"My father died on a peacemaking mission to the Capellan Confederation! Died of treachery! And you dare impugne the vigilance we maintain toward our enemies! Simply because a man does not agree with you that the Kuritans come f rom their mother's wombs with fangs does not mean that he is a liar and a coward, Duke Sandoval! I also know what it is to hate. But I can see the necessity to subdue my private emotions for the good of the peoples of the Federated Commonwealth! You can't seem to see anything more complex than a regimental motto!"
- --Morgan Hasek-Davion, Duke of New Syrtis, Marshal of
the Armies, in response to a question raised in Parliament,
November 9,3049
As a companion piece to our Periphery report last issue, let's look at what the Periphery peoples have to contend with. In this year of 3049, the Inner Sphere has not seen major warfare in ten years; that is, none of the Successor Houses has warred upon another since the '39 war. Kurita and Davion raid each other; Steiner and Marik test each other's defenses; Periphery kingdoms, particularly the starving Tortuga Dominions, raid everyone in sight; but no major wars. Perhaps we were all exhausted.
From the twelve o'clock position again, let's start with the Federated Suns portion of the Federated Commonwealth. (For those without the 'clock' in front of them, the Federated Suns occupies the space from twelve to almost three.) The merger and reformation of Davion's and Steiner's military forces is complete. After the bombing of the Steiner High Command in '39, the most hidebound of Steiner's senior officers were left in charge. They hemmed and hawed and fidgeted about protocol for the rest of the war.
When Field Marshal Nondi Steiner recovered, she had little choice but to assume command of the entirety of the Lyran Commonwealth-based troops yet again. Field Marshal Steiner has attempted to resign on the grounds of age yearly since 3025; yearly she has been requested towithdraw her resignation on the grounds of ability. In 3047 she put a condition to her acceptance; the appointment of distant cousin Hauptmann General Lisa Steinerto the command of the Department of the Quartermaster. "I can't hack this job if I have to be second-guessed and tied in red tape by incompetents!"
Field Marshal Jackson Davion, Commander of the Federated Suns-based Operations Areas, agreed happily. He has long been an admirer of General Lisa Steiner's no-nonsense approach to supply. "I don't care about the dad-blank third pink copy, a gun's no good without rounds in it," is her best-known opinion. Not words to ring through the ages, but a sentiment every warrior will agree with. Lisa Steiner took a double jump in rank to Field Marshal with this command.
Internally the Federated Commonwealth is a going concern. Internal trade in raw materials and manufactured goods prospers; all restrictions are lifted between planets in this sizable realm. By law, the two states won't merge until Victor Steiner Davion succeeds his parents. In practical fact, the realms are one.
Problems at this end of the Commonwealth?
1) The Capellans continue their hornet-stings of constant raids. The St Ives Compact, an ally of the Commonwealth, continues to provoke the Capellans. (St Ives is described at length elsewhere in this issue). It's an unusual situation. The current Minister of Information for the Commonwealth, Justin Xiang Allard (who succeeded to the position following his father Quintus Allard's resignation in 3040), is married to Candace Liao, the ruler of St Ives. They and their children now use the surname 'Allard-Liao'. From their realm and with their aid, Tormana Liao raids Romano Liao's Capellan Confederation.
2) The Taurian Concordat has a 'mad on' at the Federated Suns. The Sandoval faction (Draconis March of the Federated Suns) fears that the Concordat will ally with the Draconis Combine to form an attack base against them.
3) Thomas Marik could reratify the Concord of Kapteyn and join the Draconis Combine in a concerted attack on the Federated Commonwealth. After the stunning miscalculation as to the Combine's troop strength in '39, Hanse Davion walks warily in estimating enemy capabilities.
The five children of Prince Hanse and Archon Princess Melissa continue in health and ability. Prince Victor entered The Nagelring in 3048, graduating with the class of 3050. His ability is unquestioned; unfortunately so is his temper. He'll have to learn to discipline that before he hopes to lead troops! Prince Peter followed him there in fall of '49. Princess Kate and Prince Arthur are destined for the NAIS. Prince Arthur seems to be the studious memberof the family; he may remain there as a researcher. The fiery Kate seems made for a mechwarrior, and her father claims that she shows a gift for tactics. Princess Yvonne, born on Liao in the Sarna March in March of '39, is too young yet to assess.
At the 3 o'clock point, St Ives and the Capellan Confederation must be considered together. Chancellor Romano is reportedly mentally unstable. (see interview with Romano Liao elsewhere in this issue). She may storm at her generals; she may give her consort and spymaster Tsen Shang a dog's life; she may produce children informally, primarily to rival her sister Candace; the rumors about her involvement with the Phransigar/Thuggees and the assassin House of the Setting Sun may be true. But this is also true; she is good at what she does. She has rebuilt her sundered realm to a state of military preparedness that many larger states could envy. She has no open opposition to her rule and her policies. She fought off an invasion by Andurien and Canopus after the Fourth Succession War at a time when Andurien by itself was her superior in troops and materiel. Given courage by this success, the Warrior Houses came back to life, recruiting and training until they form the eight strongest of the Chancellor's thirty regiments. Included in those thirty are seven regiments of mercenaries, none of them great names. Those of us who have watched the Chancellor's father misuse and lose some of the best in the business watch these units with interest. Who will break first? Especially under the Chancellor's occasional bouts of search -and -destroy paranoia?
Sun Tzu and Kali, the Chancellor's children, are privately tutored. Sun Tzu seems to have his grandfather's character. Kali takes after her mother, too, the darker side of her mother's nature. It is rumored that she is her mother's apprentice in Romano's picked-target assassination maneuvers. Romano has made several tries at her sister Candace; she has earned the emnity of the Kell Hounds by striking at Morgan Kell's daughter Megan and her husband Daniel Allard. It is rumored that the attempt was made because of a visit by Kai Allard-Liao. If so, the assassin's target was at the time ten years old.
Speaking of the best in the business, St Ives is home to the second battalion of the Kell Hounds under U.Col. Scott Bradley. Itwas a good group as Bradley's Bravos; it's now one of the tops in the Inner Sphere. The nine regiments that make up the rest of the St Ives forces are of competent status, but the Kell Hounds are the pick of the bunch. It is difficult to imagine that should there be trouble, St Ives would not receive aid from, say the First Kathil Uhlans under Lt Gen Andrew Redburn from the Coreward combat theater of the Capellan March, or the newly reconstituted 5th Syrtis Fusiliers under Hauptmann General Hasek. St Ives has formidable allies. Heir Kai Allard-Liao graduates from the New Avalon Military Academy this year; his twin sisters, Cassandra and Kuan- Yin are to follow.
From the three o'clock to the six o'clock position we have the still- mighty Free Worlds League. Thomas Marik used the war with Andurien shrewdly. While Parliament was still reeling from the double shock of his surprise return and Duncan Marik's death in battle, Thomas pushed the Addendum to the Incorporation past them, giving him the power which generations of Captain-Generals sought in vain, the power to bypass provincial governments in levying troops - and the power to veto any legislation whatsoever. The Home Defense Act, which allowed provinces to keep their own troops at home from any war they disapproved of, is a dead letter.
The awesome and convoluted bureaucracy which was almost a second government has also been brought under Thomas' control. The League General Accounting Office was created in 3043. It had little power to begin with, so the Captain-General was able to staff it with people whom he could trust. By the time its policies of awarding contracts to pro-Marik companies with no strong provincial ties, combined with Thomas's fool-the-eye manuevers of changing the names and functions of bureaucratic agencies until the old power brokers found themselves isolated and powerless while their real functions were taken over by the LGAO, by the time these were noticed by the general public, a skilled media program of propaganda had made 'trim the fat' a popular byword. Thomas won without a visible fight. Thomas has undergone mechwarrior training; he will never be more than mediocre, but he is popular with his troops. He is in process of organizing more of his Free Worlds League Legions, groups loosely patterned after the Davion Regimental Combat Teams. He has almost doubled the number of mercenary units in his employ; he has the Federated Commonwealth on both of his borders, after all. He is keeping a wary distance from the Capellan Confederation. His other Concord of Kapteyn ally, the Draconis Combine, has offered tempting exchanges of military technology. Thomas may well reaffirm that alliance, but only after he has figured whether the father or the son of House Kurita holds the power.
The one fly in the ointment for Thomas Marik is the reported illness of his small son Joshua. Unconfirmed reports so far indicate a terminal illness. If the reports are untrue, why has The Marik quietly arranged the legitimation of his sixteen year old daughter Isis?
At the Lyran Commonwealth end of the Federated Commonwealth, troubles reinforce each other. Each time that Ryan's Rebels or the madmen of Star's End invade, Duke Ryan Steiner protests the neglect of the Tamar March by the AFFC. "The Archon has no interest in her subjects; she's too busy learning to pilot a Mech!" Yet when reinforcements are garrisoned in Ryde, Wotan, or Twycross, Hanse Davion is burned in effigy as a tyrant who wants to subdue a free people. It's a wonderful situation, for an ambitious man like Ryan Steiner.
There were small signs of tension in the most celebrated marriage in the Inner Sphere during the time that the new Archon was doubling her duties as a student at The Nagelring, dealing with state matters late into the night and standing to drill during the day. Archon Melissa's determination to succeed her mother as mechwarrior came a bit late in life. In the main, her subjects found it touching. AFFC bases from the Sarna March to Poulsbo have the prize-winning picture of the Archon after punch-out on their walls, the one where the famous blonde hair is dabbled in mud, and the mother of five looks like a child who lost her teddy bear. But the charms made from that training Mech by enterprising firm BattleTechnic Military Salvage command the price of a week in a good hotel. Prince Hanse is said never to be without his. If the Archon were not a recognized authority on infantry and small arms tactics, holding a Class One marksman rating, her less-than-total competence as a Mech pilot might lose her the respect of her troops. As it is, they seem to regard her as a plucky little sister. A remarkable number of those photographs are signed!
It was not to be expected thatm the private alliance would be without storms. Katrina Steiner's daughter was expected to be stubborn, to stick up for her point of view. She was also expected to make sure that the Lyrans were equal partners in the Federated Commonwealth. Prince Hanse is almost twice her age; he had been a ruling monarch for two decades before he married. He doesn't take kindly to contradiction; cynics expected that he'd try to treat his wife like an insubordinate trooper. Perhaps he did - just once! But both parties have been disciplined from birth not to let private emotions interfere with public duty. When they quarreled, it was in private. They have always presented a united front. There may be a certain edge when one of them requests a conference in privy. That's the most the outside world will ever see. The outside world does see a warmth in Hanse that wasn't there earlier in his life, while the once-shy Melissa has grown sure in command. A likable pair - and formidable enemies.
As the marriage enters its third decade, the Alliance is stronger than ever. The First Prince is no longer smarting from his defeat in the'39 War. He seems to be gauging the numbers on his opposition. If Theodore Kurita can watch and wait, and learn from his enemies, the Fox of Davion can learn to do as well. Employment opportunities in the Federated Commonwealth continue to look good.
Rasalhague is a special case. Economically, it has a hard row to hoe. The richness of the many half-settled planets give a definite hope for the future. Individuals wishing to emigrate will find a generous welcome there, for trained technical people, for fighters of all sons, and for anyone willing to work hard. The prevailing culture gives a good deal of individual freedom. You'll work hard, but you'll play hard too. Though a stubborn and pugnacious people, Rasalhagians know how to party.
Far different is their welcome to mercenaries. If your unit was there during the Ronin Wars, forget it. The cheaply made contracts that released many units before the worst of the fighting came are not blamed on the government that made them; every death is blamed on a mercenary's lack of zeal. Rasalhague, particularly Radstadt province, seems to have learned nothing and forgiven nothing. Pay is honestly given, but read every scrap of your contract. And working conditions are appalling. The civilian attitude ranges from surly to outright hostile. R&R is about as much fun as an obstacle course. And the failure of the Even Scale Policy makes the obtaining of any goods which have to be imported a nightmare of bureaucratic regulation.
ComStar is making no bones about their supplies to Gen/i no Kanrei Theodore Kurita. The Draconis Combine (12 to 3 o'clock) is formidable. The true military strength of House Kurita is unknown, because of this 'ghost army', but it is estimated that they can field at least ninety-nine Mech Regiments. If Kerensky were to come back today, we doubt he could take them on! Theodore Kurita's new-style army is strong and flexible. Opposition to Armed Forces reform died with the Ronin. The military now offers a chance to rise to warriors from all walks of life, unlike the class-conscious DCMF of the Fourth Succession War. Opportunities here are for individuals only, the Kanrei wishes to train and keep the loyalty of his own troops. The conflict between the Coordinator and his son may go on behind the scenes, but their public unity is impressive. Son Hohiro Kurita has already made a name for himself in several frontier actions. Can he lead men after the battle is over? Can he learn the administrative and interactive skills necessary to a rule? BattIeTechnology waits for these answers with interest.
Already-formed units may be contracted, even by House Kurita, if they are willing to garrison the borders. The Periphery has kept mechwarriors in employment for four centuries now. That's not about to change.
The Kanrei watches The Fox. The Alliance watches the Combine. Thomas Marik watches everybody. Rasalhague maintains its neutrality. And the Capellan Confederation hates them all.
Bets, anyone?
Quotes
"The Draconis Combine seeks to be on good terms with all of its neighbors. The neighbor who is most responsive to our courtesies is the Taurian Concordat. Rasalhague? Perhaps I f eel that they are more than merely neighbors: I consider them still as our cousins in blood."
- --Gunji no Kanrei Theodore Kurita Banquet after the annual Review of
Merit day May 30, 3049
"Our ancestors back on Terra were plunderers! We know how to deal with those scum from the Periphery who would menace our homes and our hard-won prosperity. The age of famous warriors from Rasalhague has not passed!"
- --Waldherre Tor Miraborg Radstadt Provincial Review of Troops Fifteenth
Rasalhague Independence Day, March 13, 3049
"I have no plans at this moment to ally with the Taurian Concordat for purposes of conquest! Ambassador Albert Calderon is a welcome guest in the Free Worlds League. Good alliances make good borders. We share a mutual interest in sports: Fox-hunting, for example."
- --Captain-General Thomas Marik Lord Protector of the Free Worlds
League December 5, 3049: The thirteenth anniversary of his Accession, a House
Holiday in the Free Worlds League
State of the Inner Sphere Report
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