Difference between revisions of "Aurigan Coalition"
 
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{{Update Needed|[[House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)]]}}
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| image = Crest of House Arano.jpg
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| crest = [[Image:Crest of House Arano.jpg|150px]]
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| Founded = [[2910]]<ref name=HA:TACp11>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.11</ref>
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| factionname = Aurigan Coalition
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| Dissolved =
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| year = [[3026]]
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| capital = [[Coromodir VI]]<ref name=HA:TACp21>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.21</ref>
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| timeperiod = [[2910]] - 3026
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| systems = 22<ref name=HA:TACp31-35>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' pp.31-35</ref>
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| classification = [[Periphery State]]
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| currency =  
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| systems = 23
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| language = English (primary), Spanish, Samoan, Urdu, a dozen others.<ref name=HA:TACp21/>
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| capital = [[Coromodir VI]]
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| demonym =  
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| rulertitle = [[High Lord of the Aurigan Coalition|High Lord]]
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| Head of State = [[High Lord of the Aurigan Coalition|High Lord]]
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| military = [[Aurigan Coalition Military]] (ACM)
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| cintel =
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| secretservice =
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| commander    =
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| army = [[Aurigan Coalition Military]] (ACM)
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| navy =
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| mintel =  
 
}}
 
}}
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The '''Aurigan Coalition''' is an interstellar nation located in the [[periphery]] region known as the [[Aurigan Reach]], which borders on the [[Capellan Confederation]] and the [[Taurian Concordat]], along with the [[Galactic Directions#Rimward|Rimward Frontier]] space.<ref name=BTVG>Battletech (Video Game)</ref>
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The '''Aurigan Coalition''' is an interstellar nation located in the [[periphery]] region known as the [[Aurigan Reach]], which borders on the [[Capellan Confederation]] and the [[Taurian Concordat]], along with the [[Galactic Directions#Rimward|Rimward Frontier]] space.
 +
==Canonicity==
 +
The Aurigan Coalition was originally created for the [[apocryphal]] ''[[BattleTech (Video Game)|BattleTech]]'' video game, in a part of the game world that was largely neglected and poorly detailed in previous publications. The game's storyline, events, characters and setting, including namely the Aurigan Coalition, were later adopted (in broad strokes at least) into [[canon]] proper through the ''[[House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)]]'' sourcebook. This retroactively inserted the Aurigan Reach region and its history as detailed in this sourcebook into BattleTech canon.
 +
 
 +
To wit, the video game itself (and the preceding crowdfunding campaign) was not canonized as such and thus remains apocryphal, unless canonized through the fully canonical sourcebook or other canonical sources.
  
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For most of its existence, the Aurigan Coalition kept a low profile and was ignored as a state, to the point of being omitted from most contemporary starmaps. This may have been because it was considered a mercantile coalition over a political one and not taken seriously as a real state, or because of the relatively low populations and industrial base of its constituent worlds, or a combination of both.
 
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{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
 
 
==History==
 
==History==
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===Aurigan Coalition===
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===Early Years===
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Under the rule of the oligarchic Founding Council and the High Lieges from their number, the Aurigan coalition expanded into the Frontier Reach, and fended off piracy. The Aurigan people enjoyed various political, personal and economic rights across the Coalition to the point that they were considered something to be championed by Kamea Arano when she led the Arano Restoration during the Aurigan Civil War.
+
The seeds of the Aurigan Coalition were planted when [[Coromodir VI]], [[Guldra]], [[Mechdur]], and [[Itrom]] were colonized by a coalition of traders and industrialists originally from the [[Free Worlds League]], inspired by the settlement of [[Taurus]]. The culture was predominantly Polynesian with elements of Spanish Catholicism and Pakistani Islam.<ref name=HA:TACp21/>
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===Directorate===
 
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[[File:Crest of House Espinosa.png‎|left|thumb|135px|The Aurigan Directorate insignia.]]
 
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High Lord [[Tamati Arano II]] and his wife [[Serena Arano]] (nee Espinosa) were killed in an accident in [[3022]], leaving their daughter [[Kamea Arano|Kamea]] as heir. With Kamea refusing to listen to her uncle about how to rule the Coalition, [[Santiago Espinosa]] decided to take matters into his own hands. Along with his daughter, [[Victoria Espinosa]], he would successfully stage a coup, forcing Lady Arano off [[Coromodir]] and taking the throne, installing himself as "Director" of the realm.
 
  
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{{quote|We are here today because if Lady Arano will not act, someone must. I know what I am asking of you. You will face former comrades or even loved ones on the battlefield. I take up arms against my own niece. But remember: today we sacrifice, so that tomorrow we can return our kingdom to its proper glory. To its proper strength! So should you fall tonight - know that you did so as true heroes of the Reach! To your stations! For the Directorate!"}}
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The [[Reunification War]] and its aftermath saw significant growth in the Aurigan Reach. The [[SLDF]] built fortifications on planets across the region, the [[Taurian Concordat]] erected the fortress that would later become the Arano palace on Coromodir VI, and the [[Capellan Confederation]] built vast industrial works on [[Mechdur]]. At the time of the [[New Vandenberg Uprising]], the worlds of the future Aurigan Coalition straddled the border between the Capellan and Taurian states.<ref name=HA:TACp10>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.10</ref>
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'''- Lord Santiago inspiring his Directorate troops before deploying on Cormodir.'''
 
  
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As ruler of the rechristened '''Aurigan Directorate''', Santiago would form a brutal dictatorship in his wake, creating concentration camps on Weldry to hold possible dissident factions' relatives hostage including of the Founding Houses, and torturing and murdering political prisoners. His daughter, Victoria would slaughter anyone who did not support the Directorate, whether it be civilians or other House Lords of the Reach. Further, on Cormodir personal and political liberties were lost in exchange for increased economic luxuries under the police state in order to placate the population.<ref name=BTVG/>
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The Uprising, followed by the [[Amaris Civil War]], followed by the [[First Succession War]], led to the Capellans withdrawing their resources from the Aurigan Reach. The [[Taurian-Canopian War]] ended with the Concordat withdrawing as well.<ref name=HA:TACp10-11>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' pp.10-11</ref>
  
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===Aurigan Civil War===
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The Reach worlds were largely forgotten by the [[Inner Sphere]], which believed them dead or abandoned. [[Guldra]]'s HPG station was destroyed, and the Capellan base on the northern continent of [[Itrom]] was rendered a radioactive wasteland. [[Panzyr]]'s orbit was filled with debris from the wars. [[Mechdur]] was written off by the Capellans due to gross mismanagement. The fortresses of [[Smithon]] were decommissioned and abandoned, while the world of [[Katinka]] suffered a strike from a [[Mass Driver]].<ref name=HA:TACp32-35>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' pp.32-35</ref> Yet a few systems, such as [[Coromodir]], [[Itrom]], [[Tyrlon]] and [[Guldra]] were able to continue offering a decent standard of living to their people. <ref name=HA:TACp11/>
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In [[3025]] after three years in hiding, Lady Kamea emerged as the leader of the [[Arano Restoration]] movement. This caused a civil war between the Restoration and state forces for control of the Reach, beginning with the liberation of Weldry.<ref name=BTVG/> As the Arano Restoration was closing in on the Directorate forces, Santiago covertly instigated the [[Perdition Massacre]] to gain the cooperation of the [[Taurian Concordat]] to attack the Restoration. Santiago finally conceded to Kamea's forces and gave the throne to her. Victoria on the other hand chose to fight her cousin on Coromodir one last time. With the death of Victoria and the capture of Santiago, the Aurigan Directorate ceased to exist.  
 
  
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Kamea Arano had the help of one particular mercenary company whose commander was once part of the Aurigan Royal Guard, and as a youth was taught in the ways of the BattleMech by Kamea's mentor, [[Raju_Montgomery|Raju "Mastiff" Montgomery]]. This commander and their company would be involved in several key battles and would come to command the ''[[Argo]]'', a large Star League era civilian spacecraft resurrected by an engineering team under Dr. [[Farah Murad]].<ref name=BTVG/>
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===Aurigan Trade Partnership===
 +
In 2870, [[House Arano]] and [[House Espinosa]] of the Coromodir system proposed a pact of mutual defense and trade with [[House Madeira]] and [[House Decimis]] of Guldra, [[House Karosas]] of [[Smithon]], [[House Gallas]] of Itrom, and [[House Parata]] of Tyrlon. To defend against piracy and bolster their economies, they joined together in a new Trade Council under the leadership of [[Wiremu Arano]]. This was not a nation-state yet; they believed that the powers of the Inner Sphere and the Concordat would eventually return to reclaim their holdings there.<ref name=HA:TACp11/>
  
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The civil war had several different phases, marked by victories and defeats for each side, which are presented chronologically here.<ref name=BTVG/>
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===Aurigan Coalition===
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At the beginning of the thirtieth century, amidst the [[Third Succession War]], the hope of being rejoined with the great powers was abandoned. [[Keona Arano]], daughter of Wiremu, proposed to the Trade Council that the partnership be remade as an independent nation: the Aurigan Coalition. In [[2910]], she became [[High Lady of the Aurigan Coalition]], though only by the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] recognized the Coalition as a state .<ref name=HA:TACp11/>
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'''Liberation of Weldry'''
 
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Lead by Lady Arano herself, the Restoration forces were able to defeat the Directorate's forces on the system of Weldry, and in the process freeing Espinosa's political enemies which where being held in the infamous 'Ice Box' prison. After this victory Kamea Arano announced to the Aurigan Reach that she had survived her escape from Coromodir and rallies up her supporters to overthrow the Espinosa regime, with the nearby systems of Ichlangis and Fjadr immediately joining her cause.
 
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In response, the Directorate conducts a false flag operation in Taurian territory led by Victoria Espinosa, Lord Santiago's daughter, which results in the Perdition Massacre described above, with the intention of gaining the Concordat's support.
 
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'''Liberation of Panzyr'''
 
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Flush with success, Lady Arano's forces then moved into Panzyr and defeated the House Espinosa's forces on the system after its main DropPort was disabled by a surgical strike by mercenaries, preventing the Directorate from safely navigating Panzyr's asteroid fields to land reinforcements on the planet.  
 
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This victory also brought to the Restoration's cause the systems of Bringdam, Ryan's Fate and Mechdur, with the last one being a special prize since it contained the only working BattleMech factory on the entire Reach.
 
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'''Liberation of Smithon'''
 
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After the initial invasion a stalemate occurred between both the Restoration and Directorate forces, with the tipping point being the capture by mercenaries on the employ of House Arano of an enemy munitions dump. Cut off from essential supplies, the remaining Espinosa forces soon surrendered, which also lead to the systems of Umgard, Enkra and Zangul joining the Restoration.
 
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However, Lord Karosas in exchange for his support to the Restoration demands that Lady Arano's forces destroy a DropShip called the <i>Newgrange</i> which is carrying weapons for the Directorate, which would have disastrous consequences later since the spaceship was manned by Taurian personnel, assigned to a covert mission to support the Espinosa regime.
 
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'''Artru and Castle Nautilus'''
 
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Flush with successes and after gaining knowledge of the location of a lost SLDF depot filled with Star League BattleMechs with Lord Karosas' help, the Restoration moves to contest the systems of Artru, Regis Roost and Katinka, in preparation for the assault on the core Aurigan systems still in possession of the Directorate. On Artru, Arano mercenaries are able to locate Castle Nautilus and disable its automated defenses, gaining access to the hidden BattleMech cache.
 
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As Kamea moves to the planet to take control of the SLDF base, a dangerous surprise appears as the Taurian Concordat forces led by the DropShip <i>Iberia</i> move to prevent the Restoration from recovering the most of the cache. Lady Arano barely escapes the planet after being forced to destroy the hidden base to prevent Castle Nautilus' treasures from falling into the enemy's hands.
 
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'''Smithon Defense and Liberation of Ithrom'''
 
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With its long range incursion defeated, the Restoration moves to defend Smithon from the counterattack and allow the evacuation of its civilians to protect them from the atrocities being committed by the Taurians led by Commodore Ostergaard, the commander of the <i>Iberia</i> which is obsessed with revenge against the Restoration after his son was killed in the destruction of the <i>Newgrange</i>.
 
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Lady Arano's mercenaries are also able to retake the planet Ithrom from Directorate forces, giving them access to a stockpile of valuable minerals, and also allowing for the capture of the nearby Mangzhangdian system.
 
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'''Panzyr Defense and Lord Madeira's Extraction'''
 
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As the weight of the Taurian war machine beings to overwhelm the Restoration forces, Lady Arano is forced to defend Panzyr's civilian population from famine as the Ostergaard and the Concordat forces starts attacking the DropShips involved in the relief effort.
 
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Realizing that the Restoration is doomed against the Taurians, Lord Madeira undertakes a mission to his homeworld of Guldra to recover vital information from his House archives, only be captured by the Directorate. As a result, Lady Arano sends mercenary forces to successfully extract Lord Madeira, and while they're unable to recover him, they are able to get the information he was after and bring it back to Lady Arano.
 
  
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'''Liberation of Tyrlon'''
+
The industrial system of [[Mechdur]] was first to join the initial worlds of the nascent Coalition. This heralded a period of expansion, bringing other independent worlds under the Aurigan Coalition banner. As the Coalition expanded by the early [[thirty-first century]] to worlds that the Taurian Concordat had abandoned a century earlier but still technically claimed, the Taurians began to take note. Taurian diplomats went to Coromodir to negotiate treaties, but the Aurigan representatives and the emissaries of [[Protector of the Realm|Protector]] [[Thomas Calderon]] could not reach a compromise. [[Santiago Espinosa]], High Lord [[Tamati Arano II]]'s chief advisor, proposed dissolving the Founding Council and bringing all power under the High Lord, which would allow Tamati to negotiate with the Taurians directly.<ref name=HA:TACp11-12>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' pp.11-12</ref>
  
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Lord Madeira's information reveals that the Directorate was behind the Perdition Massacre, which is then brought forward by the Canopians to Protector Calderon, causing the Taurians to withdraw their support of Lord Espinosa. As the balance of power again favors the Restoration, it conducts an attack on the world of Tyrlon, the gateway to Coromodir, the capital of the Reach still under control of House Espinosa. After Lady Arano's mercenaries are able to disable the planetary batteries protecting the world from orbital attack, the Restoration DropShips are able to land on the planet and easily defeat the remaining enemy forces.  
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===Aurigan Directorate===
 +
High Lord Tamati II and his wife [[Serena Espinosa|Serena]] were killed in a [[JumpShip]] accident in [[3022]]. Santiago repeated his proposal to Tamati's daughter and heir [[Kamea Arano]], who rejected it immediately. This led to a bloody coup during which Kamea was presumed to have been killed. House Espinosa changed the democratic Coalition into an autocratic Directorate with Santiago Espinosa as Director, keeping the other Houses in line with bribes, threats, and hostages.<ref name=HA:TACp12>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.12</ref> Santiago disbanded the elected portion of the Council, restricting it to the Noble Houses.<ref name=HA:TACp17>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.17</ref> All House military forces were brought under the Director's control,<ref name=HA:TACp24>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.24</ref> and he formed a covert alliance with the Taurian Concordat for heavy and assault [[BattleMech]]s.<ref name=HA:TACp12/> On the planet [[Weldry]], a notorious prison that came to be known as the "Icebox" was built.<ref name=HA:TACp47>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.47</ref><ref name=HA:TACp35>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.35 Weldry profile</ref>
  
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With this defeat, the systems of Tyrlon, Guldra, Gangtok and Heliat all join the Arano cause, with the Directorate only in control of Coromodir.  
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===Arano Restoration===
 +
{{main|Restoration War}}
 +
Lady Arano was still alive, and she was able to secure financial support from the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] under the oversight of Lady [[Ana Maria Centrella]]. With the aid of a mercenary company that had formerly worked for her family, she began reclaiming worlds and building her forces. After House Espinosa's alliance with the Taurians was sundered, Restoration forces were able to reclaim Coromodir, placing Lady Kamea on the throne and ending the war. Santiago Espinosa was executed for treason.<ref name=HA:TACp12-13>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' pp.12-13</ref>
  
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'''Liberation of Coromodir and Downfall'''
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===Post-Restoration===
 +
House Arano's problems were not over. The crash of the [[DropShip]] ''[[Iberia]]'' on [[Coromodir VI]] during the final moments of the Restoration campaign created a "little ice age" expected to last for at least a decade, even with the aid of [[Lostech]] atmosphere scrubbers and terraforming equipment obtained through salvage and allies.<ref name=Guns>''Almost Sounds Like the Guns Themselves''</ref> The border dispute with the Taurians that had precipitated the crisis was still unresolved.<ref name=HA:TACp13>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.13</ref> Two of the Founding Houses, Espinosa and Karosas, had been wiped out, their affairs under administration by the High Lady and her deputies.<ref name=HA:TACp18>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.18</ref><ref name=HA:TACp20>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.20</ref><ref name=HA:TACp17>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.17</ref><ref name=HA:TACp27>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.27</ref> Like Coromodir, worlds such as Panzyr and Smithon had to rebuild from the ravages of the war.<ref name=HA:TACp27>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.27</ref><ref name=HA:TACp18/><ref name=HA:TACp28>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.28</ref>
  
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As the Restoration forces land on Coromodir for the final battle with the Directorate, Lady Arano receives a message from Commodore Ostergaard, who has gone rogue while looking for revenge to his son and refuses to obey the Concordat's orders to return to Taurian space. With his DropShip heading towards the Restoration Army to obliterate it with its naval guns, Kamea's mercenaries are able to upload into it a computer virus called the Locura, which disables the <i>Iberia</i> and causes it to crash on Coromodir's surface, killing everyone on board.
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An end to the war did not mean an end to conflict. The loyalty of the Noble Houses ranged from questionable to speaking of open revolt.<ref name=HA:TACp13/> Armed organizations from the just-concluded civil war, including [[Forever Vigilant]] and [[Ibex Rampant]], sought to reinstate the toppled Aurigan Directorate.<ref name=HA:TACp6>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.6</ref> Lady Arano created a special operations command, [[Rampart Company]], to deal with these and other threats.<ref name=HA:TACp24>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.24</ref> 
  
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Realizing that the end is near, Lord Espinosa orders its remaining forces to stand down and surrender. However, his daughter Victoria refuses his orders and using Lord Madeira as a hostage, forces Lady Arano to fight her in a BattleMech duel to the death in the royal tournament grounds. After a fierce combat, Kamea kills Victoria and frees Lord Madeira, regaining her throne while Santiago Espinosa is turned to the Taurians, who sentence him to death and execute him due to his role on the Perdition Massacre.
+
In many ways, the Post-Restoration Coalition resembled the Directorate, with autocratic rule, a unified military, and military governors over various systems.<ref name=HA:TACp17/>
  
 
== Politics ==
 
== Politics ==
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The Council of Founding Houses is the name given to the nobles who oversaw the Aurigan Coalition. The following Houses were members of the Founding Council.<ref>BattleTech (Video Game)</ref>
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The High Lord (or High Lady) is traditionally an elected monarch chosen by the Founding Council and elected representatives from the Coalition's major systems, though this was always a formality: until the Espinosa coup, the position was always filled by an Arano. Members of the Founding Council were usually either the head of the House or the heir apparent.  Post-Restoration, much of this was in abeyance.
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* [[House Arano]]
 
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* [[House Decimis]]
 
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* [[House Espinosa]]
 
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* [[House Gallas]]
 
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* [[House Karosas]]
 
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* [[House Madeira]]
 
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* [[House Parata]]
 
  
 
=== Rulers ===
 
=== Rulers ===
Line 104: Line 65:
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Trade Partnership'''
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Trade Partnership'''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Governor||[[Wiremu Arano]]||[[2820]]<ref name=BTVG/>
+
| Governor||[[Wiremu Arano]]||[[2870]]<ref name=HA:TACp11/>
 
|-
 
|-
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Coalition'''
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Coalition'''
 
|-
 
|-
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| High Lady||[[Keona Arano]]||[[2910]] - ****<ref name=BTVG/>
+
| High Lady||[[Keona Arano]]||[[2910]] - ****<ref name=HA:TACp11/>
 
|-
 
|-
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| High Lord||[[Tamati Arano I]]||**** - [[2988]]
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| High Lord||style = "background: #ffffcc"|[[Tamati Arano I]]<ref name=BTVGtt>''BattleTech (Video Game)'', Tamati Arano II tooltip</ref>||**** - [[2988]]<ref name=BTVGtt/>
 
|-
 
|-
−
| High Lord||[[Tamati Arano II]]||2988 - [[3022]]
+
| High Lord||[[Tamati Arano II]]||2988{{cn}} - [[3022]]<ref name=HA:TACp12/>
 
|-
 
|-
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Directorate'''
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Directorate'''
 
|-
 
|-
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| Director||[[Santiago Espinosa]]||3022 - 3025<ref name=HBG_KS33>Harebrained Schemes LLC: Kickstarter Update #33: "Introducing the Main Characters"</ref>
+
| Director||[[Santiago Espinosa]]||3022<ref name=HA:TACp12/> - 3025<ref name=HA:TACp13/>
 
|-
 
|-
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Coalition'''
 
| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Aurigan Coalition'''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| High Lady||[[Kamea Arano]]||[[3025]] -  
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| High Lady||[[Kamea Arano]]||[[3025]]<ref name=HA:TACp13/> -  
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
−
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}
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 +
==Military==
 +
{{main|Aurigan Coalition Military}}
 +
==Society and Culture==
 +
The Aurigan culture is a melting pot. The original settlers came from the Free Worlds League, with a mixture of Polynesian, Spanish, and Pakistani language, culture, and religion.  Cultural isolation due to the scarcity of JumpShips means that people from neighboring systems may need translators.  Arts and architecture were strongly influenced by the Capellan Confederation and Taurian Concordat.  The palace on Coromodir VI was originally a Taurian fortress and remains a beautiful example of Taurian architecture.<ref name=HA:TACp21/>
 +
 
 +
A meld of Taurian and Capellan traditions on social duty is also strongly seen among the Aurigans.  Each individual should feel a strong sense of duty to the state. Also, there is a tradition of heroes arising in times of adversity to safeguard the region.<ref name=HA:TACp21/>
 +
 
 +
==Economy==
 +
The Aurigan Reach's great strength is agricultural self-sufficiency.  The most common occupation and the largest industry is agriculture, including genetically modified crops.<ref name=HA:TACp22>''House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)'' p.22</ref>
 +
 
 +
The Coalition is not without other industry, however.  The industrial oligarchs of [[Mechdur]] fooled their Capellan governors into believing that their industry was failing, but after the Capellans withdrew, they became the main supplier of manufactured goods to the region.  Their products include ores, refined metals, armor for vehicles and 'Mechs, and even a maintenance facility for JumpShips.<ref name=HA:TACp22/>
 +
 
 +
:See Also: [[:Category:Aurigan Coalition Corporations|Aurigan Coalition Companies]]
 +
 
 
==Historical Maps==
 
==Historical Maps==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
File:Duchy_of_Dont.PNG|Aurigan Reach in year 2890
 
File:Duchy_of_Dont.PNG|Aurigan Reach in year 2890
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File:RimwardPeriphery3025.jpg|Aurigan Reach in year 3025
+
File:AuriganCoalition3022.png|Aurigan Coalition in year 3022
 +
File:RimwardPeriphery3025.jpg|Aurigan Reach in year 3025 (Apocryphal Source)
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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==See Also==
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* [[:Category:Aurigan Coalition Companies|Aurigan Coalition Companies]]
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* [[Aurigan Coalition Military]]
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==BattleTech Video Game==
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* [[:Category:Aurigan Coalition Planets|Aurigan Coalition Planets]]
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''The following is from the [[BattleTech (Video Game)]]. While it is an official product, it does not meet the criteria for Canon.''
 +
{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
 +
===Aurigan Coalition===
 +
Under the rule of the oligarchic Founding Council and the High Lieges from their number, the Aurigan coalition expanded into the Frontier Reach and fended off piracy. The Aurigan people enjoyed various political, personal, and economic rights across the Coalition to the point that they were considered something to be championed by Kamea Arano when she led the Arano Restoration during the Aurigan Civil War. <ref name=BTVG>''BattleTech (Video Game)''</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Directorate===
 +
[[File:Crest of House Espinosa.png‎|left|thumb|135px|The Aurigan Directorate insignia.]]
 +
High Lord [[Tamati Arano II]] and his wife [[Serena Arano]] (née Espinosa) were killed in an accident in [[3022]], leaving their daughter [[Kamea Arano|Kamea]] as heir. With Kamea refusing to listen to her uncle about how to rule the Coalition, [[Santiago Espinosa]] decided to take matters into his own hands. Along with his daughter, [[Victoria Espinosa]], he would successfully stage a coup, forcing Lady Arano off [[Coromodir]] and taking the throne, installing himself as "Director" of the realm.
 +
 
 +
{{quote|We are here today because if Lady Arano will not act, someone must. I know what I am asking of you. You will face former comrades or even loved ones on the battlefield. I take up arms against my own niece. But remember: today we sacrifice, so that tomorrow we can return our kingdom to its proper glory. To its proper strength! So should you fall tonight - know that you did so as true heroes of the Reach! To your stations! For the Directorate!"}}
 +
'''- Lord Santiago inspiring his Directorate troops before deploying on Cormodir.'''
 +
 
 +
As ruler of the rechristened '''Aurigan Directorate''', Santiago would form a brutal dictatorship in his wake, creating concentration camps on Weldry to hold possible dissident factions' relatives hostage including of the Founding Houses, and torturing and murdering political prisoners. His daughter, Victoria would slaughter anyone who did not support the Directorate, whether it be civilians or other House Lords of the Reach. Further, on Coromodir personal and political liberties were lost in exchange for increased economic luxuries under the police state in order to placate the population.<ref name=BTVG/>
 +
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
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* ''[[BattleTech (Video Game)|BattleTech]]'' (Video Game)
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* ''[[Almost Sounds Like the Guns Themselves]]'' (short story)
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* [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/posts/1614948 Harebrained Schemes LLC: Kickstarter Update #28: "History of the Aurigan Reach"]
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* ''[[BattleTech (Video Game)|BattleTech]]'' (Video Game), apocryphal
−
* [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/posts/1745111 Harebrained Schemes LLC: Kickstarter Update #33: "Introducing the Main Characters"]
+
* ''[[House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)]]'' (sourcebook)
−
 
+
* [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/posts/1614948 Harebrained Schemes LLC: Kickstarter Update #28: "History of the Aurigan Reach"], apocryphal
 +
* [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/posts/1745111 Harebrained Schemes LLC: Kickstarter Update #33: "Introducing the Main Characters"], apocryphal
  
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[[Category:Factions]]
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[[Category:Nation States|Aurigan Coalition]]
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[[Category:Aurigan Coalition]]
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[[Category:Aurigan Coalition Related Categories]]

Latest revision as of 12:19, 1 October 2023

Crest of Aurigan Coalition
Aurigan Coalition
State Profile
Founding Year 2910[1]
Capital world: Coromodir VI[2]
Controlled system(s): 22[3]
Official Language(s) English (primary), Spanish, Samoan, Urdu, a dozen others.[2]
Government
Head of State High Lord
Military
Army Aurigan Coalition Military (ACM)

The Aurigan Coalition is an interstellar nation located in the periphery region known as the Aurigan Reach, which borders on the Capellan Confederation and the Taurian Concordat, along with the Rimward Frontier space.

Canonicity[edit]

The Aurigan Coalition was originally created for the apocryphal BattleTech video game, in a part of the game world that was largely neglected and poorly detailed in previous publications. The game's storyline, events, characters and setting, including namely the Aurigan Coalition, were later adopted (in broad strokes at least) into canon proper through the House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) sourcebook. This retroactively inserted the Aurigan Reach region and its history as detailed in this sourcebook into BattleTech canon.

To wit, the video game itself (and the preceding crowdfunding campaign) was not canonized as such and thus remains apocryphal, unless canonized through the fully canonical sourcebook or other canonical sources.

History[edit]

Early Years[edit]

The seeds of the Aurigan Coalition were planted when Coromodir VI, Guldra, Mechdur, and Itrom were colonized by a coalition of traders and industrialists originally from the Free Worlds League, inspired by the settlement of Taurus. The culture was predominantly Polynesian with elements of Spanish Catholicism and Pakistani Islam.[2]

The Reunification War and its aftermath saw significant growth in the Aurigan Reach. The SLDF built fortifications on planets across the region, the Taurian Concordat erected the fortress that would later become the Arano palace on Coromodir VI, and the Capellan Confederation built vast industrial works on Mechdur. At the time of the New Vandenberg Uprising, the worlds of the future Aurigan Coalition straddled the border between the Capellan and Taurian states.[4]

The Uprising, followed by the Amaris Civil War, followed by the First Succession War, led to the Capellans withdrawing their resources from the Aurigan Reach. The Taurian-Canopian War ended with the Concordat withdrawing as well.[5]

The Reach worlds were largely forgotten by the Inner Sphere, which believed them dead or abandoned. Guldra's HPG station was destroyed, and the Capellan base on the northern continent of Itrom was rendered a radioactive wasteland. Panzyr's orbit was filled with debris from the wars. Mechdur was written off by the Capellans due to gross mismanagement. The fortresses of Smithon were decommissioned and abandoned, while the world of Katinka suffered a strike from a Mass Driver.[6] Yet a few systems, such as Coromodir, Itrom, Tyrlon and Guldra were able to continue offering a decent standard of living to their people. [1]

Aurigan Trade Partnership[edit]

In 2870, House Arano and House Espinosa of the Coromodir system proposed a pact of mutual defense and trade with House Madeira and House Decimis of Guldra, House Karosas of Smithon, House Gallas of Itrom, and House Parata of Tyrlon. To defend against piracy and bolster their economies, they joined together in a new Trade Council under the leadership of Wiremu Arano. This was not a nation-state yet; they believed that the powers of the Inner Sphere and the Concordat would eventually return to reclaim their holdings there.[1]

Aurigan Coalition[edit]

At the beginning of the thirtieth century, amidst the Third Succession War, the hope of being rejoined with the great powers was abandoned. Keona Arano, daughter of Wiremu, proposed to the Trade Council that the partnership be remade as an independent nation: the Aurigan Coalition. In 2910, she became High Lady of the Aurigan Coalition, though only by the Magistracy of Canopus recognized the Coalition as a state .[1]

The industrial system of Mechdur was first to join the initial worlds of the nascent Coalition. This heralded a period of expansion, bringing other independent worlds under the Aurigan Coalition banner. As the Coalition expanded by the early thirty-first century to worlds that the Taurian Concordat had abandoned a century earlier but still technically claimed, the Taurians began to take note. Taurian diplomats went to Coromodir to negotiate treaties, but the Aurigan representatives and the emissaries of Protector Thomas Calderon could not reach a compromise. Santiago Espinosa, High Lord Tamati Arano II's chief advisor, proposed dissolving the Founding Council and bringing all power under the High Lord, which would allow Tamati to negotiate with the Taurians directly.[7]

Aurigan Directorate[edit]

High Lord Tamati II and his wife Serena were killed in a JumpShip accident in 3022. Santiago repeated his proposal to Tamati's daughter and heir Kamea Arano, who rejected it immediately. This led to a bloody coup during which Kamea was presumed to have been killed. House Espinosa changed the democratic Coalition into an autocratic Directorate with Santiago Espinosa as Director, keeping the other Houses in line with bribes, threats, and hostages.[8] Santiago disbanded the elected portion of the Council, restricting it to the Noble Houses.[9] All House military forces were brought under the Director's control,[10] and he formed a covert alliance with the Taurian Concordat for heavy and assault BattleMechs.[8] On the planet Weldry, a notorious prison that came to be known as the "Icebox" was built.[11][12]

Arano Restoration[edit]

Main article: Restoration War

Lady Arano was still alive, and she was able to secure financial support from the Magistracy of Canopus under the oversight of Lady Ana Maria Centrella. With the aid of a mercenary company that had formerly worked for her family, she began reclaiming worlds and building her forces. After House Espinosa's alliance with the Taurians was sundered, Restoration forces were able to reclaim Coromodir, placing Lady Kamea on the throne and ending the war. Santiago Espinosa was executed for treason.[13]

Post-Restoration[edit]

House Arano's problems were not over. The crash of the DropShip Iberia on Coromodir VI during the final moments of the Restoration campaign created a "little ice age" expected to last for at least a decade, even with the aid of Lostech atmosphere scrubbers and terraforming equipment obtained through salvage and allies.[14] The border dispute with the Taurians that had precipitated the crisis was still unresolved.[15] Two of the Founding Houses, Espinosa and Karosas, had been wiped out, their affairs under administration by the High Lady and her deputies.[16][17][9][18] Like Coromodir, worlds such as Panzyr and Smithon had to rebuild from the ravages of the war.[18][16][19]

An end to the war did not mean an end to conflict. The loyalty of the Noble Houses ranged from questionable to speaking of open revolt.[15] Armed organizations from the just-concluded civil war, including Forever Vigilant and Ibex Rampant, sought to reinstate the toppled Aurigan Directorate.[20] Lady Arano created a special operations command, Rampart Company, to deal with these and other threats.[10]

In many ways, the Post-Restoration Coalition resembled the Directorate, with autocratic rule, a unified military, and military governors over various systems.[9]

Politics[edit]

The High Lord (or High Lady) is traditionally an elected monarch chosen by the Founding Council and elected representatives from the Coalition's major systems, though this was always a formality: until the Espinosa coup, the position was always filled by an Arano. Members of the Founding Council were usually either the head of the House or the heir apparent. Post-Restoration, much of this was in abeyance.

Rulers[edit]

Name Reign Descent
Aurigan Trade Partnership
Governor Wiremu Arano 2870[1]
Aurigan Coalition
High Lady Keona Arano 2910 - ****[1]
High Lord Tamati Arano I[21] **** - 2988[21]
High Lord Tamati Arano II 2988[citation needed] - 3022[8]
Aurigan Directorate
Director Santiago Espinosa 3022[8] - 3025[15]
Aurigan Coalition
High Lady Kamea Arano 3025[15] -

Military[edit]

Main article: Aurigan Coalition Military

Society and Culture[edit]

The Aurigan culture is a melting pot. The original settlers came from the Free Worlds League, with a mixture of Polynesian, Spanish, and Pakistani language, culture, and religion. Cultural isolation due to the scarcity of JumpShips means that people from neighboring systems may need translators. Arts and architecture were strongly influenced by the Capellan Confederation and Taurian Concordat. The palace on Coromodir VI was originally a Taurian fortress and remains a beautiful example of Taurian architecture.[2]

A meld of Taurian and Capellan traditions on social duty is also strongly seen among the Aurigans. Each individual should feel a strong sense of duty to the state. Also, there is a tradition of heroes arising in times of adversity to safeguard the region.[2]

Economy[edit]

The Aurigan Reach's great strength is agricultural self-sufficiency. The most common occupation and the largest industry is agriculture, including genetically modified crops.[22]

The Coalition is not without other industry, however. The industrial oligarchs of Mechdur fooled their Capellan governors into believing that their industry was failing, but after the Capellans withdrew, they became the main supplier of manufactured goods to the region. Their products include ores, refined metals, armor for vehicles and 'Mechs, and even a maintenance facility for JumpShips.[22]

See Also: Aurigan Coalition Companies

Historical Maps[edit]

  • Aurigan Reach in year 2890

  • Aurigan Coalition in year 3022

  • Aurigan Reach in year 3025 (Apocryphal Source)


BattleTech Video Game[edit]

The following is from the BattleTech (Video Game). While it is an official product, it does not meet the criteria for Canon.

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

Aurigan Coalition[edit]

Under the rule of the oligarchic Founding Council and the High Lieges from their number, the Aurigan coalition expanded into the Frontier Reach and fended off piracy. The Aurigan people enjoyed various political, personal, and economic rights across the Coalition to the point that they were considered something to be championed by Kamea Arano when she led the Arano Restoration during the Aurigan Civil War. [23]

Directorate[edit]

The Aurigan Directorate insignia.

High Lord Tamati Arano II and his wife Serena Arano (née Espinosa) were killed in an accident in 3022, leaving their daughter Kamea as heir. With Kamea refusing to listen to her uncle about how to rule the Coalition, Santiago Espinosa decided to take matters into his own hands. Along with his daughter, Victoria Espinosa, he would successfully stage a coup, forcing Lady Arano off Coromodir and taking the throne, installing himself as "Director" of the realm.

“ We are here today because if Lady Arano will not act, someone must. I know what I am asking of you. You will face former comrades or even loved ones on the battlefield. I take up arms against my own niece. But remember: today we sacrifice, so that tomorrow we can return our kingdom to its proper glory. To its proper strength! So should you fall tonight - know that you did so as true heroes of the Reach! To your stations! For the Directorate!" ”

- Lord Santiago inspiring his Directorate troops before deploying on Cormodir.

As ruler of the rechristened Aurigan Directorate, Santiago would form a brutal dictatorship in his wake, creating concentration camps on Weldry to hold possible dissident factions' relatives hostage including of the Founding Houses, and torturing and murdering political prisoners. His daughter, Victoria would slaughter anyone who did not support the Directorate, whether it be civilians or other House Lords of the Reach. Further, on Coromodir personal and political liberties were lost in exchange for increased economic luxuries under the police state in order to placate the population.[23]

Apocryphal Content Ends

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.11
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.21
  3. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) pp.31-35
  4. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.10
  5. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) pp.10-11
  6. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) pp.32-35
  7. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) pp.11-12
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.12
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.17
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.24
  11. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.47
  12. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.35 Weldry profile
  13. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) pp.12-13
  14. ↑ Almost Sounds Like the Guns Themselves
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.13
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.18
  17. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.20
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.27
  19. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.28
  20. ↑ House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.6
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 BattleTech (Video Game), Tamati Arano II tooltip
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) p.22
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 BattleTech (Video Game)

Bibliography[edit]

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