In 3007, Captain Wayne Waco of the soon-to-be disbanded 1st Tau Ceti Rangers resigned his commission from House Liao and recruited 15 down-and-out MechWarriors to form a mercenary company called the Waco Rangers. Oddly enough Liao was their first employer, and the Rangers were soon on the front line, attempting to stem a Davion advance. By 3010, the Waco Rangers were one of the most reliable mercenary units in the service of House Liao. As such it was constantly jumping into one trouble spot to another. Notable among these skirmishes was the defense the planet Thomas against House Davion's 42nd Avalon Hussars regiment in 3011. The Avalon Hussars assaulted the planet en masse, making them easy prey for Waco's hit and-run tactics. By the time Liao reinforcements arrived, forcing the Davion regiment to retreat off-planet, Waco's Techs had recovered nearly 30 enemy BattleMechs. Soon the unit was battalion sized, and Captain Waco gave himself promotion to major. After replacing battle losses, the Rangers still had acquired enough BattleMechs to add two companies to their unit. Within a year, the Waco Rangers had two full Battalions.