To: Precentor Martial Victor Steiner-Davion
From: Colonel Andrew Redburn, Comannding Officer "First Royal BattleMech Regiment (Morgan's Lions)"

Dear Victor,

I apologize for not returning your personal calls. I have had so much to do in the past few month that I hardly sleep and I only eat when my XO forces me to. The new regiment, which I named the First Royal BattleMech Regiment (Morgan's Lions) - in the tradition of the Star League in memory of the man who shaped Task Force Serpent - is finally training as it should. In a recent war game against ComStar's Invader Galaxy, we handed them heads. We know not to be too proud, as they handily beat us twice before. But it is progress.

Attached is the information on our combat readiness that you requested. I only ask that you do not change the name of my unit to the First Royal BattleMech Division any time soon.

Finally, it was an agonizing decision to choose Morgan over General Winston for the name of the unit, but I felt strongly that without his charismatic leadership at the beginning, we would never have survived our training, much less the thousand-light-year journey and subsequent fighting on Huntress. However, I humbly submit that the next SLDF regiment formed should bear Ariana Winston's name, to honor her brilliant leadership and ultimate sacrifice to defeat the Smoke Jaguars.

In closing, I promise not to miss your next dinner invitation. Sincerely,

- Colonel Andrew Redburn, First Royal BattleMech Regiment

The First Royal BattleMech Regiment, or Morgan's Lions, is a 'Mech Regiment that served the 2nd Star League during its brief existence. The unit is named for Morgan Hasek-Davion, whose leadership set the foundation of Task Force Serpent's success. Unlike the the Royal units of the first SLDF, which consisted solely of troops from the Terran Hegemony, the First Royal BattleMech Regiment drew troops from across the Inner Sphere. The unit was formed by many of the survivors of Task Force Serpent, at the request of former ComStar Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht. Colonel Andrew Redburn, formerly of the late First Kathil Uhlans, was asked to lead the unit. Many of his former countrymen from the now defunct First Kathil joined him, along with several clusters of Clan Nova Cat's Tau Galaxy. Other units that contributed troops to the formation of the 1st Royal include the Eleventh Lyran Guards, Fourth Drakøns, Kingston's Legionnaires and a few members from the Northwind Highlander's MacLeod's Regiment and the Second Knights of the Inner Sphere. They also had a DCMS MechWarrior, Daitama Muraki, who was officially listed as Killed in action by the DCMS. The unit's 'Mech force consisted of mostly Clan 'Mechs, salvaged from the long campaign on Huntress. Colonel Redburn combed through old Star League recruitment documentation and implemented those old methods of recruitment to give the unit a sense of tradition. All new recruits must start at rank of sergeant and must earn their commission, meaning all commissioned officers in the unit are combat veterans.

In the course of building up the unit, the 1st Royals went through a series of intensive training exercises against ComStar's so-called Invader Galaxy between 3061 and 3062, as well as units from Clan Nova Cat's Tau Galaxy, Eridani Light Horse and the Izanagi Warriors and First Genyosha from the Draconis Combine to mold them into an effective and unified command. The reborn 1st Royal's most notable achievement during this time was its third encounter against the unbeaten Invader Galaxy in February 3062. With both units initially trading long-ranged shots, the 472nd then retreated into the hellish Devil's Bath to try and recreate the 6th Division's tactics against Clan Steel Viper during the Battle of Tukayyid. However months of intensive training against the elite units of the Inner Sphere on Tukayyid had made the 1st Royal familiar with the pathways to safely travel through the Bath, the twelve hour long battle concluding with the defeat of the 472nd.

When the unit first formed, 20% of the regiment consisted of OmniMechs and Clan technology-enhanced 'Mechs. Taking advantage of this, the unit has lances worth of Clan-equipped 'Mechs concentrate their firepower on individual enemy 'Mechs, taking advantage of their superior ranges. While doing this, the entire force slowly withdraws from the enemy to keep conventionally-armed foes out of range.

Task Force Serpent was a multi-national task force tasked with executing a secret military operation commissioned by the newly formed SLDF under the aegis of Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion. Their objective was to reach the Clan Smoke Jaguar homeworld of Huntress and capture it, with the goal of destroying the Smoke Jaguars as an entity. The mission ran concurrent to Operation Bulldog - an operation whose goal was to drive the Smoke Jaguars from the worlds they occupied in the Inner Sphere. Although Morgan Hasek-Davion died en route by assassination, Ariana Winston of the Eridani Light Horse succeeded him and completed the mission. General Winston, however, was killed in the final battle of Huntress, on 30th March, 3060 whilst piloting her Cyclops against a Smoke Jaguar Summoner, just ten days before Prince Victor Steiner-Davion and Taskforce Bulldog arrived planet-side. Command of Operation Serpent fell to General Winston's second-in-command, Colonel Charles Antonescu until Taskforce Bulldog arrived planet-side and relieved the shattered survivors of Operation Serpent.

As with the original Star League Defense Force, the new SLDF does not have an official color scheme for its vehicles. When required to display their vehicles for official ceremonies, they simply paint the vehicles olive drab. In addtion the Morgan's Lions use the scheme of the 1st Kathil Uhlans: black and orange.