Aurigan Coalition
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| |
| Aurigan Coalition | |
|---|---|
| Faction Profile | |
| Time period: | 2910 - 3026 |
| Classification: | Periphery State |
| Controlled systems: | 23 |
| Capital world: | Coromodir VI |
| Ruler title: | High Lord |
| Military: | Aurigan Coalition Military (ACM) |
The Aurigan Coalition is an interstellar nation located in the periphery region known as the Aurigan Reach, which borders on the Capellan Confederation and the Taurian Concordat, along with the Rimward Frontier space.[1]
For most of its existence, the Aurigan Coalition kept a low profile and was ignored as a state, to the point of being omitted from most contemporary starmaps. This may have been because it was considered a mercantile coalition over a political one and not taken seriously as a real state, or because of the relatively low populations and industrial base of its constituent worlds, or a combination of both.
Contents
History
Aurigan Coalition
Under the rule of the oligarchic Founding Council and the High Lieges from their number, the Aurigan coalition expanded into the Frontier Reach, and fended off piracy. The Aurigan people enjoyed various political, personal and economic rights across the Coalition to the point that they were considered something to be championed by Kamea Arano when she led the Arano Restoration during the Aurigan Civil War.
Directorate
High Lord Tamati Arano II and his wife Serena Arano (nee Espinosa) were killed in an accident in 3022, leaving their daughter Kamea as heir. With Kamea refusing to listen to her uncle about how to rule the Coalition, Santiago Espinosa decided to take matters into his own hands. Along with his daughter, Victoria Espinosa, he would successfully stage a coup, forcing Lady Arano off Coromodir and taking the throne, installing himself as "Director" of the realm.
| “ | We are here today because if Lady Arano will not act, someone must. I know what I am asking of you. You will face former comrades or even loved ones on the battlefield. I take up arms against my own niece. But remember: today we sacrifice, so that tomorrow we can return our kingdom to its proper glory. To its proper strength! So should you fall tonight - know that you did so as true heroes of the Reach! To your stations! For the Directorate!" | ” |
- Lord Santiago inspiring his Directorate troops before deploying on Cormodir.
As ruler of the rechristened Aurigan Directorate, Santiago would form a brutal dictatorship in his wake, creating concentration camps on Weldry to hold possible dissident factions' relatives hostage including of the Founding Houses, and torturing and murdering political prisoners. His daughter, Victoria would slaughter anyone who did not support the Directorate, whether it be civilians or other House Lords of the Reach. Further, on Cormodir personal and political liberties were lost in exchange for increased economic luxuries under the police state in order to placate the population.[1]
Aurigan Civil War
In 3025 after three years in hiding, Lady Kamea emerged as the leader of the Arano Restoration movement. This caused a civil war between the Restoration and state forces for control of the Reach, beginning with the liberation of Weldry.[1] As the Arano Restoration was closing in on the Directorate forces, Santiago covertly instigated the Perdition Massacre to gain the cooperation of the Taurian Concordat to attack the Restoration. Santiago finally conceded to Kamea's forces and gave the throne to her. Victoria on the other hand chose to fight her cousin on Coromodir one last time. With the death of Victoria and the capture of Santiago, the Aurigan Directorate ceased to exist.
Kamea Arano had the help of one particular mercenary company whose commander was once part of the Aurigan Royal Guard, and as a youth was taught in the ways of the BattleMech by Kamea's mentor, Raju "Mastiff" Montgomery. This commander and their company would be involved in several key battles and would come to command the Argo, a large Star League era civilian spacecraft resurrected by an engineering team under Dr. Farah Murad.[1]
The civil war had several different phases, marked by victories and defeats for each side, which are presented chronologically here.[1]
Liberation of Weldry
Lead by Lady Arano herself, the Restoration forces were able to defeat the Directorate's forces on the system of Weldry, and in the process freeing Espinosa's political enemies which where being held in the infamous 'Ice Box' prison. After this victory Kamea Arano announced to the Aurigan Reach that she had survived her escape from Coromodir and rallies up her supporters to overthrow the Espinosa regime, with the nearby systems of Ichlangis and Fjadr immediately joining her cause.
In response, the Directorate conducts a false flag operation in Taurian territory led by Victoria Espinosa, Lord Santiago's daughter, which results in the Perdition Massacre described above, with the intention of gaining the Concordat's support.
Liberation of Panzyr
Flush with success, Lady Arano's forces then moved into Panzyr and defeated the House Espinosa's forces on the system after its main DropPort was disabled by a surgical strike by mercenaries, preventing the Directorate from safely navigating Panzyr's asteroid fields to land reinforcements on the planet.
This victory also brought to the Restoration's cause the systems of Bringdam, Ryan's Fate and Mechdur, with the last one being a special prize since it contained the only working BattleMech factory on the entire Reach.
Liberation of Smithon
After the initial invasion a stalemate occurred between both the Restoration and Directorate forces, with the tipping point being the capture by mercenaries on the employ of House Arano of an enemy munitions dump. Cut off from essential supplies, the remaining Espinosa forces soon surrendered, which also lead to the systems of Umgard, Enkra and Zangul joining the Restoration.
However, Lord Karosas in exchange for his support to the Restoration demands that Lady Arano's forces destroy a DropShip called the Newgrange which is carrying weapons for the Directorate, which would have disastrous consequences later since the spaceship was manned by Taurian personnel, assigned to a covert mission to support the Espinosa regime.
Artru and Castle Nautilus
Flush with successes and after gaining knowledge of the location of a lost SLDF depot filled with Star League BattleMechs with Lord Karosas' help, the Restoration moves to contest the systems of Artru, Regis Roost and Katinka, in preparation for the assault on the core Aurigan systems still in possession of the Directorate. On Artru, Arano mercenaries are able to locate Castle Nautilus and disable its automated defenses, gaining access to the hidden BattleMech cache.
As Kamea moves to the planet to take control of the SLDF base, a dangerous surprise appears as the Taurian Concordat forces led by the DropShip Iberia move to prevent the Restoration from recovering the most of the cache. Lady Arano barely escapes the planet after being forced to destroy the hidden base to prevent Castle Nautilus' treasures from falling into the enemy's hands.
Smithon Defense and Liberation of Ithrom
With its long range incursion defeated, the Restoration moves to defend Smithon from the counterattack and allow the evacuation of its civilians to protect them from the atrocities being committed by the Taurians led by Commodore Ostergaard, the commander of the Iberia which is obsessed with revenge against the Restoration after his son was killed in the destruction of the Newgrange.
Lady Arano's mercenaries are also able to retake the planet Ithrom from Directorate forces, giving them access to a stockpile of valuable minerals, and also allowing for the capture of the nearby Mangzhangdian system.
Panzyr Defense and Lord Madeira's Extraction
As the weight of the Taurian war machine beings to overwhelm the Restoration forces, Lady Arano is forced to defend Panzyr's civilian population from famine as the Ostergaard and the Concordat forces starts attacking the DropShips involved in the relief effort.
Realizing that the Restoration is doomed against the Taurians, Lord Madeira undertakes a mission to his homeworld of Guldra to recover vital information from his House archives, only to be captured by the Directorate. As a result, Lady Arano sends mercenary forces to extract Lord Madeira, and while they're unable to recover him, they are able to get the information he was after and bring it back to Lady Arano.
Liberation of Tyrlon
Lord Madeira's information reveals that the Directorate was behind the Perdition Massacre, which is then brought forward by the Canopians to Protector Calderon, causing the Taurians to withdraw their support of Lord Espinosa. As the balance of power again favors the Restoration, it conducts an attack on the world of Tyrlon, the gateway to Coromodir, the capital of the Reach still under control of House Espinosa. After Lady Arano's mercenaries are able to disable the planetary batteries protecting the world from orbital attack, the Restoration DropShips are able to land on the planet and easily defeat the remaining enemy forces.
With this defeat, the systems of Tyrlon, Guldra, Gangtok and Heliat all join the Arano cause, with the Directorate only in control of Coromodir.
Liberation of Coromodir and Downfall
As the Restoration forces land on Coromodir for the final battle with the Directorate, Lady Arano receives a message from Commodore Ostergaard, who has gone rogue while looking for revenge to his son and refuses to obey the Concordat's orders to return to Taurian space. With his DropShip heading towards the Restoration Army to obliterate it with its naval guns, Kamea's mercenaries are able to upload into it a computer virus called the Locura, which disables the Iberia and causes it to crash on Coromodir's surface, killing everyone on board.
Realizing that the end is near, Lord Espinosa orders its remaining forces to stand down and surrender. However, his daughter Victoria refuses his orders and using Lord Madeira as a hostage, forces Lady Arano to fight her in a BattleMech duel to the death in the royal tournament grounds. After a fierce combat, Kamea kills Victoria and frees Lord Madeira, regaining her throne while Santiago Espinosa is turned to the Taurians, who sentence him to death and execute him due to his role on the Perdition Massacre.
Politics
The Council of Founding Houses is the name given to the nobles who oversaw the Aurigan Coalition. The following Houses were members of the Founding Council.[2]
Rulers
| Name | Reign | Descent |
|---|---|---|
| Aurigan Trade Partnership | ||
| Governor | Wiremu Arano | 2820[1] |
| Aurigan Coalition | ||
| High Lady | Keona Arano | 2910 - ****[1] |
| High Lord | Tamati Arano I | **** - 2988 |
| High Lord | Tamati Arano II | 2988 - 3022 |
| Aurigan Directorate | ||
| Director | Santiago Espinosa | 3022 - 3025[3] |
| Aurigan Coalition | ||
| High Lady | Kamea Arano | 3025 - |
Historical Maps
Aurigan Reach in year 2890
Aurigan Reach in year 3025
