Rim Worlds Republic

Revision as of 09:03, 5 June 2009 by S.gage (talk | contribs)

(Author S.gage... status: incomplete)

Rims World Republic
Faction Profile
Time period: 2250 - 2779
Classification: Periphery State
Controlled systems: c. 2400, 26+
Capital world: Apollo
Ruler title: First Consul of the Republic
Military: Rim Worlds Republic Corps (?)
Secret Service: AsRoc

The Rim Worlds Republic was a major Periphery power until it was destroyed by the SLDF under Aleksandr Kerensky during the Amaris Civil War in 2769. The Republic was located anti-spinward and coreward of Terra, bordering the Lyran Commonwealth in a region of space known as The Rift. In the absence of published historical maps, two pieces of information allow us an idea of the size of the Republic:

These facts imply the Rim World Republic must have stretched along nearly the entire Lyran Periphery border, reaching almost to the Free Worlds League and the Draconis Combine. The Republic must also have reached some distance into the periphery, considering the Republic hid military caches and small colonies (with production facilities) deep in unexplored space.

The Rim Worlds Republic is most notable for being the original dominion of House Amaris before Stefan Amaris embarked on his plan to usurp the leadership of the Star League from House Cameron. The Republic no longer exists, having been destroyed in 2769 by Aleksandr Kerensky in retaliation for Amaris' murder of Richard Cameron. Many of its worlds were claimed by the Lyran Commonwealth after the SLDF embarked on their campaign to liberate the Terran Hegemony. The remnants of the Rim Worlds Republic broke down into pirate controlled "States", independent systems, or simply disappeared from star maps.

History

Origins

In 2237, in the midst of the Outer Reaches Rebellion, Hector Worthington Rowe, an undergraduate student studying classics and history at the University of Thebes, Alexandria, volunteered to join Reinfield's 3rd Alexandrian Militia in an attempt to defend his school. Shortly afterwards, Terran Alliance forces (the 14th and 29th Alliance Special Combat Battalions) invaded Alexandria, killing 3000+ Alexandrians. Alliance forces retreated offworld in 2238.

After the end of the rebellion, Rowe started a student group in order to protest against the "Great Alliance Devil". The group became militant, and in 2244, hijacked a flotilla of Jumpships belonging to the Skye Freight and Goods company. Rowe arrived at an isolated Terran Alliance garrison world, Lucianca, home to the 151st (Altairian) Fusiliers. Rowe and his guerillas infiltrated the Fusiliers, assassinated the commanding officers, and staged mock trials against the unit - invariably executing the each soldier through torture. Rowe was forced to flee, however, when one of the hijacked Jumpships escaped.

Rowe and the remaining assailants blackmailed the remaining Jumpships, and departed for the Periphery, eventually arriving at the Dark Nebula. Along the way, Rowe raided small colonies and outposts, taking slaves (especially women), livestock, parts and food. After six years on the run, Rowe found a habitable world beyond the Dark Nebulla, and founded Apollo and the Rim Worlds Republic on 8 September, 2250. Hector Rowe ruled for more than 50 years until his son, Maxwell Achilles Rowe, deposed him from power in 2305 - through bribery. Hector Rowe quickly committed suicide, and Maxwell Rowe named himself First Consul.

Expansion

Rather than use great force, the Rim Worlds Republic expanded by guile and seduction. When Maxwell Rowe discovered refugee colonies on his border in 2334, the Republic used trade agreements, as well as shared ventures to improve education and infrastructure, to ingratiate the Republic with its neighbors. Such agreements did not halt Republican colonization efforts, and by 2338, the Republic had settled the worlds of Icar, Persistence, Winfield, Derf, Gotterdammerung, Lackhove and Golandrinas. A chance hostile encounter with the Tamar Pact in 2339 turned the attentions of the Republic towards the Inner Sphere.

Realizing the extremely tenuous situation, Maxwell journeyed to the Tamar Pact to meet its leader, Kevin Tamar. The two leaders were relieved to pen a non-aggression treaty, and the Republic was free to secure its future - under the rule of Maxwell's daughter, Arabella. Without a home to return to, Maxwell departed unexplored parts of the Periphery and was never heard from again.

During Maxwell's diplomatic mission, Arabella had organized the Helot slave caste and staged a coup d'etat. Under Arabella's reign, the Rim Worlds Republic focused public efforts on education and infrastructure, especially in aid of the Helot class. Arabella also realized naval assets might induce panic among her neighbors, so she focused on building a large, defensive army. Arabella's reforms paid dividends; the Rim Worlds Republic was transformed from a feudal barbarian state with Roman trappings into a nation with a surplus of skilled labor, comparable with Enlightenment-era France. During this period, the Republic also colonized the worlds of Barcelona, Black Earth, Beta VII, and Malibu.

Upon Arabella's death in 2376, she was succeeded by her son, Michael Edward "Mishka" Durant. Durant was a boastful, gluttonous, lecherous man, but he understood his nation's strengths and weaknesses. Michael negotiated trade agreements with the Draconis Combine, the Terran Hegemony, the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League, trading labor for technology and recognition. Michael also maintained a steady rate of Periphery exploration and colonization. He was succeeded by his sister, Heather, upon his death, around the year 2400.

Heather Durant maintained a careful policy of Republican neutrality, but profiteered from the Lyran-Kuritan conflict beginning in 2407. Although the Republic refused to back the Lyran Commonwealth, the Republic open its borders to intelligence operatives of both sides. Establishing the Republican intelligence service, the AsRoc, the Republic increased its influence, its territory, and its military through exchanges of information and special operatives. In fact, it was AsRoc operatives who stole the original BattleMech blueprints from the Terran Hegemony during "Operation Prometheus", giving both the Lyran Commonwealth and the Rim Worlds Republic first access to BattleMech technology. BattleMech technology gave the Republic a pair of key advantages:

  • Every Inner Sphere power needed to build their army from scratch.
  • The Republic could practice and perfect BattleMech tactics in their Periphery holdings, away from prying eyes

House Amaris

During investigations of an attempted poisoning of Director-General Jacob Cameron in 2448, Terran Hegemony intelligence operative Terens Amaris discovered a link (real or fabricated) between the plot and both Draconis Combine and Republican covert operatives. Terens' husband, David Chi Wong, had just been promoted to ambassador to the Rim Worlds Republic, so Terens, her husband and two adopted children (both Wongs) traveled to Apollo. There, Terens met and befriended Heather Durant. Both Terens and her husband were granted dual Republican and Terran citizenship, and both were granted titles within the Republic. Terens and Heather also became lovers, and in 2459, was designated heir apparent to the Rim Worlds Republic. Terens mothered more children with Ambassador Wong, the start of the Amaris line. In 2463, Heather passed away, making Terens Amaris ruler of the Rim Worlds Republic. Dual citizenship and Terens' marriage to Terran Ambassador Wong allowed the Republic quick entry into the confidences of the Terran court.

The Amaris line struggled with identity due to its dual citizenship. George Amaris, First Consul of the Republic at the birth of the Star League, ruled the Republic as a Hegemony protectorate. Republican citizen uprisings in response to high taxes and foreign occupation, especially the occupation of Efrimal Long maximum security (political) prison in 2573, led George to impose martial law and issue the Universal Act of Loyalty, an oath all Republican citizens were obliged to take.

Society

When Hector Rowe founded the Rim Worlds Republic, Apollo possessed an extremely small population - only Rowe's militants and slaves taken prisoner during Rowe's flight were present. Rowe dealt with this situation with pragmatism. Anyone with technical skill was allowed to practice their trade, and female slaves could gain social status by marriage. Everyone else was consigned to mundane labor or slavery. In spite of the small population, Apollo thrived. Commerce was also conducted in a most pragmatic manner - goods, services, and slaves were the currency of the Republic.

The strife of the Exodus era Inner Sphere quickly alleviated the population problem. The Republic expanded as a flood of immigrants sought refuge. In 2376, the Stewart, Brannigan, Sterling and MacGregor clans joined the Republic and settled Somerset, near the Dark Nebula. Skilled refugees (artisans and technicians) of the Rasalhague Principality, fleeing the brutality of Coordinator Shiro Kurita of the Draconis Combine, settled the cold worlds of Steelton, Toland, Wotan and Bensinger. Refugees from the Sarna Supremacy and the Capellan Hegemony also sought refuge within the Republic, settling the worlds of Star's End, Anywhere and Erewhon. With the origins of many worlds a result of refugee immigration, the Republic developed a fiercely independent attitude towards the Inner Sphere.

The great weakness of the Rim Worlds Republic was the lack of natural resources, especially compared with the resource heavy colonies settled in the Taurian Concordat. However, immigration and the reforms of Arabella Rowe gave the Republic a surplus of skilled, inexpensive labor, a resource the Republic utilized to the utmost. Combined with the close political ties fostered with the Terran Hegemony, the Republic quickly became the most power Periphery realm in existence.

Rulers

Name Reign Descent
First Consul of the Republic 2250 - 2305
Hector Worthington Rowe 2250 - 2305
Maxwell Achilles Rowe 2305 - 2339 Son of Hector
Arabella Rowe 2339 - 2376 Daughter of Maxwell
Michael Edward "Mishka" Durant 2376 - c. 2400 Son of Arabella
Heather Durant c. 2400 - 2463 Sister of Michael
Terens Amaris 2463 - 2488 Lesbian Lover of Heather
Amaris First Consul of the Republic 2488 - 2779
George **** - ****
[[Stefan Amaris|Stefan **** - 2779

Sources

Retrieved from "https://www.sarna.net/wiki/index.php?title=Rim_Worlds_Republic&oldid=50961"