Kell Hounds

The Kell Hounds are a fictional mercenary unit from the BattleTech Universe. Over time they range in size from combined arms battalion strength to over two regiments. They are named for their founders Morgan and Patrick Kell.

Formation and Early Years
Morgan and Patrick Kell formed the regiment on Galatea in 3010 with a fighter wing, two BattleMech battalions and a third battalion of Jump Infantry. Their early career (and formation) are detailed in the 1988 FASA book of the same name which also gives details of some of the personalities of the early Regiment. Between 3011 and 3029 they worked for the Lyran Commonwealth, Federated Suns and Free Worlds League, working twice for the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth. Most of these involved facing the Draconis Combine except their pirate hunting commission in the Free Worlds League Periphery.

Morgan Kell's "Defection"
After a major battle with Yorinaga Kurita in 3016 Morgan Kell left the Kell Hounds and broke the regiment down to a single combined arms battalion under his brother's command. Morgan, meanwhile, exiled himself to a religious retreat. The unit remained in this state until 3027, largely kept alive by Daniel Allard, Seamus Fitzpatrick and Richard O'Cieran, when Patrick Kell was killed rescuing Melissa Steiner by Yorinaga Kurita and his new unit, the Genyosha. Patrick Kell's death brought Morgan back to the unit and he brought the force back up to regimental strength.

3029 (Fourth Succession War) to 3049 (the Coming of the Clans)
The Fourth Succession War saw the Kell Hounds face and defeat Yorinaga Kurita again and at the end of the battle Kurita committed seppuku and his son joined the Hounds. The Kell Hounds bounced back from this battle and went on to form a third 'Mech battalion for the first time in their history on the Kell homeworld of Arc-Royal. In this time Morgan Kell had children by IVF resulting in Phelan Kell and Caitlen Kell with Salome Ward. Dan Allard also married Morgan's mysterious daughter Megan Kell. In this time the Kell Hounds also fought for the Free Worlds League against the Capellan Confederation and once more for the Federated Suns against the Draconis Combine.

In 3040 Katrina Steiner died and bequeathed Morgan Kell enough money to raise a second regiment of Kell Hounds, with one commanded by Dan Allard and the other by Scott Bradley as lieutenant colonels. The 3040s saw service to the Lyran Commonwealth while Patrick's son Christian Kell joined the unit in 3042 while Phelan Kell was expelled from the elite Lyran academy the Nagelring in 3048 and began to serve as a member of the Second Regiment's scout lance, bandit hunting in the Periphery.

Coming of the Clans
The Kell Hounds were one of the first organised (as opposed to bandit) forces to encounter the Clans, more particularly Clan Wolf. Phelan Kell was among the missing (presumed dead until after the Battle of Tukayyid where he fought with the Wolves). The Kell Hounds fought the Clans on Twycross and Luthien, with Wolf's Dragoons. During a lull in the early fighting, they managed to rebuild their numbers and start to incorporate the Clan technology.

In the years immediately after the Clan invasion, the Kell Hounds pioneered a system of "farming" smaller mercenary units to supply veteran warriors to their ranks. They also lost Salome Ward, wife of Morgan Kell, to the bomb that assassinated Archon Melissa Steiner-Davion and were engaged in the destruction of a "bandit" clan force jointly with Clan Wolf forces.

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