Tharkad is a winter world. In the shadow of Mt. Wotan: Tharkad City is today the capital of the Lyran Commonwealth. The ice caps of this spectacularly beautiful planet extend from north and south to within 300 of the equator, and the rugged mountain ranges between the ice fields are glacier-locked and snow-covered throughout the entire long, Tharkadian year. The planet's aurorae, excited to spectacular displays by the far-reaching radiation belts of the system's superjovian sixth planet, can be bright enough at night to read by. Tharkad City, the capital lying practically in the shadow of the five grim towers of the Asgard HQ fortress on Mount Wotan, seems at first glance a chill and barbaric place out of some ancient Norse saga, where men and women alike wear heavy furs against the cold and favor jewelry bearing the remarkable gems which, together with extensive deposits of valuable radioactives, first brought Man to this world. The Court of the Archon enhances this image of barbaric splendor, with be-jeweled and be-furred representatives and functionaries and favor-seekers gathering under the huge and ice-rimed vault of the Throne Room, before the Archon's jeweled throne-flanked and dwarfed by a pair of towering, black-armored Griffins. Barbaric splendor or not, it is from that ice-glittering palace within the Triad of Tharkad City that Archon Katrina Steiner rules overthe far-flung domains of the Lyran Commonwealth. And it is from that Triadthe three-sided complex of buildings which form the core of the House Steiner government-that Tharkad finds itself governor of an economic miracle which could well one day transform the Inner Sphere. "Trade and industry are the pillars of our strength," said Colonel Frederick Steiner, Duke of Duran, at a recent interview. "The Lyran economy is stronger now than it has been at any time since the Star League era. Our military strength is the best that it's been for centuries, and we've been strengthened both militarily and economically by the recent agreements with Davion. All that is necessary now is a strong hand to govern it all." "A strong hand to govern it all" could be a veiled reference to the rather notorious breach between the Duke of Duran and the Commonwealth's current Archon, Katrina Steiner. A sizable coalition of Steiner nobles and military officers actually support Frederick over his cousin Katrina, and it is believed that several recent assassination attempts against the Archon were organized by Frederick or by plotters within this faction. Such factionalism belies the apparent strength and security of the Archon's throne, guarded by the traditional presence of the flanking pair of Griffins. Katrina has brought her government through a number of crises and seems poised now on the brink of a major success in diplomacy and leadership. The Commonwealth's recent alliance with House Davion could well mark the beginning of a final victory by the Commonwealth- Federated Suns forces over the combined might of Houses Kurita, Marik, and Liao. If such a victory is in the offing, it will be in no small part due to the Commonwealth's economic strength. Various economic experts believe that, given peace and continued trade with House Davion, the powerful Commonwealth economy could come to dominate the Inner Sphere within a few decades. Right: Throne Room on Tharkad: The Throne of the Archon in the Palace Throne Room is flanked by the traditional pair of black-armored Griffins. Harko Sandervol, an independent Lyran trader operating out of Tharkad, put it this way. "The Commonwealth has the stuff to trade-industrial products, weapons, 'Mechs, radioactives, luxury goods, food... you name it! The Federated Suns has the market, a market which could make us rich a hundred times over, all by itself! So long as the trade routes stay open, I don't see any problems for us at all!" It is the trade routes, perhaps, which most concern the economists. An interruption of those routes by a major escalation in the on-going conflict with Kurita, Marik, and Liao could leave the Commonwealth with a surplus of luxury products, food, and machine parts... and a serious recession which could cripple Lyran economic and industrial growth. Such a recession, and the hardships it would bring, could well be the final element necessary for such elements as Frederick Steiner and his faction to depose Katrina and seize power for themselves. Lyran officials are confident, however, that the trade lanes can be kept open. This view is obviously shared by the military. "We've stopped Marik and Kurita both, cold," General Felix Mario Radnor, commander-in-chief of the Lyran Defense Garrison on Wyatt said, during a recent visit to Tharkad for briefings and meetings with the Archon. "I can tell you that we stopped a major drive by Marik against Wyatt just less than three months ago... and so far as the Dragons go, we're on the offensive now! No more defense... no more giving up a system or two or three, dying by centimeters! If things heat up again, our alliance with Davion will prove to be more than our enemies can possibly face up to!" "Tharkad on Guard!" read the banners spread above the icy streets of Tharkad City, on the occasion of a military parade in honor of Katrina Steiner's birthday, late this past October. The sentiment appears to be an honest one, one shared by every member of the capital world's population, from shopkeepers and vendors to the Archon herself. Chill Tharkad is the heart and soul of the Lyran Commonwealth, and trade her life's blood. The Steiner government appears determined to hold what the Commonwealth has won and to increase those winnings with the wealth of a powerful industrial economy, despite the threats and onslaughts of enemies both without and within. So long as Tharkad maintains its guard, it seems that nothing can stop Tharkad's vision of a prosperous and unified Commonwealth... A Commonwealth which could extend to embrace all Mankind. Back to BattleTechnology 3 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1988 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com