Throughout history, humanity's leaders, whether civic, financial, or military, have understood that the things that motivate those who follow them are complex, and stretch beyond basic desires of material wealth or career advancement. From medals to trophies, the most successful leaders have long known that a visible representation of achievement can go a long way to reinforce one of the more ephemeral motivations: pride. It is no different in the 31st century, and beyond the well-known awards and decorations given by the militaries and governments of the major interstellar powers, there are a near infinite number of agencies who seek to recognize the triumphs, abilities, and sacrifices of individuals across the entirety of Human Space.
The Successor States[]
Draconis Combine[]
The Balm of Edo[]
The Balm of Edo
The Balm of Edo is an unusual award for the DCMS not only in that it has only been, and only ever will be, awarded once, and rather than being awarded to a regular DCMS unit, it was presented (by the Coordinator himself, no less) to members of a mercenary command, and one which wasn't even under contract to the DCMS at the time.
The award was commissioned by Coordinator Theodore Kurita in recognition of the Dust Devils independent combat command for the capture and delivery of the Smoke Jaguar war criminal Cordera Perez, the Butcher of Edo, to the Dragon's Ministry of Peaceful Order and Honor. The Devils contract technically required they turn over prisoners to the SLDF, but for reasons known only to themselves, they risked possible censure through the MRBC by defying those orders and handed Perez directly to the Dragon.
As the massacre on Turtle Bay was still a fresh wound in the Combine's collective psyche, Perez's war crimes tribunal was a media sensation in the Combine and beyond. Surprisingly, even state media reports made no secret of who it was that finally laid hands on the disgraced former Star Colonel after nine years of failure by both the Internal Security Force and their rivals in the Order of Five Pillars to do so. Nor was it unknown that the Devils had been paid a bounty for their prisoner, and as such, it was assumed by most observers and commentators that though the quarry was noteworthy, the transaction itself was a fairly typical one. It was therefore something of a surprise to said pundits (and, it is rumored, to the Devils themselves) when the mercenaries received a summons to the Imperial Palace on Luthien, where each of the combat personnel involved in the action on Hanover that led to the capture of Perez would be presented with the award by the Coordinator himself.
The Voice of the Dragon's reporting of the event focused on the "courage and selflessness" of the Devils in defying convention and contract to "apply the soothing Balm of Justice to the Dragon's heart, wounded so many long years by the senseless and barbaric deaths of so many of his beloved subjects" and sung the praises of the Coordinator's "great vision and generosity" in not only finding such virtue in the Devils in spite of their lowly status as both soldiers-of-fortune and gaijin, but to forgive them these flaws enough to reward them with his own hand for their service. More independent media voices, such as The Drake, pointed out the utility of the award as a message to hard-line opponents of Coordinator Theodore Kurita's reformist policies that the Dragon had no intention of backing down from his course, as well as a none-too-subtle rebuke to his own intelligence agencies for their failure to bring Perez to justice. Additionally, the same publication also speculated that even the Voice of the Dragon's unprecedented high praise of a mercenary unit could still be considered far less than what was deserved. After all, had the Devils turned Perez over to the SLDF as required, the perpetrator of the worst massacre of the Dragon's subjects since the dark days of the First Succession War would have fallen into the hands of the current ruler of the Dragon's most ancient and hated enemies: Victor Steiner-Davion.
The Balm is represented by a small, smooth disc of nephrite jade, embossed with a device consisting of the Dragon Crest of House Kurita set above the kanji for Hōfuku (loosely translated to mean "retribution") within the shell of a sea turtle (a reference to Turtle Bay, of which Edo was the capital), rendered in a style reminiscent of the cultural artwork of the Polynesian peoples of ancient Terra (an apparent homage to the Dust Devils Aurigan origins). Those Devils who received the award wear it on the left breast of their dress uniform jacket, above their Department insignia.
Periphery Powers[]
Magistracy of Canopus[]
The Broken Chain[]
The Magistracy of Canopus awards the Broken Chain to those who assist in the rescue and return of a significant number Canopian citizens from criminal or foreign captivity. At first glance, the existence of the award could be seen as a sad testament to the difficulties suffered by a nation plagued by piracy not just from the lawless space beyond its borders, but by its proximity to another interstellar state that actively participates in the buying and selling of human beings, with little regard where said chattel comes from. On the other hand, however, the sheer length of the decoration's role of recipients, whether they be Canopian or not (the award is not limited to members of the MAF), is something of a source of pride to the Canopian people, for though it is true that many may be taken, the Magistracy remembers, and takes action.
The Broken Chain can be rewarded to the same recipient multiple times, with each award altering the appearance of the medal. As its name might suggest, the Broken Chain consists of a vertical bar of green enamel, bordered in black steel, against which is set a device resembling a five-link chain with the center link broken, wrought from the same metal as the border. Subsequent award of the Broken Chain replaces the bordering with bronze, then silver, then gold. Fortunately (or not, depending on your viewpoint), it has never been necessary to create a version of the Broken Chain for a fifth awarding.
Aurigan Coalition[]
The Shield of Restoration[]
Awarded to military personnel, whether House units, mercenaries, or allies, who participated in the liberation of Coromodir IV on behalf of the Arano Restoration, the Shield of Restoration consists of a plain steel medallion wrought in the shape of the House Arano's family crest. Each individual medallion was crafted from unsalvageable components of defeated units that fought for Santiago Espinosa's Aurigan Directorate, melted down and recast into the award in the days immediately following the downfall of that regime and the reformation of the Aurigan Coalition under High Lady Kamea Arano's leadership.
Mercenary Units[]
Dust Devils[]
The Mantharaka Talisman[]
The Dust Devils created the Mantharaka Talisman as one part honor, one part joke, and one part superstition. Specifically intended as a one time award, as it was "hoped to any god that might be listening" by the entirety of the unit at the time that there would never be such an occasion as to warrant it again, the Talisman was awarded solely to those MechWarriors who participated in the series of conflicts between the Devils, Natasha Kerensky and her Black Widow Company, and the Bounty Hunter and his hired guns, culminating in the action on Mantharaka that saw each faction send a lance of 'Mechs to the field, and at the end of which the Devils stood victorious. As the Devils were, at the time, essentially unknowns, their victories against such forces were little less than astounding, even to them. As of 3065, there are only two surviving members of the unit who wear the Talisman; the others are ensconced in those fallen recipients' alcoves on the DDS Argo's Memorial Wall.
Designed and machined by Chief Technician Yang Virtanen on the day immediately following the Devils high-tailing it away from Mantharaka and the threat of a rematch with two very angry legends, each Talisman consists of a circular bronze medallion embossed with the monetary symbol for a C-Bill in the center of a spider's web, ringed with eight short, wide points radiating out in cardinal directions. On the back of the medallion, laser etched in minuscule print, is an excerpt from the speech then-Commandant Leilani Kekoa (herself a recipient of the award) gave to her companions during the presentation-ceremony-cum-drunken-rager that the unit threw as soon as they were safely away: "May this [expletive]ing Talisman summon back at least as much [expletive]ing Luck as you used up surviving that [expletive]ing Mess on Mantharaka." This detail was, of course, added after the awards were presented and the recipients had sobered up enough to allow Virtanen to take back the medallions and apply said "Luck Reload-Speed Enhancements". The medallion is worn alongside other decorations on the left breast of the recipient's dress uniform jacket, above the Department insignia.
Kaumaha o ka 'Ohana[]
More a mark of sorrow than achievement, the Kaumaha o ka 'Ohana (loosely: "Grief of the Family") is worn by those Dust Devils who were with the unit during the Kufstein disaster and survived. Represented by a square patch of black cloth with a horizontal tear across the center, the "award" is worn alongside other decorations on the left breast, above the Department patch and closest of any other decoration to the recipient's heart.
The Golden Bin[]
The Golden Bin Trophy & Uniform Decoration
The Golden Bin is awarded to the winner of the Dust Devils' annual Urbie Derbie BattleMech simulator competition, and as such is available to any MechWarrior (or anyone who can interface with one of the Devils' simulator pods, really) who wins. While most of the (often dubious) awards take the form of a certificate or some such, the Golden bin is both a physical trophy, and a medallion that can be worn (in the Devils' case, it is worn the same as most other decorations, on the left breast of their dress jacket). Both the medallion and the trophy take the shape of a golden rubbish bin, and in the case of the trophy, the recipients name and year of victory is inscribed around the lower rim of the bin.