Sarna News: Bad 'Mechs - Orca

Raven Alliance

Crest of Raven Alliance
Raven Alliance
State Profile
Founding Year 3083[1]
Capital world: Mackennopolis, Alpheratz
Controlled system(s): 41 (3130)
Official Currency Raven-Escudo[2]
Official Language(s) English (official), Japanese, French
Government
Head of State Khan[3]
Military
Army Clan Snow Raven touman
Alliance Military Corps (AMC)
Military Intelligence Clan Snow Raven Watch
Outworlds Alliance Intelligence

The Raven Alliance represents the union of the Outworlds Alliance and the Machiavellian Clan Snow Raven.

History[edit]

Founding[edit]

Clan Snow Raven and the Outworlds Alliance first encountered one another at the end of 3063,[4] when a Raven unit attempted a Trial of Possession for a JumpShip belonging to the Fifth Alliance Air Wing. The Outworlders' victory in the trial impressed Raven leadership enough for them to negotiate a partnership with Outworlder President Mitchell Avellar, offering Clan technology in exchange for the Ravens acquiring resupply facilities in Outworlder systems.[5] Over the next few years this deal expanded, revitalizing the Outworlds economy and allowing for the creation of the Corax Omnifighter. The increasing militarization of the Alliance and the presence of a Clan military inside their space made some Outworlds anxious about their future, while others saw the relationship as a welcome reprieve from centuries of hardship.[6]

In 3069, an entire Raven naval star was destroyed by guerillas while refueling at Ramora. The Ravens initially believed the Draconis Combine was behind this attack and responded with violence,[7] conquering several border systems and bombarding the Combine world of Galedon until it was rendered uninhabitable. When the the true culprits of the attack were discovered to be Outworlder extremists on Dante President Avellar allowed the Ravens to invade the world and destroy them, which inflamed separatist sentiment across the Outworlds. The destabilization of the state and the threat of Combine retaliation against the Outworlds for hosting the Ravens forced the Alliance to begin negotiations with the Ravens for a merger.[8] The Galedon incident also caused the Raven's enemies in the Kerensky Cluster to openly call for their Absorption. Realizing that remaining in their home worlds would result in the Clan's destruction, Raven leadership decided to migrate to the Outworlds in order to survive.[9]

Republic Era[edit]

The Ravens and the Draconis Combine continued operations against each other, with several worlds trading hands[10] prior to the turn of the century, when a tentative peace punctuated by only minor raids and skirmishes developed. With it's Inner Sphere neighbours uninterested in invading and the other Clans too far away for conflict to be practical, the Alliance enjoyed several decades of peace. In 3105 the Ravens pushed through a package of reforms that elevated their Khan above the Outworlder's President, effectively seizing control of the Alliance. [3] The Ravens remained largely hands off when it came to civilian affairs, even allowing the more troublesome member worlds of the Alliance to secede.[11]

Dark Age[edit]

In 3135 President Hugo Avellar committed suicide, with his younger son Christián Avellar being selected to replace him.[12] Also in that year the Alliance began reactivating its fleet, alarming its neighbours. Khan Sterling McKenna's romantic relationship with First Prince Harrison Davion caused many to believe at the time that the Combine would be the target of any Raven aggression. After Harrison's death McKenna entered into a relationship with his son Caleb, maintaining the de-facto alliance. As fighting escalated between the Suns and the Combine over the 3140s the Alliance reinforced its borders with both powers.[3]

In 3144 Caleb Davion planned an invasion of the Draconis Combine. At his request Khan McKenna pledged to dispatch the Alliance's naval forces to join Operation MANDRAGORA at Palmyra, where AFFS forces were mustering. Alliance forces never arrived: instead, Palmyra was subject to a surprise attack by the DCMS and the Federated Suns task force all but wiped out. [13]A month after the disaster, Raven forces seized the Federated Suns worlds of Haynesville, Diboll and Inner End. Days after the Ravens turned on their former allies, the Combine ceded Zalaf, Sinope and Bad News to the Alliance without a fight.[14] The combination of the sudden realignment in international relations and the Combine's apparent inside knowledge of Davion's plans led many to suspect that a Raven betrayal was the unseen cause of the Palmyra Disaster[13][15].

In 3145 the Ravens continued operations against the Suns, capturing Kirbyville, Sterlington and Hazelhurst, but surprisingly began raiding the Combine's Kaznejov Prefecture as well.[14][16][17] The Alliance found occupying their gains from the Draconis Combine and Federated Suns difficult. Faced with insurgencies, work stoppages and protests the touman resorted to massacre, forced relocations and the threat of orbital bombardment.[18]

ilClan Era[edit]

The Alliance's Khans, as members of the Council of Six, were invited to Terra in the aftermath of the ilClan Trial.[19] The Ravens affirmed Alaric Ward as ilKhan, subordinating the Alliance to the new Star League.[20] Khan McKenna's reasons for bringing the Alliance into the nascent League were twofold; Alaric Ward's dependence on Alliance forces to secure his position would allow for the Ravens to influence its formation, and as a founding member the Alliance could ensure they reaped the benefits of full membership rather than repeat the Outworlds experience as a Territorial State.[21] With the Khans and much of the touman dispatched to the heart of the Inner Sphere, Loremaster Acton Howe was left as the highest authority in Alliance space. Under his direction the Alliance accelerated their military buildup and, in June 3152, resumed operations against the Federated Suns by invading Milligan.[22]

Politics[edit]

The Alliance was a parliamentary confederacy with warrior caste stylings.[citation needed]

The President of the Outworlds Alliance and the Khan of Snow Raven were theoretically equals when the Alliance was founded in 3083, but unlike the Rasalhague Dominion, the Raven Alliance is an unequal partnership, with the balance of power tilted towards the Ravens. De facto Clan dominance over the Outworlders was legitimized in 3105, when the Ravens managed to restructure the alliance to raise the Khanship above the Presidency. The average Outworlder is seemingly apathetic to Raven control, with less than 35% of the population bothering to vote on the Alliance's founding and few protesting the increasing subordination of their traditional authorities.[3] Conversely, the Clan has mostly refrained from involving themselves with non-military affairs in government.[11]

The Alliances' Outworlder citizens, long opposed to the Raven's "pragmatic" suppression of dissidents and generally sympathetic towards the Federated Suns, became increasingly dissatisfied with the Alliance during the Dark Age. Although the Ravens publicly dismiss the prospect of internal conflict as negligible, the potential of Outworlders turning on Raven civilians caused a political split within the Unkindness. One faction, led by Grady Magnus and favored by Khan McKenna advocated for healing the growing rift through working more closely with the AMC and ensuring Outworlder concerns are addressed with respect. The opposing school of thought, championed by the Sukhanov bloodhouse and subtly encouraged by the saKhan, insisted that making concessions would be an unacceptable display of weakness and that cooperating with Periphery warriors was an insult to their SLDF heritage.[21]

Military[edit]

The Raven Alliance military was split into two forces. The Clan Snow Raven Touman served as the main force, while the rebranded Alliance Militia Corps combated piracy, performed what the Clans would consider to be Solahma duty, and acted as the nation's de-facto reserves. The Alliance's main weakness was numbers, with the Touman and AMC largely unable to expand beyond their present size due to a dearth of willing recruits in a historically pacifist nation.[23][18] The Touman answered to the Khan, while the AMC was commanded by the President.[24]

The Raven Alliance maintained the largest WarShip fleet in the Inner Sphere and one of three functioning yards capable of their manufacture or maintenance.[25] Due to a lack of personnel, however, most of the Alliance's fleet was not reactivated until 3145, and most berths in their shipyards had been mothballed.[23] Reactivating the navy put the Alliance under considerable strain and deepened it's dependence on AMC troops.[18]

Economy[edit]

In the aftermath of the Jihad, the Alliance benefited greatly from an influx of Clan resources. The majority of the population was not subject to Clan economic systems, which tend to result in disaster when enforced on Inner Sphere worlds. The influx of Raven JumpShips meant the Alliance enjoyed more docking collars per capita than is typical in the Inner Sphere, enabling greater than average trade volumes.[26] The Alliance however struggled to integrate its Clan and Outworlder populations. The Alliance essentially had two separate economies within its borders, and due to not participating in the Clan system, most Outworlders lacked the currency needed to buy from Raven merchants. The result is that Clan enclaves became shining beacons of modernity while adjacent Outworlder cities often still experienced conditions akin to the Third Succession War.[23]

The Alliance imported large amount of industrial equipment from Clan Sea Fox via their enclaves on Ramora. The large amount of natural resources the Foxes request in exchange was a point of friction between the Ravens and the Outworlders, resulting in protests and industrial sabotage. In 3151 the Ravens suddenly dramatically reduced trade with the Foxes. Outside observers suspected that this was either a concession to Outworlder concerns about the Alliance being drained of its resources or a sign that the Ravens had completed their plans for industrial expansion for the near future.[22]

Manufacturing Centers[edit]

Main page: Category:Raven Alliance Corporations

Following the Jihad Alliance manufacturers were slow to expand due to difficulty accessing capital. Decline in military procurement since the end of the Jihad means that many facilities operated below capacity or were partially mothballed. Raven manufacturers were in better shape than Outworlder corporations (due in part to the Outworlders unwillingness to force civilians to work as indentured labour), but Outworlder manufacturing dwarfed the Ravens in terms of output.[23]

Culture & Society[edit]

The Alliance maintained two separate legal systems. Clan law applied in Snow Raven enclaves, while the legal system of the Outworlds Alliance applied outside of them. This sometimes caused confusion when Snow Raven or Outworlder citizens moved between zones, as even decades after the nations founding, many were unaware of how the legal systems differ. In the early years of the Alliance illegal immigration between the enclaves and Outworlder settlements was widespread, but this was eventually brought under control, with legal avenues of changing one's affiliation available in limited and highly regulated amounts.[27]

Maps[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction, p. 28
  2. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 194
  3. ↑ a b c d Era Report: 3145, p. 74: "Raven Alliance"
  4. ↑ The Space Cowboys From Quatre Belle
  5. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, pp. 132-133
  6. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, pp. 135-137: "Come the Raven: Political Reaction"
  7. ↑ The Wars of Reaving, p. 40: "Lamentations of the Raven"
  8. ↑ The Wars of Reaving, pp. 42-44: "Retribution"
  9. ↑ The Wars of Reaving, pp. 48-51: "The Raven Absorption"
  10. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 75
  11. ↑ a b Era Report: 3145, pp. 189-190
  12. ↑ Era Report: 3145, pp. 110-111: "Christián Avellar"
  13. ↑ a b Era Report: 3145, pp. 32-35: "Setting Suns"
  14. ↑ a b Era Report: 3145, pp. 24-25: "Timeline of Events"
  15. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 49: "Federated Suns"
  16. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 37
  17. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 48: "Seventh New Samarkand Regulars"
  18. ↑ a b c Field Manual: 3145, pp. 165-166: "Raven Alliance"
  19. ↑ ilClan, p. 105: "Honor Where Honor Is Due"
  20. ↑ ilClan, pp. 108-109: "The ilClan Ascends"
  21. ↑ a b ilKhan's Eyes Only, pp. 119-122: "Raven Alliance"
  22. ↑ a b ilKhan's Eyes Only, pp. 154-155: "The Outer Sphere"
  23. ↑ a b c d Field Manual: 3145, p. 153: "Raven Alliance"
  24. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, pp. 173-174: "Raven Alliance"
  25. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 113: "Clan Industry"
  26. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 115
  27. ↑ Shrapnel: Issue 13, p. 23: "Voices of the Sphere: Cushioning the Culture Shock"
  28. ↑ Classic BattleTech Miniatures Rules, p. 39

Bibliography[edit]

Retrieved from "https://www.sarna.net/wiki/index.php?title=Raven_Alliance&oldid=1220367"