Zulu Company

Zulu Company, of the First Battalion, First Davion Guards was the BattleMech company depicted in the PC game MechCommander and its expansion pack MechCommander: Desperate Measures. The First Davion Guards RCT was part of the Federated Commonwealth's (later Federated Suns) Davion Brigade of Guards, which was considered one of the most elite military units in the entire Inner Sphere.
As of 3059, the First Battalion of the First Davion Guards was one of the units representing the Federated Commonwealth in the newly reconstituted Star League Defense Force (SLDF). First Battalion was composed of three reinforced companies: X-Ray, Yankee and Zulu, each commanded by a MechCommander holding the AFFC/SLDF rank of Captain, and each company consisted of three Lances of four BattleMechs or OmniMechs plus their field support detachment (armor, infantry, logistics, etc.)
On May 13, 3059, the SLDF commenced Operation Bird Dog, the advance guerrilla war prelude to Operation Bulldog, which itself was the SLDF campaign to destroy Clan Smoke Jaguar. The SLDF sent the First Battalion to the planet Port Arthur, which was a Draconis Combine planet that had been captured by the Smoke Jaguars several years earlier in order to liberate the planet, return it to Draconis Combine jurisdiction and use it as a SLDF advance base in support of Operation Bulldog.
At 0430 on May 22, 3059, the SLDF invasion of Port Arthur began. Clan orbital defenses were quickly eliminated, allowing the first elements of the First Davion Guards to land on the planet. However, Clan planet-based defenses managed to shoot down several Davion dropships of Second Battalion (losing two-thirds of that unit in the process) as well as a dropship containing a significant portion of X-Ray Company, including its MechCommander. Charlie Company of the Second Battalion actually had the honor of being the first SLDF unit to touch down on Port Arthur and the first to engage the Smoke Jaguar defenders. A 'Mech Lance from Charlie managed to gun down and capture a Clan Mad Cat OmniMech intact, but since none of the surviving Second Battalion MechWarriors were qualified to pilot the Mad Cat, they turned it over to First Battalion. The Mad Cat was fully repaired and reassigned to Zulu Company.
At first, First Battalion faced Smoke Jaguar bondsmen MechWarriors piloting captured Inner Sphere 'Mechs. A few days later, warriors of the Smoke Jaguar 168th Garrison Cluster piloting Clan OmniMechs arrived from their base on Port Arthur's southern continent and engaged the SLDF forces.
On the afternoon of June 4, 3059, Zulu Company, led by 1st Lance Commander and Company XO (Executive Officer) Captain Robert "Hunter" West, captured Port Arthur's starport. In Clan fashion, Hunter personally challenged the last remaining Smoke Jaguar MechWarrior in the starport, who also happened to be the CO of the 168th, to single combat. Hunter swiftly destroyed the Star Colonel's Masakari OmniMech. Just before local sunset, Smoke Jaguar reinforcements arrived in a futile attempt to wipe out Zulu Company; at that moment dropships bearing three Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS) regiments descended on the starport and gunned down the Jaguar reinforcements, aided by Zulu's MechWarriors. By June 7, the last of the 168th were rounded up and thrown in prison.
On January 26, 3060, as the remaining Smoke Jaguars fled towards their homeworld of Huntress, SLDF Intelligence discovered a sizeable Smoke Jaguar contingent commanded by Star Colonel Marcus Kotare had seized the Deep Periphery world of Cermak. According to information obtained from Jaguar databases, in 2785 the SLDF Exodus convoy commanded by Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky had stopped at Cermak and built several storage facilities to house surplus Star League weapons, mostly of an experimental (such as X-Pulse Lasers) or dangerous nature (including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons). Apparently Kotare had also uncovered this same information and intended to confiscate the weapons for use against his SLDF enemies. Hunter, now a SLDF Major and CO of Zulu Company, along with his XO, Captain Lucas "Lynx" Williams (this explains why Hunter and Lynx were not in Desperate Measures), were ordered to investigate Kotare's activities on Cermak by First Battalion CO Colonel Kristen Reese. In the end, Kotare was killed by 1st Lance Commander Lieutenant Ray "Hitman" Carter and Kotare's XO, Star Colonel Burnell Wirth, was gunned down by Sergeant Major Roberta "Countess" Kent.
Zulu was thereafter assigned to supervising the disarming and dismantling of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) unearthed by Kotare, as well as confiscating and analyzing the Star League lostech found in storage. Thus, the First Davion Guards did not manage to participate in the Great Refusal on Strana Mechty. After the SLDF won their Trial of Refusal against the Crusader Clans, Zulu rejoined the AFFC troops in their return to the Inner Sphere, leaving Cermak to a SLDF garrison. Some of the lostech weapons and technology were turned over to the NAIS for analysis, but most of it was distributed to SLDF units to replace damaged or destroyed equipment. Much of this original equipment was irreplacably destroyed during the FedCom Civil War, but during the war most of the lostech was reverse-engineered by the NAIS and swiftly put into production.
In early 3062, Marshal Bishop Sortek, commander of the First Davion Guards RCT and the Davion Brigade of Guards, requested First Battalion reprise their role of protecting Prince Victor. These well-seasoned troops formed the founding core of the Outland Legion, a group of military personnel who were fanatically loyal to Prince Victor and served as his personal troops. Second and Third Battalions were assigned to New Avalon to defend the planet against pro-Katherine LAAF forces. By the end of the War on April 20, 3067, only one combined-arms regiment of the Guards had survived the fighting. Since the First Davion Guards were considered one of the most prominent symbols of the newly-rechristened AFFS and Federated Suns, Regent Yvonne Steiner-Davion ordered that the First be rebuilt as soon as possible. The survivors of the 5th Donegal Guards, 2nd NAIS Cadre and 10th Lyran Guards were folded into the new First Davion Guards. At this time, the elite members of Zulu Company rejoined their parent unit to lead the First.
The First Davion Guards were one of the first units to engage the 31st Division of the Word of Blake when that unit invaded New Avalon in the beginning of the Jihad. By the end of the Jihad in 3081, only five of the original MechWarriors and 18% of the support personnel of Zulu had survived.
Zulu Company Personnel Information
Robert "Hunter" West
Homeworld: New Avalon, Federated Suns
Hunter was an AFFC Leftenant and Lance Commander at the start of the Port Arthur Campaign. When the First Davion Guards were made part of the SLDF strike force that was assigned to annihilate Clan Smoke Jaguar, all personnel involved received SLDF ranks; thus Hunter became a SLDF Lieutenant. A graduate of the Albion Military Academy, Hunter finished in the top 10% of his class and received a commission as a Leftenant instead of the regular Sergeant. Due to his leadership ability and rank, Lieutenant West was made 1st Lance Commander of Zulu Company. Hunter distinguished himself during the Port Arthur campaign, quickly earning himself a promotion to Captain. After personally leading Zulu's MechWarriors to victory at the Port Arthur Starport, Hunter was personally awarded with the Medal Excalibur and a well-deserved promotion to Major by Prince Victor Steiner-Davion. Captain Carpenter was transferred to Colonel Reese's staff as her adjutant, and Major West became Zulu's CO. Hunter immediately nominated his right-hand man and friend, Lucas "Lynx" Williams to be the company's XO. Colonel Reese (with Prince Victor's enthusiastic support) granted Hunter's request.
Hunter and Lynx led Zulu to victory at Cermak, ending the threat presented by Kotare's renegade Jaguar forces. Hunter personally supervised the destruction of the WMDs that were found on-planet.
After recovering from Operation Bulldog, Major West and his Zulu Company troops were assigned to personally serve Prince Victor as part of the Outland Legion, after the latter declared his intent to remove his sister, Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion, from the throne of the Federated Suns.
Hunter once again served with distinction while serving with Prince Victor, gunning down numerous Lyran troops and destroying more than a few LAAF installations. During the FedCom Civil War, Hunter was promoted to Leftenant Colonel (3066) and received the Diamond Sunburst as well as numerous other citations of merit and bravery.
In 3073, Hunter was promoted to Colonel for his unorthodox and highly successful tactics in fighting the Word of Blake invaders. A few years before the end of the Jihad, Hunter traded his Daishi (Dire Wolf) OmniMech for a staff position within the AFFS, along with another promotion to Leftenant General. At the end of the Jihad and the formation of the Republic of the Sphere in 3081, General West formally announced his retirement from military service, having faithfully served the Federated Suns for 24 years.
Descendants of the original Zulu Company MechWarriors eventually formed the core of the Davion Guards and Swordsworn during the MechWarrior: Dark Age era in the early 32nd century. Among these elite warriors was Captain Robert J. West III, grandson of the legendary MechWarrior Leftenant General Sir Robert J. "Hunter" West.
Among the dignitaries at the funeral of Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion in 3134 was Sir Robert James West, Lord Malmesbury (his estate on New Avalon, awarded to him as his fiefdom upon receiving the Medal Excalibur so many years before). It is said His Lordship openly wept for Victor, the first time he was seen shedding tears in public.
Lucas "Lynx" Williams
Homeworld: New Avalon, Federated Suns
A graduate of the NAIS College of Military Sciences (CMS, formerly known but still referred to as the New Avalon Military Academy or NAMA), Lynx was a MechWarrior Sergeant at the time of the Port Arthur invasion. He was field-promoted to Lieutenant and 2nd Lance Commander after he showed his leadership qualities by successfully leading Zulu's MechWarriors in several missions.
At the end of the Port Arthur Campaign, Lynx was awarded the Diamond Sunburst. Shortly before arriving at Cermak, Lynx was promoted to Captain and made Zulu Company XO. It was Lynx who recommended Ray "Hitman" Carter to spearhead Zulu's surgical strikes against Marcus Kotare's Smoke Jaguars.
After taking Cermak, Lynx assisted Hunter in ensuring the destruction of the WMDs. Lynx took a personal interest in the recovery of the lostech, and being a NAIS alumni, considered it a high honor to personally oversee the delivery of the recovered lostech equipment to NAIS scientists.
By 3062, Captain Williams was a Company Commander in the First Davion Guards RCT on New Avalon. On October 17, 3063, Lynx and twenty-two other elite MechWarriors volunteered to make a last stand with Marshal Sortek to hold off advancing LAAF troops. For making the ultimate sacrifice against overwhelming odds, Lucas Williams was posthumously awarded his second Diamond Sunburst.
To forever honor Lynx's memory, a life-size bronze statue of him in his AFFS MechWarrior's uniform stands near the cadet parade grounds at the CMS. Like all other memorials at the CMS, Lynx's statue is lovingly polished and maintained by the cadets. Flowers and other tributes are left at the base of his statue by the faculty and cadets, as well as surviving members of Zulu Company, on each anniversary of his death.
Roberta "Countess" Kent
Homeworld: Goshen, Federated Suns
A distant relative of the ruling Davion family, Roberta Kent was nevertheless part of the Federated Suns nobility as a result of her blood relationship with the Davions, being Countess of Mansfield, a region on her homeworld of Goshen. She attended the War College of Goshen and graduated as a MechWarrior Sergeant in 3050, just after the Clans began their Operation Revival against the Inner Sphere. Countess served with the Third Crucis Lancers from 3050-3059, earning two Silver Sunbursts and a Golden Sunburst. Because of her combat experience against the Clans and her noble connections, Countess was assigned to the First Davion Guards after the Star League was reestablished in 3059 and the decision was made to annihilate Clan Smoke Jaguar.
Countess proved her anti-Clan fighting skills on Port Arthur, eliminating numerous Clan warriors and a well-earned promotion to the rank of Sergeant Major just before the end of the campaign and the position of Company Sergeant Major. After the liberation of Port Arthur, Prince Victor himself was on-world to personally confer awards to his soldiers. As Sergeant Major Kent stood at attention in her company's formation, it came her turn to receive her award from Prince Victor. Just as Victor was about to pin the Golden Sunburst to her dress uniform, he recognized his kinsman. Victor then amazed everyone by publicly embracing Roberta. Both wore huge smiles as Victor proudly pinned the medal to her uniform, and Victor, accompanied by Colonel Reese and his own Chief of Staff, Colonel Jerrard Cranston, all shook her hand and gave their congratulations.
Sergeant Major Kent went on to serve with Zulu on Cermak, where she once again distinguished herself in battle, particularly for her Clan-style challenge to single combat against Star Captain Katherine Furey, defeating the Jaguar MechWarrior and capturing her customized Vulture (Mad Dog) OmniMech, which had been fitted with a huge lostech weapon dubbed a "Railgun", an enlarged and more powerful version of the venerable Gauss Rifle. To honor the late Star Captain Furey and to prove the Railgun's capabilities, Countess decided to keep the gun on her 'Mech. It was her Railgun that killed Kotare's XO, Star Colonel Burnell Wirth. Wirth challenged Countess to single combat; Countess graciously accepted, then taunted Wirth by asking him if he recognized the 'Mech she was piloting. As Wirth cursed Countess, a 500 kilogram nickel-iron slug from her Railgun blew through Wirth's cockpit, vaporizing Wirth and coring his Turkina 'Mech.
After her return to the Inner Sphere, in 3062 Countess was promoted to the regimental Command Sergeant Major for the First Davion Guards RCT (she turned down the initial offer of promotion to Lieutenant, preferring to remain a senior enlisted advisor).
She went on to serve with great honor during the Jihad, but was forced to return to her homeworld to defend it from the Blakists in 3075. After the Jihad, she returned to her governing duties as a Countess but remained a member of the AFFS Reserve as a Command Sergeant Major until her death of natural causes in 3123.
Roberta Kent was noted for her motherly care to the MechWarriors under her command and teaching them the intricacies of formal etiquette.
Frederick "Baron" Kent
Homeworld: Goshen, Federated Suns
The younger brother of Roberta Kent, Countess Mansfield, Frederick Kent held the noble title of Baron on his homeworld. However, Baron insisted on taking the humble decision of enlisting in the AFFC instead of attending an academy. He excelled in his MechWarrior AIT school after Basic Training and was made a Private First Class. He was then assigned to his first field unit, the First Davion Guards (which just happened to be the same unit his sister was also assigned to).
Baron was one of the very few MechWarriors among the First Davion Guards who specialized in sensor operations and electronic warfare. Operating against the Smoke Jaguars quickly honed Baron's fighting skills to a razor edge. He was promoted to Corporal and given a Golden Sunburst by Prince Victor, who clasped Baron's right hand with both of Victor's own and recognized his kinsman Frederick Kent as "one of the finest Electronic Warfare Specialists in the entire SLDF."
As a result of his exploits on Port Arthur and his newfound reputation as a highly regarded MechWarrior, the tri-vid media on Goshen labelled Baron as a planetary hero. With his typical humbleness, Baron very reluctantly accepted all the accolades.
On Cermak, Baron used his formidable EW skills to good effect to confuse Kotare and his renegade forces, gunning down several of the Clanners in the process. During this time, Baron was promoted to Sergeant.
When Baron and Countess returned to Goshen, they were hailed as war heroes. Baron finally decided to attend the NAIS to get a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering, but his studies were cut short by the FedCom Civil War. He was a Cadet Leftenant Colonel and Cadet Battalion Commander in the Third NAIS Cadre, where his EW skills contributed significantly to that unit's victories. At the conclusion of the civil war, Baron finally got his BS degree (Summa Cum Laude) and a commission as a Leftenant in the AFFS.
Baron used his EW abilities to great effect against the Blakists. When the Republic was founded in 3081, Baron had reached the rank of Major. He then transferred to the AFFS Reserves in order to obtain a Doctorate in Cybernetics and teach full-time at the Republic MechWarrior Academy on Terra. Naturally, Dr. Kent taught Electronic Warfare and Sensor Operations to the Republic's cadets.
Ray "Hitman" Carter
Homeworld: Addicks, Federated Suns
Hitman received his moniker while a MechWarrior cadet at the Robinson Battle Academy; he earned Expert qualifications in Laser and Autocannon marksmanship. Graduating as a Sergeant in 3052, Hitman was assigned to the Tenth Deneb Light Cavalry and served on the frontlines against the Clans during Operation Revival. After hearing of Clan Smoke Jaguar atrocities, Hitman swore that he would make the Clans pay for their crimes. In 3058, Hitman volunteered to join the First Davion Guards when that unit was assigned to Operation Bird Dog (it was widely rumored that Hitman joined the Guards so he could get his chance at revenge against the Jaguars).
Hitman distinguished himself on Port Arthur, earning three citations for bravery and a Silver Sunburst at the end of the campaign. By the time First Battalion reached Cermak, Hitman received a field commission as a SLDF Lieutenant and command of First Lance of Zulu Company. He took immense pride in gunning down the Jaguars in his personalized Turkina OmniMech.
Ray Carter is remembered in Inner Sphere history as the MechWarrior who killed Star Colonel Marcus Kotare.
Like the rest of Zulu Company, Hitman was fanatically loyal to Prince Victor. When most of First Battalion was assigned to Victor in order to serve at his side during the FedCom Civil War, Hitman was among those who joined Victor's Outland Legion.
Captain Ray "Hitman" Carter was killed in action on New Avalon on March 14, 3067 during the Allied invasion of the continent of Albion. He was posthumously awarded his second Silver Sunburst on May 29, 3067. His name is inscribed on the Wall of Honor in Avalon City.
Sean "Firestorm" Jackson
Homeworld: Kathil, Federated Suns
A soldier from a very long line of Jacksons who served with distinction with the AFFS, Sean Jackson received his commission as a AFFC Leftenant upon his graduation from the famed Sakhara Academy in 3053. One of his classmates was Jack Roberts, who went on to distinguish himself during the FedCom Civil War.
Leftenant Jackson received his first assignment: the 1st Davion Guards, 1st Battalion, Zulu Company, 1st Lance Commander. In 3059, he was promoted to Captain and appointed as CO of Zulu Company. When the Guards were selected to participate in Operation Bird Dog later that year, it was also decided that the Guards would be one of the few AFFC units that would have its 'Mech companies commanded by the new concept of MechCommanders, who would direct 'Mech battles from a command console aboard a nearby command dropship.
When the Guards made planetfall on Port Arthur, most of the RCT either did not manage to get past the planet's formidable orbital defense grid, or were forced to remain in high orbit or at pirate jump points. Therefore, ad hoc provisional companies would be formed for the time being until the surviving Guards managed to reorganize. Jackson was informed that he had been chosen to command one of these provisional companies and command of Zulu would be transferred to one of the new MechCommanders. Jackson then displayed how he earned his callsign: "His temper rages like a firestorm" by getting into a heated argument with the new Zulu CO, Captain Roger Carpenter, since Jackson believed that having an inexperienced commander in charge of a 'Mech company would result in excessive casualties.
Jackson later managed to convince Colonel Kristen Reese, CO of 1st Battalion, to let him return to the battlefield by being given command of Zulu's 2nd Lance. Firestorm remained in this capacity until the end of the Port Arthur campaign, when he was promoted to XO of Yankee Company.
By the time the Guards reached Cermak, Firestorm had been promoted to Major and CO of Yankee Company, with Captain Sabrina "Vixen" Miller as his XO (hence why neither of them were seen in Desperate Measures).
By the time of the end of the FedCom Civil War in April 3067, Jackson was a Colonel commanding one of the 1st Davion Guards combat commands that had managed to survive the War. For his exemplary leadership ability, Jackson was awarded the Diamond Sunburst at war's end.
Colonel Jackson was later assassinated during the subsequent Jihad by a Blakist headhunter squad, on September 23, 3072. His body was never found, but a memorial was later dedicated to him in his eternal memory at his alma mater, Sakhara.
Sabrina "Vixen" Miller
Homeworld: Tsamma, Federated Suns
A 3048 graduate of the Filtvelt Academy, Sabrina Miller joined the AFFC as a MechWarrior Sergeant assigned to her homeworld's Crucis March Militia. When the Clans invaded in their Operation Revival, Vixen was reassigned to the Davion Light Guards in order to serve on the front line. In 3053, Vixen's lance commander was killed in action fighting Clan Wolf; Sergeant Miller took command of her lance and managed to stage a fighting retreat for the rest of her company until they could reach safety. For this heroic action and her leadership ability, Miller was awarded the Golden Sunburst and field-promoted to Leftenant and Lance Commander.
In 3059, Leftenant Miller was transferred to the First Davion Guards when Colonel Reese asked the AFFC High Command for veteran MechWarriors who had experience fighting the Clans. Vixen, along with several other elite Clan War veterans, was transported by WarShip to Port Arthur, where she became 3rd Lance Commander for Zulu Company.
By the time of the Cermak campaign, Miller was promoted to Captain and XO of Yankee Company.
When the FedCom Civil War broke out, Vixen, along with much of 1st Battalion, was assigned the task of protecting Prince Victor. As part of the Outland Legion, Captain Miller fought side-by-side with Victor in his many battles against the Loyalists.
On the planet Tikonov on May 30, 3066, Vixen sacrificed herself and her 'Mech by leaping into harm's way, taking Loyalist fire aimed at Victor's Daishi nicknamed "Prometheus". For making the ultimate sacrifice in defense of Prince Victor, Captain Sabrina Miller was posthumously awarded the Diamond Sunburst by a most grateful Victor himself.
Phillip "Paingod" Lancaster
Homeworld: Numenor, Federated Suns
Paingod received his callsign during his second year at New Avalon's CMS: he was notorious for the way he indoctrinated first-year cadets or "plebes". As a result, Cadet Corporal Lancaster received the dubious "Corporal Punishment" award from his upper-class peers and the title of "God of Pain", which young Lancaster did gracefully accept. However, Paingod proved to be an exceptional MechWarrior cadet and graduated 4th in his class, thereby earning a commission as a Leftenant in June of 3046.
In 3050, Paingod happened to be stationed on Twycross and subsequently engaged Clan Jade Falcon. During the Clan Invasion, Paingod became a near-legend among AFFC MechWarriors in his battles against the Jade Falcons, who grudgingly admitted Lancaster was a brave, albeit reckless, warrior. Despite his reputation for recklessness, Paingod received six citations for bravery and merit, a Silver Sunburst and a Golden Sunburst, the latter of which came with a promotion to Captain, all by 3055.
By 3059, Lancaster had become XO of Yankee Company, 1st Davion Guards. However, Paingod truly wished for a chance to take on the Smoke Jaguars on the front lines instead of directing battles from the rear, so he put in a transfer for Zulu Company and became one of that unit's highly seasoned MechWarriors. After the Guards had captured Port Arthur for the SLDF, Prince Victor asked for elite SLDF Mechwarriors to fight by his side to replace those he had lost. One of the warriors chosen by Victor was Captain Phillip Lancaster, to represent the AFFC. Paingod served with Victor for the remainder of Operation Bulldog and returned with him to the Inner Sphere after Victor had won the Great Refusal.
Paingod would remain at Victor's side for the next seven years, as one of his elite personal guards. Paingod served in the Outland Legion throughout the FedCom Civil War, but when the Jihad erupted, Paingod returned to the Federated Suns to defend his country against the Word of Blake. By the time the Blakists were forced to retreat from New Avalon in 3074, Paingod had reached the rank of Leftenant Colonel. In that same year, Paingod was sent by Regent Yvonne to represent the Federated Suns in Devlin Stone's multi-national task force. Paingod fought to the very end of the Jihad and personally witnessed the end of the Blakists in 3081.
When Devlin Stone founded the Republic of the Sphere, Stone rewarded Lancaster for his service by making him one of the first Knights of the Republic. However, Lancaster refused promotion to general rank, preferring to serve the Republic by remaining behind the controls of a 'Mech and staying out of politics. It was thus when Colonel Sir Phillip Lancaster retired from active military service in 3088 and returned to his homeworld of Numenor. In 3134, a very elderly but still active Sir Phillip Lancaster attended the funeral of Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion on Terra.
Louise "Mantis" Donovan
Homeworld: Killarney, Federated Suns
Benjamin "Scarab" Khaled
Homeworld: Muskegon, Federated Suns
Richard "Goblin" Fuller
Homeworld: Breed, Federated Suns
Burt "Burnout" Dickson
Homeworld: Galax, Federated Suns
Greg "Outlaw" Murphy
Homeworld: Halloran V, Federated Suns
Kevin "Beast" Horn
Homeworld: Bremond, Federated Suns
Marc "Fiend" Strock
Homeworld: Kentares IV, Federated Suns
Christopher "Rooster" Johnson
Homeworld: Newtown Square, Lyran Commonwealth
Sarah "Rebel" Riley
Homeworld: Thorin, Lyran Commonwealth
Myoto "Falcon" Lee
Homeworld: Proserpina, Draconis Combine
Carlton "Dragon" Hanson
Homeworld: Midway, Draconis Combine
George "Ronin" Porter
Homeworld: Galedon V, Draconis Combine
To be continued...
Special Note:
In the game MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, the player character Lieutenant (later Duke) Ian Dresari mentioned that he served during the Clan War, and that he used artillery strikes to great effect on Port Arthur. It is therefore assumed that Dresari was a part of First Battalion and possibly a Lance Commander, since it was clearly shown in Vengeance that Dresari was an AFFC MechWarrior and an officer, since Jules Gonzalez addressed Dresari as "Lieutenant". However, Dresari was not mentioned or depicted in MechCommander, so the other possibility is that Dresari was some sort of support officer backing up First Battalion.
Special thanks goes to Marc Birdsell and his short story "Path of Least Resistance" for providing background information and inspiration.