Oberon Confederation
Sarna News
The Oberon Confederation was a Periphery state, located on the coreward rim of the Lyran Commonwealth, between the Greater Valkyrate and the Elysian Fields. Originally an outright Bandit Kingdom, the Oberon Confederation became increasingly respectable, and was grudgingly accepted as a minor Periphery power.
Besides the fairly well industrialized capital world of Oberon VI, which even held a class B ComStar station with a functional Hyperpulse Generator, the Oberon Confederation included the worlds of Blackstone, Crellacor, Drask's Den, Ferris, Gustrell, Paulus Prime, Placida, Sigurd and The Rock, plus a varying collection of others most of the time.
- Location: Outside of the Lyran Commonwealth; formerly part of Rim Worlds Republic
- Number of Worlds: Ten
- Last Ruler: Hendrik Grimm III
- Military Strength: 2 Regiments
- Technology Level: Good
- Literacy Level: Poor
- Capital: Oberon VI
- Star Type: F5III
- Position in System: 6
- Time to Jump Point: 14.93 days
- Recharging Station: None
- Political Ruler: Hendrik Grimm III
- ComStar Facility Class: B
- ComStar Representative: Precentor Damien Hope
- Population: 43,000
- Percentage and Level of Native Life: 20%, Mammal
- Description:
- Oberon VI is a warm, temperate world rich in natural resources, particularly gold and coal. Since the late 2900s, Oberon has been heavily industrialized to include factories able to produce pharmaceuticals and electronic components, as well as small arms and energy weapons. Though much of the planet remains unexplored, Oberon's population exceeds 40 thousand inhabitants, many of whom are skilled technicians and scientists.
Contents
History
Founding
The first Colonel Hendrik Grimm was a military officer of the Lyran Commonwealth, whose regiment was battered by Marik troops on Graham IV. Believing that the Lyran military high command had left them to die, the surviving members of the 65th Lyran Regulars made for the Periphery, eventually settling on the warm temperate world of Oberon VI around 2840. Soon after, many deserting Inner Sphere soldiers who were weary with the endless warfare traveled to Oberon in search of an alternative.
During its early years, the people of the Oberon state conducted pirate raids against both the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine, usually in search of spare 'Mech parts and electronics. For the most part, however, the descendants of Hendrik Grimm I concerned themselves with the welfare of their subjects rather than with plunder for its own sake. Expanding outward from Oberon, the Confederation managed to colonize the neighboring star systems.
Unlike most Bandit kingdoms, the Oberon Confederation became largely self-sufficient. Possessing several water-rich planets, the Oberon Confederation was not dependent on raiding its neighbors.
Hendrik Grimm III
With the rule of Hendrik Grimm III the social and political reality of the Oberon Confederation slowly changed. He attempted, and largely succeeded, to turn his realm into an increasingly stable and diversified state. Where Grimm's grandfather founded the state as a mockery of a government, and his father simply continued the family business of brutality, King Hendrik III took the duties of his office much more seriously.
On a social level, a limited form of democracy brought about an educational system for the young, training facilities for MechWarriors, technicians, and even a modest pension plan for officers and enlisted personnel who have served the Confederation.
Instead of sponsoring several pirate raids Hendrik III chose to rent out his troops as mercenaries to the highest bidder. This gave the Oberon Confederation a veil of legitimacy, although some piracy probably still continued behind the scenes. Grimm appeared to be seeking respectability through standard interstellar trade and Grimm's forces were forbidden to raid the nearby Elysian Fields. Slowly he managed to create cordial relations with the Elysian worlds and several trade and territorial agreements were made, the most important of which offered Grimm's navy docking rights in return for military protection against other Bandit Kingdoms in the area.
Tacitly recognizing the utility of stability on their borders, representatives from both House Steiner and House Kurita approached Hendrik III with offers of formal alliance. However Grimm was reluctant to commit himself one way or the other, remaining cautiously neutral, and probably playing one Successor House against the other.
Still the Oberon Confederation was not a very stable state. It frequently gained and lost worlds through conquests or shifting alliances. However, most of these were insignificant worlds with only a few thousand inhabitants and little if any industry; their value was negligible compared to Oberon VI and the aforementioned core of the confederation, and gaining or losing them had little consequence.
The infamous Redjack Ryan was a renegade from the Oberon Confederation. He made his first appearance in the Inner Sphere commanding one of Hendrik III's mercenary units. In 3017, while hired out to occupy the Free Worlds League world of Fianna, he and his men wrought utter destruction on the world including, among other atrocities, the destruction of a fusion power plant which contaminated the world's atmosphere. Before either Hendrik III or House Marik could assemble a force to deal with him, he fled and established himself as pirate leader on the world of Butte Hold, adjacent to the Oberon Confederation. In the wake of Ryan's desertion, his lover Maria Morgraine, a lieutenant in Hendrik III's forces, also broke away from the Oberon Confederation with five ice planets and founded yet another ministate, Morgraine's Valkyrate
Mercenary forces from the Oberon Confederation, including Sigurd native Lori Kalmar, were involved in the intrigue that led to the destruction of the mercenary unit Carlyle's Commandos on Trellwan in 3024; this event in turn sparked the creation of the mercenary Gray Death Legion.
In 3025 Hendrik Grimm III was leading a loose coalition of 12 other former bandit kingdoms. Relations with the Elysian Fields continued to grow and a provincial unification between the two states-- similar to that which led to the foundation of the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation seven centuries ago-- became a real possibility.
Redjack Ryan and Maria Morgraine would later marry and merge their domains to create the Greater Valkyrate, a Periphery power powerful enough to curb the Oberon Confederation.
Perhaps reacting to this new threat the Oberon Confederation built up its military beginning around 3035. Instead of attacking Butte Hold, however, Oberon began raiding the Federated Commonwealth, Rasalhague, and even the Draconis Combine.
A new threat
In 3049, Phelan Kell was captured by Clan Wolf forces while leading Kell Hound troops during a punitive raid against pirates on the Oberon Confederation world of The Rock. The Kell Hounds aborted their mission and fled from the unknown enemy, providing their employers with first-hand information about the invaders where previously only sketchy rumors had been known and widely dismissed as Periphery gossip.
The Oberon Confederation became the target of increasing raids by these unknown pirates. The raids continued to increase, and ComStar lost contact with Oberon VI and with the Elysian Fields, Oberon's protectorate, in 3045. The Inner Sphere also lost all contact with the nearby Santander's World, but that was not very unusual in that unstable region.
It was simply assumed and speculated that this was a consequence of an internal coup, a new ruler from outside, or simply an equipment failure.
Fate
In reality the whole region had been overrun by the Clans, probably becoming the very first target attacked by the Clan forces. A small group of mercenaries and Oberon bandits managed to escape from Clan captivity during the first wave of attack in the Leopard-class dropship "FireStalion" [sic] and flee to the Free Rasalhague Republic, where the unlucky bandit crew was summarily executed for piracy.
Given the Clan attitude towards pirates, it seems likely that they did not only raided the Oberon Confederation but conquered it, ending its existence as a political entity. The final fate of Hendrik Grimm III remains unknown, however. Apparently he killed himself, choosing suicide instead of surrender.
Legacy
As of 3054, a ComStar report lists a unit called the "Oberon Guards (Disarmed by Clans)" as an independent regular military unit based on Oberon VI, with "Reliable" loyalty and under the command of one General Johann Grimm. Although the unit is probably only a planetary militia used to garrison/occupy the planet for the Clans, the report features the insignia of the Oberon Confederation (a lizard's eye).