Ariadna: The Scots Guards

“Air son ar duthchais” (For our heritage) Gaelic motto of the Scots Guards.

The creation of the Scots Guards Regiment was the response of the most progressive sector of the Caledonian Highlander Army to the painful lessons acquired during the Separatist Wars. It was proposed to create a new unit distanced from the influence of Clan loyalty that is ever-present in all Highlander troops. This new regiment would only answer to the military Command and the Justiciar itself, and never to any Clan. For its formation, training and leadership, Colonel Émile Augier was hired, a Merovingian mercenary officer versed in modern combat techniques. The Colonel would make the Sixth Regiment a mobile and flexible unit, highly trained and disciplined, adapted to long distance fighting as well as to close combat. This new regiment, known as the Scots Guards, saw much criticism from the most powerful Clans, who saw it as a clear attack on their political and military influence in Caledonia. The general belief is that this animosity was provoked by the Matr government, always interested in instigating rivalry between the Clans and the Justiciar to keep Caledonia in a politically weak and unstable situation. However, this was never established beyond a shadow of a doubt. The sudden death of Colonel Augier was attributed to the Cossack Intelligence service, but this was also never proven. The Colonel’s successor was his first officer, commander Clyde Rannoch, a veteran of the Special Ariadnan Service, who continued the innovative training of his predecessor. Under the leadership of commander Rannoch, the second battalion of the regiment was instructed in commando techniques, specializing in ambushes and surprise actions.

The Scots Guards had the opportunity to demonstrate their worth during the diverse Antipode Offensives, but where they shone the most was in the Commercial Conflicts, confronting better-equipped regular professional forces. The Scots Guards distinguished themselves in Northwest Border operations, supporting the Merovingian Rapid Response Force and earning an Honorable Mention for their brilliant actions against the unstoppable forces of Yu Jing during the Lochleil Defense. The Sixth Regiment proved itself an elite unit comparable to any other in the Sphere, a unit with all the courage of the Highlanders but none of their characteristic madness in combat. Nevertheless, the most important thing they proved was their adaptability and integration into an international force situation. Because of this, the Scots Guards were the first option of the Ariadnan Command to be part of the Paradiso Expeditionary Corps at O-12′s request, as well as one of the first Ariadnan units assigned outside the Dawn system.

The Scots Guards are a strange unit amongst the Caledonian armed forces, a regular corps with a specific structure aimed at accomplishing special operations, with a strong regimental pride, but without ties to any clan; a unit that melds the best of the Highlander tradition of warfare, the S.A.S. commandos’ dirtiest tricks, and the most modern combat techniques; a promise of what the future of the Caledonian and Ariadnan armies can be.