Republic of the Sphere

(Redirected from The 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.

Starting 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]

Founding and Early Years[edit]

The Republic of the Sphere was born from the ashes of the Word of Blake Protectorate. By the end of the war, Devlin Stone and his coalition held a substantial amount of territory, the Sphere was devastated, and Stone - and a popular movement backing him - sought to replicate his success with the Kittery Prefecture at a larger scale and bring peace to the Sphere.[11][12]

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 and additional territories (earned through various concessions)[13] to a new realm, the Republic of the Sphere. The Republic Formation Treaty, signed in March 3081, officially formed the Republic and named Devlin Stone its first Exarch.[14][15]

The Capellan Confederation and the former Free Worlds League states resisted. An incursion by the Silver Hawks shortly after the treaty was signed led the fledgling Republic to invade the former League, annexing several systems over a few months.[16] The Capellans attacked shortly after, leading to a years-long war that culminated in the 3085 Treaty of Tikonov and another large annexation of territory by the Republic.[17]

In the meantime, as wars raged on, Stone and his compatriots had to build their new state. In close collaboration with David Lear – Stone once described Lear as the one who "makes the ideas work"[18] – and Victor Steiner-Davion,[19] Stone structured the state and its army. At the foundation were three core policies, three pillars: the Resettlement Act of 3082 mixing communities through large-scale population movements to ease factionalism, the Citizenship Priority Decree of 3083 providing citizenship through years of service to the state, and the Military Materiel Redemption Program stripping military arms from private individuals and limiting its proliferation.[20] The last, alongside various treaties and agreements,[21] political pressure, and extensive support for demilitarized industry, encouraged arms reduction across the Sphere.[22][23]

Growing Difficulties[edit]

In 3111, frustrated for years about their lost worlds, the Capellan Confederation invaded again. The Capellan Crusades opened with an attack on Liao, aided by a traitor within the garrison,[24] that culminated in the Massacre of Liao. The war continued for two years.[25] Both states suffered intense losses, and although with great effort the Republic pushed the invasion back in the end, the Capellans managed to strike deep and show that the Republic was not invulnerable to invasion.[26]

Years passed, and over time, Exarch Stone appeared in public less and less. With the death of David Lear in 3128, Stone, already secluded, largely withdrew himself from public life. In August 3130, he announced his resignation from the post of Exarch, promised to return when the Republic most needed him, and disappeared.[27] In truth, he had placed himself in cryogenic stasis.[28] Damien Redburn, his chosen successor, took over as Exarch.[29]

The first two years of Redburn's reign were a struggle. In Stone's absence, nationalist movements sprung up across the Republic around Clans and Successor States alike, many advocating the return of Republic worlds to their previous holders. Other residents searching for identity showed up at Clan enclaves requesting Trials to join. Relationships with neighbouring states grew more tense, particularly with Lyran goods flooding across the border and disrupting the economy.[30] Controversy over citizenship service requirements and the Resettlement Act returned to the forefront.[31] Redburn's support thinned, the Exarch having to make many compromises while serving as a scapegoat.[30][32]

Beneath the surface, further trouble was brewing. Several noble senators had, since 3122, conspired for power, sponsoring their own loyalists in military academies and using whatever means necessary - legal or otherwise - to build a power bloc under their control.[33][34] From at least 3129, industrialist Jacob Bannson built his own private army by hook and by crook, preparing for conflict.[35] His Bannson Universal Unlimited was just one of the companies to start secretly constructing BattleMechs for private use.[36] Irian Technologies had its own project running,[37] and the neo-Blakist Malcolm Buhl started to covertly rebuild the Com Guards with the New Earth Trading Company.[38]

Into the Blackout[edit]

On 7 August 3132, the Sphere's HPG network collapsed in what became known as the Blackout. It took just weeks for the first of many so-called splinter factions to take advantage. Over the next year, on top of numerous minor armed groups causing trouble, six major militant factions - Bannson's Raiders, the Dragon's Fury, the Spirit Cats, the Steel Wolves, the Stormhammers, and the Swordsworn - formed to wage war over the Republic. Most were nationalist separatists seeking to hand Republic territory to neighbouring states, most of the major ones were led by prominent figures in government, and most drew from defecting RAF soldiers and enthusiastic residents. Tara Campbell's Highlanders formed in much the same way to defend the Republic from the rest.[39] Mass defections to hostile splinters left the Republic's defenses weakened,[40] and the RAF and Republic Knights struggled to keep up with crises. In 3134, the Steel Wolves managed to attack Terra itself, and were fended off only with the help of the Highlanders. Public morale suffered, worsened by the revelation in the battle that the betrayer of Liao had become one of the ruling Paladins.[41]

On top of the skirmishes within, the Republic found itself under attack from outside. The Capellan Confederation launched a full invasion in early 3134, followed soon by one by Clan Jade Falcon. The Capellans fomented uprisings and revolts and seized several planets, while the Falcons crashed through defenses softened by defections to the Stormhammers.[42]

Then, as Redburn's term as Exarch was ending, Victor Steiner-Davion died in an altercation in his own office, attacked by an agent of a conspiracy he had been about to reveal: the plot by several senators to subvert the Republic government. Paladin Jonah Levin's investigation brought the plot to light at the very meeting to determine Redburn's replacement. On 20 December, Levin became the new Exarch.[43][44] After four months of struggling, frustrated by the Senate's resistance to his ongoing investigation and its central role in policing nobles such as Senators, Levin declared the Senate abolished in April, and a civil war began: the Senate Rebellion.[44][45] That same month, a third invasion hit the Republic, that of the Draconis Combine.[46]

Facing three invasions, one civil war, and ongoing splinter faction activity, Levin turned to one of Stone's emergency plans. After months of buildup, on 1 October 3135, Fortress Republic took effect.[47][48]

Fortress Republic[edit]

With only about a month of warning, the Republic cast most of itself adrift, reducing its territory to an expanded Prefecture X, a few dozen planets. The vast majority of the RAF had been pulled back into this Fortress in preparation; what remained outside was cut off.[48][49] A defensive system known as the Wall blocked transit in and out, disrupting jumps and destroying JumpShips - at the cost of a steady supply of K-F drives.[50][51] When seen fit, the Wall's controllers could open 'windows' to allow travel through.[52]

Within the Wall, Levin moved to secure what remained of the Republic. Various warring factions, from the splinter groups to the Senate rebels, still had forces inside. On top of that, the revived Com Guards had made their appearance. In the years immediately following the Wall going up, the Republic cleared away the various armed groups, rescuing ComStar technician Tucker Harwell from Malcolm Buhl's Blessed Order in the process.[53] In the meantime it turned to rebuilding its military industry and building up the RAF as best it could without outside resources.[54]

The Republic did not wholly abandon the outside world. Leading up to the Fortress, Damien Redburn volunteered to handle some of Stone's contingency plans outside the Wall. Backed by a handful of Knights, Ghost Knights, and soldiers, including the secret elite Fidelis,[55] from Callison, he formed what would be known as the Republic Remnant, a small set of secure worlds.[56] From Callison he launched covert operations, such as a devastating false flag attack on Kwamashu to spark a war between the Oriente Protectorate and the Duchy of Andurien.[57] Redburn was not alone in operating outside the Wall. For instance, Paladin Thaddeus Marik was authorized to form similar secure clusters of worlds, so-called pocket fortresses - in reality, part of Thaddeus's plan to betray the Republic and revive the Free Worlds League.[58] Meanwhile, from 3136 on, the Republic carried out a campaign of false flag attacks and other covert operations beyond the Wall, aiming to disrupt enemies and to test new equipment under development by the Republic Institute of Strategic Combat and the Rhodes Project.[59][60][61] These operations were not coordinated with Redburn, who was left entirely out of contact for security reasons,[59] and armed confrontations with the Remnant, while uncommon, did occur.[62]

Stone’s Return[edit]

In his time in the Blessed Order's captivity, Tucker Harwell saw files on Clarion Note, a Blakist emergency plan to use a super-HPG to cause a sphere-wide communications blackout. While the Word of Blake never used Clarion Note before the end of the Jihad, Harwell learned that language directly from the plan could be found in Stone-era Republic documents.[63] On 1 April 3145, seeking the man he was sure was to blame for the Blackout, Harwell found Devlin Stone's cryopod and reawakened the first Exarch.[28] Just two weeks later, Stone returned to his former post, Harwell at his side as his still-probing aide.[64]

After restructuring the RAF, reshaping the Paladins, and launching Operation DAMNATIO,[65] Stone turned to the crises beyond the Wall. The Republic, he thought, needed an ally.[66] Leaning on a pact Exarch Redburn made with the Federated Suns, in May 3146, Stone brought Julian Davion behind the Wall and provided the beleaguered state a regiment to use against their mutual Capellan enemies, promising that once the Wall came down, additional support would be provided.[67] The Republic retracted the Wall on 6 January 3149, and followed with two major operations. Operation SHOFAR reclaimed a handful of Republic worlds in a matter of days,[68] and Operation ERUPTIO upheld Stone’s promise to the Suns, striking the Suns’ Draconis Combine invaders behind their lines and ending the occupation of Robinson by the end of November.[69] However, a joint Capellan-Combine counteroffensive over 3149 and early 3150, Operation TIAMAT, brought the Capellans within a jump of Terra.[70]

As the Republic waged war, Stone tried to bring Redburn’s Remnant back into the fold and bring him back to strengthen Terra's defenses. Isolated for a decade and a half, watching abandoned Republic territory fall, Redburn reacted to Stone’s attempts to reach out with rage and denial of Stone’s return. He rejected orders, imprisoned a succession of increasingly armed messengers, and in August 3149, engaged a final force led by Jonah Levin in battle.[71] The Fidelis brought the fight to an end by Levin’s request, turning on Redburn and allowing Levin to capture him, but in exchange they left the Republic’s service.[72]

Fall of the Republic[edit]

While the Wall was up around all of Prefecture X, Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon sat at the edge, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Terra was the target, for only the Clan that could take Terra would become the ilClan.[73] With the Wall retracted, through 3150 the Wolf Empire struck deep into the Republic, facing thin defenses to come within one jump of Terra.[74] The Falcons followed. Both were held back from their final target by the last of the Wall.[75] Behind it, the Republic had raised new forces and fortified extensively for years, knowing the Wall could not continue forever.[76]

In October 3150, on Stone’s orders, a Ghost Knight planted a collection of Wall technical details, sufficient to determine how to pass the Wall and strike Terra, on the desk of a Wolf researcher tasked with breaching the Wall.[77][78] The plan was to decisively defeat Clan Wolf alone and recover from there, using the defeated Wolves to fend off the Falcons.[78][79]

On 1 January 3151, Clan Wolf began its invasion of Terra.[80] Two days later, Wolf Khan Alaric Ward shared the way past the Wall with Falcon Khan Malvina Hazen and invited the Falcons to Terra alongside.[81] Overwhelmed by two Clans fighting to seize the planet and the ilClanship, on 14 April, Devlin Stone declared his unconditional surrender and announced the final dissolution of the Republic of the Sphere.[2] The following IlClan Trial between Wolf and Falcon left what had been the last of the Republic under Wolf rule.[82]

Politics[edit]

National[edit]

Knights of the Republic[edit]

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,[83] 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]

The Exarch was 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][84] This included electing the Exarch from among their own, through a majority vote on a secret ballot.[7][85] 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.[86]

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.[87] Outside of this military structure, the Exarch could grant honorary knighthood to civilians, positioning them as exemplars to look up to.[88][89]

Senate[edit]

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.[90] 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.[90]

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.[91] 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.[33][45]

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.[92] 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.[91][93] Governors were overseen by the Senate, which had the ability to remove them from office.[92] Serving in the Senate and as a governor simultaneously was impossible; governors taking a seat in the Senate were required to resign as governor.[94]

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.[92] Planetary military leadership was handled by a governor-appointed legate.[95]

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.[92][94] Each prefecture also had its own prefect, a military leader in command of all Republic forces within its boundaries, appointed for a five-year term by the Council of Paladins.[96]

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.[48][97]

Military[edit]

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.[87] 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.[98]

The RAF, initially built mostly from forces provided by partners in Stone's Coalition,[99] 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.[100] Each planet was initially protected by a local militia, collectively the Republic Standing Guard; these were absorbed into the line units post-Fortress.[101] The RAF as a whole was under the command of the Commanding General and the Exarch.[96]

In line with Stone's hopes to reduce BattleMech production, the RAF focused on combined arms, with a particular emphasis on non-BattleMech units.[102] Its Procurement Division primarily, for most of its life, focused on acquiring select high-end equipment from abroad, with domestic production – including production of fully Clan-spec equipment such as the Roadrunner – playing a supportive role. Post-Fortress, this shifted to a focus on rapidly re-established domestic production,[103] including experimental equipment, tested largely through false flag attacks outside the Fortress wall, from the new Rhodes Project and Republic Institute of Strategic Combat.[104]

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.[105] 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.[23][106][107][108]

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.[30] 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.[109][110]

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.[111]

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.[112][12]

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.[20] Privately meant to further security by breaking apart large ethnic enclaves that might react to clashes between neighbouring states;[113] publicly meant to eliminate bigotry, unify the public, and diversify culture at the planetary level;[13][20] 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.[20] 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, until under intense public pressure, Stone ended military enforcement in 3095, ending forcible relocation.[13][20][114]

In the long run, while the population was mixed, Spheroid cultural groups tended to cluster together in particular prefectures. Cultural identities remained significant. Over time, as well, more and more residents identified with the people of neighbouring states.[115] Clan populations in the Republic, meanwhile operated differently from the Spheroid population. A number of planets held enclaves of particular Clans, maintaining their customs and traditions. This included warrior traditions such as the sibko system,[116] and most such planets had at least one Clan-based and Clan-structured militia cluster dedicated to enclave protection.[117]

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.[112] Citizens of the Republic held the exclusive right to vote,[112] and the right to hold titles and significant landholds/real property.[108][118] Otherwise, their privileges did not extend far beyond other residents; most social programs were required to treat citizens and residents equally.[112][118] 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.[119]

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.[106][120] Equipment brought in by the MMRP was largely melted down, with a minority handed to planetary militias or museums.[106] The program became influential, with its economic benefits and Stone's campaigning leading to similar buyback programs in neighbouring states.[22][121]

Beyond these policies, Stone himself held a prominent place in Republic culture and society, and was commemorated in several ways. 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.[122] 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.[123]

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.[12][124]

Map Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Field Manual: 3085, p. 16
  2. a b 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. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 13-15
  12. a b c Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 1: "The Republic of the Sphere"
  13. a b c Historical: Wars of the Republic Era, p. 11
  14. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 61: "The Jihad in Review"
  15. Field Manual: 3085, p. 15
  16. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 16-17
  17. Field Manual: 3085, p. 18
  18. Well Met the Future
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  20. a b c d e Field Manual: 3085, p. 162-163
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  23. a b Empires Aflame, p. 3: "The End of the 'Mech?"
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  28. a b The Death of Glory
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  95. Field Manual: 3085, p. 168
  96. a b Field Manual: 3085, p. 167
  97. MechWarrior: Dark Age website Republic of the Sphere post-Fortress overview, retrieved from the MechWarrior: Dark Age website
  98. Field Manual: 3145, p. 139
  99. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 166-167: "Forging the RAF"
  100. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 180-185; Field Manual: 3145, pp. 140-143
  101. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 184-185: "Republic Standing Guard"; Field Manual: 3145, p. 139
  102. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 173-175
  103. 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"
  104. Field Manual: 3145, p. 136; Experimental Technical Readout: RISC, p. 3
  105. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 107: "The Industrial State of the Republic of the Sphere"
  106. a b c Field Manual: 3085, p. 163: "Military Materiel Redemption Program"
  107. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 174-176: "Industry and Economy"
  108. a b Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 3: "Without the BattleMech: Stone's Military Materiel Redemption Program 65 Years Later"
  109. Era Digest: Dark Age, pp. 6-7: "3133: Maneuvers"
  110. Field Manual: 3145, pp. 136-138
  111. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 11: "Market Bullish Following DiNapoli Acquisition"
  112. a b c d Field Manual: 3085, p. 162
  113. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 123: "What Lies Beneath"
  114. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 194: "Arms Free Society Rises Again on Procyon"
  115. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, pp. 208-9:" Lessons from History Point to the Future"
  116. Era Digest: Dark Age pp. 17-18
  117. Field Manual: 3085, p. 185
  118. a b By Temptations and By War, ch. 8
  119. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 97: "Elections Go On Despite Uncertain Times"
  120. Ghost War, ch. 15-16
  121. Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 27: "Devlin Stone"
  122. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 182-183: "Stone's Brigade"
  123. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 129, "Prayers, Pageantry Mark Freedom Day Celebrations"
  124. Fortress Republic, ch. 5

Bibliography[edit]