Republic of the Sphere

Revision as of 23:27, 12 October 2007 by 203.69.39.251 (talk)

ractrocc The Republic of the Sphere rose from the ashes of the Word of Blake Jihad. It was founded by Devlin Stone in the early 3080s. Its capital is the city of Geneva on Terra. Part of Stone's vision was to create a time of peace and the Republic helped fulfill that vision by occupying many of the planets that the Successor States had fought over for centuries. Stone also acknowleged that power came from the people, not the government, so he sought to weaken the power of the nobility.

Political Organization

The Republic is divided into 10 Prefectures, numbered I through X.

Exarch

The Republic is ruled by an Exarch, of which Devlin Stone was the first. The second Exarch, Damien Redburn, was chosen by Devlin Stone and ratified by the council of Paladins. The third Exarch of the Republic, Jonah Levin, was elected by the council of Paladins. His election came shortly after the assassination of Paladin Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, whose death was investigated by Jonah Levin on the orders of Exarch Redburn.

The Exarch is essentially the chief executive and makes most of the decisions that affect the entire Republic.

Paladins

There are 18 Paladins who are chosen to serve the Republic. 17 of those are known public figures, while the remaining Paladin, known as the Ghost Paladin runs the Intelligence Service of the Republic, the men and women known as the Ghost Knights. The current Ghost Paladin at the time of the election of Exarch Levin is Paladin Emil, who works under the cover of the concierge of the Hotel Duquesne, the hotel of choice for the Republic in housing its dignitaries and high ranking personnel. Known Ghost Knights include Knight Reo Jones, under the cover of a disgraced Knight-to-be, and Mason Dunne, the man behind the Battle of Basalt, which restored that planet to Republic rule.

Amongst the Paladins, a notable figure is the 'Black Paladin,' Daniel Peterson, who went under the alias Ezekiel Crow for most of his political life. A Paladin of the Republic, he betrayed the very Republic he had sworn to defend, on the planet Northwind. Countess Tara Campbell of Northwind and of the Highlanders, unknowing of his intentions, had fallen for him. Shortly after his betrayal on Northwind, he attempted to assassinate Paladin Jonah Levin on Terra, and interfered with Terra's planetary defense against the Steel Wolves. He was foiled when Countess Northwind defeated him and destroyed his 'Mech. Unbeknownst to her, he did not die. In an attempt to redeem himself, he ended up on the Republican world of Liao, fighting a Capellan Confederation assault and dying there.

Due to the deaths of Paladins Victor Steiner Davion and Ezekiel Crow, the Paladin Council was now short of Paladins, which were needed for an election for the next Exarch to be held. Thus Knights Janella Lakewood and Gareth Sinclair were elevated to the position of Paladins of the Sphere.

Regional

Continuing down the ruling structure of the Republic, every Prefecture is ruled by a Lord Governor. All military matters are handled by a Prefect. Within each Prefecture, there are many planets, each ruled by a planetary Governor, and local defense in the hands of the local Legate. The Exarch is assisted in the running of the Republic by Senators within the Republic Senate, two per world, representing each Prefecture. The guardians of the peace within the Republic are the Paladins and Knights of the Sphere.

Senate

Though the name of the Republic would seem to imply that the Senate would be a very powerful institution, it was not. The Senate's powers were largely advisory. Each world sent two noble representatives to Geneva.

Devlin Stone wanted to break down the barriers that shielded the nation's leader from his or her people. This meant getting rid of the hereditary nobility. Stone, however, realized that he needed their support to make the Republic work. He created the Senate to appeal to the nobility, but gave it and them no real power. The Senate attempted a long-term power play that was discovered by the paladins in 3134. In response, newly-elected Exarch Jonah Levin dissolved the Senate.

Military

In 3135, the Republic Armed Forces are commanded by Commanding General Tina Magnusson-Talbot. Each Prefecture contains three combined arms regiments: an elite Hastati Sentinels, a veteran Principes Guards, and a green parade unit, the Triarii Protectors. Each one is named after a different type of Roman infantry. The Hastati were light infantry, the Principes the heavier veterans, and oddly the Triarii the grizzled elites. Each of the thirty regiments is named by the prefecture the operate it, e.g. III Triarii Protectors is in Prefecture III.

In addition to the Regular Army, the Republic maintains other units. The most prominent of these is the Northwind Highlanders. A prestigous unit with a history that dates back to pre-spaceflight Scotland on Terra, the Highlanders have been very active in the Republic since the fall of the HPG network. Even though they are based on Northwind, the Highlanders have been active throughout the Republic.

A group of individuals rather than a true military unit, the Corps of Knights is composed of some of the finest MechWarriors in the Inner Sphere. Knights are commanders who are essentially troubleshooters and occupy a unique position in the military hierarchy. Knights are generally assigned specific tasks or as commanders of ad hoc units, rather than being permanently assigned to a unit. Since knighthood is a prerequisite to becoming a paladin, many ambitious individuals seek to become knights.

A third special force, the Fidelis are a mysterious and secretive group. They were used by Devlin Stone during his counter-Jihad campaigns as elite guards and black ops. Only the Exarch has the power to call upon the Fidelis, who serve a blood oath to the Republic. In the 3130s, the Fidelis are still led by their 100+ year-old Custos. They are an amalgamation of elite troopers and black ops commandos. Each warrior is cross-trained in many specialties so that an infantryman can easily take to the cockpit of a 'Mech and pilot it. Their infantry forces are far superior to any others, with a squad of seven able to take down a BattleMech.

History

After the fall of the HPG grid, 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. Some of the rebellious factions joined with others like them and even Republic loyalists to turn back the tide of invasions, while others joined with the interlopers.

The Republic's internal troubles were far from over, however. The Senate tried to achieve a coup over the ruling Paladins through subversion. Led by Senator Geofferey Mallowes of Skye, the Senate sponsored promising military officers. The plan was for these officers to be successful in becomes knights and even paladins, then, remembering who initially supported them, return some measure of power to the Senators. This plot was uncovered by Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion, who paid for the discovery of that knowledge with his life. Despite his death, the other paladins were able to piece together enough of the plot to realize what was going on. In response, newly-elected Exarch Jonah Levin dissolved the Senate, touching off a civil war. Senate loyalists fought on Terra, but were ultimately driven off, thanks in part to the Republic's new ally, the Federated Suns. Individual Senators retreated to their homeworlds, but most found that they lacked the support needed to build the kind of coalition they desired, which was only complicated by some Senators siding with the exarch and others siding with foreign powers.

Due to all of these troubles, much of the Knights and Armed Forces of the Republic retreated back to "Fortress Republic," 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 force at his disposal to ensure that the newly-drawn boundary remained inviolate. The Republic dissolved as a major political body after the Fortress declaration. Limited support was avaliable for former Republic worlds, but many knights and even paladins chose to remain outside of Fortress to help the people of the Republic. It continues to fight as a minor faction in this age of destruction under the banner of the "New Republic Territory."

List of Exarchs

List of Paladins

The list of all known Paladins past and present are :

  • Maya Avellar
  • Ezekiel Crow (traitor, KIA on Liao while fighting Capellan Confederation Forces)
  • Isabella Druchet (retired in 3132 and replaced by Jonah Levin)
  • Tyrina Drummond
  • Emil (Ghost Paladin)
  • Heather GioAvanti
  • Meraj Jorgensson (KIA on Terra fighting off Senate Loyalist Forces)
  • Gelaina Kelso
  • Anders Kessel
  • Janella Lakewood (elevated to replace Ezekiel Crow)
  • Jonah Levin (later elected 3rd Exarch of the Republic of the Sphere)
  • Otto Mandela
  • Thaddeus Marik
  • David McKinnon
  • Kaffyd Op Owens
  • Damien Redburn (later elected 2nd Exarch of the Republic of the Sphere)
  • Gareth Sinclair (elevated to replace Victor Steiner-Davion)
  • Kelson Sorenson
  • Victor Ian Steiner-Davion (assassinated on orders of Senator Geoffrey Mallowes of Skye in Prefecture IX)
  • Arianna Zou (elevated to replace Meraj Jorgensson)
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