge to the Falcon commander, Star Colonel Padrick Shi-lu, offering the supply cache and captured Falcon WarShip against the lives of any captured Avatar or Rim World warriors, all captured Blue Star medals, and safe conduct back to FedCom space. Within minutes, Duff-Gordon and seven Blue Star MechWarriors were facing Star Colonel Padrick and four Falcon warriors on the Plains of Richlu. Duff-Gordon managed to kill Star Colonel Padrick before his Warhammer's fusion engine overheated and exploded. In the end, only two of the Irregulars remained alive, but they had won the challenge. The Irregulars returned to Rasalgethi, where they mourned their losses and began to rebuild for the day they would face the Clans again.
The Eridani Light Horse and McCarron's Armored Cavalry both recently lost their mercenary status, and their seats on the Dragoons-sponsored Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission have been offered to the well-respected Northwind Highlanders and the Blue Star Irregulars. The Highlanders have accepted; the Irregulars are reportedly still pondering the offer.
Command
Though a Blue Star medal is no longer a prerequisite for general membership in the Irregulars, it remains a requirement for regimental commanders in the unit (traditionally, medals are passed down within the unit). A Blue Star medal boosts a warrior's chances for obtaining a command position, though it does not guarantee such a position.
The commanding officer of the 1894th Light Horse is considered the CO of all Blue Star regiments for purposes of contracts and in the event of joint operations such as the Quarrel assault. The irregulars are extremely loyal to Victor Davion and have recently moved to Morges in the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, where they continue to operate in Victor's name.
Colors and insignia
Blue Star field uniforms consist of dark blue, silver-trimmed flightsuits for pilots; dark blue one-piece body suits for mechWarriors; and dark blue padded camouflage fatigues for armormen and infantry troops. The Blue Star dress uniform consists of dark blue trousers with dark silver piping, a dark silver banded-collar shirt and a dark blue vest. A jacket-cape and knee-high black boots complete the officer dress uniform. Enlisted ranks wear a standard jacket. rank and unit insignia are worn on the left sleeve cuff on both jacket and shirt.
For their 'Mechs and vehicles, the 1894th uses dark blue paint with lots of silver-steel striping. The Twenty-first Rim Worlds uses a solid dark blue scheme that appears black under any but the best lighting. The force insignia is a blue-steel star set against a silver shield. The insignia is painted on the upper left torsos of 'Mechs. Unit members also wear the insignia as a patch on the left breast of their uniforms. Regimental crests are worn as patches on the left sleeve above rank insignia.
The Blue Star Irregulars still hold thirty-two Blue Star medals, distributed among the members of the unit.
Units: 21st Rim Worlds - 1894th Light Horse