Difference between revisions of "Federated Suns"
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==History of the Federated Suns==
 
==History of the Federated Suns==
 
===Foundation===
 
===Foundation===
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The Federated Suns was the brainchild of the Davion family, an influential noble family of the world of [[New Avalon]]. The father of the Federated Suns was [[Lucien Davion]], a master politician and statesman. His brothers [[Louis Davion|Louis]], a scheming political genius and [[Charles Davion|Charles]], a military man, assisted him in forming an alliance of several worlds in the area for the purpose of common trade and defense. Soon the realm was growing exponentially and eventually stretched into most of what is now known as the [[Crucis March]]. Originally the Federated Suns was a democracy led by the [[Dictionary#H|High Council]], a group of the leaders of all member-worlds led by a President who was charged with national defense. The Presidency gradually became a hereditary position of the Davion family and soon the Davion dynasty was born.
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The Federated Suns was the brainchild of the [[Successor States#House Davion|Davion family]], an influential noble family of the world of [[New Avalon]]. The father of the Federated Suns was Lucien Davion, a master politician and statesman. His brothers Louis, a scheming political genius and Charles, a military man, assisted him in forming an alliance of several worlds in the area for the purpose of trade and common defense known as the Crucis Pact. Soon, the realm was growing exponentialy and eventually stretched into most of what is now known as the [[Crucis March]]. The formation of the Crucis Pact was in direct response to James McKenna's founding of the [[Terran Hegemony]].
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Originally, the Federated Suns was a democracy led by the High Council-- a group of the leaders of all member-worlds-- led by a President who was charged with national defense. The Presidency gradually became a hereditary position of the [[Successor States#House Davion|Davion family]] and soon the [[Successor States#House Davion|Davion dynasty]] was born.
  
 
===The Age of War===
 
===The Age of War===
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The [[Age of War]] came to the Federated Suns due to a crisis within the little known state of [[Muscegon]]. Muscegon was a world ruled by a tyrant that had built a small empire of five worlds. The [[Muscegon Supremacy]], as this collection was known, had joined the Federated Suns. However due to the horrific regime of the Muscegon dictatorship, two of its colony worlds seceded and turned to what would later emerge into the [[Capellan Confederation]] for help. The Federated Suns was forced to raise an army to combat the secession as per its promise to provide for Muscegon's defense and soon there was warfare all across the Federation-Capellan border. Meanwhile, things were not well in the Davion household. Two deranged twins, [[Edward Davion|Edward]] and [[Edmund Davion]] had assumed the leadership of the Federation and were running the nation into the ground with their extravagance and foolish decisions. A conspiracy of [[Dictionary#H|High Council]] members planned on assassinating Edward (the only remaining twin,) and disbanding the office of President.
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The Age of War came to the Federated Suns due to a crisis within the little known state of Muscegon. Muscegon was a world ruled by a tyrant that had built a small empire of five worlds. The Muscegon Supremacy, as this collection was known, had joined the Federated Suns. However, due to the horrific regime of the Muscegon dictatorship, two of its colony worlds seceded and turned to what would later emerge into the [[Capellan Confederation]] for help. The Federated Suns was forced to raise an army to combat the secession, as per its promise to provide for Muscegon's defense, and soon there was warfare all across the [[Capellan Confederation|Capellan]] border. Meanwhile, things were not well in the [[Successor States#House Davion|Davion household]]. Two deranged twins, Edward and Edmund Davion, had assumed the leadership of the FedSuns and were running the nation into the ground with their extravagance and foolish decisions. A conspiracy of High Council members planned on assassinating Edward (the only remaining twin) and disbanding the office of President. This would have rendered the war against the [[Capellan Confederation|Capellans]] as good as lost without centralized military leadership.
  
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The potential crisis between the High Council and the [[Dictionary#F|First Prince]] was averted when [[Simon Davion]], a cousin of the twins, assassinated Edward in the High Council building. Simon Davion, just days after the murder, proposed a compromise whereby the Federated Suns was to be divided into five Marches, each supported by nobility (both hereditary and elected). After much debate, the High Council chose to accept Simon's proposal, thus making him the First Prince. (Amongst the four other Princes, the [[Crucis March]] leader was known as the First Prince.) For nearly a hundred years, Simon's compromise kept the peace in the Federated Suns until [[William Davion]], died leaving behind his widow and infant son, [[Alexander Davion|Alexander]].  
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The potential crisis between the High Council and the First Prince was averted when Simon Davion, a cousin of the twins, assassinated Edward in the High Council building. Simon Davion, just days after the murder proposed a compromise whereby the Federated Suns was to be divided into five Marches ([[Crucis March|Crucis]], [[Capellan March|Capellan]], Terran, [[Draconis March|Draconis]], and [[Periphery March|Periphery]], each supported by a nobility (both hereditary and elected). Surprisingly, after much debate, the High Council chose to accept Simon's proposal, thus making him the First Prince (amongst the four other Princes the [[Crucis March]] leader was known as the First Prince.) For nearly a hundred years, Simon's compromise kept the peace in the Federated Suns until William Davion died, leaving behind his widow and infant son, Alexander.  
  
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Meanwhile the Varnay family, the leader of the [[Capellan March]] and which long had aspirations towards the office of First Prince, had married into young Alexander's aunt Cassandra's family. Both jockeyed for the leadership of the Federated Suns, until it was eventually agreed the five regents would rule the Federated Suns. For ten years, the members of the Regency struggled amongst themselves, each in the end forgetting about Prince Alexander. Although the rightful heir to the First Princedom, he was increasingly disregarded by the Regents, who now looked to gain the leadership of the Federated Suns for themselves. Meanwhile, Prince Alexander had come of age and demanded that he be rightfully placed on the thrown. For years afterwards, there was a passionate struggle between Prince Alexander and those who would assume the throne for themselves. The crisis ended when the Regency parties were defeated and the Federated Suns was united under the rightful heir of House Davion.
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Meanwhile the Varnay family, the leader of the [[Capellan March]] that had long harbored aspirations towards the office of First Prince and had married young Alexander's aunt Cassandra, jockeyed for the leadership of the Federated Suns. It was eventually agreed that five regents would rule the Federated Suns. For ten years, the members of the Regency struggled amongst themselves, each in the end forgetting about Prince Alexander, whom, although the rightful heir to the First Princedom, was increasingly disregarded by the Regents, who now looked towards the leadership of the Federated Suns for themselves. Meanwhile, Alexander had come of age and demanded that he be placed on what was rightfully his throne. For years afterwards, there was a passionate struggle between Prince Alexander and those who wanted to assume the throne for themselves. In the end, all were defeated and finally the Federated Suns was united under the rightul heir of [[Successor States#House Davion|House Davion]].
  
 
===The Star League Era===
 
===The Star League Era===
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When the Cameron family began its attempt to unite humanity into a, "[[Star League]]," the Federated Suns was very receptive towards the notion. Prince Alexander felt that his government, in the wake of a long civil war, would do well to focus on domestic prosperity and not on warfare. Therefore it surprised no one when, in [[2567]] the Federated Suns joined the [[Star League]], (becoming the fourth member state.) The [[Star League]] era was relatively quiet, with the Federated Suns working with the Star League to insure for a reign of peace and prosperity that lasted for hundreds of years. The sole exception in this reign of peace was the [[Reunification Wars]], a series of conflicts fought between the Star League and the [[Periphery]] states, whom were being forced into joining the League. Although the wars cost many lives, they were fought light-years away from the average resident of the Federated Suns and had little effect on their day-to-day lives. Once the Star League achieved its inevitable victory, there was a period of peace previously unknown in the history of Human affairs, as mankind devoted itself to science and the colonization of new worlds.
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When the Cameron family began its attempt to unite humanity into a, "Star League," the Federated Suns was very friendly towards the notion. Prince Alexander felt that his government, in the wake of a long Civil War would do well to focus on domestic prosperity and not on warfare. Therefore it surprised no one when, in 2567 the Federated Suns joined the [[Star League]], (Becoming the Fourth Member State.) The [[Star League]] Years were relatively quiet with the Federated Suns working with the Star League to insure for a reign of peace and prosperity that lasted for hundreds of years. The sole exception in this reign of peace were the Reunification Wars, a series of conflicts fought between the Federated Suns and the Periphery states, which the [[Star League]] attempted to force into joining the League. Although the wars cost many lives, they were largely fought light years away from the average resident of the Federated Suns and had little effect on their day to day lives. Once the [[Star League]] achieved its inevitable victory there was a period of peace unknown in the history of Human affairs as mankind devoted itself to science and the colonization of new worlds.
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In the end, treachery would cause the [[Star League]] to fall, but the [[Federated Suns]] persevered. Each Council Lord (the head of each of the five [[Successor States|Great Houses]]) returned to his or her respective capital and declared themself the new First Lord of the [[Star League]]. No side seemed willing to give any ground, so each prepared for the inevitable: war.
  
 
===The First and Second Succession Wars===
 
===The First and Second Succession Wars===
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The first two [[Succession Wars]] were some of the most destructive wars in the history of mankind. Each [[Successor States|Successor State]] had no qualms about destroying cities, massacring civilians, destroying [[JumpShips]] and other civilian infrastructure. They also used nuclear weapons to great effect. The overall effect of these two conflicts was to reduce the technological sophistication of the [[Successor States]] to a level approximately equivalent to that of the Industrial Revolution. While they still had automated factories, they lost the ability to produce any more.
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During the First Succession War, the Federated Suns made steady gains against the [[Capellan Confederation]], but were surprised when the [[Draconis Combine]] attacked. The [[Draconis Combine|Combine]]'s assault pushed all the way through the [[Draconis March]] into the [[Crucis March]] until [[Draconis Combine|Combine]] troops actually landed on [[New Avalon]] and destroyed the palace. Fate would strike, however, when a resistance member killed Coordinator Minoru Kurita, who was overseeing the offensive from Kentares. His son, the mad Jinjiro, became Coordinator and order the [[Kentares]] civilians bathed in their own blood. The [[Draconis Combine|Combine]] samurai carried out their duty and savagely murdered over 3/4 of the population of Kentares, killing millions. These same samurai were horrified at what they had done, so they enacted ritual [[seppuku]] to atone and salvage their honor. As word of their actions spread, many other [[Draconis Combine|Combine]] warriors followed suit, greatly weakening their offensive. Many who did not kill themselves were still ashamed, damaging their will to fight. By contrast, this massacre galvanized the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Suns|FedSuns troops]], who rallied and forced the [[Draconis Combine|Combine]] back, almost to the pre-war border. Exhausted, both sides called a truce.
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The Second Succession War saw more of the same, though memories of the [[Kentares]] Massacre were fresh in the minds of many. No such events took place, but the FedSuns made progress against both of their neighbors. As the war ground to a halt, it was clear that no [[Successor States|Successor State]] military was the same. They were gutted organizations that were close to breaking down. In this, the Federated Suns was similar to their counterparts.
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===The Third Succession War and the Steiner-Davion Alliance===
 
===The Third Succession War and the Steiner-Davion Alliance===
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===The Fourth Succession War===
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The Third Succession War saw a different type of warfare. In an unspoken agreement, the [[Successor States]] no longer fought using total warfare. Population centers were respected, [[JumpShips]] were off-limits, and military targets were fought over, not destroyed. Rather than destroying those targets, the losing side simply comforted themselves with the knowledge that they could reconquer it. With the loss of technology, [[BattleMechs|BattleMech factories]] and water purification plants became prize targets. Overall, the days of full-scale invasions were gone, replaced by low-level raiding. This ritualization of warfare, however, led to the belief that war was an acceptable way of solving disagreements. As this constant, low-intensity warfare continued, whole generations grew up knowing nothing else.
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The [[Fourth Succession War]] began immediately after the marriage of [[Hanse Davion]] and [[Melissa Steiner]]. After the marriage ceremony, Hanse Davion announced that, as a wedding gift, he was to present his new wife with, "the [[Capellan Confederation]]". What resulted was the largest offensive in recent history, as Davion troops poured across the border and assaulted world after world of the surprised and quickly demoralized Capellan Confederation. On top of the outright military assault, the Federated Suns also attempted to subvert the Capellan Confederation from within by encouraging the rebellion of disaffected populations. As a result, the leader of the Capellan military, a native of the world of [[Tikonov]], agreed to betray his Capellan masters and join the Federated Suns by creating a puppet nation known as the [[Tikonov Free Republic]]. A more successful nation to secede from the Confederation was the [[St. Ives Compact]]. The offensive itself was extremely successful and resulted in the totally absorption of a large portion of the Confederation as the new [[Sarna March]]. On the [[Draconis Combine]] front, the [[Fourth Succession War]] was less successful, although the Draconis Combine failed to take any strategically significant planets from the Federated Suns.
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The Federated Suns continued to make slow but steady gains against their two largest neighbors. Prince Melissa Davion streamlined the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Suns|AFFS]] bureacracy, allowing them to be more effective against their enemies.
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In [[3020]], [[List of BattleTech characters#Katrina Steiner|Archon Katrina Steiner]] of the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] extended a proposal of peace to the leaders of the other four [[Successor States]]. Only [[List of BattleTech characters#Hanse Davion|Prince Hanse Davion]] showed any interest. Their mutual discussion culminated in the signing of the Federated-Commonwealth Alliance Document in [[3022]] on [[Terra]]. The alliance also had a secret provision that called for the marriage of [[List of BattleTech characters#Hanse Davion|Hanse]] and [[List of BattleTech characters#Katrina_Steiner|Katrina]]'s daughter, [[List of BattleTech characters#Melissa Steiner|Archon-designate Melissa Steiner]].
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===The [[Fourth Succession War]]===
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The Fourth Succession War began immediately after the marriage of [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Hanse_Davion|Hanse Davion]] and [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Melissa_Steiner|Melissa Steiner]]. At the wedding reception on [[Terra]], [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Hanse_Davion|Hanse Davion]] announced that his wedding gift to his wife was, "the Capellan Confederation." What resulted was the largest offensive in recent memory as Davion troops poured across the border and assaulted world after world of the surprised and quickly demoralized [[Capellan Confederation]]. Hanse Davion claimed justification for the attack as revenge against the Capellan Chancellor [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Maximillian_Liao|Maximillian Liao]], because Liao had attempted to replace Hanse with a double. This plot was only stopped because of Hanse's best friend and close advisor, [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Ardan_Sortek|Ardan Sortek]].
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On top of the outright military attack, the Federated Suns also attempted to subvert the Capellan Confederation from within by encouraging the rebellion of disaffected populations within the Confederation. Pavel Ridzik, the leader of the Capellan military and a native of the world of Tikonov, chose that time to betray his Capellan masters. He formed the [[Tikonov Free Republic]], but was assassinated shortly thereafter. Under the direction of [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Ardan_Sortek|Ardan Sortek]], the people of Tikonov voted to join the Federated Suns.
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A more successful nation to secede from the Confederation was the [[St. Ives Compact]]. The Compact was formed when Duchess [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Candace_Allard-Liao|Candace Liao]], heir to the Capellan throne, seceded the St. Ives Commonality from the Confederation amid a romance with Justin Xiang Allard, a FedSuns agent who had infiltrated the Maskirovka (the Capellan intelligence agency) at its highest level.
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[[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Hanse_Davion|Hanse Davion]] also chose that time to deal with a traitor. Duke Michael Hasek-Davion, the minister of the [[Capellan March]], married Marie Davion, Hanse's half-sister. After the death of Hanse's older brother, Prince Ian, Hanse defeated Michael in a simulated battle to succeed his brother. Though Hanse clearly had the stronger claim, especially since Marie was dead, Michael harbored a grudge and sought to become more powerful. He fed the Capellans information on the deployments of national troops, while intentionally understating the strength of his own. When Davion's Ministry of Information, Intelligence, and Operations (MIIO) found out, Hanse began to give Michael incorrect data, which was in turn fed to the Maskirovka. Thus, when AFFS troops attacked the Confederation, the CCAF was woefully out of position to deal with the invasion. Michael had thought to conquer the Capellans and create a new state out of the Confederation and his own March. When it became clear that Hanse knew of his plot, Michael fled into the Confederation, never to be heard from again.
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On the [[Draconis Combine]] front, the Fourth Succession War was less successful, although the [[Draconis Combine]] failed to take any strategically significant planets from the Federated Suns. This was largely thanks to the efforts of Wolf's Dragoons, perhaps the most notable mercenary command of the early-mid 31st century. They goaded Coordinator [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Takashi_Kurita|Takashi Kurita]] into sending all the military he could spare at them in a personal vendetta, rather than taking advantage of the FedSuns' distraction. For their efforts, they were granted the conquered world of Outreach by a grateful [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Hanse_Davion|Hanse Davion]].
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Though Davion had stated that his goal was to cripple Liao's ability to prosecute war by seizing the worlds that were important to the Confederation's military-industrial complex, he stopped short of this goal. During the offensive, [[ComStar]] manufactured an incident that made Davion responsible for the destruction of an HPG on the planet Sarna. This gave them an excuse to place the Suns under a communications interdiction, officially disabling all interplanetary communication, which naturally made it very difficult to coordinate troop movements. Unbeknownest to [[ComStar]], however, the New Avalon Institute of Science had pioneered an alternate method of interplanetary communications. Known as "black boxes," House Davion's fax machines allowed Hanse to have some control over his military offensive, but the slower fax machines proved impractical as a long-term solution.
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Also, the [[Free Worlds League]] had successfully crushed a revolt and, despite technically being Capellan allies under the Kapteyn Accords, was rattling sabres along its border with the Confederation. Rather than allow the League to snap up Capellan worlds, Hanse declared an end to the war and settled in for the task of integrating the newly-conquered worlds into his Suns.
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The offensive itself was extremely successful and resulted in the total absorption of roughly half of the Confederation as the new [[Sarna March]], though this area was technically a part of the Lyran state command since Hanse had presented it as his gift to [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Melissa_Steiner|Melissa Steiner]]. The conquered worlds included two commonality capitals, Tikonov and Sarna, as well as Liao, the ancestral landhold of the Capellan ruling family. The secession of St. Ives further deprived the Capellans of a third commonality capital and created a buffer state in between the Confederation and the Suns. More importantly, it created a bridge between the Suns and their new allies, the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], that paved the way for the formal integration of the two nations as the [[Federated Commonwealth]]. It would be decades before the [[Capellan Confederation]] again threatened the Federated Suns.
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===The [[Federated Commonwealth]]===
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During the 3024-29 period, there was a secret pact formed between the Federated Suns and the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] in addition to the public alliance between [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Hanse_Davion|Hanse Davion]] and [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Katrina_Steiner|Katrina Steiner]]. This secret provision called for [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Hanse_Davion|Hanse Davion]] to marry [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Katrina_Steiner|Katrina Steiner]]'s 16 year old daughter, [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Melissa_Steiner|Melissa Arthur Steiner]]. In 3056, the [[Federated Commonwealth]] was officially formed with Melissa's death, although it had been unofficially formed almost 30 years ago with the treaty that signed by Hanse and Katrina.
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While [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion]] ruled the united [[Federated Commonwealth]] for only a year, his sister's decision to seceed the Lyran half of the nation in 3057 left Victor in control of a rump [[Federated_Commonwealth|FedCom]]. In technicality, Victor never officially renamed his nation the Federated Suns, though many erroneously referred to it as such. The rump [[Federated Commonwealth]] was officially renamed the Federated Suns in [[3067]] by [[Yvonne_Steiner-Davion|Regent Yvonne]] after the conclusion of the FedCom Civil War.
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===The FedCom Civil War===
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After the Invasion of the [[Clans_(BattleTech)|Clans]] from [[3049]] to [[3052]], things did not settle down for the [[Federated Commonwealth]]. [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Katherine_Steiner-Davion|Katherine "Katrina" Steiner-Davion]], little sister of [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Prince Victor]], had her mother secretly assassinated, which inagurated [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Victor]] as Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth. In [[3057]], Katherine seceded the Lyran half of the [[Federated Commonwealth]], and formed the [[Lyran Alliance]]. [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Victor]] was otherwise occupied with the [[Clans]] and annihilation of [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]]. [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Katherine_Steiner-Davion|Katherine]] then stole the [[Successor_States#House_Davion|Davion]] half of the [[Federated_Commonwealth|Commonwealth]] from her sister Yvonne, whom [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Victor]] had left in charge while he fought the [[Clans]] on their capital. [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Victor]] now returned from annialating [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] found himself an "outlaw" of sorts. Rather than fighting a civil war to oust his sister from power, [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Victor]] tried to retire to a life of defending the [[Inner Sphere]] from the [[Clans]]. Fate had other ideas in store.
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Facing a rising tide of injustice and violation of their civil liberties, citizens of both halves of the sundered [[Federated Commonwealth]] rose up in rebellion against [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Katherine_Steiner-Davion|Katherine]]'s increasingly despotic rule. Deciding to lead the rebellion, [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Victor]] cast off his titles and began a campaign to remove his sister from power. After the assasination of [[Omi Kurita]], his lover, [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Victor_Steiner-Davion|Victor]] finally took the battle to [[New Avalon]] and there, in [[3067]], Defeated [[List_of_BattleTech_characters#Katherine_Steiner-Davion|Katherine]]'s forces and proclaimed Yvonne First Prince-Regent of the newly renamed '''Federated Suns'''.
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Shortly thereafter, the [[Taurian Concordat]] launched an invasion. The mercenary unit, The Fighting Urukhai, fleeing the civil war, attempted to land on the capital of Taurus and negotiate a contract with the [[Taurian Concordat]]. The Taurians, fearing an invasion, destroyed the mercenary unit, including all of their dependents (non-combatants, including children). The remaining forces executed a suicidal assault on the Taurian capital, damaging some of the world's civilian infrastructure. In retaliation, Taurian Protector Grover Shraplen authorized an assault against some worlds in the [[Capellan March]]. Duke [[George Hasek]], now a war hero, sent a task force to deal with this invasion. The Taurian Pleiades Lancers, against orders, attacked their ancestral homeworld in the [[Pleiades Cluster]], leaving their supply lines open and allowing the [[Capellan March]] troops to liberate those worlds easily. In 3067, only two systems were still contested by the Taurians.
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===[[Word of Blake]] Jihad===
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In December of [[3067]], the member-states of the Second [[Star League]] came together for the fourth Whitting Conference on [[Tharkad]]. At this fateful conference, the leaders of the [[Inner Sphere]] decided to disband the [[Star League]]. Regent Yvonne Steiner-Davion was partly responsible for this, because she decided that the Suns could not afford to remain a member-state as they needed the money to rebuild the shattered nation after the devestating civil war. Archon [[Peter Steiner-Davion]] made a similar claim, and [[List of BattleTech characters#Sun-Tzu Liao|Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao]] decided to pull his support from the [[Star League]] or his own reasons. First Lord [[Christian Mansdotter]] called for a vote of no-confidence in the [[Star League]] so that he could force the recalcitrant nations to stay, but the needed two-thirds majority was lacking. Thus, the [[Star League]] failed the vote of no-confidence and was disbanded.
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The [[Word of Blake]] was set to become a full member-state at the end of that Whitting Conference, and were quite upset when the [[Star League]] disbanded, believing that their road to power was through the League. A defiant [[Word of Blake]] demanded that both of the former [[Federated Commonwealth]] states rejoin the League, curiosly omitting the [[Capellan Confederation]] (whose commentary was the most scathing) from their harangue. To enforce their claim, the [[Word of Blake]] attempted to cow the Federated Suns by sending [[WarShip|WarShips]], which just happened to be nearby, into orbit around [[New Avalon]]. When Regent Yvonne refused, the [[Word of Blake|Word]] sent ground troops, though their effectivness was greatly limited by the defenders. In response, the [[Word of Blake]] used their [[WarShips]] to great effect. They used them to both bombard and blockade the FedSuns' capital. This created problems with command and control, forcing the regional leaders to take more responsibility for command. In [[3071]], [[Word of Blake|Blakist]] troops scored a significant victory on [[New Avalon]], though exactly what that is remains to be seen.
  
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===The Federated Commonwealth===
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Elsewhere, the [[Capellan March]]'s duke, George Hasek, launched an invasion of the [[Capellan Confederation]], ostensibly in support of the St. Ives Commonality. In the early 3060s, [[List of BattleTech characters#Sun-Tzu Liao|Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao]] had launched an invasion of the [[St. Ives Compact]] in an attempt to reclaim what had once been a [[Capellan Confederation|Capellan]] commonality. When [[List of BattleTech characters#Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]] refused to help [[List of BattleTech characters#Candace Allard-Liao|Duchess Candace]], she had little choice but to negotiate for the wayward commonality's reintegration into the [[Capellan Confederation]]. Duke George Hasek decided to remedy that lapse after [[List of BattleTech characters#Kai Allard-Liao|Duke Kai]] mysteriously appeared on [[New Syrtis]]-- the capital of the [[Capellan March]]. Caught unprepared, the [[Capellan Confederation#Military|Capellan troops]] suffered many reversals, especially since many St. Ives troops sided with their duke, even while [[List of BattleTech characters#Candace Allard-Liao|his mother]] was essentially a prisoner on [[Sian]]. [[Capellan March]] forces were a mere one [[JumpShip|jump]] away from [[Sian]] when a [[BattleTech_technology_WarShips|WarShip]] appeared in orbit around [[Sian]] and fired on the planet, destroying the capital city, where [[List of BattleTech characters#Sun-Tzu Liao|the Chancellor]] and [[List of BattleTech characters#Candace_Allard-Liao|Duchess Candace]] were. [[List of BattleTech characters#Candace Allard-Liao|Candace]] was killed in the attack, while [[List of BattleTech characters#Sun-Tzu Liao|Sun-Tzu Liao]] was initially among the missing, though he turned up soon thereafter. The [[Federated Suns]] was initially blamed by Military Regent ''Sang-jiang-jun'' Talon Zahn. That allegation galvanized the [[Capellan Confederation#Military|Capellan military]] and turned the St. Ives troops and people against the Federated Suns. Even Warner Doles and his Blackwind Lancers, who had become ''persona non grata'' in [[Capellan Confederation|Capellan]] space due to his alignment with [[Free Capella]], sided with the [[Capellan Confederation|Confederation]]. All those forces (plus the occasional nuclear weapon) combined to push the [[Capellan March]] troops back to the border, and beyond-- to [[New Syrtis]].
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During the 3024-29 period, a secret pact between the Federated Suns and the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] had [[Katrina Steiner]]'s 16 year old daughter, [[Melissa Arthur Steiner]] marry [[Hanse Davion]]. In [[3056]], the [[Federated Commonwealth]] was officially formed.
 
  
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This all happened despite Regent Yvonne's repeated insistence to cease offensive operations, so that she could use some of those forces to liberate [[New Avalon]]. Hasek's motivation for ignoring her is unclear, but, around this time, Duke George Hasek was assassinated. His cousin, Nathaniel Hasek, took over command of the [[Capellan March]], but he seemed equally unwilling to help [[New Avalon]]. The identity of Hasek's asassin remain unknown, but speculation points at the [[Word of Blake]], [[Capellan Confederation]], or from an agent dispatched by Regent Yvonne in an effort to rein in the [[Capellan March]]. Whoever killed him, his troops were able to rally after the [[Word of Blake]] launched an invasion of the [[Capellan Confederation]]. [[Capellan Confederation#Military|Capellan troops]] fought as hard to return home so they could defend against the sneak attack from their erstwhile allies as they had to invade the [[Capellan March]].
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The [[Draconis March]] also entered the fray. They sent troops into the [[Draconis Combine]], ostensibly to look for POWs from the invasion during the FedCom Civil War. Whether they launched these attacked with or without the knowledge of Duke Tancred Sandoval is unknown. They found the Dragon unable to defend itself with their own three-way battle on [[Luthien]], so they launched a full invasion. [[Draconis March]] troops were able to penetrate as far as the district capital of Galedon, but, faced with troops from both the [[Word of Blake]] and [[Clan Snow Raven]] in the area, had to withdraw to more manageable assaults.
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The [[Word of Blake]] sought to expand their [[Blake Protectorate]] at the expense of the Federated Suns, as well. The Blakists took worlds near [[Terra]] like Acamar and Demeter. With their [[Armed Forces of the Federated Suns|military]] distracted, the FedSuns could do little.
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Eventually, [[List of BattleTech characters#Devlin_Stone|Devlin Stone]] was able to forge an alliance against the [[Word of Blake]], which culminated in the liberation of [[Terra]] in [[3081]]. The [[Periphery March]] was also reconstituted to combat the almost-constant threat of pirates from the void.
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===Years of Peace===
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While the [[Inner Sphere]] embraced peace thanks to the actions of [[List of BattleTech characters#Devlin_Stone|Devlin Stone]] and his reforms, the Federated Suns continued to find itself in conflicts. The [[Capellan Confederation]] continued its attempts to expand, so troops from the [[Capellan March]] seized the factory world and commonality capital of [[Victoria]]. In the meantime, the [[Draconis March]] was able to create a buffer state between it and the [[Draconis Combine]]. The Sandoval family continues to pump money into that area in the 3130s to fund a low-intensity war-by-proxy with the [[Draconis Combine]].
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===Republic-era===
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Tancred and Yvonne's son Harrison Davion married Duchess Angela Hasek's younger sister, Isabella. Their child Caleb Hasek-Sandoval-Davion was born with a psychosis that left him unable to pilot a [[BattleMech|'Mech]], so, in preparation for becoming Prince, he chose to become a tanker. When [[List of BattleTech characters#Victor Steiner-Davion|Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion]] died, Harrison decided to attend his state funeral in person. He brought along Caleb and his [[Armed_Forces_of_the_Federated_Suns#Prince|Prince's Champion]], Julian Davion. While en route, the [[Capellan Confederation]] began a limited offensive against worlds in the [[Capellan March]].
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[[Republic of the Sphere]] Exarch Jonah Levin took the opportunity to arrange an alliance with the Federated Suns, since they had a common enemy in the [[Capellan Confederation]]. That allinace bore fruit immediately when Julian Davion led the Davion Guards against Senate loyalists, driving the rebels from [[Terra]]. Harrison had privately decided to make Julian his heir, but had not informed his nephew. While on [[Terra]] for [[List of BattleTech characters#Victor Steiner-Davion|Victor]]'s funeral, he informed Caleb that he would not be succeeding him. In his shock, Caleb accidentally killed Harrison.
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Since he did this before Harrison could make his wishes known, Caleb became First Prince. Knowning that Julian was Harrison's choice, Caleb stripped Julian of his office and named Erik Sandoval-Groell as his new champion. Julian stayed in [[Republic of the Sphere|Republic]] space to command the FedSuns troops there, indicating that Caleb seems content to honor his father's agreement with [[Republic of the Sphere|the Republic]]. For now.
  
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===References===
 
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* [[/Timeline | Timeline]]
 
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* [http://sarna.net/files/filedownload.php/docs/products/house_books/house_davion.pdf House Book]
 
  
 
[[Category:CBT Factions]]
 
[[Category:CBT Factions]]
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{{wikipedia|64410902}}
 

Revision as of 23:52, 26 December 2006

In the BattleTech universe, the Federated Suns is the Successor State ruled by House Davion. The Federated Suns is considered the military powerhouse of the five Successor States. In fact, one of the requirements for the title of First Prince of the Federated Suns is at least five years of service in the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns. Territorially, the Federated Suns is bordered by the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine. Federated Suns spaces is divided into three 'Marches': the Capellan March, the Crucis March and the Draconis March. The capital world of the Federated Suns, New Avalon, is located in the Crucis March. The Federated Suns was formed in 2317, meaning it was the fourth of the Successor States to be formed after the withdrawal of the Terran Alliance from the colonies.

Politics of the Federated Suns

The Federated Suns could best be described as a monarchy, albeit one with constitutional limits placed on the monarch's powers. The First Prince is the leader of the Federated Suns and is the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS). Officially, until the formation of the Federated Commonwealth, the High Council, a group of both democratic, hereditary, and other officials chosen by the leadership of the member-worlds of the Federated Suns, had presided over the nation. Since the reign of Prince Alexander the High Council has become a glorified, "rubber stamp" organization. The Privy Council is a group of the highest advisors to the First Prince and is extremely important in the running of the day-to-day affairs of the state. The Nobility of the Federated Suns, created during the reign of Prince Simon Davion, also hold positions of authority, but the Federated Suns has a weaker nobility than some of the other Successor States. The citizens of the realm also have several basic rights protected by Federated Suns law, which include freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and the ability to appeal to the central government in order to have unpopular or destructive noblemen removed from office.

Federated Suns Military

In terms of strength of arms, the Federated Suns is one of the most powerful nations in the Inner Sphere. The First Princes of House Davion have always been committed to the military of their realm and every Davion is required to serve in the armed forces in order to claim the title of First Prince. The Armed Forces of the Federated Suns is a highly disciplined, professional force that benefits greatly from technological advances from the New Avalon Institute of Science as well as the high degree of training its members receive.

Navy of the Federated Suns:

  • Fox (ex-Invincible) CR Fox-class
  • Indefatigable CR Fox-class
  • Indomitable CR Fox-class
  • Inflexible CR Fox-class
  • Illustrious CR Fox-class
  • Intrepid CR Fox-class
  • Robinson CR Fox-class
  • Murmansk CR Fox-class
  • New Syrtis CR Fox-class
  • Brest CR Fox-class
  • Kathil CR Fox-class
  • Bryceland CR Fox-class
  • Kentares CR Fox-class
  • Antrim CR Fox-class
  • Rostock CR Fox-class
  • Admiral Corinne Donnings CR Fox-class
  • Admiral Michael Saille CR Fox-class
  • Simon Davion CL Avalon-class
  • Melissa Davion CL Avalon-class
  • Lucien Davion CL Avalon-class
  • Alexander Davion CL Avalon-class
  • Robert Davion CL Avalon-class
  • Hanse Davion CL Avalon-class
  • Andrew Davion CL Avalon-class
  • Covenant CL Covenant-Class

Religion in the Federated Suns

The Federated Suns is committed to allowing freedom of religion to its citizenry. During the First Succession wars, when the Draconis Combine and Capellan Confederation were bearing down against House Davion's forces, there was a wave of hatred against Asian residents of the realm and many Buddhist institutions were destroyed. Today, however, Buddhism is practiced freely throughout Davion space. Judaism maintains a small but active presence in the Federated Suns and is centered in and around the world of Robinson.

The closest thing to a persecuted faith in the Federated Suns is the Azami branch of Islam, which is distrusted by the Davion government, due to the large and important Azami population in the Draconis Combine. The larger Sunni branch of Islam is completely accepted by the Federated Suns population. Hinduism is important in a region in the southern portion of Davion space called the United Hindu Collective. It was formerly a sovereign state but later joined the Federated Suns. Protestant Christianity is the largest of all of the religious faiths of the Federated Suns. The Catholic branch of Christianity is also important although it is divided between those who owe loyalty to Rome and a split-off known as the New Avalon Catholic Church which is based around an interpretation of a communique from the Pope to the Cardinal of New Avalon.

Rulers of the Federated Suns

Name Reign Descent
Prime Ministers of New Avalon 2255 - 2317
Sandra Lockhart 2255 - 2261
Joseph Cartwright 2261 - 2280
Nathan DuVall 2280 - 2282
Martin DuVall 2282 - 2309 Son of Nathan DuVall
Lucien Davion 2309 - 2317 Son of Martin DuVall's sister
Davion Presidents of the Federated Suns 2317 - 2417
Lucien 2317 - 2332
Charles 2332 - 2340 Brother of Lucien
Reynard 2340 - 2371 Son of Lucien
Etien 2371 - 2378 Son of Reynard
Paul I 2378 - 2394 Son of Reynard
Marie 2394 - 2402 Daughter of Reynard
Edmund 2402 - 2415 Son of Etien
Edward 2415 - 2417 Son of Etien
Davion First Princes of the Federated Suns 2417 - 3052
Simon 2417 - 2457 Son of Paul
James 2457 - 2467 Son of Simon
Ellen 2467 - 2502 Daughter of Simon
William 2502 - 2512 Son of Ellen's brother
Alexander 2512 - 2600 Grandchild of William
Zane 2600 - 2659 Great-grandchild of Alexander
Sarah 2659 - 2681 Daughter of Zane
Samuel 2681 - 2696 Son of Zane
Roger 2696 - 2703 Son of Samuel
Joseph I 2703 - 2729 Son of Roger
Richard 2729 - 2745 Son of Joseph I
John 2745 - 2797 Son of Richard's brother
Paul II 2797 - 2842 Grandchild of John
Michael 2842 - 2873 Son of Paul
Carl 2873 - 2876 Son of Michael
Melissa 2876 - 2892 Daughter of Michael
Joseph II 2892 - 2931 Son of Michael
Peter 2931 - 2961 Son of Joseph II
Andrew 2961 - 2999 Son of Peter
Ian 2999 - 3013 Son of Andrew
Hanse 3013 - 3052 Son of Andrew
Steiner-Davion First Princes of the Federated Suns 3052 - ??
Victor 3052 - 3060 Son of Hanse
Katherine (Regent) 3060 - 3067 Daughter of Hanse
Yvonne (Regent) 3067 - ?? Daughter of Hanse
Davion First Princes of the Federated Suns ?? - present
Harrison ?? - 3135 Son of Yvonne
Caleb 3135 - Son of Harrison

(Note: Julian Davion a descendant of Jackson Davion was selected by Harrison Sandoval-Steiner-Davion to replace his son, Caleb Hasek-Sandoval-Davion, as heir but met with his death before the order took effect.)

History of the Federated Suns

Foundation

The Federated Suns was the brainchild of the Davion family, an influential noble family of the world of New Avalon. The father of the Federated Suns was Lucien Davion, a master politician and statesman. His brothers Louis, a scheming political genius and Charles, a military man, assisted him in forming an alliance of several worlds in the area for the purpose of trade and common defense known as the Crucis Pact. Soon, the realm was growing exponentialy and eventually stretched into most of what is now known as the Crucis March. The formation of the Crucis Pact was in direct response to James McKenna's founding of the Terran Hegemony.

Originally, the Federated Suns was a democracy led by the High Council-- a group of the leaders of all member-worlds-- led by a President who was charged with national defense. The Presidency gradually became a hereditary position of the Davion family and soon the Davion dynasty was born.

The Age of War

The Age of War came to the Federated Suns due to a crisis within the little known state of Muscegon. Muscegon was a world ruled by a tyrant that had built a small empire of five worlds. The Muscegon Supremacy, as this collection was known, had joined the Federated Suns. However, due to the horrific regime of the Muscegon dictatorship, two of its colony worlds seceded and turned to what would later emerge into the Capellan Confederation for help. The Federated Suns was forced to raise an army to combat the secession, as per its promise to provide for Muscegon's defense, and soon there was warfare all across the Capellan border. Meanwhile, things were not well in the Davion household. Two deranged twins, Edward and Edmund Davion, had assumed the leadership of the FedSuns and were running the nation into the ground with their extravagance and foolish decisions. A conspiracy of High Council members planned on assassinating Edward (the only remaining twin) and disbanding the office of President. This would have rendered the war against the Capellans as good as lost without centralized military leadership.

The potential crisis between the High Council and the First Prince was averted when Simon Davion, a cousin of the twins, assassinated Edward in the High Council building. Simon Davion, just days after the murder proposed a compromise whereby the Federated Suns was to be divided into five Marches (Crucis, Capellan, Terran, Draconis, and Periphery, each supported by a nobility (both hereditary and elected). Surprisingly, after much debate, the High Council chose to accept Simon's proposal, thus making him the First Prince (amongst the four other Princes the Crucis March leader was known as the First Prince.) For nearly a hundred years, Simon's compromise kept the peace in the Federated Suns until William Davion died, leaving behind his widow and infant son, Alexander.

Meanwhile the Varnay family, the leader of the Capellan March that had long harbored aspirations towards the office of First Prince and had married young Alexander's aunt Cassandra, jockeyed for the leadership of the Federated Suns. It was eventually agreed that five regents would rule the Federated Suns. For ten years, the members of the Regency struggled amongst themselves, each in the end forgetting about Prince Alexander, whom, although the rightful heir to the First Princedom, was increasingly disregarded by the Regents, who now looked towards the leadership of the Federated Suns for themselves. Meanwhile, Alexander had come of age and demanded that he be placed on what was rightfully his throne. For years afterwards, there was a passionate struggle between Prince Alexander and those who wanted to assume the throne for themselves. In the end, all were defeated and finally the Federated Suns was united under the rightul heir of House Davion.

The Star League Era

When the Cameron family began its attempt to unite humanity into a, "Star League," the Federated Suns was very friendly towards the notion. Prince Alexander felt that his government, in the wake of a long Civil War would do well to focus on domestic prosperity and not on warfare. Therefore it surprised no one when, in 2567 the Federated Suns joined the Star League, (Becoming the Fourth Member State.) The Star League Years were relatively quiet with the Federated Suns working with the Star League to insure for a reign of peace and prosperity that lasted for hundreds of years. The sole exception in this reign of peace were the Reunification Wars, a series of conflicts fought between the Federated Suns and the Periphery states, which the Star League attempted to force into joining the League. Although the wars cost many lives, they were largely fought light years away from the average resident of the Federated Suns and had little effect on their day to day lives. Once the Star League achieved its inevitable victory there was a period of peace unknown in the history of Human affairs as mankind devoted itself to science and the colonization of new worlds.

In the end, treachery would cause the Star League to fall, but the Federated Suns persevered. Each Council Lord (the head of each of the five Great Houses) returned to his or her respective capital and declared themself the new First Lord of the Star League. No side seemed willing to give any ground, so each prepared for the inevitable: war.

The First and Second Succession Wars

The first two Succession Wars were some of the most destructive wars in the history of mankind. Each Successor State had no qualms about destroying cities, massacring civilians, destroying JumpShips and other civilian infrastructure. They also used nuclear weapons to great effect. The overall effect of these two conflicts was to reduce the technological sophistication of the Successor States to a level approximately equivalent to that of the Industrial Revolution. While they still had automated factories, they lost the ability to produce any more.

During the First Succession War, the Federated Suns made steady gains against the Capellan Confederation, but were surprised when the Draconis Combine attacked. The Combine's assault pushed all the way through the Draconis March into the Crucis March until Combine troops actually landed on New Avalon and destroyed the palace. Fate would strike, however, when a resistance member killed Coordinator Minoru Kurita, who was overseeing the offensive from Kentares. His son, the mad Jinjiro, became Coordinator and order the Kentares civilians bathed in their own blood. The Combine samurai carried out their duty and savagely murdered over 3/4 of the population of Kentares, killing millions. These same samurai were horrified at what they had done, so they enacted ritual seppuku to atone and salvage their honor. As word of their actions spread, many other Combine warriors followed suit, greatly weakening their offensive. Many who did not kill themselves were still ashamed, damaging their will to fight. By contrast, this massacre galvanized the FedSuns troops, who rallied and forced the Combine back, almost to the pre-war border. Exhausted, both sides called a truce.

The Second Succession War saw more of the same, though memories of the Kentares Massacre were fresh in the minds of many. No such events took place, but the FedSuns made progress against both of their neighbors. As the war ground to a halt, it was clear that no Successor State military was the same. They were gutted organizations that were close to breaking down. In this, the Federated Suns was similar to their counterparts.

The Third Succession War and the Steiner-Davion Alliance

The Third Succession War saw a different type of warfare. In an unspoken agreement, the Successor States no longer fought using total warfare. Population centers were respected, JumpShips were off-limits, and military targets were fought over, not destroyed. Rather than destroying those targets, the losing side simply comforted themselves with the knowledge that they could reconquer it. With the loss of technology, BattleMech factories and water purification plants became prize targets. Overall, the days of full-scale invasions were gone, replaced by low-level raiding. This ritualization of warfare, however, led to the belief that war was an acceptable way of solving disagreements. As this constant, low-intensity warfare continued, whole generations grew up knowing nothing else.

The Federated Suns continued to make slow but steady gains against their two largest neighbors. Prince Melissa Davion streamlined the AFFS bureacracy, allowing them to be more effective against their enemies.

In 3020, Archon Katrina Steiner of the Lyran Commonwealth extended a proposal of peace to the leaders of the other four Successor States. Only Prince Hanse Davion showed any interest. Their mutual discussion culminated in the signing of the Federated-Commonwealth Alliance Document in 3022 on Terra. The alliance also had a secret provision that called for the marriage of Hanse and Katrina's daughter, Archon-designate Melissa Steiner.

The Fourth Succession War

The Fourth Succession War began immediately after the marriage of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner. At the wedding reception on Terra, Hanse Davion announced that his wedding gift to his wife was, "the Capellan Confederation." What resulted was the largest offensive in recent memory as Davion troops poured across the border and assaulted world after world of the surprised and quickly demoralized Capellan Confederation. Hanse Davion claimed justification for the attack as revenge against the Capellan Chancellor Maximillian Liao, because Liao had attempted to replace Hanse with a double. This plot was only stopped because of Hanse's best friend and close advisor, Ardan Sortek.

On top of the outright military attack, the Federated Suns also attempted to subvert the Capellan Confederation from within by encouraging the rebellion of disaffected populations within the Confederation. Pavel Ridzik, the leader of the Capellan military and a native of the world of Tikonov, chose that time to betray his Capellan masters. He formed the Tikonov Free Republic, but was assassinated shortly thereafter. Under the direction of Ardan Sortek, the people of Tikonov voted to join the Federated Suns.

A more successful nation to secede from the Confederation was the St. Ives Compact. The Compact was formed when Duchess Candace Liao, heir to the Capellan throne, seceded the St. Ives Commonality from the Confederation amid a romance with Justin Xiang Allard, a FedSuns agent who had infiltrated the Maskirovka (the Capellan intelligence agency) at its highest level.

Hanse Davion also chose that time to deal with a traitor. Duke Michael Hasek-Davion, the minister of the Capellan March, married Marie Davion, Hanse's half-sister. After the death of Hanse's older brother, Prince Ian, Hanse defeated Michael in a simulated battle to succeed his brother. Though Hanse clearly had the stronger claim, especially since Marie was dead, Michael harbored a grudge and sought to become more powerful. He fed the Capellans information on the deployments of national troops, while intentionally understating the strength of his own. When Davion's Ministry of Information, Intelligence, and Operations (MIIO) found out, Hanse began to give Michael incorrect data, which was in turn fed to the Maskirovka. Thus, when AFFS troops attacked the Confederation, the CCAF was woefully out of position to deal with the invasion. Michael had thought to conquer the Capellans and create a new state out of the Confederation and his own March. When it became clear that Hanse knew of his plot, Michael fled into the Confederation, never to be heard from again.

On the Draconis Combine front, the Fourth Succession War was less successful, although the Draconis Combine failed to take any strategically significant planets from the Federated Suns. This was largely thanks to the efforts of Wolf's Dragoons, perhaps the most notable mercenary command of the early-mid 31st century. They goaded Coordinator Takashi Kurita into sending all the military he could spare at them in a personal vendetta, rather than taking advantage of the FedSuns' distraction. For their efforts, they were granted the conquered world of Outreach by a grateful Hanse Davion.

Though Davion had stated that his goal was to cripple Liao's ability to prosecute war by seizing the worlds that were important to the Confederation's military-industrial complex, he stopped short of this goal. During the offensive, ComStar manufactured an incident that made Davion responsible for the destruction of an HPG on the planet Sarna. This gave them an excuse to place the Suns under a communications interdiction, officially disabling all interplanetary communication, which naturally made it very difficult to coordinate troop movements. Unbeknownest to ComStar, however, the New Avalon Institute of Science had pioneered an alternate method of interplanetary communications. Known as "black boxes," House Davion's fax machines allowed Hanse to have some control over his military offensive, but the slower fax machines proved impractical as a long-term solution.

Also, the Free Worlds League had successfully crushed a revolt and, despite technically being Capellan allies under the Kapteyn Accords, was rattling sabres along its border with the Confederation. Rather than allow the League to snap up Capellan worlds, Hanse declared an end to the war and settled in for the task of integrating the newly-conquered worlds into his Suns.

The offensive itself was extremely successful and resulted in the total absorption of roughly half of the Confederation as the new Sarna March, though this area was technically a part of the Lyran state command since Hanse had presented it as his gift to Melissa Steiner. The conquered worlds included two commonality capitals, Tikonov and Sarna, as well as Liao, the ancestral landhold of the Capellan ruling family. The secession of St. Ives further deprived the Capellans of a third commonality capital and created a buffer state in between the Confederation and the Suns. More importantly, it created a bridge between the Suns and their new allies, the Lyran Commonwealth, that paved the way for the formal integration of the two nations as the Federated Commonwealth. It would be decades before the Capellan Confederation again threatened the Federated Suns.

The Federated Commonwealth

During the 3024-29 period, there was a secret pact formed between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth in addition to the public alliance between Hanse Davion and Katrina Steiner. This secret provision called for Hanse Davion to marry Katrina Steiner's 16 year old daughter, Melissa Arthur Steiner. In 3056, the Federated Commonwealth was officially formed with Melissa's death, although it had been unofficially formed almost 30 years ago with the treaty that signed by Hanse and Katrina.

While Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion ruled the united Federated Commonwealth for only a year, his sister's decision to seceed the Lyran half of the nation in 3057 left Victor in control of a rump FedCom. In technicality, Victor never officially renamed his nation the Federated Suns, though many erroneously referred to it as such. The rump Federated Commonwealth was officially renamed the Federated Suns in 3067 by Regent Yvonne after the conclusion of the FedCom Civil War.

The FedCom Civil War

After the Invasion of the Clans from 3049 to 3052, things did not settle down for the Federated Commonwealth. Katherine "Katrina" Steiner-Davion, little sister of Prince Victor, had her mother secretly assassinated, which inagurated Victor as Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth. In 3057, Katherine seceded the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth, and formed the Lyran Alliance. Victor was otherwise occupied with the Clans and annihilation of Clan Smoke Jaguar. Katherine then stole the Davion half of the Commonwealth from her sister Yvonne, whom Victor had left in charge while he fought the Clans on their capital. Victor now returned from annialating Clan Smoke Jaguar found himself an "outlaw" of sorts. Rather than fighting a civil war to oust his sister from power, Victor tried to retire to a life of defending the Inner Sphere from the Clans. Fate had other ideas in store.

Facing a rising tide of injustice and violation of their civil liberties, citizens of both halves of the sundered Federated Commonwealth rose up in rebellion against Katherine's increasingly despotic rule. Deciding to lead the rebellion, Victor cast off his titles and began a campaign to remove his sister from power. After the assasination of Omi Kurita, his lover, Victor finally took the battle to New Avalon and there, in 3067, Defeated Katherine's forces and proclaimed Yvonne First Prince-Regent of the newly renamed Federated Suns.

Shortly thereafter, the Taurian Concordat launched an invasion. The mercenary unit, The Fighting Urukhai, fleeing the civil war, attempted to land on the capital of Taurus and negotiate a contract with the Taurian Concordat. The Taurians, fearing an invasion, destroyed the mercenary unit, including all of their dependents (non-combatants, including children). The remaining forces executed a suicidal assault on the Taurian capital, damaging some of the world's civilian infrastructure. In retaliation, Taurian Protector Grover Shraplen authorized an assault against some worlds in the Capellan March. Duke George Hasek, now a war hero, sent a task force to deal with this invasion. The Taurian Pleiades Lancers, against orders, attacked their ancestral homeworld in the Pleiades Cluster, leaving their supply lines open and allowing the Capellan March troops to liberate those worlds easily. In 3067, only two systems were still contested by the Taurians.

Word of Blake Jihad

In December of 3067, the member-states of the Second Star League came together for the fourth Whitting Conference on Tharkad. At this fateful conference, the leaders of the Inner Sphere decided to disband the Star League. Regent Yvonne Steiner-Davion was partly responsible for this, because she decided that the Suns could not afford to remain a member-state as they needed the money to rebuild the shattered nation after the devestating civil war. Archon Peter Steiner-Davion made a similar claim, and Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao decided to pull his support from the Star League or his own reasons. First Lord Christian Mansdotter called for a vote of no-confidence in the Star League so that he could force the recalcitrant nations to stay, but the needed two-thirds majority was lacking. Thus, the Star League failed the vote of no-confidence and was disbanded.

The Word of Blake was set to become a full member-state at the end of that Whitting Conference, and were quite upset when the Star League disbanded, believing that their road to power was through the League. A defiant Word of Blake demanded that both of the former Federated Commonwealth states rejoin the League, curiosly omitting the Capellan Confederation (whose commentary was the most scathing) from their harangue. To enforce their claim, the Word of Blake attempted to cow the Federated Suns by sending WarShips, which just happened to be nearby, into orbit around New Avalon. When Regent Yvonne refused, the Word sent ground troops, though their effectivness was greatly limited by the defenders. In response, the Word of Blake used their WarShips to great effect. They used them to both bombard and blockade the FedSuns' capital. This created problems with command and control, forcing the regional leaders to take more responsibility for command. In 3071, Blakist troops scored a significant victory on New Avalon, though exactly what that is remains to be seen.

Elsewhere, the Capellan March's duke, George Hasek, launched an invasion of the Capellan Confederation, ostensibly in support of the St. Ives Commonality. In the early 3060s, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao had launched an invasion of the St. Ives Compact in an attempt to reclaim what had once been a Capellan commonality. When Katherine refused to help Duchess Candace, she had little choice but to negotiate for the wayward commonality's reintegration into the Capellan Confederation. Duke George Hasek decided to remedy that lapse after Duke Kai mysteriously appeared on New Syrtis-- the capital of the Capellan March. Caught unprepared, the Capellan troops suffered many reversals, especially since many St. Ives troops sided with their duke, even while his mother was essentially a prisoner on Sian. Capellan March forces were a mere one jump away from Sian when a WarShip appeared in orbit around Sian and fired on the planet, destroying the capital city, where the Chancellor and Duchess Candace were. Candace was killed in the attack, while Sun-Tzu Liao was initially among the missing, though he turned up soon thereafter. The Federated Suns was initially blamed by Military Regent Sang-jiang-jun Talon Zahn. That allegation galvanized the Capellan military and turned the St. Ives troops and people against the Federated Suns. Even Warner Doles and his Blackwind Lancers, who had become persona non grata in Capellan space due to his alignment with Free Capella, sided with the Confederation. All those forces (plus the occasional nuclear weapon) combined to push the Capellan March troops back to the border, and beyond-- to New Syrtis.

This all happened despite Regent Yvonne's repeated insistence to cease offensive operations, so that she could use some of those forces to liberate New Avalon. Hasek's motivation for ignoring her is unclear, but, around this time, Duke George Hasek was assassinated. His cousin, Nathaniel Hasek, took over command of the Capellan March, but he seemed equally unwilling to help New Avalon. The identity of Hasek's asassin remain unknown, but speculation points at the Word of Blake, Capellan Confederation, or from an agent dispatched by Regent Yvonne in an effort to rein in the Capellan March. Whoever killed him, his troops were able to rally after the Word of Blake launched an invasion of the Capellan Confederation. Capellan troops fought as hard to return home so they could defend against the sneak attack from their erstwhile allies as they had to invade the Capellan March.

The Draconis March also entered the fray. They sent troops into the Draconis Combine, ostensibly to look for POWs from the invasion during the FedCom Civil War. Whether they launched these attacked with or without the knowledge of Duke Tancred Sandoval is unknown. They found the Dragon unable to defend itself with their own three-way battle on Luthien, so they launched a full invasion. Draconis March troops were able to penetrate as far as the district capital of Galedon, but, faced with troops from both the Word of Blake and Clan Snow Raven in the area, had to withdraw to more manageable assaults.

The Word of Blake sought to expand their Blake Protectorate at the expense of the Federated Suns, as well. The Blakists took worlds near Terra like Acamar and Demeter. With their military distracted, the FedSuns could do little.

Eventually, Devlin Stone was able to forge an alliance against the Word of Blake, which culminated in the liberation of Terra in 3081. The Periphery March was also reconstituted to combat the almost-constant threat of pirates from the void.

Years of Peace

While the Inner Sphere embraced peace thanks to the actions of Devlin Stone and his reforms, the Federated Suns continued to find itself in conflicts. The Capellan Confederation continued its attempts to expand, so troops from the Capellan March seized the factory world and commonality capital of Victoria. In the meantime, the Draconis March was able to create a buffer state between it and the Draconis Combine. The Sandoval family continues to pump money into that area in the 3130s to fund a low-intensity war-by-proxy with the Draconis Combine.

Republic-era

Tancred and Yvonne's son Harrison Davion married Duchess Angela Hasek's younger sister, Isabella. Their child Caleb Hasek-Sandoval-Davion was born with a psychosis that left him unable to pilot a 'Mech, so, in preparation for becoming Prince, he chose to become a tanker. When Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion died, Harrison decided to attend his state funeral in person. He brought along Caleb and his Prince's Champion, Julian Davion. While en route, the Capellan Confederation began a limited offensive against worlds in the Capellan March.

Republic of the Sphere Exarch Jonah Levin took the opportunity to arrange an alliance with the Federated Suns, since they had a common enemy in the Capellan Confederation. That allinace bore fruit immediately when Julian Davion led the Davion Guards against Senate loyalists, driving the rebels from Terra. Harrison had privately decided to make Julian his heir, but had not informed his nephew. While on Terra for Victor's funeral, he informed Caleb that he would not be succeeding him. In his shock, Caleb accidentally killed Harrison.

Since he did this before Harrison could make his wishes known, Caleb became First Prince. Knowning that Julian was Harrison's choice, Caleb stripped Julian of his office and named Erik Sandoval-Groell as his new champion. Julian stayed in Republic space to command the FedSuns troops there, indicating that Caleb seems content to honor his father's agreement with the Republic. For now.

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