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Here's another sneak peak at the upcoming threat assessment book.  Enjoy.


Killarney Kerns

The Killarney Combat Region was created in the wake of the Reunification War.  With the annexation of so many Taurian worlds, the AFFS had to create new combat regions and reorganize others.  The Killarney Combat Region was one of the newly created combat regions.  The Killareny Combat region was composed of the former June Combat Region, several worlds, which due to their remote location, were a logistical problem for the Remagen Combat Region and 3 captured Taurian worlds.  Killarney was chosen as the capital of the new region, largely as it was the home to Duke Edward Fitzgerald, a loyal supporter of the Davions and the Federated Suns. 

Upon taking command of the Killarney Combat Region, Duke Fitzgerald inherited the June Javelins, the defense force of the June Combat Region.  Despite protests from members of the Javelins, the Duke renamed the regiment the Killarney Kerns.   While there was some opposition to this change from members of the Javelins, the Duke won them over when he provided the regiment with new equipment.   Originally equipped with early primative mechs that had retired from service with the AFFS, the Duke replaced those mechs with brand new mechs from factories in the Federated Suns.  As the funding available for the Kerns was limited, the majority of the mechs acquired for the Kerns were lighter designs. 

Initially there were some concerns about the decision to equip the regiment with light mechs, as the main mission of the Kerns was to defend the Killarney region against raiders and pirates targeting the rich mining operations in the area.  The Kerns proved that these concerns were unfounded following several pirate raids in the 2630s.  Using their superior speed, the Kerns conducted hit and fade attacks against the raiders, slowing their advanced and allowing the local miltia's heavy tanks to get into position.  By the time the pirates reached the mining complexes, they had suffered significant damage and were easy prey for the militia's tanks.  Based on these operations, the Kerns began refitting many of their mechs with long range weapons such as LRMs, Autocanons and PPCs, allowing them to snipe at enemy forces, while limiting their exposure to return fire.    Mechs like the LCT-1M Locust with it's LRMs or FLE-4 Flea with it's large laser, which were generally considered impotent, became powerful weapons in the hands of the Kerns.

The 1st Killarney Kerns proved to be so successful at countering pirate attacks, that the only complaint against them was their limited numbers meant they could not be everywhere at once. It was for this reason that a number of mining consortiums operating on Malagrotta and Great Gorge approached Duke Fitzgerald.  They offered to fund a second regiment of the Kerns, with the stipulation that the regiment be assigned to defend the valuable mines on Malagrotta and Great Gorge.  The Duke quickly accepted the offer and in 2648 the 2nd Killarney Kerns were created.  As with the 1st, the 2nd used a number of lighter mechs equipped with long range weapons.  Mechs like the LCT-1M Locust, FLE-4 Flea, Thorn and Clint dominated the Kern's TO&E.  The new regiment proved it's worth in 2649 when they managed to drive off a raid against Great Gorge. As a result of this, the mining companies began to contemplate raising a third regiment for the defense of the region.

These plans came to a crashing halt following the passage of the Edict of 2650.  As the AFFS had too many units, it was forced to retire several regiments. Once such unit was the 2nd Killarney Kerns.  This decision was met with major opposition from the people of the Killarney Combat Region, who felt their needs were being ignored by Prince Zane Davion.  The mining companies also felt betrayed as they had invested significant amounts of many to outfit the 2nd. Duke Donald Fitzgerald realized that  the Prince's decision could cause serious problems and quickly moved to resolve the situation.  While the 2nd was officially disbanded, the unit's soldiers and equipment were transferred to the local mining concerns that had originally funded the unit.  To pay for the operation of these forces, the mining companies were given a series of tax breaks by Duke Fitzgerald.  For the next century, the 2nd Killarney Kerns, now known as the Fontana Defense Force, protected the worlds of Malagrotta and Great Gorge from pirates. 

With the expansion of the Great House army sizes in 2752, the Fontana Defense Force was returned to the Killarney Combat Region and resumed operation as the 2nd Killarney Kerns.  In 2762 the Kerns were able to add a 3rd Regiment due to the mis-fortune of Kallon Industries.  In 2760, Kallon introduced the Hornet, a light mech intended for urban recon.  Poorly accepted by both the AFFS and SLDF, Kallon, which had produced several production runs in anticipation of huge orders, was left with many of the mechs unsold.  While the mechs performed poorly in the urban recon role, they were well suited for the Kerns' style of fighting.  More importantly, Kallon was willing to sell the mechs very cheaply, in effort to recoup some of their losses.  The Kerns purchased every Hornet they could and used them to raise a 3rd regiment, as well as creating a small reserve of mechs to replaces losses suffered in combat or due to age.

With the recent Exodus of the SLDF and the redeployment of many AFFS units to the Capellan and Draconis border, pirates have begun to step up their attacks.  In recent months both Malagrotta and Great Gorge have come under repeated attacks by raiders.  For this reason the 2nd Kerns have been permanently assigned to protect Malagrotta while the 3rd has been assigned to Great Gorge. The 1st has no permanent assignment but has been rotated to various worlds in the Killarney Combat Region. 

TO&E

1st Killarney Kerns

The 1st traces it's lineage to the June Javelins, the defenders of the former June Combat Region. Originally equipped with a variety of second hand primitive battlemechs, the regiment was refitted with brand new light mechs when they became the Killarney Kerns.  The regiment specialized in hit and run attacks and their standard tactics called for the regiment to delay enemy forces until the local militia's heavy tanks could get into position and deliver the knock out blow.  While these tactics were very effective, the Kerns had a tendency to take significant damage during the battles. In an effort to counter this situation, the Kerns began retrofitting their mechs with long range weapons, such as LRMs and PPCs, allowing them to hit enemy mechs from further away.  The 1st Kerns have some of the best technicians in the entire brigade.  Many of the mechs have been retrofitted to carry long range weapons in place of shorter range ones. This has made maintenance more difficult for the techs, who have had to become experts at repairing jury-rigged systems.

The success of the unit would eventually lead to the creation of 2 other regiments.  The 1st continues to be the premier regiment of the Kerns brigade.  Unlike the other 2 regiments, the 1st does not have a permanent assignment, but rather is deployed as needed around the Combat Region. 

2nd Killarney Kerns

The 2nd Kerns were raised to defend the valuable mines on Great Gorge and Malagrotta.  Funded by the mining companies, the regiment was equipped with mechs that suited their unique combat style.  As a result the 2nd has very retrofitted models, making maintenance less of an issue.  For much of their existance, the 2nd was known as the Fontana Defense Force, in an effort to skirt the limits imposed by the Edict of 2650, which required the disbanding of the 2nd Kerns shortly after the creation.  Even after the unit resumed operations as the 2nd Kerns, they continued to deploy exclusively on the worlds of Malagrotta and Great Gorge. With the creation of the 3rd Kerns, the 2nd was permanently assigned to Malagrotta.  As with the 1st, the 2nd is composed almost entire of light mechs equipped with long range weapons.

3rd Killarney Kerns
-The 3rd Killarney Kerns are the newest regiment in the Kerns Brigade.  The regiment was formed in 2762 when the the Kerns were able to acquire 5 battalions of Hornets from Kallon Industries at incredibly cheap prices.  The 3rd has been assigned to defend the mines on Great Gorge.  Much to the surprise of many in the AFFS who consider the Hornet a major failure, the 3rd has managed to fend off several pirate attacks.