Cfrgtkky

I am reading through a pile of Battletech novels and I can't seem to figure out what happened to the Black Thorns mercenary company.

Did they just get retconned out of existence or did a writer do an oopsie and accidentally kill them off?

They appear to have been accidentally killed off, the wiki has the following quote in it:

The sourcebook authors did not initially mean to kill off the unit. This allegedly only came to light during factchecking for a BattleCorps submission that would have featured the Black Thorns, where it was found that the unit had in fact been on Galedon V when the world was utterly destroyed. Upon realizing that the Black Thorns could not have survived this, then-Line Developer Herbert A. Beas decided to accept the fact; he himself said it made him smile.[11] He has since confirmed that the Black Thorns never left Galedon[12] and finally confirmed it in an official Line Developer answer/ruling through the BattleTech forum.[13]

_{BattleTechWiki, Black Thorns, Demise}

Where the citation links point to the following:

The Black Thorns were in fact nuked. this was discovered when an author wanted to do a Black Thorns story for Battlecorps, and someone was running background and saw that the last planet they were garrisoning, Galedon V, was in fact pretty thoroughly sterilized. According to Rumor the reaction from Herb was "ooops." "Really? Ah, that's just too bad..." (with a smile on his face).

_{BattleTech, Information Update - The Black Thorns and Rubinsky's Light Horse, Herbert Beas}

mattruh: Whatever happened to the Black Thorns. I remember reading in FM Mercs Updates they left the world they were stationed on and disappeared. I don't remember reading anything else. Anyone know anything?

HABeas2: Hello, Oh, they never left Galedon.... Thanks, - Herbert Beas

_{BattleTech, The Black Thorns}

kuttsinister7: Okay, not a beat a dead horse, but since the unit has been wiped out...I have 3 Questions;

1) Who delivered the final blow on the unit? I was confused between the Word of Blake and some random clan force.

2) What was "Hawg's" real name? I know in the source book stated he asked Jeremiah to keep his true identity secret, and how he was well educated, versed in tactics, and seemed to come from money. Who was he and what was he hiding?

3) What mission or operation were they on when they got the big eraser?

HABeas2: 1) It is unknown. Likely candidates include AFFS forces, a bio-plague engineered by House Kurita centuries ago, Snow Raven bombardment, or Combine-fired nuclear weapons.

2) We many never know.

3) Garrison duty on Galedon V.

_{BattleTech, Black Thorns Question}