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Republic of the Sphere

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This article is about the Republic. For the MWDA web primer on the Republic, see Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere.
Crest of Republic of the Sphere
Republic of the Sphere
State Profile
Founding Year 15 March 3081[1]
Dissolution year: 14 April 3151[2]
Capital world: Geneva (Terra)[3]
Controlled system(s):
Official Currency Stone[3]
Demonym(s) Republican[6]
Government
Head of State Exarch[7]
Civilian Intelligence Intelligence Secretariat:[8]
Military
Army Republic Armed Forces
Military Intelligence

The Republic of the Sphere, founded in 3081, rose from the ashes of the Word of Blake Jihad. Built from the former Word of Blake Protectorate and surrounding territories, and led from Terra, the Republic was a vehicle for founder Devlin Stone's ideals of peace.

Opening with the 3132 Blackout, numerous crises – several concurrent rebellions and invasions – drove the Republic to cut most of its territory loose and wall what remained off in 3135. This was not enough for the Republic, still the target of several neighbours, to recover. In 3151, Clan Wolf conquered Terra and the Republic officially dissolved.

History[edit]

Main article: History of the Republic of the Sphere

Early formation[edit]

The Republic of the Sphere was born from the ashes of the Word of Blake Protectorate; negotiations between the leaders of all of the major powers from the Inner Sphere and Periphery (with the notable exception of the Capellan Confederation and the Magistracy of Canopus) gathered on Terra alongside the leaders of the allied coalition forces in December 3080 to discuss the formation of a new buffer state between the various Inner Sphere powers from the remains of the Protectorate. The various leaders left Terra on the 20th of December having reached a basic agreement that ceded the remains of the Protectorate to a new realm, the Republic of the Sphere.[11]

The Republic of the Sphere was officially signed into being between 7 and 15 March 3081, with all of the Great Houses save for House Liao signing the Republic Formation Treaty amidst a week of festivities. Each state except the Confederation recognized the Republic of the Sphere, with Devlin Stone as the first Exarch of the Republic.

The Capellan Confederation resisted Stone by military force until Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao was brought to the negotiating table and encouraged to sign the Tikonov Treaty of 3085.[12]

There were two social programs that would become historically significant to the Republic and Stone himself:

  • The Resettlement Act of 3082, in which through various incentive programs tried to mix the variety of cultures that existed within the Republic's claimed space, erasing old hatreds and biases by resettling key elements of the population from one world throughout the towns and cities of several others. The program took decades, but brought about the end of the factionalism so often thought responsible for outbreaks of war within the Inner Sphere.[13]
  • The Military Materiel Redemption Program, which grew out of the Citizenship Priority Decree of 3083. This plan worked to decommission BattleMechs and other tools of warfare, downsizing armies and removing any such matériel from the hands of private individuals, in exchange for the rights of citizenship and other socioeconomic incentives.[13]

Exarch Devlin Stone called the first Senate meeting to order on Terra in 3085 and officially formed the Knights of the Sphere in 3088. By 3091, the hierarchy of government was firmly in place with Prefecture borders settled and most world governments toeing the line to create an enviable state among the Inner Sphere nations.[13]

Middle years[edit]

Everything was more or less okay until 3104, when an internal struggle within the Capellan Confederation spilled over the border and Exarch Stone was eventually forced to send Republic troops into the Capellan territories. These sporadic conflicts plagued Stone for nearly a decade, until the peace efforts of 3113 finally stabilized the region.[13]

Gray Monday, rise of Splinter Groups, and invasions[edit]

After the fall of the HPG grid in 3132, in the Blackout, The Republic was torn apart by warring factions within the government who supported neighboring nations including the Draconis Combine, Federated Suns, and Lyran Commonwealth. The chaos caused by the blackout also led others like Clan Jade Falcon, the Oriente Protectorate, and the Capellan Confederation to believe that the fragmented, stumbling Republic made an easy target, so they invaded.[11] The Combine launched a raid of its own in 3133.[14]

Civil War[edit]

In late 3134 a plot came to light implicating members of the Republic Senate in an attempt to achieve a coup over the ruling Paladins through subversion. The plot involved members of the Senate sponsoring promising candidates from noble families to become knights and even paladins. The Senators intended to use the knights gratitude for supporting their initial candidacy as leverage in granting greater power to the Senate.

In response, the newly elected Exarch Jonah Levin used the War Powers Act of 3082 to dissolve the Senate, touching off a civil war on Terra and beyond.

Fortress Republic[edit]

Due to all of the turmoil, many of the Knights and much of the Armed Forces of the Republic retreated back to Prefecture X under the plan code named "Fortress Republic." Exarch Levin dissolved the Republic and claimed a newly declared region of space encompassing only slightly more than Prefecture X. This area of space severed all ties with all worlds outside of the territory, even with other worlds of the Republic. Levin stated that he would use all the forces at his disposal to ensure that the newly drawn boundary remained inviolate. The Republic dissolved as a major political body after the Fortress declaration and was renamed the Republic Remnant or "Republic Territories."

While behind the Walls of the Republic, the Republic forces inside would hunt down and destroy remaining splinter factions and Senate Alliance forces cut off behind the Fortress' walls. Among the first and most notable of these test for the newly formed combat units, would be to hunt down the renegade ComStar's elements that had re-formed the Com Guards under the name of Buhl’s Blessed Order. Elements of the Republic forces would end up pursuing ComStar forces to their hidden outpost on Epsilon Eridani and destroying them on their last stronghold in 3141.[15]

Disbandment[edit]

Hoping to end the fighting between Clan Wolf, Stone contacted Alaric Ward to discuss terms of surrender. However, due to Stone's attack on both Alaric and Malvina Hazen, Alaric brought her inside the walls of the fortress Republic, much to the dismay of the Exarch. Stone met both Alaric and Malvina in person to discuss the terms of his surrender, but found both Khans displeased. Instead, Alaric insisted on his own alternative terms, which was the disbandment of the Republic of the Sphere. Though reluctant to do so, the Exarch eventually agreed to comply. Stone broadcast an announcement of the official disbanding of his nation, thus ending the Republic as an official political entity.[16]

Politics[edit]

National[edit]

Knights of the Republic[edit]

Main article: Knights of the Republic of the Sphere
Emblem of the Knights of the Republic of the Sphere

The core of the Republic government was a military chivalric order separate from the core Republic Armed Forces,[17] the Knights of the Republic of the Sphere. At its head lay the Exarch. Holder of ultimate executive power, final say in all national matters, command of the military, and veto power over all legislation, the Exarch was the Republic's head of state. Exarchs held four-year terms – with a special exception for founder Devlin Stone, who was allowed to serve for life or until retirement – and could not serve two consecutive terms. They were supported by a cabinet of ministers managing the various departments of the government.[7]

They were also supported by the Council of Paladins, the next rank down the Knights. The seventeen Paladins, appointed by the Exarch, served as the Exarch's closest advisors and extensions of their authority. They essentially acted with the full power of the Exarch, managing whatever issues and solving whatever problems necessary. Collectively, they made decisions through private deliberations and votes.[7][18] This included electing the Exarch from among their own, through a majority vote on a secret ballot.[7][19] A non-voting eighteenth member, the Ghost Paladin, was kept secret from all but the Exarch, and headed the similarly secret Ghost Knights intelligence organization.[20]

Below the Paladins lay 100 Knights of the Republic, and below them one Knight-Errant for each planet. Predominantly MechWarriors, these served as independently operating agents of the Exarch – soldiers, federal police, and general troubleshooters – as well as aides to higher-ranked members of the order. Knights-Errant were recruited by Knights and Paladins, and trained and vetted at the Northwind Military Academy. Promotion to Knight required sponsorship by a Paladin and passing a further series of tests.[21] Outside of this military structure, the Exarch could grant honorary knighthood to civilians, positioning them as exemplars to look up to.[22][23]

Senate[edit]

Main article: Republic Senate
Emblem of the Senate

Alongside the Knights stood a limited, semi-advisory civilian legislature, the Senate. The Republic Senate handled national and multi-prefecture matters, investigating issues through committees and hearings and sending legislation to the Exarch for the Exarch for approval or veto. An Exarch-appointed non-voting president, given extensive procedural powers, served as presiding officer. The Senate also hosted the Nobles Court, with the power to investigate and punish wrongdoing by nobles across the Republic, and it oversaw planetary governors.[24] The Senate had some power over budgetary allocation, including on military matters. Fearing this and other powers would undermine the Fortress Republic protocol, in 3107, Exarch Stone introduced the Emergency Powers and Crisis Management Amendment to the War Powers Act of 3082. It passed the Senate against opposition from many senators, carving the Senate's role down.[25]

Each planet had one senator, elected from the nobility (or, for Clanners, an equivalent selected via annual all-caste Trials of Position in each enclave) through whatever method and however often the planetary government chose.[24]

The Senate was a compromise. Stone and Lear had intended to eliminate the nobility, but found them too embedded in society to safely abolish. The Senate, high-ranking but designed to be weak, served as a way to give nobles a sense of influence and get them on side without allowing them much power.[26] On 8 April 3135, facing a plot by several senators to gain influence in the military and Knights of the Republic and thereby gain significant power in government, Exarch Jonah Levin officially disbanded the Republic Senate.[27][28]

Planetary[edit]

Individual planets in the Republic had a largely standardized structure of government. Each planet was led by an elected governor, serving a lifetime term.[29] As with the Senate, to give the unwanted nobility some sense of power and some stake in the Republic's success, the post of governor was made exclusive to nobles. In some cases during the founding of the Republic, such as that of Sergio Ortega on Mirach, Stone loyalists were granted noble titles to install them as governors.[26][30] Governors were overseen by the Senate, which had the ability to remove them from office.[29] Serving in the Senate and as a governor simultaneously was impossible; governors taking a seat in the Senate were required to resign as governor.[31]

Each planet also had a largely advisory Senate of its own, drawn from the planet's general populace, with no inherent power to make binding decisions.[29] Planetary military leadership was handled by a governor-appointed legate.[32]

Regional[edit]

For most of its life, the Republic was divided into ten prefectures, named Prefecture I through X. Each was led by a lord governor in charge of managing regional matters, elected by and from among the prefecture's governors. Lord governors served ten year terms, and could not serve consecutive terms.[29][31] Each prefecture also had its own prefect, in command of all Republic forces within its boundaries, appointed for a five-year term by the Council of Paladins.[33]

With the activation of the Fortress Republic plan reducing the Republic to a small core of worlds, on 1 October 3135, Exarch Jonah Levin abolished all prefectures beyond that expanded Prefecture X and placed what remained of the Republic under direct Terran rule. The regional layer of the Republic government was eliminated.[34][35]

Military[edit]

Main article: Republic Armed Forces

At its core, the Republic's military consisted of the Knights of the Republic and the Republic Armed Forces. The Knights of the Republic were, for most of the Republic's history, separate from the RAF. They (almost exclusively MechWarriors) could be organized into their own regiments if needed, or they could take command of any RAF forces on hand, but they largely operated independently.[21] After the activation of Fortress Republic, the Knights were absorbed into the RAF, keeping their titles while becoming much of the RAF's officer corps.[36]

The RAF, initially built mostly from forces provided by partners in Stone's Coalition,[37] had a core force generally consisting of three line brigades – the elite Hastati Sentinels, veteran Principes Guards, and greener Triarii Protectors – with a regiment in each prefecture, along with the central elite Stone's Brigade.[38] Each planet was initially protected by a local militia, collectively the Republic Standing Guard; these were absorbed into the line units post-Fortress.[39] The RAF as a whole was under the command of the Commanding General and the Exarch.[33]

In line with Stone's hopes to reduce BattleMech production, the RAF focused on combined arms, with a particular emphasis on non-BattleMech units.[40] Its Procurement Division primarily, for most of its life, focused on acquiring select high-end equipment from abroad, with domestic production – including fully Clan-spec equipment such as the Roadrunner – helping outfit the RAF. Post-Fortress, this shifted to a focus on rapidly re-established domestic production,[41] including experimental equipment, tested largely through false flag attacks outside the Fortress wall, from the new Rhodes Project and Republic Institute of Strategic Combat.[42]

Economy[edit]

Founded in the wake of the Jihad, the Republic entered existence with much of its territory stripped of industry or badly battered by war. It had a relatively strong industrial base, particularly on Terra, but one in need of rebuilding.[43] Stone strongly promoted a civilianized economy during reconstruction, in line with his hopes for the Sphere as a whole. Alongside the Military Materiel Redemption Program and its associated business grants, the Republic used a wide range of measures to encourage the growth of civilian industry and the conversion of arms production to civilian industry (particularly IndustrialMech production). These programs, although slowed by various armed conflicts, drove decades of business growth and economic prosperity, helped along by strong trade with neighbours.[44][45][46][47]

This economic boom did not outlast Stone's first Exarchship. Shortly after he left office in 3130, a surge of cheap Lyran goods drove the Republic economy into a downturn, resulting in widespread layoffs and business failures.[48] It did not have a chance to recover. The Blackout and the chaos that followed kept the civilian economy down, and then the 3135 activation of Fortress Republic cut what remained of the state off from external trade. The defense sector, on the other hand, experienced strong growth post-Blackout, whether selling to the warring factions on Republic territory or to the RAF.[49][50]

The currency of the Republic, the Stone, was produced by a mint in each prefecture, the primary four being located on Terra, Skye, Ozawa, and Irian.[3] The Republic Stock Exchange on Mallory's World served as the main stock exchange, alongside Terra's New York Stock Exchange.[51]

Society and Culture[edit]

In their early efforts to build a new state out of portions of several others, Stone and Lear launched three core policies that formed the foundation of Republic society: the resettlement, citizenship, and military materiel policies.[52][53]

The first of three to be launched, Stone's first official decree as Exarch, was the Resettlement Act of 3082, the heart of the Relocation Directives.[54] Privately meant to further security by breaking apart large ethnic enclaves that might react to clashes between neighbouring states;[55] publicly meant to eliminate bigotry, unify the public, and diversify culture at the planetary level;[54][56] the Resettlement Act reshaped planetary demographics and mixed populations by setting mandatory quotas for the resettlement of people between Republic planets. While incentives encouraged residents to move by their own will, the quotas were firm requirements, enforced by military force. Hundreds of millions moved by the end of 3085.[54] These forcible population transfers were controversial from the start, and grew more unpopular over time. Riots against relocation were not uncommon, often quelled by the RAF. Eventually, in 3095, under intense public pressure, Stone ended military enforcement, ending forcible relocation.[54][56][57]

The Citizenship Priority Decree of 3083 put in place the Republic's citizenship system, one built around the notion that citizenship would be valued only if it had to be earned. Citizenship was not granted by birth, but primarily through service: five years of service to the Republic, by default, or three for those whose parents were both citizens. Controversially, the service requirement could be avoided entirely if one had the right kinds of wealth. Those with "significant" corporate interests or land ownership could earn citizenship as a result, and those who owned significant military equipment could trade it in for citizenship.[52] Citizens of the Republic held the exclusive right to vote,[52] and the right to hold titles and significant landholds/real property.[47][58] Otherwise, their privileges did not extend far beyond other residents; most social programs were required to treat citizens and residents equally.[52][58] It is not clear how widespread citizenship was in the Republic, but by 3133, one planet, Towne, reported a citizenship rate of less than ten percent.[59]

Out of the Citizenship Priority Decree grew 3083's Military Materiel Redemption Program. Essentially an effort to eliminate private arms ownership coupled with an economic stimulus program, the MMRP allowed owners of military hardware to trade it in for rewards of similar value: funds, business loans (particularly for non-military economic development), land grants, and for particularly valuable equipment, citizenship. At the same time, private ownership was legally restricted, enforced by the RAF's Materiel Oversight Division, with some limited and tightly controlled licenses available.[44][60] Equipment brought in by the MMRP was largely melted down, with a minority handed to planetary militias or museums.[44] The program became influential, with its economic benefits and Stone's campaigning leading to similar buyback programs in neighbouring states.[61][62]

Beyond these policies, Stone himself held a prominent place in Republic society. He served as the eponym for the state's currency and sole person displayed on its coins,[3] as well as the eponym for the most elite of the RAF's brigades and its regiments.[63] Freedom Day, commemorating Stone's 18 March 3071 escape from a Blakist reeducation camp on Kittery, was instituted as a national holiday in 3131 after decades of widespread grassroots celebrations.[64]

The Republic's official motto was Ad Securitas per Unitas, carrying a dual meaning: with the Latin word "securitas" open to interpretation as either "freedom" or "security," the motto could mean "To Liberty through Unity," or "To Security" instead.[53][65]

Map Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • During the period between the capture or liberation of Terra in 3079 and the final fall of the Word of Blake, the region which had been known as the Word of Blake Protectorate appears to have been referred to as the "Terran Protectorate" prior to the formation of the Republic of the Sphere.[66][67]
  • The Latin securitas does not mean "freedom" as in "personal liberties"; securitas means "security" or "safety." Some translations mention "freedom from care." The phrase "Ad securitas per unitas" means "to security through unity."[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 16
  2. ↑ IlClan, p. 81: "V-T Day"
  3. ↑ a b c d Field Manual: 3085, p. 174: "Currency"
  4. ↑ Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 11: "The Republic of the Sphere"
  5. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - 3135"
  6. ↑ Era Report: 3145, pp. 183-184: "Affiliations"
  7. ↑ a b c d Field Manual: 3085, p. 164
  8. ↑ a b c Field Manual: 3085, p. 177: "Civilian Intelligence"
  9. ↑ Ghost War, ch. 11
  10. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 176: "Department of Military Intelligence"
  11. ↑ a b Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 61: "The Jihad in Review"
  12. ↑ Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 1: "Advocates for the Republic"
  13. ↑ a b c d Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 27: "Devlin Stone"
  14. ↑ BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction
  15. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, pp. 135–138: Republic's forces history in Fortress Walls, Origin of the technology of the Fortress, hunt for the renegade ComStar Forces
  16. ↑ Hour of the Wolf, pp. 346–352
  17. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 169
  18. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 178: "Paladins"
  19. ↑ The Scorpion Jar, ch. 61
  20. ↑ The Scorpion Jar, chs. 8, 49, and 62; Ghost War, ch. 11
  21. ↑ a b Field Manual: 3085, p. 177-180: "Knights of the Republic"
  22. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 106
  23. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 37: "Scientist Pierre Cormier made Knight of the Sphere"
  24. ↑ a b Field Manual: 3085, pp. 164-165
  25. ↑ Historical: Wars of the Republic Era, p. 12: "Emergency Powers"
  26. ↑ a b Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 109: "The Political Landscape of the Republic of the Sphere"
  27. ↑ The Scorpion Jar, ch. 57
  28. ↑ Sword of Sedition, ch. 14
  29. ↑ a b c d Field Manual: 3085, p. 165: "Local Government"
  30. ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 1
  31. ↑ a b Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 4: "Structure and Local Government"
  32. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 168
  33. ↑ a b Field Manual: 3085, p. 167
  34. ↑ Dark Age: LinkNet Articles (3136), p. 3: "Jonah Levin's 'Final Address'"
  35. ↑ MechWarrior: Dark Age website Republic of the Sphere post-Fortress overview, retrieved from the MechWarrior: Dark Age website
  36. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 139
  37. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, pp. 166-167: "Forging the RAF"
  38. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, pp. 180-185; Field Manual: 3145, pp. 140-143
  39. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, pp. 184-185: "Republic Standing Guard"; Field Manual: 3145, p. 139
  40. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, pp. 173-175
  41. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 177: "Department of Requisition and Replacement"; Era Report: 3145, p. 119: "Sharing the Wealth"; Field Manual: 3145, pp. 137-138: "The Arms Race"; Technical Readout: 3150, p. 122: "RD-1R Roadrunner"
  42. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 136; Experimental Technical Readout: RISC, p. 3
  43. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 107: "The Industrial State of the Republic of the Sphere"
  44. ↑ a b c Field Manual: 3085, p. 163: "Military Materiel Redemption Program"
  45. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, pp. 174-176: "Industry and Economy"
  46. ↑ Empires Aflame, p. 3: "The End of the 'Mech?"
  47. ↑ a b Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 3: "Without the BattleMech: Stone's Military Materiel Redemption Program 65 Years Later"
  48. ↑ Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 4
  49. ↑ Era Digest: Dark Age, pp. 6-7: "3133: Maneuvers"
  50. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, pp. 136-138
  51. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 11: "Market Bullish Following DiNapoli Acquisition"
  52. ↑ a b c d Field Manual: 3085, p. 162
  53. ↑ a b Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 1: "The Republic of the Sphere"
  54. ↑ a b c d Field Manual: 3085, p. 162-163: "Relocation Directives"
  55. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 123: "What Lies Beneath"
  56. ↑ a b Historical: Wars of the Republic Era, p. 11
  57. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 194: "Arms Free Society Rises Again on Procyon"
  58. ↑ a b By Temptations and By War, ch. 8
  59. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 97: "Elections Go On Despite Uncertain Times"
  60. ↑ Ghost War, ch. 15-16
  61. ↑ Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 27: "Devlin Stone"
  62. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, pp. 247-248: "Triumph of Republic – Lessons for a Wayward Generation"
  63. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, pp. 182-183: "Stone's Brigade"
  64. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 129, "Prayers, Pageantry Mark Freedom Day Celebrations"
  65. ↑ Fortress Republic, ch. 5
  66. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 20: "Bloody Tricentennial"
  67. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, pp. 25–26: "Historic Trade Pact Normalizes Relations for Andurien, Canopus, Sian"

Bibliography[edit]

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