TEXT: A SUCCESSION WARS ERA SOURCEBOOK
  
  ©2016 The Topps Company Inc. All Rights Reserved. First Succession War, Classic BattleTech, BattleTech, BattleMech, and ’Mech 
  are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps Company Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst 
  Game Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC.
  STAR LEAGUE ERA 
  SUCCESSION WARS ERA
  CLAN INVASION ERA
  JIHAD ERA
  CIVIL WAR ERA
  DARK AGE ERA
  WWW.CATALYSTGAMELABS.COM
  In 2784, the departure of General  
  Alexsandr Kerensky and the 
  remnants of the SLDF from known 
  space leaves the Inner Sphere 
  balanced on a knife-edge. With 
  no Star League to keep the 
  House Lords in check, greed, 
  ambition and old grudges 
  come to the fore once 
  more, propelling the five 
  remaining Great Houses 
  into a war that threatens 
  human civilization itself:  
  The First Succession War.
  The First Succession War describes 
  the most devastating conflict ever fought 
  by mankind as the five Great Houses 
  battle for supremacy in the ruins 
  of the Star League. Covering the 
  collapse of the Star League, the 
  militarization of the Inner Sphere 
  and the horrors that ensued, this 
  volume provides a detailed look at 
  the major actions of the war, the 
  motivations of its participants, 
  and the deadly consequences 
  of their decisions.
  ®
  UNDER LICENSE FROM
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  2
   
  GHOST RAIN …………………………………………………… 5
  INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………… 9
  PRELUDE TO WAR ……………………………………………………11
  Out of Darkness …………………………………………………………11
  Into Despair ………………………………………………………………12
  To the Brink ………………………………………………………………13
  Over The Edge ……………………………………………………………13
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821) ………………………16
  Racing Toward Armageddon …………………………………………16
  Ignition Points  ……………………………………………………………17
  The Bolan Offensive ……………………………………………………17
  The Combine Strikes ……………………………………………………21
  The Great Hegemony Land-Grab ………………………………………26
  After the Declarations …………………………………………………31
  Savagery Unleashed ………………………………………………………37
  The Dragon Rampant: Kurita’s Wars …………………………………37
  The Dragon’s Reckoning: The Combine-Suns Front …………………37
  Rout ………………………………………………………………………40
  Fighting the Tsunami ……………………………………………………40
  On the Brink ………………………………………………………………43
  Neglected Front: Liao Takes Advantage ………………………………45
  Soft Targets: The Combine-Commonwealth Front ……………………46
  Out from Left Field: Jerome Blake’s Gambit……………………………51
  Seizing Terra ……………………………………………………………51
  Aftermath …………………………………………………………………51
  Flight of the Eagle: House Marik Strikes ………………………………52
  A Path to Sarna: The League-Confederation Front …………………53
  Raising the Ante: Liao’s Response ……………………………………56
  Losing Ground ……………………………………………………………60
  The War of Raids: House Steiner’s Succession War ………………61
  The Best Defense is an Annoying Offense ……………………………64
  The Fist of Defiance: Steiner’s Campaigns ……………………………67
  Reclaiming the Thumb: The Bolan Campaign ………………………68
  Stumbling Onward ………………………………………………………73
  Bella I ……………………………………………………………………74
  The Solaris Bulge…………………………………………………………77
  Shifting Priorities: House Liao Forges On ……………………………80
  Quinn’s War: The Confederation-Suns Front …………………………81
  Caught in the Capellan Crossfire ………………………………………82
  Stroke of Luck: Oriente Abandoned …………………………………83
  The Suns Resurgent: House Davion Rallies ……………………………86
  Bloody Kentares …………………………………………………………86
  The Rise of Prince Paul …………………………………………………89
  The First AFFS Counteroffensive: Beating Back the Dragon ………91
  Far Enough: The Confederation-Suns Front …………………………93
  The Second AFFS Counteroffensive: Squeezing the Bulge ……………94
  The Third AFFS Counteroffensive: Back to Square One ……………94
  Exhaustion and Decay ……………………………………………………98
  Hard Times: The Decline of the Periphery ………………………………99
  Remnants of the Republic ………………………………………………99
  The Taurian-Canopian War (2813-2814) …………………………… 101
  Death by Apathy: The Crumbling Outworlds ……………………… 103
  Other Orphans ……………………………………………………… 104
  Lost Worlds ……………………………………………………………… 105
  Depopulation ………………………………………………………… 106
  Oddities of the Succession War ……………………………………… 108
  Incident on Helm  …………………………………………………… 108
  Why, Westphalia? …………………………………………………… 108
  Random Remnants …………………………………………………… 109
  TIMELINE OF THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR ………… 114
  Forces of the Succession Wars ……………………………………… 117
  Preparing for Armageddon …………………………………………… 117
  Rabbits out of Hats …………………………………………………… 117
  House Liao …………………………………………………………… 119
  House Kurita ………………………………………………………… 119
  House Davion ………………………………………………………… 119
  House Marik …………………………………………………………… 119
  House Steiner ………………………………………………………… 119
  EYE OF THE STORM (2821-2830) ………………………… 121
  Peace Overtures  ……………………………………………………… 121
  Steiner-Marik ………………………………………………………… 121
  Liao-Davion …………………………………………………………… 121
  Marik-Liao …………………………………………………………… 121
  House Kurita ………………………………………………………… 122
  “Winners” and Losers: The Butcher’s Bill …………………………… 122
  Steiner ………………………………………………………………… 122
  Davion ………………………………………………………………… 122
  Kurita ………………………………………………………………… 122
  Marik …………………………………………………………………… 123
  Liao …………………………………………………………………… 123
  Others ………………………………………………………………… 123
  The Winds of War (2825-2830) …………………………………… 126
  PERSONALITIES OF THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR 129
  Minoru Kurita  …………………………………………………………… 129
  Jinjiro Kurita …………………………………………………………… 129
  Barbara Liao …………………………………………………………… 130
  Sandol Quinn …………………………………………………………… 130
  Ilsa Liao ………………………………………………………………… 130
  Kenyon Marik …………………………………………………………… 131
  Thaddeus Marik ………………………………………………………… 131
  Jennifer Steiner  ………………………………………………………… 132
  Richard Steiner  ………………………………………………………… 132
  John Davion  …………………………………………………………… 133
  Paul Davion ……………………………………………………………… 133
  FIRST SUCCESSION WAR DEPLOYMENT TABLE … 134
  Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS) ……………………… 134
  Capellan Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF) …………………… 135
  Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS) …………………… 136
  Free Worlds League Military (FWLM) ……………………………… 138
  Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces (LCAF) ……………………… 139
  Major Periphery States ……………………………………………… 140
  Uncontracted Mercenaries …………………………………………… 140
  RULES ANNEX ………………………………………………………… 142
  Special Case Rules …………………………………………………… 142
  Creating First Succession War Scenarios ………………………… 142
  Before You Start ……………………………………………………… 142
  General Rules ………………………………………………………… 142
  Random Assignment Tables ………………………………………… 142
  TECHNICAL READOUT ………………………………………………… 153
  LCT-1E Locust ………………………………………………………… 154
  WSP-1D/1K/1L Wasp ………………………………………………… 156
  VLK-QA Valkyrie ……………………………………………………… 158
  SHD-2D/2K Shadow Hawk …………………………………………… 160
  WVR-6M Wolverine …………………………………………………… 162
  Inner Sphere At War (Expansion) …………………………………… 164
  Game Setup …………………………………………………………… 164
  Starting Setup ………………………………………………………… 164
  Military Development Phase ………………………………………… 166
  Converting ISW Combat Commands to Other Systems ………… 166
  Converting ISW Combat Commands  
  to ACS Formations, Combat Units and Teams …………………… 166
  Converting ACS Combat Teams to SBF Formations and Units … 168
  Converting SBF Units  
  to BattleForce, Alpha Strike and Total Warfare Elements ………… 169
  Converting back from BattleForce, Alpha Strike and Total Warfare  
  to SBF and ACS ……………………………………………………… 169
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  3
   
  ©2016 The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BattleTech: The First Succession War, BattleTech, Classic BattleTech, 
  BattleMech, and ’Mech are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps Company Inc. in the United States and/or 
  other countries. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any 
  means, without the prior permission in writing of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than 
  that in which it is published. Printed in the USA.
  Special Thanks
  Herbert Beas would like to thank: Firstly, I’d like to thank Chris “Bones” Trossen; were it 
  not for his sudden vanishing from the face of the earth, I would probably not be involved with 
  this project at all. (I hope you’re okay, Bones!) I’d also like to thank Chris Hartford, Ray Arrastia, 
  Paul Sjardijn, and Matt Alexander, for their various pokes, prods, thoughts, and support during 
  the many times I stalled out. Who’d have thought that I’d actually 
  blank out on a book full of dying WarShips and nuclear 
  exchanges? Lastly, I’d like to thank the past and present 
  BattleTech writers whose collective work 
  helped make all of this possible. Oh, 
  and of course, to YOU, the readers, 
  without whom none of this would 
  really matter at all!
  Chris Hartford would like 
  to thank: Herb for stepping 
  in and setting the bar high 
  for the next volume; Matt 
  for research and record 
  keeping; Ray for sugges-
  tions and cat-herding; 
  Randall for letting us 
  loose again; all the pre-
  vious BattleTech writers 
  whose work formed the 
  basis for these volumes; 
  the BattleTech players, 
  without whom there'd be 
  no game!
  Factcheckers 
  and Playtesters
  Joel Bancroft-Connors, 
  Stephen A. Frabartolo, William 
  Gauthier, Keith Hann, John 
  Haward, Johannes Heidler, 
  Chris Marti, Luke Robertson, 
  Andreas 
  Rudolph, 
  Eric 
  Salzman, 
  Paul 
  Sjardijn, 
  Geoff Swift, Chris Wheeler, 
  Matt Wilsbacher.
  Find us online:
   precentor_martial@catalystgamelabs.com
    (e-mail address for any BattleTech questions)
   http://bg.battletech.com/
    (official Classic BattleTech web pages)
   http://www.CatalystGameLabs.com
    (Catalyst web pages)
   http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog
    (online ordering)
  Published by Catalyst Game Labs, an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC
  PMB 202 • 303 91st Ave NE • E502 • Lake Stevens, WA 98258
  Writing
   Herbert A. Beas II 
  Additional Writing
   Chris Hartford
  Ghost Rain
   Chris Hartford
  Rules Annex
   Ray Arrastia
   Joel Bancroft-Connors
   Randall Bills
   Keith Hann
   John Haward
   Chris Marti
  Product Development
   Ray Arrastia
  Strategic Assistance
   Matthew Alexander
   Øystein Tvedten
  Product Editing
   Aaron Cahall
  BattleTech Line Developer
   Randall Bills
  Assistant Line Developer
   Ben H. Rome
  Products Developer
   Ray Arrastia
  Production Staff
  Art Direction
   Brent Evans
  Assistant Art Director
   Ray Arrastia
  Cover Art
   Marco Mazzoni
  Cover Design
   Ray Arrastia
  Layout
   Ray Arrastia
  New Illustrations
   Matt Plog
   Anthony Scroggins
  Maps
   Matthew Alexander
   Ray Arrastia
   Øystein Tvedten
  CREDITS
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  4
   
  
  5
  ATREUS CITy
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  GHOST RAIN
  CNB Inc., Atreus City
  Atreus, Marik Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  24 March 2826
  [The camera whirs, focusing on a worn woman in her sixties, 
  dressed in olive FWLM fatigues. Her face is lined, and scars 
  crisscross her left cheek and down onto her neck. Her dark hair is 
  shot through with streaks of gray.]
  “I was six years old when the war between Amaris and Kerensky 
  began. I didn’t know much about it, but I knew it worried my father, 
  Terran born and emigrating here with his father who was in the 
  SLDF’s Engineering Sub-Command. The time before the war was a 
  golden age on Helm—people traveled from all across the League 
  for winter sports—but even before the end, things started to get 
  bad. Holidays were a luxury, and in those uncertain times people 
  didn’t want to spend money. Still, that didn’t stop us school kids 
  from making use of the facilities at the Nagayan Mountain resort.
  “It was a week before my nineteenth birthday when we learned 
  that Amaris had been captured and the war was over. Naïvely, we 
  thought things would get back to how they were before, in our 
  parents’ day. How quickly we were disabused of that notion. The 
  dukes knew things would only get worse and all the patriotic 
  noise Kenyon had made was soon supplanted by something more 
  authoritarian. We were just the wrong age, the perfect age to serve.
  “My boyfriend, Joe, was one of those called up that autumn, 
  thrown into a boot-camp and then shipped off-world to fill out a 
  line unit. I never saw him again—he died on Anegasaki when the 
  Capellans killed the Fourth Militia. I was luckier I suppose, drafted 
  into the planetary militia, so at least I was near home where it was 
  safe and quiet. At least at first.
  “Then Kenyon got a mind to take over all the Star League 
  facilities, following up on the rumors that Kerensky had left vast 
  stockpiles on-world. That may have been true, but after four years 
  spent on that wild goose, with little more than field rations, toilet 
  paper, and SLDF recruitment pamphlets to show for it, the FWLM 
  shifted their attention elsewhere. That didn’t save me from a grilling 
  by SAFE—several in fact—because of who Gramps was, and his 
  involvement with the Engineering Sub-Command. He died when 
  I was nine, but even so, SAFE struggled to accept that a pre-teen 
  knew nothing about SLDF activity. Dad got it much worse, and was 
  held at the facility in Freeport for three weeks before they decided 
  that the English teacher from Durandel High wasn’t going to give 
  them much help either. In those days, the years before the start of 
  the Succession War, I did wonder: if this is how badly we treat our 
  own people, how are things going to go when we start shooting at 
  people we don’t like?”
  [She scowls then leans forward to take a glass of water, loose 
  hair falling across her face. Her left hand lifts to brush the strands 
  back – two fingers are clearly missing. There is a muted question 
  from off-camera.]
  “What, this? An easy fix back before the war, just a graft or 
  bionics, and good as new. But when it happened, everyone was 
  struggling to stay alive, and so we had to make do. It was all we could 
  do to avoid freezing to death, not that Helm was particularly warm 
  to start with. We lost so many in those first months, so I consider not 
  losing the hand a win. How did it happen? I guess that’s what you 
  really want to hear about, isn’t it? You want to know about the Rain.”
  sts
  Freeport
  Helm, Stewart Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  11 May 2788
  The blast threw Rowan sideways, her seventy-five-ton war 
  machine struggling to remain upright, gyros whining and servos 
  protesting. The Orion’s left shoulder slammed into the front of a 
  house, shattering ferrocrete and glass, but saving the machine 
  from falling further. She braced the Orion’s bulbous right arm 
  and levered the ’Mech fully upright again, all the while scanning 
  the skies in case the fighters returned. Across the street, an office 
  building slowly collapsed in on itself, floors concertinaing in the 
  wake of the attack.
  “Keeler, report,” her radio crackled, the effort to break through 
  the broad-spectrum jamming only partially successful.
  “Copy, captain. We’re still operational but there’s lots of 
  casualties.” She hesitated as her eyes took in the sight. “Most of 
  Sixth Street is just gone.”
  “They used a nuke on Fort Albert, so be thankful they’re just 
  using conventional munitions.”
  “Yeah, very thankful,” she muttered under her breath as she 
  shifted position to survey the wreckage. Fires raged unchecked in 
  the ruins, but even so, people were emerging from their shelters 
  into the late morning sun and moving to salvage what they could. 
  She considered joining the salvage operation, but not while the 
  raptors were still circling overhead.
  As if on cue, her lance channel chirped. Sanderson in his 
  Griffin in Prospect Park, looking out over the brackish Yehudan Sea. 
  “Inbound from the west, look to be heavies, not bothering to fly 
  NOE now that they know we have very little anti-air.”
  “Can you ID them? Chippewas?” She recalled the likely bomb 
  loads of the ninety-ton fighters; the operational sims in basic 
  training had made it clear how nasty those could be. She twisted 
  the Orion’s torso to face west, lifting both arms to the sky. 
  “Negative, LT,” Sanderson’s voice juddered, his ’Mech clearly 
  moving fast to get under cover before the bogies arrived. “Looks 
  like SL-15s.”
  Rowan blinked, taking a second to digest the information. 
  “Slayers? Since when did the Elsies use Slayers? That’s a Drac design.”
  Any response from Sanderson was cut off by static and the 
  distant sound of explosions. Then, almost before she heard the 
  roaring engines, the aerospace fighters flashed overhead. She 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  6
  SHORES OF THE yEHUdAN SEA 
  To her right, Ana Julián traded shots with a Bombardier, her low-
  slung Hoplite lofting missiles across the 500 meters to the enemy. Most 
  were brought down by AMS, leaving only two munitions to detonate 
  on the blocky ’Mech’s hull. Unlike Rowan’s opponent, this one stood 
  its ground and ripple-fired its own missile racks. Smoke obscured the 
  Kurita machine momentarily as its stubby projectiles raced across the 
  gap. Ana swore as they staggered the Hoplite, her musical Oriente 
  accent coming clear across the tac-net despite the enemy jamming. 
  As the smoke cleared, a second machine appeared from 
  behind the missile platform, a Warhammer. Already off-balance 
  thanks to the missile barrage, Julián’s ’Mech had no opportunity to 
  evade as the heavy machine angled both barrel-arms toward her 
  and fired. The 55-ton Marik machine stood little chance. Even as 
  Ana attempted to bring her own cannon to bear, twin PPC blasts 
  tore into its damaged torso and threw the machine onto its back. 
  For an instant, the Hoplite looked to have weathered the storm. 
  Then its ammo bins erupted, tearing it apart from the inside. 
  Taking her eyes from where her own prey was hiding, Rowan 
  sent a stream of autocannon shells at the Kurita behemoth, then 
  backed away, taking care to keep both targets in her firing arc. “Six 
  is down,” she reported, looking in horror at the burning wreckage 
  even as she continued to fire at the lumbering DCMS ’Mechs. 
  “Falling back to point kappa.” Buoyed by the death of the Marik 
  machine, the Panther emerged from its concealment, sprinting in 
  an effort to reach a flanking position on the Orion.  Rowan snap-
  fired her missile pack at the lighter machine, but the pilot triggered 
  his jump-jets and soared clear.
  The Bombardier began lofting missiles at her, and the 
  Warhammer was gaining. “I could use some help here,” she growled 
  through gritted teeth as she backpedaled. A roar of static was 
  the only acknowledgement. A shot from the ’Hammer grazed the 
  Orion’s left shoulder just above the missile pack, scouring armor 
  and causing static discharges to leap across the armor plates. 
  Sensors reported the damage but did not show any compromised 
  systems. Her autocannon barked in response and she saw a 
  gratifying spalling of armor from her opponent’s right leg. It 
  staggered and had to use a gun-arm to maintain its balance. 
  Where had the Panther gone? She’d lost track of it in the 
  exchange with the Warhammer. A quick scan of the wrap-around 
  display revealed nothing, nor did her magscan. She fired again, her 
  brain compartmentalizing combat tasks even as she sought the 
  elusive light ’Mech. For a long moment there was nothing. Then a 
  flash of movement over her left shoulder caught her attention, and 
  she twisted to bring her weapons to bear. The Panther was already 
  training its main weapon on her weaker flank. It was a race to see 
  whose reactions were quickest, and who would be most accurate. 
  Rowan knew she was going to lose. 
  The Panther twitched and staggered forward, its right arm 
  drooping as it did. Rowan fired the lasers in her left arm, stitching 
  a glowing scar across the Panther’s torso even as it began to fall, 
  smoke billowing from scars in its back. Lieutenant Harrison’s 
  Marauder hoved into view, its heat-sinks shimmering as it vented 
  excess heat. The birdlike machine came alongside the Orion, and 
  she heard the lance commander’s challenge on an unencrypted 
  channel. “Which of you Snakes wants to dance?”
  sts
  triggered her lasers at the fast movers, but held back on her cannon 
  and missiles. Both beams missed, but she got a clear look at the 
  insignia on the underside of the wings and swore profusely.
  sts
  The slow-motion replay of Rowan’s gun camera footage was 
  unequivocal. A red disc, upon which lay a sinuous black dragon. 
  “Kurita?” Captain Stanic exclaimed, as the Charlie company 
  officers met outside the ruins of Government House, leaning over 
  a portable holo-table. “But we’re 150 light years from any of their 
  star systems.”
  Baker, the graying ex-trooper who’d been dragooned to serve 
  as the company logistics officer, nodded at Rowan. “Probably after 
  the same thing the Captain-General was. The mythical cache.” 
  Rowan, standing with her arms folded across her cooling 
  jacket, her gray jumpsuit tied loosely at her waist, rolled her eyes 
  but said nothing.
  Stanic played the video again, then straightened up. “Force 
  Commander West reports DropShips landing up at Durandel and at 
  Helmdown, but she has no hard intel on anything headed here.” He 
  dismissed the video and pulled up a tactical map of the continent, 
  tagging the known landing zones. “We can assume something 
  will be headed our way, though.” He flagged a possible landing at 
  Freeport, drawing a wide circle that encompassed a large area of 
  coastline. “Probably Unions, with a couple of Overlords thrown in. 
  ’Mech forces, no conventionals.”
  “So a raid?”
  “In force—there’s probably a regiment of them.” His eyes flicked 
  to the heavens, where an unknown constellation of WarShips and 
  transports lurked. “What I wouldn’t give for recon aircraft about now.” 
  “Orders?”
  “We hold, for now. West is bringing the rest of Baker Battalion 
  up from Port Wayland, so together with the militia, we should hold 
  Freeport against whatever the Dracs throw at us. The Old Man is 
  taking Alpha and Gamma against the landings at Durandel. If they 
  can be beaten back while they’re still disorganized and we have 
  numbers on our side, then we might stand a chance.”
  “And if they land here, too?” Rowan asked, straightening up.
  “One problem at a time, Keeler. One problem at a time.”
  sts
  Shores of the Yehudan Sea
  Helm, Stewart Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  19 May 2788
  “On the left!” Rowan screamed, desperately twisting the 
  Orion’s massive bulk to face the new threat. Servos whined and 
  musculature protested the sudden move, warning lights flickering 
  even before she depressed the firing stud and heat washed over 
  the ’Mech. Her desperate shot went wide, but the blast tore 
  through trees, throwing splinters like shrapnel for a dozen meters. 
  The Kurita Panther seemed to flinch, its own shot going wide. Then, 
  realizing he was outclassed, the Kurita pilot decided discretion was 
  the best part of valor and ducked back around the bluff.
  
  GHOST RAIN
  7
  POINT EPSIlON 
  Rowan took a step toward the wreckage of the Phoenix Hawk 
  she’d dueled moments earlier, the battered remains looking like a 
  marionette whose strings had been cut. The cockpit hatch popped 
  open, steam venting into the air, and a slender helmeted figure 
  began to clamber out. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew 
  the moment when he saw her standing there, the Orion’s left arm 
  aimed at him. The pilot stiffened, shoulders pushed back as he 
  reached up and lifted the helmet from his head. Her head, Rowan 
  realized, much the same age as me. The pilot’s hands went up, her 
  gaze looking directly into the Orion’s viewport. Expecting mercy? 
  After Freeport?
  She fired, lasers washing over the downed ‘Mech. 
  She watched the burning wreckage for a moment, then turned 
  and resumed the march toward the market. “Sector three clear. 
  Where do you need me, LT?”
  “Hold at the town hall and watch for stragglers,” came Harrison’s 
  reply. “They’re pulling back to that Union at the landing field.”
  “Bugging out?” she asked, incredulous.
  “More likely regrouping, but we can hope.”
  Minutes passed, then stretched into hours. As dusk fell, she 
  watched the DropShip as it soared upward, its drive plume leaving 
  a contrail that arrowed into the sky and eventually braided with 
  those of other vessels heading into orbit.
  Emotion surged within her, and she fought the instinct to cry. 
  We survived! It wasn’t victory, not with so many fallen, but she dared 
  to hope. It’s over.
  sts
  DCS Honor of Pesht, Assault Orbit
  Helm, Stewart Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  28 May 2788
  Tai-sho Olav Nansen floated before the holo-projector, 
  surprisingly calm as he addressed the Coordinator on his distant 
  flagship. “It isn’t here. Or, if it is, it’s so well hidden that Marik will 
  land his counter-blow before we can extract it. I request permission 
  to withdraw, tono. “
  The stern visage regarded him. “So ka. The informant will 
  be…” He paused, menacingly. “Chastised. I suggest you do the 
  same with the target. Make sure of it.” The connection ended. 
  Nansen used a convenient handhold to re-orient himself to 
  face his communications officer, a bead of sweat emerging on 
  his brow.
  “Open a channel to all ships.” Hands flew across the keypads 
  and the officer nodded. “This is Dragon One. Ghost Rain protocols. 
  Authentication Nana-Yon-Roku-Go-Kyu-Go-Hachi-Yon. All ships 
  execute on Dragon One’s mark.” He watched the comm-board light 
  up with acknowledgments, then glanced over at the tactical officer, 
  Maria Tadanori.
  She nodded at him. “The last ships are away, Tai-sho.”
  Now to damn myself to the annals of eternity. “Mark.”
  sts
  Point Epsilon (FWLM Field Camp 350 km Southwest of Durandel)
  Helm, Stewart Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  26 May 2788
  The spoon rattled off the side of the steaming can as Rowan 
  struggled to extract the last of the bland rations. The hand 
  clutching the can was gloved, shielding her from both the frigid air 
  and the scorching metal container. The one clutching the spoon 
  was unprotected, save for a layer of dirt, oil, and blood. After 
  seventeen days of hell, none of them were clean—or warm. From 
  the corner of her eye she watched Stanic’s briefing. The company 
  commander was now the de-facto militia leader after the Old Man 
  had run into a second full regiment at Helmdown. The shattered 
  remains of Charlie Company had been lucky to survive the running 
  battles as they fled from Freeport. 
  “They’re dug-in at the major settlements…”
  “Those they didn’t nuke,” Saul Watling interjected between 
  mouthfuls of some steaming mush.
  Harrison nodded. “…And they have squads tearing through 
  records offices and the old SLDF facility. They don’t seem to have 
  found what they’re looking for, presumably information on the 
  cache. The Dracs have taken brutal measures to try and find it.” 
  He exhaled deeply. “There are reports of mass graves, whole 
  neighborhoods of Freeport executed to persuade—” he spat the 
  word, “—the information from those that have it.” 
  There was silence around the campfire as the horror of the 
  situation sank in, only broken when Watling threw his can into the 
  fire and swore profligately. No one had that information. Not any of 
  the living at least. Some of the other troopers glanced at her, but 
  Rowan feigned interest in the mess tin.
  Mike Harrison joined the group sitting around the fire. The right 
  side of his face was blistered, and the left sleeve of his jumpsuit was 
  torn away to allow a series of bandages to wrap his arm from shoulder 
  to wrist. The lieutenant had paid a hard price for red-lining his ’Mech in 
  the brutal fight by the Yehudan Sea. “They seem to have mostly pulled 
  back from Durandel. There’s only a company holding the town.” He 
  looked around the assembled troops—there were nine of them.
  “Payback?” suggested Watling, looking first at Harrison, then 
  at the captain. 
  Stanic nodded. “Payback.”
  sts
  Durandel
  Helm, Stewart Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  28 May 2788
  The near-total surprise and initial successes against the 
  Combine troops in Durandel felt good. Four of the Snake ’Mechs 
  were down, with only light damage to the militia. They’d pushed 
  almost to the center of town before the Dracs had put up any real 
  resistance. But it wasn’t enough; it never would be, now that the 
  Dracs had nuked Freeport and broadcast the atrocity as an object 
  lesson to the insurgents. 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  8
  dURANdEl
  CNB Inc., Atreus City
  Atreus, Marik Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  24 March 2826
  [The interviewee looks straight into the camera lens, wiping 
  away tears from her stern face.]
  “The Rain itself killed millions in the first few minutes. I’m not sure 
  of the precise number. Helmdown, Durandel, Port Wayland, Freeport. 
  All wiped out in a matter of minutes. Those of us in the hills were lucky, 
  I suppose. The Dracs just used orbital bombardment and the odd air-
  burst nuke. It was slaughter, but people in the shelters survived.
  “Freeport and Port Wayland, though, that was another matter. 
  Ground impacts and salted weapons poisoned the land, turning 
  the ruins into a deadly trap for the survivors. The Yehudan Sea 
  eventually drained away, too. Only salt flats remained.
  “So why don’t the citizens of the League use Helm as a rallying 
  cry, like the Davions do with Kentares? Because the DCMS only killed 
  ten million or so with their nukes and bombardment. The rest—the 
  other sixty million who died in the winters that followed—were 
  collateral damage. As I said, Helm was never a warm world. With 
  the climate wrecked by the bombardment, and no infrastructure to 
  speak of, the greatest foes we faced over the next couple of years 
  were cold and starvation. And each other.
  “We had no law and order. People killed each other over scraps 
  of food and the most rudimentary of shelters. The militia was smashed 
  and the rest of the League was too preoccupied to do much to help. 
  It was three years before any sort of order was restored, and another 
  dozen before life returned to normal. Not that anyone who lived 
  through that could call life ‘normal.’ We all did things we’re not proud of 
  to survive, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my days.
  “They say ‘live and let live,’ but how can that be justified 
  when psychopaths like the Kuritans can get away with murdering 
  hundreds of millions—Helm and Kentares are the tip of the iceberg. 
  Our worlds and our people survived, but so many did not. Imagine 
  it, whole worlds lost because of greed and ambition, not least the 
  Combine’s. I should argue for peace, for an end to this god-forsaken 
  war, but I can’t. I want vengeance. I want them to suffer as we have.”
  [Tears are streaming down the interviewee’s face once more, 
  and she pulls at the microphone attached to her jacket.]
  “Is that enough for you? Is that what you wanted?”
   
  [The technician steps forward to help her, his white robes 
  a stark contrast to her dark uniform, the ComStar News Bureau 
  logo clearly visible.]
  “Thank you, Miss Keeler. We’ll ensure this makes the news 
  syndication. Peace of Blake be with you.”
  sts
  The Union-class DropShip boosted for orbit, massive engines 
  accelerating its egg-shaped bulk at 2.5 gees through the rapidly 
  thinning atmosphere. Around it, the other vessels of the Kurita 
  raiding force raced along similar paths into orbit, following the 
  narrow corridor that fleet command had ordered them to use. 
  That wasn’t usual, though nothing about this war, now raging 
  for eighteen months, was. The ship ran on autopilot, but Tai-sa 
  Michiko Isonev kept a close eye on the instruments and was the 
  first to see them.
  As the Combine vessels soared upwards, something else fell 
  towards the planet. Lots of somethings, steel-clad and cobalt laced. 
  A rain intended to eradicate life.
  Then the warships began firing, adding their lasers and shells 
  to the bombardment.
  sts
  Durandel
  Helm, Stewart Commonwealth
  Free Worlds League
  28 May 2788
  There was no warning of the first blow, just a brief flash 
  followed by a devastating concussion. By the time the bang of air 
  rushing into the superheated void was audible, half of the town 
  was gone and Rowan’s seventy-five-ton war machine was being 
  tossed around like a rag doll. She didn’t hear the ripping sound 
  that followed, as shells joined the energy weapon discharge to 
  pulverize Durandel.
  Metal tore under the immense force, an inhuman scream as 
  limbs were ripped away and the chassis buckled. The Orion died, 
  its twisted remains flopping to the ground and bouncing. Rowan 
  blacked out momentarily, coming to as the machine bounced 
  a second time. A five-point harness held her securely in the 
  command couch but g-forces wrenched her body one way, then 
  immediately the other. Her limbs, unsecured, flailed and slammed 
  into the consoles. The stabbing pain of breaking bones brought her 
  back to consciousness again. Blood streamed down her face from 
  dozens of glass-shard cuts but she became aware of telltales on the 
  console indicating mass system failures. 
  A warning sound impinged on her dull consciousness—
  containment failure—the tone rising. Auto-eject, she realized dully, 
  feeling the sharp tug at her legs as the restraints pulled her legs into 
  place in preparation for the BattleMech’s attempt to save its pilot. 
  Arms, her brain managed to register through the haze. She dragged 
  her right arm into her lap, screaming at the pain of a broken wrist, 
  but her left arm dangled loose and numb. The alert tone reached a 
  crescendo and she made a last ditch effort to move the recalcitrant 
  limb by jerking her body. It moved, but her left hand still dangled 
  on the rim of the chair.
  There was a moment of sharp pain as the ejection rockets 
  fired, then darkness returned.
  sts
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  9
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOk
  INTRODUCTION
  Nearly six centuries ago, two men with a vision sought to unite 
  humanity in an era of peace and prosperity. Despite decades of 
  bloodshed before their dream was realized, it ultimately prevailed 
  for close to two centuries. Feuds and rivalries were set aside—but 
  not forgotten—until one man’s greed and ambition collapsed the 
  old order, unleashing those pent-up frustrations in a torrent of 
  violence virtually unmatched in human history.
  The conflicts that followed the fall of the Star League and 
  Kerensky’s Exodus are known collectively as the Succession Wars 
  and span the years 2786 to 3040. The First and Second Succession 
  Wars were brutal affairs which saw the profligate use of nuclear, 
  biological, and chemical weapons with little regard for civilian life 
  and planetary infrastructure. Tens of billions perished, either as 
  a direct result of the conflicts or as a side effect of economic and 
  environmental collapse. Whole worlds died. Even non-belligerents 
  such as the Periphery states were caught up in the spiral of 
  destruction, their economies too closely wed to those of the 
  warring Successor States.
  And yet, further disaster could have been avoided. The First 
  Succession War drew to a close around 2820 after thirty-five years 
  of fighting, the belligerents exhausted and needing to regroup. 
  Peace might have been achieved, but doing so ran contrary to 
  the interests of agencies both within and without the Successor 
  States. These influences ensured bitter warfare soon reignited. The 
  Succession Wars continued for another two hundred years, at first in 
  the high-tempo warfare of the Second Succession War and later in 
  the incessant low-level conflicts of the Third Succession War. High-
  tempo warfare resumed with the so-called Fourth Succession War 
  and the War of 3039, though both are arguably the last gasps of the 
  Third Succession War, more akin to the grand campaigns of the First 
  Succession War than conflicts in their own right.
  The return of Kerensky’s forces as the Clans just over a century 
  ago shifted the balance of power and brought the traditional 
  Succession Wars to an end. It could be argued, however, that the 
  invaders’ goal of dominating the Inner Sphere and re-creating the 
  Star League was just a metamorphosis of the Succession Wars—as, 
  in its way, was the Blakist Jihad. The subsequent formation of the 
  Republic of the Sphere was a second attempt at a pan-human 
  society. While the Republic achieved many of its goals, it was less 
  inclusive and overall less successful than the original Star League. 
  Since Grey Monday more than fifteen years ago, a storm has 
  engulfed our home. The heart of the Republic remains safe behind 
  the walls of the Fortress, but our enemies continue to press forward. 
  Can it be long before we face a new day of judgment? Should we 
  fail, humanity faces another dark time. We should—we must—learn 
  the lessons of the Succession Wars and not allow the horrors of 
  those dark days, the vendettas and ambition and greed, to doom 
  mankind.
  To that end, we have commissioned a pair of primers exploring 
  the Early Succession Wars and the motivations of those involved. 
  You hold the first volume, which expands on the First Succession 
  War; its companion details the Second Succession War.
  —Paladin Constance McGuire, Geneva, Terra, 3150
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
  BattleTech Historical: First Succession War is the latest in a series of products that explore major but little-detailed conflicts in the 
  past of the BattleTech Universe. Here the focus is on the conflict known at the time as the Succession War, or the Great Succession War, 
  but later called the First Succession War. This volume details the origin of the conflict, its major actions, and its aftermath: the Second 
  Succession War (to be further detailed in BattleTech Historical: Second Succession War). As in previous entries in the Historical series, First 
  Succession War is part sourcebook and part rulebook, and allows players to recreate key events of the war.
  Ghost Rain, the introductory story, shows how the war impacted one world, detailing events only hinted at in the early days of 
  BattleTech. Prelude to War provides the background to the First Succession War—the rise and fall of the Star League, and the preparations 
  of the Great Houses in the dark days after Kerensky’s Exodus. The Succession War details the major events of the thirty-five-year conflict, 
  covering key engagements on all fronts as well as the internal political machinations of each nascent Successor State. Eye of the Storm 
  covers the aftermath of the First Succession War and the attempts to broker a peace—while preparing for the next war—that ensued, 
  providing a bridge to BattleTech Historical: Second Succession War. Personalities describes the histories and motivations of the House 
  Lords and other notables of the conflict. The Rules Annex includes a number of items designed to aid play during the First Succession 
  War, including rules for generating forces representative of the era and systems reflecting the impact of social and economic collapse. 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  10
   
  
  11
  OUT OF dARkNESS
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  PRELUDE TO WAR
  “Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct.” 
  —Thomas Jefferson, Letter, 1799 
  “To assert brazenly that he is somehow better and more fitted to rule than any of 
  the rest is the act of an egotistical man—a man hardly fit to rule over his own realm, let 
  alone over us all.”
  —Archon Jennifer Steiner [in response to Minoru Kurita declaring himself First Lord of 
  the Star League], 2787
  OUT OF DARKNESS
  Man’s initial journey to the stars came under the auspices of the Western (later Terran) 
  Alliance. However, the new domain of man soon grew too large to be effectively governed 
  from a central point and, thanks to a mix of internal politics and local dissent, Terran 
  authority collapsed, leaving hundreds of worlds to fend for themselves. Out of this chaos 
  grew a plethora of new interstellar nations: the Chesterton Trade League, the Tamar Pact, 
  the Principality of Rasalhague, the Marik Commonwealth, to name but a few. Many of these 
  nations foundered, but others prospered, allying with their neighbors or subsuming their 
  rivals to build larger and more robust powers. Over the course of a century, the modern 
  nations we now call the Successor States emerged. These larger realms adopted the tenets 
  of feudalism to facilitate their governance. As each came to be dominated by a single noble 
  family, the name of those Great Houses became synonymous with their realms. 
  Soon, though, ambitions and rivalries emerged between these powers, and armed 
  conflict became commonplace. The nations soon realized that unrestricted warfare would 
  run contrary to their interests and, in 2412, they agreed to the Ares Conventions. For the 
  Inner Sphere, this was both a boon and a curse: no longer would population centers 
  or civilian infrastructure be targeted in these conflicts, nor would the military make 
  indiscriminate use of weapons of mass destruction or orbital bombardment. However, in 
  enshrining these protections the Conventions legitimized the use of warfare rather than 
  diplomacy to solve disputes. To quote von Clausewitz, it was “politics by other means.”
  The century and a half that followed became known as the Age of War and saw major 
  advances in military technology, most notably the development of the BattleMech. Border wars 
  were commonplace, including several whose adherence to the letter of the Ares Conventions rather than their spirit showed just how little life 
  had improved for the common man. Eventually, in the mid-twenty-sixth century, Ian Cameron of the Terran Hegemony and Albert Marik of the 
  Free Worlds League set about countering the horrors of the era, brokering alliances and settlements—or else browbeating and in some cases 
  threatening the belligerents into ending hostilities.
  The formation of the Star League in 2571 was intended to being about an era of peace and prosperity; the irony of the League’s first 
  major action being a war to bring the Periphery States into the benign despotism is not lost on most historians. That twenty-year conflict, the 
  Reunification War, is detailed elsewhere, but its repercussions were felt throughout the two centuries of the Star League’s existence. Most of the 
  Inner Sphere states joined the Star League in order to benefit from trade or the technology of the Terran Hegemony, or else did so to prevent 
  their Age of War rivals from gaining a decisive advantage. The early years of the alliance saw some drawing together of the Member States, 
  but at the heart of their foreign and domestic policies was the idea of “what’s in it for me?” Resenting their forced incorporation, few of the 
  Periphery states ever paid the League more than lip service, even once the “benefits” of the alliance were thrust upon them.
  The idea of cooperation was largely anathema to the leaders of the Great Houses, now the Council Lords of the Star League. By the 
  League’s first centennial in 2671, the cracks were beginning to show. During its second century, various internal and external conflicts emerged. 
  The Star League largely kept a lid on those conflicts—though their policy in doing so proved erratic—but underneath, the rivalries festered. 
  When Stefan Amaris staged his coup in 2765, the Council Lords could have acted in concert and stopped him cold. They didn’t, due to a 
  combination of political rivalries and greed (though in the case of House Kurita, family members held hostage by Amaris played a role in that 
  nation’s inaction). Instead, they took a neutral stance, and aided neither Amaris nor Aleksandr Kerensky’s counter-offensive. In some instances, 
  their neutrality was so intense—and even belligerent—that Kerensky and various Houses believed that other Council Lords in fact conspired with 
  the Usurper; the Draconis Combine was a particular target for these suspicions. Only at war’s end did the Coordinator’s motivations become 
  apparent, and the records of Kerensky’s campaigns prove that, unlike other member states, the Combine provided direct military aid to 
  ROSE-TINTED GLASSES
  According to popular myth, the Star League era was 
  the pinnacle of human society, a golden age in which 
  peace ruled and miracles occurred. Some aspects of that 
  are true: under the League, there were unparalleled 
  technological advances and the quality of life reached 
  its pinnacle…if you could afford it. The gap between 
  rich and poor was no less extreme than it is today, and 
  for every civilized utopia there was a backwater hellhole. 
  The idea of pervasive peace was equally illusory. The 
  Star League began with bloodshed and rarely escaped 
  it. There were a few decades without major conflict, 
  but clashes between the member states and internal 
  strife within each were commonplace. A farmer living 
  on a border world in the “golden age” might have had 
  a fusion-powered combine rather than one powered by 
  ICE, but overall his standard of living was little different 
  than before the League, and he could expect many of the 
  same border issues as could his descendant in the years 
  before the Clan Invasion.
  Let’s be honest, if the Star League had been a 
  utopia, then we’d have never had the Succession Wars. 
  Instead, the League was a pressure cooker, containing 
  political and economic rivalries and allowing them to 
  escalate to the point that, when the lid was blown off 
  by the Amaris Coup and Kerensky’s Exodus, a disas-
  trous explosion ensued. That explosion—the First 
  Succession War—was not only inevitable, but it was 
  exacerbated far above what might have occurred had 
  everything not been bottled up.
  —Doctor Rebekka Maschke, Technisches Institut 
  Berlin, 3098
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  12
  INTO dESPAIR
  the SLDF. The Lyran Commonwealth, on the other hand, went so far as to exploit the 
  SLDF’s operations in the Rim Worlds Republic for its own gain, with only the threat of 
  a popular revolt among the pro-Star League populace curbing the Archon’s actions. 
  Thanks to long-standing personal issues between Captain-General Kenyon Marik and 
  Kerensky, the Free Worlds League attempted military action against the SLDF because 
  of “territorial violations,” though their efforts were half-hearted and inept.
  INTO DESPAIR
  After years of bitter fighting, Kerensky prevailed, and Amaris was cast down. The 
  Terran Hegemony lay in ruins and the Cameron family in their graves, but both the 
  Star League and the Terran Hegemony could have been rebuilt. A new First Lord might 
  have been selected from among the High Council—though Kerensky was the popular 
  choice—and the lessons of the past thirty years, the rise of Richard Cameron and Amaris’ 
  usurpation, could have been used to forge the Star League anew.
  Instead, the Council Lords stripped Kerensky of his office as Protector of the Realm 
  and set about bickering among themselves. Some slighted Kerensky because he was a 
  rival for power, others because of personal animosities. A few later admitted it was the 
  wrong decision. In her memoirs, Barbara Liao decried the Council’s stupidity, writing, “Too 
  late, we came to realize that what we did that day was worse than any crime—it was a 
  mistake.” Even with the SLDF bloodied, Kerensky could easily force the Council to accept 
  his authority—and the look of disgust he shot them before departing made the Council 
  fear that he would—but the General’s sense of honor prevailed. Despite pressure from his 
  advisors to seize the throne, he refused to do so. Instead, as he prepared to depart Terra 
  for the SLDF headquarters on New Earth, he called upon the High Council to adhere to the 
  honors of war and to treat Amaris’ defeated forces with compassion and respect.
  The High Council spent ten months in deliberations, but other than dismissing 
  Kerensky, they agreed on only one other thing: the installation of Jerome Blake as Minister 
  of Communications. Rebuilding the Star League and Hegemony, though within the 
  Council’s power, seems never to have been seriously considered. With no Cameron heirs 
  remaining and Kerensky standing aloof, each Council Lord advanced his or her own claim 
  to the post. Diplomacy, bribery and threats were all employed, but none proved effective. 
  On 12 August 2781 the House Lords abandoned their deliberations, dissolving the Council 
  but stopping short of disbanding the Star League. Though it would be several more years 
  before the effects of this decision struck home for the people of the Inner Sphere, the 
  Council Lords knew only one course of action remained open to them: War.
  Kerensky spent much of the next two years shuttling back and forth between the 
  House capitals, attempting to broker a settlement between the former Council Lords. He 
  hoped to stave off the collapse of the Star League and the eruption of warfare, a course 
  of action which enjoyed massive support throughout all six nations. Only the people of 
  the Periphery realms did not support Kerensky’s diplomacy, though unlike their stance 
  during the events that preceded the Amaris Coup, they did not oppose the Star League. 
  If the League left them alone, they would leave it alone.
  Kenyon Marik refused to meet with Kerensky face-to-face; the General instead met with the Speaker of Parliament, Isaac Venkatesan, 
  during his visit to Atreus. The meeting was civilized but unproductive. The other heads of state were more polite but no more forthcoming. 
  John Davion expressed sympathy for Kerensky’s efforts but refused to support the candidacy of any other House Lord (though some entries 
  from the General’s personal log suggest Davion was amenable to having Kerensky as the new First Lord). The new Lyran Archon, Jennifer 
  Steiner, was warmer to Kerensky than her late brother Robert had been—as a young child she had been present at the meetings between her 
  father, Michael, and the future General—but Robert’s annexation of the Rim Worlds Republic remained an obstacle to any agreement. Barbara 
  Liao was perhaps the most sympathetic of the leaders. She already regretted the Council’s treatment of Kerensky, but she felt that by early 
  2783 the situation had degenerated too far for recovery. No official records survive of Kerensky’s meeting with Minoru Kurita, but Clan Goliath 
  Scorpion possessed a painting dating to the Exodus depicting the General and the aged Coordinator kneeling in a traditional Japanese garden, 
  sipping tea. Titled “The Venerable Warriors’ Regrets,” the painting’s artist is unknown and its details are suspect—at least one of the species of 
  cherry appearing in the picture does not exist on Luthien—but it remains the only record of the meeting.
  It became clear to Kerensky that the five former Council Lords had little desire to return to the status quo. Though they paid lip service 
  to continuance of the Star League, they reveled in the freedoms its absence offered. Prior to the Amaris Civil War, they managed to loosen 
  TRAITOR OR MARTYR?
  Kerensky’s next action continues to divide opin-
  ions across the Inner Sphere. At the time, popular 
  support backed Kerensky as the new First Lord, but 
  the General refused to force himself onto the High 
  Council. Instead, he focused on rebuilding the SLDF 
  and undertaking relief operations within the Terran 
  Hegemony. He worked closely with the Minister of 
  Communications, Jerome Blake, all the while hoping 
  that the Council would come to their senses. When 
  they didn’t, disbanding the body in August 2781, he 
  began to explore other options.
  His first step was calming interventionist elements 
  within the SLDF, including a cabal headed by General 
  Lauren Hayes of the 151st Royal BattleMech Division 
  which planned a military campaign to force the House 
  Lords to comply with Kerensky’s wishes. Despite the 
  General’s efforts, tensions within the SLDF simmered, 
  and the Houses regarded the SLDF as a knife held at 
  their throats. 
  House efforts to suborn the SLDF during the sum-
  mer of 2783 finally disabused General Kerensky of his 
  hopes of a political solution. Having ruled out a military 
  push, he found his options swiftly dwindling. By mid-
  September, the core of the Exodus plan was in place and, 
  through the autumn, other interested parties such as 
  Minister Blake were consulted amid the tightest security. 
  Blake did not favor the departure of the SLDF, but a deal 
  was hammered out to support his efforts to maintain 
  the Hegemony with those SLDF troops who declined the 
  option to join Kerensky’s Exodus fleet.
  The maneuvers associated with Kerensky’s Exodus 
  plan, outlined to the entirety of the SLDF in February 
  2784, heightened tensions. Feelings of guilt about 
  their actions and treatment of the General made many 
  of the House Lords fear punitive action, but they were 
  surprised when the most of the SLDF upped stakes and, 
  in November 2784, disappeared into the Periphery.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 13)
  
  PRElUdE TO WAR
  13
  TO THE BRINk
  the shackles imposed by the Camerons, but with the League gone they were unfettered 
  and free to act as their whims and conscience (or rather, lack of one) dictated. They 
  suborned worlds, by diplomacy, coercion and guile, and sought to recruit troops idle 
  since the war, both those of the Rim Worlds Republic and the SLDF. This latter trend 
  became increasingly blatant, and, in the summer of 2783, it grew clear that Great House 
  agents were attempting to entice whole SLDF formations into joining their armies. 
  Kerensky protested; the House Lords’ response was to call for both his resignation and 
  the disbanding of the SLDF. When news reached the General on 3 September of the 
  defection of the Ninety-first Heavy Assault Regiment (The Armadillos) to the Armed 
  Forces of the Federated Suns, he knew the time for diplomacy was past.
  Many histories blame the Council Lords’ desires to rule the Star League as the trigger 
  for the wars that followed—hence their name, the Succession Wars. While their claims 
  to the First Lordship were a factor, the causes of the war were deeper and less rooted 
  in political ambition. Often overlooked is the extent to which the Star League bound 
  together the Inner Sphere financially, and how interdependent the economies of its 
  nations became. Amaris’ usurpation of power caused major disruptions to the economies 
  of the five remaining Great Houses, but the collapse of the Hegemony and the Star 
  League turned recession into depression. The severing of those economic links as the 
  political situation worsened further inflamed the situation. The Houses found a short-term 
  financial salve in gobbling up the worlds of the Hegemony, a process that began in 2783 
  and accelerated after Kerensky’s departure. All wanted the jewel in the crown, Terra itself. 
  But even when hostilities broke out, none were brave enough to make a direct grab for it.
  TO THE BRINK
  The early 2780s saw mass migration within the Hegemony as its population sought 
  respite from the horrors of war. The SLDF and Ministry of Communications attempted to 
  rebuild the nation, but there were massive differences between the core worlds of the 
  Hegemony, which were the last liberated, most fiercely fought over, and benefited from 
  the least time for reconstruction, and those on the fringes of the shattered state that were 
  in more tolerable condition. Terra wasn’t spared this outward migration from the Hegemony 
  core to its fringes, which included significant emigration to the Successor States—more 
  than six billion people, around half of Terra’s population, departed for greener pastures. This drain of resources further hampered rebuilding efforts 
  and placed additional strain on those worlds that had been partially restored. The Houses were more than willing to exploit the resulting chaos.
  The Great Houses’ dismemberment of the Terran Hegemony began slowly. At first, they undertook relief operations, winning hearts and minds 
  before sending in “advisors” to rebuild local governments. Soon, troops were involved, and, as the Succession Wars loomed, the military aspects of 
  these operations far exceeded the humanitarian ones. Though the First Succession War (at first just known as the Succession War) did not officially 
  begin until 2786-2787, military operations within the former Hegemony and along its borders had been underway for almost two years prior.
  Though active within the Hegemony since the fall of Amaris, the Great Houses reaped their initial rewards in early 2783. The first world to official 
  leave the Hegemony was Syrma, which had been jointly controlled with House Steiner. Syrma’s authorities petitioned the Archon for full membership 
  on 19 July, and the world formally joined the Commonwealth six weeks later. Other worlds followed—a total of seventeen by the end of 2783, with 
  the pace increasing over the next two years. By the eve of the First Succession War, sixty-seven Hegemony worlds had been absorbed by the Great 
  Houses. The Free Worlds League was the largest beneficiary, annexing seventeen worlds, closely followed by the Capellan Confederation with fifteen 
  and the Lyran Commonwealth with fourteen. The Draconis Combine claimed the fewest worlds in the land grab, as the Coordinator chose to build a 
  solid base for future operations rather than over-extend the Combine’s position. A few Hegemony worlds put up token resistance to their annexation, 
  but most were relieved at the return of central authority, which represented an economic lifeline and the continuance of reconstruction efforts.
  OVER THE EDGE
  The period following Kerensky’s departure and prior to the start of the First Succession War is commonly referred to as the Phony War. 
  Though it did not feature the open warfare and mass assaults that would soon become commonplace, it saw numerous probes—and in some 
  cases full-scale invasions—as the Great Houses jockeyed for position and tested their opponents’ resolve and preparedness.
  With military forces on the move, it became inevitable that clashes would ensue, and worlds such as Towne soon became hotly contested. 
  Meanwhile, seeking to test Steiner resolve, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery probed the defenses along its border with the Lyran 
  Commonwealth. In 2785, a series of raids followed the pattern of the Third Hidden War, with the raiders disguised as bandits or mercenaries but their 
  true identity nonetheless readily apparent to both sides. Not wanting to be the first to initiate open warfare, Archon Jennifer refused to rise to the bait 
  (or, to the Combine mind, showed no fighting spirit). Realizing her hesitancy, Coordinator Minoru Kurita authorized additional raids. The DCMS soon 
  (TRAITOR OR MARTYR? 
  CONTINUED)
  We know now that it was far from a unanimous 
  decision. The interventionist core around Hayes chose 
  to stay and work for Blake’s Ministry of Communications 
  (see p. 258), while others joined the House militaries or 
  turned to mercenary work. For more than 250 years the 
  fate of Kerensky’s force was unknown and the subject 
  of much speculation. Their return to the Inner Sphere in 
  3050 as the Clans forever changed the Inner Sphere and 
  continues to be a focus of events a century later. Those 
  interested in the fate of the SLDF and its metamorphosis 
  should consult Dr. Saga Brest’s Operation Klondike, or 
  Phelan Kell’s The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky. 
  At the time, some regarded Kerensky’s departure 
  as a noble sacrifice, a warrior removing himself and 
  his men from the field of battle. Others regarded him 
  as a traitor, someone who could have made a massive 
  difference in the lives of those left behind. Kerensky 
  was accused of abrogating his duty; the departure of 
  the SLDF, the fear of which had kept the Houses in line, 
  has been likened to removing the control rods from a 
  fission reactor. Without the SLDF to act as policeman 
  and parent, the disputes between the Great Houses 
  escalated and the march to war became unstoppable.
  —Professor Philip Lynch, Legacies of the Fall, 
  Trinity-Dublin Press, 3128
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  14
  OvER THE EdGE
  lost interest in their attacks against the Lyran Commonwealth—the Lyran Commonwealth 
  Armed Forces’ performance convinced Kurita that House Steiner posed little threat to the 
  Combine. Instead, he chose to focus his efforts on his old enemy, the Federated Suns.
  House Davion was relatively slow to capitalize on the post-Exodus situation, though 
  the Suns recruited their fair share of SLDF troops and Hegemony worlds. Nonetheless, 
  incidents such as the Towne Debacle, in which internal squabbling prevented a large 
  Federated Suns garrison from crushing Capellan and Combine raiders, highlighted the 
  organizational weaknesses within the AFFS. Rivalries between units and regions further 
  exacerbated the situation, as certain troops and commanders refused to aid their comrades. 
  The situation was later likened to a wall of bricks assembled without mortar; with nothing 
  binding them together, it was possible to poke out individual bricks until, inevitably, the 
  whole organization collapsed. Such were the AFFS defenses on the eve of war—superficially 
  powerful but rife with weaknesses. Even had the political situation been better, there were 
  other fundamental flaws in the Davion position. Like all the Great Houses, the Federated 
  Suns struggled through a major economic downturn in the post-Star League era, which 
  turned into a full-blown economic crash by late 2786. While spending extravagantly on new 
  troops, Davion commanders’ provincial mindset limited the realm’s expenditure on logistics 
  and transport assets. As such, even had they wanted to help their neighbors, many of the 
  troops along the Suns’ borders lacked the ability to do so. 
  The Draconis Combine’s focus on the Lyran Commonwealth during the Phony 
  War convinced Davion High Command that they faced only a limited threat from the 
  Dragon. Instead, they chose to focus most of the nation’s assets on the Capellan border, 
  intending to pre-empt any Liao offensive by engaging the Capellan Confederation 
  Armed Forces in their home territory and relying on static defenses along the Combine 
  border to hold back any Kuritan raids. The error would nearly prove fatal.
  Barbara Liao may have regarded the High Council’s dismissal of Kerensky as a 
  grievous mistake, but that didn’t prevent her from strengthening the position of her 
  Capellan Confederation. With several SLDF units added to her arsenal, Liao prepared for 
  war against both the Free Worlds League and the Federated Suns. The Confederation 
  also gobbled up as many former Hegemony worlds as the CCAF could reach, a process 
  that continued more than a dozen years into the First Succession War. Showing little 
  compunction about the morality of the looming conflict, Liao ordered the distribution 
  of nuclear and chemical weapons to front-line units, and granted regional commanders 
  release authority for the strategic weapons. She feared the Confederation would be 
  forced to fight a bloody defensive on both the League and Suns fronts, though the 
  reality would be far more deadly for the Confederation’s neighbors.
  Unlike the other Great Houses, the Free Worlds League was not a monolithic entity 
  easily pressured into war. However, Captain General Kenyon Marik used the instability of the 
  Phony War to forge his authority, traditionally limited by the role of his nation’s Parliament, 
  into real power. Resolution 288, passed in 2784, granted the Captain-General extraordinary 
  powers for “the duration of the crisis.” In effect, Parliament handed over executive power 
  to the Captain-General—while retaining control of the purse strings—and allowed him to 
  undertake whatever military and diplomatic actions he saw fit. Marik’s biography blames 
  the Lyran Commonwealth for the outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, a strike 
  against Bolan in May 2785. Though far from decisive engagement, it briefly focused the 
  Free Worlds League Militia’s attention on their old rivals. Unfortunately for the Capellan 
  Confederation, the distraction would be brief.
  On New Year’s Eve 2786, Coordinator Minoru Kurita fired the first shot of the 
  Succession Wars. By claiming the lordship of the Star League for himself, he provided 
  the other House Lords with the excuse they had been waiting for. The other Lords 
  soon followed suit and issued their own claims—either with due solemnity, such as 
  John Davion’s speech to the former High Council, or with a sense of irony, as in Jennifer 
  Steiner’s address. Their claims had little basis in jurisprudence or fact, but that mattered 
  little to the five Great Houses. Now, they had a justification for war.
  The Succession War had begun.
  INTO THE FIRE
  “None have the strength or moral 
  fortitude required, and so the Dragon 
  takes it upon itself to do what must be 
  done. As of this day, the Coordinator of the 
  Draconis Combine shall also be addressed 
  as First Lord of the Star League. ”
  —Minoru Kurita, personal address, 
  31 December 2786
  HIDDEN AGENDAS
  Minister Blake undertook political and economic 
  actions to safeguard his fief. During 2786, he visited 
  leaders of each of the Great Houses and won approval 
  for an accord that would become the Communications 
  Protocol of 2787. The accord recognized the Ministry 
  of Communications, rebranded ComStar in 2787, as a 
  neutral body. The agreements also recognized ComStar 
  premises and possessions, including all HPG stations, 
  as sovereign territory and thus outside House law. At 
  the time this seemed a minor provision to safeguard 
  the HPGs, but Blake had a much wider goal for the 
  protections of the Protocol.
  In addition to the Protocols, Blake’s negotiations 
  established the ComStar Letter of Credit (later renamed 
  the C-bill) as the standard of interchange between 
  ComStar and the Houses. By extension, the C-bill 
  became the standard of international commerce—
  such as it was on the eve of the Succession Wars—and 
  gave ComStar economic as well as political leverage.
  Though not revealed until centuries later, Jerome 
  Blake had his own ambitions for the Terran Hegemony. 
  The Ministry of Communications was the sole remaining 
  Star League institution; Blake hoped that with the aid of 
  the SLDF forces bequeathed to him by General Kerensky 
  he would be able to hold and restore the shattered 
  Hegemony. The rapaciousness of the Great Houses ended 
  that dream, but backed by troops under General Lauren 
  Hayes, Blake still hoped to establish a remnant under 
  ComStar authority. In late 2786, amid the outbreak of 
  the First Succession War, Blake began formalizing his 
  plans, designating them Operation SILVER SHIELD.
  Elements of eighteen divisions and a similar num-
  ber of independent regiments chose to side with Blake. 
  From this force, Hayes assembled eight full divisions 
  with a similar quantity of reserve material. This force was 
  not ready to take action at the time the Succession War 
  began, but it soon would, masquerading as mercenaries.
  —Misha Auburn, A Complete History of the 
  Succession Wars, Tharkad Press, 3054
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  15
   
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  16
   
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 
  —George Santayana, Reason in Common Sense, 1901
  “Leaving? What do you mean ‘leaving’? To where? He can’t leave! Who is going to pick up the pieces after we beat each other into oblivion?” 
  —Archon Jennifer Steiner, regarding General Kerensky’s Exodus, 2784
  To many historians, General Kerensky’s Exodus sealed the 
  Inner Sphere’s fate, ensuring the final death of the Star League 
  era and the beginning of the Succession Wars. Had Kerensky and 
  his SLDF loyalists stayed, they argue, the superior technology 
  of the battle-hardened survivors from the war against Amaris 
  might have managed to reclaim the Terran Hegemony, establish 
  a new ruling line, and maybe even force the Council Lords back 
  to the negotiating table. Even with the benefit of more than three 
  centuries’ hindsight, many of these presumptions persist today. But 
  collectively, they miss the greater picture of an Inner Sphere that 
  was ultimately destined to collapse, no matter what Kerensky did. 
  In 2784, General Aleksandr Kerensky commanded an active-
  duty army of some three million front-line soldiers, distributed 
  across forty ’Mech divisions, ninety-five infantry divisions, and 
  117 independent commands—for a total of approximately 635 
  regiments of BattleMech units alone. The SLDF naval forces at the 
  time consisted of 414 active WarShips, with perhaps twenty times as 
  many combat-capable DropShips and other large support vessels. 
  After the fierce fighting against the Usurper Amaris, virtually all of 
  these forces were staffed by seasoned veterans.
  By all accounts, the officers commanding these assets pledged 
  their loyalty to Kerensky and were willing to fight to restore the 
  Terran Hegemony with him as its new monarch. Some among 
  them, such as General Lauren Hayes of the 151st Royal BattleMech 
  Division, went far enough to plan just such a campaign. Even 
  General Aaron DeChavilier, Kerensky’s right-hand man and most 
  trusted friend, was said to have favored the idea.
  That Kerensky was exhausted by the war against the Usurper 
  is beyond any doubt, but his reluctance to take up the mantle of 
  the next First Lord was rooted in the ideal that doing so would 
  betray the Star League as long as it still stood. He had led his 
  soldiers to save the League, after all, not become its next usurpers. 
  To him, doing so while there was a chance the House Lords could 
  possibly reach a peaceful consensus would have destroyed all that 
  his troops had fought and died for. But, as many have noted, all of 
  those reasons vanished the moment the Council Lords disbanded 
  the High Council in February of 2781. Technically speaking, that 
  official declaration would have voided Kerensky’s responsibilities 
  to the League’s government, and opened the door to a swift, 
  overwhelming military takeover of the Hegemony worlds.
  Understanding why Kerensky chose to instead lead more than 
  three-fourths of the surviving SLDF into exile is a subject that has 
  filled many volumes since that fateful day in 2784. Looking over 
  the numbers, there is little doubt that they would have succeeded 
  in any campaign to reclaim the Hegemony, whether it was Hayes’ 
  ambitious CASE RED plan, or something more measured. Even with 
  postwar defections and other troop departures, and the increasingly 
  rapid build-up of the other House armies and fleets since 2780, 
  Kerensky still had as many ’Mech regiments at his command as all 
  five neighboring states combined, supported by a combat fleet that 
  could easily overpower the entire navy of any single other realm. 
  But none of that would have prevented the Succession Wars, 
  and the great general knew it.
  Kerensky was a principled man, but he was not naïve. The 
  damage from the war against Amaris had left many of the Hegemony’s 
  industries in shambles, and some of its key worlds were already 
  beginning to slide toward complete collapse despite the best efforts 
  of men like Jerome Blake. At the same time, the Houses raced to build 
  their own armies larger than ever, massing troops and launching 
  even more WarShips. Seizing Terra and the rest of the Hegemony 
  was within Kerensky’s means, but he would then be placed in the 
  unenviable position of trying to hold a realm in a state of near-total 
  infrastructural collapse while surrounded by hostile neighbors. The 
  House Lords were so set on their own desires to dominate the 
  Inner Sphere that they actually disbanded the League, rather than 
  allow any of their competitors to claim the throne, but they had 
  already demonstrated their mutual fear of Kerensky when they 
  defrocked him. Knowing that, Kerensky could easily see the divided 
  Houses uniting just to bring down his restored Hegemony, all but 
  guaranteeing that his next war would come swiftly, and from all sides.
  Thus, knowing that all he could hope to accomplish was to add 
  one more faction to the wars that were certain to come—a faction 
  that would surely draw the most devastating attention from all sides—
  Kerensky chose to lead this troops and their families into exile. For all of 
  his efforts, he knew that a new age of war was certain, and decided to 
  ensure the survival of the finest men and women he’d ever known by 
  finding them a home as far away from the crossfire as he could.
  RACING TOWARD ARMAGEDDON
  Long before the end of Kerensky’s war against Amaris, the House 
  Lords had been waging covert wars, cloaked as random piracy, while 
  whittling away at the Star League-era edicts that kept the SLDF 
  singularly superior to their own militaries. Whether for their own 
  ends, or as a result of their indecisiveness during what many cast 
  as a Terran-vs-Periphery conflict, these rulers stood by as Kerensky’s 
  forces first pummeled the Periphery rebels, and continued to do so 
  after the Usurper’s coup. Having taken advantage of First Lord Richard 
  Cameron’s youth and naïveté, they built up their strengths, and 
  fortified their borders. Under a veneer of passive neutrality, each 
  prepared for the chance to seize the Star League’s throne for his or 
  her own House—or for the equally likely possibility that their ancient 
  enemies would strike first.
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  17
  IGNITION POINTS
  In the wake of the Terran liberation, this arms race only accelerated. With the 
  possibility that Kerensky might yet make a play to install himself as a new Hegemony 
  director-general, thereby laying claim to the First Lordship regardless of the legalities, 
  the House Lords saw the Hegemony worlds as potentially their strongest foes in the 
  wars ahead. As they moved to annex the closest Hegemony worlds under the pretext 
  of protection, military industries shifted into overdrive in all five Member States. Within 
  the span of less than five years, each realm had increased its BattleMech forces by ten 
  percent or more, and their fleet strengths ballooned by as much as fifty percent.
  Even before Kerensky’s fateful exodus, few believed that the future held anything 
  but war; it was merely a question of when the first shots would be fired, and who 
  would pull the trigger. The SLDF’s departure eliminated the single biggest potential 
  combatant from the field, but merely put the remaining five Houses on equal footing. 
  Naturally, this led to another scramble in military preparedness, as tensions on every 
  border rose with each passing day. 
  The Inner Sphere became a tinderbox, just waiting for the spark that would ignite it.
  IGNITION POINTS 
  The first shots of what would eventually be known as the Succession Wars came 
  some months before the official declarations of hostilities. These battles served as pretexts 
  under which the various House Lords informally acknowledged the new era of conflict.
  THE BOLAN OFFENSIVE
  The first major action of the Succession Wars was the Lyran Commonwealth’s 
  “surgical offensive” against the world of Bolan. Dubbed “Operation ELBOW JOINT” by 
  the LCAF High Command, this attack was officially classified as a pre-emptive strike, 
  launched in response to “signs of naked aggression” from the Free Worlds League. This 
  justification was backed up by the Free Worlds’ annexation of Millungera and Saltillo 
  in 2783 and 2784, respectively; the two worlds were jointly administered by House 
  Marik and the former Star League to keep an eye on the flow of traffic into the Thumb 
  region. Lyran historians who prefer to see their native realm as a state that rarely starts 
  a conflict point to these facts to explain the necessity of the Bolan offensive, even 
  though the existence of such “naked aggression” remains disputed by Free Worlds 
  historians to this day.
  COMPARATIVE INNER SPHERE  
  MILITARY STRENGTHS
  Realm
  ’Mech Regiments*
  (2780 / 2784 / 2786)
  Active WarShips**
  (2780 / 2784 / 2786)
  Star League Defense Force
  635 / 515 / —
  414 / 414 / —
  Capellan Confederation
  92 / 96 / 121
  92 / 119 / 153
  Draconis Combine
  114 / 139 / 147
  100 / 150 / 194
  Federated Suns
  116 / 139 / 143
  110 / 149 / 184
  Free Worlds League
  95 / 106 / 119
  103 / 133 / 163
  Lyran Commonwealth
  94 / 104 / 122
  130 / 180 / 216
  *Approximate numbers, based on regimental strength averages of 120 
  BattleMechs, discounting supporting elements
  **Figures do not include reserve vessels and other non-combat vessels
  INTO THE VOID
  Aleksandr Kerensky’s Exodus in November 2784 
  cleared the last major roadblock to the ambitions of 
  the House Lords. Though they had already disbanded 
  the Star League and defrocked its Protector, and spent 
  the better part of five years gradually dismantling the 
  Terran Hegemony while massing their armies, few 
  believed that any of the ruling families would have 
  dared to launch a major offensive with the threat of 
  the SLDF still present. For many, the six months that 
  followed Kerensky’s departure had the feel of an Inner 
  Sphere holding its collective breath, waiting for the 
  conflict that no longer seemed avoidable.
  As the realms left behind them slid into the 
  inevitable chaos of the First Succession War, Kerensky’s 
  exiles spent nearly two years beyond the boundaries of 
  settled space, traveling first spinward, then coreward, 
  in their search for new homelands. The journey was not 
  without incident, as agitators among the assembled 
  ships soon grew disillusioned and advocated a return 
  to the Inner Sphere. In 2785, this dissent culminated 
  in the Prinz Eugen Revolt, a mutiny that Kerensky took 
  drastic measures to put down.
  In August 2786, the self-exiled remnants of the 
  once great Star League finally set down to begin their 
  life anew on a cluster of five planets that came to be 
  known as the Pentagon Worlds. Harsh conditions, 
  and a need for more hands to build their society than 
  defend it, prompted Kerensky to enact strict protocols 
  to weed out lesser troops in the name of strengthen-
  ing each planet’s infrastructure. While wars spread 
  throughout the Inner Sphere, the Star League-in-Exile 
  grew and explored the nearby worlds of what would 
  be known as the Kerensky Cluster. 
  For almost twenty years, the Exodus survivors 
  expanded their colonies, and began to raise a new 
  generation far from mankind’s homelands. But survival 
  alone was not enough for some; the seeds of doubt 
  and the bitterness of eking out an existence on hostile 
  planets under an enforced policy of social engineer-
  ing took their toll. The Pentagon settlers also began 
  to group themselves along traditional cultural lines, 
  carrying over the attendant resentments to their new 
  home. Uprisings erupted with increasing frequency, 
  and finally boiled over into all-out war with the death 
  of Aaron DeChavilier during an insurgency on Eden. 
  Overcome with grief at the loss of his old friend, 
  Aleksandr Kerensky’s response was a heavy-handed 
  military action which only intensified the violence, 
  until all five Pentagon worlds were in open revolt.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 18)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  18
  IGNITION POINTS
  Regardless of which party was the more aggrieved, the outcome of the Bolan 
  Offensive quickly set the tone for the entire war to come.
  The Commonwealth attack centered on three BattleMech regiments, supported by 
  twice as many regiments of infantry and armor, plus four wings of aerospace fighters. 
  These forces arrived in the Bolan system escorted by a combat naval task force that 
  included three Commonwealth-class cruisers, and four Mako-class corvettes. 
  Commanding the operation was Leutnant-General Baron Richart Johonson von 
  Eilenburg. A young officer, Johonson’s pre-war combat experience consisted of several 
  bloodless actions during House Steiner’s capture of the Rim Worlds Republic worlds 
  already crushed by Kerensky’s SLDF. He was a virtual unknown to the majority of the 
  troops and officers he led to Bolan. That a wealthy member of the nobility rose to the 
  rank of leutnant-general in the LCAF scarcely surprised anyone, but how he won the 
  command of the Lyrans’ first major legitimate military action since the end of the Age of 
  War has been hotly debated for centuries.
  On 7 March 2785, Operation ELBOW JOINT began with the arrival of the JumpShip 
  Lucian Bell, an independent merchant well known to the Bolan region outposts on both 
  sides of the League-Commonwealth border. Docked with this vessel was a single Mule-class 
  DropShip, operating under civilian registry. Shortly after materializing at Bolan’s zenith jump 
  point, where the system’s sole recharge and customs station was located, the Lucian Bell 
  unfurled her jump sail and hailed the station chiefs. After what seemed a routine exchange 
  of pleasantries, the Bell prepared for an equally routine customs inspection of its cargo—a 
  common protocol even before the days of rising border tensions between House Lords. 
  As the customs shuttles approached, both the Mule’s cargo bay doors and the Bell’s 
  flight bays opened, disgorging two squadrons of LCAF fighters that swiftly dispatched 
  the inbound craft. Immediately afterward, the Mule detached itself and burned toward 
  the station while broadcasting heavy ECM. The short firefight that followed ended with 
  more than a platoon of Lyran marines forcibly boarding the customs station, while the 
  fighters destroyed every other non-Lyran ship in the vicinity.
  Despite the attackers’ efficiency, one of the League patrol shuttles did manage to 
  get word out to the in-system defenders. By the time the message was received, however, it 
  was too late; within minutes of the first shots fired, a Commonwealth-class WarShip jumped in at the zenith jump point, escorting a flotilla of 
  JumpShips carrying a regiment of LCAF troops. At nearly the same time, a second group of ships—this one carrying the task force’s remaining 
  ground forces, and backed up by an additional six WarShips—materialized at a LaGrange point along Bolan’s orbital plane.
  On the planet were two regiments of the Free Worlds League’s Bolan Defenders brigade, formations raised from the worlds of the Bolan 
  Thumb after they were captured during the Age of War. These regiments, nominally commanded by Colonel Salam Tutt of the Sixth Defenders, 
  were dispersed across the planet’s major landmasses; half were engaged in war games exercises at the time the alerts came in. Meanwhile, 
  Bolan’s orbital defenses consisted almost entirely of three League-class destroyers and the Manaslu, a reconditioned Aegis-class cruiser. 
  Topping off the defenders’ assets was a massive fortress known as the Overwatch. Formerly the headquarters for the SLDF’s 418th 
  Mechanized Infantry Division, the Overwatch was a heavily reinforced complex on the planet’s lightly settled Sebari continent. Though not 
  quite a fully-functional Castle Brian like those of the crumbling Terran Hegemony, the Overwatch did boast several surface-to-orbit defense 
  batteries and long-range strategic missile platforms. These facilities, according to Commonwealth intelligence, were being used as a storage 
  site for munitions and equipment intended for an imminent Free Worlds offensive against the Lyran Commonwealth.
  As it happened, House Steiner’s intelligence was correct—Kenyon Marik was indeed preparing to employ the strategically placed Bolan 
  worlds as a springboard to a great Commonwealth invasion. But the League’s captain-general could not resist the opportunity to claim Terran 
  worlds as soon as Kerensky was out of the picture. Thus, the ships and troops intended for the campaign against House Steiner were diverted 
  spinward, even as stockpiles were built across the Thumb.
  When the alert reached Bolan itself, the Marik forces scrambled into action. After sending an emergency HPG request for reinforcements 
  from the nearest garrisons, Colonel Tutt conferred with his fellow regimental commander, Colonel Henri Balkichek of the Tenth Defenders. He 
  ordered the bulk of the Tenth to defend the planetary capital of Mumbai on the Sakete continent, with a battalion of the Sixth deployed at the 
  nearby port city of Quetta. A battalion of the Tenth was also dispatched to cover the city of Calcutta, the largest settlement on the Kashmir 
  continent, with a third of the Sixth’s supporting elements assigned to back them up. The rest of the two ’Mech regiments’ collective support 
  assets were peppered in company-sized formations throughout the major townships on Sakete and Kashmir, including Multan, Peshawar, Sibi, 
  Sukkur and Vadora. Finally, local militia and security forces were placed on high alert to watch for incoming invaders, but given strict orders to 
  avoid engagement and instead report all contacts and determine enemy troop strength should they appear in these lower-populated areas. 
  This left the remainder of Tutt’s ground strength—two battalions of BattleMechs—to defend the area around the Overwatch itself.
  INTO THE VOID (CONTINUED)
  Upon the death of the Great General in 2801, 
  the remaining leaders of the SLDF-in-exile split on 
  whether his son and heir apparent, Nicholas Kerensky, 
  should assume his mantle and quell the uprisings. The 
  younger Kerensky decided instead to lead those offi-
  cers and troops loyal to him on a second Exodus to the 
  Kerensky Cluster world of Strana Mechty. There, deter-
  mined to build a new society and military free from 
  the legacies of Inner Sphere identities, he furthered the 
  social engineering protocols his father had employed 
  to build the Pentagon colonies, and reorganized his 
  top loyalists into twenty hyper-elite groups known as 
  the Clans. Through years of grueling tests and training, 
  Nicholas prepared his Clans for their first great chal-
  lenge: the reclamation of the Pentagon worlds.
  In June of 2821, scarcely two months after the 
  signing of the Bella Accords in the Inner Sphere, 
  Nicholas Kerensky launched Operation KLONDIKE. As 
  the First Succession War came to its end, the might 
  of the newborn Clans was unleashed against the 
  Pentagon Worlds.
  —Winston Chambers, A Pocket History of the Inner 
  Sphere, Terra Press, 3122
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  19
  IGNITION POINTS
  In space, the League WarShips first squared off against the Lyrans inbound 
  along the solar plane. These ships—the Commonwealth-class cruisers Caledonia 
  and Donegal, escorted by the Mako-class corvettes Aurelius, Nerva, Vespasian, 
  and Vitellius—presented more than enough firepower to shatter the Marik 
  defense fleet by themselves, but also included secondary support in the form 
  of two squadrons of assault DropShips and fighters. Despite the Steiners’ 
  superior numbers, however, their attacking fleet divided itself too broadly; the 
  four corvettes ranged far ahead with light DropShip support, eager to engage 
  the Marik destroyers Talwar, Turk, and Tyberium that rose to meet them. Using 
  a series of feints and sudden retreats, the League ships further scattered the 
  inbound corvettes, and managed to inflict enough damage to force the Nerva 
  and Vespasian to fall back before the attacking cruisers reached planetary orbit 
  with a mass of transport DropShips close behind them.
  In a desperate effort to intercept the LCAF’s ’Mech transports, the cruiser 
  Manaslu engaged in a headlong rush, accompanied by a handful of assault 
  DropShips and two squadrons of heavy fighters. At the same time, the destroyer 
  Tyberium—already suffering heavy damage from an earlier exchange with the 
  corvettes Nerva and Vitellius—attempted to support the Manaslu’s charge with 
  a suicidal run at the Donegal. Meanwhile, Talwar and Turk, still engaged by the 
  remaining two Steiner Makos, were forced to stay on the outskirts of the action. 
  The Manaslu’s withering fire pummeled the Caledonia, scoring severe damage 
  to the enemy cruiser’s maneuvering drives and port side fire control. This forced the 
  Lyran cruiser to retreat, lest she tumble into Bolan’s gravity well, but not before her 
  return fire tore open the Aegis-class vessel’s prow with at least two nuclear-tipped 
  Barracuda missiles and a savage broadside of naval lasers. With her sensor arrays 
  destroyed, her command centers obliterated, and half her maneuvering thrusters off-
  line, Manaslu tumbled out of control, her crew racing to the escape pods. Tyberium’s 
  attack likewise failed, and the Donegal not only managed to evade the smaller 
  League WarShip, but dealt a crippling blow to her engines. Powerless against the 
  planet’s gravitational pull, Tyberium broke apart in Bolan’s atmosphere minutes later, 
  shedding escape pods right up to her final, fiery moments.
  At the fringes of the orbital fight, Talwar and Turk fared much better, 
  dispatching both the Aurelius and the Vitellius. Detecting the LCS Furillo, the third 
  cruiser in the Commonwealth’s attack fleet, burning in from the zenith jump 
  point, the wounded League destroyers fled the battle zone under orders 
  from the Overwatch.
  The ground war for Bolan began on 14 March, a day after the 
  Commonwealth fleet attained orbital superiority. Initially landing 
  together in the vicinity of Peshawar, the first two LCAF regiments—
  the Eleventh and Fourteenth Arcturan Guards—annihilated the local 
  defenses and held their position inside the Kashmiri city, leading the 
  League commanders to believe that they were rallying for a direct 
  attack against Calcutta. Although Johonson did indeed make several 
  threats to that effect in an effort to encourage an early surrender of 
  that city, his forces merely fortified their beachhead in Peshawar.
  Despite his relative inexperience, Leutnant-General 
  Johonson was well aware of the Bolan Defenders and their 
  reputed devotion to the worlds of the Thumb. Raised from 
  the local populace, and steeped in generations of Marik 
  propaganda since the Age of War, these warriors would only 
  see House Steiner as a conquering invader. Even the 
  Defenders’ brigade motto—“Ad respiratio ultimas” (“To 
  the last breath”)—attested to their willingness to die 
  for their homeworlds. While Johonson himself 
  felt—as did most of his fellow Lyrans—that 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  20
  IGNITION POINTS
  their destroyers led them on a merry chase above the moonless 
  world. By all appearances, Colonel Tutt’s defensive strategy, the 
  capabilities of his Overwatch, and the losses inflicted during the 
  naval battle made the Commonwealth invaders cautious enough 
  to hold back. The Lyrans still held the advantage in sheer firepower 
  and numbers, but the Bolanese commander vowed a long and 
  bloody fight before his world fell—long enough, perhaps, for his 
  reinforcements to arrive.
  The illusion of a possible stalemate lasted only until the mid-
  day hours on 18 March, when Baron Johonson launched the next 
  phase of his campaign. Gathering the bulk of the aerospace fighters 
  from all three regiments, and loading them with a combination 
  of incendiary, high-explosive, and cluster ordnance, he ordered a 
  massed attack on Calcutta. Coordinated with a sustained barrage 
  of artillery, the bombing run leveled the city in minutes, killing 
  more than twenty thousand Bolanese civilians, and effectively 
  annihilating the Tenth Defenders’ 101st Assault Battalion. Incensed, 
  Colonel Tutt ordered the destroyer Talwar to execute an orbital 
  strike on the Eleventh Arcturan’s DropShips—still parked perilously 
  close to the township of Peshawar.
  Talwar’s attack fell just as Johonson broadcast one final call 
  for Tutt’s surrender, assuring the Marik colonel that his remaining 
  forces had the ability and the will to eradicate all of the League-
  occupied positions on Bolan with similar savagery. Picking up on 
  Johonson’s allusion to the nuclear ordnance carried by his orbiting 
  cruisers, Tutt vowed that his Defenders would stand to their last 
  man, reciting the brigade’s motto as he cut off the transmission. 
  Despite that promise, Tutt ordered all non-essential personnel 
  to evacuate the Overwatch, taking as many surviving combat 
  elements as could fit aboard the DropShips. To his remaining field 
  commanders, Tutt then issued orders for all forces to abandon their 
  defenses and engage the enemy directly, and keep them bottled 
  up in their present positions at Quetta and Mumbai. 
  This, his officers knew, was to be their final stand. As the 
  remaining Defenders surged out from cover to attack their Lyran 
  besiegers, Tutt authorized the launch of the Overwatch’s strategic 
  arsenal, targeting their positions. When the first nuclear warheads 
  impacted the planetary capital of Mumbai and inside the township 
  of Peshawar, Johonson recognized the scorched earth strategy 
  for what it was. Abandoning his containment tactics, he ordered 
  his siege forces to disengage and retreat at best speed, while his 
  WarShips turned swiftly for the Sebari continent, to bring their 
  own nuclear ordnance to bear. Determined to avert the total 
  annihilation of his ground forces, Johonson commanded the 
  cruisers to wipe the Overwatch off the face of Bolan. Capture of the 
  valuable facilities, and the supplies within, was no longer an option.
  The battle for Bolan was won by the Lyran Commonwealth, 
  but at horrific cost. The cities of Mumbai, Calcutta, Peshawar, 
  and Quetta were reduced to radioactive ash, along with the bulk 
  of the Sebari island continent and the Overwatch base. Civilian 
  casualty estimates ranged from three to eight million. Only a single 
  battalion of the Sixth Bolan Defenders managed to retreat to 
  Zdice, while the LCAF lost more than two-thirds of the Tenth Skye 
  Rangers and a third each of the Eleventh and Fourteenth Arcturan 
  Guards. The League’s naval losses at Bolan were total; the Manaslu 
  the Bolan worlds were stolen from the Commonwealth when the 
  Star League’s creation “ratified” the border, he knew the recipe for 
  fanaticism when he saw it. 
  Instead of driving toward the Overwatch, Johonson divided up 
  his regiments to pursue multiple objectives. His orders to each field 
  command were to strike hard and fast at the largest concentrations 
  of Marik forces in the major cities of Quetta and Calcutta, while 
  his aerospace forces and assault DropShips swept the townships 
  nearest to each objective for bombing missions. Each ground force 
  was to maintain mobility, denying the defenders easy targets for 
  artillery strikes and orbital bombardment. 
  On 16 March, the Tenth Skye Rangers made planetfall directly 
  over the outskirts of Quetta, their arrival heralded by an orbital attack 
  from the Furillo against the city’s spaceport. While the port facilities 
  were primarily commercial in nature, at the time they sheltered 
  several of the Defenders’ DropShips and acted as a primary fueling 
  station for Bolan’s remaining air defenses. The Rangers combat-
  dropped near the fortified positions around the spaceport, where 
  they found the opposition in disarray due to smoke and fires raging 
  from the detonation of nearby fuel storage tanks and a hangar filled 
  with munitions. Amid the blazing inferno, the Lyrans pounded the 
  League positions, sowing as much chaos as possible.
  On the other side of the planet, the Eleventh Arcturan Guards 
  boarded their DropShips as soon as the Quetta assault began, and 
  executed a sub-orbital hop to land in the hilly countryside between 
  Quetta and Mumbai. League fighters attempted to oppose this 
  landing, but the ravages of the last two days and air support from 
  the Rangers swept them from the sky. The Eleventh moved on 
  Mumbai, establishing control of the city’s southern suburbs even 
  as the Bolan Defenders there fell back in a vain effort to draw 
  the Steiner force into a maze of pre-laid traps. While the Lyran 
  ’Mechs held their positions just outside each city, their artillery 
  support began a sporadic bombardment of both sites, moving 
  intermittently after every few barrages. 
  By the morning of 17 March, the sieges against Quetta and 
  Mumbai had reduced the central districts of both cities to smoking, 
  rubble-strewn enclaves. Within, the increasingly desperate Bolan 
  Defenders found themselves constantly scrambling for safe havens, 
  while their counter-artillery had yet to score more than a few hits 
  against the enemy. Meanwhile, Johonson ordered the Fourteenth 
  Guards to move on Calcutta. Under heavy air and artillery cover, the 
  regiment of mostly medium- and light-weight ’Mechs converged 
  on the thick woodlands to the city’s north and west sides, while a 
  mix of fast-moving hovertanks and VTOLs skirted the city’s edges 
  in an effort to identify possible League positions within. Although 
  artillery from Calcutta and harassing forces from the township of 
  Multan damaged some of the inbound Lyrans, local sunset found 
  the city effectively surrounded by a regiment of LCAF BattleMechs.
  In space, the Donegal and the Furillo played a game of hide 
  and seek with the League’s surviving destroyers, each relying 
  on DropShip support to cover most of their reconnaissance and 
  ground support missions, while conspicuously steering clear of the 
  Sabari continent and the orbital defense weapons at Overwatch. 
  The Bolan Defenders, holding to the shelter of their positions, 
  denied these WarShips any easy targets on the ground while 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  21
  IGNITION POINTS
  battle. Under this courtesy, it was acceptable for a strong warrior to 
  bypass his unready opponent, ignoring the enemy’s weakness and 
  giving him the chance to prepare for a more equal match in the 
  future. The bypassed opponent, in the meantime, would feel great 
  shame for his lack of composure. Such shame would then inspire 
  the unready samurai to improve himself for the future challenge.
  And so it was that, before his fateful announcement and 
  declarations of war, Minoru Kurita decided he would use his skills in 
  iaijutsu to gauge his competition—and thus determine which of his 
  enemies would be the Dragon’s worthiest foe with a decisive first 
  strike by the codes of bushido and bujitsu.
  The Commonwealth Incursions
  In August of 2785, a battalion of unmarked medium ’Mechs 
  struck the lightly defended world of Bone-Norman, a former Rim 
  Worlds Republic holding that the Lyran Commonwealth had seized 
  only a decade before. After quickly dispatching the local paramilitary 
  militia, the attackers tore through several cities, including the 
  planetary capital of Red Stone, setting some settlements ablaze, 
  and plundering others for assorted industrial and military supplies. 
  Within days of the Bone-Norman attack, smaller, aerospace-based 
  raiding forces—some allegedly bearing insignia of the former Rim 
  Worlds Army—harried civilian merchant traffic and recharge stations 
  at Barcelona and Somerset. Several local media outlets, speculating on 
  the identity of the mysterious raiders, latched onto the possibility that 
  these bandits were indeed remnant Republic forces, come to avenge 
  House Steiner’s de facto conquest of their realm.
  Despite rising political tensions with the Draconis Combine, 
  the possibility of a resurgent Republic-affiliated bandit army was of 
  sufficient concern to prompt the LCAF High Command to shift many 
  of its Combine-border formations coreward. When several Tamar 
  Pact nobles suggested the possibility that the raid could have been 
  a Kurita ploy, General of the Armies Paul Steiner—younger brother 
  to Archon Jennifer Steiner—countered that the possibility of a 
  Rim Worlds revival was a threat that simply could not be ignored, 
  especially so close to the Combine border. Furthermore, he argued, 
  the Bone-Norman strike underscored how much more exposed 
  the Commonwealth was to attacks from its Periphery region; if the 
  attackers were DCMS, they would likely try to use that weakness to 
  circumvent the better-fortified front. 
  A month after these troop movements began, House Kurita’s 
  Second Benjamin Regulars and Fifth Arkab Legion invaded the 
  world of Trolloc Prime, easily overpowering the conventional 
  defenses left behind there after the Second Lyran Regulars’ 
  departure. A week later, Gram was likewise attacked by Combine 
  forces—this time in the form of the Seventh Proserpina Hussars 
  and the Twelfth Benjamin Regulars. Once more, the departure of 
  that world’s defending Sixth Donegal Guards left its remaining 
  conventional militia unable to repel the invaders. Relying on lighter 
  units to outmaneuver the slower tanks and infantry left on both 
  worlds, the DCMS quickly decimated their opposition. 
  By late December of 2785, the Dragon’s banner flew over the 
  capital cities on Gram and Trolloc Prime. Although General Steiner 
  reacted to the incursion by moving additional forces to cover 
  the region, the Archon was reluctant to declare war against the 
  was recovered by the Lyrans, but would be deemed irreparable 
  and scrapped soon afterward. The Talwar and Turk were destroyed 
  while covering the escaping ground forces. The Commonwealth 
  naval losses were limited to the corvettes Aurelius and Vitellius, but 
  the Nerva and Vespasian would spend nearly two years undergoing 
  repairs at New Kyoto’s Bolson Shipyards before reentering service 
  just in time to see those facilities destroyed. The cruiser Caledonia, 
  also badly damaged, would remain on station at Bolan with her 
  sister ship Furillo until later in the war.
  The Bolan Offensive became a template for the conflict ahead. 
  With no Star League Council to answer to, the Great Houses would 
  spearhead their invasions with heavy naval forces, while defenders 
  fell into their cities to discourage bombardment, or take to heavily 
  fortified positions left behind by the SLDF. These strategies, in 
  turn, would prompt many an impatient commander to unleash 
  nuclear and chemical weapons to avoid protracted campaigns, 
  rationalizing these decisions as necessary to shock their enemies 
  into submission and preserve their own strength. To prevent their 
  foes from recovering their losses quickly, heavy industries would 
  also fall under the House Lords’ crosshairs—even those located 
  deep within civilian population centers. And, if all else failed, 
  scorched earth was always an acceptable last resort.
  To the Free Worlds League, the battle for Bolan signified the 
  beginning of the Succession War, its outcome a rallying cry that 
  filled recruitment centers to capacity. Colonel Tutt was honored 
  posthumously as a hero of the realm, who sacrificed himself in 
  a desperate bid to hold back a monstrous invader. For the Lyran 
  Commonwealth, it was a necessary evil—as much a reclamation 
  of Commonwealth territory as a safeguard against certain League 
  aggression. Baron Richart Johonson was simultaneously praised for 
  his victory and chastised for the savagery and clumsiness with which 
  he won it. Though he would be promoted for the action, he would 
  never again command a major operation, and ultimately retired as a 
  controversial figure in the history books of his home realm.
  THE COMBINE STRIKES
  The Lyran Commonwealth was not the only nation determined 
  to launch the first strike of the war. In the Draconis Combine, 
  Coordinator Minoru Kurita had already determined that his House 
  would be the next to claim the mantle of the Star League. To his 
  mind, this would be determined as much by the character of his 
  realm as by its military strength; victory could only be achieved 
  through his interpretation of the bushido code.
  Striking first, from a position of equal strength and 
  preparedness, was one such aspect of this code: iaijutsu. A true 
  samurai, skilled in iaijutsu, would be the one best able to draw his 
  sheathed wakizashi to strike at his equally readied opponent with 
  speed and grace. Seeing both the Lyran Commonwealth and the 
  Federated Suns as potential “equally readied opponents,” Minoru 
  planned to execute probing strikes against both, with the expertise 
  of an iaijutsu master.
  Of equal importance to him was the concept of courtesy 
  toward one’s enemy—a “way of war” known as bujitsu. Under the 
  bushido code, there was little honor to be gained in striking at an 
  enemy that was proven ill-prepared to fight and die on the field of 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  22
  IGNITION POINTS
  Draconis Combine. Between the theoretical threat of a resurgent Rim Worlds, efforts to 
  secure valuable Terran Hegemony worlds, and the state of war with the Free Worlds—
  declared by the Captain-General soon after the Bolan invasion—Jennifer Steiner was 
  reluctant to open up yet another front. As a result, she ordered the LCAF to simply 
  reinforce the worlds near the Dragon’s new conquests, promising that vengeance would 
  come later. In addition, she ordered no less than five recently contracted mercenary 
  regiments, drawn from the remains of the SLDF Regular Army that Kerensky left behind, 
  to further bolster the Combine border.
  On Luthien, Coordinator Kurita found the Commonwealth’s lack of response 
  somewhat perplexing. House Steiner’s brutal invasion of Bolan, according to all reports 
  he’d heard, spoke of an enemy fully prepared for a serious war. It was with that action 
  in mind that he used his Second Arkab Legion and some low-class hired guns to 
  perpetrate a “bandit” feint to distract the LCAF and deliver a decisive blow to the center 
  of their line. And yet, the Lyran reaction to the humiliation of losing two worlds was little 
  more than tersely worded condemnation of Combine aggression—delivered, no less, by 
  simple HPG. Had the Dragon misjudged the quality of his enemy?
  In June 2786, after six months of minimal contact or combat along the Combine-
  Commonwealth border, a Star Lord-class JumpShip, flagged as an independent 
  Commonwealth-based merchant and laden with unmarked DropShips, arrived at 
  the zenith jump point in the Skondia system. A heavily industrialized world in the 
  Federation of Skye region located near the still-shrinking boundaries of the former 
  Terran Hegemony, Skondia was frequented by many such ships, even during the 
  increased interstellar tensions of the time. Thus, the Commonwealth WarShips posted 
  at the nearby recharge station effectively ignored the arriving freighter, while the 
  understaffed customs patrols made little more than cursory scans and inquiries of 
  the ship and its flight plan—even after its attached DropShips undocked and began a 
  high-G burn toward the planet. 
  Twelve days later, three of these unchallenged DropShips entered into Skondia’s 
  orbit, while the other three entered the planetary atmosphere over the planet’s 
  northern continent of Edel. Before the ground-based flight trackers understood what 
  was happening, these vessels began dropping close to a battalion of Kurita BattleMechs 
  near the cities of Passageway and Wurston. The defending LCAF regiment, the Ninth 
  Arcturan Guards, mobilized at once to defend the factory sites they were initially 
  assigned to cover, but the Combine attackers—now identified as elements of the DCMS’ 
  Ninth Benjamin Regulars—turned their efforts instead toward the nearest civilian and 
  commercial targets they could find. After reports of mass slaughter drove the Arcturan 
  Guard ’Mechs to relieve the besieged cities, a second wave of Kurita ’Mechs dropped 
  from the still-orbiting DropShips on the now-defenseless factory sites. 
  Meanwhile, the first wave, comprising the Combine’s lighter and more mobile 
  ’Mechs, outflanked their heavier Lyran opponents just as they drew close enough to 
  engage. The continued harassment of the Steiner forces was so effective that the bulk 
  of the Guards’ Edel continent detachments were still tied up near the main cities while 
  the second wave forces plundered the factory complexes dozens of kilometers away.
  By the time the rest of the Ninth Arcturan managed to mobilize from sites on 
  Skondia’s other continents, and boarded their own DropShips to assist the defenders 
  on Edel, the Combine raiders were already beginning to disengage from combat there. 
  Suffering only modest damage after their two-day rampage, they rendezvoused with 
  their now-landed DropShips in the foothills of Skondia’s Lafferty mountain range—but 
  not before razing three of the largest factory complexes near Passageway, Wurston, and 
  Vorenstag. Blasting off while the rest of the Arcturan Guards regrouped, the escaping 
  Combine DropShips linked up with their original JumpShip near the orbit of the Skondia 
  system’s third planet—where the vessel had casually jumped just over a week after its 
  initial arrival. This allowed the Kurita forces to execute a clean getaway well ahead of the 
  Lyran WarShips sent to intercept them from the zenith jump stations, capping one of 
  House Steiner’s most humiliating defeats since the Age of War.
  WHY THE COMMONWEALTH?
  One of the more baffling events of the early 
  Succession Wars was Coordinator Minoru Kurita’s 
  decision to strike first at the Lyran Commonwealth. 
  While many historians cite his strict adherence to the 
  codes of bushido and the practices of bujitsu, the fact 
  remains that the Draconis Combine had clashed with 
  the Federated Suns as recently as sixty years before. 
  During that conflict, House Kurita had tried—first 
  through legal maneuvers, and later through military 
  action—to secure the reign of a scion born from the 
  union of Mary Davion, eldest daughter of the late 
  Prince Roger Davion, and Soto Kurita, youngest brother 
  of then-Coordinator Takiro Kurita. 
  By contrast, the last serious fight with the Steiner 
  family outside of the Star League council chambers had 
  been more than two centuries earlier. With grievances 
  so recent that the sitting Coordinator could recall them 
  from personal experience (Minoru was in his twenties 
  at the time of the War of Davion Succession), it seemed 
  the Dragon would be more motivated to turn its sword 
  against the Suns first and foremost. Indeed, due to the 
  movement of Kurita forces toward the Terran borders prior 
  to Kerensky’s exodus—when the Combine had feared 
  potential retaliation from Kerensky and his followers—so 
  many DCMS forces were posted closer to the Davions that 
  conditions were all but ripe for such an invasion.
  So, leaving the bujitsu theories aside, why did 
  Minoru really target the Commonwealth first?
  The answer could be as simple as a probing cam-
  paign, a test to determine House Steiner’s willingness to 
  go to war. But at the time the raid-and-conquer missions 
  that seized Gram and Trolloc Prime were being planned, 
  the Combine received word of the Commonwealth’s 
  martial prowess—and its willingness to resort to weap-
  ons of mass destruction—in the Bolan attack. Would 
  the Coordinator truly wish to attack a realm that had 
  effectively pulled off the first serious incursions of what 
  could be a second Age of War?
  Or perhaps it was because of House Steiner’s appar-
  ent commitment to attacking the Free Worlds League 
  that the Coordinator felt he could seize some of its 
  wealthy border planets. Either way, the Lyrans’ inability 
  to stop him should have encouraged a full-on invasion, 
  perhaps even a drive straight for Tharkad itself. Instead, 
  Minoru waited for half a year before launching another 
  raid, humiliating the LCAF on Skondia.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 23)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  23
  IGNITION POINTS
  The Commonwealth military and security forces had failed to protect both the 
  people of Skondia and its important factories from the predations of an enemy that had 
  already embarrassed the LCAF less than a year before. The news of this incredible defeat 
  scandalized the LCAF High Command, and resulted in a complete shakeup of its core 
  leadership. Even General Steiner was forced to admit to several “egregious errors” in the 
  state of the realm’s defense protocols. Procedures for system security were revamped, 
  and the need to protect more than just important industrial targets became a major 
  topic of focus for numerous military and civil agencies. 
  In the Draconis Combine, the ease of this victory led Coordinator Minoru Kurita to 
  finally conclude that the Lyran Commonwealth truly was a weak opponent after all, ill-
  prepared to fight and die against the Dragon’s samurai. By the dictates of his bushido 
  code, Lord Kurita turned his sights away from House Steiner, and instead focused on 
  House Davion’s Federated Suns.
  Towne
  The Federated Suns annexed the Hegemony world of Towne in 2783, one of 
  the few combat actions sanctioned by Prince John Davion before the Succession 
  War began. Looking to tout himself as a true successor to the Camerons, Davion had 
  forbidden his military to commit any “unseemly” acts against the Terran worlds. Because 
  of this, while the other Houses seemed intent on swallowing up Hegemony territory 
  more overtly, the AFFS had to buy or secretly steal anything of value to comply with 
  their lord’s directives. 
  Meanwhile, due to years of budget cuts to military transportation during the Star 
  League era, many Davion regiments had grown increasingly provincial, more often than 
  not identifying themselves by their postings. This made the troop shifts needed in the 
  wake of the League’s collapse somewhat jarring for many, who felt such movements 
  severed their roots in local communities. That these attitudes ran all the way up to 
  many field marshals led to an excessive amount of distrust between military commands 
  and comrades they came to see as “foreign”, even if they merely hailed from the next 
  combat region over. Provincial and inter-service cooperation was at low ebb in the years 
  following Kerensky’s Exodus—a fact that would become glaringly apparent on Towne 
  in early months of 2785.
  Because Towne was home to a number of valuable industries and ex-SLDF 
  equipment stores, Prince Davion assigned the Fifty-Sixth Avalon Hussars to guard the 
  planet, in concert with the 123rd Aerospace Interceptor Wing. Hailing from the Fairfax 
  Combat Region in the Draconis March, the ’Mech-heavy Fifty-Sixth had just begun to 
  come into its own identity after decades of training skirmishes with the more established 
  Fourth Avalon Hussars back on their native base of Colia. The 123rd, in contrast, hailed 
  from Ulan Bator, a world in the Capellan March’s Chesterton Combat Region, where 
  they had originally been attached to the Twelfth Syrtis Fusiliers. Though the Fusiliers 
  had vociferously complained about the assignment, the AFFS High Command justified 
  the 123rd’s assignment to Towne as a way to make up for the Hussars’ relative lack of 
  experienced air support assets. 
  In the months following their initial postings to Towne, communications between 
  the two commands were virtually non-existent. The Hussars, based out of the planetary 
  capital of Port Howard on Towne’s Hyborian continent, conducted numerous drills 
  with local militia cadres, and maintained regular patrols throughout the planet’s northern 
  hemisphere, while the 123rd Wing spent most of its time flying defensive recon missions out of its base near Kale Bay, Towne’s second-largest 
  city, located on the southern continent of Gherst. Although the commanders of the two forces acknowledged each other in public, and 
  regularly affirmed their commitment to cooperative planetary defense to their AFFS superiors, the relationship between the two verged on 
  completely dysfunctional.
  In February of 2785, elements of the Capellan Confederation’s Seventh Tikonov Lancers arrived in the Towne system at a non-standard 
  LaGrange jump point, and burned quickly for the planet, targeting the undefended southern continent of Fetryl. Even as the Davion Aerospace 
  Interceptors readied themselves for battle, orbiting sensors detected the arrival of another attack force coming from behind the shadow of the 
  planet’s moon—this one identified as elements of Draconis Combine’s Eighteenth Benjamin Regulars, projected to make planetfall on Hyborian.
  WHY THE COMMONWEALTH?
  (CONTINUED)
  Practical House Lords at the time might have taken 
  those successes as clear evidence of an enemy that was 
  weak-willed and strategically inferior, and feel almost 
  obligated to strike as deeply into that enemy’s heart 
  as possible. The potential to eliminate one of the five 
  rival claimants to the Star League’s mantle alone virtu-
  ally demanded it. And yet, Minoru turned his attention 
  toward House Davion instead.
  Why? 
  The claim that samurai idealism alone formed 
  his decision only carries so much weight. Nor does 
  Minoru’s age—eighty years, at the time of the first 
  Commonwealth strikes—explain away the Combine’s 
  turnabout; Minoru remained a clear-headed com-
  mander and combat-ready MechWarrior all the way up 
  to his demise on Kentares IV. Rather, the relative lack of 
  complaints from his contemporary warlords over the 
  decision to leave the Lyrans alone speaks to a greater 
  plan at work, one possibly hatched by his son and heir 
  apparent, Jinjiro Kurita.
  Taking into account that Jinjiro would plan the 
  initial phases of the Combine’s eventual assault on 
  the Davion realm—a campaign that seemed well-
  prepared, many years before the shooting started on 
  either front—a greater picture soon materializes. In 
  this picture, one might see the Dragon’s first strikes 
  on the Commonwealth as part of a far greater strategy 
  of misdirection. Here, House Kurita’s Lyran blitz might 
  have been engineered to look just serious enough 
  to convince the Federated Suns that the Combine’s 
  true target lay far from their borders. At the same 
  time, the LCAF defeats on Trolloc Prime, Gram, and 
  Skondia would serve to forestall any possible Steiner 
  adventurism into the Combine, placing that border 
  safely in defensive mode while the armies of the future 
  Coordinator launched their inevitable drive toward the 
  real threat: New Avalon.
  —Alison D. Sterling, The Logic of Warlords, 
  Prefectorate Publications, 3115
  
  Helduza
  Findal
  Seven Lands
  Elba
  Custozza
  Jardangal
  Mickleover
  Sialkot
  Lywick
  Styriania
  Farcry
  Anatolia
  Torgvei
  Megiddo
  Sileste
  Mayenne
  Viluisk
  Valabhi
  Lushun
  Oporto
  Hirtshals
  Snowdon
  Windhoek
  Mao
  Lokoja
  Ubangi
  Nyasa
  Heidelburg
  Boara
  Dichell
  Salisberg
  Zanbasa
  Montsegur
  Arlanda
  Machapuchre
  Tordenskjold
  Várri
  Kola
  Mogabouti
  Awyron
  Ingvolstan
  Syrstart
  Far Reach
  Ambrose
  Koskenkorva
  Gorfynt
  Von Strang’s
  Fredotto
  Paran
  Sentarus
  Aboukir
  Derby
  Inner Surge
  Baggville
  Chita
  Rypful
  Bremen
  Zefri
  Quelimane
  Gorgon
  Pressville
  Biegga
  Vannes
  Abushiri
  Vargtass
  Mearra
  Givrodat
  Dijonne
  Naco
  Nito
  Sidon
  Kerman
  Rosetta
  Cilvituk
  Parvan
  Choex
  Yidtall
  Calvados
  Erdvynn
  Tatopani
  Green Stone
  Iolas
  Himmels
  Beauvais
  Viroflay
  Gingeria
  Heathville
  Monthey
  Ceram
  Vortalcoy
  Ceuta
  Zinal
  Beckars
  Harlez
  Pasemah
  Indrapurai
  Valladolid
  Merlynpede
  Haggard
  Bougie
  Lande
  Malacca
  Melilla
  Meghy
  Solor
  Hiberius
  Shalaine
  Armstrong
  Fallen Stars
  Kupang
  Sweet Water
  Hegel
  Duantia
  Aquavita
  Nichol's Rest
  Ukunela
  McKellan
  Aigle
  Altoona
  Hornir's Keep
  Myrrdin
  Stardawn
  Dagda
  Pardeau
  Lintz
  Albion
  Dresden
  Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
  Caledea
  Burnt Rock
  Nuelson Minor
  Stellaris
  Logres
  Annwyn
  Warrumbungle
  Graz
  Manx
  Conley's Patch
  Zuhbehr
  Cardff
  Starshine
  Prydain
  Bayis II
  Malazan
  Tylarzka
  Zebrenaski
  Sardis
  Hódmezovásárhely
  New Galicia
  Naissus
  Sparta
  Köln
  Z
  Flychenia
  Thirty Weight
  Bo
  Cree
  Esztergom
  Cerignola
  Ceará
  Izmir
  Revel
  Stettin
  Szepes
  Zempoatlepetl
  Hell's Paradise
  Calchedon
  Eion
  Mohács
  Turov
  Pec
  Szombathely
  Vicksland
  Melk
  Spirit
  Gran
  Manaus
  Alta
  Maratho
  Bye's Ship
  Durabon
  Luxani
  Mondra 
  Schmitt
  Zelmag III
  Herrmaz
  Coopertown
  Kleinwelt
  Shipton
  Cresson
  Cayuga
  Gettorf
  Eagle Rest
  Helvetica
  Camlann
  Abramkovo
  Biloela
  Khon Kaen
  Madiun
  Pencader
  Penobscot
  Stantsiya
  Timbiqui
  Zdice
  Acrux
  Althastan
  Binyang
  Danxian
  Ellijay
  Finsterwalde
  Herzberg
  Loburg
  Maisons
  Radostov
  Shahr Kord
  Teyvareb
  Aberystwyth
  Al Jafr
  Cruz Alta
  Enders Cluster (10)
  Florida
  Ilzra
  Sarikavak
  Coldbrook
  Halifax
  Hinckley
  Karkkila
  Rapla
  Sapienza
  Stanley
  Wiltshire
  Gillfillan's Gold
  Otisberg
  Amminadav
  Waypoint
  Caldarium
  Pocologan
  Issaba
  Langhorne
  Lost
  Ma'anshan
  Engadine
  Hood IV
  Inarcs
  Jerangle
  Jesenice
  Kowloon
  Kwangchowwang
  Neerabup
  Trentham
  Willunga
  Annunziata
  Clermont
  Kolovraty
  Melissia
  Mogyorod
  Bone-Norman
  Botany Bay
  Erewhon
  Last Chance
  Chiavenna
  Mezzana
  Czarvowo
  Rosice
  Zaprudy
  Aiguebelle
  Batajnica
  Calafell
  Firenze
  Mercedes
  Novara
  Abejorral
  Ciampino
  Kostinbrod
  Noisiel
  Nuneaton
  Quilino
  Vendrell
  Vihtijarvi
  Virtue
  Baryshevo
  Champadanga
  Chhaprauli
  Jatznik
  Niangol
  Qarahta
  Saravan
  Storfors
  Tapihue
  Kelang
  Triesting
  Callisto V
  Thuban
  Australia
  Brooloo
  Ewanrigg
  Gatineau
  Khartoum
  Ludwigshafen
  Mahone
  Mandaoaaru
  Millerton
  Mississauga
  Moriguchi
  Recife
  Strandfontein
  Swartklip
  Windsor
  Zwipadze
  Baba
  Blue Hole
  Deia
  Dukambia
  Esteros
  Goat Path
  Kookens 
  Pleasure Pit
  Mkuranga
  Timkovichi
  Yeguas
  Bondurant
  Curaumilla
  Dalcour
  Edmondson
  Griffith
  Kosciusko
  Labouchere
  Maderas
  Merton
  Millungera
  Saltillo
  Schererville
  Promised Land
  Atzenbrugg
  Aylmer
  Bayindir
  Corbeanca
  Ghaziabad
  Goth Khakar
  Hammer
  Hazeldean
  Huntington
  Jubka
  Karakiraz
  Kogl
  Lahti
  Landfall
  Lepaterique
  Lesnovo
  Mankova
  Negushevo
  Panjang
  Prato
  Romita
  San Nicolas
  Schiedam
  Stotzing
  Tchamba
  Tematagi
  Tormentine
  Tuamotu
  Valil'yevskiy
  Wolof
  Conakry
  Escobas
  Howrah
  Manotick
  Sackville
  Sharqah
  Silver
  Skvorec
  Trznadel Cluster
  Wisconsin
  Thraxa
  Vixen
  Gambilon
  Booker
  Ballad II
  Weistheimer
  Crawford's Delight
  Novo Tressida
  Glevakha
  Cameron
  Zanderij
  Krievci
  Me
  Forkas
  Circinus
  Niops V
  Niops VI
  Niops VII
  Hunter's Paradise
  Svalstad
  Gwynedd
  Ylemelke
  Illium
  Luanda
  Wypoute
  Gabenstad
  Herbania
  Melville
  Delagoa
  Port Vail
  Finmark
  Synsstad
  Austerlitz
  Edirne
  Nightwish
  Helbrent
  Milvano
  Huesta
  Wingzar
  Kitopler
  Apinzel
  Janina
  Marisura
  Mahrah
  Stirling
  Fjernet
  Malaga
  Battaraigi
  Jápminboddu
  Cryfder
  Vulture’s
   
  Nest
  Renren
  Eschen
  Beta Regulus II
  Jorvikland
  Morrigan
  Marsalle
  Rochers
  Ildlandet
  Nobel
  Mangor
  Cranston
  Restitution
  Obrenovac
  Payvand
  Ruschegg
  Vak
  Hednesford
  Bismarck
  Katlehong
  Campoleone
  Ibarra
  Bass
  Afarsin
  Bethonolog
  Gallis
  Lindenmarle
  Royal Foxx
  Candiear
  Harminous
  Techne's Revenge
  Megarez
  Kossandra's Memory
  Hardcore
  Krimari
  Tarol IV
  Marantha
  Palladix
  Wildwood
  Cerillos
  Epsilon
  Galisteo
  Maxwell
  Sierra
  Cascade
  Kilarney
  Valloire
  Abbadiyah
  Adelaide
  Akfata
  Alarion
  Alekseyevka
  Anembo
  Arluna
  Ayacucho
  Black
   
  Earth
  Bobruisk
  Bucklands
  Buena
  C.M.O. 26
  Canal
  Chapultepec
  Coventry
  Ellengurg
  Elume
  Enzesfled
  Etiler
  Ferihegy
  Great X
  Halfway
  Howick
  Inchicore
  Kikuyu
  Kladnitsa
  Krung Thep
  Kvistgard
  Kwangjong-ni
  Main Street
  Miquelon
  New India
  Newtown Square
  Nouasseur
  Ormstown
  Pangkalan
  Poulsbo
  Premana
  Qanatir
  Qurayyat
  Revivim
  Roadside
  Son Hoa
  Tainjin
  Tangua
  Timbuktu
  Timehri
  Tiruppur
  Tsarahavana
  Urjala
  Venaria
  Viborg
  Winter
  All Dawn
  Rajkot
  Beta VII
  Blackjack
  Here
  Hot Springs
  Malibu
  Pasig
  M
  Saonara
  Can
  Slewis
  Tharkad
  Tellman's Mistake
  Dar-es-Salaam
  Lancaster
  York
  Anywhere
  Golandrinas
  Gotterdammerung
  Lackhove
  Wot
  Reykavis
  Trondheimal
  Illyria
  Trasjkis
  Loxley
  Kendall
  Eleusis
  Kaumberg
  Somerset
  Alorton
  Bowang
  Diamantina
  Gibraltar
  Carlisle
  Goetville
  Guatavita
  Rijeka
  Blumenort
  Chahar
  Machida
  Medellin
  Barcelona
  Campbelton
  Dickins
  Ionus
  Vosloorus
  Al Jubaylah
  Lengkong
  Cirebon
  Fieferana
  Ellsworth
  Fadiffolu
  Hiratsuka
  Ford
  Bella I
  Chalouba
  Tamarind
  Gannett
  Tania
  Loric
  Albert Falls
  Cajamarca
  Hellos Minor
  Newcastle
  Ankolika
  Westover
  Atsugi
  Isabela
  Karachi
  Tapachula
  Gatchina
  Tohelet
  Trellisane
  Atreus
  Zhongshan
  Pressby
  Ngake
  Clinton
  Donegal
  Concor
  Gallatin
  Launam
  Megrez
  Nestor
  Rah
  Rexburg
  Shasta
  Zwenkau
  Arc-Royal
  Bountiful Har
  Gibbs
  Greenlaw
  Hamilton
  Horneburg
  Incukalns
  New Capetown
  Santana
  Tetersen
  Tsinan
  Upano
  Vorzel
  Wrociaw
  Ashburton
  Bolan
  Cameron
  Colfax
  Danais
  Drosendorf
  Fian
  Gypsum
  Hongqiao
  Jiddah
  Medzev
  Paradise
  Rzhishchev
  Uzhgorod
  Clipperton
  Mauripur
  Rohinjan
  Scheuerheck
  Ayn Tarma
  Hindmarsh
  Aconcagua
  Chagos
  Kutludugun
  Cavanaugh II
  Kakada
  Kamenz
  Duran
  Minderoo
  Sargasso
  Atocongo
  Biuque
  Pobeda
  Reese Station
  Richvale
  Diass
  Nullarbor
  Faleolo
  Mackenzie
  Molokai
  Wilkes
  Alula Borealis
  Eromanga
  Home
  Loongana
  Simpson Desert
  Aitutaki
  Arcadia
  B
  Dixie
  Giausar
  Gibson
  Gienah
  Keeling
  Laureles
  Loyalty
  McAffe
  Niihau
  Nockatunga
  Norfolk
  Rasalas
  Senftenberg
  Sheridan
  Thermopolis
  Uh
  Wallis
  Washburn
  Zortman
  Alma Alta
  Aristotle
  Bjornlund
  Eidsfoss
  Sierpc
  Smolnik
  Westerstede
  Pingree
  Regulus
  Jardine
  Ilion
  F
  Chukchi III
  Ciotat
  Colinas
  Eutin
  Hollabrunn
  Jaumegarde
  Kitzingen
  Pher
  Soilihull
  Turinge
  Zvolen
  Alterf
  Har
  Manihiki
  Midkiff
  Mu
  Sterling
  Trinidad
  Coriscana
  Futuna
  Mundrabilla
  Olafsvik
  Preston
  Togwotee
  Aur
  Cumbres
  Eilenburg
  Gallery
  New 
  Hyde
  Kirkenlaard
  T
  Ideyld
  Mariefred
  Arganda
  Sarpsborg
  Tongatapu
  New Oly
  Autumn Wind
  Alula Borealis
  Vermezzo
  Sappir
  Da
  Neb
  1
  2
  3
  7
  8
    1) Magistracy of Canopus
    2) Taurian Concordat
    3) Outworlds Alliance
    4) Illyrian Palatinate
    5) Lothian League
    6) Tortuga Dominions
    7) Finmark Free Republic
    8) Oberon Confederation
  The Periphery
    1) Alliance Core
    2) Lone Star Province
    3) Lockdale Province
    4) New Dallas Province
    5) Brownsville Province
    
  Terran Hegemony Remnants
  3
  1
  5
  4
  2
  Tamar Pact
    1) Trellshire
    2) Tamar Domains
    3) Camlann Shire
  Protectorate of Donegal
    4) Coventry Province
    5) Alarion Province
    6) District of Donegal
    7) Furillo Province
  Federation of Skye
    8) Kannon Shire
    9) Virginia Shire
    10) Rahneshire
    11) Isle of Skye
  Lyran Commonwealth
  Pesht Military District
    1) Kagoshima Prefecture
    2) Coudoux Prefecture
    3) Bjarred Prefecture
    4) Pusht-i-rud Prefecture
    5) Ningxia Prefecture
  Galedon Military District
    6) Oshika Prefecture
    7) Matsuida Prefecture
    8) New Samarkand Prefecture
    9) Kaznejoy Prefecture
  Draconis Combine
  Rasalhague Military District
    10) Radstadt Prefecture
    11) Trondheim Prefecture
    12) Tinaca Prefecture
  Benjamin Military District
    13) Baldur Prefecture
    14) Xinyang Prefecture
    15) Kajikazawa Prefecture
    16) Proserpina Prefecture
    17) Irurzun Prefecture
    18) Kuzuu Prefecture
    19) Ashio Prefecture
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  INNER SPHERE - 2786
  Pesht Military District
  Rasalhague Military District
  Galedon Military District
  Benjamin Military District
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  11
  Federation of Skye
  Protectorate of Donegal
  Tamar Pact
  Draconis March
  Crucis March
  Capellan March
  Draconis March
    1) Robinson Operational Area
    2) Fairfax Operational Area
    3) Woodbine Operational Area
  Crucis March
    4) Markesan Operational Area
    5) Minette Operational Area
    6) Chirikof Operational Area
  Capellan March
    7) Kathil Operational Area
    8) Taygeta Operational Area
  Federated Suns
  2
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  1
  3
    1) Tikonov Commonality
    2) Chesterton Commonality
    3) Sarna Commonality
    4) Capella Commonality
    5) Sian Commonality
    6) St Ives Commonality
    7) Andurien Commonality
  Capellan Confederation
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
    1) Marik Commonwealth
    2) Federation of Oriente
    3) Principality of Regulus
    4) Duchy of Andurien
    5) Stewart Confederation
    6) Duchy of Graham-Marik
    7) Rim Commonality
    8) Regulan Free States
    9) Principality of Gibson
    10) Abbey District
  Free Worlds League
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  Paulinus
  Lordinax
  Lothario
  Lummatii
  Leximon
  Lindassa
  Logan Prime
  4
  5
  
  Skiland
  Apsalar
  Dirkel
  Beowulf
  World
  Ichmandu
  Caillinius
  Iron Land
  New
   
  Ålborg
  Fefferfer
  Chimpaw
  Kingtribel
  Glenlivet
  Bushmill
  Stonarboi
  Qualip
  Deweidewd
  Murmansk
  Tottori
  Old Canton
  Sikkim
  Ulsan
  Corfu
  New Ceylon
  Takata
  Beils
  Sendai
  Elix
  New Sumatra
  Hildaman
  Tangerz
  Okaya
  Miyazaki
  Celebes
  Grootfontein
  Dalmantia
  Westfield
  Goldlure
  Avranches
  Belacruz
  Tovetin
  Christiania
  Nai-Stohl
  Knutstad
  Naikongzu
  Isfahan
  olobrzeg
  Bonaire
  Grobin
  ra
  Heart Fjord
  rib
  Pavia
  Sarkel
  Aquileia
  Gniezno
  Kievanur
  St Gall
  August
  Ragusa
  Chota
  Acoma
  Korvitz
  Nis
  Oldsmith
  Quimper
  Tallassee
  Tedibyhr
  Everett
  Carnac
  Carcassonne
  Maison
  Bayeux
  Arromanches
  Périgueux
  Kaufermann
  Cork
  St. Cyr
  Giverny
  Ulvskollen
  Mackolla
  Rennes
  Fugeres
  Gamlestolen
  Yamoussoukra
  Zacatecoluca
  Meinhof
  Jacobabad
  Pula
  Kautokeino
  Dol
  Roscoff
  Vereeniging
  Saumur
  Chaumont
  Skaslien
  Du Lac
  Tiruchchirappalli
  Quimper
  Nouveau Toulouse
  Wittington
  Zalzangor
  Dunkerque
  Waycross
  Versailles
  Bartrock
  Summerstide
  Merlin
  Alnadal
  Klamriz V
  Ballentine
  Reinhardstein
  Turkalia
  Entalun
  Saltural
  Bothwell
  Courtney
  Nogales
  Simancas
  Andelys
  Agmond
  Josselin
  Manksville
  Sturganos
  Unkador
  Teylingen
  Charleywood
  Verdinge
  Tantallon
  Wedderborg
  Ormal
  Duxford
  Arundel
  Valois
  Bamburgh
  Merowinger
  Hoensbroek
  Kenilworth
  Frankson
  Aggstein
  Gruyeres
  Gravensteen
  Chillon
  El Kerak
  Mytilene
  Ferrara
  Caerlaverock
  Kublenz
  Saltville
  Vecchio
  Branzoll
  Fathepur
  Zambezi
  Swales
  Lynchburg
  Declan II
  Ildrong
  Bringdam
  Maldive
  Mazdru
  Gahral
  Lacadon
  Vintru
  Knutdor
  Plataea
  Namen
  Brabent
  Blida
  Paches
  Caria
  Jenet
  Tazaraki
  Pentvar
  Maharet
  Lochmantle
  Anaea
  Weitinger
  Ryans Fate
  Umgard
  Tetschner
  Adler
  Boeotia
  Oli
  Turko
  Chouli
  Fjaldr
  Kazu
  Sindalin
  Oligar
  Wantorill
  Kek
  Laong
  Alto
  Undra
  Blandou
  Yongd
  Bergtatt
  Tyrlon
  Itrom
  Enkra
  Khi
  Zindao
  Hurgh
  Non Diz
  Smithon
  Aosia
  Weiz
  Thamel
  Shaobuon
  Arn
  Espia
  Salardion
  Naryn
  Daol
  Tengil
  Dili
  Rosendal
  Konopiste
  Kupang
  New Troy
  Nam Dinh
  Nam Dinh
  Banfora
  Borka
  Aomen
  Ullieri
  Sappho
  Sumy
  Java
  Lucknow
  Patan
  Kristiandsund
  Chengdu
  Ramen II
  Jilin
  Snailzar
  Manennaia
  Achilles
  Myrvoll
  Lukla
  Aodh
  Westphalia
  Genf
  Dhaulgiri
  Sharpe
  Noh-wan Hohm
  Crawford
  Stockpoll
  Pietermaritzburg
  Conwy
  Payia
  Antias
  Segerica
  Athna
  Amu Darya
  Pernik
  Mattisskogen
  Dì-fang
  Nukus
  Harbin
  Bhykov
  Chitwan
  Haerhbin
  Jungar Qi 
  Gardnaus
  Bodnath
  Florarda
  Tianamon
  Bhaktapur
  Gorki
  Belluevue
  Kohlman
  Yàn-huì
  Dansur
  Lyreton
  Chennai
  Zhaomaon
  Huanghuadian
  Viribium
  Hibuarius
  Adrar
  Linhauiguan
  Ordino
  Aquagea
  Mangzhangdian
  Karlstejn
  New Athens
  Ilmachna
  Staffin
  Brest
  Bogerth
  Mumbai
  Pell
  Itica
  Hè-shì
  Katla
  Sichuan
  Lhasa
  Shui-pào
  Klayne
  Herat
  Smythe
  Angelsey
  Bahl's Retreat
  Dalian
  Lamu
  Ife
  New Crete
  Aer
  Ilmar
  Midthun
  Weldry
  Hansii
  Murris
  Untran
  Merdal
  Zangul
  Valdives
  Mechdur
  Panzyr
  Ichlangis
  Kimi
  Belamor
  Kirkvåg
  Shaun
  Krakatau
  Braum
  Crichton
  Michtal
  Hergazil
  Mandeville
  Flynn
  Dralkig
  Ugland
  Toten
  Jeppens
  Vinstra
  Finse
  Waitur
  Halgrim
  Halla
  Dreadlord
  Eigerland
  Kaldu
  Ictus
  Mindrel
  Devil’s Breath
  Bell
  Joan’s Post
  Braben’s Frontier
  Joshua
  Coyle
  Achton
  Schrim
  Shiri
  Tresspass
  Ammon
  Ulubis
  Blueys
  Bannerhoft
  Kent
  Ejeda
  Thazi
  Pilon
  Bossangoa
  Taumaturgo
  Salvende
  La Ligua
  Onverwacht
  Calingasta
  Alktral
  Ourem
  Wokha
  Loikaw
  Voehn
  Hrafn
  Raetia
  Renorsal
  Vangburg
  Wynn’s Roost
  Nerum
  Zebuluraskai
  Zumbo
  Culmia
  Greypearl
  Achnoly
  Glitnir
  Fallry
  Boulsi
  Sornath
  Rondon
  Puttalam
  Tanz
  Gaeri
  Domeyko
  Feijo
  Mizt
  Koury
  Helland
  Northsun
  Johnson
  Zalt
  Grankum
  Gitarama
  Danli
  Zetang
  Las Tunas
  False Dawn
  Shira
  Carmelita
  Linden
  Blommestein
  Santa-Ana
  Ambatomainty
  Ype-Jhu
  Totness
  Maripa
  Quines
  Sorsk
  Vonja
  Azur
  Aalzorg
  Barahona
  Ceiba
  Ddraig
  Waini Point
  Cooperland
  Brinton
  Centavido
  Flatspin
  Amber
  Woogi
  Girondas 
  Qalzi
  Paf
  Mas
  Angra
  Tirabad
  Simone
  Klenkar
  Leh
  Lorkdal
  Famdo
  Cadela
  Serenity
  Baltar
  Fiery Plains
  Sebha
  San Carlos
  Gangtok
  Zelski II
  Masterton 
  Katinka
  Artru
  Coromodir 
  Heliat
  Guldra
  Reinbak
  odesto
  Skyfog
  Itzehoe
  Antallos (Port Krin)
  Nova Roma
  Butte Hold
  Elissa
  Oberon VI
  Sigurd
  Paulus Prime
  Gustrell
  lackstone
  Crevedia
  A Place
  Alleghe
  ski
  Bruben
  Chateau
  Csesztreg
  Dustball
  Feltre
  Harvest
  Kirchbach Liezen
  Maxie's Planet
  Mozirje
  Parakoila
  Planting
  Verthandi
  Alyina
  Apolakkia
  Colmar
  Dell
  Denizli
  Devin
  Dompaire
  Evciler
  Graus
  Leskovik
  Skokie
  Sudeten
  Svarstaad
  Twycross
  Vulcan
  Zoetermeer
  Bessarabia
  Gunzburg
  Hyperion
  Kandis
  Karston
  Kobe
  Kufstein
  Laurent
  Memmingen
  Rastaban
  Shaula
  Thannhausen
  Weingarten
  Wheel
  Alshain
  Balsta
  Chandler
  Darius
  Dawn
  Eguilles
  Ferleiten
  Goito
  Hermagor
  Kaesong
  Kempten
  Kiamba
  Kiesen
  Krenice
  Leoben
  Mannedorf
  Marawi
  Meilen
  Numki
  Pomme De Terre
  Radlje
  Setubal
  Spittal
  Sternwerde
  Susquehanna
  Dumaring
  Cebalrai
  Diosd
  Galuzzo
  Jabuka
  Marfik
  Ramsau
  Shionoha
  Shirotori
  Trolloc Prime
  Vindemiatrix
  Adhafera
  Scarborough
  Decus
  Prix
  Manapire
  Shiba
  Menkib
  No Return
  Purvo
  Tantara
  Shipka
  Capricorn III
  Cap Rouge
  Granera
  Maritgues
  Yanchep
  Dunianshire
  Luxen
  Palm
  Dainmar Majoris
  Abruzzi
  Ambergrist
  Andarmax
  Armaxa
  Ashley
  Aucara
  Bacum
  Barras
  Beid
  Betelgeuse
  Borden
  Carbonis
  Cavalor
  Claxton
  Claybrooke
  Columbine
  Conquista
  Cursa
  Decatur
  Dicon
  Drozan
  Egress
  Elnath
  Exedor
  Fagerholm
  Fortymile
  Frazer
  Fronde
  Gomeisa
  Goodna
  Gunthar
  Gurnet
  Haappajarvi
  Harsefeld
  Hurik
  Ikast
  Immenstadt
  Ingonish
  Ito
  Jacomarle
  Jacson
  Jonzac
  Kafr Silim
  Kittery
  Krin
  Kujari
  Larsha
  Les Halles
  Lopez
  Madras
  Matsu
  Mitchel
  Monhegan
  Nashuar
  New Roland
  Niomede
  Overton
  Pilpala
  Pojos
  Principia
  Quimberton
  Renown
  Repulse
  Royalston
  Sarmaxa
  Sax
  Second Chance
  Second Chance
  Second Try
  Shoreham
  Sirdar
  Turin
  Vard
  Velhas
  Victoria
  Villanueva
  Wallacia
  Ward
  Weatogue
  Wright
  Xanthe III
  Yunnah
  Yuris
  Zanzibar
  Detroit
  Herotitus
  Corey
  Andro
  Hecheng
  Altoona
  Palmyra
  Marielund
  Dothan
  Arnaudville
  Mishkadrill
  Ramora
  Sterope
  Jansen's Hold
  Illiushin
  Camadeierre
  Flaum
  Burton
  Atreus Prime
  Mithron
  Brisbane
  Laconis
  Amber Grove
  Euschelus
  Grossbach
  Perdition
  Logan's Land
  Norman's World
  Celentaro
  Organo
  Dicallus
  Althea's Choice
  Paulding
  Steeles
  Lexington
  McGehee
  Waimalu
  Newton
  Adelson
  Alta Vista
  Andalusia
  Baranda
  Bassfield
  Boondock
  Cambiano
  Cimeron
  Crofton
  Cumberland
  Damevang
  Defiance
  Delacambre
  Die Moot
  Emporia
  Euclid
  Fuveau
  Gronholt
  Grosvenor
  Hahira
  Hephzibah
  Hickok
  Hivrannee
  Humansville
  Junior
  Kaguyak
  Kentwood
  Kirklin
  Kountze
  Lihue
  Lothair
  Lyceum
  Macintosh
  Mansfield
  Mararn
  Mejicanos
  Melcher
  Memphis
  Mermentau
  Milligan
  Millray
  Molino
  Morven
  New Aberdeen
  Nunivak
  Okefenokee
  Pattison
  Princton
  Redondo
  Reisterstown
  Rosepine
  Sabanillas
  Sherwood
  Shubuta
  Stratford
  Wapakoneta
  Weldon
  Skepptana
  Dunklewälderdunklerflüssenschattenwelt
  Osset
  Fatima
  Blair Atholl
  Fort Loudon
  Leganes
  Whittington
  Biota
  Ueda
  Lothan
  Lyndon
  a Verde
  Corridan IV
  Auldhouse
  Enif
  Kokpekty
  Soul
  Brasha
  Coraines
  Rudolpho
  Baliggora
  Raldamax
  Trimaldix
  Alegro
  Calish II
  Calish III
  Hawktor
  Luderitz
  Desolate Plains
  Adhara
  Spencer
  Rockwellawan
  Portland
  Addasar
  Novo Franklin
  Abagnar
  Abiy Adi
  Altona
  Bangor
  Brailsford
  Brihuega
  Capra
  Charity
  Cheriton
  Clearfield
  Delitzsch
  Ebensburg
  Echo
  Gravenhage
  Hanover
  Igualada
  Isesaki
  Jeanette
  Jezersko
  Juazeiro
  Kamarod
  Korramabad
  Koulen
  Labrea
  Land's End
  Lapida II
  Last Frontier
  Leyland
  Loysville
  Luzerne
  Matamoras
  McAlister
  Meinacos
  Minowa
  Outer Volta
  Paracale
  Pinnacle
  Polcenigo
  Qandahar
  Richmond
  Savinsville
  Sawyer
  Soverzene
  Stapelfeld
  Tarnby
  Turtle Bay
  Waldheim
  Yumesta
  Mica II
  Mica V
  Mica VII
  Alfirk
  New Gascony
  New Hati
  Fletcher's Feast
  New Port Royal
  Morgan's Holdfast
  Jarett
  Baruun Urt
  Rhodos
  Laconis
  Dowles
  Nara
  Seuta Bimyeong
  Emar
  Caracol
  New Sarum
  Kiruna
  Glabach
  Caesaera
  New Sapporo
  Wonju
  Kanto
  Yufu
  Muroto
  Jeju
  Cabanatuan
  Lone Star
  Hechnar
   
  Haddings
  Chaville
  Lockdale
  Afleir
  New Stevens
  Inglesmond
  New Florence
  Bex
  Killbourn
  Mandal
  Zertarum
  Taran's World
  Muswell
  Oyevaina
  Shardayne
  Kreller
  erg
  Talisker
  Aldrecht
  Vaajakoski
  Osumi
  Zawiercie
  Mokpo
  Sunchon
  Hakkaido
  Miyako
  Shimoda
  Odawara
  Tuat
  Ouagadougou
  Ferranil
  Bilma
  Duxfort
  Blue Sava
  Pliska
  Elbing
  New Praha
  Jászberény
  Arcadia
  Kalmar
  Kern
  Sunnywood
  Ghorepani
  Alexandria
  Santiago
  Medron
  Nexus Ri
  Ki Zoban
  Megaris
  Mavegh
  Dumassas
  Sartu
  Hanseta
  Victralla
  Badlands
  Werfer
  Parian
  Ina
  Menion
  Hastur
  Zathras
  Aspropirgos
  Gouderak
  Thurrock
  rel
  Butzfleth
  Deschenes
  Shenwan
  Beenleigh
  El Giza
  Leyda
  Piriapolis
  Ryerson
  Taygeta
  Hassad
  Novaya Zemlya
  Bethel
  Muridox
  Mosiro
  Lockton
  Adherlwin
  Fanardir
  Borgan's Rift
  Joyz
  Early Dawn
  Brixtana
  Cate's Hold
  Basiliano
  Butler
  Hainfeld
  Heiligendreuz
  Hohenems
  Lovinac
  Moritz
  New Caledonia
  Rodigo
  Romulus
  Seiduts
  Stanzach
  The Edge
  Trell I
  Unzmarkt
  Vantaa
  Waldorff
  Crellacor
  Agliana
  Armington
  Birmensdorf
  Csomad
  Drienfontein
  Enchi
  Estuan
  Firgrove
  Gambarare
  Hortense
  Jaboatao
  Kaitangata
  Kiserian
  Leipsic
  Malagrotta
  Minette
  Oltepesi
  Point Barrow
  Sodertalje
  Symsonia
  Tatlawiksuk
  Tegaldanas
  Vackisujfalu
  Anguilla
  Baxley
  Beaumont
  Benedict
  Bonneau
  Chanute
  Cohay
  Delos IV
  Ebro
  Gillingham
  Inman
  Kilbourne
  Kirbyville
  Lackland
  Mayetta
  McRae
  Metter
  Neosho
  Offerman
  Pascagoula
  Perdido
  Rentz
  St. Robert
  Sterlington
  Sturgis
  Tangipahoa
  Thibodaux
  Vandalia
  Waipahu
  Winfield
  Zolfo
  New Ivaarsen
  Abbeville
  Anjin Muerto
  Belaire
  Brockton
  Broken Wheel
  Brundage
  Cassias
  Chakachamna
  Chenier
  Hobson
  Kigamboni
  Kotzebue
  Markesan
  Meinrad
  Necedah
  Protection
  Electra
  Flintoft
  Horsham
  Lindsay
  Maia
  Merope
  Pleiades Cluster
  Ridgebrook
  Robsart
  Rollis
  Wrentham
  Landmark
  MacLeod's Land
  New Vallis
  New Ganymede
  100
  Keuterville
  Nahoni
  Semichi
  Warren
  Caldwell
  Cohagen
  Montour
  Naka Pabni
  Pierce
  Songgang
  Tentativa
  Verdigreis
  Weippe
  Badlands Cluster
  50
  Jodipur
  Eustatius
  Hoonaar
  Bastrop
  Farnsworth
  Greeley
  Hazelhurst
  Inner End
  Tellman IV
  Vibrunum
  Valasha
  Alpheratz
  Bad News
  Bryceland
  Cerberus
  Ferris
  Groveld III
  Haynesville
  Kennard
  Niles
  Pajarito
  Sevon
  Valentina
  Morthac
  Quiberas
  Jordan Wais
  Praxton
  Loparri
  Lushann
  Banori
  Mitchella
  Dindatari
  Quatre Belle
  Budingen
  Schirmeck
  Parma
  Amiga
  Augusta
  Monroe
  Filtvelt
  Sheliak
  Engadin
  Radstadt
  St. John
  Thessalonika
  Ad Duwayd
  Algate
  Almunge
  Avon
  Brocchi's Cluster
  Byesville
  Caripare
  Chapineria
  Chorley
  Chupadero
  Constance
  Coudoux
  Courchevel
  Damian
  Dover
  Espakeh
  Garstedt
  Hartshill
  Hassi R'mel
  Herndon
  Hongor
  Huaide
  Hyner
  Idlewind
  Irece
  Kabah
  Linqing
  Lonaconing
  Macksburg
  Midway
  Monywa
  Multan
  Ningxia
  Nowhere
  Nykvarn
  Pondicherry
  Pusht-i-rud
  Ramgarh
  Rockland
  Salford
  Schuyler
  Schwartz
  Shimonoseki
  Sinope
  Slaithwaite
  Suianheer
  Teniente
  Virentofta
  Wolcott
  Yardley
  Zalaf
  Tuscarawas
  55
  Courcellete
  Corodiz
  Mendham
  Shaunavon
  adowvale
  Tetski
  Camlann
  Sekulmun
  Dalton
  pus IV
  New Abilene
  Great Gorge
  Tancredi IV
  Tortuga Prime
  Sabik
  Tukayyid
  Albalii
  Kazanka
  Tabayama
  Zlatousi
  Prinis Prime
  Dneiper
  Milligan's World
  Risin
  Rushaven
  Quantraine
  Bensinger
  Derf
  Icar
  Persistence
  Star's End
  Steelton
  Toland
  Treeline
  n
  Amity
  Brockway
  Bromhead
  Diefenbaker
  Midale
  Renfield
  Cyrton
  Pesht
  Predlitz
  Bjarred
  Kaznejoy
  Hyalite
  New Vandenburg
  Pinard
  Carmichael
  Deneb Kaitos
  Outpost
  As Samik
  Basantapur
  Panpour
  Deneb Algedi
  Kansu
  Thimphu
  Kesai IV
  Conroe
  Diboll
  Mirage
  Urich
  Linneus
  Savonburg
  Steinhatchee
  Jesup
  Fetsund
  Gurrnazovo
  June
  Moultrie
  Olindo
  Vaucluse
  Hudeiba
  Kwamashu
  Latice
  Lurgatan
  Sadurni
  Baker 3
  Ridderkerk
  Jeronimo
  Kilmarnock
  Mandaree
  n
  Tintavel
  Kearny
  Mansu-ri
  Cole Harbour
  Calloway
   
  VI
  Ipswich
  Shuen Wan
  Frondas
  Furud
  Australis
  McKenna
  Antipolo
  Vikindu
  Flannagan's Nebulea
  Galatea
  Taurus
  New Syrtis
  New Rhodes III
  Angol
  Zebebelgenubi
  Apollo
  Luthien
  Galedon V
  Alrescha
  Holmsbu
  New Bergen
  Rasalhague
  Skallevoll
  Svelvik
  Thule
  Trondheim
  Vipaava
  Spica
  Taga
  Palladaine
  Bettendorf
  Evansville
  Bellevue
  Maynard
  Mokane
  Quincy
  Vicente
  Niquinohomo
  Sparrevohn
  Strawn
  Tarazed
  Vanern
  Corsica Nueva
  Volders
  Oshika
  Marshdale
  almyre Deans
  Wetumpka
  Sakuranoki
  Casere
  El Dorado
  Sverdlovsk
  Alcyone
  Daniels
  Anaheim
  Redfield
  Wernke
  Kirei Na Niwa
  Benjamin
  Numenor
  Worrell
  Nox
  Suk II
  Tamar
  Asgard
  Delavan
  Merak
  New Kyoto
  e
  Ballynure
  Borghese
  est
  Canonbie
  Dalkeith
  Eaglesham
  Edasich
  Ginestra
  Hesperus II
  Meacham
  Montmarault
  Orkney
  Quarell
  Rasalgethi
  Surcin
  Yed Posterior
  Zebeneschamali
  Anegasaki
  a
  Iknogoro
  Loeches
  Matheran
  Milnerton
  Pella II
  Sophie's World
  Sorunda
  Barlaston
  Bora
  Buenos Aires
  Calpaca
  Carmen
  Fujidera
  Glasgow
  Grand Base
  Hadnall
  Holloway
  Hustaing
  Kaifeng
  Lesalles
  Mentasta
  Phact
  Preston
  Primus
  Raballa
  Randar
  Relevow
  Sakhalin
  Scituate
  Sendalor
  Sigma Mare
  Tallin
  Teng
  Texlos
  Umka
  Vestallas
  Warlock
  Watermael
  Wazan
  Xieng Khouang
  Ziliang
  Apriki
  Belladonna
  Bogard
  Bristol
  Cahokia
  Carmacks
  Gallitzin
  Handa
  Heligoland
  Ipava
  Kathil
  Klathandu IV
  Kluane
  Layover
  Le Blanc
  Listowel
  Mandate
  Manteno
  Marodzi
  Matar
  Matsuida
  McComb
  Montcoal
  Mordialloc
  New Damascus
  New Mendham
  Northfield
  Orbisonia
  Reisling's Planet
  Remshield
  Sakhara V
  Tatsuno
  Togura
  Victoria
  Waxell
  Koping Chian
  Adrian
  Altdorf
  Bergman's Planet
  Broaddus
  Brookeland
  Cerulean
  Choudrant
  Colchester
  Colia
  Davisville
  De Berry
  Delacruz
  Des Arc
  Fairfield
  Hoyleton
  Keytesville
  Latexo
  Macomb
  Nadrin
  Nagel
  Ottumwa
  Pitkin
  Potwin
  Senorbi
  Shawnee
  Sullivan
  Sun Prairie
  Sylvan
  Tsamma
  Weisau
  Xenia
  Crestoblus
  Kinkaid II
  Chirala
  Sertar
  Morrill
  Pattonsbrug
  Ulysses
  Mauckport
  Rosiclare
  Bluford
  Alsek
  Colorado
  Kaiyuh
  Noatak
  Killarney
  Nizina
  Birqash
  Hobbs
  Andurien
  Kanata
  Kasdach
  Shiro III
  Verlo
  Maldonado
  Unity
  Kagoshima
  Keihoku
  Miyada
  Tiflis
  Ban Na San
  New Samarkand
  Sanda
  Sighisoara
  Arcturus
  Crimond
  Grunwald
  Hillerod
  Porrima
  Ardoz
  Carse
  Chatham
  Cusset
  Grumium
  Halesowen
  Karbala
  Maule
  Mualang
  Pilkhua
  Port Arthur
  Rubigen
  Satalice
  Skandia
  Tomans
  Utrecht
  Annapolis
  Babuyan
  Baldur
  Braunton
  Dyfed
  Havdhem
  Ogano
  Omagh
  Peacock
  Sakai
  Shibukawa
  Tanh Linh
  Xinyang
  Philadelphia
  Chinmen Tao
  Fairfax
  Mizunami
  Tishomingo
  Udibi
  Antietam
  Bastian
  Capac
  Dahar IV
  Delphos
  Galax
  Gulkana
  Huron
  Manassas
  Notwina
  O'Fallon
  Petrolia
  Torrence
  Verde
  Willowick
  Highspire
  Allerton
  Chebanse
  Chirikof
  Darwendale
  Ingenstrem
  Islamabad
  Okains
  Atlas
  Avigait
  Corella
  Cotocallao
  Glentworth
  Jaipur
  Quittacas
  Altorra
  Bellatrix
  Calseraigne
  Kurvasa
  Menke
  New Westin
  Raphael
  Westerhand
  Chilung
  Guangzho
  Chichibu
  New Oslo
  Shinonoi
  Arkab
  Alkes
  Bordon
  Agematsu
  An Ting
  Barlow’s End
  Beta Mensae V
  Bicester
  Blandinsville
  Cholame
  Cosenza
  Cyrenaica
  DeWitt
  Dnepropetrovsk
  Falsterbo
  Fellanin II
  Galtor III
  Gandy's Luck
  Glenmora
  Helsingfors
  Iijima
  Itabaiana
  Johnsondale
  Kanowit
  Kawabe
  Koumi
  Lima
  Ljugarn
  Lucerne
  Paris
  Peabody
  Ramona
  Rowe
  Sauk City
  Saunemin
  Silkeborg
  Simferopol
  Sodus
  Tarkio
  Thestria
  Tinaca
  Umijiri
  Waunakee
  Xhosa VII
  Avawatz
  Axton
  Corydon
  Elidere IV
  Fallon II
  Farwell
  Fincastle
  Flushing
  Freisland
  Gambier
  Goubellat
  Huan
  Imbrial III
  Irurzun
  Larned
  Marlowe's Rift
  Misery
  Monongahela
  Narellan
  Ogilvie
  Perkasie
  Proserpina
  Remagen
  Salem
  Stein's Folly
  Streator
  Sylvester
  Ulan Batar
  Wedgefield
  Hachiman
  Lee
  Abadan
  Ariel
  Asellus Borealis
  Bentley
  Bithinia
  Castrovia
  Cronulla
  Denbar
  Geifer
  Hexare
  Holt
  Housekarle
  Hunan
  Kashilla
  Kiyev
  Lancaster
  Lungdo
  Necromo
  New Delos
  New Macao
  Ohrensen
  Safe Port
  Salur
  St. Andre
  St. Loris
  Tiber
  Truth
  Ulan Bator
  Vanra
  Ventabren
  Weekapaug
  Zaurak
  Avior
  insville
  Jouques
  New Hope
  ru
  Antares
  Benfled
  Caldrea
  Chaffee
  Dehgolan
  Gladius
  Graceland
  Kandersteg
  Komephoros
  Koniz
  Lamon
  Laurieston
  Maestu
  orges
  Najha
  Nekkar
  Odessa
  Sakhalin
  Shimosuwa
  Shimosuwa
  Svinngarn
  Symington
  Toffen
  Vega
  Vorarlberg
  Leiston
  Nakaojo
  Yamarovka
  Covington
  Leamington
  Aix-la-Chapelle
  Altenmarkt
  Boardwalk
  Campertown
  Homestead
  Odabasi
  Odell
  Sanilac
  Thun
  Wappingers
  Bremond
  Hoff
  Plymouth
  Saginaw
  Susulatna
  Oriente
  Smolensk
  Brusett
  Rocky
  Dove
  Kannon
  Helixmar
  Dirk's Gulf
  Kumqwat
  Aldertaine
  Cussar
  Bedeque
  Carsphairn
  rillo
  Helm
  Kajikazawa
  Kimball II
  Ling
  Monistrol
  Phalan
  Semenyih
  Tamsalu
  Tania Borealis
  Tawas
  Tecumseh
  Tripoli
  Rosamond
  Pandora
  Kockengen
  Alnasi
  Altais
  Buckminster
  Carstairs
  Kirkcaldy
  Minakuchi
  Otho
  Port Moseby
  Tsukude
  Al Hillah
  Algorab
  Baxter
  Caledonia
  Enkoping
  Ganshoren
  Garrison
  Kelenfold
  ad
  Veckholm
  Arlington
  Benet III
  Breed
  Dobson
  Donenac
  Fukuroi
  Harpster
  Harrow's Sun
  Kentares IV
  Mersa Matruh
  Raman
  Acala
  Ashkum
  Barstow
  Beecher
  Cammal
  Goderich
  Moravian
  Tiskilwa
  Valexa
  Maladar
  Brighton
  Cordiagr
  Harloc
  Milos
  Old Kentucky
  Ovan
  Tsinghai
  Tsingtao
  Eom
  Imalda
  Propus
  Uravan
  Jonathan
  Poznan
  Angell II
  Daneshmand
  Dayr Khuna
  Elektrougli
  Emris IV
  Fletcher
  ony
  cida
  Deshler
  Gram
  Hun Ho
  Osmus Saar
  Saaremaa
  Tok Do
  Valmiera
  St. Ives
  Sian
  Athenry
  New Avalon
  Ancha
  Azha
  Miaplacidus
  Alhena
  Alya
  Augustine
  Carnwath
  Gacrux
  Glengarry
  Kalidasa
  Kaus Borealis
  Kochab
  Kyrkbacken
  Seginus
  Shimonita
  Van 
   IV
  Yance I
  Zaniah
  Pollux
  New Canton
  Nopah Achernar
  Caselton
  Cylene
  Rio
  Ronel
  Schedar
  Tybalt
  Galatia III
  Almach
  Buchlau
  Gan Singh
  Mesartim
  Ningpo
  Mira
  Halloran V
  Elbar
  Alexandria
  Lucianca
  Morningside
  Summit
  Chamdo
  Indicass
  Jasmine
  Menkar
  Minnacora
  Tsitsang
  Argyle
  Clovis
  Coloma
  Marlette
  Olancha
  Rochester
  Scudder
  Talcott
  Tallmadge
  Kyeinnisan
  Oceana
  Apostica
  Izar
  La Grave
  xford
  Yed Prior
  Solaris
  Awano
  Cadiz
  Sulafat
  Sutama
  David
  Exeter
  Franklin
  Ludwig
  Shaul Khala
  Marduk
  Avellaneda
  Ibstock
  Park Place
  Bell
  Wei
  Accrington
  Alkaid
  Asellus Australis
  Breukelen
  Goshen
  New Wessex
  Orestes
  ent
  Wroxeter
  Tannil
  Hagiwawa
  Kurragin
  Ares
  Capella
  Beten Kaitos
  Chisholm
  Emerson
  Liao
  Foochow
  Styk
  Algot
  Konstance
  Kuzuu
  Mara
  Fuentes
  Sarna
  Bandora
  New Sagan
  Al Na'ir
  Alchiba
  Alioth
  Alphard
  Alrakis
  Alula Australis
  Bharat
  Biham
  Chertan
  Dromini VI
  Fletcher
  Genoa
  Hamal
  Hean
  Kaus Australis
  Kaus Media
  La Blon
  Marcus
  Menkalinan
  Murchison
  Nanking
  Nathan
  Remulac
  Saiph
  Skondia
  Skye
  Slocum
  Towne
  Towne
  Unukalhai
  Wing
  Wyatt
  Dieron
  Zollikofen
  Chara
  Errai
  Algedi
  Ashio
  Bernardo
  Dabih
  Halstead Station
  Hamilton
  Kitalpha
  Kurhah
  Markab
  New Hessen
  Sadachbia
  Shensi
  Shitara
  Suzano
  Waddesdon
  Gei-Fu
  Ingersoll
  Masterson
  Palos
  Quemoy
  Batavia
  Crossing
  Homam
  Kestrel
  Logandale
  New Valencia
  Royal
  Scheat
  Drusibacken
  Keystone
  Algol
  Pleione
  Mirach
  Aubisson
  Tikonov
  Terra Caph
  Freedom
  Mallory's World
  Marik
  McHenry
  Muskegon
  New Earth
  pia
  Procyon
  Ozawa
  Robinson
  Rochelle
  Ryde
  Sevren
  Capolla
  Terra 
  Bryant
  Sirius
  Keid
  New Home
  Oliver
  Rigil Kentarus
  Thorin
  Eltanin
  Alkalurops
  Atria
  Dyev
  Imbros III
  Ko
  Lyons
  Nusakan
  Pike IV
  Summer
  Altair
  Asta
  Helen
  Muphrid
  Nashira
  Nirasaki
  Saffel
  Styx
  Telos
   
  IV
  Yorii
  Carver V
  Castor
  Bordon
  Rocky
  Castor
   Rock
  Epsilon Eridani
  Epsilon Indi
  Fomalhaut
  Graham IV
  Hall
  Lipton
  Small World
  Zavijava
  Doneval II
  Edwards
  Eaton
  Blue Diamond
  Stewart
  Chesterton
  Demeter
  Foot Fall
  Zion
  Junction
  Sadalbari
  Asuncion
  Piedmont
  Skat
  Ascella
  Kessel
  Rukbat
  Alcor
  Laiaka
  Cartago
  Phecda
  Arboris
  Basalt
  Sheratan
  Aldebaran
  Connaught
  Milton
  Mizar
  Alphecca
  Callison
  Cor Caroli
  Lambrecht
  Moore
  Syrma
  Tall Trees
  Kristiandsund
  Conwy
  Belluevue
  Alrescha
  Buchlau
  Ningpo
  Chisholm
  Saiph
  Zion
  Aldebaran
  Trees
  Tigress
  Shiloh
  Menkalinan
  Wing
  Summer
  Deneb Algedi
  Pollux
  Altair
  Nirasaki
  Epsilon Eridani
  Fomalhaut
  Mesartim
  Bharat
  Tikonov
  Bryant
  Catroxx
  New Dallas
  Tyrfing
  Pokhara
  Brownsville
  Ankaa
  Acamar
  Talitha
  Diemen
  Addicks
  Acubens
  Berenson
  Dubhe
  Ruchbah
  Savannah
  Zosma
  Yangtze
  Firma
  Ingress
  Menkent
  Kervil
  Quentin
  Devil's
  Hsien
  Irian
  Northwind
  Outreach
  Dieudonne
  Denebola
  Wasat
  Zurich
  Kawich
  Woodstock
  Catroxx
  New Dallas
  Tyrfing
  Pokhara
  Brownsville
  Ankaa
  Acamar
  Talitha
  Diemen
  Addicks
  Acubens
  Berenson
  Dubhe
  Ruchbah
  Savannah
  Zosma
  Yangtze
  Firma
  Ingress
  Menkent
  Kervil
  Quentin
  Devil's
  Hsien
  Irian
  Northwind
  Outreach
  Dieudonne
  Denebola
  Wasat
  Zurich
  Kawich
  Woodstock
  New Aragon
  New Canton
  Algot
  Slocum
  Beten Kaitos
  Harrow's Sun
  Jamestown
  Jamestown
  Samantha
  Ishtar
  Samantha
  Ishtar
  Taurus
  Sanurcha
  Balkan
  Domain
  Nihal
  Traussin
  k
  la
  Woodbine
  Jansen's Hold
  MacLeod's Land
  Map compiled by COMSTAR.
  From information provided by the COMSTAR EXPLORER CORPS 
  and the STAR LEAGUE ARCHIVES on Terra.
  MAXIMUM  JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  L E G E N D
  National capital
  District capital
  Region capital
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  120 LIGHT YEARS OR 36.8 PARSECS
  Coreward
  Spinward
  Anti-spinward
  Rimward
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  26
  IGNITION POINTS
  remaining military equipment stores on the planet, improving their 
  readiness in the face of foreign attack.
  But the worst was yet to come.
  Recognizing the Suns’ weakness on Towne, House Kurita 
  followed up their raid with a full-scale assault on the planet in 
  December of that same year. Spearheading this assault was the 
  Fifth Dieron Regulars, escorted by a small naval flotilla, and backed 
  up by seven regiments of conventional infantry and aerospace 
  support. Still recovering from their earlier humiliation, the Hussars 
  and the 123rd Interceptors found themselves caught with their 
  proverbial pants down once again. 
  Even though the new threat came from a single enemy force, 
  the attacking formation was far stronger than the combined might 
  of February’s raiding actions. To their credit, Donner and Wilkins not 
  only agreed to work together against the invaders, but also realized 
  that they would need to call for off-world reinforcements immediately. 
  Unfortunately, despite their newfound sense of cooperation, the 
  two defending commanders were not the only ones reluctant to set 
  aside their differences. Local loyalties and bureaucratic interference 
  hindered AFFS efforts to send relief forces to Towne, delaying their 
  arrival for nearly two months. By the time reinforcement JumpShips 
  arrived in late February of 2786, it was too late. The Fifty-Sixth 
  Avalon Hussars and the 123rd Aerospace Interceptor Wing had 
  been crushed by the Combine’s superior numbers and coordination. 
  Those who survived had either gone to ground, working with the 
  straggling remnants of the planetary militias in an ongoing guerilla 
  campaign, or were now prisoners of the Dragon.
  THE GREAT HEGEMONY LAND-GRAB
  In the years just before the start of the Succession Wars—
  indeed, even before Kerensky’s Exodus—the Star League Member 
  States began to absorb the worlds of the Terran Hegemony closest 
  to their borders. These annexations, often made under the pretext 
  of relief and reconstruction efforts, often occurred with little 
  actual exchange of fire; the locals who had survived the horrors 
  of the Amaris Empire and the war against it were grateful for any 
  assistance by that point. 
  Aleksandr Kerensky and his SLDF loyalists, who saw the bigger 
  picture, strenuously objected to these blatant “land grabs,” but 
  were unwilling to commit to war in the wake of the fighting they 
  had already endured. Sensing opportunity in this, each of the Great 
  Houses also began attempting to woo the SLDF garrisons they 
  encountered in these regions—many with promises of wealth and 
  landholds in exchange for fealty. As these efforts began to lure 
  some of his less-resolute commanders into mercenary service, and 
  chipped away at the SLDF’s already-crumbling morale, Kerensky 
  came to realize the lost cause of preserving the Hegemony, and 
  drew up his plans for Exodus.
  After Kerensky’s departure, the various House Lords grew much 
  more aggressive in their acquisitions, especially as each one drew 
  closer to Terra itself. Still, it was not until the middle of 2786—after the 
  Commonwealth offensive against Bolan, and the Combine conquests 
  of Trolloc Prime and Gram, that their digestion of the Terran Hegemony 
  and its jointly administered worlds turned into war.
  Although both incoming attack forces were relatively small in 
  size—numbering barely more than a reinforced battalion each—
  the commanders of the two Davion defense forces deadlocked 
  on which one to repel first. The Hussars’ commander, Major Colin 
  Wilkins, insisted that the Kurita force represented the more serious 
  threat, claiming their landing targets suggested a likely run on the 
  planetary capital, perhaps in advance of a greater DCMS incursion. 
  Major Imrich Donner, commanding the Aerospace Interceptors, 
  countered that the Capellans were the greater threat, suggesting 
  that Wilkins was allowing his regional biases to get the better of 
  him. With neither man willing to back down, the Combine forces 
  landed on Hyborian virtually unopposed, while the Confederation 
  raiders managed to punch through the southern hemisphere’s 
  aerospace defense and land on Fetryl with minimal damage.
  On the ground, the raiders from both realms tore simultaneous 
  paths of destruction, looting several poorly defended warehouses 
  on Hyborian and Fetryl. By the time the Davion commanders 
  realized that their enemies were running roughshod while they 
  bickered over imaginary jurisdictions and responsibilities, the 
  Capellan force was already beginning to fall back in the face of a 
  surprisingly resourceful guerilla attack staged by the local militia 
  from the Fetrylan city of Vale. Though the Confederation invaders 
  suffered only minor damage in the attack, they realized the 
  citizenry’s willingness to stand up to them would slow them down 
  long enough for the AFFS troops on world to rally. 
  A squadron of the 123rd harried House Liao’s raiders as they 
  retreated to their DropShips, while a detachment of conventional 
  and ’Mech forces from the Fifty-Sixth Hussars relocated to Fetryl to 
  relieve the local militia. Whether it was the embarrassment of being 
  upstaged by a citizens’ militia, the increasingly desperate pleas for aid 
  from several local government officials, or simply the convenience 
  of having one of the two enemy raiding forces withdraw before 
  the other, the Davion forces managed to compromise enough to 
  not only ensure the Confederation’s departure, but also mount a 
  loosely coordinated defense on the Hyborian continent. Their final 
  counterattack was far from perfect, but it was enough to convince 
  the DCMS raiders that their free reign over Towne’s northern 
  hemisphere had come to an end. Withdrawing in good order, the 
  Combine attackers boosted into the sky with minimal losses.
  In less than two weeks’ time, the simultaneous raids of the so-called 
  Towne Debacle claimed the lives of over four thousand civilians, two 
  hundred and fifty military personnel—mostly belonging to the local 
  citizens’ militia—and displaced another five thousand residents. Seven 
  of Towne’s valuable warehouse depots—three on Fetryl, and four 
  on Hyborian—had been plundered or outright destroyed by the 
  raiders, costing the AFFS equipment and munitions worth well over 
  seventy million pounds, to say nothing of the greater costs to civilian 
  infrastructure. Public outrage over the mismanagement of the planet’s 
  defense reached all the way to New Avalon, while Majors Donner and 
  Wilkins continued to blame each other for the catastrophe. 
  In an effort to mitigate the effects of the disaster, Prince John 
  Davion issued the Towne Charter, a formal declaration of the 
  Towne citizenry’s right to strengthen their defense force, courtesy 
  of the AFFS. This act enabled the local militia to access much of the 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  27
  IGNITION POINTS
  Combine also took over the jointly-administered worlds of Keisen, 
  Minakuchi, and Setubal, while DCMS troops near the Federated 
  Suns assumed full control over Delacruz, Kesai IV, and Valentina.
  In 2784, Combine “peacekeepers” further claimed the 
  Hegemony worlds of Murchison and Pokhara, while also taking over 
  the largely-abandoned SLDF facilities on six other co-administered 
  planets—Homam, Huan, Mara, and Misery on the Davion border; 
  and Halesowen on the Steiner front. It is worth noting that virtually 
  all of House Kurita’s gains against Hegemony-administered worlds 
  were part of a greater build-up of DCMS troops along the Terran 
  region, as Coordinator Minoru Kurita and his son, Jinjiro, anticipated 
  a potential war with the remnants of the Star League military. 
  The same concern drove the annexation of worlds all along 
  the Combine-Suns line, as SLDF troop ships were sighted moving 
  through the region to rally at New Samarkand. House Davion’s 
  intelligence recognized that the Kurita forces seemed far more 
  preoccupied by the possible threat posed by Kerensky’s loyalists; 
  as a result, Prince Davion chose to align his defenses toward the 
  Confederation rather than the Combine.
  In 2785, after the Exodus fleet had departed, House Kurita 
  claimed only five more systems from the abandoned Hegemony 
  and its co-administered Combine border worlds. This included the 
  war-ravaged world of Lambrecht, and Al Na’ir—one of the earliest 
  planets colonize Star League: the Lyran border world of Engadin, 
  and Deshler and Fellanin II near the Davion border. Because the 
  latter two worlds lay a full jump or two away from the border itself, 
  these acquisitions again aroused little alarm on New Avalon. The 
  takeover of Engadin, on the other hand, ratcheted up tensions with 
  the Lyran Commonwealth, especially after the DCMS invasions of 
  Trolloc Prime and Gram.
  In 2786, the Coordinator and his son began analyzing their 
  options against both the Commonwealth and the Suns. Prior to 
  December of that year, the DCMS seized only two more systems 
  where once the Star League and Terran banners waved: Helen, 
  within the Hegemony’s crumbling Lockdale Province, and Sulafat, 
  near the Commonwealth border. When the wildly successful raid 
  on Skondia drove home the utter weakness of House Steiner’s 
  resolve in June of that same year, Minoru diverted some of the 
  reserves earmarked for his planned campaign against the Lyrans, 
  and instead sent them into the Hegemony, striking deep enough 
  to claim the important shipyard world of Dieron by December. 
  This drive also struck at the worlds of Deneb Algedi, Inglesmond, 
  Kervil, and Styx. While Kervil fell with relatively little difficulty, militia 
  presence and naval support—much of it traced to a surprisingly 
  robust Inglesmond—prevented the Combine from claiming Deneb 
  Algedi and Styx until the early weeks of 2787. By that time, the 
  Coordinator had proclaimed himself First Lord of the Star League 
  and officially launched the Succession War. 
  Inglesmond would not fall to the Dragon until 2789. By then, the 
  interference from Steiner and Davion exploratory forces—ironically 
  summoned by the Inglesmondians themselves—resulted in massive 
  nuclear devastation as all three House armies resorted to scorched 
  earth measures to prevent their prize from falling into enemy hands.
  Capellan Confederation Gains
  The Capellan Confederation began its territorial gains in 2783 
  with the reclamation of Ningpo and Slocum from the Hegemony 
  border region. Both worlds had been previously administered 
  jointly by the Terran and Capellan governments, but had fallen 
  under Amaris’ rule during the crisis. At the same time, Capellan 
  “security forces” also arrived on Andurien and Claybrooke—two key 
  joint-administration worlds on the Confederation’s border with the 
  Free Worlds League.
  In 2784, the Confederation sent more “civic relief” forces to the 
  jointly-administered Terran worlds of Tikonov and Yangtze, both 
  of which had also suffered extensive damage during the Amaris 
  crisis, before expanding the annexation to include Aldebaran, 
  Arboris, Azha, New Canton, and Zurich. Meanwhile, CCAF security 
  forces also took over the now-abandoned SLDF outposts on 
  joint-administration world of Valexa, near the Davion-claimed 
  world of Chesterton. While this move alarmed the Federated Suns 
  government enough to file a formal protest and request support 
  from the SLDF, Kerensky’s army was well underway with its Exodus 
  plans, and the complaints went unanswered.
  After the Exodus in November of 2784, the emboldened 
  Confederation advanced deeper into Hegemony space, taking 
  Bex, Capolla, Genoa, Nanking, and Terra Firma in one sweep 
  during the early half of 2785. The capture of the Hegemony’s 
  former regional capital facilities on Terra Firma proved particularly 
  valuable, as they enabled the Confederation to better integrate the 
  administrative and logistical support left behind by the SLDF’s now-
  departed military governors. The Capellans also claimed the jointly-
  administered worlds of El Giza and Andro on the Marik and Davion 
  borders, respectively. In the latter case, this put CCAF security 
  troops within striking range of the key world of Kathil in the 
  Federated Suns. This fact, combined with the still-fresh memories of 
  the 2760-2762 border war between the realms, undoubtedly fueled 
  Prince John Davion’s decision to mass his forces for a campaign 
  against the Confederation.
  House Liao’s continued expansion into Terran space slowed in 
  2786 with the taking of Outreach and Fletcher. On the Free Worlds 
  border, the jointly-administered worlds of Carbonis and Mosiro 
  were claimed by CCAF troops, as was the world of Stein’s Folly on 
  the FedSuns front. With word of conflict erupting elsewhere in 
  the Inner Sphere by that point, the Confederation’s limited gains 
  underscored Chancellor Barbara Liao’s caution as she waited to see 
  which of her neighbors might strike first.
  Draconis Combine Gains
  Compared to the Capellan Confederation—indeed, compared 
  to almost every other Star League member-state—the Draconis 
  Combine’s drive to claim worlds from the Terran Hegemony was 
  far less subtle. In 2783 alone, the Combine assimilated eight worlds 
  either wholly or partly administered by the Terrans, including the 
  Amaris-ravaged worlds of Nashira and Telos IV, and the watery 
  world of Moore, some of which had already been partially ceded 
  to the Dragon by the Amaris Empire. On the Lyran border, the 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  28
  IGNITION POINTS
  Free Worlds League Gains
  Compared to even the Draconis Combine, the Free Worlds 
  League’s absorption of worlds owned by or shared with the Terran 
  Hegemony was particularly aggressive. Having long nursed a 
  personal hatred toward Aleksandr Kerensky, and contemptuous of 
  the other House Lords, Captain-General Kenyon Marik commanded 
  his forces to begin securing Hegemony territory almost as soon as 
  the Star League disbanded in 2782. Indeed, by the first weeks of 
  2783, Free Worlds League “security forces” had already closed down 
  the Star League administrative offices on the shared worlds of 
  Dieudonne and Dubhe, with many officials escorted to outbound 
  DropShips at gunpoint.
  In 2783, Marik-affiliated forces conducted a similar “expedited 
  closure” of the joint-administrative offices on Millungera and 
  Sierra, two systems located on the key transit routes into the Bolan 
  Thumb region. This act was not only aimed at purging the League 
  of Terran influence, but also to close off any advance warning of the 
  military stockpiles “The Eagle” was sending to the Bolan Defenders 
  in anticipation of the war sure to come. Chertan and Wasat, 
  two worlds fully within the Hegemony’s boundaries, were also 
  annexed in this time. In the case of the latter world—which had 
  been contested since before the days of the Star League—Marik 
  dispatched an exceptionally large “security detachment,” consisting 
  of the Sixth and Twenty-Third Marik Militias, in order to stave off 
  potential Capellan invaders.
  In 2784, Kenyon’s troops added the Terran world of Berenson to 
  their prizes, while also ousting Hegemony administrators from the 
  shared border worlds of Wing and Zion—systems that jutted into the 
  Lyran Commonwealth and Capellan Confederation, respectively. By 
  the end of that same year, Terran-sponsored administrative offices 
  on all five of the remaining League worlds bordering House Steiner 
  were closed down, as were their counterpart offices on Gomeisa, 
  near the Confederation. 
  It was perhaps this wave of Free Worlds League annexations 
  that truly set the Lyrans’ military intelligence networks on high alert. 
  Given that Kerensky’s forces across the Inner Sphere were abuzz 
  with activity, the League’s efforts appeared even more focused on 
  their Steiner front than on the Terran border. In retrospect, this had 
  as much to do with Kenyon’s wariness over exactly what Kerensky 
  was up to as it did with his plans to beef up the Bolan Thumb for an 
  eventual campaign against the Commonwealth.
  With Kerensky’s departure in late 2784, however, the Captain-
  General had an abrupt change of mind. Now aware that the SLDF’s 
  heart and soul had fled the Inner Sphere entirely, he shifted troops 
  originally earmarked for the Bolan Thumb toward the Terran Corridor. 
  Within the course of a single year, the Free Worlds League added 
  seven Hegemony systems to its number, claiming worlds ranging 
  from Callison and Marcus to Talitha and Van Damien IV with a relative 
  minimum of violence. Only the world of New Dallas was missed in this 
  sweep (an oversight the Captain-General would come to regret later). 
  In addition, the Terran satellite offices on the Capellan-front worlds 
  of Fujidera, Hamilton, and Holt were shut down, with the remaining 
  one—Fletcher—set to end operations by the spring of 2786.
  Federated Suns Gains
  Much has been made of Prince John Davion’s reluctance to 
  commit to anything that would make his personal claim to the 
  Cameron legacy “unseemly”. Believing the Davion line to be the 
  superior claimant for the Star League throne, he forbade his military 
  from engaging in naked aggression against the Terran Hegemony 
  or the various border worlds that the Star League co-administered 
  with the Federated Suns. Nevertheless, the Suns moved just as 
  quickly as its fellow realms to secure several Hegemony systems.
  In 2783, FedSuns administrators quietly assumed full control 
  of the jointly-administered worlds of Mirach and Schedar, both 
  of which were located near the Hegemony and Combine borders 
  and fell under Amaris rule during the Crisis. At the same time, 
  AFFS “peacekeepers” moved in to claim Towne and Ozawa—two 
  industrial worlds that House Davion found too important to 
  ignore, or worse, let fall to either the Capellan Confederation or the 
  Draconis Combine. In addition to these acquisitions, a combination 
  of backroom deals and open diplomacy secured full Federated 
  Suns authority over the worlds of Wappingers and Midale, both of 
  which hosted Star League agencies intended to keep the peace on 
  the Capellan and Taurian borders, respectively. 
  This pattern of acquisitions continued in 2784, when Suns 
  administrators assumed full control over Elbar and Mallory’s World—
  two more joint-worlds left crippled during the days of the Amaris 
  Empire—as well as the distant Capellan-Periphery border system of 
  Mandaree. To ensure greater logistical control of the Hegemony area 
  holdings, AFFS peacekeepers also landed on New Rhodes III.
  When Kerensky departed from the Inner Sphere in late 2784, 
  the First Prince finally loosened some of the military restrictions 
  on the Suns’ expansion into Hegemony space, but he still 
  preferred non-violent annexations over conquest. In 2785, Davion 
  peacekeepers extended their reach to the Terran worlds of Galatia 
  III, New Florence, and Ronel in a more determined drive aimed at 
  Terra itself. By this point, however, they found themselves outpaced 
  by the Draconis Combine in the coreward direction. 
  FedSuns intelligence continued to regard the Combine’s build-up 
  along their shared border as a response to Kerensky’s actions prior to 
  the Exodus, rather than an imminent invasion of the Davion realm. This 
  conclusion meshed with the reports of Combine hostilities against the 
  distant Lyran Commonwealth, and the fact that the only significant 
  military encounter with the DCMS came during their raiding action 
  on Towne. Nevertheless, Prince Davion authorized additional security 
  forces to New Mendham, a former co-administered world near the 
  center of Draconis March. As his sights narrowed on the Capellan 
  Confederation, Davion also directed his forces to assume full control 
  over Jaipur, in the rimward reaches of the Capellan March.
  In 2786, the Suns annexed the Hegemony worlds of Addicks 
  and Hean, while also securing full control over Narellan and Robsart 
  near the Confederation front. This would be the last of House 
  Davion’s truly peaceful conquests of former Terran holdings; in 
  February of that same year, House Kurita conquered the world of 
  Towne. Even to the idealistic Prince, it was now clear that a new age 
  of war was inescapable.
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  29
  IGNITION POINTS
  being outright expelled. This reflected Archon Jennifer Steiner’s 
  preference to treat the increasingly orphaned Hegemony 
  agencies with respect, a technique aimed at retaining the 
  expertise of their personnel—and one that would also secure 
  several ex-SLDF regiments in the months leading up to 
  Kerensky’s departure.
  In the year that followed the Exodus, the Commonwealth’s 
  advance into Hegemony space slowed as the LCAF shifted to 
  high alert along the Free Worlds League frontier. Given the launch 
  of ELBOW JOINT, after all, the potential for a massive shooting 
  war all along the Marik front loomed large. For this reason, 
  Lyran gains in 2785 consisted largely of taking full control over 
  the co-administered worlds of Unzmarkt and Vorarlberg on the 
  Combine border, while securing the Hegemony worlds of Cor 
  Caroli, Milton, Lyons, and Rocky. These gains proved bittersweet, 
  however, when reports came in of possible “Rim Worlds bandits” 
  striking Bone-Norman—followed by the fall of Trolloc Prime and 
  Gram to a sudden invasion by House Kurita.
  With her realm effectively at war with the Free Worlds 
  League, and the Combine now pushing into its spinward front, 
  Archon Jennifer ordered the LCAF to exercise great caution in its 
  Hegemony conquests. Nusakan, a co-administered world rich in 
  heavy industries, was secured by diplomacy and corporate deals 
  that began two years before, but it took Commonwealth troops to 
  claim planets of Afleir and Denebola. Of these, Denebola proved 
  the most difficult, as the arriving Fourteenth Lyran Guards—a 
  newly-minted ’Mech regiment—encountered the equally green 
  Thirty-Fourth Marik Militia. 
  The Marik forces had arrived on Denebola as part of 
  the League’s 2785 surge into Hegemony space, and were 
  still settling into the battered facilities that once housed the 
  SLDF’s 282nd Mechanized Infantry Division there. Sporadic 
  fighting with remnant pro-Hegemony guerrillas cost the 
  Militia nearly a company of ’Mechs, but the planet was largely 
  pacified by the time Steiner’s troops arrived. Unfortunately 
  for them, the Lyran attack force included a WarShip escort of 
  the Commonwealth-class cruisers Odessa and Porrima. With so 
  much of the League military on the move elsewhere, only a 
  pair of Vincent-class corvettes was on station to fight for orbital 
  superiority. After an initial volley of capital missiles and laser fire 
  from the Odessa completely vaporized the FWLS Francisco, the 
  remaining Marik ship fled the area, essentially abandoning the  
  planetary defenders. 
  Eager to expedite the conquest of Denebola, LCAF Colonel 
  Hoshi DeWitt, commander of the Fourteenth Guards, requested 
  an orbital strike on the site of the former Star League base. The 
  two-hour bombardment reduced the sprawling complex to 
  smoking rubble, killing over half of the defending Marik Militia 
  forces within. Though some two companies of Militia infantry 
  and armor went to ground, and would continue to harass 
  the Fourteenth for months to come, the bulk of the Thirty-
  Fourth Militia’s survivors surrendered within two days of the 
  Commonwealth’s landings.
  For Kenyon, the “liberation” of Hegemony worlds—
  combined with the uncertainty of the period following the Star 
  League’s collapse—served as an enormous political boon. The 
  addition of each new holding promised more wealth for the 
  League as a whole, which earned him Parliament’s unabashed 
  admiration. Boosting this support was the fact that Marik had 
  the League’s intelligence agency, SAFE, actively suppressing 
  news of just how war-ravaged these Hegemony planets were, 
  thus playing up their value. Furthermore, the uncertainty that 
  preceded Kerensky’s November Exodus, followed by the spike 
  in war fears that followed, had the realm’s various rulers and 
  representatives truly worried about their immediate future. 
  These war fears, combined with the Captain-General’s success in 
  “peacefully securing” the League’s borders, helped to lock 
  in support for Resolution 288. This law not only reaffirmed 
  Kenyon’s supreme authority over the military, it all but ensured 
  House Marik’s absolute rule over the Free Worlds League for 
  centuries to come.
  In 2786, League troops pushed further toward Terra, seizing 
  both Castor and the war-ravaged provincial capital of Tyrfing. 
  Although Marik fully planned to continue his march all the way to 
  the core of the Hegemony’s withering corpse within the next two 
  years, the campaign stumbled to a crawl by the middle of the year, 
  when news of the Lyran invasion of Bolan announced the start of 
  the Succession Wars. 
  Lyran Commonwealth Gains
  As befitting a realm that prides itself on its mercantile prowess, 
  many of the Lyran Commonwealth’s acquisitions from the Terran 
  Hegemony were achieved through negotiations and monetary 
  exchange. Having invested in many of the Star League’s industrial 
  conglomerates, the Lyrans were quick to secure controlling 
  interests in virtually all factories and non-government institutions 
  throughout their realm. The Defiance Industries factories on 
  Hesperus II, for example, changed hands in the course of a 
  single board meeting when Commonwealth investors proposed a 
  “mutually beneficial” defense and production deal.
  As its neighbor realms began gobbling up Hegemony worlds 
  ravaged during the Amaris Crisis, House Steiner also moved to 
  “stabilize” similar systems all along its borders, starting first with 
  shared-dominion worlds like Zebebelgenubi, Syrma, and Galatea 
  in 2783. In addition to these, Commonwealth ships and security 
  troops also secured the Combine-bordering worlds of Sabik (within 
  the Hegemony’s Lone Star Province), and The Edge (a co-managed 
  world on the coreward fringe of Lyran space). 
  In 2784, Commonwealth agencies also assumed full control 
  over the Terran worlds of Alchiba, Menkent, and Mizar, while 
  sending troops to secure Summer and Wyatt. At the same 
  time, the Star League administrative centers and military 
  outposts on Gram, Lovinac, and Stanzach were also reclaimed 
  by Commonwealth authorities. In virtually all of these cases, 
  the resident non-Lyrans serving these facilities were offered 
  positions within the local government bureaucracy, rather than 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  30
  IGNITION POINTS
  NEW DALLAS: TERRAN TO THE FINAL, FIERY END
  Aggressors:
  FWLM: Third and Fifth Atrean Dragoons, and Seventh Marik Militia Regiments
  Defenders: 
  New Dallas: New Dallas Militia (approximately three ’Mech regiments)
  Lying just one jump away from Free Worlds League space within the Terran Hegemony’s Tyrfing Province, the world of New Dallas 
  was a textbook example of planetary engineering. Swathed in a thick atmosphere made sweltering by an abundance of greenhouse 
  gasses, New Dallas was only marginally habitable at the time the first human settlements were established there in the mid-2300s. 
  Within a century, Hegemony-sponsored terraforming efforts transformed the planet from a hellish hothouse into a sub-tropical 
  paradise, ideal for agricultural development. As the original underground settlements gave way to mega-farms and ranches fed by 
  abundant water and blessed with long growing seasons and nutrient-rich soils, New Dallas became a breadbasket world during the 
  Star League era, its produce capable of serving the needs of a dozen nearby systems.
  Its settlers were largely descended from Terra’s North America continent and took great pride in their world, reviving much 
  of the rugged individualism they carried there from their “cowboy” ancestry, as well as their close relationship with the Terran 
  government. In time, the importance of New Dallas, combined with this cultural pride and deeply ingrained belief in self-reliance, 
  led the locals to raise one of the largest and best-equipped planetary militias in Hegemony space. The Star League further bolstered 
  this respectable defense force with three Castles Brian, dozens of SLDF bases, training facilities, a naval base, and an SDS network. 
  All of this protection made subverting the world difficult for Stefan Amaris’ forces and ultimately forced them to use widespread 
  orbital bombardment to pummel the planet into submission—in the process, destroying much of the carefully maintained 
  environment-management equipment. 
  Even after the Rim Worlds bombardment, a local resistance managed to harass the Usurpers’ troops through much of their 
  occupation, drawing on ample supplies from the SLDF facilities missed by the earlier attacks. While never successful in throwing 
  off Amaris’ yoke entirely, this resistance was a great asset to Kerensky’s army during New Dallas’ liberation in 2773. Unfortunately, 
  in their eventual retreat, the Rim Worlds forces resorted to scorched earth tactics, including the complete destruction of the major 
  city of Port Vera. This act further crippled the planetary infrastructure, and its recovery remained far from complete when the Star 
  League later dissolved.
  Then came House Marik’s invasion in March of 2787.
  Despite the collapse of the Star League, the people of New Dallas still considered themselves loyal citizens of the Terran 
  Hegemony, and they vowed never to relinquish their world to any of the treacherous Houses that turned on her. In the process of their 
  own efforts to rebuild, the local militia uncovered a nearly forgotten subterranean storehouse of “royal-quality” BattleMechs, vehicles, 
  and other heavy equipment. These weapons, feared lost during the Amaris Coup, now turned against the invaders from the Free 
  Worlds League, and most were piloted by “retired” SLDF warriors who’d refused to join Kerensky’s Exodus. 
  Expecting an easy time of their invasion after securing many of the surrounding Hegemony systems, the Marik forces were 
  completely unprepared for the level of resistance put up by New Dallas’ militia. After the Seventh Marik Militia was all but destroyed by 
  militia forces throughout the planet’s Lake Galvez region, and the Third Atrean Dragoons experienced fierce resistance outside Caddo 
  City, the invasion commanders authorized the use of nuclear weapons to wipe out the resistors. 
  The Marik nuclear assault not only wiped out virtually all of New Dallas’ militia, it also laid to waste most of the planet’s remaining 
  major population centers. What few survivors remained afterwards witnessed the ravaging of their planet’s remaining resources by 
  the League’s corporate and military scavengers, as their world quickly regressed toward its original, hellish state. Between the Amaris 
  and Marik conquests, and the loss of so much support, New Dallas has been left to die, its population dwindling as its environment 
  slides inexorably toward complete ruin. 
  —Stephen Latt, Forgotten Battles of the Succession War (Vol. 2), Greenbay Press, 2825
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  31
  IGNITION POINTS
  Combined, these declarations merely confirmed what was 
  already apparent. Where once the common folk could try and 
  convince themselves that the House Lords would settle their 
  differences in border campaigns against their neighbors, it was 
  now clear that all five sought the same goal. 
  That goal, Terra itself, ensured the final demise of crumbling 
  Hegemony. In the years to come, each of the five “Successor States” 
  would drive toward humanity’s home planet with the same zeal 
  with which they waged war against one another. 
  Some of the Terran worlds would fall easily enough, 
  accepting the rule of their neighboring Great House in exchange 
  for salvation from the chaos that came with nearly a decade of 
  economic and political ruin. But as the warring realms closed 
  on their final prize, it became inevitable that their armies would 
  soon meet each other wherever their new borders fell. This was 
  especially true among the innermost Hegemony systems, which 
  became apocalyptic battlegrounds where between two and all 
  five powers vied for control. 
  To the hapless residents of these worlds, it was as if Amaris had 
  come back from the dead for one more round of carnage.
  AFTER THE DECLARATIONS
  Although a state of war had already existed for well over a year, 
  the closing weeks of 2786 marked the point most historians refer 
  to as the formal start of the First Succession War. In late December, 
  Coordinator Minoru Kurita issued the proclamation that he and 
  his House were the only rightful heirs to the Star Lord’s throne. 
  Broadcast by HPG across the Combine and beyond, and followed 
  up by missives sent from the remaining Kurita embassies within 
  the other four realms and on Terra, Minoru backed up his grandiose 
  claim with a declaration of war against any House Lord “foolish 
  enough to defy the will of the Dragon”.
  Almost as soon as the message went out, the outrage began. 
  Chancellor Barbara Liao was the first to counter with her own claim 
  on the First Lordship and declaration of war, formally throwing her 
  Capellan Confederation into the widening conflict. Archon Jennifer 
  Steiner, with her own far more cynical response, declared war against 
  the Combine that New Year’s Eve. With the Free Worlds League already 
  at war against the Commonwealth, House Marik merely added its own 
  claim to rule the Star League in the days after that, followed quickly—
  and finally—by House Davion and its Federated Suns.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  32
  THOSE lEFT BEHINd
  Even with all of the damage sustained in their war against Amaris and the mass exodus of so many with Aleksandr Kerensky, a 
  massive number of SLDF forces remained in the Inner Sphere. In addition to these troops were a much smaller number of orphaned 
  regiments and commands from the former Rim Worlds Republic, plus a noteworthy smattering of mercenary groups that had 
  managed to ply their trade even during the halcyon days of the Star League.
  As the Successor States prepared themselves for war and gobbled up the remnants of the Terran Hegemony, many of these groups 
  were approached by the House Lords for either mercenary employment or outright absorption into their growing armies. The following 
  list, drawn from numerous sources, accounts for most of these “strays,” and what became of them as the Succession Wars began. In those 
  cases where only elements of such units made their transitions, the approximate force strength that did so is noted in parentheses. 
  The years listed for each entry indicate when the associated military formation joined (or was hired) by its new affiliation, or—in the 
  case of unaffiliated/uncontracted units—was officially stricken from the rolls of its last parent organization. For additional reference, several 
  notable mercenary commands that existed at the time of the Star League’s collapse and throughout the First Succession War are also listed.
  Joining CCAF 
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  17th Army, 265th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2775 6th and 7th St. Ives Lancers (after 2784)
  15th Army, 7th Jump Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2782
  9th Tikonov Lancers (after 2783)
  4th Army, 166th Mechanized Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2783
  17th Liao Lancers (after 2783)
  8th Army, 360th BattleMech Division (6 regiments)
  2783
  18th through 23rd Sian Dragoons (after 2784)
  8th Army, 189th Battle Regiment
  2783
  24th Sian Dragoons (after 2786)
  15th Army, 84th Light Horse Regiment
  2783
  10th Tikonov Lancers (after 2783)
  18th Army, 147th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2783
  9th Tikonov Lancers (after 2783)
  13th Army, 133rd Jump Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2784
  8th Andurien Hussars (until 2822)
  18th Army, 258th Hussar Regiment
  2784
  11th Tikonov Lancers (after 2784)
  20th Army, 202nd Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2784
  10th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  12th Army, 258th Dragoon Regiment
  2785
  19th Liao Lancers
  14th Army, 3rd French Infantry Regiment
  2785
  8th and 9th Andurien Hussars (until 2822)
  Joining DCMS 
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  12th Army, 29th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2782
  24th Dieron Regulars
  13th Army, 133rd Jump Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2782
  23rd Dieron Regulars
  14th Army, 95th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2782
  21st Dieron Regulars
  11th Army, 294th Hussar Regiment
  2783
  25th Dieron Regulars
  16th Army, 66th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2783
  26th Dieron Regulars
  20th Army, 18th Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2783
  27th Dieron Regulars
  20th Army, 200th Jump Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2783
  27th Dieron Regulars
  15th Army, 7th Jump Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2784
  9th Galedon Regulars
  1st Army, 114th Hussar Regiment
  2784
  28th Dieron Regulars
  10th Army, 4674th Striker Regiment
  2784
  29th Dieron Regulars
  18th Army, 361st Dragoon Regiment
  2785
  10th Galedon Regulars
  18th Army, 963rd Independent Aerospace Wing
  2785
  10th Galedon Regulars
  THOSE LEFT BEHIND
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  33
  THOSE lEFT BEHINd
  Joining AFFS 
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  2nd Army, 1008th Heavy Assault Regiment
  2782
  1st Crucis Lancers
  19th Army, 13th Royal French Demi-Brigade
  2782
  4th, 5th and 8th Deneb Light Cavalry
  7th Army, 250th BattleMech Division (1 battalion)
  2783
  3rd Ceti Hussars
  15th Army, 91st Heavy Assault Regiment
  2783
  2nd Crucis Lancers
  5th Army, 5th Hussar Regiment
  2784
  2nd Avalon Borderers
  8th Army, 2004th Battle Regiment
  2784
  3rd Avalon Borderers
  8th Army, 149th Dragoon Regiment
  2784
  4th Avalon Borderers
  14th Army, 142nd Battle Regiment (1 battalion)
  2784
  7th Crucis Lancers
  17th Army, 1894th Light Horse Regiment (1 battalion)
  2784
  2nd Ceti Hussars, 1st Argyle Lancers
  17th Army, 8th Striker Regiment (2 battalions)
  2784
  2nd Ceti Hussars
  20th Army, 200th Jump Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2784
  41st and 42nd Avalon Hussars
  18th Army, 199th Dragoon Regiment (1 battalion)
  2785
  3rd Ceti Hussars
  18th Army, 396th Dragoon Regiment (1 battalion)
  2785
  3rd Ceti Hussars
  Joining FWLM 
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  5th Army, 189th Jump Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2782
  12th Bolan Defenders
  11th Army, 346th Heavy Tank Regiment
  2783
  346th Heavy Tank Regiment
  18th Army, 209th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2783
  5th Defenders of Andurien (after 2783)
  18th Army, 288th Hussar Regiment
  2783
  6th Orloff Grenadiers
  4th Army, 166th Mechanized Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2784
  6th Regulan Hussars
  15th Army, 63rd Mechanized Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2784
  7th Regulan Hussars
  9th Army, 802nd Independent Aerospace Wing
  2785
  802nd Aerospace Wing
  14th Army, 5th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2785
  8th Orloff Grenadiers
  Joining LCAF 
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  17th Army, 205th Heavy Assault Regiment
  2781
  17th Arcturan Guards
  2nd Army, 567th Striker Regiment
  2782
  3rd Lyran Regulars
  11th Army, 236th Mechanized Infantry Division
  2782
  6th Arcturan Guards
  11th Army, 11th Royal Heavy Assault Regiment
  2782
  7th Arcturan Guards
  17th Army, 68th Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2782
  11th Hesperus Guards
  17th Army, 22nd Dragoon Regiment
  2782
  5th Donegal Guards
  18th Army, 199th Light Horse Regiment
  2782
  1st Sakhalin Regulars
  20th Army, 18th Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2782
  18th Lyran Guards
  4th Army, 238th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2783
  8th Lyran Regulars
  6th Army, 101st Mechanized Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2783
  8th Lyran Regulars
  14th Army, 231st Light Horse Regiment
  2783
  14th Donegal Guards
  8th Army, 3002nd Heavy Tank Regiment
  2784
  181st Heavy Assault Regiment
  15th Army, 63rd Mechanized Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2784
  9th Lyran Regulars
  19th Army, 368th BattleMech Division (1 regiment)
  2785
  19th Lyran Guards
  THOSE LEFT BEHIND (CONTINUED)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  34
  THOSE lEFT BEHINd
  Joining ComStar 
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  5th Army, 213th BattleMech Division
  2784
  2nd ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  5th Army, 197th Mechanized Infantry Division
  2784
  3rd ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  9th Army, 151st Royal BattleMech Division
  2784
  1st ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  11th Army, 184th Mechanized Infantry Division
  2784
  4th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  14th Army, 3rd Striker Regiment
  2784
  8th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  15th Army, 13th Royal Infantry Division
  2784
  5th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  15th Army, 326th BattleMech Division
  2784
  6th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  17th Army, 321st Hussar Regiment
  2784
  8th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  18th Army, 287th BattleMech Division
  2784
  7th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  18th Army, 89th Dragoon Regiment
  2784
  8th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  18th Army, 231st Striker Regiment
  2784
  8th ComStar Expeditionary Division*
  Joining Joining Periphery/Going Rogue 
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  Magistracy of Canopus
  13th Army, 100th Hussar Regiment
  2765 None (Destroyed 2766)
  9th Army, 218th Mechanized Infantry Division (2 regiments)
  2766
  None (Destroyed 2767) 
  10th Army, 237th Hussar Regiment
  2766
  None (Destroyed 2766)
  12th Army, 29th CAAN Marine Regiment
  2766
  1st and 2nd Canopian Light Horse (after 2785)
  13th Army, 186th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2786
  1st Canopian Cuirassiers, Magistracy Guards
  Outworlds Alliance
  15th Army, 284th BattleMech Division (1 regiment)
  2782
  Alpheratz Guards (after 2784)
  16th Army, 165th Mechanized Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2782
  Alliance Grenadiers (after 2784)
  Taurian Concordat
  19th Army, 36th Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2765
  None (Destroyed 2766)
  19th Army, 161st Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2766
  None (Destroyed 2767)
  2nd Army, 35th Dragoon Regiment
  2784
  Concordat Cuirassiers
  4th Army, 159th Hussar Regiment
  2766
  Red Chasseurs (after 2784)
  Renegade/Pirate
  17th Army, 108th Mechanized Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2766
  None (Destroyed 2769)
  17th Army, 265th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2766
  None (Destroyed 2767)
  17th Army, 38th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment (1 battalion)
  2766 None (Destroyed 2768)
  17th Army, 48th Jump Infantry Division (2 battalions)
  2766 None (Destroyed 2767)
  17th Army, 11th Hussar Regiment
  2766
  Battered Brood (Pirate)
  20th Army, 192nd Dragoon Regiment
  2770
  McLaren’s Forgotten (Pirate)
  4th Army, 238th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2771
  Charon’s Children (Pirate)
  AEAF 38th Amaris Fusiliers Regiment
  2775
  Cameron’s Curse (Pirate)
  AEAF 141st Amaris Dragoons (2 battalions)
  2778
  Blood Rain (Pirate)
  THOSE LEFT BEHIND (CONTINUED)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  35
  THOSE lEFT BEHINd
  Became Mercenary
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  Capellan Confederation
  Northwind Highlanders (5 regiments)
  ca. 2365
  Northwind Highlanders
  5th Army, 15th Dracon Regiment
  2784
  15th Dracon Regiment 
  7th Army, 81st Mechanized Infantry Division (1 regiment)
  2784 
  4th Tau Ceti Rangers
  SLDF 42nd Striker Regiment
  2785
  12 Stars Guard (12th Star Guards)
  SLDF 10th Heavy Assault Regiment
  2785
  12 Stars Guard (12th Star Guards)
  Ad-Hoc SLDF/RWR Force (3 regiments)
  2786
  Always Faithful
  Ad-Hoc SLDF/RWR Force (2 regiments)
  2799
  Narhal’s Raiders
  Draconis Combine
  8th Army, 28th Heavy Horse Regiment
  2784
  28th Heavy Horse Regiment
  9th Army, 52nd Heavy Assault Regiment
  2783
  52nd Heavy Assault Regiment
  9th Army, 104th Striker Regiment
  2783
  104th Striker Regiment
  19th Army, 208th Hussar Regiment
  2783
  Bolton’s Rangers
  225th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2775
  Red Eagles
  AEAF 13th Republic Light Lancers Regiment 
  2781
  Black Sharks
  AEAF Tartan Brigade (1 regiment)
  2784
  Fuchida’s Fusiliers
  AEAF 23rd Amaris Dragoons (1 regiment)
  2768
  Daemien’s Destroyers 
  AEAF 201st Republican Lancers (1 regiment)
  2780
  Longhorns
  CCAF Ariana Grenadiers (1 battalion)
  2802
  Bad Dream
  Ad-Hoc SLDF/RWR Formation (1 regiment)
  2815
  Paul Bunyan Regiment
  Free Worlds League
  16th Army, 71st Light Horse Regiment
  2798
  Eridani Light Horse
  16th Army, 151st Light Horse Regiment
  2798
  Eridani Light Horse
  16th Army, 21st Striker Regiment
  2798
  Eridani Light Horse
  Ad-Hoc SLDF, Black Cobra Regiment
  2788
  Baldwin’s Cobras Heavy Brigade
  Ad-Hoc SLDF, 789th Striker Regiment
  2788
  Baldwin’s Cobras Heavy Brigade
  Ad-Hoc SLDF, Alexander’s Asps Heavy Regiment
  2788
  Baldwin’s Cobras Heavy Brigade
  Ad-Hoc SLDF/RWR Force (1 regiment)
  2794
  Clinton’s Cutthroats
  Ad-Hoc RWR Force (1 battalion)
  2797
  Edom’s Bandits
  Ad-Hoc RWR Force (1 battalion)
  2820
  Salicia’s Defiants
  Calloway Lancers Planetary Guard (1 regiment)
  2795
  Langendorf Lancers
  Darabout’s Damned (1 regiment)
  2789
  Dark Spirits*
  Gladstone’s Gladiators (1 regiment)
  2784
  Gladstone’s Gladiators
  Federated Suns
  Redfield Planetary Guard (1 regiment)
  2763
  Redfield Renegades
  3rd Army, 225th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2775
  Simpson’s Samurai
  17th Army, 38th Dragoon Regiment
  2784
  Lexington Combat Group (241st Battle)*
  18th Army, 167th Light Horse Regiment
  2784
  Lexington Combat Group (32nd Recon)*
  18th Army, 238th Striker Regiment
  2784
  Lexington Combat Group (180th Dragoon)*
  11th Army, 23rd Heavy Assault Regiment
  2784
  Tyson’s Troublemakers
  7th Army, 250th BattleMech Division (5 regiments)
  2785
  Screaming Eagles
  17th Army, 1894th Light Horse Regiment (2 battalions)
  2786
  Blue Star Irregulars
  AEAF 21st Rim Worlds Regiment
  2786
  Blue Star Irregulars
  17th Army, 8th Striker Regiment (1 battalion)
  2786
  Lazy Eights
  Hsien Planetary Guard (1 regiment)
  2788
  Hsien Hotheads 
  Ad-Hoc SLDF/RWR/AFFS Force (1 regiment)
  2793
  Belinda’s Irregulars
  The Fighting Urak-hai (3 regiments)
  2795
  Fighting Urukhai
  THOSE LEFT BEHIND (CONTINUED)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  36
  THOSE lEFT BEHINd
  Became Mercenary
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  Lyran Commonwealth
  1st Army, 12th Heavy Assault Regiment
  2782
  12th Heavy Assault Regiment
  4th Army, 238th Mechanized Infantry Division (1 battalion)
  2783 
  Iron Raven Mercenary Group
  12th Army, 25th Striker Regiment
  2783
  Fomorians
  Illician Lancers (4 regiments)
  2786
  Illician Lancers
  Ad-Hoc RWR Force (1 battalion)
  2800
  Freeman’s Fanatics
  AEAF 38th Amaris Fusiliers Regiment
  2803
  Raymond’s Redcoats*
  AEAF 23rd Republic Light Lancers Regiment
  2785
  Stealths (nationalized 2810)
  Periphery Mercenaries
  6th Army, 262nd BattleMech Division (1 regiment)
  2774
  Black Band Legion
  20th Army, 428th BattleMech Division (1 regiment)
  2771 
  Cardinal Sins
  The Warriors of the Dawn (1 regiment)
  2779
  Grim Determination (after 2780)*
  AEAF 2nd Mexican Legion (1 battalion)
  2781
  King’s Wild Cards
  SLDF 77th Special Operations Group (1 regiment)
  2784
  Blackhearts
  Black Warriors (1 regiment)
  2785
  Black Warriors
  Unaffiliated/Uncontracted Mercenaries
  Verlo Planetary Guard Force (5 battalions)
  2820
  12th Vegan Rangers
  CCAF 8th and 9th Andurien Hussars (2 regiments)
  2822
  Dismal Disinherited
  The Grave Walkers (1 regiment)
  N/A
  Grave Walkers
  Missing, Deactivated, or Unaccounted
  Unit
  Year
  New Formation
  14th Army, 79th Mechanized Infantry Division
  2784
  None (Destroyed on Terra, 2788)
  12th Army, 123rd Mechanized Infantry Division
  2784
  None (Destroyed on Terra, 2788)
  11th Army, 295th BattleMech Division
  N/A
  None (Stranded in Periphery, ca. 2790)
  3rd Army, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  4th Army, 90th Dragoon Regiment
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  7th Army, 997th Striker Regiment
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  10th Army, 9th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  12th Army, 54th Mechanized Infantry Division
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  13th Army, 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  15th Army, 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  16th Army, 126th Mechanized Infantry Division
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  19th Army, 359th BattleMech Division
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  19th Army, 31st Infantry Division
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  19th Army, 509th Battle Regiment
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  19th Army, 242nd Hussar Regiment
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  20th Army, 277th Dragoon Regiment
  N/A
  Unknown (MIA ca. 2766-2769)
  *Original identity or designation suspected, but unconfirmed
  THOSE LEFT BEHIND (CONTINUED)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  37
  SAvAGERy UNlEASHEd 
  the Legion made a show of falling back after less than an hour of 
  fighting. The warehouses they left behind for the raiders to plunder 
  contained significant stores of munitions, small arms, and spare 
  parts, but even these had been deliberately reduced in the days 
  prior to the attack, thanks to the early warning of the planet’s 
  satellite sensor network.
  Lacking the strength to claim the planet outright, and 
  convinced that the defenders had already called nearby systems 
  for reinforcements, the Hussars and their mercenary support only 
  lingered on David for a week before withdrawing, content that 
  they had suitably tested House Kurita’s border defenses. Although 
  the raiders conducted a series of recon air patrols over the planet’s 
  other major settlements, they never discovered the concealed 
  bases housing the Third Dieron, deep in the Northern Andropo 
  badlands, or the numerous vehicle bunkers disguised as scattered 
  transient villages along the nearby Fatima River Basin.
  In April 2787, during the Combine’s attack on Saffel, the Sixth 
  Benjamin Regulars discovered elements of the Twenty-First Rim 
  Worlds Regiment were already on planet. Kuritan intelligence 
  identified the former Republic troops as another part of the Blue 
  Star Irregulars, but had not anticipated their presence on the planet 
  after the raid on David. Evidently dispatched to Saffel to secure 
  an Amaris Empire cache left behind during Kerensky’s campaign 
  to liberate Terra, the Irregulars were also tasked with holding 
  the world as a provisional staging area for additional FedSuns 
  operations within the Terran Corridor. 
  Once more, the DCMS field commander, Tai-sa Shiro Knutesson, 
  was bound to limit his force’s strength and preserve the impression 
  of a weaker Combine presence in the region. Here, this meant 
  dispersing his attack units across multiple settlements, diluting their 
  effectiveness, and ordering them to give ground easily when the 
  mercenaries eventually came to root them out. Feigning weakness 
  and incompetence in the face of the “honorless dregs” of the fallen 
  Rim Worlds galled the Sixth’s warriors, but a pointed reminder from 
  Knutesson that any who defied these directives “would be free to 
  explain to Lord Jinjiro why they did so” kept them in line. 
  The Sixth Benjamin Regulars finally retreated from Saffel 
  after ten days of sporadic fighting. As fate would have it, Jinjiro’s 
  meticulous plans paid off mere days after their JumpShips leapt 
  out of the system.
  THE DRAGON’S RECKONING:  
  THE COMBINE-SUNS FRONT
  House Kurita’s assault against the Federated Suns was finally 
  unleashed on 1 May 2787. In less than twelve hours, the JumpShips 
  and WarShips carrying virtually every combat formation along the 
  Combine-Suns border leapt into Davion space like an interstellar 
  tsunami. Where possible, these task forces emerged at stable 
  non-standard jump points nearest to their objectives, while others 
  arrived at the local jump stations in what amounted to a glorious 
  show of force. To further weaken the Davion response, all transport 
  JumpShips and communications hubs were priority targets.
  Having planned for an invasion of the Capellan Confederation, 
  and convinced that the Combine’s attention was focused on 
  the distant Lyrans, the AFFS had redeployed several key ’Mech 
  SAVAGERY UNLEASHED
  Even though all of the Great Houses had formally entered 
  a state of war by January 2787, the first few months after those 
  declarations seemed little different than those that preceded it. The 
  various realms shuffled troops a bit, and a few raiding parties crossed 
  their various shared borders, but the bulk of the action focused 
  largely on the continued dissolution of the former Terran Hegemony.
  This was merely the calm before the coming storms, of course. 
  As 2787 dawned, each of the House Lords had chosen a primary 
  target for their first campaigns—plans that blindly raced each other 
  to reach fruition. House Kurita’s Draconis Combine would launch 
  the first major offensive of the Succession War, but within a year, all 
  five of the Inner Sphere realms would be locked in mortal combat.
  THE DRAGON RAMPANT: 
  KURITA’S WARS
  Despite Coordinator Minoru’s declarations, the Draconis 
  Combine in the opening months of 2787 appeared no more 
  belligerent than before. DCMS forces, seeking to consolidate their 
  Terran Hegemony gains, moved to secure the worlds of Saffel, 
  Nirasaki, and Quentin. Along the Lyran front, Kurita regiments 
  had settled into a largely defensive posture, their numbers now 
  including most of the former SLDF troops and mercenaries the 
  Dragon had acquired over the past few years. 
  A state of alert remained in place on the Federated Suns border, 
  as it had since the year of Kerensky’s Exodus. Unbeknownst to House 
  Davion, this alert had become a smokescreen behind which the 
  Coordinator’s heir, Warlord Jinjiro Kurita, had carefully amassed more 
  than fifty BattleMech regiments, and at least three times as many 
  regiments of supporting infantry, armor, and aerospace elements. 
  The time when this army would be unleashed was fast 
  approaching. But for maximum effect, Jinjiro wanted the Suns to 
  be caught completely unaware. To do so, he sent explicit orders 
  to all field commanders from the Hegemony border expansion to 
  the Combine’s spinward frontier: if engaged by the Davions, their 
  mercenaries, or any of their potential allies, the DCMS was to fight 
  with the minimal amount of its might. At this critical stage, even the 
  loss of a few worlds or battalions was preferable to the unraveling 
  of what would be the Dragon’s masterstroke.
  These orders were put to the test in the earliest months of 
  the war.
  Holding Back: The Battles for David and Saffel
  In February 2787, elements of the Eleventh Avalon Hussars, 
  supported by a battalion from the former SLDF’s 1894th Light 
  Horse Regiment (now operating under the livery of the Blue Star 
  Irregulars mercenary command), raided the Combine-held world 
  of David. There, the DCMS garrison—the Third Arkab Legion—
  had been further augmented by more than four regiments of 
  conventional armor and infantry, as well as the Third Dieron 
  Regulars ’Mech regiment. Pursuant to Jinjiro Kurita’s orders, the 
  defenders held back all of their reinforcements, and engaged the 
  raiders with only half of the Arkab Legion’s manpower. The Davion 
  forces savaged these troops near the port city of Sassari, where 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  38
  THE dRAGON RAmPANT
  regiments and WarShip groups to the Liao border. Knowing this, the Combine’s Internal 
  Security Force had identified several weak points along the Davion lines—areas where 
  the Suns was over-reliant on local militia and mercenary troops to take up the slack 
  in their regular defense. This information enabled the Dragon to focus its attacks for 
  maximum effect. 
  Of particular interest to the first wave of Lord Jinjiro’s campaign was a bulge of 
  seven FedSuns worlds jutting into Kurita space. While this salient centered on the 
  otherwise-unremarkable world of Paris, it also represented the coreward edge of 
  the Robinson Combat Region, the heart of the Suns’ Draconis March. To this region, 
  the DCMS concentrated the most of its initial invasion strength—including fifteen 
  BattleMech regiments and over twenty-five WarShips. 
  The surprise, border-wide assault took the AFFS completely by surprise. Making 
  things worse, the initial Combine attacks on communications proved so effective that, in 
  several cases, border worlds fell silent without even sending a distress call. This gave many 
  FedSuns regional defense commanders the impression that the Combine’s invasions 
  were fewer in number and much more dispersed than they were. Local commands thus 
  received conflicting orders to stay and fight, or make an orderly retreat, while the various 
  Combat Region leaders failed to effectively coordinate with each other.
  In the critical “Paris Bulge”, this confusion resulted in the retreat of the Tyson’s 
  Troublemakers mercenary regiment (formerly known as the SLDF’s Twenty-Third Heavy 
  Assault Regiment) from Marduk, while the First Syrtis Hussars and Thirty-Eighth Avalon 
  Hussars held their positions on Galtor III and Cussar, respectively. The DCMS was quick 
  to take advantage, surging into the region and destroying all enemy space traffic with 
  a mix of heavy fighter strikes and nuclear-tipped “ship-killer” capital missiles. In the first 
  month of the campaign, close to a dozen Davion WarShips and more than three times as 
  many JumpShips were destroyed or captured by the Kuritans, most with only a minimal 
  loss of Combine aerospace power.
  The Combine’s world-by-world strategy was simple and straightforward. Once 
  local aerospace and communications were neutralized—effectively stranding the 
  planetary defenders—each invasion group would land the bulk of its assault units on 
  the target world. These forces would inflict as much damage to the Davion ground 
  troops as possible, and as quickly as they could. These vanguards were not tasked with 
  completely destroying their enemy or rooting out insurgents; that “mop up” action 
  would be left to a second wave set to arrive in their wake. This freed the primary attack 
  groups to return to their ships and move on to the next world. 
  Three days into the invasion, a second surge of DCMS forces struck at the Clovis 
  Combat Region—this one personally led by Coordinator Minoru Kurita, at the head 
  of the elite Third Sword of Light regiment. At the same time, Warlord Jinjiro, leading 
  the First Sword of Light, entered the fray in the Dahar IV Combat Region. Unlike the 
  initial attack wave, the forces attached to these two men were equipped and supplied 
  for longer operations. They would form the prongs that would encircle the Robinson 
  Combat Region on their way toward New Avalon. 
  The Battle for Clovis
  Minoru’s flank targeted the worlds of Cartago, Clovis, and Olancha. On the regional 
  headquarters world of Clovis, the Third Sword of Light landed alongside the Third Pesht 
  Regulars and the Ninth Dieron Regulars. In the space above, a fleet of two Samarkand-class 
  carriers, four Narukami destroyers, and an old Aegis cruiser—all from the DCA’s Third Fleet—
  ensured the Combine’s orbital and aerospace supremacy. To their credit, the FedSuns WarShips opposing them—the New Syrtis-class carrier 
  Midale and the Davion-class destroyers Reynard Davion and Samuel Davion—managed to tie up the Kuritan task force near the planet’s lunar 
  orbit for nearly six hours. Although they succeeded in crippling the Narukami-class Firewind, and inflicted serious damage to the Samarkand-
  class Hagiwawa, the destruction of both the Midale and Reynard Davion ended the contest.
  BARLOW’S FOLLY
  Located on the Davion-Kurita border since Age of 
  War, Cussar had seen more than its share of raids by 
  military forces bearing the Dragon’s symbol, and its 
  citizenry took the duty of homeland defense as a tradi-
  tion almost as sacred as attending church. This rugged 
  spirit, and the fierce pride in the Federated Suns that 
  reigned over them, was so pronounced that many 
  natives developed the symbolic habit of setting an 
  extra plate at the dinner table for friendly AFFS troops, 
  while also keeping a rifle by the front door in case they 
  received a Kurita visitor instead.
  At the dawn of the First Succession War, troop 
  shuffling placed the Thirty-Eighth Avalon Hussars on 
  Cussar. Among the members of this regiment was 
  Colonel Michael Barlow, a Cussar native who knew the 
  planet’s mountainous terrain well. He loved his world 
  and believed that only House Davion would treat her 
  with the respect she deserved.
  When the Draconis Combine’s first offensive 
  began, Cussar—like virtually every other Davion 
  world along the border—was among its first tar-
  gets. As two DCMS ’Mech regiments landed, along 
  with four supporting regiments each of infantry and 
  combat vehicles, the Federated Suns’ defenders found 
  themselves facing more than twice their strength in 
  ground troops. Worse, the Combine force commanders, 
  spurred on by orders to subjugate the planet as quickly 
  as possible, quickly resorted to burning a swath of 
  destruction everywhere they went. 
  Despite the numbers, and the Combine’s quick 
  assertion of aerospace superiority, the Avalon Hussars 
  fought valiantly for over two weeks, long enough 
  for news to come in that House Kurita’s invasion 
  effectively spanned the entire border. Reports of the 
  fall of Marduk and Scheat—both virtually without a 
  fight—mixed with others describing heavy fighting 
  on Alnadal and New Mendham, nuclear strikes on 
  Royal, and chemical attacks on Elbar. Each bit of news 
  further demoralized the Hussar commanders.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 39)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  39
  THE dRAGON RAmPANT
  On the ground, the Clovis Combat Region’s commander, Field Marshal Grover 
  Simons, used the time bought by the WarShips to order his troops to reinforce their 
  headquarters position and the defenses around the planetary capital of Gorst City. In 
  addition to this, he sent the first of what would be many requests for reinforcements 
  from the surrounding systems. By the time of the Kurita landings, Simons’ First Clovis 
  Guards Regiment, augmented by three regiments of conventional armor, were dug into 
  positions all around the mountain-encircled valley that surrounded Gorst City. Rightly 
  understanding the Combine’s intention to smash the regional headquarters, which could 
  potentially throw half of the Draconis March border into disarray, Simons mounted a 
  spirited defense. Even with three ’Mech regiments, roughly eighteen regiments of armor 
  and infantry, and full aerospace superiority in the skies, the DCMS attackers would only 
  claim a small foothold in the Gorst City Valley after a week planetside. 
  [Editor’s Note: The lack of orbital artillery and weapons of mass destruction used on 
  Clovis—despite both being readily available to the DCMS throughout their campaign—
  has been debated by many scholars since the end of the First War. Ironically enough, most 
  theories hinge on the Coordinator’s presence in the region. Determined to fight a war 
  under samurai ideals, it is likely that he felt a world as important as Clovis was worthy of 
  a “respectable battle,” and thus forbade the use of “overwhelming destruction” against the 
  planetary forces. His field commanders were also tasked with capturing as much intel as 
  possible from the AFFS command centers, and became extra-cautious when options for 
  more direct action became available, choosing to stretch out the conflict to avoid rousing 
  their lord’s ire. Adding to this the fact that the DCMS apparently suspected at least two 
  more ’Mech regiments were on Clovis at the time (a rare failure in what may have been the 
  Combine’s best military intelligence effort to date), these commanders might have also held 
  back in anticipation of a threat that simply never developed.]
  Meanwhile, Simons’ continued pleas for assistance roused only token support 
  from the nearby systems. With attacks happening all along the Combine front, the AFFS 
  troops on several nearby worlds had either already fallen to the Kurita blitz, or were 
  currently fighting for their own lives. Indeed, the only notable support Clovis received 
  came in the form of a small naval flotilla consisting of the Robinson-class carrier New 
  Ivaarsen and four attached DropShips bearing troops hastily pulled from Xhosa VII. 
  Unfortunately, this assistance arrived at Clovis’ nadir jump point five days into the 
  second week of the ground war—too late to save the fighters around Gorst City.
  The New Ivaarsen and her DropShip escorts were only halfway to the planet, and 
  gearing up for a savage fight with the waiting Draconis flotilla, when Simons saw 
  his northern and eastern flanks collapse in the face of a determined Kurita assault. 
  Exhausted, low on munitions, and certain that the inbound reinforcements would 
  accomplish little more than delaying the inevitable, he called for an orderly retreat. The 
  remains of his Clovis Guards, now worn down to barely a battalion of ’Mechs, did their 
  best to cover the bulk of his support staff and armored troops as they fell back to the few 
  DropShips grounded in the Gorst City Spaceport that had not already been bombed or 
  strafed into ruins over the last two weeks. 
  Simons himself boarded the last of these outbound ships after battle damage 
  rendered his Thug nearly inoperative. The field marshal’s evacuation, however, would be 
  cut short barely ten thousand meters off the ground when Combine aerospace fighters 
  intercepted the ship and ordered it to surrender and land. Determined to avoid capture, 
  the small Leopard-class DropShip attempted to fight its way out, but was shot down with all 
  hands lost.
  Simons’ death and the fall of Clovis shattered the Suns’ defensive line almost immediately. By the end of May, House Kurita had taken 
  nearly the entire Clovis Combat Region, half each of the Robinson and Dahar Combat Regions, and half a dozen worlds from the Fairfax Combat 
  Region. Minoru Kurita and his Third Sword of Light stood on Cartago, while Jinjiro Kurita and the First Sword seized Franklin.
  BARLOW’S FOLLY (CONTINUED)
  Then came word that the Combine had taken Clovis 
  and killed Field Marshal Simons, commander of the 
  neighboring Clovis Combat Region. Sensing the complete 
  collapse of the Davion front, Colonel Barlow’s command-
  er, Leftenant General Louis Santonio, issued a general 
  retreat order to all remaining AFFS units on Cussar. Colonel 
  Barlow, however, refused to abandon his homeworld. 
  After failing to convince Santonio to remain as well, he and 
  the survivors of his battalion stayed behind.
  As the last of his comrades made their escape, Barlow 
  led his force into the Trinity Mountains, a rocky, heav-
  ily wooded, and snow-capped range circling the planet’s 
  three major cities of Angelius, Patrónne, and Solus. For the 
  next three years, Barlow’s ’Mechs harassed the Combine’s 
  occupation forces with hit and run attacks, scavenging 
  just enough parts and supplies along the way to keep 
  their machines battle-worthy with technical support from 
  local collaborators. When their ’Mechs eventually failed, 
  Barlow’s insurgents turned to small arms and captured 
  vehicles to fight on for another ten years.
  It was not until 2801, after fourteen years of low-
  intensity warfare that claimed countless DCMS soldiers 
  and destroyed tons of enemy equipment and supplies, 
  that the Kurita garrison on Cussar finally killed the last 
  of Barlow’s original guerrilla force. Unfortunately for the 
  occupiers, the Davion warriors’ bravery and persistence 
  had inspired a spirit of resistance among the planet’s 
  citizens. Numerous new insurgent actions were con-
  ducted in the name of the late Colonel Barlow, leaving 
  the planet’s new masters to face a population that would 
  remain hostile to their presence for centuries to come.
  Fueled by the tales of Michael Barlow’s deter-
  mined resistance to Kurita rule, and the persistent 
  rebellion that has lingered there ever since, locals on 
  both sides of the Combine-Suns border began calling 
  Cussar “Barlow’s Folly.” Over the many years since the 
  First Succession War, even the Combine’s government 
  came to identify the world by this new name.
  —From First Succession War Battlefields, by 
  Marcia Barker, Ever-Free Publications, New Syrtis, 3112
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  40
  THE dRAGON RAmPANT
  Unfortunately, poor coordination and anemic WarShip support 
  doomed the counterattack almost from the start. Having grouped 
  together his strike forces from among the regiments nearest to his 
  position at the time, Davion’s main regiments consisted of his First 
  Davion Guards, the Twenty-Eighth Avalon Hussars, and the Eighth 
  Syrtis Fusiliers, plus twice as many armor and infantry regiments 
  drawn from regional militias of the Marlette Combat Region. None 
  of these commands had sufficient time to train together for their 
  parts of the operation, and each was provided a naval escort of only 
  two WarShips each to cover their strikes. 
  The Prince was fully aware of these issues, and his field 
  commanders voiced their concerns, but he felt that speed was 
  critical if they were to have any effect on the Kurita juggernaut. 
  Time, he knew, was not on his side. In the hopes of boosting his 
  chances of success, Davion ordered the regiments that had fallen 
  back in the Fairfax Combat Region to advance again. 
  That May, the three attack groups struck at their targets; the 
  Twenty-Eighth Hussars on Schedar, the Eighth Fusiliers on Elbar, 
  and the First Davion Guards on Cartago. In all three cases, the 
  DCMS response was brutally effective. Having achieved aerospace 
  superiority months before, and retaining ample fighter and 
  DropShip support in close proximity to these worlds, each of the 
  enemy defense groups saw the FedSuns ships coming well in 
  advance, and was able to call for additional WarShip support as 
  needed while their ground troops dug in below. 
  The results were devastating. At Schedar, the Kurita defenders 
  included a pair of Lola I-class destroyers—the Minekaze and 
  Shiokaze—as well as the Vincent-class corvette Kaiten. The Twenty-
  eighth Hussars’ escorts were the Carrack-class transport Liverpool 
  and the Vincent-class corvette Robespierre. Outnumbered and 
  outclassed from the start, the Davion ships nevertheless tried to 
  shield the Hussars on their way in, but the Minekaze and Shiokaze 
  ignored the easy kill the Liverpool presented, while the Kaiten tied 
  up Robespierre in a high-orbit duel. Targeting the Davion DropShips 
  as a swarm of DCMS fighters ravaged Liverpool, the Combine 
  destroyers shredded the ’Mech transports one by one, ultimately 
  preventing all but two companies from making landfall. 
  At Elbar, the Combine naval defense was notably lacking in 
  WarShips—until the surprise appearance of the Narukami-class 
  WarShip Tsutsuji and two squadrons of DCMS fighters caught the 
  Davion JumpShips before they could finish their recharge and 
  destroyed all of the Eighth Syrtis Fusiliers’ transport ships. Realizing 
  that they were diving into a trap, the Eighth’s ships retreated. 
  Lacking suitable docking collars on their WarShip escorts, however, 
  the Fusiliers hurriedly transferred as many of their DropShip crews, 
  passengers, and equipment into the Carrack-class Port Victoria before 
  abandoning their excess vessels and jumping back to safer space. 
  But the worst failure happened at Cartago, where the 
  Combine forces actually allowed the First Davion Guards to make 
  landfall after only a cursory battle in the skies above. Originally 
  encountering only a pair of Baron-class destroyers in orbit, the 
  FedSuns attackers, flanked by the Davion II-class destroyers Duke 
  Henry and Edmund Davion, thought they held the upper hand 
  and dropped a full regiment into the valley outside of the capital 
  city spaceport. Prince John began to suspect a trap, however, as 
  ROUT
  In the third week of the Combine invasion, Prince John 
  Davion was with the First Davion Guards on Muskegon, where 
  several regiments had massed for his own assault into the Capellan 
  Confederation. It was here that he received the flood of HPG 
  messages from throughout the Draconis March, and realized the 
  enormity of the situation. With that front in disarray, he immediately 
  put his plans for the Confederation on hold, and issued orders for 
  all AFFS commands on the Combine border to fall back, hoping to 
  reestablish the Suns’ defensive lines. 
  Unfortunately, the specter of the same divided loyalties and 
  conflicting chains of command that led to the 2785 Towne Debacle 
  rose again to impair the “complete and orderly withdrawal” called 
  for by the Prince. Unwilling to abandon their homeworlds, many 
  AFFS soldiers refused to retreat, while others fled so eagerly that 
  they abandoned thousands of tons of valuable military equipment 
  to the enemy. The disorganized retreat worsened the gaps in the 
  Draconis March lines, which House Kurita was quick to exploit.
  Indeed, the splintering of the Suns’ border defense played 
  perfectly into the Combine’s overall war strategy. Determined to 
  strike a decisive blow to the Davions as quickly and efficiently as 
  possible, Jinjiro Kurita conceived a “planet-hopping” approach to 
  the invasion. Having already acknowledged the martial skill of the 
  Federated Suns (if not its strategic prowess), he and his father agreed 
  that their blitz would have to circumvent any heavy resistance to 
  maintain its devastating pace. This was why most planetary assaults 
  began by crippling communications and aerospace traffic; doing so 
  effectively stranded any FedSuns forces that could not be overcome 
  quickly, so the Combine’s rear guards could take them out later, 
  preferably after their besieged and essentially-surrounded worlds 
  began to starve and give way to decaying morale. 
  Most of the AFFS commands left behind in the initial wave of 
  the Combine’s invasion were virtually destroyed the first two years 
  of the war. Examples of those who proved resourceful, resilient, 
  or just plain fortunate enough to survive include the Thirteenth 
  Robinson Chevaliers’ Doughboys battalion (on Dobson), the Fourth 
  Robinson Chevaliers’ Gorgons battalion (on Franklin), and the 
  Tenth Robinson Chevaliers’ Chargers battalion (on New Rhodes III). 
  Many of these commands, made up from remnants of their parent 
  regiments and supporting formations, went to ground for years 
  after their base worlds fell, engaging in periodic raids for supplies 
  and causing whatever havoc they could for the Kuritan warriors left 
  to deal with them.
  FIGHTING THE TSUNAMI
  By February 2788, Prince John Davion’s dreams of a Capellan 
  invasion were in shambles, and morale was collapsing all along the 
  Draconis front. In a desperate effort to boost morale and blunt the 
  Kurita advance, he gathered together several regiments originally 
  deployed to strike at House Liao, and aimed them at Elbar, 
  Schedar, and Cartago. Davion hoped his counter-offensive would 
  break through the DCMS lines along the Terran flank, and, more 
  importantly, disrupt the prong of the invasion reportedly being led 
  by Coordinator Minoru himself. 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  41
  THE dRAGON RAmPANT
  soon as his ’Mechs disembarked. Instead of Kurita DropShips sitting on the tarmac 
  just five kilometers away, he noticed that most of the hulls were civilian ships—and 
  all stood in obvious disrepair. His order to fall back almost came too late as the 
  entire site erupted in the flash of a nuclear detonation. Close to a company of First 
  Guards ’Mechs and a squadron of fighters were lost in the initial blast, but Prince 
  John managed to board his ship in time. Ordering his entire assault force airborne, 
  he barely survived the second attempt on his life during the flight to space, when 
  a group of Draconis fighters swept over the area, intent on downing the Davion 
  Guards. Meanwhile, the Combine’s orbiting corvettes returned to face the FedSuns 
  ships in orbit—only this time, they were flanking the Omodaka, a Narukami II-class 
  destroyer that had managed to evade detection by lurking on the far side of the 
  planet. The Omodaka’s arrival turned the retreat from Cartago into a bloody chase 
  that only ended after the Kuritan corvettes had been disabled, an effort that cost the 
  fleeing Davions the Duke Henry.
  By the time Prince John and his task force returned to friendly space, he learned 
  that his failed counterattack plan had cost the Federated Suns three WarShips; the 
  Liverpool and Robespierre at Schedar, and the Duke Henry at Cartago. The AFFS also 
  lost eight JumpShips and over a dozen DropShips at Elbar, while nearly two full ’Mech 
  regiments, plus their supporting forces, had been lost or abandoned in the three 
  actions. The unmitigated disaster had cost the enemy only a pair of destroyers, roughly 
  three squadrons’ worth of fighters, and a mixed battalion of ’Mechs and armor. 
  The FedSuns propagandists tried to spin the entire affair as a defeat for the Dragon; 
  Kurita had failed to take out Prince John on Cartago, after all, and the Fairfax advance 
  had actually liberated a handful of worlds in the bargain. Despite this, morale plunged 
  across the AFFS as the news spread.
  Cholame
  In the aftermath of his first failed counter-attack, Prince John immediately turned 
  his attention toward mustering a second. Recognizing from battle reports that Kurita 
  naval strength had played the key role in his defeats, he decided to direct this second 
  counteroffensive toward eliminating that advantage. 
  This new plan was filled with as much desperation as his last campaign, if not 
  more. DCMS troops had effectively overrun the entirety of the Clovis, Robinson, and 
  Dahar Combat Regions by then, claiming half of the Draconis March by the end of 
  2788. Their pace unbroken, Combine attack groups began surging into the Marlette 
  and Kestrel Combat Regions during the opening weeks of 2789. As before, the Dragon’s 
  WarShips and aerospace assets took point, eliminating any transport ships they found, 
  while their elite vanguard regiments shattered the core of any ground forces at hand 
  before moving on. With so many of the Suns’ original border troops already smashed or 
  scattered, however, this only made things easier for House Kurita. Seeing the invasion 
  of the New Avalon region as a virtual certainty, what AFFS strength could be spared to 
  contain the threat was being mustered on and around the capital world. 
  But John Davion had no intention of sitting and waiting for his enemy’s killing 
  blow. Even with the shadow of Cartago hanging over him, he sent orders to divert as 
  much of the Suns’ WarShip fleet as possible to a staging area in the Arcadia system, 
  well in advance of Kurita’s spearheads. This included as many ships as he could spare 
  from the Capellan March and the Periphery border regions—areas that, at the time, 
  remained downright placid compared to the coreward front. It also included ships 
  already arrayed across the systems surrounding New Avalon, a move that alarmed many of 
  his already rattled senior officers.
  This assembled force, which totaled more than one hundred WarShips and assault vessels, paired with a roughly equal number of fighter 
  wings, would be tasked with turning the Dragon’s blitz back on itself. Rather than taking worlds back, this armada was to destroy or capture 
  House Kurita’s naval assets, focusing primarily on transports and capital combat ships. Secondary objectives for this fleet included providing 
  whatever assistance they could for pro-Davion resistance groups encountered behind the enemy lines, including air support operations, 
  supply delivery, and evacuations. 
  AN EXPENSIVE LEARNING CURVE
  The failure of Operation SOLAR SHIELD, the 2788 
  counteroffensive against House Kurita’s invasion of 
  the Federated Suns, was more than just a humiliating 
  defeat for the AFFS. Though the feint forces in the 
  Fairfax CR did manage to liberate some worlds, those 
  victories came at a cost in men and materiel the Suns 
  could scarcely afford. Indeed, poor force integration, 
  overreaching goals, and a lack of naval assets to protect 
  the main attack groups very nearly decapitated House 
  Davion itself. Combined with the disastrous failure 
  of Operation BRASS RING over Hesperus II a month 
  earlier, it appeared that all of Prince John’s “Hail Mary” 
  campaigns to save his realm were doomed from the 
  “go” order.
  Some of these lessons, first learned in the disas-
  trous Towne Debacle, were already being rectified—
  albeit not nearly fast enough to outpace the Combine’s 
  offensive. Others only became crystal clear after John’s 
  retreat from Cartago.
  In the wake of SOLAR SHIELD, John Davion real-
  ized that if he was to have any hope in driving back 
  the Dragon, he needed to address the naval strength it 
  brought against him. The ships he had already request-
  ed for the defense of his core worlds were still massing 
  in the Crucis March, preparing for the inevitable arrival 
  of Kurita invaders. But he still felt that the best way to 
  knock the wind out of his enemy was to take the fight 
  to him first, and so he summoned even more ships 
  with orders to rally at Arcadia. These orders stripped 
  every WarShip, assault DropShip, and fighter squadron 
  the AFFS could spare from the Capellan and Periphery 
  fronts, along with over half of those assigned to New 
  Avalon’s defense. These forces finally massed in the 
  space above Arcadia by the final weeks of 2789—at 
  which point, Davion handed them over to his best fleet 
  commander, Admiral Kenneth Jones.
  With over a hundred WarShips and support ves-
  sels, plus an equal number of fighter wings, Jones 
  commanded perhaps the largest task force the FedSuns 
  admiralty had assembled since the Age of War.
  —Willis Lavernius, Profiles in Determination: The 
  History of the Federated Suns, Avalon Press, 3110
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  42
  THE dRAGON RAmPANT
  beleaguered resistance cells on Kestrel and destroyed virtually all 
  Kurita aerospace assets in the Saunemin system. Between the two 
  groups, House Davion lost only four JumpShips, eight DropShips, 
  and four WarShips: the New Syrtis-class carrier Novaya Zemlya, 
  the Aegis-class cruiser Sabertooth, and the Vincent-class corvettes 
  Neptune and Mercury. These losses were partly offset by the 
  capture of four more Kurita JumpShips, as well as the DCS Sahand, 
  a Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser seized at New Valencia. Though 
  New Avalon remained imperiled, and the lack of a heavy Combine 
  fleet presence still nagged at Admiral Jones and his support 
  staff, morale was quite high among the fleet when he gave the 
  command to jump for Cholame on the morning of 9 March 2790.
  Unfortunately for Jones and his fleet, the DMI had made a 
  critical error. Far from leaving Cholame unoccupied, the Draconis 
  Combine had actually selected the system as the perfect place for 
  its own fleet anchorage. Furthermore, in an effort to contain the 
  highly mobile Davion battle groups, the Combine had gathered 
  much of its offensive fleet there in an effort to intercept them. 
  Following news of the attacks on Corydon and New Valencia, 
  the Kurita ships were in the midst of preparing for their jumps to 
  both worlds—when the first Federated Suns craft materialized at 
  Cholame, practically on top of them.
  On the bridge of the Samarkand-class carrier An Ting, Tai-sho 
  Isoru Khalfani, admiral of the Combine fleet, feared that the arrival 
  of Jones’ armada was a pre-emptive strike against his gathered 
  ships. Believing that the enemy would target his weaker transports 
  first, Khalfani chose to mount an aggressive defense. He ordered his 
  fighter groups—already primed for battle—to launch immediately 
  against the inbound Davions, hoping that their screen would 
  distract the attackers while his WarShips maneuvered to shield their 
  nearest JumpShips. He also ordered all available assault DropShips 
  to detach and deploy around their transports for added protection, 
  effectively putting a cloud of combat ships between his weakest 
  vessels and any incoming fire. 
  But when the enemy failed to scramble more than a handful of 
  fighter squadrons in the first tense minutes after their emergence, 
  Khalfani realized that the Davions might not have anticipated his 
  presence at all. Indeed, as FedSuns transports began appearing just 
  a few minutes after their capital ships, it became clear that they’d 
  assumed the Cholame system to be completely empty. Eager to 
  seize the advantage, he commanded a third of his WarShips to 
  accelerate toward the enemy at maximum thrust, and to launch as 
  many capital missiles as they could at the largest Davion ships the 
  moment their gunners could plot a solution.
  On the FSS Golden Lion, Admiral Kenneth Jones was desperately 
  trying to contain a pandemonium. From his perspective, his 
  battle group had just materialized squarely in the middle of a 
  Combine ambush, and only the air patrol squadrons were ready 
  for immediate launch. As these fighters deployed, he and his 
  command staff scrambled to get the rest of their fighters launched, 
  and all DropShips detached for battle. Even as he did so, he knew 
  his JumpShips would be sitting ducks no matter what occurred; 
  his fleet had simply materialized too close to the Kuritans to 
  evade their fire for long. Worse, according to the strict timetable 
  established for the entire campaign, his second battle group could 
  As with the Combine’s invasion strategy, this force was to 
  avoid loitering in any one system for too long. After all, the 
  Department of Military Intelligence had noted that the Kuritans 
  might have been moving their ships in small combat groups, but 
  these flotillas demonstrated more than enough coordination and 
  communication between them to cause nasty surprises like those 
  Prince John himself experienced at Cartago.
  Leading this naval campaign was Admiral Kenneth Jones, one 
  of the best commanders in the Federated Suns’ black navy. Jones’ 
  flagship—the Defender-class battlecruiser FSS Golden Lion—had 
  already seen heavy action since the onset of the war, and boasted 
  one of the fleet’s most experienced crews.
  By the time the fleet was ready, House Kurita’s farthest advance 
  into the Suns included the worlds of Batavia, Acoma, Saunemin, Kestrel, 
  and Imbrial III. Based on intelligence gleaned from the Longhorns 
  mercenary regiment (which defected from Combine employment 
  during the 2789 invasion of Imbrial), Admiral Jones selected Imbrial III 
  for his first strike; the DCMS aerospace forces there had yet to recover, 
  leaving their WarShip and JumpShip escorts relatively undefended. 
  Following Imbrial, the fleet would hit a series of eleven more systems 
  along the forward edge of the captured territories. 
  Jones divided his fleet evenly into two battle groups to 
  maximize its coverage within the operation’s strict timetable. Each 
  battle group would follow a zigzag course, intended to keep the 
  Combine navy guessing, and end their first sweep with the worlds 
  of New Valencia and Corydon, before regrouping again at the 
  single-planet system of Cholame. 
  According to DMI reports, Cholame was effectively abandoned; 
  its local militia had already fallen back ahead of the DCMS invasion, 
  and its small resident population and lack of major industrial 
  resources made it a world the Dragon had simply bypassed in 
  favor of more important targets. After Cholame, the fleet was to 
  jump to the free world of Rosamond for resupply, launch a second 
  series of strikes that would cut as deeply behind the enemy lines 
  as Robinson, and take a circuitous route back toward New Avalon.
  The two battle groups finally launched into Combine-occupied 
  space in the first week of January, 2790. Admiral Jones’ battle group 
  hit Imbrial, Kestrel, Saltural, Saunemin, Acoma, and New Valencia, 
  while his second group hit the worlds of Evansville, Bogard, DeWitt, 
  Blandinsville, and Corydon. With only a week to spend in each 
  system, these groups worked as fast as possible. 
  Combine WarShip presence was remarkably light, but the 
  Davion fleets nevertheless won several engagements during their 
  whirlwind tour behind enemy lines. At Imbrial, for example, the 
  first battle group encountered and destroyed the Halland and 
  Stockholm—two Congress-class frigates whose hulls dated back to 
  the early Star League—as well as two DCMS transport JumpShips, 
  and four attack DropShips. The second group, meanwhile, 
  neutralized the DCS Benjamin, an ancient Samarkand-class 
  transport, along with two more JumpShips in the Bogard system. 
  By the time the battle groups left their final attack objectives, 
  they had destroyed twenty-two transport JumpShips, twenty-
  five DropShips, and six WarShips—having added the hull of 
  the Narukami-class Tsutsuji to their kills, along with the Lola-
  class destroyers Mizuki and Kiaria. They had also provided aid to 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  43
  THE dRAGON RAmPANT
  arrive in the same area at any moment. He needed to warn that group of the danger and 
  safeguard their transport assets, while holding his position as long as possible to try and 
  protect as many of his own transports as possible.
  Fortunately, the Golden Lion was equipped with a mobile hyperpulse generator, 
  as was her counterpart in the second combat group, the FSS Black Bear. This feature, 
  limited to only a few of the Federated Suns’ WarShips, was the primary reason for their 
  assignment to this campaign, and had been used extensively to coordinate between 
  them for the previous two months of operations. Jones now used that HPG to advise the 
  Black Bear of the situation at Cholame, ordering the second group to send its transports 
  to the system’s nadir jump point, rather than its zenith. Meanwhile, the JumpShip crews 
  attached to Jones’ battle group were ordered to abandon their ships and scuttle them 
  to avoid capture. Their DropShips would retrieve all evacuated crewmen while Jones’ 
  WarShips and fighters held off the Kuritan fleet.
  The warning to Black Bear’s battle group, under the command of Vice Admiral 
  Marjorie Stone, came just in the nick of time. Her ships had just initiated their pre-jump 
  procedures, intent on regrouping with Admiral Jones at Cholame. Signaling red alert, 
  Stone ordered her JumpShip commanders to commence emergency calculations for an 
  alternate jump point, while she and the bulk of her WarShips would adjust their arrival 
  point at Cholame’s zenith only slightly. The plan was for her task force to reinforce Jones 
  and flank the enemy at the same time. It took her group less than twenty minutes to make 
  their adjustments and bring all fighter pilots and gunnery crews to battle readiness.
  The Battle of Cholame would be the largest naval action the Draconis Combine and 
  Federated Suns ever fought against each other. Raging for six weeks, the running fight 
  stretched across the Cholame system as Admirals Jones and Stone desperately tried 
  to buy time for their surviving transports to recharge and jump to safety, with Tai-sho 
  Khalfani’s armada in hot pursuit. By the time the battle ended on 17 April, the Suns had 
  lost ninety-two WarShips—including the Golden Lion herself—along with twenty-six 
  transport JumpShips, 115 DropShips, and virtually all of its fighter wings. The Draconis 
  Combine’s losses at Cholame were nearly as catastrophic: eighty-three WarShips, 
  nineteen JumpShip transports, and 105 DropShips were destroyed. Khalfani’s fleet also 
  lost more than eighty percent of its aerospace fighters in the battle.
  From the sheer number of casualties, Cholame was a Pyrrhic victory for House 
  Kurita. The Suns had lost the bulk of its navy in one battle, but in doing so, they had 
  essentially hobbled the Combine’s invasion. It would take more than fourteen months, 
  in fact, for the Dragon to reallocate enough of its commercial JumpShips to make up 
  for its loss of transports along the front line. Additionally, most of the Combine’s attack 
  forces would now make planetfall without the benefit of naval support and with only a 
  bare minimum of air cover once battle was joined. 
  Shamed for having squandered so much of House Kurita’s space fleet against the 
  Suns’ navy, Tai-sho Isoru Khalfani committed seppuku on 30 April 2790. In contrast, the 
  actions of his Davion counterpart, Admiral Kenneth Jones, posthumously earned him 
  the highest award the AFFS could bestow: the Medal Excalibur.
  ON THE BRINK
  After Cholame, the remnants of the Federated Suns’ navy were ordered to fall back, 
  their losses simply too grave to risk another attempt. But while the primary mission 
  was considered another resounding defeat for House Davion, it did accomplish one of 
  its main objectives: it slowed the Combine invasion. For two years after the battle, the 
  DCMS was effectively stalled at Saunemin, Kestrel, and Imbrial III. The loss of so many 
  aerospace assets forced the DCMS to consolidate its positions, while reinforcements and 
  replacement transports were sent forward from within the Combine to enable the next 
  push toward New Avalon.
  The Suns would use this borrowed time to reinforce its defenses around New 
  Avalon, while providing any aid possible to behind-the-lines resistance cells such as 
  those that continued to fight on Dobson, Galtor, Kentares, and New Rhodes. House 
  REBELLION ON NEW RHODES
  House Kurita’s strategy against the Federated Suns 
  was remarkably successful, but not without its prob-
  lems. One of the largest was that many of its conquests 
  went incomplete. If a world’s on-site defenses were 
  too great to overpower quickly, the DCMS settled for 
  isolation instead, leaving the enemy contained on their 
  base world for a second (or third) wave of forces to deal 
  with. This allowed the Combine to keep up its crippling 
  pace toward New Avalon, but also left plenty of room 
  for resistance groups to flourish.
  In March of 2789, one such group—Warrent’s 
  Chargers—dealt the Dragon one of its more humiliat-
  ing defeats in the First War, on the arid planet of New 
  Rhodes III. 
  The Federated Suns seized the New Rhodes system 
  from the crumbling Terran Hegemony during the pre-
  war planet-grab before Kerensky’s Exodus. When the 
  Combine’s border-wide offensive began, the former 
  Hegemony worlds were some of the hardest hit, and 
  New Rhodes III was no exception. But the civilian 
  population proved more difficult to cow than the DCMS 
  expected, and the survivors of the Tenth Robinson 
  Chevaliers only made things worse. 
  After nearly two years of guerilla warfare, House 
  Kurita’s forces on-planet—the Thirtieth Dieron 
  Regulars, commanded by Tai-sa Samuru Olwenn—
  believed that it had finally crushed the local resistance. 
  With no new attacks by armed insurgents for a full 
  month prior, Olwenn reported this to the DCMS High 
  Command in December 2788. Thanks to its short in-
  system travel times (two days from jump point to plan-
  etside spaceports), New Rhodes III was assigned to 
  serve as a major depot for supplying troops throughout 
  the immediate area. Olwenn and his men immediately 
  began receiving weapons and munitions shipments 
  that they promptly stockpiled in every open space of 
  the Xerxes City Spaceport.
  To impress upon the civilian population that the 
  Dragon now ruled New Rhodes beyond question, Tai-
  sa Olwenn planned a parade for many of the planet’s 
  civilian administrators, business leaders, and media on 
  the Xerxes spaceport tarmac. This parade was held on 
  the morning of 23 March 2789 to much fanfare. As the 
  shiny troops, tanks, and ’Mechs paraded past, however, 
  a small force of Federated Suns BattleMechs, led by 
  Captain Conrad Warrent of the defunct Tenth Robinson 
  Chevaliers, rose up from the river that flowed past the 
  spaceport’s southern edge.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 45)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  44
  THE dRAGON RAmPANT
  House Kurita now stood just one jump away from New 
  Avalon—close enough that several reconnaissance raids had 
  already been conducted against the system, sizing up House 
  Davion’s last line of defense. A Combine victory seemed assured; 
  the Suns stood on the brink of collapse.
  Fateful Decisions
  As 2796 dawned, the Dragon’s crosshairs were firmly locked 
  onto New Avalon itself. With just one more surge forward, the 
  Draconis Combine would seize the capital of Federated Suns, and 
  decisively defeat its Davion enemy once and for all. 
  Commanders on both sides of the line were surprised when 
  Coordinator Minoru Kurita chose that very moment to pause  
  the offensive.
  Over the years, many have speculated as to why the 
  Coordinator decided to halt the Dragon’s forward momentum 
  over bitter objections from his son, Jinjiro. Some have cited 
  Minoru’s age, his general weariness of fighting and killing, 
  and his desire to give his troops a rest period before the final 
  strike. Others have speculated that this was yet another sign 
  of his personal take on bushido, implying that this act was 
  meant to give the Suns just a little extra time to prepare a noble  
  last stand. 
  Kurita managed to hold onto its advantage in spite of these efforts, 
  but not without costs. Reports of humiliating defeats against 
  particularly daring cells, like Warrent’s Chargers on New Rhodes, 
  managed to leak off-world, boosting Davion morale even in the 
  face of the Cartago and Cholame disasters. 
  By the close of 2792, the Combine war machine began to 
  move again. Beginning with assaults on Avawatz, Edwards, and 
  Rosamond, House Kurita reinforced its flank within the Marlette 
  Combat Region, while additional troops engaged the defenders 
  on Markesan, Kirklin, and Sodus. Since many of these worlds were 
  reinforced during the brief lull after Cholame, it took longer for 
  each to fall, but their defeats proved inevitable.
  Grown cautious after the Davions’ naval assault, and well aware of 
  the troop strengths arrayed against them on the road to New Avalon, 
  the Draconis Combine shifted from its “planet-hopping” strategy 
  to more conventional assaults aimed at subjugating—or outright 
  destroying—every world in its path. With ruthless thoroughness, the 
  DCMS hammered its way through the FedSuns defenders all along its 
  lines of advance. By the end of 2795, the Dragon’s banner flew over 
  the worlds of Odell, Saginaw, and Delavan, while minor worlds such as 
  Acoma, Arcadia, Chota, and Nouveau Toulouse began dying, either as 
  a result of direct wartime damage or the starvation and disease that 
  followed the collapse of their local trade and infrastructure. 
  ^
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  Acala
  Achilles
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  Alcyone
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  Clovis
  Colchester
  Colia
  Coloma
  Colorado
  Corydon
  Courtney
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  Crossing
  Dahar IV
  Damevang
  Declan II
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  DeWitt
  Dirk's Gulf
  Dobson
  Dol
  Doneval II
  Du Lac
  Dunkerque
  Edwards
  El Dorado
  Elbar
  Emerson
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  Entalun
  Euclid
  Evansville
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  Fincastle
  Flushing
  Franklin
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  Galax
  Galtor III
  Gambier
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  Goderich
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  Gulkana
  Harrow's Sun
  Helixmar
  Herat
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  Kentares IV
  Kestrel
  Keytesville
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  Klamriz V
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  Kluane
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  Larned
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  Le Blanc
  Leamington
  Leipsic
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  Listowel
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  Macomb
  Maison
  Mallory's World
  Manassas
  Manksville
  Manteno
  Marduk
  Marlette
  Maynard
  McHenry
  Meinhof
  Meinrad
  Melcher
  Mirach
  Monongahela
  Montcoal
  Muskegon
  Nahoni
  Necedah
  New Ivaarsen
  New Mendham
  New Valencia
  Newton
  Nis
  Noh-wan Hohm
  Northfield
  Notwina
  Nouveau Toulouse
  Novaya Zemlya
  Numenor
  Nunivak
  Odell
  O'Fallon
  Olancha
  Orbisonia
  Paris
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  Pattonsbrug
  Paulding
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  Petrolia
  Plymouth
  Point Barrow
  Potwin
  Quimper
  Quincy
  Raman
  Ramona
  Reinhardstein
  Reisterstown
  Remagen
  Rochester
  Rosamond
  Rowe
  Royal
  Saginaw
  Sakhara V
  Salem
  Saltural
  Saltville
  Sanilac
  Sauk City
  Saumur
  Saunemin
  Scheat
  Schedar
  Scudder
  Skaslien
  Smolensk
  Sodus
  Sparrevohn
  Steeles
  Stockpoll
  Strawn
  Streator
  Sturganos
  Sun Prairie
  Susulatna
  Swales
  Sylvester
  Talcott
  Tallassee
  Tallmadge
  Tarkio
  Tatlawiksuk
  Tawas
  Tedibyhr
  Tishomingo
  Tiskilwa
  Torrence
  Tripoli
  Turkalia
  Turko
  Ulan Batar
  Unkador
  Vecchio
  Verde
  Versailles
  Victoria
  Waunakee
  Waxell
  Waycross
  Wedgefield
  Willowick
  Wroxeter
  Xhosa VII
  Zambezi
  Abadan
  Acubens
  Avellaneda
  Blue Sava
  Bonaire
  Calloway VI
  Daneshmand
  Dubhe
  Elbing
  Fuentes
  Gomeisa
  Hamilton
  Holt
  Irian
  Kievanur
  Ling
  Loeches
  Matheran
  McKenna
  Miaplacidus
  New Delos
  Pavia
  Pliska
  Remulac
  Semenyih
  Sorunda
  Alkalurops
  Alphecca
  Alrakis
  Balkan
  Carnwath
  Chara
  Cor Caroli
  Dromini VI
  Galatea
  Kessel
  Kochab
  Komephoros
  La Blon
  Menkent
  Mizar
  Nusakan
  Phecda
  Ryde
  Skondia
  Syrma
  Unukalhai
  Zebebelgenubi
  Acamar
  Achernar
  Addicks
  Al Na'ir
  Aldebaran
  Alioth
  Altair
  Angol
  Ankaa
  Arboris
  Asta
  Athenry
  Atria
  Azha
  Basalt
  Berenson
  Bex
  Bharat
  Bordon
  Brownsville
  Bryant
  Callison
  Callison
  Campertown
  Caph
  Capolla
  Castor
  Chaville
  Chisholm
  Connaught
  Deneb Algedi
  Deneb Kaitos
  Denebola
  Devil's Rock
  Dieron
  Dyev
  Epsilon Eridani
  Epsilon Indi
  Errai
  Fomalhaut
  Galatia III
  Genoa
  Haddings
  Hall
  Hamal
  Hean
  Hechnar
  Helen
  Hsien
  Imbros III
  Inglesmond
  Ingress
  Kawich
  Keid
  Kervil
  Ko
  Lambrecht
  Lipton
  Lyons
  Mandal
  Marcus
  Menkalinan
  Milton
  Muphrid
  Murchison
  Nanking
  New Canton
  New Dallas
  New Florence
  New Home
  New Rhodes III
  New Stevens
  Nirasaki
  Nopah
  Northwind
  Oliver
  Outreach
  Ozawa
  Pike IV
  Pokhara
  Pollux
  Procyon
  Propus
  Quentin
  Rio
  Rocky
  Ronel
  Ruchbah
  Sabik
  Saffel
  Saiph
  Sheratan
  Sirius
  Small World
  Styx
  Summer
  Talitha
  Tall Trees
  Telos IV
  Terra Firma
  Thorin
  Tigress
  Towne
  Tybalt
  Van Diemen IV
  Wasat
  Woodstock
  Wyatt
  Yangtze
  Yorii
  Zavijava
  Zollikofen
  Zosma
  Zurich
  New Avalon
  Terra
  Capella
  Sarna
  Tikonov
  Robinson
  Skye
  Ashio
  Kuzuu
  Proserpina
  Fairfax
  Kathil
  Markesan
  Lockdale
  Lone Star
  Tyrfing
  Mandate
  Alphard
  Augustine
  Nathan
  Alchiba
  New Earth
  Afleir
  Alula Australis
  Fletcher
  Graham IV
  Killbourn
  Rigil Kentarus
  90 LIGHT YEARS OR 27.6 PARSECS
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  MAXIMUM JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  LEGEND
  DRACONIS 
  COMBINE-
  FEDERATED 
  SUNS FRONT 
  2786-2796
  PLANET KEY
  BORDER KEY
  National Capital
  District Capital
  Province Capital
  Dead/Dying World
  2786 Borders
  2786-2791
  2791-2796
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  45
   lIAO TAkES AdvANTAGE
  Whatever the Coordinator’s personal motivations might have been, the fact remains 
  that pockets of Davion resistance persisted among many of the Combine’s conquests. 
  Given some embarrassing uprisings behind the Kurita lines—such as happened on New 
  Rhodes in 2789—it is more likely that Minoru Kurita had simply grown extra cautious 
  with his goal now in sight. Any final assault against New Avalon, after all, could easily 
  become a years-long siege on par with Kerensky’s fight for Terra against the Usurper 
  Amaris. At so critical a juncture, the last thing the Dragon could afford was to have its 
  hyper-extended supply lines cut by a well-timed resurgence.
  One such insurrection, in fact, was already underway on the world of Kentares IV, 
  where elements of the Seventh Crucis Lancers plagued the Kurita forces left behind to 
  deal with them. As other DCMS line regiments fell back to put down similar rebellions 
  along key supply routes, it was against this pocket in particular that Minoru personally 
  led the Sixth Sword of Light.
  Little did anyone realize at the time how this decision would lead to the most 
  dramatic turning point of the First Succession War.
  NEGLECTED FRONT:  
  LIAO TAKES ADVANTAGE
  When the Federated Suns found itself assailed by the Draconis Combine, it dashed 
  Prince John Davion’s plans for his own invasion of the Capellan Confederation. As House 
  Kurita’s victories mounted, he found himself forced to move more and more troops and 
  ships from the Capellan March in order to hold back the invaders bound for New Avalon. 
  News that the Confederation had been engaged by the Free Worlds League 
  offered only a modicum of comfort for the AFFS forces stationed along the Liao border. 
  Nevertheless, when the first years of the war saw little action across the entire region, it 
  became easier to justify the reallocation of defensive assets to the Kurita front.
  Inside the Confederation, however, the Suns’ pre-war build-up on their frontier had 
  not gone unnoticed or forgotten. Though House Liao did indeed consider the Marik 
  offensives the greater threat, the inevitability of a Davion front never left the minds of 
  the Capellan Chancellors. 
  During the reign of Chancellor Barbara Liao, however, the only significant answers 
  to the “Davion problem” were a short campaign in 2787 against Terran Corridor worlds 
  claimed by the Federated Suns, and the ill-fated proposal of a Confederation-Combine 
  alliance. The military campaign, launched in early 2787, spared only a handful of CCAF 
  task forces from the Confederation’s interior. By August of that year, these troops had 
  conquered the former Hegemony worlds of Angol, Rio, and Tybalt, when orders came 
  down to attack the Suns-claimed worlds of Hean, New Florence, and Ronel before the 
  DCMS could do the same. The Capellans attacked all three worlds in October 2787, 
  taking their Davion defenders by surprise. 
  Although the Federated Suns’ troops were ready for an attack, they had been 
  expecting Kurita forces ever since the nearby world of New Rhodes came under siege just 
  five months earlier. When the Fourth, Seventh, and Tenth Tikonov Lancers regiments struck 
  instead, backed up respectively by the Fourth, Thirteenth, and Fifteenth Liao Lancers, the local AFFS and militia garrisons found themselves 
  having to cope not only with superior numbers, but also the less predictable nature of Capellan hit-run-and-harass tactics. All three systems 
  fell to House Liao by November 2787, followed by Addicks, Ankaa, and Small World by January 2788. 
  The acquisitions would be the limit of Capellan gains against the Suns under Barbara Liao’s reign. With her task force stretched thin, and 
  the Combine claiming all surrounding Davion worlds, the Chancellor simply wasn’t ready to pick a bigger fight while she still had House Marik 
  to contend with.
  This state of affairs led the Confederation to send diplomats to Minoru Kurita in 2788. Barbara Liao hoped to establish a mutual non-
  aggression pact with the Combine, and a commitment to the destruction of their shared enemy—with the DCMS doing most of the fighting. 
  Unfortunately for Liao, these overtures fell flat; Coordinator Kurita, riding high on the initial successes of his campaign, refused to accept 
  anything less than for the Chancellor to acknowledge him as the First Lord of the Star League, and to launch all CCAF forces against the Davion 
  front—regardless of House Liao’s defensive needs versus the Free Worlds League. Unwilling and unable to meet either demand, Liao decided 
  instead to abandon any further talks of alliance.
  REBELLION ON NEW RHODES 
  (CONTINUED)
  When DCMS security forces attacked Warrent’s 
  “Chargers”, the reinforced company of Davion ’Mechs 
  jumped their way into the maze of arms and ammu-
  nition containers, some of which had been stacked 
  nearly five stories high. In the effort to destroy these 
  insurgents, the Kuritan troops were forced to enter 
  the deadly maze of equipment. There—despite their 
  best efforts—explosions caused by misplaced shots 
  ignited several stacks of warheads and other muni-
  tions. The devastating inferno annihilated half of the 
  spaceport hangars and filled the skies over Xerxes 
  with a kilometers-long plume of black smoke. It also 
  claimed over a thousand tons of supplies, as well as 
  two companies’ worth of DCMS ’Mechs and armor. At 
  least half of Captain Warrent’s Chargers escaped the 
  fight in the confusion, rejoining the resistance cell that 
  had planned and coordinated the entire operation.
  The entire fiasco was witnessed by several local 
  media reporters who had been forced to attend Tai-sa 
  Olwenn’s victory parade. Despite the Combine offi-
  cials’ efforts to confiscate and destroy every copy of 
  their recordings, the video evidence of House Kurita’s 
  humiliation on New Rhodes spread across the planet, 
  and eventually beyond.
  The vids did much to buoy the AFFS’ flagging 
  morale at the time, but there was an unseen conse-
  quence to Captain Warrent’s victory that would lead to 
  one of the greatest tragedies of the war in the years to 
  come. In response to the loss at New Rhodes, the DCMS 
  decided to choose a new supply base for its forward 
  commands. They would eventually settle on a pastoral 
  world known as Kentares IV.
  —From First Succession War Battlefields, by 
  Marcia Barker, Ever-Free Publications, New Syrtis, 3112
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  46
  SOFT TARGETS
  SOFT TARGETS:  
  THE COMBINE-COMMONWEALTH FRONT
  While the vast majority of House Kurita’s efforts in the early half of the First 
  Succession War were directed against the Federated Suns, the Lyran Commonwealth 
  was not left completely unmolested. To maintain the appearance of a strong DCMS 
  presence all along the Commonwealth’s border, Coordinator Minoru authorized several 
  incursions and troop movements to distract Lyran intelligence.
  Many of these operations were intended to be little more than raids, but in the 
  early months of the war, the Combine also committed a large portion of its naval might 
  near the Commonwealth’s Isle of Skye region. This concentration of ships was vital for 
  numerous reasons, not the least of which were defending and securing industry-rich 
  worlds from the Terran Hegemony’s dying husk, such as the coveted world of Dieron, 
  and acting as a potential reserve for the campaign against Davion. 
  The Kurita fleet deployments did not escape House Steiner’s notice, but with 
  hostilities already erupting along the Free Worlds League border, many of the naval 
  assets facing the Combine—particularly in the Tamar Pact region—were focused on 
  picket defense. Key exceptions to this included the ships assigned to protect Tamar, 
  Skye, and Hesperus II, three worlds that LCAF High Command determined could not be 
  allowed to fall, at any cost. Along with a number of other factors, this set the stage for 
  some of the greatest naval clashes of the First Succession War.
  Skondia
  In February 2787, a mere two months after the Coordinator’s declaration of 
  war, a massive Combine invasion force materialized at the nadir jump station in the 
  Skondia system. This attack group included forty-five WarShips, protecting a transport 
  fleet of twenty JumpShips and enough DropShips to ferry six fully-supported DCMS 
  ’Mech regiments. Leading the assault was Tai-sho Hiroshi Pederson from his flagship, 
  the Samarkand-class carrier DCS Galedon. Having humiliated the LCAF’s on-planet 
  defenders just eight months prior, this assault group expected an easy fight for Skondia, 
  the first step in what was meant to look like a determined drive toward Skye. 
  What they found instead was a Commonwealth naval presence nearly three 
  hundred combat ships strong, with a WarShip complement of fifty vessels, including 
  the Tharkad-class battlecruisers LCS Impregnable and LCS Indomitable. Two hundred 
  DropShips of various classes backed up these formidable battlewagons, led by Admiral 
  Seamus van Hatten, a competent—if untested—fleet commander. 
  Because a significant number of the Steiner ships were clustered close to Skondia 
  itself, rather than the system’s recharge stations, Pederson presumed that this fleet was 
  mustered specifically to blunt his advance. Worried that the Commonwealth’s military 
  intelligence somehow knew of House Kurita’s entire border strategy, he sent a courier 
  back to Combine space to report the possible security breach.
  While the Lyrans had anticipated a potential Kurita assault on Skondia ever since 
  the raid of 2786, their response had been to reinforce the planet’s ground forces with 
  an extra two ’Mech regiments, and a reinforced picket force of only five WarShips and 
  twenty assault and carrier DropShips for near-orbit protection. The much larger naval 
  presence that Tai-sho Pederson saw in-system was actually a response to the outbreak 
  of total war on the Commonwealth’s rimward front. It was there, unbeknownst to the 
  Draconis invaders, that the Free Worlds League had launched a series of devastating 
  raids that included the destruction of the Bolson Shipyards a mere ten days earlier. 
  House Steiner was desperately pulling ships from all corners of the realm to better defend 
  its other critical industries throughout the region. 
  The naval battle for Skondia would become one of the largest ship-to-ship engagements between Steiner and Kurita of the entire 
  Succession Wars. After his fleet swept aside the defenders at the nadir recharge station, Pederson ordered all ships capable of in-system 
  HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
  As planned, Kerensky’s Exodus removed the larg-
  est military force in the Inner Sphere from the stage 
  just as the Great Houses slid inexorably toward open 
  warfare. Naturally, the question of just where this 
  army was going crossed the mind of nearly every soul 
  it left behind. 
  Seeing a returning SLDF as a looming threat 
  to their ambitions, all five Successor Lords diverted 
  resources to trying to find out where Kerensky had fled, 
  and what his plans might be once he got there. Indeed, 
  the mystery would intrigue even ComStar’s leadership 
  in the centuries to come, leading to the creation of its 
  Explorer Corps.
  For most of the Great Houses, the efforts to track 
  Kerensky amounted to heavy research and educated 
  guesswork. Operatives from House Steiner’s LIC, the 
  Capellan Maskirovka, and the Free Worlds League’s SAFE 
  agency focused much of their effort on those left behind: 
  close family of the departed troops, and cast-off military 
  commands that now pledged themselves to their new 
  liege-lords. Some even tapped into the independent 
  operations of private exploration groups, the forerunners 
  of groups such as Interstellar Expeditions.
  But until the formation of the Explorer Corps 
  just under two centuries later, only Houses Davion 
  and Kurita went so far as to put together state-fund-
  ed expeditions into the unknown space beyond the 
  Periphery. Between the two realms, five serious, docu-
  mented efforts were made. The first, and perhaps the 
  most desperate, of these was the Church Expedition, 
  launched in 2789.
  The task force was centered on the Monolith-
  class JumpShip Amber Rose, under the command 
  of Commodore Michael Church. It also consisted of 
  five AFFS JumpShips, attended by several supply 
  DropShips, fighter transports for defense, and long-
  range shuttles for surveillance. Their mission was to 
  find Kerensky’s Exodus fleet and implore the General 
  for aid in what very well may have been the Suns’ 
  darkest hour. (Church’s orders included a number of 
  incentives, promised by the First Prince himself, in 
  exchange for the SLDF’s support. Exactly what those 
  incentives were has been lost to the annals of history.) 
  (CONTINUED ON P. 47)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  47
  SOFT TARGETS
  maneuvering to advance on the planet itself, with his WarShips forming a conical wedge 
  ahead of the transport DropShips. His plan was to punch a hole through the Lyran 
  orbital defense wide enough for his ground troops to make landfall while he still had 
  ample capital strength to hold the enemy back. 
  Forced to fight a task force of nearly equal strength, Admiral van Hatten’s fleet did 
  its best to blunt the inbound attack. He detailed a third of his ships and fighters to target 
  the enemy’s ground troop transports exclusively, but try as they did, they were only able 
  to shoot down slightly more than fifteen DropShips—accounting for scarcely more than 
  a reinforced regiment’s worth of BattleMechs and attendant support. 
  Key to thwarting these efforts was the Combine’s larger concentration of fighter 
  carriers, including those of the DCS Galedon herself. With many of the assembled 
  Commonwealth ships built for capital-grade combat, the swarms of DCMS fighters forced 
  many of the Steiner ships to divert more attention to them, request assistance from their 
  own assault DropShips, or execute evasive actions in an effort to minimize the damage. 
  Once the majority of the Combine transports hit the planetary atmosphere, their own 
  WarShips and assault craft were free to double back and support their screening fighters.
  The fight for Skondia continued for nearly four months, but the bulk of the naval 
  action was over within the first four weeks. Of the Lyrans’ initial fleet of almost three 
  hundred DropShips and WarShips, only a third remained operational by the battle’s end, 
  while the Combine still had half of its initial strength. Among the casualties was van 
  Hatten’s flagship, the LCS Impregnable, which was crippled in close combat against the 
  Narukami-class destroyers Bladewind and Star Spirit. 
  On the ground, the Steiner forces proved even more stubborn, denying the Dragon 
  an easy victory on nearly every stage. Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered 
  from the start, and with the enemy capable of calling down more effective and reliable 
  naval support, the Sixth Lyran Guards, Fifteenth Skye Rangers, and the Twelfth Heavy 
  Assault mercenary regiment held their ground for a solid two months. Even after the 
  Sixth and Eighteenth Dieron Regulars finally seized the planetary capital of Platinum 
  City, the remaining LCAF troops managed to fall back to fortifications near Passageway 
  and forced the Combine to try and dig them out over a two-month long siege. In the 
  end, exhaustion and eroding morale led the senior Lyran commander, Hauptmann-
  General Edda Hamlin, to order an organized retreat. 
  Skondia belonged to House Kurita, but the Lyran Commonwealth was avenging 
  the loss elsewhere. 
  Steiner Strikes Back: Luthien and Dieron
  Hoping to give the Dragon something to worry about, the LCAF unleashed its two 
  most elite and unconventional regiments to strike the enemy where they could do the most 
  damage. The Tamar Tigers—a lightweight and highly mobile ’Mech regiment originally 
  raised as part of the provincial armies of the Tamar Pact—were sent on a deep raid aimed 
  at Luthien itself. Meanwhile, the Stealths—formerly the Rim World Republic’s Twenty-Third 
  Light Lancers Regiment, now serving House Steiner as an elite mercenary strike force—was 
  sent to Dieron, a world of critical strategic importance to the Combine war effort. 
  Both the Tamar Tigers and the Stealths were elite regiments with state-of-the-art equipment 
  and top-notch training, but each had a different approach to warfare that made them unique. The Tigers, equipped with lighter-weight 
  machines, favored speed and maneuvering on a level virtually no other Lyran ’Mech force could match, making them ideal for fast, hit-and-run 
  strikes. The somewhat heavier Stealths, by comparison, relied on identifying an enemy’s weak points, then focusing a direct assault against 
  them. Their tactics worked best for ambush and breakout duties, making them hard to contain once set loose.
  In March 2787, the Tamar Tigers, under the command of Colonel (Duke) Graham Kelswa, arrived at a pirate point close to the Combine’s 
  “Black Pearl,” escorted by the Potemkin-class cruiser LCS Nightwind. Expecting a heavier naval presence around the Dragon’s capital, Nightwind 
  carried a full complement of twenty-five DropShips mixed between attack vessels and fighter carriers. Instead, they found that Luthien’s 
  immediate vicinity was protected by a solitary Naga-class destroyer, the DCS Blue Lotus, with a half-completed Narukami II-class destroyer in 
  the orbital dry docks. The planetary defense included only two ’Mech regiments—the Sun Zhang Military Academy Cadre in Luthien’s Imperial 
  City, and the Third Pesht Regulars, who were concentrated at the primary factories of Luthien Armor Works.
  HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO 
  (CONTINUED)
  The task force departed from Pitkin, a Davion world 
  bordering the Outworlds Alliance, in September 2789, 
  and crossed quietly through Alliance space before pick-
  ing up the Exodus fleet’s trail at an unnamed star near 
  the Antallos system. This trail—largely in the form of 
  debris shed by Kerensky’s thousand-ship armada—led 
  the commodore and his fleet to the distant Gutara 
  system by the middle of 2791. On the fifth planet 
  there, the expedition discovered a sparse population 
  of ex-Rim Worlds refugees, who confirmed that not 
  only had Kerensky’s fleet passed through the system, 
  they had briefly landed on their world for uncertain 
  reasons. Unfortunately, these locals knew as little 
  about General Kerensky’s whereabouts as anyone else, 
  and—barely three jumps beyond Gutara, the trail 
  became confused and went cold. 
  After spending three months combing the many 
  star systems within a jump of their last sighting, the 
  Church Expedition, running low on supplies, finally 
  admitted defeat, and made for the Outworlds Alliance 
  on their way home. 
  In the centuries to follow, the Federated Suns sent 
  two more expeditions into the Deep Periphery in hopes 
  of finding signs of the Exodus fleet’s fate, while the 
  Draconis Combine sent two of its own. The shortage 
  of JumpShips by the middle of the Third Succession 
  War forced both powers to abandon these searches 
  indefinitely. By that time, all indicators showed that 
  the exiles had changed course roughly 130 light-years 
  spinward of Gutara, 
  The fate of Kerensky and his followers would, of 
  course, not become known to the Inner Sphere until 
  the middle of the thirty-first century.
  —From Mysteries of the Black by Dori Khristos, 
  RHS Publications, Robinson, 3097
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  48
  SOFT TARGETS
  While the Nightwind and her DropShip screen obliterated the orbiting docks and 
  both of their defending vessels, the Tigers dropped on the heavily industrialized world 
  below and ran roughshod over the largely undefended sites at Obuchi and Skytower 
  City, both located on the Aichi continent—half a world away from either of the active 
  DCMS formations. The Lyran attackers did not stay long; their mission was meant to 
  be a straight smash-and-run operation, focused more on shock than devastation. Still, 
  in the course of three days, Kelswa’s Tigers leveled a satellite LAW ’Mech factory near 
  Obuchi, an ammunition factory just outside of Skytower, and a food processing plant 
  in the agro-industrial city of Galileo. Escaping before any reinforcements arrived, the 
  Tigers’ raid was the first in a series of humiliating defeats they would hand the Combine 
  in the decades ahead, and prompted House Kurita to maintain a permanent garrison of 
  no less than four ’Mech regiments on Luthien for the remainder of the Succession Wars.
  Scarcely a month after the Luthien raid, Colonel Raymond Hempsted and his 
  Stealths, accompanied by the heavy Fourteenth Skye Rangers regiment, arrived at 
  Dieron. Escorted by a squadron of WarShips diverted from those amassed for the 
  Marik front, this task force had only one objective: the destruction of the partially 
  functional SLDF shipyards orbiting the planet and their supporting industries on the 
  ground. Unlike Luthien, the Combine naval defense was not so anemic; given Kurita’s 
  deployments against the Federated Suns and the ongoing battle for Skondia, Dieron 
  was especially vital to the Dragon’s war fleets. To secure it, a squadron of six WarShips 
  and another two squadrons of combat DropShips hovered close to the planet itself, 
  spending most of their time hiding or conducting drills amid a radioactive debris field 
  that encircled Dieron’s outer moon of Nebulos. This field, known simply as the Junkyard, 
  contained a few small asteroid chunks captured by the moon’s gravity, as well as the 
  wreckage of two orbital stations and several ships destroyed during the Amaris Crisis. 
  The Lyran WarShip group, centered on the Tharkad-class battlecruiser Coventry, 
  included two Commonwealth II-class cruisers loaded with nuclear anti-ship missiles, 
  and a DropShip squadron heavy with fighter-carriers likewise prepared to deliver 
  nuclear ordnance. Unfortunately for the Kurita defenders, five of their ships—two 
  Essex destroyers, two Lolas, and an Aegis cruiser—were all of much older vintage than 
  their Steiner opponents. Their sixth ship, the Samarkand II-class carrier Radstadt, was 
  compromised by the fact that she was in dry dock for routine maintenance at the time 
  of the attack, and lacked most of her fighter complement. 
  The Commonwealth force struck fast and hard, blasting through the older 
  destroyers and breaking the spine of the cruiser Selene with a volley of tactical missiles. 
  Desperate to join the fight and avoid being shot apart in port, the Radstadt broke free 
  of her moorings with only half of her crew on board, and a third of her weaponry off-
  line. The Coventry, flanked by two Mako-class corvettes, engaged the carrier head-on, 
  while the cruisers Gallery and York focused their missiles on the shipyards and a pair 
  of nearby Bastion-class system defense platforms the Combine had been working to 
  reactivate. Radstadt died in a vain effort to ram the battered Coventry, but not before 
  buying enough time for the Lola-class destroyers Akiko and Maja to rejoin the fight. 
  Although the two destroyers did inflict serious damage to Coventry and destroyed the 
  corvettes Anthemius and Heraclius, they were sorely outmatched when the Gallery and 
  York returned from their fire missions. Meanwhile, the Essex-class destroyers Jarett and 
  Sawyer found themselves under the guns of the Ironwood, the Aegis-class cruiser that 
  eventually managed to cripple both of them. 
  By the time the last of the Kurita WarShips succumbed, the battle had drifted close 
  to Nebulos’ lunar orbit. With the Coventry leaking atmosphere and fuel, the Lyran naval 
  commander prepared to abandon ship, requesting the remaining WarShips to regroup 
  so they could recover survivors. What happened next is unclear even centuries later. 
  While the Lyran DropShips regrouped closer to Dieron to cover the Stealths’ atmospheric 
  insertion, the WarShips Gallery, York, and Ironwood rendezvoused near Nebulos. Along 
  with Coventry herself, none of these WarShips were ever heard from again.
  WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?
  The loss of the Steiner WarShips so soon after their 
  victory over Dieron in 2787 is a mystery that daunted 
  many historians and lostech hunters for centuries. By 
  the end of the Succession War era, the best theories 
  proposed included secret actions by ComStar, a sur-
  prise attack by a second group of Kurita WarShips not 
  detected during the approach, or a similar ambush 
  by a squadron or two of nuke-armed Kurita fighters 
  lying in wait inside the Junkyard debris. Other theories 
  suggested that the space battle drifted farther than 
  expected, and that the damaged Commonwealth ves-
  sels somehow suffered a tragic fate while trying to 
  save an out-of-control Coventry. 
  What is known is that post-mission debriefings 
  showed that Bemer, Dieron’s inner moon, passed between 
  the Lyrans’ WarShip and DropShip groups, blocking com-
  munications for roughly fifteen minutes during that time. 
  By that point, the DropShips’ atmospheric entry had 
  begun, and Dieron’s own rotation extended the blackout 
  period for another thirty minutes. Knowing these natural 
  facts, the Steiner DropShip captains and ground com-
  manders saw no reason to raise any alarms until well 
  after the surface assault began in earnest. It was only after 
  four more hours had passed without any word from the 
  WarShip battle group that the DropShip fighter-carriers 
  were detailed to investigate. 
  Unfortunately, amid the radioactive debris and 
  rocks ringing Nebulos, they found precious little evi-
  dence of what became of their battle fleet. The hardest 
  evidence of their fate recovered at the time included 
  several of Coventry’s escape pods drifting in the debris 
  field, along with a few large hull fragments from 
  either Gallery or York. On the cloudy, dust-enshrouded 
  surface of Dieron’s outer moon, visual reconnaissance 
  proved nearly impossible, thanks to high levels of 
  particulate metals and fallout from Amaris-era WMDs 
  that had struck the lunar surface. 
  The fact that the Commonwealth raiders allowed 
  themselves very little time to closely study the situ-
  ation all but ensured that the trail would turn cold 
  before the First War had ended. In their defense, how-
  ever, they were engaged in a raid against a high-value 
  system behind Kurita lines. Limiting their investigation 
  to little more than a few passing scans from high lunar 
  orbit was more a matter of tactical prudence than any 
  kind of incompetence.
  Official LCAF records ultimately listed all four 
  WarShips as “Missing in Action, Presumed Destroyed.”
  —From Great Mysteries of the Succession Wars 
  (Book I), Erin Peleke, Star Group Press, 3125
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  49
  SOFT TARGETS
  The Kurita attack plan was simple enough: an assault-scale 
  ground raid, backed up by heavy orbit-to-surface bombardment 
  from the fleet ships. The intention was to avenge the attacks on 
  Luthien and Dieron, and to remind House Steiner that it, too, 
  was vulnerable to deep raids. But the presence of a Lyran fleet 
  including roughly thirty WarShips, fifty assault DropShips, and 
  twenty fighter carriers, made it clear that BROKEN BLADE had 
  gone awry from the start. 
  Once again, Tai-sho Hiroshi Pederson was tasked with handling 
  the naval action, but his force had just over half as many WarShips 
  and DropShips available as it did during his previous battle for 
  Skondia. Worse, due to a rising scarcity of assault ships and fighters 
  needed for the Davion offensive, he lacked the same ability to 
  screen the ground transports he had enjoyed before. Despite this, 
  Pederson attempted the same strategy that succeeded at Skondia, 
  forming his WarShips in a conical wedge aimed at the Steiner fleet, 
  while simultaneously protecting the landing vessels.
  Admiral Luther Weisskopf, commander of the Hesperan naval 
  defense, proved far more daunting an opponent than Pederson 
  anticipated. Arranging his fleet into ranks with heavier cruisers—
  including six Tharkad-class WarShips and eight Commonwealth IIs— 
  Operation BROKEN BLADE
  Reeling from these humiliations, House Kurita’s next major 
  move against the Commonwealth came near the end of 2787, 
  with the launch of Operation BROKEN BLADE. Deploying the 
  same fleet used in the Skondia assault, repaired and reinforced 
  by a handful of additional WarShips, BROKEN BLADE hit Hesperus 
  II with a ground assault group that included the Fifth and Eighth 
  Sword of Light regiments, backed up by the Eighteenth Dieron 
  Regulars (The Algedi Regulars) and the mercenary Fifty-Second 
  Heavy Assault Regiment. 
  But where the Combine had anticipated a stripped-down 
  defense, with Lyran troops redeployed to the nearest Marik 
  border regions, they underestimated just how much the Steiners 
  were determined to keep Hesperus safe. Indeed, within days of 
  the Star League’s collapse, the Archon commissioned massive 
  fortifications on the planet, and moved as many of the Defiance 
  factory’s production lines underground as possible without 
  critically undermining their ’Mech production. In addition to this, 
  Hesperus received one of the largest naval flotillas outside of the 
  Commonwealth’s regional capitals, with a permanent ground force 
  of four BattleMech regiments standing ready at nearly all times.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  50
  SOFT TARGETS
  in front, he forced the Combine’s capital ships to 
  engage their opposite number earlier than planned, 
  while faster Mako and Vincent corvettes acted as a 
  mobile reaction force to keep the smaller vessels 
  at bay, or at least off-balance. Also, unlike Admiral 
  van Hatten’s defense of Skondia, Weisskopf’s capital 
  ships remained focused on breaking the Combine’s 
  heavier spacecraft. This tactic allowed the DCMS 
  to land the majority of its troops on the planet 
  below—but often quite far from their planned 
  deployment zones.
  Keeping the Kuritans bottled up in space left 
  the ground raiders with little to no orbital artillery 
  to speak of, a fact that was compounded by the 
  unanticipated presence of so many fortifications, 
  fixed defense batteries, and four regiments 
  of 
  predominantly 
  heavy 
  and 
  assault-class 
  BattleMechs. The Combine troops had to traverse 
  many kilometers of mountainous terrain, only to 
  find fewer soft targets than expected at the factory 
  sites—but a nigh-impenetrable wall of BattleMech 
  defenders, all fresh, ready, and waiting for them.
  The First Battle of Hesperus II ended in a victory 
  for House Steiner. Despite the Dragon’s determined 
  efforts, the worst damage inflicted against the 
  industrial jewel in the Commonwealth’s crown 
  came when a frustrated Tai-sho Pederson turned 
  a squadron of his remaining WarShips against the 
  orbital facilities. Attrition and exhaustion outside 
  the planetary capital city of Maria’s Elegy, and in 
  the nearby Myoo Mountains, forced the Combine 
  ground commanders to concede defeat as well 
  by the middle of January 2788. When the retreat 
  order came, the DCMS had lost the entirety of 
  the Eighteenth Dieron Regulars, as well as their 
  mercenary support, while Pederson’s fleet had 
  been reduced to only twelve operational WarShips. 
  Although the Lyrans still possessed enough fast 
  capital ships to make an example of the surviving 
  DropShips and further bleed the Draconis fleet, 
  Admiral Weisskopf allowed the survivors to 
  withdraw largely without further losses.
  In the wake of Skondia and Hesperus II, 
  House Kurita decided to limit its Commonwealth 
  border actions to smaller raids and battalion-level 
  operations—at least while the invasion of the 
  Federated Suns was ongoing. For the next twenty 
  years of the war, the Combine-Commonwealth 
  front would be characterized more by small-unit 
  battles than by epic clashes between WarShips and 
  regiments—though these smaller-scale actions still 
  resulted in the capture of under-defended Steiner 
  worlds including Nox and The Edge.
  !(
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  Kuzuu
  Ashio
  Kannon
  Tinaca
  Baldur
  Tyrfing
  Trell I
  Camlann
  Xinyang
  Lockdale
  Radstadt
  Lone Star
  Trondheim
  Alexandria
  Proserpina
  Kajikazawa
  Skye
  Tamar
  Tikonov
  Benjamin
  Rasalhague
  Terra
  Ko
  Rio
  Bex
  Nox
  Wei
  Styx
  Keid
  Hean
  Hall
  Dyev
  Caph
  Azha
  Asta
  Icar
  Vega
  Ueda
  Thun
  Ryde
  Kobe
  Izar
  Gram
  Dove
  Dell
  Wing
  Ling
  Holt
  Tuat
  Skat
  Otho
  Mara
  Elix
  Dawn
  Avon
  Alya
  Zion
  Styk
  Mira
  Liao
  Genf
  Bell
  Zosma
  Yorii
  Wyatt
  Wasat
  Towne
  Saiph
  Sabik
  Ronel
  Rocky
  Ozawa
  Nopah
  Lyons
  Hsien
  Helen
  Hamal
  Genoa
  Errai
  Atria
  Ankaa
  Angol
  Wheel
  Syrma
  Mizar
  Koniz
  Graus
  Eaton
  Diosd
  Devin
  Chara
  Carse
  Biota
  Alcor
  Pavia
  Marik
  Irian
  Dubhe
  Ariel
  Alkes
  Tawas
  Elbar
  Caria
  Sakai
  Osumi
  Omagh
  Okaya
  Ogano
  Numki
  Najha
  Moore
  Maule
  Homam
  Goito
  Dyfed
  Dover
  David
  Dabih
  Corfu
  Cadiz
  Bilma
  Biham
  Beils
  Awano
  Arkab
  Ardoz
  Ancha
  Wazan
  Undra
  Phact
  Palos
  Matsu
  Kansu
  Jilin
  Hunan
  Corey
  Conwy
  Axton
  Aosia
  Anaea
  Algot
  Algol
  Acala
  Zurich
  Tybalt
  Thorin
  Summer
  Sirius
  Saffel
  Pollux
  Oliver
  Milton
  Marcus
  Mandal
  Lipton
  Kervil
  Kawich
  Dieron
  Castor
  Bryant
  Bordon
  Bharat
  Basalt
  Altair
  Alioth
  Afleir
  Acamar
  Zaniah
  Vulcan
  Vantaa
  Tomans
  Surcin
  Summit
  Suk II
  Skokie
  Shiloh
  Sevren
  Rodigo
  Ramsau
  Qualip
  Phecda
  Phalan
  Perrot
  Orkney
  Nekkar
  Moritz
  Marfik
  Maestu
  Lothan
  Liezen
  Laiaka
  Kochab
  Kessel
  Kandis
  Jabuka
  Gacrux
  Feltre
  Fatima
  Domain
  Cusset
  Colmar
  Baxter
  Balkan
  Alnasi
  Alkaid
  Alhena
  Sarkel
  Pliska
  Oceana
  Nathan
  Lungdo
  Grobin
  Elbing
  Abadan
  Mirach
  Goshen
  Vanern
  Tok Do
  Toffen
  Tannil
  Sutama
  Sendai
  Rukbat
  Radlje
  Meilen
  Markab
  Marawi
  Leoben
  Labrea
  Kurhah
  Kiruna
  Kiesen
  Kiamba
  Jarett
  Darius
  Cylene
  Bruben
  Balsta
  Asgard
  Altais
  Algedi
  Zaurak
  Yunnah
  Valexa
  Suzano
  Slocum
  Shipka
  Shensi
  Poznan
  Paches
  Ningpo
  Menkib
  Menkar
  Elnath
  Ashkum
  Almach
  Juniper
  Yangtze
  Tigress
  Talitha
  Ruchbah
  Quentin
  Procyon
  Pokhara
  Pike IV
  Nanking
  Muphrid
  Lovinac
  Ingress
  Hechnar
  Chertan
  Capolla
  Athenry
  Arboris
  Addicks
  Volders
  Tsukude
  Sudeten
  Skandia
  Seiduts
  Seginus
  Romulus
  Quarell
  Porrima
  Pandora
  Orestes
  Nusakan
  Muswell
  Mozirje
  Menkent
  Meacham
  Leganes
  Laurent
  La Blon
  Kreller
  Karston
  Karbala
  Harvest
  Grumium
  Gladius
  Galuzzo
  Galatea
  Freedom
  Evciler
  Eltanin
  Edasich
  Denizli
  Crimond
  Chimpaw
  Chateau
  Chaffee
  Caldrea
  Benfled
  Baker 3
  Alrakis
  Algorab
  Alchiba
  Sorunda
  Remulac
  McKenna
  Gomeisa
  Catroxx
  Bonaire
  Alphard Acubens
  Schedar
  Sanilac
  Farwell
  Everett
  Edwards
  Demeter
  Cartago
  Alnadal
  Yance I
  Wolcott
  Vipaava
  Utrecht
  Umijiri
  Tarazed
  Tangerz
  Svelvik
  Sulafat
  Spittal
  Shitara
  Sheliak
  Setubal
  Rubigen
  Pilkhua
  Peacock
  Odabasi
  Nykvarn
  Nashira
  Mualang
  Luzerne
  Krenice
  Kempten
  Kanowit
  Kaesong
  Fukuroi
  Engadin
  Celebes
  Babuyan
  Ascella
  Alshain
  Alleghe
  Albiero
  Albalii
  Sichuan
  Pleione
  Plataea
  Myrvoll
  Mandate
  Lacadon
  Ibstock
  Foochow
  Buchlau
  Zavijava
  Telos IV
  Sheratan
  Outreach
  Nirasaki
  New Home
  Haddings
  Fletcher
  Denebola
  Chisholm
  Chaville
  Callison
  Berenson
  Al Na'ir
  Achernar
  Veckholm
  Unzmarkt
  Twycross
  Tukayyid
  Treeline
  The Edge
  Talisker
  Stanzach
  Shionoha
  Satalice
  Sakhalin
  Rastaban
  Planting
  Oyevaina
  Lucianca
  Leskovik
  La Grave
  Kufstein
  Hyperion
  Hohenems
  Hainfeld
  Gunzburg
  Grunwald
  Ginestra
  Garrison
  Dustball
  Dompaire
  Dehgolan
  Dalkeith
  Cebalrai
  Carnwath
  Bushmill
  Borghese
  Aubisson
  Arcturus
  Apostica
  Alphecca
  St. Gall
  Savannah
  Rochelle
  New Hope
  Kalidasa
  Hamilton
  Aquileia
  Adhafera
  Waycross
  Tedibyhr
  Marlette
  Listowel
  Goderich
  Caselton
  St. John
  Shinonoi
  Schuyler
  Saaremaa
  Predlitz
  Piedmont
  Paracale
  New Oslo
  Miyazaki
  Kitalpha
  Junction
  Jezersko
  Hermagor
  Hagiwawa
  Garstedt
  Ferranil
  Eguilles
  Dumaring
  Chichibu
  Chandler
  Caripare
  Braunton
  Bicester
  Aldrecht
  Tsitsang
  Tianamon
  Tecumseh
  Snailzar
  Shui-pao
  Sakhalin
  Ohrensen
  Mytilene
  Moravian
  Mesartim
  Jonathan
  Ilmachna
  Carver V
  Bernardo
  Asuncion
  Angelsey
  Alrescha
  Achilles
  Woodstock
  Northwind
  Murchison
  Lambrecht
  Killbourn
  Fomalhaut
  Connaught
  Aldebaran
  Kockengen
  Yed Prior
  Verthandi
  Unukalhai
  Symington
  Svarstaad
  Stonarboi
  Shirotori
  Shimosuwa
  Shardayne
  New Earth
  Memmingen
  Konstance
  Kirkcaldy
  Kirchbach
  Kelenfold
  Graceland
  Glenlivet
  Glengarry
  Ganshoren
  Fefferfer
  Eaglesham
  Deweidewd
  Csesztreg
  Carstairs
  Breukelen
  Basiliano
  Ballynure
  Auldhouse
  Apolakkia
  Al Hillah
  Nova Roma
  New Delos
  Lancaster
  Dieudonne
  Blue Sava
  Augustine
  Angell II
  Tallassee
  Logandale
  Yamarovka
  Waddesdon
  Tanh Linh
  Soverzene
  Shimonita
  Shibukawa
  Sadalbari
  Sadachbia
  Polcenigo
  Nai-Stohl
  Minakuchi
  Mannedorf
  Lapida II
  Itabaiana
  Halesowen
  Ferleiten
  Cyrenaica
  Byesville
  Ventabren
  St. Andre
  Remshield
  New Macao
  Manennaia
  Highspire
  Harsefeld
  Gan Singh
  Foot Fall
  Bhaktapur
  Belluevue
  Zollikofen
  Tall Trees
  New Dallas
  New Canton
  Inglesmond
  Imbros III
  Zoetermeer
  Weingarten
  Vorarlberg
  Ridderkerk
  Rasalgethi
  Laurieston
  Komephoros
  Kingtribel
  Kimball II
  Dromini VI
  Cor Caroli
  Carsphairn
  Bessarabia
  Altenmarkt
  Alkalurops
  Accrington
  Jaszbereny
  Avellaneda
  Ulan Batar
  Chesterton
  Vaajakoski
  Turtle Bay
  Sternwerde
  Osmus Saar
  New Bergen
  Kaus Media
  Courchevel
  Baruun Urt
  Westphalia
  Ulan Bator
  Second Try
  Park Place
  New Wessex
  New Hessen
  New Athens
  New Aragon
  Kyrkbacken
  Halloran V
  Terra Firma
  Small World
  Galatia III
  Brownsville
  Persistence
  Whittington
  Thannhausen
  Port Moseby
  Morningside
  Montmarault
  Fort Loudon
  Corridan IV
  Buckminster
  Miaplacidus
  Savinsville
  Port Arthur
  Outer Volta
  New Sumatra
  Helsingfors
  Fellanin II
  Christiania
  New Florence
  Epsilon Indi
  Devil's Rock
  Deneb Kaitos
  Deneb Algedi
  Vindemiatrix
  Blue Diamond
  Blair Atholl
  Thessalonika
  Mersa Matruh
  Grootfontein
  Van Diemen IV
  Skondia
  Zebebelgenubi
  Yed Posterior
  Trolloc Prime
  New Caledonia
  Heiligendreuz
  Last Frontier
  Kaus Borealis
  Second Chance
  Kristiandsund
  Rigil 
  Kentarus
  New Rhodes III
  Zebeneschamali
  Maxie's Planet
  Sophie's World
  Pomme De Terre
  Kaus Australis
  Epsilon Eridani
  Mallory's World
  Aix-la-Chapelle
  Asellus Borealis
  Halstead Station
  Asellus Australis
  BORDER KEY
  2786 Borders
  2786-2791
  2791-2796
  2796-2801
  2701-2806
  2806-2811
  2811-2816
  2816-2821
  Reversals
  DRACONIS COMBINE-LYRAN 
  COMMONWEALTH FRONT 2786-2821
  90 LIGHT YEARS OR 27.6 PARSECS
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  MAXIMUM JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  LEGEND
  PLANET KEY
  National Capital
  District Capital
  Province Capital
  Dead/Dying World
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  51
  JEROmE BlAkE’S GAmBIT
  SEIZING TERRA
  In the early morning hours of 25 June 2788, the Terran HPGs 
  fell silent, followed immediately by the transmitters throughout 
  ComStar’s entire interstellar communications network. While 
  the disoriented realms of the Inner Sphere demanded answers, 
  ComStar’s hyperpulse administrators held them at bay with 
  everything from apologies for the inconvenience to claims of local 
  network breakdowns. In all cases, these administrators assured their 
  Successor State “consumers” that the interruption was temporary, 
  and communications would be restored shortly.
  A mere seventy-two hours later, the network came back up 
  with a surprise announcement: ComStar had seized the entire 
  Terran solar system, declaring the birthplace of mankind and the 
  seat of the fallen Star League as its own protectorate. Holovids 
  of the military takeover were included in this message, to further 
  underscore the point. In one fell swoop, Jerome Blake took the one 
  prize coveted by all five claimants for the title of First Lord, and also 
  demonstrated that he commanded a formidable combination of 
  total communications control and a powerful army to boot.
  The House Lords were vociferous in their condemnation of 
  ComStar’s action, claiming that Jerome Blake had violated his own 
  claim of neutrality in attacking the token Successor State forces still 
  on Terra at the time. Despite their protests, no House Lord risked 
  backing out of the Communications Protocol of 2787; having not 
  seen where Blake’s army came from, and taught in just three days 
  how thoroughly ComStar truly controlled the interstellar network, 
  none felt confident of their success in a direct confrontation. The 
  fact that the Succession War was already well underway at the time 
  only served to further dampen their willingness to invade Terra or 
  test the resolve of the HPG administrators in their realms.
  In the years and decades to come, Jerome Blake and his 
  successor, Conrad Toyama, would continue their machinations 
  behind the scenes, transforming a powerful Sphere-wide 
  megacorporation into a secretive, quasi-religious order dedicated 
  to goals as ambitious as they were inscrutable.
  AFTERMATH
  Just five days after taking Terra, ComStar launched another 
  military strike on the nearby world of New Earth, where the 
  headquarters of the former SLDF was located. Effectively a heavy 
  raid aimed at securing the valuable data and equipment left there 
  by Kerensky’s followers, this attack inflicted minimal casualties. 
  Rather, the Hegemony-remnant militia who occupied the sprawling 
  complex and its fortified warehouses largely welcomed these 
  invaders, going so far as to assist them in dismantling the facility’s 
  equipment for transport. The heavily laden DropShips departed on 
  11 July 2788, leaving only empty buildings behind.
  It is worth noting that the original plan for New Earth was a 
  conquest similar to Terra’s, part of an extension of SILVER SHIELD 
  to all of the Terran Hegemony worlds not already claimed by the 
  Houses. This “third phase” of SILVER SHIELD was canceled, however, 
  OUT FROM LEFT FIELD:  
  JEROME BLAKE’S GAMBIT
  As total war finally gripped the Inner Sphere, the Great Houses 
  received an unexpected visit from the last acknowledged official 
  of the fallen Star League: Jerome Blake. In his capacity as the 
  administrator of the defunct SLCOMNET, Blake had reorganized 
  the entire planet-bound HPG communications grid throughout the 
  Inner Sphere under a trans-national corporation he now dubbed 
  ComStar. Starting with the Lyran Commonwealth in 2787, Blake 
  undertook a whirlwind diplomatic tour of the former Star League 
  member states, intent on securing their recognition of ComStar’s 
  sovereignty and neutrality in the coming conflicts. 
  Having spent the past seven years rebuilding the network 
  compromised by Stefan Amaris, Blake wanted to ensure that 
  his work would not be abused by the House Lords as they went 
  to war. Personally familiar with the horrors of Amaris’ war, and 
  convinced that the Succession War would quickly devolve into 
  such a conflagration across all of human space, he resolved to 
  commit his ComStar organization to safeguarding the technology 
  and knowledge of the Star League. Perhaps inspired by the efforts 
  of Christian monasteries in the medieval period of Terra’s Europe, 
  he sought to cast his HPG stations as similar sanctuaries, inviolate 
  to all the major political powers in exchange for taking no sides in 
  the conflicts to come.
  To secure this arrangement, Blake presented the former Star 
  League Council Lords with what became known as the Communications 
  Protocol of 2787. This treaty outlined ComStar’s neutrality and the 
  open use of its HPGs to all powers, regardless of political affiliation. 
  It also included pledges of security and confidentiality with respect 
  toward sensitive information, as well as the establishment of the 
  ComStar Letter of Credit, a universal currency that would be used to 
  fund the continued operation and maintenance of the interstellar 
  network. Recognizing the strategic, political, and economic value of 
  a neutral ComStar that could maintain its own infrastructure, Archon 
  Jennifer Steiner welcomed the treaty—but pledged to sign it only if 
  the other House Lords did the same.
  In a political ploy that was equal parts daring and foolish, 
  Blake lied. 
  Producing documentation that contained forged signatures, 
  he claimed that the other four House Lords had already signed 
  his Protocols. Satisfied, the Lyran ruler agreed to his terms and—
  unbeknownst to her at the time—became the first House Lord to 
  commit to the deal. Blake would repeat this process at the capital 
  worlds of each realm in turn. By the time he returned to Terra’s 
  Hilton Head Island in early 2788, he had won legitimate support for 
  ComStar’s neutrality from all five Successor States. 
  It was the last unanimous decision the House Lords would 
  reach for centuries to come, as open war erupted on all fronts. Little 
  did they realize the far-reaching consequences of their agreement, 
  or that Blake’s diplomacy was but the first move of a far more 
  ambitious plan. 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  52
  JEROmE BlAkE’S GAmBIT
  FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE:  
  HOUSE MARIK STRIKES
  For the Free Worlds League, the official start of the Succession 
  War came with the Lyran Commonwealth’s attack on Bolan in March 
  2785. Almost immediately after he received word of the planet’s fall, 
  Captain-General Kenyon Marik declared that the Commonwealth 
  had violated the rules of warfare by resorting to massed city 
  bombardment, orbital fire, and weapons of mass destruction. 
  Proclaiming that his League was now free to retaliate in kind, he 
  declared war on the Lyrans. Responding to Archon Jennifer Steiner’s 
  cynical claim to the Star Lordship on New Years’ Eve, he would repeat 
  this declaration again in the first days of January 2787.
  Strangely enough, the months immediately following both 
  of Marik’s declarations scarcely saw much change on the League’s 
  coreward border. While several additional regiments—both FWLM 
  and mercenary—were moved toward the Commonwealth front 
  along with a healthy portion of the realm’s navy and aerospace 
  forces, Kenyon’s focus remained squarely on securing worlds from 
  by the onset of open warfare so quickly after Blake’s diplomatic 
  efforts. Deciding that further overt military adventurism was simply 
  too dangerous now that all five Houses were on war footing, Blake 
  chose instead to shift ComStar immediately back toward a position 
  of neutral non-aggression.
  Still, the outcome of SILVER SHIELD cemented ComStar’s 
  position in the Inner Sphere and formed the foundations of what 
  would one day become the Com Guards. In preempting the other 
  realms’ designs on Terra so early in the war, ComStar also denied 
  the House leaders a prize that, however symbolic, could have 
  strengthened their claim on the title of First Lord.
  The success of SILVER SHIELD and ComStar’s role as master 
  of interstellar communications also helped fuel the centuries of 
  clandestine operations for which the Order would become known. 
  These operations—including the creation of the infamous Hidden 
  Worlds, and the rise of the enigmatic “Master” behind the Word of 
  Blake Jihad—would have far reaching consequences to the Inner 
  Sphere at large.
  OPERATION SILVER SHIELD
  “People of the former Star League. I am Jerome Blake, Prime Administrator of ComStar. As of now, 0900 hours Terran Standard Time, 
  military forces under my direct command have seized control of the Sol star system. ComStar is now officially in control of Terra and all 
  former Star League facilities remaining in the system. From this time forward, I proclaim Terra and the entire Sol system as neutral under the 
  protection of ComStar, under the terms and conditions of the Communications Protocol of 2787. As the previous broadcast has made clear, 
  ComStar has sufficient military force to defend the homeworld of mankind from any aggressor.
  “Our goals are peaceful. We seek the unity and prosperity of mankind. This action was taken to save lives in the devastating war that is 
  unfolding. ComStar will continue to offer its communications services to all member states, as long as the Sol system and our neutrality are honored.”
  —Jerome Blake, 28 June 2788
  Jerome Blake’s declaration followed a three-day blitzkrieg dubbed Operation SILVER SHIELD. Eight SLDF Divisions, left behind 
  by Aleksandr Kerensky under a pledge to serve Jerome Blake’s ComStar, arrived on Terra masquerading as mercenary troops hired 
  for “security reasons.” Under the overall command of Lauren Hayes, most of these divisions swiftly targeted and seized the remaining 
  ground stations of Terra’s Space Defense System, where the scattered company-sized security troops left behind by the House Lords 
  had set up shop. Most of these commands fell quickly—some even without bloodshed; the Davion unit stationed in the city of Berlin 
  was the most notable exception, holding out against Hayes’ attack force for five hours.
  While Hayes’ ground attack on Terra continued, secondary battlegroups escorted by heavy aerospace support secured off-world sites 
  throughout the Terran system—including Mars and Venus, as well as the Lunar, Belter, Jovian, and Saturnian settlements. Without exception, 
  these off-world stations and habitats conceded to ComStar’s control after little more than some verbal sparring and tense negotiation. 
  Having made numerous diplomatic and economic overtures during their time on Terra, and leveraging their high visibility during the post-
  Amaris reconstruction, Blake’s agents quickly secured the support of civilian governments and administrative centers throughout the system.
  By far the greatest resistance to SILVER SHIELD, in fact, came from two former SLDF mechanized infantry divisions—the Seventy-
  First and the 123rd—in the Amazonia region of Terra’s South America continent. Refusing to acknowledge ComStar’s authority, even 
  after Hayes appealed to their common bonds as SLDF refugees, these divisions fought a series of running battles throughout the 
  Amazon rainforests they now called home. Their resistance inflicted heavy losses to the smaller battle groups Hayes initially sent in 
  after them, until the pre-dawn hours of 28 June 2788, when a combined assault by the Thirteenth Royal Infantry Division and the 251st 
  BattleMech Division surrounded and shattered their stronghold in the city of Manaus. 
  In all cases, the holdouts who resisted Hayes’ battlegroups and were captured or surrendered became “guests” of ComStar’s 
  ad-hoc detention centers for only the briefest amount of time while their bases and military equipment were confiscated or destroyed. 
  These individuals would later be offered a full pardon and citizenship on Terra, or expelled to the Successor State realm of their choice. 
  This final, magnanimous offer was designed to underscore the idea that ComStar was as fair and enlightened as it was powerful.
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  53
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  the fallen Terran Hegemony. For the next eighteen months, the fighting between Houses 
  Steiner and Marik would consist of an escalating series of raids, most designed to either 
  test each other’s border defenses, or to forestall anticipated attacks across the region.
  In that time, the Captain-General’s eye turned toward a much more tempting target.
  A PATH TO SARNA:  
  THE LEAGUE-CONFEDERATION FRONT
  With a fair portion of the Terran state now under the League’s control, and the 
  Lyrans held at bay by a combination of his own raiding forces and—reportedly—
  invasions from House Kurita, Kenyon Marik turned his attention toward the Capellan 
  Confederation. In February 2787, he ordered ten ’Mech regiments from the Marik Militia, 
  supported by nearly four times as many conventional and aerospace groups, to “clear a 
  route ten parsecs wide to Sarna.” 
  In addition to serving as the capital of the Confederation’s Sarna Commonality, 
  Sarna was home to Tengo Aerospace, a state-of-the-art manufacturer of a broad range 
  of fighters and DropShips for the CCAF, as well as the Sarna Martial Academy, and a small 
  orbital fleet base. Between the League border and this world were several other prized 
  targets, including Carbonis, Corey, and Wazan. More importantly, seizing Sarna would 
  drive a wedge that would cut off nearly a third of the Confederation—including the 
  historically significant world of Liao—from its central command on Sian. It would also 
  place the League well within striking distance of Capella, another regional capital and 
  industrial powerhouse. 
  The combined effect, Marik believed, would break Capellan morale utterly, and 
  strategically cripple the realm. His personal read on Chancellor Barbara Liao, one of the 
  few House Lords to express regret about dismissing Kerensky, was that such a strain 
  would break her. The Confederation’s quick surrender—especially without a long and 
  costly campaign to seize Sian itself—would allow the Captain-General to secure his 
  realm on one front inside of just a few years.
  Initial Victories
  The first wave of attacks fell on the worlds of Harsefeld, Ramen II, Second Chance, 
  and Vanra. The flanking worlds of Second Chance and Vanra were hit by three Marik 
  Militia regiments each, while two regiments apiece struck the others. Escorting each 
  attack group were elements of the FWLN Second Fleet, giving each task force the 
  firepower of at least one battleship and two destroyers, augmented by two squadrons 
  of attack DropShips, and three wings of aerospace fighters. On Harsefeld and Ramen 
  II, where the defenses stood at little more than local militia and paramilitary fighter 
  groups, the League invaders seized the major spaceports, capital cities, and jump 
  stations without much fighting at all. Although calls for help were sent out by each 
  system, the nearest reaction forces were those of Second Chance and Vanra—planets 
  that found themselves under siege at the very same time.
  On Vanra, the defending force consisted of the First Capellan Chargers, a heavy 
  ’Mech regiment that included some of the Confederation’s most proficient and 
  determined warriors. Despite lacking any orbital support, and outnumbered on the 
  ground three-to-one by the Third, Seventeenth, and Twenty-first Marik Militias, these 
  troops fiercely battled the invaders from the moment they set down. 
  Having spent the better part of the last twenty-five years based on Vanra, the Chargers’ 
  commander, Colonel Juliano Papadakis, made the most of his familiarity with the local geography. His air combat group hammered the 
  incoming DropShips, and downed over two squadrons of enemy fighters, along with an Overlord-class transport carrying a battalion from the 
  Seventeenth Militia. When the crippled DropShip went down in the forests nearly twenty kilometers south of the spaceport at Vanra’s capital 
  city of Utrecht, Papadakis detailed his entire Third Battalion to converge on the site. There, he knew, the dense foliage and transient river 
  beds—many almost impossible to see from the air—would be confusing and treacherous for any Marik survivors and their possible rescuers.
  As he’d hoped, the rest of the Seventeenth Militia diverted away from the capital city landing to save their comrades, weakening the 
  capital assault force. His Free Worlds counterpart, Colonel Udel Melville of the Third Marik Militia, nevertheless remained confident that his 
  two regiments and their support would overpower the entrenched Capellans. While Melville did indeed win the battle for Vanra, Papadakis’ 
  FATEFUL RESOLUTION 
  The Free Worlds League’s entry into the First 
  Succession War—or at least the strategies and cam-
  paigns it waged in that war’s early years—would like-
  ly never have happened had it not been for the events 
  of December 2784. It was then, less than a month after 
  Kerensky’s departure, that a Sphere-spanning war 
  seemed all but inevitable. 
  Though Kenyon Marik deeply resented General 
  Kerensky, having gone so far as to complicate his 
  efforts to liberate the Hegemony from the usurper 
  Amaris, he also realized that the death of the Star 
  League posed a serious political crisis for his reign. 
  It was, after all, only under the Star League’s foun-
  dational treaties that the Marik family was formally 
  installed as the Free Worlds’ ruling line. With the Star 
  League disbanded—clearly for good—it would only 
  be a matter of time before the people remembered 
  that legality and the Marik Parliament would elect a 
  new head of state. 
  But Kenyon was quick to capitalize on the public’s 
  concern over the Star League’s collapse. In his capacity 
  as Captain-General, he placed the Free Worlds’ military 
  on alert, authorized the full takeovers of all worlds held 
  jointly with the SLDF, and dispatched “peacekeeping 
  missions” into Terran Hegemony space. He also aggres-
  sively lobbied for the repeal of the Rule of 75, an old 
  Free Worlds League secrecy law that—per his selected 
  examples—had inadvertently impaired the realm’s 
  ability to enact several strategic and economic plans 
  in a timely fashion. 
  With his obvious concern for an open government, 
  and for a secure Free Worlds League in the face of an 
  Inner Sphere gone to hell, Kenyon’s efforts won him 
  a groundswell of popular support. As his government 
  colleagues would soon see, this was just a preamble 
  for something bigger. Within weeks of Parliament’s 
  decision to the repeal of the Rule of 75, he advanced 
  his greatest political maneuver to date: Resolution 288.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 54)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  54
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  tactics—which included numerous feints and ambushes deep inside the urban-
  industrial sprawl of Utrecht—made the victory take more than week, and prove far 
  more costly than he’d expected. In the forests south of the city, the Chargers finished 
  off any of the DropShip’s crash survivors they found, and also managed to ambush 
  and destroy nearly another full battalion of their would-be rescuers. In the city itself, 
  the Chargers broke up into lance- and company-sized formations that regularly tried 
  to harass and ambush the lighter Marik Militia units, counting on the close quarters 
  to negate any speed advantages. The tactic worked well enough to claim a battalion’s 
  worth of Militia ’Mechs before Colonel Melville finally ordered entire swaths of the city 
  bombarded from orbit by the battleship Agrippa. One of the sectors targeted, as it 
  turned out, was a natural gas refinery in the city’s northeast district. The explosions and 
  resulting fires swept through the area, eventually spreading throughout half of the city 
  as the ongoing battle impeded all efforts to contain it.
  By the end of the battle, the Marik Militias stood victorious, having utterly destroyed 
  the First Chargers, who fought to their last ’Mech. Unfortunately, by that time, the entire 
  city of Utrecht and the great forests to its south had been pounded and burned into 
  ruins. After accepting the surrender from Vanra’s government, Colonel Melville reformed 
  two of his ’Mech regiments—the Third and Twenty-first Militias—using salvaged 
  Capellan equipment and the battered survivors of the Seventeenth. 
  On Second Chance, the Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Thirty-eighth Marik Militias 
  found their opposition in the form of the Twentieth Liao Lancers. Although this newly 
  formed regiment was originally marshaled for Ramen II—and thus was also known 
  on the rolls as the Ramen Lancers—it had been relocated to Second Chance to cover 
  the border region after the previous garrison (the Third Tikonov Lancers) had been 
  deployed in the former Terran Hegemony just two years before. The Twentieth’s lack 
  of combat experience, as well as its relative unfamiliarity with the local terrain, left its 
  warriors easily rattled ay the news that they faced three times their own numbers.
  Unlike Vanra, Second Chance also had a naval presence in system. As part of a 
  regular border patrol, the Capellan navy had sent the Du Shi Wang-class battleship 
  Mica Liao there, escorted by the Soyal-class cruiser Solstice—both part of the Sarna 
  Commonality Squadron. When the Marik task force materialized at the nadir jump 
  point, a nearby warning station alerted all of the Confederation’s in-system forces, 
  including the two WarShips. Despite sensor data that clearly placed the attack group 
  at superior numbers (including the Atreus-class battleship Sorunda, and the League 
  II-class destroyers Ospina and Otavalo), the Mica Liao and Solstice immediately plotted 
  an intercept jump from their position at the zenith point.
  The Capellan ships emerged close to the League’s flotilla just as its escort WarShips 
  began their in-system burn, their attack DropShips detached and in close formation. The 
  Solstice, equipped with an extremely powerful mass driver cannon, opened fire from 
  extreme range, destroying Ospina in a single blow, while the Mica Liao accelerated to 
  engage the Sorunda. The Free Worlds’ capital ships came about to meet the defenders 
  head on, their attack DropShips maneuvering wide on each flank. Prioritizing the Solstice 
  before she could bring her unwieldy main weapon around for another quick kill, the 
  Otavalo and a full squadron of attack DropShips closed with the huge cruiser at full thrust, 
  releasing fighters as they drew near. Aware of the mass driver’s narrow firing arc and limited reloads, these vessels maneuvered as erratically 
  as possible in their race to close the distance. Though Solstice would fire her driver twice more, neither shot scored a hit before Otavalo passed 
  along her port side. Both ships exchanged a fierce volley of naval Gauss and autocannon fire. At nearly the same time, the attack DropShips 
  converged on Solstice’s aft section. The combined damage ravaged the ship’s armor, but not quite enough to decide the battle.
  Meanwhile, the Mica Liao met the Sorunda and her DropShip squadron in a similar jousting contest—one for which the older Du Shi 
  Wang-class battleship was ill-suited. Equipped with far more firepower than her opponent, Sorunda swung to port moments after firing her 
  forward batteries, allowing the gunnery crews all along her starboard side to deliver their attacks to the port side of Mica Liao’s forward hull. At 
  the same time, the Atreus-class battleship launched a full squadron of aerospace fighters equipped with Alamo ship-killer missiles. Unable to 
  match the Sorunda gun for gun, Mica Liao began to roll in an effort to minimize the chance of a hull breach. Unfortunately, this merely exposed 
  her now-ravaged side to the nuclear-armed fighters, all of which released their ordnance as they swept by. Half of these missiles missed their 
  mark, but at least two scored direct hits that detonated deep within the ship’s superstructure.
  FATEFUL RESOLUTION 
  (CONTINUED)
  Resolution 288 granted the Captain-General full 
  discretionary authority over the Free Worlds League 
  for “the duration of the crisis,” with executive powers 
  up to and including the summoning and disbandment 
  of Parliament itself. The resolution had no precedent 
  in the history of the Free Worlds, and was nothing 
  less than an abdication of parliamentary authority to 
  Marik’s rule. While resistance to the law was strong, 
  and the vote hardly unanimous, it was finally rati-
  fied on 19 December 2784. In the centuries to come, 
  Resolution 288 would be cited by every Marik scion 
  who stepped into the shoes of his predecessor, with 
  each declaring “the crisis” unresolved.
  In many minds, the fast-tracked acceptance 
  of Resolution 288 was not surprising. At the time, 
  Parliament was dominated by delegates represent-
  ing smaller provincial states, many of whom were 
  inexperienced in the machinations of the legislative 
  machine. Most of these representatives were also eas-
  ily panicked in the face of a military crisis the size of the 
  looming Succession Wars. To these men and women, 
  Captain-General Marik appeared the strongest, most 
  decisive leader around—a leader supremely capable 
  of keeping the League intact when everything else 
  was falling apart.
  With his authority over the whole of the Free Worlds 
  cemented by popular support and legal decree, the rule 
  of Kenyon Marik—and his descendants—was effec-
  tively absolute. This act would enable him to wage the 
  coming war without meddling oversight from reluctant 
  delegates and provincial lords. The legacy of House Marik 
  would survive the fall of the Star League, and lead the 
  realm through the Succession Wars.
  —From The Rise and Fall of House Marik, by Ursa 
  Wicktorja, Iron Dojo Publishing, Dieron, 3104
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  55
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  when the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Marik Militias arrived there in May 
  of 2787 as a vanguard, they found the major military bases had been 
  emptied, leaving only small, conventional security forces to oppose 
  them. The anticipated defenders, presumed to be the Eighth Liao 
  Lancers, had evidently been moved elsewhere.
  Corey and Wazan
  In July 2787, the third wave of the campaign targeted the 
  worlds of Chamdo, Corey, Phact, and Wazan. In the systems 
  of Chamdo and Phact, the arriving Free World forces—each 
  consisting of two battle-worn ’Mech regiments, escorted by three 
  WarShips—faced absolutely no resistance to their advance. The 
  local governments, evidently panicked and abandoned by the 
  resident security forces, surrendered to the invaders with little more 
  than desperate negotiations for leniency. 
  In contrast, the attack groups arriving at Corey and Wazan 
  found a light enemy naval presence in both systems. Confederation 
  DropShips and fighters opposed their arrival, but most of these 
  craft fell back quickly in the face of the Marik’s superior firepower. 
  Landing on Corey, the Nineteenth and Twentieth Marik Militias 
  were initially unopposed, but soon found that the defending Tenth 
  Confederation Reserve Cavalry (also known as Kincaid’s Rangers, 
  formerly the SLDF’s 202nd Mechanized Infantry Division) was 
  merely lying in wait at the spaceport near the capital city of Valasha. 
  Backing up the CRC was an infantry-reinforced short battalion of 
  Catapult ’Mechs from the factories of Hollis Incorporated, stationed 
  near the company’s headquarters in downtown Valasha. A brief 
  battle for the spaceport erupted, but the CCAF troops quickly fell 
  back into the city proper. Suspecting a trap, the Nineteenth Militia’s 
  commander, Colonel Solomon Gaines, requested heavy aerial 
  reconnaissance before he dared to send in any ground troops. 
  After the overflights came under heavy missile fire from 
  Hollis’ Catapults over the densely-packed heart of the city, Gaines 
  requested immediate orbit-to-surface fire on that position. Mere 
  minutes later, most of Valasha’s commercial district was transformed 
  into a field of burning craters where nothing survived. When the 
  League ’Mechs finally entered the city, the surviving elements of 
  the Kincaid’s Rangers offered a spirited, but broken, resistance. 
  Valasha—and, with it, Corey—fell barely a day later, but Gaines 
  and his Twentieth Militia counterpart, Colonel Vitka Ramone, soon 
  became concerned when after-action reports and recovery efforts 
  underscored that many of the Reserve Cavalry ’Mechs remained 
  unaccounted for, even after a week of combing through the rubble.
  On Wazan, the Twenty-second and Thirty-seventh Marik Militias 
  faced a somewhat similar scenario. As with the battle for Corey, the 
  Capellans did not challenge the initial landings. The invaders did 
  not encounter any significant resistance at the planetary capital of 
  Rumallah; the main spaceport, and then the city itself, fell after only 
  the briefest of clashes against local security and militia groups. 
  Then came confirmation of enemy ’Mechs at the nearby 
  industrial city of Asuwayda. A reconnaissance force sent there 
  found itself facing elements of the Eighth Liao Lancers—the very 
  same regiment that League intelligence originally expected to find 
  on Old Kentucky. As with the Tenth CRC on Corey, these warriors fell 
  back in short order after a cursory fight. The senior League officer, 
  As the Mica Liao vanished in the blinding flash of nuclear 
  explosions, Solstice found herself alone, swarmed by enemy fighters 
  and attack DropShips, with an enemy destroyer coming about for 
  another punishing attack. Though her captain realized that the battle 
  was lost, he ordered his broadside and aft missile crews to switch to 
  nuclear ordnance, determined to give the League a taste of its own 
  medicine. Two of the Solstice’s nuclear missiles struck their marks, 
  vaporizing an enemy Intruder-class assault DropShip and a Vengeance-
  class fighter carrier, but they would be her last kills in the fight. 
  Less than a minute later, combined fire from the Otavalo, the other 
  Marik attack ships, and their fighter screen, dealt crippling damage 
  to the cruiser’s engines. As Solstice began to drift, the League fleet 
  commander demanded her immediate and unconditional surrender. 
  The only answer from the Capellan WarShip was an explosion that 
  ripped her apart from bow to stern, leaving no survivors.
  On the ground, word of their naval force’s swift defeat—less 
  than four hours after the initial alert—further eroded the Twentieth 
  Liao Lancers’ morale. Making matters even worse, half of the 
  regiment was on maneuvers in the planet’s northern hinterlands. 
  A debate raged between the regiment’s commander, Colonel 
  Mila Palmer, and the planetary governor over exactly where 
  these troops should move to. The planetary government, equally 
  aware of the disaster in space, had no faith in the green warriors 
  who made up the Ramen Lancers, and was already ordering the 
  locally-raised vehicular and infantry support formations attached 
  to them to redeploy to the major port cities of Sevarias and 
  Sweethaven. At the spaceports in both locations, the civil authority 
  was already mustering evacuation ships for high-level government 
  and corporate officials. 
  For the Lancers, the fact that the local government was fighting 
  their efforts to rally just so they could run away safely was the last 
  straw. Morale collapsed completely, and roughly a third of the 
  Lancers reportedly deserted their posts without ever having seen 
  the enemy. By the time the Free Worlds League WarShips slipped 
  into orbit, their sensors detected several DropShips preparing for 
  liftoff in the city of Sweethaven. Interpreting this as a possible 
  attack, the Sorunda’s captain ordered an immediate bombardment 
  of the spaceport, leveling the area in a hellish, seven-minute 
  monsoon of capital weapons fire. 
  Killed in the bombardment was the majority of Second Chance’s 
  ruling elite, including the planetary governor, Duke Maynard Stott, 
  and Security Minister Haley Fernando. Also destroyed were an 
  entire regiment of CCAF infantry, two companies of armor, and 
  four Union-class DropShips assigned to the Twentieth Lancers. 
  Relaying his message through the Sorunda, the League invasion 
  commander, General Matias Rosenkov, demanded the planet’s 
  surrender less than an hour later. A very reluctant Colonel Palmer—
  now effectively the ranking political or military officer on-world—
  agreed. Second Chance fell to the League.
  Through the rest of the year, the Marik invaders seized several 
  more Capellan worlds in a drive aimed straight at Sarna. Hassad, Shui-
  pào, and Tsinghai all fell without a shot fired, having no significant 
  garrisons to speak of—at least, none willing to stand up to the large 
  FWLM assault groups that hit them. On Old Kentucky, intelligence 
  suggested the presence of at least one CCAF ’Mech regiment, but 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  56
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  Only then did House Liao spring its trap.
  Mere days before the Militia DropShips were to boost for 
  their waiting JumpShips, Capellan WarShip squadrons suddenly 
  appeared at the primary jump points in each system to swiftly 
  destroy or capture all of the League transport vessels they found 
  there. In response, the Marik WarShips floating in planetary orbit 
  scrambled to meet the Capellans via in-system jumps, even as the 
  panicked warnings from their doomed transports reported that the 
  Confederation battle groups outnumbered them. 
  In the space battle for Corey, the Atreus-class battleship 
  Agrippa, the League II-class destroyers Oràn and Ocuri, and the 
  ancient Vigilant-class corvette Samhain, were shattered by a group 
  of four Essex-class destroyers and two Vincent-class corvettes led 
  by the Congress-class frigate Tianjin. The fight over Wazan was 
  equally decisive, costing the Free Worlds the battleship Ragusa 
  and the Lola-class destroyers Minsck and Warsaw when they found 
  themselves facing a pair of Essex destroyers and a pair of Lola III 
  destroyers, led by the Black Lion-class battlecruiser Zulfiqar. The 
  Confederation naval losses in each action were comparatively 
  minor: the destroyer Ai Di and corvette Vladislav were lost at Corey, 
  while the destroyer Khalzan was crippled and scuttled at Wazan. 
  Although the League still held the planets in both systems, 
  House Liao had effectively pinned down a total of six Marik ’Mech 
  regiments between them, placing the bulk of the invasion’s leading 
  edge under a blockade. These regiments began to dig in for a 
  Capellan counterattack that seemed all but assured, and word 
  was sent back to the FWLM High Command, requesting additional 
  naval support and instructions.
  Unbeknownst to House Marik’s forces, the Confederation’s 
  Maskirovka intelligence agency had already cracked their codes.
  RAISING THE ANTE: LIAO’S RESPONSE
  When word first came that several regiments of Marik Militia 
  had attacked her realm, Chancellor Barbara Liao was equal parts 
  surprised and outraged. Between news of the Lyran invasion of 
  Bolan, and intelligence reports indicating a clear buildup of Davion 
  troops on her border, she had every reason to believe that the first 
  strikes against her Confederation would come from the Federated 
  Suns, not the Free Worlds League.
  Rather than hastily shifting border reserves to reinforce worlds 
  that her Strategios were already writing off as overwhelmed, Lady 
  Barbara bided her time. Troops, ships, and materiel were gathered at 
  Sian from all over her realm before committing them to a counterstrike. 
  The Chancellor’s hope was to deliver retaliation so powerful that 
  the Free Worlds League would think twice before attacking the 
  Confederation ever again. Meanwhile, the Capellan garrisons left in the 
  path of the advancing Marik invaders were ordered to hold the line as 
  best as they could, and for as long as they could. 
  In late February 2788, the massive force at Sian comprised 
  more than one hundred WarShips and combat DropShips, twelve 
  aerospace fighter regiments, and eight ad-hoc ’Mech regiments 
  raised from the ten of the CCAF’s most fanatical combat commands. 
  Chancellor Liao personally inspected this army, which was placed 
  under the overall command of Colonel Jacen Devlin, whose 
  initiative in planning and organizing the campaign led to the task 
  Colonel Daphna Hullbright of the Twenty-second Marik Militia, 
  suspected a trap, and ran several aerial recon flights over the city 
  and its surroundings to determine what her troops might face 
  upon forcing their way in.
  The high-altitude overflights weathered no surface-to-air 
  fire, but easily spotted several sectors where lances of Capellan 
  BattleMechs were present, augmented by some tanks holding 
  many of the city’s major intersections. Additional heat sources 
  detected inside several buildings identified what were undoubtedly 
  more ’Mechs lying in wait, and the streets were empty of civilian 
  traffic. While this all indicated a fairly “ideal” deployment for an 
  urban defense—one that made perfect sense for any force facing 
  overwhelming enemy numbers—Hullbright somehow felt as if she 
  were being baited. Furthermore, she was unwilling to deal with 
  fortified positions and block-by-block battles for control of a 
  settlement that had only minor strategic value in the grand scheme 
  of the Sarna campaign. 
  Recalling several historic examples of Capellan death trap tactics 
  dating back to the Age of War, Hullbright decided to order both of the 
  Marik ’Mech regiments to take up positions outside the city, covering 
  the major roadways in battalion-sized formations. She then launched 
  another series of aerial overflights—only this time, the fighters were 
  laden with incendiary ordnance, and backed up by heavy artillery. 
  The firebombing of Asuwayda came with no preamble or calls for 
  surrender; the League commanders did not want to tip their hand that 
  a strike was imminent. When the Eighth Lancers ’Mechs and vehicles 
  scrambled to get out of the kill zones they had painstakingly dug 
  themselves into, many ran straight into the guns of the waiting Marik 
  Militias. Yet, as dramatic as the fall of Wazan was, Hullbright and her 
  sub-commanders came to worry that it was all just too easy.
  Barely three weeks after the League completed its conquests of 
  Corey and Wazan, a spate of rebel attacks began across the worlds 
  taken earlier in the offensive. Many of these were minor uprisings, 
  opportunistic acts that coincided with local work stoppages and 
  protests against the provisional leaders and garrison troops sent 
  there from the Duchy of Oriente. Others were supported by 
  Capellan military raiders—such as the Ninth Liao Lancers, who 
  struck at both Ramen II and Vanra to aid rebel actions against the 
  Tenth Oriente Hussars and the First Orloff Grenadiers, respectively. 
  But the most troublesome resistance emerged on Corey and Wazan, 
  where initial estimates placed anywhere from one-third to one-half 
  of the worlds’ original defenders at the heart of the fighting.
  With Chamdo and Phact still remarkably quiet, the invasion 
  commanders requested aid in putting down the resistance on 
  Corey and Wazan by September 2787. From Chamdo, the Fortieth 
  Marik Militia moved to support the forces on Wazan, while the 
  Third Militia moved from Phact to reinforce Corey’s attackers. This 
  left a single ’Mech regiment and its supporting forces behind to 
  ensure control and watch for other possible Capellan insurgencies 
  that could endanger the next wave. By late November, the 
  reinforcements on Corey and Wazan finally put down the last of 
  the major resistance cells, effectively destroying both the Tenth CRC 
  and the Eighth Liao Lancers. A month later, the arrival of the Fourth 
  Fusiliers of Oriente on Corey, and the Seventh Oriente Hussars on 
  Wazan, provided enough relief to free the Militia for its next wave.
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  57
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  Even before the deadline elapsed, Colonel Devlin ordered his 
  ground forces to advance while his fighters buzzed the city. At the 
  nearby spaceport, strafing and bombing runs quickly crippled all 
  aerospace transports on the tarmacs, commercial and military alike. 
  With minimal security presence in the capital itself, the defenders’ 
  efforts to harass the invaders barely even slowed them down. By 
  nightfall, the Confederation occupied New Delos’ capital, ignoring 
  all communication from the local government. When bombs started 
  falling inside the city proper, it became grimly apparent that House 
  Liao never had any intention of accepting the planet’s surrender. 
  The New Delos Massacre had begun. 
  Over the next three days, Strike Force Devlin unleashed 
  several combined air and ground assaults aimed primarily at 
  civilian, industrial, and commercial targets rather than military 
  ones. Each attack forced the meager Free Worlds League defenders 
  to dispatch small ’Mech groups in a desperate effort to stem 
  the slaughter—only to have each reaction force annihilated the 
  moment it appeared. Only after several cities and towns across 
  the heavily populated Mindanao continent were in flames did the 
  Capellans target the main military bases and supply depots with 
  hyper-fast squadrons of light fighters laden with incendiary and 
  high-explosive ordnance.
  Over ninety percent of the Ninth Orloff Grenadiers’ ’Mechs 
  were destroyed in the Capellan blitzkrieg, with the rest captured. 
  The main military operations centers at Cienfuegos and Quito were 
  set ablaze, and the supply depots at Yucatan were leveled, along 
  with the military repair facilities in nearby South Angeles. The 
  Capellan attackers, meanwhile, lost only seventeen BattleMechs, 
  twenty-six aerospace fighters, and a little more than a battalion of 
  conventional infantry during the entire operation.
  But by far the worst of the damage was inflicted upon the 
  civilian populace, especially in and around Nueva Havana. Though 
  many managed to reach emergency shelters in time, final estimates 
  put civilian casualties at over twenty thousand killed, with more 
  than ten times that number wounded. The capital itself would 
  never recover, forcing the local government to relocate elsewhere. 
  The sheer devastation to New Delos’ infrastructure would disrupt 
  both military and commercial communications and supply chains 
  throughout the region for months to come. 
  Fallout
  Unfortunately for the Confederation, the overwhelming 
  assault on New Delos and the wanton destruction and death it 
  wrought had precisely the opposite effect as intended. Rather than 
  cow the Free Worlds League and force its retreat from Capellan 
  space, it inspired a rash of equally savage reprisals, intended as 
  much to avenge the slaughter as to try and break the stalemate at 
  Corey and Wazan.
  Throughout the rest of 2788, the League sent small, fighter-
  heavy, naval attack groups to bombard Capellan worlds with 
  nuclear and thermobaric missiles. In July 2788, the first of these 
  devastated Ingersoll when a Marik flotilla led by the carrier Chronos 
  firebombed ten of the planet’s largest cities—most of which were 
  little more than commercial resorts and tourist sites, located on the 
  luxurious beachfronts of its many large islands. 
  force now bearing his name. To the assemblage of commanders 
  who would carry the Confederation’s vengeance forward, she gave 
  the order to proceed. Her final words, intended to emphasize the 
  Confederation’s resolve, would come to typify the conduct of the 
  First Succession War:
  “Commanders, henceforth you may consider the Ares 
  Conventions suspended. I expect you all to act accordingly.”
  The New Delos Massacre
  In April 2788, Task Force Devlin materialized at the fringes 
  of the New Delos system. Using captured House Marik codes 
  obtained by the Maskirovka, the flotilla registered on the local 
  sensor net as a secret FWLM supply convoy. Despite the fleet’s 
  massive size, its arrival roused no immediate alarm among the 
  local military commanders; New Delos held a strategic position as 
  staging grounds for the Sarna invasion, and the flow of materiel 
  bound for the League’s new holdings was not all that strange. This 
  complacency was soon dispelled when the sensor net detected the 
  entire naval group moving toward the planet.
  The Capellan attack on New Delos was perfectly timed. The 
  naval defenses assigned there—including the Soyal-class cruisers 
  Kumbha and Mithuna, as well as the Chronos, the League’s only 
  Samarkand-class carrier—had been moved forward, both to aid 
  the pacification of worlds already taken in the offensive and to 
  await additional naval assets intended to break the sieges of 
  Corey and Wazan. This left the planet with only a light aerospace 
  contingent for orbital protection, and scarcely more than a 
  regiment of reserve ’Mechs on the ground in the form of the 
  recently mustered Ninth Orloff Grenadiers. Even the local militia 
  was in an anemic state; most of its armor and infantry battalions 
  had been attached to the Thirty-sixth Marik Militia, which was 
  presently on Vanra with the First Orloff.
  The desperate League commanders on the ground reported 
  the situation to their High Command, while simultaneously 
  deploying their meager aerospace squadrons to oppose the 
  imminent assault. In addition, the Grenadiers were dispersed to 
  primary military sites and depots across the planet, based on the 
  assumption that the Capellans had come to shatter the logistical 
  links for the Sarna invasion. These defenders knew they stood no 
  chance against the sheer size of the inbound armada; their role was 
  simply to try and occupy the attackers long enough for out-system 
  reinforcements to arrive.
  Primed for vengeance, the Liao aerospace forces quickly and 
  brutally overran the paltry orbital craft, securing space superiority 
  after less than an hour’s worth of combat. Colonel Devlin then 
  ordered the vast majority of his DropShips to land along the 
  outskirts of Nueva Havana, the planetary capital city on the 
  continent of Mindanao. The Capellan landing pattern surrounded 
  the city, cutting off every major roadway in and out of the area. 
  As his troops disembarked and fanned out to close the circle, 
  Devlin issued an ultimatum to the city and the planetary ruling 
  government: Surrender all military and civil authority to House 
  Liao by local sundown—a mere eight hours away—or suffer the 
  consequences of the League’s unprovoked aggression against  
  the Confederation.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  58
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  In March 2789, the ships of Task Force Devlin leapt into the 
  Calloway system. Unlike the strike on New Delos, the Capellans had 
  no captured codes to rely upon. Although plans to strike via pirate 
  points between Calloway IV and V were considered, the transient 
  nature of jump points inside the densely-packed solar system made 
  such an option too dangerous for a battle group of Devlin’s size. 
  Thus, the entire fleet materialized together at the planet’s zenith 
  way station.
  What did not factor into the Capellans’ plans was that one 
  of Colonel Devlin’s own fleet officers—tortured by guilt over the 
  attack on New Delos and the loss of Capellan lives that resulted 
  from the Marik fire bombings that followed—had quietly turned 
  against them. Alerting the Free Worlds League spies on Propus in 
  advance of the planned raid, the traitor sealed the operation’s fate, 
  and very nearly that of House Liao itself. 
  Waiting at Calloway’s zenith way station was the entire First 
  Oriente Provincial Squadron, consisting of two Atreus-class battleships 
  and four League II-class destroyers. In addition to this naval presence 
  was a group of attack DropShips and aerospace wings attached to the 
  ground-based defenders, which included the First Fusiliers of Oriente, 
  the Third and Eighth Oriente Hussars, and the Stewart Dragoons’ Helm 
  Cuirassiers regiment. Nearly all of these troops had been dispatched 
  to Calloway VI in advance of a special reaction force raised on Oriente. 
  Back at Oriente itself, half of the League’s Third fleet stood on 
  alert, mirroring a similar naval group parked at Holt ever since Marik 
  intelligence agents on Propus first noticed the Capellan build-
  up there. Stationed in those systems as a safeguard against the 
  possibility that their intelligence was another Capellan misdirection, 
  these ships awaited the emergency call from any of the nearby 
  systems, and could jump to any endangered world within thirty 
  light-years in as little as three hours.
  When Task Force Devlin arrived at Calloway, the Oriente naval 
  squadron reacted quickly to the Capellan jump pulses. Alerting the 
  in-system defenses at Calloway VI to the invaders’ presence, they 
  ensured that the ground and orbital defenders would be ready for 
  them there, while also ensuring that word reached Oriente and 
  confirmed the strike now underway. 
  Although severely outnumbered by Devlin’s task force, the 
  Marik squadron maneuvered straight into its midst and focused 
  on the attackers’ transport JumpShips for maximum effect. Devlin’s 
  WarShips, unready for so prepared a response, were initially slow 
  to protect these vessels, some of which were hit even before they 
  could detach their attendant DropShips. Heedless of their own 
  imminent destruction, ships of the First Oriente focused their fire 
  on the Confederation DropShips, hoping to neutralize as many 
  fighter carriers and ’Mech transports as they could before the 
  enemy WarShips and attack craft took them out. 
  The task force WarShips suffered little to no damage in the 
  battle, but the same could not be said of the fleet’s transports and 
  ground attack groups. By the time the last of Oriente’s provincial 
  vessels was dispatched, a quarter of the Capellans’ non-combat 
  JumpShips had been destroyed, along with more than a regiment 
  each of CCAF aerospace fighters and ’Mechs. The battle also 
  wounded Major Barnabus Liao, the younger of the Chancellor’s 
  sons, when his Overlord-class DropShip suffered crippling damage. 
  New Canton was struck the following month, this time by a 
  battle group that included two Carrack-class transports modified 
  to serve as carriers, escorted by the Atreus-class battleships Kanata 
  and Majestic, and the League-class destroyers Andria and Avellino. 
  Once more, the aerospace-exclusive action left several cities and 
  industrial sites in flames before the local defenders could react. 
  The same scene was repeated at Outreach in September, 
  and Hall in November. Although each of these attacks did include 
  significant damage to the resident military bases and supply 
  depots, only the ground-based DropShip assembly yards on 
  Ingersoll and the materiel depots on Outreach were significant to 
  the Confederacy’s war-making capability.
  That the combined civilian casualties from the Free Worlds’ fire 
  bombings and invasions far exceeded those suffered at New Delos 
  was but a footnote in the annals of the First Succession War. 
  Debacle at Calloway 
  As Marik’s counterstrikes fell, the Capellan Confederation was 
  forced to divert more ships and troops to shore up its anti-spinward 
  border. Because the League’s push toward Sarna dominated most 
  of the fighting, the bulk of these resources were directed toward the 
  coreward regions: the Capella, Sarna, and Tikonov Commonalities. 
  At Corey and Wazan, additional ships were added to the blockade 
  forces, where—despite Chancellor Barbara’s explicit sanction of 
  extreme measures—overwhelming firepower had yet to be turned 
  against the planets themselves. Indeed, these fleets were expressly 
  ordered to hold off on orbital bombardment unless absolutely critical 
  for their own self-defense. House Liao wanted those worlds back 
  intact, and saw a potential advantage against the League as long as 
  it could keep the enemy regiments there bottled up and out of play.
  But first, of course, Marik’s will to continue fighting needed to 
  be broken. Despite the bombings that followed the success of Task 
  Force Devlin on New Delos, Chancellor Liao looked for another, 
  more telling candidate for her “Devlin Solution.” 
  By the end of 2788, a suitable target had been selected: a 
  mining and trading world known as Calloway VI. In addition to the 
  economic damage to the League, Liao hoped that devastating a 
  system so perilously close to the provincial capital of the Duchy 
  of Oriente would drive a wedge between Marik’s central authority 
  and one of its more vociferous partner states. The Maskirovka was 
  already planning suitable propaganda to go along with such a 
  strike, including none-too-subtle suggestions that House Marik was 
  thinning Oriente’s provincial defense in the name of its Capellan 
  conquests, all but opening up the region to deadly counterstrikes 
  like New Delos and leaving Oriente itself high and dry.
  In a decision that was more reckless than bold, Chancellor 
  Barbara Liao herself chose to accompany this attack, at the head of 
  her vaunted Red Lancers regiment. Also joining the operation was 
  the Ares Titans regiment. Between these two elite formations, both 
  of the Chancellor’s sons—who served as battalion-level command 
  officers—would join their mother in battle. Though many of Lady 
  Barbara’s advisors expressed serious alarm over her choice, their 
  liege would not be moved. By February 2789, Task Force Devlin 
  reformed at the world of Propus, where they linked up with the 
  remaining ground forces bound for Calloway VI.
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  59
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  Instead of falling back, as many of her 
  subcommanders urged, Chancellor Liao ordered 
  Devlin to proceed with the invasion. The transit from 
  the zenith jump point to the planet took two weeks, 
  but just twelve hours shy of orbit, the Capellan 
  capital ships detected a large group of enemy 
  assault craft and fighter carrier DropShips waiting for 
  them. As the two forces converged, swarms of Marik 
  fighters engaged the attackers’ faster, lighter-weight 
  counterparts. In a battle for orbital supremacy that 
  lasted for two days, seven more Confederation troop 
  DropShips, and nearly two more regiments of fighters 
  were shot down or crippled.
  The ground battle on Calloway VI pitted the 
  remains of Task Force Devlin’s ’Mech forces—now 
  just over five regiments in strength—against a 
  nearly equal number of Free Worlds League units. 
  In addition, the forewarned Mariks had spent the 
  previous two weeks fortifying positions, laying traps, 
  and evacuating most of the civilians from the planet’s 
  largest population centers. 
  But by far the most hobbling factor of the entire 
  campaign for the Capellans came from their own 
  ruler. Refusing to merely monitor the fighting from 
  the command centers of her orbiting ships, Chancellor 
  Barbara Liao insisted on taking the field personally. This 
  forced Devlin’s ground commanders to spend critical 
  reserves ensuring the Chancellor’s safety every time 
  her Red Lancers entered a combat zone. More than 
  once, when an enemy force broke through their lines, 
  the Confederation invaders were forced to usher Lady 
  Barbara back to safety when they could have deployed 
  those same resources to blunt the League elsewhere.
  With the majority of her ground forces and 
  fighter craft lost, the Chancellor finally acknowledged 
  defeat after ten days of inconclusive attrition on the 
  surface of Calloway VI. Only a third of the elite Red 
  Lancers survived to cover their leader’s withdrawal, 
  while the entirety of the Ares Titans fell to Marik guns 
  in their own effort to fall back. Among those lost was 
  Major Barnabus Liao, who was killed when his Ostsol 
  suffered a catastrophic reactor breach in a battle 
  against a lance of League Orions.
  Even the retreat from Calloway VI would prove 
  disastrous for House Liao, as the fleet quickly learned 
  that their transport JumpShips were no longer there. 
  Less than a week after the Chancellor’s fateful decision 
  to advance on the planet, a large group of Marik 
  WarShips from Oriente materialized near the zenith 
  way station. Many appeared close enough to the 
  parked vessels to open fire the moment their sensors 
  cleared the after-effects of hyperspace, annihilating 
  several JumpShips before they could even broadcast 
  an SOS. The few Confederation WarShips and attack 
  craft left behind to protect these transports were 
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  Rahne
  Tyrfing
  Lockdale
  Luxen
  Sarna
  Kanata
  Stewart
  Oriente
  Tikonov
  Capella
  St. Ives
  Andurien
  Sian
  Terra
  Canopus IV
  Ko
  Rio
  Bex
  Wei
  Sax
  Lee
  Kek
  Ito
  Ife
  Eom
  Arn
  Aer
  Styx
  Keid
  Hean
  Hall
  Dyev
  Caph
  Azha
  Asta
  Palm
  Joyz
  Zara
  Wing
  Umka
  Ling
  Koln
  Holt
  Helm
  Skat
  Mara
  Zion
  Ward
  Vard
  Taga
  Sumy
  Styk
  Prix
  Pell
  Ovan
  Mira
  Liao
  Lamu
  Krin
  Kimi
  Kern
  Kazu
  Java
  Dili
  Bora
  Bell
  Beid
  Ares
  Aodh
  Alto
  Zosma
  Yorii
  Wyatt
  Wasat
  Towne
  Saiph
  Ronel
  Rocky
  Ozawa
  Nopah
  Lyons
  Hsien
  Helen
  Hamal
  Genoa
  Errai
  Ankaa
  Angol
  Syrma
  Mizar
  Lamon
  Chara
  Alcor
  Uhuru
  Tiber
  Salur
  Pavia
  Merak
  Marik
  Kiyev
  Irian
  Dubhe
  Avior
  Ariel
  Amity
  Alkes
  Elbar
  Okaya
  Biham
  Ancha
  Yongd
  Wazan
  Verlo
  Vanra
  Undra
  Turin
  Truth
  Spica
  Shiba
  Shaun
  Purvo
  Pojos
  Phact
  Payia
  Patan
  Palos
  Nukus
  Nihal
  Naryn
  Milos
  Menke
  Matsu
  Lukla
  Lopez
  Lhasa
  Leyda
  Laong
  Katla
  Kansu
  Jilin
  Itrom
  Itica
  Ilmar
  Ikast
  Hurik
  Hunan
  Gorki
  Furud
  Espia
  Enkra
  Dicon
  Decus
  Cursa
  Corey
  Conwy
  Brest
  Braum
  Borka
  Axton
  Athna
  Aosia
  Aomen
  Algot
  Algol
  Adrar
  Zurich
  Tybalt
  Thorin
  Summer
  Sirius
  Saffel
  Propus
  Pollux
  Oliver
  Milton
  Marcus
  Mandal
  Lipton
  Kawich
  Dieron
  Castor
  Bryant
  Bordon
  Bharat
  Basalt
  Altair
  Alioth
  Afleir
  Acamar
  Heliat
  Guldra
  Tetski
  Hastur
  Adhara
  Zaniah
  Shiloh
  Phecda
  Gacrux
  Fianna
  Alhena
  Sarkel
  Ragusa
  Pliska
  Oceana
  Nathan
  Lungdo
  Kearny
  Grobin
  Elbing
  Danais
  Dalton
  Bogrib
  August
  Abadan
  Mirach
  Markab
  Cylene
  Zindao
  Zaurak
  Zangul
  Yunnah
  Wright
  Weldry
  Vintru
  Velhas
  Valexa
  Uravan
  Untran
  Umgard
  Tyrlon
  Thamel
  Texlos
  Tengil
  Tallin
  Suzano
  Slocum
  Sirdar
  Shipka
  Shensi
  Sharpe
  Sappho
  Rhodos
  Renown
  Randar
  Quemoy
  Primus
  Poznan
  Pernik
  Panzyr
  Ordino
  Oligar
  Ningpo
  Murris
  Mumbai
  Mosiro
  Merdal
  Menkib
  Menkar
  Mazdru
  Madras
  Latice
  Larsha
  Kupang
  Kujari
  Klayne
  Kalmar
  Jonzac
  Jacson
  Imalda
  Hexare
  Hassad
  Harloc
  Harbin
  Hansii
  Gurnet
  Goodna
  Gei-Fu
  Geifer
  Gahral
  Fronde
  Fjaldr
  Exedor
  Elnath
  Egress
  Drozan
  Dowles
  Denbar
  Dansur
  Dalian
  Chamdo
  Chamdo
  Carmen
  Cammal
  Borden
  Bhykov
  Barras
  Ashkum
  Armaxa
  Antias
  Almach
  Yangtze
  Tigress
  Talitha
  Ruchbah
  Quentin
  Procyon
  Pokhara
  Pike IV
  Nanking
  Muphrid
  Ingress
  Hechnar
  Chertan
  Capolla
  Athenry
  Arboris
  Addicks
  Zathras
  Lockton
  Addasar
  Pardeau
  Nusakan
  Menkent
  Galatea
  Algorab
  Alchiba
  Spencer
  Detroit
  Yanchep
  Vikindu
  Vakarel
  Sorunda
  Shenwan
  Remulac
  Muscida
  McKenna
  Loeches
  Jouques
  Hudeiba
  Harmony
  Granera
  Gomeisa
  Gniezno
  Fuentes
  Concord
  Cirebon
  Chilung
  Catroxx
  Bonaire
  Bedeque
  Alphard Acubens
  Schedar
  Demeter
  Nashira
  Ziliang
  Yan-hui
  Warlock
  Ullieri
  Tantara
  Staffin
  Smithon
  Sichuan
  Sarmaxa
  Sadurni
  Ryerson
  Repulse
  Relevow
  Raphael
  Raballa
  Preston
  Pleione
  Plataea
  Pilpala
  Overton
  Niomede
  Necromo
  Nashuar
  Myrvoll
  Muridox
  Mitchel
  Midthun
  Mechdur
  Mandate
  Maladar
  Lyreton
  Lucknow
  Kurvasa
  Kohlman
  Kittery
  Kirkvag
  Kasdach
  Kaifeng
  Jasmine
  Ipswich
  Ibstock
  Gunthar
  Glasgow
  Frondas
  Foochow
  El Giza
  Di-fang
  Decatur
  Daniels
  Claxton
  Chitwan
  Chennai
  Chengdu
  Cavalor
  Calpaca
  Buchlau
  Bogerth
  Blandou
  Bentley
  Belamor
  Banfora
  Bandora
  Aquagea
  Altorra
  Zavijava
  Telos IV
  Sheratan
  Outreach
  Nirasaki
  New Home
  Haddings
  Fletcher
  Denebola
  Chisholm
  Callison
  Berenson
  Al Na'ir
  Achernar
  Portland
  Fanardir
  Brixtana
  Tintavel
  Thurrock
  St. Gall
  Semenyih
  Savannah
  Rochelle
  New Hope
  Matheran
  Mansu-ri
  Kievanur
  Keystone
  Kalidasa
  Hamilton
  Guangzho
  Gouderak
  Fujidera
  Fletcher
  Emris IV
  Aquileia
  Antipolo
  Adhafera
  Tedibyhr
  Caselton
  Zhaomaon
  Zanzibar
  Weatogue
  Wallacia
  Viribium
  Victoria
  Valdives
  Tsitsang
  Tsingtao
  Tsinghai
  Tianamon
  Snailzar
  Sindalin
  Shui-pao
  Shoreham
  Shaobuon
  Sendalor
  Segerica
  Scituate
  Sakhalin
  Rosendal
  Ramen II
  Pella II
  Ohrensen
  Ohrensen
  New Troy
  Nam Dinh
  Moravian
  Monhegan
  Mesartim
  Mentasta
  Manapire
  Lurgatan
  Lesalles
  Kwamashu
  Kurragin
  Krakatau
  Kashilla
  Jonathan
  Ingonish
  Indicass
  Ilmachna
  Iknogoro
  Hustaing
  Holloway
  Haerhbin
  Gardnaus
  Florarda
  Cronulla
  Cordiagr
  Carver V
  Carbonis
  Bringdam
  Brighton
  Bithinia
  Bernardo
  Bergtatt
  Asuncion
  Andarmax
  Alrescha
  Achilles
  Woodstock
  Northwind
  Murchison
  Killbourn
  Fomalhaut
  Connaught
  Aldebaran
  Coromodir
  Adherlwin
  Sarpsborg
  New Kyoto
  New Earth
  Caledonia
  Herotitus
  Watermael
  Nova Roma
  New Praha
  New Delos
  Milnerton
  Maritgues
  Lancaster
  Kolobrzeg
  Dieudonne
  Dickinson
  Deschenes
  Cap Rouge
  Butzfleth
  Blue Sava
  Barlaston
  Augustine
  Angell II
  Sadachbia
  Weitinger
  Weekapaug
  Wantorill
  Vestallas
  Ventabren
  Tetschner
  Sunnywood
  St. Loris
  St. Andre
  Shuen Wan
  Shiro III
  Salardion
  Remshield
  Principia
  No Return
  New Sagan
  New Macao
  New Crete
  Minnacora
  Masterson
  Manennaia
  Konopiste
  Karlstejn
  Jungar Qi
  Jacomarle
  Ingersoll
  Ichlangis
  Homestead
  Highspire
  Hibuarius
  Harsefeld
  Ghorepani
  Gan Singh
  Foot Fall
  Fagerholm
  Conquista
  Columbine
  Castrovia
  Boardwalk
  Bhaktapur
  Belluevue
  Bellatrix
  Anegasaki
  Fletcher
  Amu Darya
  Zollikofen
  Tall Trees
  New Dallas
  New Canton
  Inglesmond
  Imbros III
  Campertown
  Early Dawn
  Cor Caroli
  Carsphairn
  Meadowvale
  Kyeinnisan
  Jaszbereny
  Dayr Khuna
  Daneshmand
  Bainsville
  Avellaneda
  Ulan Batar
  Chesterton
  Xanthe III
  Westphalia
  Westerhand
  Villanueva
  Ulan Bator
  Sigma Mare
  Second Try
  Ryans Fate
  Quimberton
  Piriapolis
  Park Place
  Palladaine
  New Westin
  New Roland
  New Hessen
  New Athens
  New Aragon
  Les Halles
  Kyrkbacken
  Kafr Silim
  Immenstadt
  Housekarle
  Heligoland
  Halloran V
  Grand Base
  Claybrooke
  Betelgeuse
  Ambergrist
  Alexandria
  Aldertaine
  Terra Firma
  Small World
  Galatia III
  Brownsville
  New Abilene
  Dunianshire
  Cate's Hold
  Solaris VII
  Scheuerheck
  New Olympia
  Miaplacidus
  Heart Fjord
  Elektrougli
  Drusibacken
  Calloway VI
  Aspropirgos
  Scarborough
  Linhauiguan
  Calseraigne
  New Florence
  Epsilon Indi
  Devil's Rock
  Deneb Kaitos
  Deneb Algedi
  Rockwellawan
  Vindemiatrix
  Cole Harbour
  Old Kentucky
  Mattisskogen
  Huanghuadian
  Buenos Aires
  Van Diemen IV
  Borgan's Rift
  Xieng Khouang
  Second
  Chance
  Mangzhangdian
  Kristiandsund
  Capricorn III
  Rigil Kentarus
  New Rhodes III
  Tania Borealis
  Sophie's World
  Epsilon Eridani
  Dainmar Majoris
  Tania Australis
  Mallory's World
  Asellus Borealis
  Halstead Station
  Asellus Australis
  Anegasaki
  Menkalinan
  Alula Australis
  BORDER KEY
  2786 Borders
  2786-2791
  2791-2796
  2796-2801
  2701-2806
  2806-2811
  2811-2816
  2816-2821
  Reversals
  FREE WORLDS LEAGUE-CAPELLAN 
  CONFEDERATION FRONT 2786-2821
  90 LIGHT YEARS OR 27.6 PARSECS
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  MAXIMUM JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  LEGEND
  PLANET KEY
  National Capital
  District Capital
  Province Capital
  Dead/Dying World
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  60
  FlIGHT OF THE EAGlE
  The humiliating defeat at Calloway not only cost the Confederation 
  several regiments of its most dedicated warriors and a good portion of 
  its fighting ships, it undermined the Chancellor herself. With both of 
  her sons lost in the battle, the next in line to the throne was Barbara 
  Liao’s granddaughter, Ilsa, who was only six years old at the time of 
  the Calloway Debacle. The fact that her “Devlin Solution” had failed 
  miserably cast serious doubts on her leadership, creating a morale 
  problem that swiftly spread throughout the Capellan ranks.
  The Free Worlds League, meanwhile, had a field day. The blockade 
  of Corey and Wazan crumbled as the Capellan navy was forced to 
  reallocate the ships elsewhere, allowing the League to drive off or 
  destroy the remaining vessels and cement their control over both 
  worlds. League troops successfully invaded the worlds of Carbonis and 
  Ohrensen next; the Tenth Atrean Dragoons and Third Orloff Grenadiers 
  destroyed the newly formed Twelfth Tikonov Lancers on Ohrensen, 
  while the First and Ninth Oriente Hussars—backed up by the Fourth 
  Orloff Grenadiers—decimated the Ninth Liao Lancers and destroyed 
  a regiment of the Always Faithful mercenary command on Carbonis. 
  Rumors claimed that Kenyon Marik grew so supremely 
  confident in his ability to take any Liao planet that he resorted to 
  throwing darts at a wall map of the Confederation to choose his 
  next targets. In truth, he merely decided to shift his strategy away 
  from Sarna now that he had the Capellans on the ropes. 
  Taunting Lady Barbara with a personal letter delivered two 
  months after the battle for Calloway, he declared his intention to 
  reclaim the Andurien systems. As Kenyon anticipated, Chancellor 
  Liao and her Strategios chose to ignore this warning; after spending 
  the last two years in a very bloody and determined campaign to slice 
  through the Sarna Commonality, the thought of Marik changing 
  targets to the rimward half of the border seemed ludicrous. The 
  Captain-General would soon prove them horribly wrong.
  Andurien fell first when a League fleet delivered the Fourth 
  and Eleventh Atrean Dragoons to the planet, accompanied by 
  four regiments of mercenary ’Mech forces (the Baldwin’s Cobras 
  Heavy Brigade, and Gladstone’s Gladiators). With only the Baron-
  class destroyers Changsha and Mount Song for orbital defense—
  feebly supported by a pair of old Carrack-class heavy transports—the 
  Confederation scarcely slowed down the Marik assault force, which 
  included four Atreus-class battleships and an equal number of League-
  class destroyers, supported by the Soyal-class heavy cruiser Vrishabha. 
  To the Capellans’ credit, the Vrishabha was crippled in the battle, and 
  would eventually crash on the surface of Mulhacen (one of Andurien’s 
  two moons) after her crew abandoned ship. But this single kill was little 
  consolation to the defenders, especially when their enemy managed 
  to capture one of the supply-laden Carracks to offset their losses.
  The ground battle for Andurien was equally lopsided. The 
  Andurien Heavy Guard and an untested Twelfth Andurien Hussars 
  regiment proved no match for the Marik invaders, who made 
  especially effective use of heavy aerospace support and the artillery 
  batteries of Baldwin’s Cobras. In less than a week, the planet fell. 
  Ingonish and Ryerson followed as the League moved to secure 
  its prize, shattering virtually all of the Confederation’s defenders 
  along a jagged line that ran from Dansur to Piriapolis. Many of these 
  worlds, lacking little more than local Home Guard defenses, fell with 
  a bare minimum of fighting. It seemed as though House Marik could 
  likewise destroyed, their warnings to the rest of Task Force Devlin 
  lost between enemy ECM and the electromagnetic pulses of 
  the enemy’s arrival. Of the Capellan JumpShip flotilla, only two 
  managed to escape the slaughter when their captains ordered 
  emergency leaps back to Confederation space.
  The ships fleeing from the planet below thus found themselves 
  racing straight toward an inbound battle group of Marik WarShips 
  eager to finish off “the butchers of New Delos.” 
  On the bridge of his flagship, the Du Shi Wang-class 
  Sundermann Liao, Colonel Devlin recognized his imminent defeat. 
  But with his Chancellor’s life now on the line, he chose to engage 
  anyway, hoping to buy Lady Barbara and her surviving heir enough 
  time to break through the League’s line and get to safety. After 
  detailing six WarShips to Her Majesty’s protection, Devlin assigned 
  the remainder of his combat ships to an ad-hoc “rear guard” whose 
  task would be to engage the enemy head-on.
  To Devlin’s credit, the high-velocity gambit largely succeeded—
  but at terrible cost. By the time the space battle was over and the 
  Chancellor’s ship safely away, his task force was finished. Of the 
  thirty WarShips, fifty attack DropShips, and fifty-six transport 
  DropShips that came to Calloway, only twelve WarShips, six attack 
  ships, five ’Mech transports, and three fighter carriers managed 
  to disengage long enough to regroup and jump out of the solar 
  system. Also lost were virtually all of Devlin’s aerospace fighters. 
  Of the seven ’Mech regiments that joined the operation—the Red 
  Lancers, the Ares Titans, First and Second Sian Dragoons, Fourth 
  Capellan Chargers, Third CRC, and Fifth Liao Lancers—only the Red 
  Lancers, Third Confederation Reserve Cavalry, and the Fifth Liao 
  Lancers managed to survive with any significant strength. 
  Among the most significant Capellan casualties in the entire 
  debacle were both of Chancellor’s sons; in addition to Barnabus’ 
  demise on Calloway VI, Baltazar Liao was killed in the space 
  battle when the Calseraigne—the Essex-class destroyer he’d been 
  transferred to—was destroyed by the Aegis-class cruiser Pleiades. 
  Colonel Devlin himself was also killed when the Sundermann Liao 
  was struck by multiple fighter-launched nuclear warheads. 
  For House Marik, the battle at Calloway cost twelve WarShips, 
  twenty-four assault DropShips, and roughly two regiments’ worth 
  of fighters. All of the remaining capital ships suffered significant 
  damage, but the League would make up for some of these losses 
  by salvaging the most promising wrecks the Capellans left behind.
  [Editor’s Note: The identity and, in many cases, even the existence 
  of a traitor among Task Force Devlin is a point that has been disputed 
  for centuries. Many Capellan history texts penned before the reign of 
  Sun-Tzu Liao—even those written by ComStar historians—make no 
  mention of a turncoat, while Free Worlds League historians usually 
  paint the event as a coup made possible entirely by their SAFE 
  intelligence agency. It remains an open debate today.] 
  LOSING GROUND
  By the close of 2789, the war between Liao and Marik had 
  become decidedly personal. While the Confederation blockade at 
  Corey and Wazan blunted the invasion along the League’s “Sarna 
  Path,” the escalation of atrocities from New Delos to Calloway 
  effectively spread the fighting along the border across a wider area. 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  61
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Ultimately, Archon Steiner was unwilling to risk having her 
  Commonwealth blindsided from one direction while the majority of 
  its forces were committed to a costly campaign elsewhere. Instead, 
  she directed her commanders to assume a largely defensive 
  posture. Emphasizing industrial and strategic resources over all 
  other concerns, the Lyran military would restrict its operations for 
  much of the war to guarding its most valuable assets. Offensive 
  missions—when authorized—were to be short, conservative, and 
  focused on crippling enemy infrastructure as much as possible.
  As it happened, both the Draconis Combine and the Free Worlds 
  League engaged in similar missions to keep the Lyrans in check, but 
  did so much more aggressively. For the first four years of the war, not 
  a month went by during which the LCAF was not repelling an enemy 
  strike force or WarShip squadron more intent on damaging strategic 
  and industrial objectives than capturing them. 
  While some attacks—like Hornir’s Keep in 2786, and Skondia in 
  2787—turned into world-capturing invasions, most were objective 
  raids designed to destroy ’Mech factories and shipyards. On the 
  Combine front, the DCMS successfully took out both the Tamar 
  Heavy Industries’ BattleMech factories on Sudeten and Argile 
  Technologies’ MechWorks on Yed Posterior in 2788. In late 2790, a 
  group of Kuritan WarShips crashed through the Commonwealth’s 
  orbital defenses at Tamar to obliterate the Bolson-Tamar shipyards. 
  On the League front, raiding parties armed with nuclear and 
  chemical ordnance bombarded industrial sites and planetary 
  enviro-support facilities on Altoona in 2786, Duantia in 2788, and 
  Myrrdin in 2789—all as part of a years-long retaliation for House 
  Steiner’s Bolan invasion. Marik fleets also hit New Kyoto in 2787 
  and New Earth in 2789, destroying the Bolson Shipyards over New 
  Kyoto and crippling the Daussault-Shimmon yards over New Earth.
  Indeed, even the Federated Suns—a realm several jumps 
  away from the nearest Lyran borders—launched raids against 
  Commonwealth worlds. Spurred on by desperation as their own 
  realm reeled under Combine assault (or perhaps as part of some 
  ill-planned effort to draw House Steiner into that conflict), the AFFS 
  launched Operation BRASS RING and struck Hesperus II in 2788. 
  After being repelled there, BRASS RING’s forces vanished until the 
  latter months of 2789, when they hit the former Terran Hegemony 
  worlds of Thorin and Rocky. 
  Of these battles, the worst took place on Rocky, where 
  a nuclear exchange between the Lyran and FedSuns forces—
  possibly instigated by Rim Worlds fugitives rumored to be lurking 
  in the planet’s hinterlands—destroyed what little of the local 
  infrastructure and life-supporting apparatus remained since the 
  Hegemony’s fall. The sudden onset of a nuclear winter began to 
  send the last outposts of human civilization on Rocky into a death 
  spiral. The Davion forces that escaped surfaced only one more 
  time in Steiner-held space: New Earth, where they sacrificed their 
  last two squadrons of fighters and four DropShips to finish off the 
  shipyards disabled by House Marik mere months before. 
  By the end of 2790, House Steiner’s emphasis on defense was 
  cracking under the pressure. With offensives that often started as 
  raids, the Draconis Combine had taken the worlds of Alnasi, Muswell, 
  Oyevaina, Shimosuwa, Stanzach, Tsukude, and Vorarlberg. Several 
  more strategic systems had been bombarded, such as Gunzburg, 
  in fact seize any Liao world it wished. The League’s brutalization of 
  the Capellan state would not falter again until 2793, when the Third 
  Centauri Guards, backed up by a significant battle fleet and three 
  additional regiments of CCAF support forces, destroyed the Fourth 
  Marik Militia during the recapture of Anegasaki. 
  The assault on Anegasaki crippled a vital logistical world in 
  the League’s ongoing war with the Confederation. Moreover, the 
  shockingly potent force directed against what amounted to the 
  center of the Capellan front gave Marik’s military commanders 
  enough pause to recommend a period of consolidation, lest this 
  defeat herald a larger wave of enemy counterstrikes.
  THE WAR OF RAIDS: HOUSE 
  STEINER’S SUCCESSION WAR
  While the Free Worlds League tore its way across Capellan space, 
  and the Draconis Combine likewise cut a swath deep into the heart 
  of the Federated Suns, House Steiner’s Lyran Commonwealth faced 
  a far less determined push from either realm. While this certainly 
  spared the Lyrans from a swift (and, likely, total) defeat at the hands 
  of its hostile neighbors, Archon Jennifer Steiner and many of her 
  High Command realized that such a push would be only a matter 
  of time. Sooner or later, the Dragon or the Eagle would tire of their 
  current foes and turn their predatory eyes back toward Lyran space.
  Although many of her generals advocated taking advantage of 
  their enemies’ distraction to launch a realm-devastating campaign 
  of their own, the fact remained that such a gambit could cause the 
  Commonwealth to lose as much as it might have gained. Key to this 
  understanding was the recognition of the LCAF’s own failings. House 
  Kurita had outmaneuvered the Lyrans since before the war officially 
  began, taking planets with such ease that it seemed almost accidental. 
  Meanwhile, House Marik had an entire pseudo-province of worlds 
  that stabbed deep into the Commonwealth’s underbelly, protected by 
  troops who had demonstrated a willingness to bombard themselves 
  with nuclear ordnance if it meant denying their enemy a foothold. 
  Even with the additional forces and ships amassed in the wake of the 
  Star League’s collapse, it was clear that any major campaign against 
  either of these enemies would force the Lyrans to strip their defenses 
  against the other to the bone. Although that reasoning did not appear 
  to hamper the leadership of the Free Worlds League or the Draconis 
  Combine, Steiner’s High Command was nowhere near as confident.
  Of more remote—but still significant—concern was the 
  fact that many systems of the former Rim Worlds Republic still 
  lay beyond the entire length of the Commonwealth’s Periphery 
  borders, creating the largest stretch of potential vectors for pirate 
  attacks or revenge strikes by Republic hold-outs. That virtually 
  every world on the Lyran side of the Periphery line was also a former 
  Rim Worlds holding, still being integrated into the Commonwealth 
  socio-political infrastructure, promised disaster if left unattended. 
  Lady Jennifer remembered well the shock with which Stefan 
  Amaris unveiled his secret armies and set them loose against the 
  unsuspecting Terrans back in the 2760s. With many of Amaris’ 
  suspected baseworlds still unaccounted for, she secretly feared that 
  another such assault could target her realm at any time, if only to 
  avenge their fallen state.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  62
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Worst of all for the Commonwealth, the world of Hesperus II—
  whose factories supplied close to a third of the LCAF’s BattleMech 
  needs—had weathered three major assaults from as many 
  attacking realms. While the Lyrans could take some modicum 
  of pride in bleeding three House militaries while holding their 
  greatest industrial prize, the cost in ships, troops, and supporting 
  facilities was extreme. Spoiler raids—such as those made against 
  Dieron and Luthien on the Combine front, and against the League-
  held worlds of Rochers, Thermopolis, and Wyatt—had hurt their 
  enemies, but not enough to stave them off entirely. 
  By 2790, it was apparent—even to the most inept of the Lyran 
  military leadership—that the Commonwealth could not hope to 
  survive the Succession War on defense alone. 
  Kufstein, Liezen, Nox, Skandia, and Yed Posterior. Even low-value 
  planets were targeted, such as Juniper, a Kannon Shire colony barely 
  fifteen years old when Kurita raiders hit the main settlement and its 
  surrounding lake valley with strontium-laced nuclear ordnance. 
  On the League border, House Marik’s forces seized not only 
  Hornir’s Keep and Radostov, but also Alhena, Dixie, and Shiloh. In 
  addition to the punitive strikes on Altoona, Duantia, and Myrrdin, 
  the Free Worlds had also conducted devastating border raids 
  against Bella I, Cavanaugh II, Ford, Lipton, Loric, Milton, New 
  Earth, New Kyoto, and Phecda—with the attackers’ WarShips 
  often getting close enough to deliver at least a passing orbital 
  strike, whether or not the planet featured strategic bases or 
  industries of any note.
  HOLDING HESPERUS
  The first three years of the Succession Wars era also saw the first three of the famous “Battles of Hesperus II.” Even in this time, 
  with all armed forces at their peak of production and strength, Defiance Industries’ factory complex on Hesperus possessed the Inner 
  Sphere’s most extensive and advanced BattleMech manufacturing facilities outside of those found on Terra itself. 
  Recognizing this, the Lyran Commonwealth spent the years immediately following the Star League’s dissolution on fortifying 
  Hesperus, and relocating as many of the factory’s facilities as possible from free-standing structures on the open plains to man-made 
  caves set within the rocky crags of the nearby Myoo Mountain Range. What facilities could not be relocated in a timely or economical 
  fashion—including the orbital DropShip-building support facilities, and several advanced power and computer-controlled assembly 
  complexes—were reinforced and armed instead. Both the ground-based approaches to the factories, and the planet’s multiple orbital-
  approach zones were laced with sensors for early detection, while weapons bunkers were established at various intervals along all of 
  the main land routes into and out from the factory sites. Similar efforts to reinforce and protect vital ’Mech manufacturing centers were 
  well underway on Coventry, Donegal, and Tamar, but none were as extensive as those executed on Hesperus II.
  For active defense, Hesperus II received at least two veteran-rated BattleMech regiments, well-supported by infantry, armor, and 
  aerospace fighters, with at least a squadron of combat-ready WarShips in system or within range of a single jump. Prior to the start of 
  hostilities, only the Commonwealth’s capital world of Tharkad boasted a larger garrison.
  The First Battle (vs. Kurita)
  The first attack against Hesperus came in December 2787, when the Draconis Combine sent a fleet of more than twenty WarShips 
  there, escorting a ground invasion force of four BattleMech regiments and their supporting assets. The invaders hoped to make 
  this a killing blow; their WarShips would deliver nearly apocalyptic orbital fire aimed at flattening the factories and cities, while an 
  overwhelming ground strike would eliminate survivors and dig out anything that escaped their bombardment. 
  Flush with success from their recent capture of Skondia, fully committed to the war against House Davion, and believing the 
  Lyrans would commit their strength to cover worlds much closer to their borders, the Kuritans felt assured that the Steiner defense at 
  Hesperus would be anemic. Instead, they faced a defending fleet that included some of the Commonwealth’s heaviest WarShips, led 
  by a commander whose strategy was far more aggressive than the DCA was accustomed to facing.
  Although the Kurita strike force did manage to land its troops, the Steiner space defense denied their WarShips any real hope 
  of inflicting the terrible bombardment they had planned for. After nearly a month of brutal space combat, during which time the 
  Combine’s landing teams withered under the gauntlet of fixed positions, traps, and walls of assault-weight BattleMechs, the Kurita 
  offensive collapsed. Though the DCA admiral did manage to destroy the ship support yards orbiting Hesperus II, more than half of his 
  fleet was lost, and less than two regiments remained of the ground attack group.
  In addition to the loss of the orbital yards, the factories on Hesperus II suffered extensive damage to one of their topside ’Mech 
  assembly lines and a vehicle production site. Much of this came at the hands of a few elements from the Eighteenth Dieron Regulars, 
  who managed to break through the Steiner defensive lines when an errant volley of capital laser fire scattered them. 
  The DCMS retreat also left behind several warriors, most of whom were captured and eventually ransomed back to the Combine. 
  But one small group, centered on a fractured core of fourteen Kurita regulars and seven mercenaries, formed a resistance group that 
  would plague Defiance’s security troops for years after the battle. Led by Captain Connor McCreedom, the only surviving officer of the 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  63
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Fifty-Second Heavy Assault Regiment, a now destroyed ex-SLDF mercenary command, this band of dispossessed MechWarriors took 
  refuge in the Myoo Mountains. From there, they harassed truck convoys to and from the factory complexes, secured weapons from 
  vehicles trapped in deliberate rockslides, and even managed to cripple or destroy several tanks, hovercraft, and armed VTOLs during 
  their three-year guerilla campaign. In the biggest kill of their campaign, McCreedom’s Devils (as they had come to be known), downed 
  a hundred-ton Atlas BattleMech by toppling it into a valley below.
  The Second Battle (vs. Davion)
  In April 2788, a second attempt to destroy Defiance Industries took place. As part of a desperate mission known as Operation 
  BRASS RING, a naval task force from the Federated Suns escorted a transport fleet carrying a ground assault force made up mostly 
  of fast, lighter-weight BattleMechs. The operation called for the small fleet to cover its ground troops as they attempted to rush the 
  surface factories, snatch whatever supplies they could, and destroy whatever they couldn’t. Commanding the operation was Rear 
  Admiral Milton Hayes.
  With no formal state of war existing between the Steiners and Davions, and both realms already reeling from attacks by a common 
  enemy, it is unclear exactly how BRASS RING would have helped the Federated Suns. Worse, due to the lack of available WarShips in 
  the face of House Kurita’s assault, BRASS RING’s naval strength was hopelessly outgunned by the sheer number of capital ships the 
  Commonwealth had placed over Hesperus—even after considering the losses suffered there just one year earlier.
  With only eight WarShips to his force, Hayes found himself facing a Steiner fleet nearly three times its number. Unwilling to 
  concede defeat without an honest attempt, the Suns’ commander attempted to thin the Lyrans’ defense screen with a series of quick, 
  slashing attacks against the larger cruisers. This, he hoped, would draw the heaviest enemy vessels away long enough for the fastest 
  of his transport DropShips to punch through the weakened line. As those fast raiders did their job below, the Davion ships would keep 
  the Steiners busy with an elaborate game of hide-and-seek between the planet, its moon, and the debris fields that included derelict 
  hulls from the Combine’s failed attack. 
  The plan proved only slightly successful. After more than a week of quick hit-and-run naval actions over Hesperus, the Davions 
  lost three of their WarShips and a dozen escort DropShips to the Steiner war fleet. In the process, Hayes’ ships did briefly open a 
  window large enough to land troops, but only a single battalion of BattleMechs made it dirtside—all scattered across a swath of 
  rocky desert seventy kilometers away from their objective. Because of this, the Lyrans on the ground had ample time to concentrate 
  their defense against the raiders, and succeeded in shattering the entire landing force long before its warriors ever laid eyes on the 
  Defiance factories.
  The Commonwealth’s losses in the Second Battle for Hesperus amounted to little more than a single destroyed Lyran cruiser, moderate 
  damage to six more Steiner WarShips, two squadrons of fighters, and an assortment of vehicles and fixed defense emplacements on the 
  ground. Unable to adequately pierce the enemy defense well enough to safely deliver any more ground troops, and keenly aware that he 
  was running out of time before the inevitable arrival of enemy reinforcements, Admiral Hayes was forced to retreat.
  The humiliation of this defeat burned brightly among the survivors of BRASS RING. On their journey back toward friendly space, 
  Hayes and his task force struck at the Lyran worlds of Thorin and Rocky. On Thorin, the raiders focused their efforts on causing as much 
  commercial and infrastructure damage as possible. But on Rocky, where they found LCAF troops embroiled in an apparent hunt for 
  former Rim Worlds Army holdouts, the fighting swiftly escalated, resulting in a nuclear exchange that laid waste to several major cities 
  and fatally compromised the planetary environment.
  The Third Battle (vs. Marik)
  The Third Battle of Hesperus II—and the last serious attempt on the Hesperan factories during the First War—came just eleven 
  months after the Suns’ defeat. In March 2789, the Free Worlds League struck with a naval blitz that lacked the heavy ’Mech support of 
  its predecessors. Freed from the concerns of supporting a ground assault to capture supplies and equipment, this attack was meant 
  to destroy the factories utterly with a thorough bombardment from space.
  Leading this assault was Fleet Admiral Thaddeus Marik, the son of Captain-General Kenyon Marik. Having studied the limited 
  data on the previous battles (as gleaned by Free Worlds League intelligence agents), it was his decision to eschew the ground attack. 
  Speed and surprise, he reasoned, were utterly critical to successfully blitz a world as well defended as Hesperus; a massive group of 
  transport DropShips and attendant JumpShips would only slow him down. More importantly, however, was the fact that a force of 
  highly mobile jump-capable vessels would enable him to take the entire assault into the system via one of the most dangerous pirate 
  points his navigators could reasonably calculate:
  The LaGrange point between the local sun and its innermost world, Hesperus I.
  HOLDING HESPERUS (CONTINUED)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  64
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Likewise, though the capture of Bolan prompted a declaration 
  of war and promise of nuclear retaliation from the Free Worlds 
  League, Lyran intelligence confirmed that House Marik’s focus 
  remained firmly locked onto the Confederation. Steiner’s enemies 
  were not ignoring them, to be sure, but they weren’t surging 
  across the border with all their might, either. What their raids had 
  accomplished—in addition to heavy infrastructure damage along 
  the borders—was to put the LCAF in a continuous state of worrying 
  when and where the next strike would come.
  It was high time for the Commonwealth to respond in kind.
  Inspired by the victories of the Stealths and the Tamar 
  Tigers, Archon Jennifer Steiner authorized a broadening of the 
  Lyran raiding strategy. On the League front was General Amanda 
  THE BEST DEFENSE  
  IS AN ANNOYING OFFENSE 
  To the more cautious in the LCAF High Command, the punitive 
  raids launched against Luthien and Dieron in 2787—though 
  successful—accomplished little more than enraging the Draconis 
  Combine. Despite suffering a black eye, House Kurita’s immediate 
  reaction was a counterattack aimed at Hesperus II. Although that 
  attack failed, several Steiner worlds closer to the border had not 
  been so lucky. 
  Still, others noted, those counterstrikes paled in comparison 
  to the Combine’s campaign against House Davion. Clearly, the 
  Dragon’s might was deeply committed elsewhere; the DCMS could 
  hit hard, but it could not be everywhere.
  Prior to the Third Battle of Hesperus II, only the Star League Defense Force had ever dared to bring such a large task force of 
  WarShips to its objective via a non-standard arrival point so close to a solar mass. Even then, the only SLDF vessels used in such a 
  manner were equipped with lithium-fusion batteries, allowing them to quickly leap back out if their arrival point was too unstable or 
  too well defended. Only a few WarShips among the House Lords’ navies possessed similar equipment; among the League fleet, only 
  Marik’s flagship, the Lola III-class destroyer Bucharest, featured this technology. 
  In choosing the inward jump point, Admiral Thaddeus Marik was confident he would catch the Lyrans completely off-guard. Not 
  only would the enemy be unlikely to expect a heavy attack from such a drastic position, but the natural emissions from Hesperus’ 
  F-class star would help obscure his ships’ arriving jump pulses and the heat signatures of their acceleration. Furthermore, the in-system 
  approach, along the solar plane, would give the defenders far less time to react than a more traditional point of attack.
  Marik’s ploy did take the Lyrans by surprise, but the sheer might of the defending fleet, clustered tightly around Hesperus 
  II, proved daunting. Worse, just days before the arrival of his task force, two additional cruisers—the Aegis class Granite and 
  Endeavor—arrived at the local zenith jump point and were en route to the planet. Though older than many, these Terran-built 
  WarShips had been renovated by the SLDF a few years before the Amaris Crisis, and possessed lithium-fusion batteries similar to 
  those found on the Bucharest. 
  Commanding the Granite was Fleet Admiral Oscar F. Dewey, en route to Hesperus II to take over the naval defense from his ailing 
  predecessor, Luther Weisskopf. When word reached him that an incoming naval attack force was nearing the planet, Dewey ordered 
  his navigators—and those of Endeavor—to plot an emergency in-system jump to Hesperus II’s lunar LaGrange point. The desperate 
  leap brought both cruisers into planetary orbit just as the bulk of Marik’s fleet engaged the main body of Commonwealth defenders.
  Marik, having anticipated the heavy defense, detailed the Soyal-class cruisers Devastator and Skulker to break off and attack the 
  factory sites while the bulk of his ships kept the Steiners occupied. The sudden appearance of Granite and Endeavor took these two 
  outriders by surprise. The two WarShip pairs quickly squared off, raking one another with punishing broadside volleys even as their 
  melee brought them closer and closer to the planet. 
  Before long, a magazine explosion on Granite’s port side stripped half of the venerable ship’s firepower. Its opponent, Devastator, 
  began to maneuver around for a final pass against the crippled flank, determined to put down the Lyran ship once and for all. In 
  desperation, Admiral Dewey ordered his crew to ram Devastator. The Granite’s collision crippled both ships, and left their mangled 
  hulls entangled perilously close to the planet. Unable to separate in time, they slipped into Hesperus II’s gravity well, and began to 
  disintegrate. Although the Endeavor managed to prevail in its own battle against the Skulker and came about to aid its sister ship, it 
  arrived too late. Only a few shuttles, packed with survivors from the doomed Granite, were saved. 
  For Admiral Thaddeus Marik, the effect of Dewey’s action on his entire plan was devastating. With many of his WarShips too 
  heavily engaged or damaged by the bulk of the Commonwealth fleet, he found himself unable to muster any other ships capable 
  of flanking the Lyrans. Worse, three squadrons of attack DropShips were detected climbing from the planetary surface, intending to 
  join with several Mako corvettes already moving to close what little remained of the gap in Hesperus’ orbital defense. Reluctantly, he 
  ordered his task force to withdraw, ceding the victory to House Steiner.
  HOLDING HESPERUS (CONTINUED)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  65
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Once more, the stars of this raiding offensive were the Stealths 
  and the Tamar Tigers. Transferred to Lestrade’s command, the Stealths 
  struck at Sirius, Graham IV, and Oliver, while other LCAF regiments 
  hit the worlds of Wyatt, Dieudonne, Bordon, and Savannah. On the 
  Combine front, the Tigers raided Pomme De Terre, Styx, Telos IV, and 
  Kervil, while other LCAF commands struck at Dyev and Dieron. The 
  primary goals of these attacks were the destruction of enemy supply 
  stations, transport assets, and any industries of military value. 
  Planetary conquests were a secondary goal, to be attempted 
  only “when the opportunity arose.” Such opportunities were 
  generally determined by the ease with which the initial raids 
  succeeded, and the level of reinforcements the LCAF High 
  Command determined it could direct to the same target before 
  the enemy did the same. On the League front, the worlds of Sirius, 
  Oliver, and Dieudonne fell into this category; on the Combine front, 
  the LCAF determined that Dyev, Kervil, and Styx were ripe for the 
  taking. By November 2790, the Commonwealth diverted two heavy 
  ’Mech regiments apiece to all six of these targeted systems. In an 
  effort to further inspire her troops, and underscore Lyran resolve 
  to its neighbors, Archon Jennifer Steiner herself chose to lead the 
  Fourth Royal Guards in its assault on Styx.
  As fate would have it, this would prove disastrous.
  Lestrade, whose first major raid campaign, back in 2788, punished 
  several Marik worlds closer to the Terran region. On the Combine’s 
  border, General of the Armies Paul Steiner kept the Tamar Tigers 
  busy with targets from Styx to Pomme De Terre, backed up where 
  necessary by additional LCAF forces and independent mercenary 
  commands. Both generals were tasked with increasing the number 
  and frequency of their strikes, with an eye toward keeping the 
  enemy on defense more than offense.
  In 2790, the Commonwealth launched its second raiding 
  offensive on both fronts. Against the Free Worlds League, General 
  Lestrade approved a bold, long-term, “raid-to-capture” campaign to 
  reclaim the Bolan Thumb. Proposed by Kommandant-General Aric 
  Hasseldorf, a junior theater commander from the Alarion Province, 
  this plan aimed at persistently raiding the Marik-held worlds from all 
  directions, over several years, until the FWLM defenders in the region 
  simply crumbled from a combination of attrition, exhaustion, and 
  strangled supply lines. This left Lestrade free to focus her energies 
  on the League’s borders nearest to her native Skye region and the 
  recent Terran conquests. Against the Draconis Combine, General Paul 
  Steiner chose to focus his attentions on House Kurita’s holdings in the 
  Dieron region, hoping to back up Lestrade’s efforts in the defense of 
  the heavily industrialized worlds around Skye. 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  66
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  The Death of an Archon
  From the borders of the Lyran Commonwealth in 2790, the stormy world of Styx 
  was two jumps deep into Combine-occupied space. As a Terran Hegemony world, rich 
  in radioactives and other precious metals, it was a significant industrial asset since even 
  before the days of the Star League—one which the Dragon had long coveted. Styx’s 
  loyalty to the Hegemony persisted even after Kerensky’s Exodus, so much so that local 
  resistance kept the Draconis Combine from effectively seizing the planet until weeks 
  after Minoru Kurita’s claim to the First Lordship. 
  Since then, the combination of Styx’s dreary climate and the determined efforts of 
  lingering resistance groups had made it the kind of world a soldier might be sentenced 
  to defend as a punishment. Moreover, with major industries that centered on chemical 
  plants, mining operations, and radioactive ore processing, many of the sites such troops 
  might be tasked to defend often represented the planet’s most polluted environs. In 
  the three years of Combine stewardship prior to the Commonwealth’s 2790 offensive, a 
  series of work stoppages and sabotage by the anti-Kurita underground had only made 
  things worse—so much so that, when the Tamar Tigers raided the planet in the early 
  months of 2790, they found themselves facing demoralized defenders, and local guides 
  all too willing to tell the Lyrans where the DCMS positions were most vulnerable.
  It was with these factors in mind that the LCAF High Command decided Styx was a 
  prime candidate for invasion, despite its relative distance from Commonwealth borders. 
  Striking here, they would easily bypass the more robust DCMS forces on the border for an 
  objective that had a weak, under-motivated garrison, and ample local support. With Styx 
  secured as a staging ground for deeper strikes into Combine space, House Kurita would 
  have no choice but to draw troops from the Commonwealth’s borders to eject them.
  Alongside a light WarShip escort, Archon Jennifer Steiner arrived in the Styx 
  system on 12 December 2790 at the head of an assault force that included the Fourth 
  Royal Guards and the Second Skye Rangers BattleMech regiments. Landing virtually 
  unopposed ten days later, the Lyrans quickly seized three of the planet’s largest 
  spaceports, at the cities of Barbados, Memphis, and the planetary capital of Sunder 
  Falls. Of all three landings, the only significant fighting took place on the tarmac of the 
  Sunder Falls spaceport, where a company of DCMS ’Mechs and two armor lances tried 
  to ambush the disembarking Royal Guards. 
  Scarcely a week later, with over half of the known on-planet defenders defeated, 
  the Styx planetary government surrendered itself to Steiner control. Only a few holdouts 
  remained, centered on the industrial city of New Eslow. 
  New Eslow was more than just home to a massive chemical complex, however; in the 
  days of the Star League, it was the site of several military research and development projects 
  ostensibly for use in terraforming projects and “indigenous bio-containment ordnance.” 
  Because many of the chemical agents produced at the site were easy candidates for use in 
  bio-chemical warfare, the Terran Hegemony had established a significant military presence 
  at New Eslow that included fortifications designed to withstand (or, more likely, contain) 
  any foreign contamination, in the event of a disaster. Under House Kurita’s control, these 
  facilities—badly damaged during the Amaris years—were rehabilitated with an eye toward 
  producing stockpiles of chemical WMDs, and the base once more became an armed camp. 
  Concerned that an assault might disperse deadly chemical agents throughout the 
  region, Steiner held off on attacking New Eslow with either orbital bombardment or 
  tactical atomics. Instead, she and her troops surrounded the city, hoping to close off 
  all avenues of escape with a wall of heavy and assault ’Mechs, while teams of infantry 
  sought a way to enter the complex indirectly. But it soon became clear that the Combine 
  stragglers had completely sealed the various tunnels and utility passages into their 
  complex, creating an impregnable fortress. Booby traps apparent at virtually every 
  major entrance, and constant threats from the holdouts to punish the Lyrans and their 
  sympathizers all over Styx, soon convinced the Archon and her field commanders that 
  they could not simply wait for the enemy to starve or surrender. 
  THE VACUUM WAR
  On 17 February 2787, Free Worlds League WarShips 
  assaulted the Lyran Commonwealth’s Bolson Shipyards in 
  the New Kyoto system. A major producer of JumpShips 
  and freighters, the factories orbiting New Kyoto’s largest 
  moon—Wing-Chiu—were also involved in the manufacture 
  of various WarShip support systems and periodic refits. This 
  made them a prime target for the intense industrial raiding 
  that characterized much of the First Succession War.
  Recognizing this strategic danger, the Commonwealth 
  had dispatched a large group of corvettes and assault 
  DropShips to defend these facilities when the war broke 
  out, backing them up with a reinforced regiment of 
  heavy aerospace fighters. When the League inevitably 
  attacked, they did so with a task force that included three 
  mixed destroyer squadrons and two reinforced wings of 
  aerospace fighters, centered on the Cameron-class bat-
  tlecruiser FWLS Rasalas.
  The battle for the Bolson Shipyards was a high-speed 
  engagement which lasted less than fifteen minutes from 
  the first shots fired to the last. In that sliver of time, the 
  Lyrans lost close to a dozen WarShips and the majority of 
  its Fifty-third Aerospace Interceptors regiment. The League 
  task force lost most of its own fighters, seven destroyers, 
  and the Rasalas. Crippled by a fighter pilot’s suicide run, 
  the great ship veered out of control directly into the heart 
  of the Bolson yards. 
  The destruction of Bolson Shipyards was a severe blow to 
  Lyran shipbuilding; that dramatic battle over New Kyoto has 
  been memorialized (and dramatized) many times throughout 
  history. But, in the context of the First War, it was merely a 
  sample of an overarching strategy in which all five of the 
  Great Houses were engaged. 
  Having spent the five years leading up to the war in a 
  frenzied arms race, it was well known to all of the Successor 
  States that the combat navies represented one of the largest 
  and most expensive branches of their military industries. 
  Transport navies—including both military and civilian non-
  combat JumpShips—were also a vital element, the backbone 
  of the very infrastructure that enabled them to administer 
  trade, move troops, and ensure the logistical, economic, and 
  social integrity of their respective realms. 
  This made FTL shipbuilding, and all active WarShip 
  navies, a priority target for the entirety of the First 
  Succession War. Making matters more difficult for all par-
  ticipants, the need to produce FTL vessels via space-borne 
  shipyards—a consequence of the physical engineering 
  needs of virtually every hyperspace-capable craft since 
  the dawn of interstellar travel—made those very yards 
  difficult to protect. Worse still, after many state-of-the-art 
  yards were lost or crippled during the Amaris-Kerensky 
  Conflict, what shipbuilders remained tended to be close 
  to the Terran Hegemony, located to take advantage of the 
  naval trades long dominated by House Cameron. When the 
  Star League collapsed, a large number of the Inner Sphere’s 
  JumpShip and WarShip yards were in striking distance of 
  their enemies.
  And the House Lords knew it. 
  (CONTINUED ON P. 67)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  67
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  The decision was made to assault the New Eslow complex on the evening of 4 
  January 2791. Against the advice of her subcommanders, Steiner chose to “share the 
  risk” and take part in the main attack from the helm of her Warhammer. The operation 
  was intended to be a blitz—a straightforward rush through the fortified entrances from 
  multiple directions, executed before the enemy had a chance to trigger any explosives or 
  deploy any chemical weapons. Unfortunately for the Lyrans, the Combine troops proved 
  far more alert than they had expected, and the entire site erupted in furious weapons fire. 
  In the midst of the action, the Archon rushed the stronghold’s front entrance in 
  an apparent attempt to force an opening. This effort triggered the explosive charges 
  the enemy had rigged across the ’Mech-sized gates, setting off a chain reaction that 
  not only demolished much of the complex itself, but also vaporized the upper half of 
  Jennifer Steiner’s BattleMech. 
  The Succession War had claimed its first casualty from the ranks of the House 
  Lords themselves.
  THE FIST OF DEFIANCE: STEINER’S CAMPAIGNS
  News of the Archon’s death had a crippling effect on the Commonwealth’s 
  offensives. As the LCAF High Command quickly succumbed to confusion, most 
  regiments cancelled their forward advances and sought to consolidate their gains on 
  whatever worlds they happened to be invading at the time. This robbed the Lyrans of 
  precious momentum, especially along the borders flanking the Federation of Skye. 
  The month-long pause in the raiding campaign made it possible for both the Free 
  Worlds League and the Draconis Combine to rally their local defenses. Within the span 
  of two months, both nations managed to reclaim virtually all of the ground they had 
  lost throughout the region. Only Dieudonne—held by the Thirteenth Lyran Guards, with 
  support from the Fifty-Sixth Heavy Assault Regiment (a heavy armor group)—remained 
  under the control of Steiner’s invading armies, along with the Bolan Theater worlds of 
  Danxian and Radostov. 
  As the Commonwealth’s raiding offensive collapsed, the Estates General confirmed 
  the realm’s next Archon: Jennifer Steiner’s son and commander of the Eleventh Lyran 
  Guards, Richard Steiner. Frustrated by the ineptitude he had witnessed throughout the 
  war, Archon Richard appointed Leutnant-General Graham Kelswa, Duke of Carse and 
  commander of the Tamar Tigers, to head all Lyran forces on the Combine front. Although 
  Richard’s uncle, Paul Steiner, technically remained in charge of the LCAF as a whole, this 
  shuffling of leadership positions underscored how little faith the Archon had in Paul’s 
  strategic competence.
  The Lyran Commonwealth remained in defensive mode for close to a year after 
  Jennifer Steiner’s death, as the new Archon’s shakeup of the LCAF reassigned forces and 
  commanders across the realm. Acting on reports from the LIC regarding the remnants 
  of the Rim Worlds Republic, Richard Steiner ordered the redeployment of the majority 
  of the WarShips still posted along the Periphery frontier, intent on shoring up the naval 
  defenses against Houses Marik and Kurita. A single squadron of corvettes, however, was 
  detailed to strike at the sole military threat left among the unclaimed worlds of House 
  Amaris’ fallen realm: Finmark. Dubbed Operation HAIFISCHFLOSSENSUPPE (“Shark Fin 
  Soup”), the mission called for the capture or crippling of the local jump stations and—
  more importantly—the still-operational Roe Weapons Systems WarShip yards orbiting 
  the former regional capital. 
  General Paul Steiner advocated a complete conquest of the planet, which was 
  making strides toward organizing a post-Republic alliance. The Archon instead chose 
  to equip his raiding forces with strategic nuclear weapons and express instructions to 
  neutralize any potential strategic threats to the Commonwealth “with extreme prejudice” 
  in the event the local defenders proved too challenging. To Richard, committing more 
  LCAF ground forces on further Periphery expansion was neither expedient nor practical. 
  Conquering more of the broken Republic could wait, he explained, until the greater 
  threat of the other Successor States was properly contained.
  THE VACUUM WAR (CONTINUED)
  In the course of the First Succession War, the destruction of 
  naval assets and ship-building was so heavily emphasized that 
  the combined navies of the Inner Sphere dropped from just over 
  900 active WarShips at the war’s beginning to less than thirty at 
  the time of the Bella Accords. More importantly, virtually every 
  single factory, refit yard, and naval support facility capable of 
  manufacturing and maintaining the expensive compact K-F 
  drive cores used in WarShip construction was destroyed or 
  crippled by hostile action or sabotage. By the end of the First 
  War, in fact, the only shipyards still operating in the Inner 
  Sphere were those that could build and service jump drives 
  for the civilian and transport sectors. Of these survivors, many 
  were damaged by deep raids, or limited by the loss of secondary 
  manufacturers and support industries. 
  Meanwhile, the loss of WarShips and the rampant 
  destruction of any enemy JumpShips capable of delivering 
  troops to a planet left the Houses increasingly short on trans-
  ports for trade and other logistical needs. For House Davion’s 
  Federated Suns, which lost many transports and WarShips in 
  the opening years of the Combine invasion, the losses were 
  so bad that the government was forced to seize civilian and 
  merchant traffic from all across the realm. As the Davions 
  increasingly diverted resources to the manufacture and repair 
  of transports over more expensive and powerful WarShips, 
  the resulting disruptions of trade and the loss of capital-grade 
  support manufacturing quickly undermined local economies 
  across the Suns. 
  House Steiner’s Lyran Commonwealth, which began the 
  war with the largest WarShip and mercantile fleet in the Inner 
  Sphere, found itself so strapped for interstellar transporta-
  tion that whole worlds began succumbing to starvation and 
  environmental collapse after local transport companies found 
  themselves similarly “pressed” into military service. Toward 
  the end of the war, the Lyran Archon was even forced to sus-
  pend the Estates General, after these JumpShip conscriptions 
  made it impossible for the various planetary representatives 
  to gather effectively.
  The other three Successor States fared no better. For 
  all of their pre-war build-ups, the mighty WarShip fleets of 
  every state evaporated amid the fires of the First Succession 
  War. As whole fleets succumbed to the massed fleet actions 
  of the opening years—such as Cholame, Skondia, and the 
  Battles for Hesperus II—ships began appearing in smaller 
  and smaller formations. With fewer capital ships working in 
  concert, and fighter-launched nuclear ordnance an accepted 
  tactic for both anti-ship and anti-industry raids, WarShips 
  and JumpShips became even easier prey as the war wore 
  on. Before long, the Houses of Kurita, Liao, and Marik quickly 
  joined Davion and Steiner in cannibalizing their own mer-
  chant marines just to move their troops about. Meanwhile, 
  in a preview of the fate of even the vaunted BattleMech by 
  the 3020s, the destruction of naval yards forced the various 
  navies to cannibalize their more damaged WarShips to keep 
  their increasingly smaller fleets operational—a trend that 
  would only accelerate as the First War bled into the Second.
  And so it was that the age of the WarShip slid, inexorably, 
  toward its end.
  —Ivan A. Nanachek, VoidWarriors: The Naval History of 
  the Inner Sphere, Nebula Press, 3122
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  68
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  For his own part, the newly-promoted General Kelswa remained active on the front 
  lines. When the Commonwealth’s raids resumed against the Draconis Combine after 
  nearly a year’s worth of reorganization, he often personally led his Tamar Tigers into 
  thick of battle. The Combine defenders often suffered during these attacks, but their 
  retaliations tapered off for a time as the Dragon focused more intensely on its offensive 
  against the Federated Suns. 
  Along the Free Worlds League fronts, General Lestrade’s forces struggled 
  to hold the line against frequent House Marik raids into the Skye region, while 
  Kommandant-General Hasseldorf’s efforts continued to occupy the enemy in the 
  Bolan Theater. Although the League launched few major counter-offensives against 
  the Commonwealth during this time—having committed more troops to their assault 
  on the Capellan Confederation—their raiding actions were effective in causing heavy 
  damage to worlds all along the border. 
  RECLAIMING THE THUMB:  
  THE BOLAN CAMPAIGN 
  One of the more overlooked campaigns of the First Succession War was House 
  Steiner’s campaign in the Bolan Thumb. This arc of worlds, stretching from Nockatunga 
  to Valloire, was an artifact of a bygone era. Originally numbering just six inhabited 
  systems, the Bolan Thumb was seized by Free Worlds League invasion forces towards the 
  end of the Age of War. When the Terran Hegemony helped mediate the Megrez Treaty in 
  2531, it ended the conflict between the Lyrans and the League with the borders fixed as 
  they were at that time. As part of the deal, House Steiner begrudgingly accepted the loss 
  of the Thumb worlds, but only on the condition that Hegemony peacekeepers would 
  be stationed throughout the region. Ostensibly, this was to discourage further military 
  adventurism and ensure the well-being of the former Lyran citizens now living under 
  foreign rule. In truth, the Commonwealth leadership hoped to reclaim these systems at 
  some later date, preferably over the negotiating table.
  During the Star League era, the Thumb worlds remained under Marik rule. 
  During this time, additional systems were colonized within the treaty zone, some with 
  economic and material aid by Lyran and Terran agencies. At the time of the Kerensky’s 
  Exodus, the Bolan Thumb numbered a total of fifteen inhabited systems, and—despite 
  the Commonwealth’s centuries of economic and political efforts—was recognized 
  as an organized province of the Free Worlds League, complete with its own regional 
  BattleMech brigade (the Bolan Defenders). 
  With the dissolution of the Star League, the Commonwealth saw the Thumb 
  as a strategic threat that had to be dealt with immediately. Unfortunately, the 
  Pyrrhic outcome of House Steiner’s pre-emptive strike—Operation ELBOW JOINT—
  accomplished little more than providing the Free Worlds its pretext for war. The sheer 
  damage done to Bolan in the process of its Lyran conquest effectively canceled out any 
  hope for a swift, decisive victory against the whole of the Thumb. The Bolan Defenders 
  regiments, locally raised and known for their fierce devotion to their homeworlds, 
  would not be cowed by the reports of WarShips lobbing nukes from orbit; the LCAF 
  realized their enemy would now fight with the suicidal zeal of fanatics.
  League Retaliations
  In the aftermath of ELBOW JOINT, the Commonwealth bore the brunt of several 
  counter-assaults from the Free Worlds League in the Bolan region. Complicating matters 
  was the declaration of war by the Draconis Combine, coupled with attacks along the 
  Kurita border. House Steiner’s military leaders, forced to think defensively, postponed 
  their planned campaign in the Thumb to reconsider their strategy there. Aside from the 
  taking of Rochers in 2787—where the Eleventh Arcturan Guards regiment was forced 
  to kill the enraged Eleventh Bolan Defenders to the last man—the Lyrans would strike 
  at the Thumb with little more than sporadic raiding parties until the latter half of 2790. 
  In the same timespan, the League seized the worlds of Altoona, Duantia, Hornir’s Keep, 
  SHARK FIN SOUP
  Haifischflossensuppe. 
  Now, there was a galactic screw-up if ever there was one! 
  I’m sure someone at High Command thought they were being 
  cute when they thought up the name for the operation. I can 
  imagine some soft-bellied, armchair-bound, court-conscious 
  yes man laughing so hard at his own joke that his monocle 
  pops out and drops into his brandy glass. “Get it?” he’d say 
  to his audience. “Because those Rimmers used the shark as 
  their symbol, and the world is called Finmark! Oh, aren’t we 
  ever so clever!”
  Yeah, if they’d bothered to spend some of those wits on 
  appreciating the actual situation, maybe we’d have secured 
  the Archon a real victory with a lot less needless bloodshed 
  all around! Christ, I mean, the way they’ve been popping 
  shipyards like zits all across the Sphere, you’d think the lot of 
  those pfennig-pinchers would have at least considered taking 
  the whole thing seriously!
  Sorry, it just burns me up every time I think of it. I can 
  still see the whole disaster—from start to blinding finish—
  playing out in my nightmares. Hell, I was the commo officer 
  on duty in Hadrian’s CIC when it all fell apart. 
  There we were: four Makos and a couple Vincent-39s, 
  running escort for a half-dozen Leopard CVs and four Furys 
  full of marines. We’d jumped in straight from some marginal 
  system called Dijonne, took their zenith jump station with 
  only a little bit of a fight from what looked like a pirate-rigged 
  Achilles that was docked there. 
  Per the mission orders, we next gave the folks 
  below their “fair warning”: They faced the might of the 
  Commonwealth, and said Commonwealth wanted those 
  shipyards of theirs in the name of “interstellar security.” 
  Command wanted us to make it real clear that we weren’t 
  taking “no” for an answer, so they topped the whole spiel 
  off with a promise that any resistance would be met with 
  maximum force.
  We were already en route at an eager double-gee burn 
  when the locals called back. Apparently, they were calling 
  themselves the Finmark Free Republic now, and didn’t want 
  any trouble with their “Lyran neighbors.” They made it clear 
  they weren’t happy with our coming to seize their biggest 
  source of income, but they just didn’t have the strength to 
  take us on, and hoped we could come to some kind of diplo-
  matic agreement rather than letting things get ugly.
  Sure, some of us smelled a trap, but intel said these 
  guys had been picked clean by Kerensky and his goons, and 
  the yards had been totally inoperative until maybe two years 
  ago. No way they’d have any WarShips to stop us. Long range 
  ’scopes couldn’t see anything big floating in our path except 
  the planet itself, so we carried on.
  Two days later, after several calls back and forth with 
  the locals, Kommodore [Gustav] Sharae is confident that he’s 
  worked out these Republicans’ surrender, and we’re gliding 
  into Finmark’s orbit. The yards’ bays are all wide open—as 
  ordered—so we can see that no ships are present. We have 
  two marine ships move in first, flanked by two of the CVs and 
  the [Vincent-class] Potsdam and Ulm, because even Sharae 
  isn’t that naïve.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 69)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  69
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Myrrdin, and Radostov—three of which suffered from the heavy use of chemical and 
  nuclear weapons launched by one or both sides. 
  [Editor’s Note: Of key significance at this time, a Lyran raid on the League-held world 
  of Kamenz in 2789 inflicted moderate damage to the Bolan Defenders stationed there. 
  Unbeknownst to the LCAF, however, was that one of the Marik MechWarriors killed in that 
  raid was Carl Marik, the eldest of Captain-General Kenyon’s sons. That the League did not 
  respond to this event with greater force is a testament to Kenyon’s intense focus on the 
  Capellan border.]
  Thus was the state of the Bolan Theater when Kommandant-General Aric Hasseldorf 
  was assigned the task of reclaiming the Thumb worlds and containing the Marik threat 
  while his senior border commanders focused on the Skye region. Keenly aware of 
  the Commonwealth’s attentions elsewhere, Hasseldorf proposed a long-term raiding 
  campaign designed to wear down the League forces throughout the Thumb and 
  weaken the Bolan Defenders’ morale with a minimal use of Lyran forces or weapons of 
  mass destruction. Backed up by mercenary commands wherever he could obtain them, 
  his plan was little more than a randomized series of objective raids intended to keep the 
  FWLM in a prolonged state of heightened alert, while scouts slipped onto each world to 
  identify weak points and targets ripe for conquest. 
  Hasseldorf’s War: Phase One
  The raids began in the middle of 2790, coinciding with the mass-raiding campaigns 
  launched elsewhere along the Marik and Kurita fronts. This allowed Hasseldorf to 
  piggyback on the efforts of Generals Amanda Lestrade and Paul Steiner, presenting 
  the appearance that the Bolan Thumb raids were just an extension of a realm-wide 
  strategy. By September of 2790, Hasseldorf’s scouts found the first planet ripe for 
  conquest: Valloire. Two months later, the Fifteenth Donegal Guards and the Twentieth 
  Skye Rangers, escorted by a pair of Commonwealth battlecruisers and a regiment of 
  aerospace fighters, landed on Valloire to do battle with the Fourth Bolan Defenders.
  As with the fighting for Rochers in 2787, the Bolan Defenders refused to surrender, 
  even as the Lyran troops overran several of the planet’s outlying bases and secured a 
  foothold near the capital city of Casey’s Promenade. Going to ground in the sprawling 
  expanse of jungle throughout the nearby Donovian Valley, the Defenders forced 
  the Skye Rangers to pursue them, guided by aerospace overflights that periodically 
  bombed the valley with incendiaries. Although the invaders did bring heavier tactical 
  weaponry to Valloire, Hasseldorf’s orders were to use such devices only as a last resort. 
  This restraint, he hoped, would underscore the Commonwealth’s respect for its once 
  and future citizens, and perhaps demonstrate to the Defenders that House Steiner could 
  win back its worlds without resorting to nukes.
  The battle for Valloire finally ended on 23 December 2790, when the Twentieth 
  Skye and elements of the Fifteenth Donegal overran the last of the Defenders’ hidden 
  bunkers in the southern jungles of Katan Valley. Although sporadic resistance from 
  armed pro-League insurrectionists would plague the Lyrans for months to come, House 
  Marik’s on-world military force was no more, and House Steiner’s banner once more flew 
  over the government buildings in Casey’s Promenade.
  Stall and Recovery
  The death of Archon Jennifer Steiner in January of 2791 profoundly affected the 
  morale of the whole LCAF, and hobbled the Commonwealth raiding campaigns around 
  the Skye region. But in the Bolan Theater, General Hasseldorf worked to maintain his 
  momentum. His raiders continued to eat away at enemy supply lines and aerospace 
  defenses, while gauging the FWLM strength and movements throughout the Thumb. By 
  the end of 2791, the fruits of his labors were the capture of Danxian and the liberation of 
  Radostov. When asked for a status report by the new Archon, Richard Steiner, Hasseldorf 
  proclaimed that the three worlds his campaign netted to date represented only the first 
  phase of his overall strategy. 
  SHARK FIN SOUP (CONTINUED)
  Everything seems to be going fine. The marines board 
  without shooting, and nothing’s sprung up from the moon 
  or from the far sides of the shipyards. But then it happens: 
  a flash so blinding that our monitors cut out for a couple 
  seconds, and the radio squelches so loudly in my ears that I 
  was sure I blew a drum.
  A nuke! A fucking nuke goes off, right in the yard’s main 
  docking bay! The blast practically rips the whole rig in two, 
  and chunks the size of fighters slam into the fighter carriers 
  and WarShips nearby. Potsdam takes the damage nose-on, 
  spins hard to port, and slams into the yard’s solar array. Ulm 
  just kind of tumbles to starboard; she looks fine, but we can’t 
  hail her. The DropShips are just…gone. The Rimmers took out 
  practically all of our marines, four DropShips, and at least one 
  WarShip faster than I could describe it to you.
  There are orders being shouted left and right, it seems, 
  but my ears are ringing so badly that I can’t be sure what’s 
  coming over the radio, and what’s coming from my skipper. It 
  takes a few seconds before I realize the loudest is my skipper, 
  screaming at me to check with the kommodore. Turns out I 
  hardly needed to; the kommodore was screaming back from 
  the Constantius, ordering all ships to cover our carriers and get 
  away from the yards. 
  Then came the pleas for help. Someone on Potsdam was 
  begging for help; there were internal fires raging on board, 
  and the ship was out of control. Ulm is still unresponsive to 
  hails, but we can see she’s maneuvering; her commos were 
  blown out, somehow. The radar displays come alive with 
  markers as our remaining CVs launch their fighters, and we 
  start picking up inbounds from dirtside. Some are fighters.
  Some are something else entirely.
  I can hear Sharae on the main channel, barking orders 
  to Ulm, but I can’t tell if she’s receiving. She’s coming about, 
  heading toward the yards, instead of away. We’re all trying 
  to figure out why, when suddenly the CIC is filled with a 
  tracking warning. Something’s painting us. The skipper orders 
  hard evasives, and for the next minute or two, we’re all being 
  thrown around in our gee-seats like rag dolls. 
  There’s another flash. Maybe two. Sensors pick up rad 
  spikes off the charts. Those Republic bastards are slinging 
  strategics at us. Somewhere in the chaos, I hear a panicked 
  shriek, from the Potsdam—then nothing. As I’m blinking 
  the spots from my eyes, another chunk of the yards just tears 
  away and starts to disintegrate. It takes another minute 
  before we all realize that Ulm’s also gone now.
  Sharae’s had enough by this point. He’s already ordering 
  us to break orbit and retrieve our fighters. About an hour 
  later, we’re swinging back with “Plan B.” Two can play at the 
  nuke game, and now that Finmark’s got nothing left for the 
  Commonwealth to care about, the kommodore is ready to let 
  these Rimmers have a taste of their own medicine.
  A day later, the smoke and ash drifting in the upper 
  atmosphere was so thick, that we could no longer see the fires 
  of all those burning cities. 
  The pleas for mercy stopped coming ten hours before then.
  —Leutnant Zusa Parr (ret.), from Kings and Monsters, 
  Commonwealth Press, 2841
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  70
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Borealis, Gypsum, and Zdice in that year, but succeeded only in taking 
  Alula Australis from the Eleventh Donegal Guards.
  Grinding Away: Phase Two
  The declining availability of transports, combined with the rapid 
  loss of WarShip support, would continue to plague Hasseldorf’s raid-
  to-capture campaign for the Bolan Thumb for the remainder of the 
  decade. Eventually, even the scouting raids were affected, forcing 
  the Lyrans to continuously readjust their timetables. Although still 
  While the Archon acknowledged this progress, a shake-up of the 
  ranks—and LCAF supplies—would temporarily reduce the resources 
  originally promised for the next phase. Hardest hit were the JumpShip 
  and WarShip assets he had obtained to support his erratic raiding 
  campaign. Although General Hasseldorf protested the disruption, 
  he continued to order periodic strikes against League-held worlds 
  throughout the Thumb Theater. With the reduced transport assets, 
  however, this meant foregoing any major conquests throughout 2792. 
  Sensing weakness, Free Worlds League forces struck back at Alula 
  THE BOLAN THUMB CAMPAIGN
  The Lyran campaign for the Bolan Thumb worlds centered largely on the use of frequent, almost random raids to weaken and 
  demoralize the Free Worlds League defenders prior to the final assaults. In the following list, the various diversionary and probing 
  raids are omitted to underscore the major actions that shaped the Bolan Thumb campaign. For the sake of brevity, only the major 
  BattleMech forces employed are given, rather than supplemental forces such as militia groups, aerospace support, or the regiments of 
  infantry and armor that were typical of planetary assaults during the period.
  Initial Actions
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Bolan
  2785
  11th and 14th Arcturan Guards,  
  10th Skye Rangers (LC)
  6th and 10th* Bolan Defenders (FW)
  LCAF**
  League Retaliations
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Altoona
  2786
  6th Bolan Defenders (FW)
  10th Skye Rangers* (LC)
  FWLM**
  Hornir’s Keep
  2786
  3rd Bolan Defenders (FW)
  None (LC)
  FWLM
  Rochers
  2787
  11th Arcturan Guards (LC)
  11th Bolan Defenders* (FW)
  LCAF**
  Duantia
  2788
  8th Bolan Defenders (FW)
  5th Lyran Guards* (LC)
  FWLM**
  Myrrdin
  2789
  4th Bolan Defenders (FW)
  15th Donegal Guards (LC)
  FWLM**
  Radostov
  2790
  14th Bolan Defenders (FW)
  2nd Lyran Guards (LC)
  FWLM
  Commonwealth Conquests (Phase I)
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Valloire
  2790
  15th Donegal Guards,
  20th Skye Rangers (LC)
  4th Bolan Defenders* (FW)
  LCAF
  Danxian
  2791
  16th Arcturan Guards (LC)
  12th Bolan Defenders (FW)
  LCAF
  Radostov
  2791
  2nd Lyran Guards, 
  12th Heavy Assault† (LC)
  14th Bolan Defenders* (FW)
  LCAF
  Phase I League Counterattacks
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Gypsum
  2792
  9th Bolan Defenders (FW)
  11th Arcturan Guards (LC)
  LCAF
  Zdice
  2792
  6th Bolan Defenders* (FW)
  26th Lyran Guards (LC)
  LCAF
  Alula Borealis
  2792
  12th Atrean Dragoons (FW)
  11th Donegal Guards (LC)
  FWLM
  Commonwealth Conquests (Phase II)
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Binyang
  2793
  9th and 16th Donegal Guards (LC)
  13th Bolan Defenders* (FW)
  LCAF
  Ellijay
  2794
  9th Lyran Regulars (LC)
  32nd Marik Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Loburg
  2795
  18th Lyran Regulars (LC)
  33rd Marik Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Kamenz
  2796-97
  8th Lyran Regulars (LC)
  7th Bolan Defenders* (FW)
  LCAF
  Tylarzka
  2798
  26th Lyran Guards (LC)
  29th Marik Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Marsalle
  2799
  16th Arcturan Guards (LC)
  Planetary Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Ilion
  2799
  14th Arcturan Guards, 
  Iron Ravens†* (LC)
  3rd Bolan Defenders* (FW)
  LCAF**
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  71
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Throughout 2800, it seemed as though Hasseldorf’s Bolan 
  Thumb Campaign was finished. While the Commonwealth had 
  successfully captured and held eleven Thumb systems since the start 
  of the war, and seriously hampered the flow of supplies to those that 
  remained, House Marik still claimed a sliver of worlds from Malazan 
  to Acrux. All of these worlds were now heavily guarded by League 
  troops, including both their original garrisons and remnants of those 
  Bolan Defenders regiments that had fallen back to them. 
  successful in wearing down the League’s defenders, the eventual 
  conquests took longer and longer to complete. By 2799, Hasseldorf 
  struggled to maintain his attack forces due to supply and transport 
  shortages, and was forced to rely on mercenaries to keep the enemy 
  guessing. After the capture of Ilion bogged down so badly that 
  his field commanders were forced to resort to tactical atomics, he 
  ordered his regimental commanders to hold off from any major 
  offensives until further notice.
   Commonwealth Conquests (Phase III)
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Herzberg
  2801
  2nd Lyran Guards, 
  12th Heavy Assault Regiment† (LC)
  Planetary Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Myrrdin
  2802
  13th Lyran Regulars (LC)
  Planetary Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Duantia
  2802
  19th Lyran Regulars, 
  20th Skye Rangers (LC)
  8th Bolan Defenders (FW)
  LCAF
  Malazan
  2803
  9th and 18th Lyran Regulars (LC)
   5th Bolan Defenders*, 
  29th Marik Militia* (FW)
  LCAF**
  Finsterwalde
  2803
  11th Arcturan Guards,
  2nd Lyran Guards*,
  12th Heavy Assault Regiment† (LC)
  9th Bolan Defenders*,
  33rd Marik Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Bella and Radostov Campaigns
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Bella I
  2805
  1st 30th Marik Militia (FW)
  11th Donegal Guards (LC)
  FWLM
  Radostov
  2806
  1st Marik Militia,
  14th Atrean Dragoons (FW)
  Planetary Militia (LC)
  FWLM
  Bella I
  2806
  13th Lyran Guards,
  20th Lyran Regulars (LC)
  30th Marik Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Marsalle
  2807-08
  1st and 2nd Bolan Defenders (FW) 16th Arcturan Guards (LC)
  FWLM
  Radostov
  2808
  11th Arcturan Guards,
  12th Heavy Assault Regiment† (LC)
  1st Marik Militia, 
  14th Atrean Dragoons (FW)
  LCAF
  Closing Actions
  World
  Year
  Attacker
  Defender
  Victor
  Acrux
  2809-10
  19th Lyran Regulars,
  20th Skye Rangers (LC)
  8th and 12th Bolan Defenders, 
  32nd Marik Militia (FW)
  FWLM
  Marsalle
  2810-11
  8th Lyran Regulars,
  16th Arcturan Guards (LC)
  1st and 2nd Bolan Defenders (FW) 
  FWLM
  Poulsbo
  2811
  13th Atrean Dragoons* (FW)
  Stealths (LC)
  LCAF
  Acrux
  2811
  9th and 16th Donegal Guards,
  19th Lyran Regulars, 
  20th Skye Rangers (LC)
  8th* and 12th* Bolan Defenders,
  32nd Marik Militia (FW)
  LCAF
  Marsalle
  2811-12
  8th and 21st Lyran Regulars,
  16th Arcturan Guards,
  15th Donegal Guards (LC)
  1st* and 2nd* Bolan Defenders (FW) 
  LCAF
  *Regiment destroyed during the action
  **Significant use of weapons of mass destruction recorded by either and/or both sides
  †Affiliated mercenary command
  THE BOLAN THUMB CAMPAIGN (CONTINUED)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  72
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Losing Steam: Phase Three
  Officially, the third phase of General Hasseldorf’s Bolan Thumb campaign began 
  in late 2801, with the capture of Herzburg by the Second Lyran Guards and the Twelfth 
  Heavy Assault Regiment mercenary command. Yet the Lyran forces continued to 
  suffer from a lack of transports, and their escort fleet assets were down to a handful 
  of corvettes and an equal number of fighter-carrier DropShips. That the League was 
  experiencing similar exhaustion was a welcome fact, as it largely prevented any 
  counterattacks beyond the occasional anti-shipping raid—but both sides knew this was 
  an untenable situation. 
  In 2803, the Commonwealth claimed its last two major conquests in the Bolan 
  campaign: Finsterwalde and Malazan. In the fighting for Malazan, the Free Worlds League 
  troops managed an organized retreat, escaping to join other hold-outs on Acrux. But on 
  Finsterwalde, the League was far more dug in, and backed up its strength with tactical 
  chemical and nuclear weapons. The use of these weapons against the Lyran landing sites 
  and—through a surprise fighter attack—their orbiting escort ships effectively wiped out 
  what little remained of the naval power General Hasseldorf had left to spare. Although 
  his troops won the day (and effectively ensured that none of the Ninth Bolan Defenders 
  on Finsterwalde survived to be captured), he was forced to postpone plans to finalize the 
  Thumb’s capture. 
  This left the now-heavily fortified world of Acrux under House Marik’s control. 
  Although heavily damaged by years of continual raids and heavy combat, the collected 
  remnants of the Bolan Defenders were now a hardened battle force, united in their 
  determination to reclaim the worlds that Steiner had stolen from them. Unable to 
  provide sufficient reinforcements to Hasseldorf’s campaign, the LCAF High Command 
  ordered him to minimize his raiding efforts and focus instead on holding the captured 
  ground and establishing a shipping blockade to and from Acrux. With the system 
  isolated from friendly supply lines by several jumps, they reasoned, the FWLM would 
  have to relinquish its control eventually.
  But while the Commonwealth formally declared its victory in the Bolan Theater—
  with the Archon going so far as to reward Kommandant-General Aric Hasseldorf with a 
  promotion and a barony on his homeworld of Kaumberg—its military leadership kept 
  a wary eye on the shifting borders of the Bolan Theater. Their concerns would prove 
  justified just two years later, when the Free Worlds League launched what would be the 
  first major offensive against the world of Bella I.
  Too Little, Too Late
  From 2805 to 2812, House Marik’s efforts to reclaim the Bolan Thumb would hinge on 
  trying to seize and control three key worlds in the area: Bella I, Radostov, and (eventually) 
  Poulsbo. The offensives at Bella I were of critical import, the focus of an effort to restore the 
  Thumb’s base supply routes while gradually diverting Lyran attention further away from 
  the region. Timed to take advantage of this, the Bolan Defenders on Acrux then moved 
  to seize Radostov, as their first target in an offensive streak planned to eventually link up 
  with the League forces moving up from Bella. Marsalle would soon follow from Radostov, 
  forcing the LCAF to take the inward threat seriously enough to split its attention between 
  containing the dual threats.
  In 2811, as these two prongs bogged down in the face of increasingly determined 
  Lyran counterstrikes, Captain-General Thaddeus Marik ordered an assault on Poulsbo. 
  Hoping to establish this fringe planet as the first world of a third prong into 
  Commonwealth space, his goal was not only to alleviate strain on his forces at Acrux, 
  Bella, and Radostov, but also to eventually unite all three prongs together. If successful, 
  this campaign would net the Free Worlds League nearly a third of the Commonwealth’s 
  entire Alarion Province. Because Poulsbo represented the far end of the Steiner-Marik 
  border, and had been largely ignored to this point while the heavier fighting continued 
  in the Bolan and Skye Theaters, Marik was confident in a swift victory. 
  Instead, his Thirteenth Atrean Dragoons fell prey to the unexpected presence of 
  THE LONG, LAST STAND  
  OF THE TAMAR TIGERS
  In early 2794, word reached the Lyran Intelligence 
  Command that the heavily industrialized Combine world 
  of Benjamin had been stripped of all defenders. To the 
  LIC, this only made sense; according to reports from 
  the distant Davion-Kurita front, the Dragon appeared 
  to be in panic mode. Apparently, the backlash from a 
  particularly brutal massacre on Kentares IV renewed the 
  Federated Suns’ resolve. The enraged Davions were now 
  forcing their invaders back, which in turn put the DCMS 
  on a desperate defensive. Having focused so much on 
  the Suns for so long, it was only logical for House Kurita 
  to funnel troops to that front or risk the collapse of their 
  entire campaign. Benjamin, located deep behind the 
  Combine’s lines, was a reasonably secure world whose 
  defenders could easily contribute to that effort. 
  Armed with this knowledge, General Graham Kelswa 
  led his Tamar Tigers to Benjamin in 2794, determined to 
  deliver a telling blow against the Draconis Combine.
  The transit to Benjamin proceeded with textbook 
  efficiency, despite its position five hyperspace jumps 
  from the nearest Commonwealth-held system. Thanks 
  to system data obtained via smugglers, the LCAF attack 
  group—consisting of a three-corvette escort, a few 
  squadrons of fighters, and the DropShips of the Tamar 
  Tigers themselves—had determined the perfect non-
  standard point inside the Benjamin system. The attack 
  would come as a complete surprise to the Kuritans.
  Almost immediately upon arriving, General 
  Kelswa’s DropShips detached and began a high-G burn 
  for the planet. Sensors and communications confirmed 
  a complete absence of enemy naval presence, and the 
  local defense chatter appeared unaware of the arriv-
  ing Lyrans. Indeed, the local militia appeared virtu-
  ally inert; various posts reported to one another over 
  unsecured channels and engaged in the meaningless 
  banter one might expect from bored comm-techs. 
  Two days later, just as the Tamar Tigers’ ships slipped 
  into orbit and began their descent, the Kuritans finally 
  sprang their trap. Two Narukami-class destroyers, evi-
  dently lying in wait the whole time, swung out of the 
  planet’s sensor shadow on both flanks. Following each 
  were three attendant carrier DropShips, disgorging aero-
  space fighters as they closed in. As the fighters swarmed 
  Kelswa’s DropShips, the destroyers and carriers tore into 
  the two Lyran Makos that accompanied them. Minutes 
  later, frantic calls from the Tigers’ JumpShip transports 
  reported that a third Narukami had materialized nearby 
  to destroy the remaining Mako there.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 73)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  73
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  the infamous Stealths regiment, backed up by heavy Lyran aerospace support. Using 
  surprise and misdirection to shatter the Dragoons on the ground, while a contingent of 
  LCAF fighters destroyed their JumpShips, the Commonwealth forces utterly destroyed 
  the Poulsbo offensive. This surprise defeat at the hands of a regiment his intelligence 
  agencies had believed to be on the other side of Lyran space convinced Captain-General 
  Marik to abandon his plans for reclaiming the Thumb. Suspecting that House Steiner 
  was preparing a major counter-offensive while bottling his forces up in the Bolan 
  Theater, he sent an ominous final message to the surviving Defenders still fighting on 
  Acrux and Marsalle: The Thumb was lost. For the last of the fanatical Bolan Defenders, all 
  that was left now was revenge. Vowing to take as many Steiner forces down with them 
  as possible, the League troops on both worlds fought to the last man, determined to 
  ensure that the Commonwealth paid as dearly as possible for their victory.
  By the middle of 2812, the last of the Bolan Thumb worlds had fallen to the Lyrans. 
  Although the Free Worlds would seize Alula Borealis later that same year, and would 
  eventually reclaim Malazan and Ilion by the end of the war, the centuries-long legacy of 
  their Age of War conquests was gone forever.
  STUMBLING ONWARD
  On its other fronts, House Steiner continued to struggle throughout much of the 
  war. The Tamar Tigers continued to be a thorn in House Kurita’s side, leading the way 
  for several successful raids against Combine shipping, industry, and strategic command 
  centers. These strikes helped to keep the enemy mostly at bay, but the Dragon’s advance 
  was inexorable. 
  Realizing how much the LCAF had come to rely on the Tigers’ success, House 
  Kurita’s intelligence agencies set a trap for the raiders on Benjamin, effectively taking 
  them out of play in 2794. Without its best mobile strike force, the Commonwealth’s 
  raiding strategy along the Draconis border swiftly devolved into a series of ponderous 
  attacks that failed almost as often as they succeeded. In addition to losing the Tigers, 
  the Commonwealth also lost LCAF commander Graham Kelswa in that action, forcing 
  the Archon to reinstate Paul Steiner as head of the LCAF.
  By 2800, the Commonwealth’s Tamar Pact had lost a dozen worlds from The Edge 
  and St. John to Buckminster and Gram, while the Federation of Skye had lost nine 
  systems from Aubisson and Talisker to Yorii and Imbros. In 2799, a Kurita nuclear attack 
  on Lamar—a strategic staging world so underpopulated that most contemporary maps 
  never even listed it—claimed the life of General Paul Steiner while he prepared to 
  retake Skandia. Command of the LCAF, and the Commonwealth’s Combine front, fell to 
  Amanda Lestrade.
  In an effort to make up for the loss of the Tigers, the LCAF moved the Stealths 
  regiment back to the Kurita front. In addition, the LCAF authorized a broader range 
  of acceptable raiding targets, officially permitting attacks against civilian life support 
  and infrastructure: atmospheric processors, water purifiers, sewage treatment centers, 
  weather containment systems, and the like. Although these facilities had been struck 
  “by accident” in previous Lyran raids, the blessings from High Command formally 
  justified the destruction of civilian support on enemy worlds. Reports of Combine 
  and Free Worlds atrocities became propaganda fodder, even in those cases where 
  Commonwealth citizens were not their victims. The message was as simple as it was 
  desperate: This was no mere fight between petty House Lords; it was a war for nothing 
  short of the survival of the Lyran people, against monstrous and unforgiving enemies.
  From 2800 to 2810, the Lyran Commonwealth maintained a largely defensive 
  strategy, while relying on raids to keep its enemies off guard. The Bolan Thumb 
  campaign, itself little more than an ambitious modification of that strategy, represented 
  the only true offensive campaign the LCAF engaged in during this period—and even 
  that had become shaky by the close of the decade. 
  Frustrated by his officers’ lack of effectiveness and initiative in the battlefield, 
  Archon Richard finally decided to nationalize the Stealths. Buying the mercenaries’ service 
  THE LONG, LAST STAND  
  OF THE TAMAR TIGERS 
  (CONTINUED)
  In the span of less than five minutes, the Tamar 
  Tigers found themselves stripped of their naval sup-
  port and JumpShips alike, falling toward a world that 
  was very much ready for them.
  In all, three DCMS BattleMech regiments, and four 
  times as many armor and infantry commands were sta-
  tioned on Benjamin in anticipation of the Tigers’ arrival. 
  But where their trap had eliminated the enemy’s means 
  of escape, the Kuritan defenders quickly learned that 
  Kelswa and his MechWarriors would not go down nearly 
  so easily. Even as his DropShips raced for the open plains 
  near the planetary capital of Deber City, Kelswa ordered 
  his warriors to execute a combat drop, deliberately 
  instructing them to scatter out across the landscape. 
  Having familiarized himself with much of the surround-
  ing terrain, the general knew that his ’Mechs could easily 
  evade capture long enough to make it into the dense 
  woodlands north and west of Deber City. From there, 
  they could wage a guerilla war until rescue arrived.
  Unfortunately for the Tigers, no such rescue 
  ever came.
  In the Lyran Commonwealth, early intelligence 
  reported that the Combine managed to shoot down all 
  of Duke Kelswa’s ships before they even grounded. The 
  few Lyran spies on Benjamin, clustered as they were in 
  the Deber City area, failed to notice any of the Tigers’ 
  dropping ’Mechs. (Then again, these same scouts man-
  aged to miss the presence of a brigade’s worth of DCMS 
  troops lurking elsewhere on the planet.) The LCAF High 
  Command thus had no idea that any of their raiders 
  had survived, and the subsequent loss of all contact 
  with their on-world spies confirmed that House Kurita 
  had Benjamin on lockdown.
  Although rumors periodically slipped out alluding 
  to the Tigers’ ongoing survival, most of these reports 
  went ignored. Some were dismissed because they 
  were seen as potential ISF ploys to lure more Lyran 
  forces to their doom, and others were discounted as 
  mere Combine propaganda. Some historians have even 
  suggested that reports of Kelswa’s survival were delib-
  erately buried by LCAF High Command officers, either 
  because of a rivalry with Duke Kelswa and his family, 
  or for other purely political reasons. It was not until 
  November 2800, a year after General Paul Steiner’s 
  death on Lamar, that credible information reached 
  the Archon about the Tigers’ continuing fight against 
  Benjamin’s defenders.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 74)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  74
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  in perpetuity, he embarked on a plan aimed at eventually spreading the elite regiment’s 
  expertise across the Commonwealth military. As part of the deal, the Stealths received 
  an additional reward for their service in the form of an R&R stint on Poulsbo—far from 
  the fighting on either front. Whether this choice in locales was mere happenstance, or 
  the result of some foresight among the Archon’s command staff, the result of the crack 
  regiment’s relocation was the stunning defeat of House Marik’s planned offensive into 
  the Lyran hinterlands. With that victory came the final collapse of the League’s effort to 
  reclaim the Bolan Thumb. 
  In spite of these victories, the Steiner war machine continued to falter. In June 
  2812, the Estates-General’s Speaker of the Assembly, Timothy Aths of Carse, formally 
  disbanded the Archon’s advisory council, citing the dearth of JumpShips needed to ferry 
  representatives to and from their home worlds. The Royal Court on Tharkad became a 
  ghost town—at least, relative to the hustle and bustle of its Star League heydays. 
  This, however, may have proven fortuitous for the Archon himself. In response 
  to the humiliating defeat on Poulsbo and the loss of the Bolan Thumb, Free Worlds 
  intelligence agents managed to turn one of Steiner’s disgruntled nobles against him. 
  Landgrave Richard Perkins was a ruler on Hegel, a Donegal Protectorate world that 
  suffered from a massive plague epidemic dramatically exacerbated by the LCAF’s 
  impressment of commercial JumpShips vital to the region. Incensed by the Archon’s 
  continued disregard for his people’s plight as the war raged on, Perkins attempted to 
  assassinate Steiner at court, but an alert MechWarrior managed to shield the Archon 
  from the disgruntled landgrave’s attack at the last second. Given how close the two men 
  were standing at the time—barely four meters apart, when the hand of Hauptmann 
  David Bateman’s Griffin slammed down between them—it is likely that, had the court 
  been as packed as usual, the shot from Perkins’ laser pistol would have killed Lord Steiner 
  before anyone knew what had happened.
  Landgrave Perkins was arrested on the spot, and gave up the Marik spies who had 
  put him up to the assassination attempt. Although he was tried and convicted of high 
  treason, and sentenced to death, Archon Richard Steiner—publicly citing his sympathy 
  for the despair that had driven Perkins to attempted murder—commuted the man’s 
  sentence to life in prison.
  In the meantime, the Commonwealth continued to face intense pressures on 
  both fronts. On the Combine front, the worlds of Caldrea and Dove fell in 2812, before 
  an onslaught of fast-moving Kurita BattleMechs. On both worlds, the desperate LCAF 
  commanders had even employed nuclear weapons to stop the invaders, to no avail. 
  In the case of Dove, the additional use of nuclear and chemical weapons by the DCMS 
  devastated the planet so badly that ComStar declared it a dead world in 2815. On the 
  Free Worlds front, another invasion of Alula Borealis in the final months of 2812 signified 
  the start of a new phase in the war for the central League-Commonwealth border.
  In response to these events, Archon Steiner finally enacted his latest plan to 
  revitalize the Lyran military: He disbanded the Stealths, and dispersed its officers and 
  MechWarriors across all of the LCAF’s major MechWarrior academies. If the example of 
  these elite warriors could not inspire his officers to better adapt to their enemies, then 
  he was determined to ensure that generations of warriors to come would learn from 
  these masters directly.
  BELLA I
  The conquest of the Bolan Thumb worlds was barely a year old when the next 
  phase of the war between the Lyran Commonwealth and Free Worlds League began. 
  Bella I, located centrally along the border between the two realms, fell to House Steiner 
  in 2806, but stood between the League-occupied worlds of Hornir’s Keep and Alula 
  Australis (after the latter was taken in late 2812). As the First Succession War wore on, this 
  rather unremarkable planet would become the focus of the two nations’ diminishing 
  resources—and, ultimately, the site of the war’s end between Houses Marik and Steiner.
  THE LONG, LAST STAND  
  OF THE TAMAR TIGERS 
  (CONTINUED)
  By then, Kelswa’s warriors had defeated two elite 
  Kurita ’Mech battalions and twice as many support 
  forces, while simultaneously inflicting serious damage 
  to many of Benjamin’s cities and factories—at the 
  cost of all but just over a company’s worth of their own 
  ’Mechs. Meanwhile, military transports and WarShips 
  continued to grow scarce for the LCAF. Although plans 
  were drawn up to try and break through the Draconis 
  Combine’s lines and rescue the few Tigers who still 
  survived, Archon Richard Steiner reluctantly scrapped 
  them as impractical. 
  In January 2801, the last of the Tamar Tigers made 
  their final stand in a daring assault on Deber City 
  itself. Having spent the previous month engaging in 
  an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse with the DCMS, 
  they had successfully convinced their enemy to spread 
  out across much of the Castano continent, guarding 
  cities, farmlands, fuel refineries, and other vulnerable 
  infrastructure. At the same time, with the help of 
  confederates among Benjamin’s criminal element, the 
  Tigers managed to slip their last fifteen ’Mechs into the 
  heart of the capital via a series of abandoned subway 
  and sewage tunnels. 
  When the Tigers finally struck, rising up from the 
  very heart of Deber City, their initial attack plunged 
  the entire metropolis into chaos, during which time 
  they all but eliminated the local police and riot control 
  forces, along with two lances of Kurita BattleMechs. 
  The Combine troops returned to find the capital occu-
  pied by now-entrenched Lyrans, augmented by a large 
  number of semi-organized gangs and other political 
  dissidents. The battle to root out the last of the Tigers 
  took the better part of a week, at the end of which 
  Deber City was reduced to a gutted, smoking ruin.
  By the time the last of the Tamar Tigers fell, the 
  DCMS had spent more than a regiment’s worth of 
  BattleMechs, and three more of tanks and infantry, to 
  put down the fearsome raiders. Although popular lore 
  claimed that Duke Graham Kelswa himself was the 
  last of the Lyran warriors to fall (to be captured and 
  tortured to death by the DCMS, according to Combine 
  accounts), many historians today suspect that the gen-
  eral who led the Tigers to so many victories had likely 
  been killed a year before the final battle.
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  75
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  enough to haul an entire brigade by itself. In addition to sending 
  word to High Command of the approaching assault, the Lyrans 
  initiated emergency evacuation protocols. As their combat forces 
  consolidated in a defensive perimeter around the planetary 
  capital, the nearby spaceport, and their own headquarters, all 
  non-essential personnel, key government leaders, and support 
  staff were sent to outbound DropShips, prepared to boost at a 
  moment’s notice.
  The Commonwealth garrison commander, Colonel Petru 
  Hamlin, planned an organized retreat, using his ’Mech forces to 
  shield the evacuation for as long as possible against what he 
  expected to be an overwhelming onslaught. To ensure that his 
  escaping DropShips would be as well-protected as possible, he 
  instructed the orbital aerospace forces to avoid an extended 
  engagement with the incoming enemy, and preserve their numbers 
  to act as evacuation escort.
  When McGaines troops landed, they were virtually unopposed. 
  To maintain his ruse, he ordered his ’Mechs and vehicles to advance 
  on the enemy bases with an almost reckless ferocity, while their 
  DropShips returned to orbit and rendezvoused with the Azure. 
  As battle was joined near the Commonwealth headquarters and 
  their positions near the capital city spaceport, it seemed to Colonel 
  Hamlin that the only reason he was not already overrun was that 
  the second half of the League force simply hadn’t dropped yet.
  The brief but intense fighting near the spaceport and 
  headquarters cost the defenders more than a battalion’s worth of 
  ’Mechs, while the League attackers sacrificed nearly as many ’Mech 
  losses and another battalion in combat armor. When the Lyrans’ 
  morale finally broke, McGaines’ warriors made a show of harrying 
  the retreating forces while allowing as many as possible to get 
  away. The ruse was so successful, in fact, that it was not until the 
  Lyrans were halfway to their JumpShips at the nadir jump point 
  that Colonel Hamlin realized he’d been had. Unfortunately for 
  Hamlin, that final revelation came in the form of the actual arrival 
  of the Fifth and Sixth Free Worlds Guards, detected and relayed to 
  him by the still-active early warning satellites.
  Humiliation Avenged
  Three years later, amid news of an internal political squabble 
  in the Free Worlds League, Commonwealth intelligence learned 
  that the Bella I garrison was in upheaval. The Regulan Hussars, 
  reportedly returning to their homeworlds in protest over political 
  issues, were in the process of hastily packing up their bases, and 
  would be gone by the end of March.
  In response to this, the LCAF High Command sent the Twelfth 
  and Fourteenth Lyran Regulars back to Bella, to reclaim the planet 
  and avenge their previous humiliation. Colonel Hamlin would not 
  lead this attack, however; he had been demoted in the wake of 
  the 2813 debacle, and replaced by Colonel Raymond Hempsted, 
  former commander of the Stealths. Appointed in 2814, Hempstead 
  had spent the last two years training the Twelfth and Fourteenth in 
  maneuver tactics and misdirection both through drills and through 
  actual raids along the local border. At his side was Leutnant Colonel 
  Marcus Steiner, the young son of Archon Richard Steiner. 
  The LIC had confirmed the destruction of all known Bolan 
  Defenders regiments during General Hasseldorf’s lengthy 
  campaign, and all evidence pointed to transport problems within 
  the League that matched those impairing the LCAF’s own mobility. 
  For these reasons, Lyran intelligence was confident that—for the 
  time being, at least—House Marik had indeed abandoned its 
  efforts to reclaim the Thumb region, and that the FWLM pulled 
  back to a vaguely straight line of worlds from Galisteo to Colfax. It 
  was believed that a new wave of Capellan-Free Worlds fighting had 
  drawn House Marik’s attention elsewhere, or that the League had 
  simply grown too exhausted to continue the fight.
  The Regulan Hussars’ sudden assault on Bella I in April 2813 
  put the lie to these beliefs.
  A small, unremarkable planet, Bella possessed vast but shallow 
  seas, a moderate climate, and was just fertile enough to support 
  sustenance-level agriculture based on imported terrestrial crops 
  and cattle. With few readily accessible minerals, heavy industry 
  never came to Bella, but the world did become a common port of 
  call for cross-border shipping and commercial traffic throughout 
  the Star League era. For this reason, several large spaceport cities 
  grew up across all four of Bella I’s major landmasses, and the 
  planet boasted state-of-the-art customs facilities at both jump 
  point charging stations, as well as an assortment of orbital transfer 
  stations. By 2813, fierce raiding had already destroyed the system’s 
  zenith recharge station, and the two transfer stations that remained 
  in planetary orbit had become space-borne aerodromes for the 
  resident garrison: the Twelfth and Fourteenth Lyran Regulars. 
  McGaines’ Gambit
  The Free Worlds League attack group—consisting of the 
  Sixth and Eighth Regulan Hussars, and a single Carrack-class 
  WarShip—materialized at the zenith jump point. Although the 
  invasion’s escort, the Histria Azure, was a capital ship designed 
  mainly to haul military cargo, the Free Worlds’ navy had begun 
  to run short on dedicated combat ships. Most of the state’s 
  remaining destroyers and cruisers were defending (or raiding) 
  worlds along the Skye half of the Lyran-League border, or were 
  posted on the distant Capellan front.
  Knowing full well that the Lyrans’ advance warning sensors 
  would detect his inbound fleet and monitor their approach, the 
  FWLM invasion commander, Colonel Wendon McGaines, hatched 
  a plan. Suspecting that the LCAF would try to eavesdrop on any 
  comm chatter to determine the size of his forces, he instructed 
  the communications officers on his ’Mech transports and the 
  Azure to make twice as many “readiness checks” as necessary, 
  using standard League channels and slightly outdated encryption 
  protocols. In these communications, they were to use not only the 
  code designations for his two Hussars regiments, but also for two 
  other known FWLM formations that were not present: the Fifth and 
  Sixth Free Worlds Guards.
  The gambit worked just as McGaines hoped. The LCAF 
  defenders immediately went into panic mode, believing that 
  they faced four BattleMech regiments, without any WarShips or 
  nuclear armaments of their own to neutralize a capital ship large 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  76
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Colonel Hempsted planned his attack perfectly; the new 
  FWLM garrison—a single, reinforced regiment of BattleMechs, 
  and three of armor—had only been on Bella I for a week when 
  the Lyran forces struck in March 2816. Totally unfamiliar with 
  the planet they were tasked to defend, the Marik units found 
  themselves quickly outmaneuvered by the Commonwealth 
  MechWarriors in and around their headquarters, then besieged 
  by artillery and bombing barrages. With the memory of their 
  embarrassing retreat still burning in the minds of the Lyran 
  Regulars, their attacks were brutal and unrelenting, further 
  rattling the outnumbered defenders. 
  Three weeks later, the last of the League forces surrendered. 
  Bella I belonged to House Steiner once more—but not for long.
  Once More, With Feeling
  In April 2817, House Marik once again launched an assault 
  against Bella I, this time in concert with invasions aimed at Dixie 
  and Ilion. This time, the League attack force included three ’Mech 
  regiments, escorted by a pair of Carracks—the Histria Azure and 
  the carrier-converted Pretoria Castle. The League invaders did 
  not bother with elaborate tricks or feints; as part of the grander 
  regional strategy, they came to obliterate Steiner defenses on Bella, 
  not merely drive them away.
  On the ground were the same battle-hardened Twelfth and 
  Fourteenth Lyran Regulars who fought for this world twice before, 
  but Colonel Hempsted was no longer with them. Summoned to 
  Tharkad by the Archon himself, Hempsted left command of the 
  Lyran Regulars to Brevet Colonel Marcus Steiner. Bella’s space 
  defenses, in the meantime, were augmented by the Essex-class 
  destroyer Edelweiss, which arrived just two months earlier as escort 
  for a shipment of tactical nuclear ordnance (among other supplies). 
  At Colonel Steiner’s request, most of this ordnance was distributed 
  among the aerospace forces based on the planet’s orbital stations.
  The space battle for Bella I was fierce and costly. Screening 
  for the DropShips, the Pretoria Castle took point for the attack 
  formation, with Histria Azure following. As the mammoth capital 
  transports neared Bella’s orbital space, the Castle released a full wing 
  of aerospace fighters, which fanned out like an ephemeral cloud 
  of multi-ton wasps ahead of their mothership. Undeterred, the 
  Edelweiss angled herself directly toward the carrier and accelerated, 
  while the orbital stations unleashed their own fighters close 
  behind. Ignoring the damage from the FWLM fighters, Edelweiss 
  opened fire with her naval autocannons as soon as they came into 
  range. Pretoria Castle’s light hull armor was simply no match for 
  such a barrage; the ship broke apart after less than two minutes of 
  battle, while Edelweiss adjusted her vector to intercept Histria Azure.
  !
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  Asuncion
  Bandora
  Belluevue
  Bernardo
  Bithinia
  Carbonis
  Carver V
  Chamdo
  Chengdu
  Chitwan
  Corey
  Elnath
  Eom
  Gorki
  Harsefeld
  Hassad
  Ibstock
  Ilmachna
  Ingersoll
  Jilin
  Kristiandsund
  Kyrkbacken
  Les Halles
  Lesalles
  Masterson
  Myrvoll
  Ohrensen
  Old Kentucky
  Park Place
  Phact
  Raballa
  Ramen II
  Second Chance
  Shui-pao
  Snailzar
  Suzano
  Tsinghai
  Vanra
  Ventabren
  Wazan
  Zion
  Ascella
  Kaus Australis
  Kaus Borealis
  Kaus Media
  Moore
  Nai-Stohl
  Abadan
  Aconcagua
  Acrux
  Acubens
  Adhafera
  Aitutaki
  Albert Falls
  Alkes
  Alorton
  Alphard
  Alterf
  Amity
  Angell II
  Aquileia
  Ariel
  Asellus Australis
  Asellus Borealis
  Ashburton
  Atzenbrugg
  August
  Augustine
  Autumn Wind
  Avellaneda
  Avior
  Aylmer
  Bainsville
  Bedeque
  Binyang
  Blue Sava
  Bolan
  Bonaire
  Bondurant
  Bowang
  Cajamarca
  Calchedon
  Campbelton
  Cascade
  Catroxx
  Cerillos
  Chalouba
  Colfax
  Conakry
  Concord
  Coriscana
  Curaumilla
  Dalcour
  Danais
  Daneshmand
  Danxian
  Diamantina
  Dickinson
  Dieudonne
  Drusibacken
  Dubhe
  Edmondson
  Eion
  Elbing
  Elektrougli
  Ellijay
  Emris IV
  Epsilon
  Eromanga
  Escobas
  Esztergom
  Finsterwalde
  Flychenia
  Fuentes
  Futuna
  Galisteo
  Gallatin
  Gannett
  Gibraltar
  Gniezno
  Gomeisa
  Gran
  Griffith
  Grobin
  Hamilton
  Hammer
  Harmony
  Hazeldean
  Hellos Minor
  Hell's Paradise
  Helm
  Herzberg
  Hodmezovasarhely
  Holt
  Home
  Huntington
  Ibarra
  Ideyld
  Ilion
  Ionus
  Irian
  Jardine
  Jaszbereny
  Kakada
  Kalidasa
  Kamenz
  Keystone
  Kievanur
  Kilarney
  Kirkenlaard
  Kiyev
  Kogl
  Koln
  Kolobrzeg
  Kosciusko
  Kutludugun
  Kyeinnisan
  Labouchere
  Lancaster
  Laureles
  Lepaterique
  Ling
  Loburg
  Loongana
  Loyalty
  Lungdo
  Maderas
  Malazan
  Manihiki
  Manotick
  Marik
  Marsalle
  Matheran
  Maxwell
  McAffe
  McKenna
  Megrez
  Merak
  Merton
  Miaplacidus
  Midkiff
  Millungera
  Mohacs
  Molokai
  Mundrabilla
  Muscida
  Naissus
  Nathan
  New Delos
  New Hope
  New Olympia
  New Praha
  Newcastle
  Niihau
  Nockatunga
  Norfolk
  Nova Roma
  Oceana
  Panjang
  Paradise
  Pavia
  Pingree
  Pliska
  Preston
  Promised Land
  Ragusa
  Rasalas
  Remulac
  Rexburg
  Rochelle
  Rochers
  Sackville
  Saltillo
  San Nicolas
  Sardis
  Sarkel
  Savannah
  Schererville
  Schiedam
  Semenyih
  Shasta
  Sheridan
  Sierra
  Silver
  Simpson Desert
  Solaris VII
  Sophie's World
  Sorunda
  Spirit
  St. Gall
  Sterling
  Szepes
  Szombathely
  Tamarind
  Tania Australis
  Tania Borealis
  Tchamba
  Thermopolis
  Thirty Weight
  Tiber
  Togwotee
  Tongatapu
  Tormentine
  Trellisane
  Trinidad
  Tuamotu
  Tylarzka
  Uhuru
  Valil'yevskiy
  Valloire
  Vicksland
  Wallis
  Washburn
  Wing
  Wolof
  Zebrenaski
  Zempoatlepetl
  Zortman
  Trasjkis
  Trondheimal
  Abramkovo
  Aigle
  Aiguebelle
  Al Jafr
  Alchiba
  Alcor
  Algorab
  Alhena
  Alkaid
  Alkalurops
  Alphecca
  Alrakis
  Altoona
  Alula Borealis
  Annwyn
  Aquavita
  Arcadia
  Arganda
  Aristotle
  Ayacucho
  Balkan
  Bella I
  Biloela
  Bjornlunda
  Bobruisk
  Buena
  Caledonia
  Canonbie
  Cardff
  Carlisle
  Carnwath
  Carsphairn
  Cavanaugh II
  Chaffee
  Chara
  Chiavenna
  Chukchi III
  Ciotat
  Clinton
  Cor Caroli
  Czarvowo
  Dagda
  Dar-es-Salaam
  Dixie
  Dresden
  Dromini VI
  Drosendorf
  Duantia
  Eidsfoss
  Eilenburg
  Eltanin
  Enkoping
  Fianna
  Ford
  Gacrux
  Galatea
  Giausar
  Gienah
  Gladius
  Glengarry
  Gypsum
  Halfway
  Halmyre Deans
  Hesperus II
  Hollabrunn
  Hornir's Keep
  Hyde
  Ilzra
  Inchicore
  Izar
  Jaumegarde
  Kessel
  Khon Kaen
  Kimball II
  Kitzingen
  Kochab
  Komephoros
  Konstance
  La Blon
  Laiaka
  Lamon
  Launam
  Laurieston
  Loric
  Madiun
  Maisons
  Marfik
  Mariefred
  McKellan
  Medzev
  Menkent
  Mezzana
  Mizar
  Morrigan
  Myrrdin
  Nekkar
  Nestor
  New Kyoto
  Nichol's Rest
  Nusakan
  Pardeau
  Pencader
  Penobscot
  Phecda
  Poulsbo
  Premana
  Pressby
  Radostov
  Ilion
  Malazan
  Rochers
  Duantia
  Radostov
  Rajkot
  Revivim
  Rijeka
  Rosice
  Ryde
  Sarpsborg
  Seginus
  Senftenberg
  Shiloh
  Sierpc
  Skondia
  Soilihull
  Son Hoa
  Stantsiya
  Starshine
  Stellaris
  Syrma
  Teyvareb
  Timbiqui
  Trent
  Turinge
  Ukunela
  Unukalhai
  Uzhgorod
  Vega
  Venaria
  Vindemiatrix
  Whittington
  Zaniah
  Zaprudy
  Zdice
  Zebebelgenubi
  Zebeneschamali
  Zuhbehr
  Zvolen
  Zwenkau
  Aberystwyth
  Althastan
  Circinus
  Cruz Alta
  Florida
  Green Stone
  Helbrent
  Himmels
  Huesta
  Iolas
  Karkkila
  Kitopler
  Rapla
  Sarikavak
  Shahr Kord
  Urjala
  Afleir
  Alioth
  Altair
  Asta
  Athenry
  Atria
  Bordon
  Brownsville
  Bryant
  Callison
  Campertown
  Caph
  Capolla
  Castor
  Chaville
  Chertan
  Chertan
  Chisholm
  Connaught
  Denebola
  Devil's Rock
  Dieron
  Dyev
  Epsilon Eridani
  Fomalhaut
  Haddings
  Hall
  Hechnar
  Imbros III
  Keid
  Killbourn
  Ko
  Lambrecht
  Lipton
  Lyons
  Marcus
  Menkalinan
  Milton
  Muphrid
  Nanking
  New Canton
  New Dallas
  New Home
  Oliver
  Outreach
  Pike IV
  Pollux
  Procyon
  Propus
  Rocky
  Sabik
  Saiph
  Sirius
  Summer
  Talitha
  Tall Trees
  Terra Firma
  Thorin
  Van Diemen IV
  Wasat
  Wyatt
  Yorii
  Zavijava
  Zollikofen
  Zosma
  Zurich
  Atreus
  Illyria
  Terra
  Regulus
  Stewart
  Skye
  Kuzuu
  Furillo
  Rahne
  Lone Star
  Tyrfing
  New Earth
  Alula Australis
  Berenson
  Graham IV
  Hsien
  Mandal
  New Stevens
  Rigil
  Kentarus
  2821
  2816
  2811
  2806
  2801
  2796
  2791
  Lost/Regained
  2765 Border
  30LY
  100LY
  90 LIGHT YEARS OR 27.6 PARSECS
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  MAXIMUM JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  LEGEND
  FREE WOLRDS 
  LEAGUE-LYRAN 
  COMMONWEALTH  
  FRONT 2786-2796
  PLANET KEY
  National Capital
  District Capital
  Province Capital
  Dead/Dying World
  BORDER KEY
  2786 Borders
  2786-2791
  2791-2796
  2796-2801
  2701-2806
  2806-2811
  2811-2816
  2816-2821
  Reversals
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  77
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  of abandoned ’Mechs and vehicles near his dust off sites, he 
  rigged each of these “ghost formations” with booby traps using 
  some of the leftover Alamo munitions his depleted air forces had 
  saved. These atomic booby traps would claim roughly two more 
  companies’ worth of FWLM forces by the time Steiner and his men 
  jumped out of the system.
  Aftermath
  In 2820, three years after the last battle for Bella I, representatives 
  from the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League 
  met once more amid the ruins of the planet. By then, with both 
  states suffering from massive economic damage and a crippled 
  interstellar infrastructure, their diplomats were finally ready to try 
  and talk peace. The result—three more years later—was the Bella 
  Accords, which formally ended the Succession War between these 
  powerful but exhausted realms.
  THE SOLARIS BULGE
  The Solaris Bulge was the LCAF High Command’s name for 
  the region of Free Worlds League space that had jutted into Lyran 
  space since the Age of War. Although not nearly as dramatic an 
  encroachment as the Bolan Thumb, the worlds of this region 
  included some of the most well-developed systems outside of the 
  Commonwealth’s Federation of Skye and the Terran Hegemony. 
  Solaris VII itself was a commercial and industrial powerhouse, home 
  not only to the infamous dueling arenas that rose during the Star 
  League era, but also numerous small weapons manufacturers, refit 
  centers, and research facilities, and other industrial or research-rich 
  worlds in the Bulge included Amity, Kalidasa, Rochelle, and Uhuru. 
  By 2815, heavy raids by both sides—often employing WarShips 
  and weapons of mass destruction—had ravaged many of the 
  Solaris Bulge systems, yet House Steiner still coveted these planets. 
  Of particular interest were the worlds of Solaris VII and Kalidasa, 
  which continued to thrive even as the rest of the Inner Sphere 
  seemed to slide further and further into ruin. Of equal concern 
  was the fact that the League’s control over these systems granted 
  them easy access to many of the Commonwealth’s most cherished 
  holdings, particularly the ultra-vital world of Hesperus II, located a 
  mere two jumps from Solaris.
  For these reasons, the FWLM stationed a significant naval and 
  BattleMech presence on and around Solaris, reinforcing the entire 
  region against House Steiner’s raiding campaigns. Even as the 
  fighting for the Bolan Thumb wound down and the fighting over 
  Bella I began to expose the crumbling state of the Succession War’s 
  first two official combatants, the LCAF prepared a final offensive to 
  claim the Solaris Bulge once and for all.
  The campaign, dubbed Operation SPIDERWEB, was the 
  brainchild of LCAF Hauptmann-General Ranier Hogarth, and was 
  as simple as it was direct. Two LCAF attack groups, operating with 
  whatever heavy naval support could be mustered, would assault 
  the region in a pincer fashion. One pincer, spearheaded by the 
  Thirteenth and Fourteenth Donegal Guards ’Mech regiments, as 
  well as the Twenty-Fifth Skye Rangers, would begin at Uhuru in 
  February 2815, while the other, led by the Ninth and Sixteenth 
  The Azure’s captain, Monica Talasi, realized her ship was 
  doomed. The enemy destroyer simply carried too much firepower 
  and the Carrack-class vessel could not outmaneuver her. Seeing 
  only one option available that could do some damage to the enemy, 
  Talasi aimed the Azure directly at Edelweiss and ordered the engines 
  to maximum thrust. She then relieved her helmsman and ordered 
  all crew to the escape pods. As the two ships closed, Edelweiss again 
  opened fire with her autocannons, instantly shredding the Histria 
  Azure’s forward sections, before veering to port. Miraculously, Azure 
  held together—if only barely, and Talasi lived just long enough to 
  make sure her dying ship swerved with its killer.
  Azure’s 300,000-ton wreck almost missed the Edelweiss, but 
  instead of the direct hit her captain undoubtedly prayed for, the 
  ship merely sideswiped the Lyran destroyer. Nonetheless, given 
  the speeds both vessels were moving, it was more than enough; 
  the transport’s impact tore away Edelweiss’ starboard hull from 
  stem to stern, and set off several of the ship’s magazines in rapid 
  succession. With a brief flash of light, both ships erupted, claiming 
  the lives of all on board the destroyer, and leaving behind little 
  more than scraps of wrecked superstructure and eight lifeboats 
  from the Histria Azure.
  Even with their escorts lost, the Marik aerospace fighters 
  continued to duel with their Steiner counterparts, using their 
  superior numbers and coordinated attacks to push back the LCAF 
  air defense enough to cover their incoming DropShips. As the 
  invading DropShips reached orbital space, their assault ships joined 
  the fray, specifically targeting Bella’s space borne waystations. 
  Within fifteen minutes, the space battle for Bella I ended as the 
  remaining Lyran fighters withdrew to ground bases, leaving the 
  way clear for the enemy to make landfall.
  The groundside battle for Bella would rage for nine months, 
  with both Lyran and League forces spreading out across the 
  planet’s surface in a global game of cat and mouse. Colonel Steiner 
  had learned well from Hempsted, and kept his forces dispersed 
  and mobile, making excellent use of the local terrain and weather 
  to keep the invaders on their toes. Battles were fought in and 
  around industrial parks, commercial hubs, and spaceports all over 
  Bella I, with Steiner’s forces winning almost as often as they were 
  forced to fall back. But the League invaders were equally adept 
  at mobile warfare, and—more importantly—they possessed a 
  superior number of aerospace fighters. Over time, even the use of 
  tactical atomics and incendiary weapons failed to even the odds. 
  With no sign of reinforcements in sight by late December 
  2817, and his air support reduced to less than a squadron, Colonel 
  Marcus Steiner was forced to admit defeat. Gathering the remnants 
  of his two Lyran Regulars regiments—both now reduced below 
  fifty percent combat effectiveness—he executed one last series of 
  feints and maneuvers, buying enough time for the majority of his 
  forces to board their evacuation DropShips. Thanks to the damage 
  done to the planetary spaceports and the vessels parked there, 
  many of these escape craft were little more than cargo ships or 
  lighter ’Mech and vehicle transports. To deny the enemy any useful 
  salvage, Steiner left one more surprise for the Mariks as he finally 
  pulled the last of his forces off of Bella I: Parking entire companies 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  78
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  point, the Lyran invasions followed a well-regimented timetable, 
  in which the pincer groups held out for the arrival of follow-on 
  troops, and then moved on. When the invaders found that the 
  garrisons had been stripped on Rochelle, it proved that the League 
  had grown used to that approach, and had thus relocated their 
  defenses elsewhere. In response, Hogarth ordered all of attack 
  forces to pack up and move out almost immediately for Kalidasa. 
  There, they would be reinforced by the additional troops originally 
  slated to hold onto Rochelle. This, he felt, would provide enough 
  strength to overcome the bulked-up FWLM defenders on Kalidasa.
  What he did not anticipate was encountering an enemy force 
  in space, apparently en route elsewhere. 
  Soon after the LCAF assault group rendezvoused at Kalidasa’s 
  zenith jump point in April 2819, the long-range sensors of its lead 
  escort—the Tharkad-class cruiser Ineffable—detected a sizeable 
  fleet of League DropShips already rising up from the planet. Upon 
  extrapolating their course, the Lyrans found the enemy JumpShips, 
  awaiting the coming transports, along with a pair of Soyal-class 
  cruisers. Seizing this unique opportunity, the Commonwealth 
  WarShips moved at once to intercept the Marik JumpShips and 
  cruisers, bringing along as many of the invasion group’s assault and 
  carrier DropShips as they dared to spare. 
  The League force, having detected the attackers the 
  moment they arrived, were already scrambling to defend 
  themselves as the Ineffable, her sister ship Chaffee, and the 
  rest of her formation closed on them. Neither side possessed 
  a clear advantage in the battle. Although the Steiner fleet had 
  a numerical edge—with two battlecruisers, two destroyers, 
  and a dozen escort DropShips against two cruisers and a pair 
  of corvettes—the sheer attrition of capital-grade maintenance 
  facilities and factory sites throughout the war was telling. The 
  WarShips on both sides suffered from unrepaired damage, 
  years’ worth of poor field maintenance, and a severe lack of 
  munitions. Nevertheless, within ten minutes of the Lyrans’ arrival 
  at Kalidasa, the fleets of Houses Steiner and Marik were engaged 
  in one of the last heavy naval actions of the First War.
  The battle for Kalidasa’s zenith jump point ended in a 
  Steiner victory, but at great cost. The League lost all three of its 
  WarShip escorts, along with more than half of their assembled 
  JumpShips, with the remainder leaping out-system in panic at 
  the loss of their escorts. The Commonwealth lost the Ineffable 
  and both of the destroyers, leaving only a damaged Chaffee 
  and a handful of assault DropShips to protect the rest of the 
  attack group. Fortunately for the Lyrans, this proved more than 
  enough to cripple the FWLM DropShips that found themselves 
  marooned in their own system, but it would rob the ground forces 
  an overwhelming orbital support advantage when they finally 
  landed nine days later. 
  With much of their defense garrison already intercepted and 
  neutralized in space, the remaining FWLM troops on Kalidasa stood 
  little chance against the Lyran invaders. After only two months of 
  fighting, the planetary government surrendered to Steiner rule. 
  Skye Rangers, as well as the Fourteenth Lyran Guards, would start 
  at Wing at roughly the same time. Augmenting these attack groups 
  were the Illician Lancers’ Fourth Illician Rangers and Fifty-Ninth 
  Strike regiments. The grand strategy called for these two pincers 
  to work their way into the Bulge through sheer brute force—
  specifically targeting all local capital WarShips and other space 
  borne military assets first, before pummeling into submission any 
  and all enemy groundside formations found on the planets below. 
  In this dogged fashion, the Uhuru pincer would work its way 
  rimward and spinward, taking Concord, Amity, and Gniezno, before 
  finally seizing and holding Alkes by the end of 2818. Meanwhile, 
  the Wing pincer would move to capture Chertan, Aquileia, and 
  Catroxx, before ending its offensive run at New Hope, also by the 
  end of 2818. This would place the two attack groups in roughly the 
  same position, thanks to the close proximity of the Alkes and New 
  Hope systems.
  Following these pincer groups would be smaller garrison 
  forces, who would relieve and replenish the attacking formations as 
  they proceeded, before taking up positions at their new holdings. 
  In the meantime, LIC operatives infiltrating all conquered systems 
  and working their way back inward toward Lyran space would 
  pump a steady stream of propaganda and news of the LCAF 
  victories as they happened, allowing the troops and civilians in the 
  bypassed systems—Kalidasa, Rochelle, and Solaris—to know that 
  the Commonwealth had them surrounded.
  Remarkably, the campaign unfolded without many setbacks. 
  At General Hogarth’s steady, meticulous pace, the twin pincers 
  struck their targets, savaging League forces, local militia, and naval 
  defenses with more success than failure. Although the FWLM 
  would manage to quickly reverse its losses (or, at least, deny a 
  “clean” victory to the Lyrans) on Amity, Concord, Chertan, and Wing, 
  SPIDERWEB successfully seized and held seven new systems by 
  2818. Furthermore, reports from the untouched worlds of Kalidasa, 
  Rochelle, and Solaris confirmed what the General had hoped for: 
  as news of LCAF victories in the neighboring systems mounted, 
  uncertainty gripped the local populations, and their local defenders 
  found themselves increasingly unable to quell the citizens’ fears.
  Rochelle and Kalidasa
  In February 2819, SPIDERWEB’s pincers moved as one to the 
  world of Rochelle, where their combined might made short work 
  of the relatively tiny force that met them. The League defenders, 
  who’d come to expect the same plodding approach used on 
  the surrounding worlds, had stripped troops from Rochelle to 
  reinforce their positions on Kalidasa and Solaris, which seemed 
  like the next likely targets. Now more desperate than ever to 
  break the Commonwealth’s advance, the reinforced garrisons on 
  the two remaining Bulge worlds chose to launch a coordinated 
  assault against the invasion pincers before the LCAF could be 
  further reinforced.
  As it happened, this move played into SPIDERWEB’s strategy 
  even better than General Hogarth could imagine. Up until this 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  79
  THE WAR OF RAIdS
  Steiner assault while the nearest friendly systems lay two jumps or 
  more away, Magnarus reluctantly canceled her plans and acquiesced 
  to the Solaran leadership’s demands.
  The FWLM’s evacuation was complete by the end of 2819. 
  Less than two weeks later, the spearhead forces from General 
  Hogarth’s invasion pincers arrived in the Solaris system, tasked 
  with establishing a Commonwealth outpost on Solaris VII’s 
  Grayland continent. 
  While it appeared that Operation SPIDERWEB had succeeded 
  beyond the High Command’s expectations, the Free Worlds League 
  had one more shot to fire. In March of 2820, just two months after 
  the apparent end of hostilities in the Solaris Bulge, a heavy raiding 
  force materialized in the Solaris system. Emerging from hyperspace 
  at a pirate point close to Solaris VII’s orbit, the attack group 
  consisted of two reinforced battalions of ex-SLDF mercenaries, 
  escorted by the FWLS Despiser, an Essex-class destroyer.
  With no Lyran naval presence to ward off the raiders at the 
  time of the attack, the mercenaries—later identified as the Red 
  Eagles and elements of Clinton’s Cutthroats—landed near the 
  Bracken Swamps north of Solaris City. The LCAF garrison met the 
  attackers near a major water treatment plant and eventually drove 
  them off after a three-day firefight across the Bracken Swamps, but 
  not before the mercenaries had effectively destroyed the treatment 
  facility and reduced a local industrial park to ash. 
  The worst was yet to come. As the surviving mercenaries 
  boosted away from Solaris VII, the Despiser maneuvered as if to cover 
  their retreat. As she passed over Solaris City, however, the destroyer’s 
  captain ordered a heavy bombardment of the area. For ten minutes, 
  capital-grade missiles and particle cannon fire rained down on the 
  planet. The bombardment narrowly missed the northeastern fringes 
  of Solaris City proper, but the local suburbs and several additional 
  manufacturing sites in the vicinity were not as lucky. Thousands died 
  under the Despiser’s attack, which also claimed a second freshwater 
  treatment plant servicing the capital region. 
  In the aftermath of the League’s revenge assault, the 
  Commonwealth attempted to ensure the presence of at least some 
  form of aerospace deterrent on Solaris VII, including whatever 
  combat ships they could afford. Unfortunately for Solaris, the 
  Succession War’s attrition had already proven too costly for the 
  LCAF to provide much of a permanent naval presence. Indeed, by 
  the end of the war, the best air defense the local garrison could 
  manage was little more than a few fighter squadrons and some 
  DropShip interceptors.
  For the people of Solaris VII, the League’s final revenge strike 
  became a local day of infamy. When word reached Solarans three 
  years later that the Despiser had vanished in a fatal misjump, 
  the planetary council declared the date of the hated ship’s 
  disappearance—2 April 2823—as a planetary holiday.
  [Editor’s Note: In keeping with the terms of his diplomatic promises, 
  Archon Marcus Steiner passed the Solaris Act in late 2824, legally 
  establishing Solaris VII’s neutrality under Commonwealth protection.]
  Solaris VII
  The final coup of the campaign for the Solaris Bulge was 
  actually the cleverest part of General Hogarth’s plan. Knowing that 
  a ground war for Solaris VII itself would be chaotic in the extreme, 
  he chose not to attack the planet directly. Indeed, when it came to 
  the Game World, Hogarth did not want to attack the planet at all. 
  While SPIDERWEB continued its five-year campaign to secure the 
  worlds surrounding Solaris, the Commonwealth sent propagandists 
  to the planet and allowed the interstellar news community to do 
  its job of covering the local fighting unfettered. The plan here was 
  not to sow fear among the glory-hounding gladiators of Solaris VII, 
  however; it was to demoralize the FWLM garrison, and to allow the 
  planet’s civilian government to realize how thoroughly isolated they 
  had become from the rest of the League.
  As word of Kalidasa’s fall reached Solaris, a group of Lyran 
  diplomats approached its planetary governing council with a 
  proposition. In exchange for the world’s willful acceptance of 
  Commonwealth supremacy, a nominal cut of its planetary income 
  (at a favorable tax rate), and the ejection of its current FWLM defense 
  forces, the LCAF would provide for the global defense needs, while 
  permitting it to continue operating with semi-autonomy as an 
  “open world.” As an added bonus, the diplomats informed the 
  council rulers that the Archon himself promised to guarantee 
  Solaris VII’s political neutrality as a commercial and entertainment 
  hub for the Inner Sphere, once the current war was over. 
  House Steiner’s offer was not phrased as an ultimatum; there 
  was no arrogance or malice in the diplomats who presented its 
  proposal. If the planet’s rulers chose otherwise, the LCAF would still 
  come to Solaris VII, but in that case, a battle would surely result as 
  the League attempted to oppose them. Such a fight, they cautioned, 
  could easily spill over into the concentrated cities and industrial 
  complexes that were the life blood of Solaris VII’s economy. Worse, 
  while the Lyran diplomats guaranteed that the LCAF would not to 
  be the first to resort to weapons of mass destruction in that event, 
  they could not say the same for Marik’s troops.
  The bottom line was simple: Steiner was offering Solaris VII a 
  business partnership that would bloodlessly allow them to carry on 
  with business as usual, under the Commonwealth’s banner. 
  On 10 September 2819, after three months of debate and 
  back-room deals, the rulers of Solaris VII made their final decision. 
  Declaring their intent to accept a Lyran military presence, the Free 
  Worlds League garrison forces would be asked to leave by 1 January 
  2820, the same day that Solaris would withdraw its membership in 
  the Free Worlds’ Parliament. 
  When the League’s on-world defense commander, General Rory 
  Magnarus, learned of the council’s declaration, she was stunned, and 
  prepared her troops to enter and seize the planetary capital of Solaris 
  City under a declaration of martial law. But on the same day those 
  preparations were finalized, word came that the Commonwealth was 
  moving additional BattleMech regiments into the area from deeper 
  inside the Federation of Skye. Faced with the possibility of an all-out 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  80
  HOUSE lIAO FORGES ON
  To Chancellor Barbara Liao and her Strategios, the League’s 
  pause was a welcome relief, but not one they could afford to 
  squander on a grandiose counter-offensive. If Marik was going to 
  fortify his borders, Liao decided to do the same, firming up defenses 
  especially in those regions where the Free Worlds had inflicted the 
  most damage. Additional regiments were thus sent to reinforce the 
  Capella, Sarna, and Andurien Commonalities. From those regions, 
  periodic border raids would test the League’s defenders, looking 
  for weak points while keeping the enemy guessing as to where the 
  Confederation might strike next. 
  To bolster their chances of success, the CCAF raiders routinely 
  carried a small amount of nuclear and/or chemical ordnance 
  during many of these cross-border strikes. Although most of these 
  munitions were of tactical grade, their yields were typically enough 
  to devastate factories and military outposts in a single pass—which 
  was about as much opportunity as some of the more suicidal 
  missions expected to see. During one such raid, against the world 
  of Oriente, a Capellan aerospace squadron managed to slip past 
  the orbital defenses to deliver a nuclear attack against the Magna 
  Fusion Products factory complex located in the southern valleys of 
  the Navarran continent. All six Capellan fighters (and their carrier 
  DropShip) were shot down, but not before the detonation of two 
  Alamo-class atomic warheads leveled the factory and the defense 
  SHIFTING PRIORITIES:  
  HOUSE LIAO FORGES ON
  The 2793 destruction of the Fourth Marik Militia on Anegasaki 
  proved a surprising success for the Capellan Confederation. Led 
  into battle by a Twenty-First Centauri Lancers battalion equipped 
  with an abundance of jump-capable Grasshopper heavy ’Mechs, the 
  medium weight regiment brought heavier firepower to the fight and 
  effectively negated the Fourth’s mobility advantage. The victorious 
  Capellans held Anegasaki, consolidating their might while salvaging 
  the stockpiles of equipment and supplies located there, originally 
  intended to support the Captain-General’s “Path to Sarna” campaign.
  The loss of Anegasaki so quickly and decisively flew in the 
  face of four years’ worth of League victories against House Liao’s 
  forces. Equally striking was how fairly the CCAF had fought there, 
  in contrast to the massacre at New Delos and other examples of 
  the Confederation’s eagerness to make use of orbital, nuclear, and 
  chemical bombardment. These were not the signs of a realm whose 
  leadership remained shaken by its horrific defeat at Calloway, or 
  the League’s apparent ability to seize any world it desired until that 
  moment. Convinced that Anegasaki signified something far worse, 
  the FWLM leadership shifted quickly to a defensive stance, pending 
  further analysis.
  
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  HOUSE lIAO FORGES ON
  By August 2795, CCAF regiments moved in to secure their new 
  holdings, freeing up the mercenaries for their next objectives: 
  Farwell and Demeter.
  Demeter fell in December 2795 to a combination of the Fourth 
  Tau Ceti Rangers and the CCAF’s Ariana Grenadiers. Although the 
  assault damaged the Lycomb-Davion IntroTech aerospace factories 
  outside the city of Pattersville, it also resulted in the complete 
  destruction of the local BattleMech-armed militia, the Demeter 
  Planetary Uniformed Guard. 
  The conquest of Farwell proved equally decisive for the 
  Confederation. Once more facing weakened and demoralized 
  Davion forces, the planetary defenses collapsed within weeks of 
  the invaders’ landfall. As CCAF reinforcements secured the world 
  in April 2796, the Capellans moved on to Sanilac, completing their 
  conquest of that world by June. Additional CCAF forces struck 
  at Sonnia the following October, seizing that planet after only a 
  month’s worth of combat; the Confederation was well on its way to 
  encircling the coveted world of Chesterton. 
  Over the following year, Quinn continued his campaign in 
  this same meticulous fashion, using ex-Star League Defense Force 
  mercenaries to hammer the remnant Davion defenses first, before 
  rotating in CCAF troops to reinforce the assaults and hold their 
  objectives afterward. This sound strategy secured Tawas by June 
  2797, when the Fifteenth Dracon mercenary group destroyed the 
  last of the Suns’ ad hoc defense outposts; and Ulan Batar by January 
  2798, when the Blandford’s Grenadiers regiment of the Capellan 
  Hussars successfully rooted out the last enemy insurgents in the 
  capital city’s foothills. 
  Further rimward, the Confederation also attacked from the St. Ives 
  Commonality. Using a similar “leapfrogging” strategy as the Combine 
  employed just ten years earlier, the CCAF landed troops on Carmacks, 
  Ogilvie, and Sekulmun, as well as Salem, Branzoll, and Victoria. This 
  created two “islands” of Capellan occupation deep inside Davion space 
  by the end of 2797. Although their supply lines to the Confederation 
  homelands were tenuous, these conquests forced the Suns to further 
  dilute their already weakened border defenses at a time they could 
  scarcely afford to pay any attention to House Liao.
  By 2799, Capellan assaults in the Chesterton region seized 
  Everett, Mirach, and Schedar; aside from Chesterton itself, every 
  world within a single jump’s radius belonged to the Confederation. 
  Despite a surge of Davion resolve in the wake of the Kentares 
  Massacre, House Liao’s forces managed to hold onto their gains. 
  Moreover, even with mercenaries performing much of the “heavy 
  lifting,” Sandol Quinn had fought a clean—almost gentlemanly—
  war to this point, in stark contrast to the wanton barbarity raging 
  across the Inner Sphere.
  It was with all this in mind that the Regent Chancellor chose not 
  to invade Chesterton directly. According to Maskirovka intelligence, 
  the defenders on that world were remarkably well-stocked, 
  and heavily reinforced by survivors from the previous actions. 
  Furthermore, Chesterton remained a largely self-sustaining world, 
  with more than enough resources to hold out against a siege, even 
  if the Confederation could spare the WarShips for a proper blockade. 
  Rather than launch a massive assault, Quinn chose to send emissaries 
  to the planetary government and its AFFS defenders. 
  base nearby. Among the casualties of the attack was the Captain-
  General’s sixteen year-old grandson, Jason Marik.
  While the raids after Anegasaki seemed to hold the League 
  at bay, Lady Barbara and her military advisors drew up plans to 
  reclaim several key worlds along the Marik advance, specifically 
  targeting the Andurien and Wazan salients. Unfortunately for the 
  Confederation, these counterattack strategies were left incomplete 
  when the Chancellor suddenly succumbed to a rare blood disorder 
  in 2795. With both of Barbara’s sons killed at Callaway, the eldest 
  direct heir to the throne was her granddaughter, Ilsa Liao—then 
  only twelve years of age.
  QUINN’S WAR:  
  THE CONFEDERATION-SUNS FRONT
  As Ilsa was too young to serve as the Confederation’s ruler, 
  the Capellan Prefectorate chose a regent: Sandol Quinn, Prefect 
  of the Tikonov Commonality. Although Quinn was fiercely loyal 
  to House Liao, and determined to ensure Ilsa’s eventual ascension 
  to the Celestial Throne, the focus of his attentions tended to lean 
  more toward his home region than the embattled Andurien and 
  Capella Commonalities. 
  Given the delicate state of the League-Confederation front, 
  where it appeared that House Marik now seemed content to play 
  a waiting game, Quinn instead set his sights on the Federated 
  Suns. With the Suns still reeling under House Kurita’s onslaught, all 
  evidence pointed to anemic AFFS defenses on Chesterton and its 
  surrounding worlds. 
  Paradoxically, the Capellan claim to Chesterton and its nearby 
  worlds pre-dated the formation of the Confederation itself. This 
  claim stemmed from the fact that the worlds of the Chesterton 
  Trade League—one of the first interstellar realms founded beyond 
  the Terran Alliance—were formally part of Tikonov Grand Union. 
  At the time Tikonov joined with the other states in the region to 
  create the Capellan Confederation, however, many of the Chesterton 
  worlds were occupied by invading forces from the nascent Federated 
  Suns. Amid the complicated web of alliances that created the 
  Confederation, the promise to recover these lost systems became 
  a key goal that the leaders of the Tikonov Commonality never 
  forgot. Thus, for centuries since (and even to this day), Capellan 
  Chancellors have proclaimed the worlds of the so-called Chesterton 
  Commonality as the Confederation’s birthright.
  To Sandol Quinn, the time to reclaim Chesterton was ripe. 
  Although Barbara Liao’s ambitions on the Davion front had waned 
  since Kurita rebuffed her proposal for a non-aggression pact in 
  2788, the Draconis Combine now stood at New Avalon’s very 
  doorstep. Poised to deliver the killing stroke that would decapitate 
  the Suns once and for all, the DCMS could scarcely be expected to 
  worry about a few outlying worlds they had ignored in their drive 
  to the enemy capital.
  Quinn’s war began in April 2795 with the invasions of Mirach 
  and Caselton, both led by elements of the Northwind Highlanders 
  and the Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers mercenary commands. Their 
  supply chains broken by the Combine invasion, and their strength 
  direct to efforts to aid worlds already under enemy occupation, 
  AFFS and militia defenders on both worlds crumbled quickly. 
  
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  HOUSE lIAO FORGES ON
  fierce battle in the gnarled forests near the city of Lenor, the Dieron 
  Regulars used smokescreen ordnance and incendiary artillery to 
  confuse and disorient the Grenadiers, ultimately scattering their 
  ranks. When subsequent air strikes wiped out half of the Capellans’ 
  armor support in minutes, the Grenadiers pulled back to rally—
  only to find their own numbers reduced to scarcely more than a 
  battalion. The battle quickly devolved into a rout, with the surviving 
  CCAF units attempting and failing to execute an orderly retreat to 
  their DropShips under fierce fire from pursuing Kurita BattleMechs. 
  [Editor’s note: The Grenadiers’ defeat marked the first of several 
  battles for Ronel that would follow in the five years to come; while the 
  CCAF listed the regiment as destroyed, enough of the survivors made 
  it off-world to be reorganized later. In addition, close to a battalion’s 
  worth of assorted Grenadiers and supporting armor managed to 
  survive the debacle. Either due to coercion from the victorious Combine 
  invaders, or convinced that the Confederation had deliberately sent 
  them to Ronel as a sacrificial lamb, these abandoned survivors quickly 
  rebranded themselves as the Bad Dream mercenary command, and 
  immediately accepted a contract with the DCMS.] 
  Later that same year, another Dieron Regulars regiment hit 
  the Capellan world of Rio. This time, they faced the First Chesterton 
  Voltigeurs, one of three BattleMech regiments raised by Sandol 
  Quinn before his installation as the Regent Chancellor. As effective 
  as the Combine invaders were against the Confederation defenders 
  on Ronel, the battle for Rio unfolded in the exact opposite fashion. 
  The Voltigeurs’ aerospace support managed to shoot down two of 
  the DCMS DropShips as they entered the planetary atmosphere, 
  plunging both craft to a fiery death south of the port city of San 
  Lucas. On the ground, the Regulars that survived the landings 
  found their DropShips immediately under artillery fire that forced 
  the ship captains to boost away as soon as their ’Mechs had off-
  loaded. Determined to avenge their fallen comrades, the Draconis 
  MechWarriors moved to secure San Lucas for use as a base of 
  operations, only to find that the Capellans had mined half of the 
  city’s streets and rigged several of the taller buildings to explode 
  and collapse as they came through. Within less than half an hour 
  after landing on a world once known as a holovid-worthy paradise, 
  the Dieron Regulars found themselves trapped in a flaming hell 
  that had once been a pristine resort town.
  The sudden increase in fighting along the Capellan-Combine 
  border forced a shift in Sandol Quinn’s military priorities. Although 
  he never gave up on one day claiming Chesterton, he was 
  determined not to hand a strategically compromised realm over to 
  young Ilsa Liao’s rule. During his final months as regent, he pulled 
  the overextended CCAF troops from Salem, Victoria, Carmacks and 
  Sekulmun to reinforce the borders of the St. Ives Commonality, 
  while also firming up the borders of his own Tikonov Commonality. 
  The Capellan Confederation that Ilsa Liao inherited upon her 
  ascension to Chancellor in 2801 was a stronger, more accomplished 
  state than the one her grandmother knew at the time of her death, 
  but it was also nearly exhausted by a combination of its recent 
  offensives and the daily threat of an imminent resumption of 
  hostilities from the Free Worlds League.
  These Capellan representatives made their pitch by stating the 
  patently obvious: Chesterton was surrounded by the CCAF on all 
  sides, and the Davion government remained focused on driving the 
  Dragon away from New Avalon. Even if the Suns could send help 
  right now, their reinforcements simply would not arrive in time to 
  stop the slaughter that would surely take place if the locals failed to 
  surrender and return to the Celestial Realm. 
  In response, the local AFFS commander, Leftenant General 
  Thomas J King, informed Quinn’s emissaries that his command 
  included a stockpile of cobalt-laced fission weapons, which he 
  promised to unleash “the moment the first Cappie pinko set 
  foot on Chesterton soil.” When the emissaries questioned King’s 
  sanity at even considering such extreme measures, King flippantly 
  remarked, “I know how much your Chancellor loves surprises.”
  Although King never proved his possession of such a nuclear 
  stockpile, subsequent Maskirovka investigation confirmed enough 
  about the Suns’ Chesterton defenses to reinforce the idea that a 
  full-fledged invasion of the planet would be extremely costly. The 
  isolated Davion troops were dug-in, well-disciplined, and fanatical 
  in their determination since word of the Kentares atrocities reached 
  them. Along with the fact that the CCAF had already completely 
  cut off their means of escape—not merely by controlling all 
  systems within jump range, but also by capturing or destroying 
  all local hyperspace-capable vessels—the consensus was that the 
  defenders simply had nothing left to lose.
  Unwilling to commit to an offensive that would force his 
  men to deploy weapons of mass destruction against a world he 
  desperately wanted to take intact, Sandol Quinn ordered the CCAF 
  regiments around Chesterton to maintain a defensive posture. 
  The battle for Chesterton would have to wait while the Strategios 
  considered alternative options.
  CAUGHT IN THE CAPELLAN CROSSFIRE
  By 2800, the Confederation remained largely stalemated along 
  the coreward border with the Federated Suns. Although the recent 
  conquests around Chesterton held, the coreward edge of Capellan 
  space had continued to deteriorate amid the heavy fighting between 
  the DCMS and AFFS. Following Barbara Liao’s failed 2788 bid for a 
  non-aggression pact with Minoru Kurita, the Strategios kept a wary 
  eye on the region. Prior to the Kentares Massacre, sporadic, border-
  testing raids between Capellan and Combine recon units were 
  common, but had begun to taper off by the mid-2890s. When pro-
  Davion attacks in reaction to the Kentares Massacre suddenly flashed 
  across the Dragon’s invasion corridor, however, this three-way border 
  region once more became an active battleground. 
  With this new eruption of fighting, the Combine-Capellan clashes 
  Barbara Liao feared more than a decade earlier finally came to pass.
  Striking first at the world of Ronel in March 2800, the Draconis 
  Combine’s Thirty-Fifth Dieron Regulars found themselves facing off 
  against the CCAF’s Ariana Grenadiers and two regiments of sealed 
  armor. Having only recently transferred there from Demeter, the 
  Grenadiers had yet to fully acclimate to Ronel’s higher gravity and 
  more desolate landscape when the DCMS troops landed. During the 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
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  HOUSE lIAO FORGES ON
  Confederation had reclaimed the worlds of Lukla, Sappho, and 
  Shuen Wan, while Oriente’s provincial defense forces scrambled to 
  protect their capital.
  In December 2804, the Confederation lunched its first major 
  assault against Oriente, with the Tenth Liao Lancers and the 
  Eleventh and Twenty-Fourth Sian Dragoons regiments escorted 
  by a small fleet of WarShips and fighter-carrying DropShips. With 
  few provincial combat-capable ships left to protect their world, the 
  desperate defenders were forced to rely on nuclear-armed fighters, 
  a wall of conscripted DropShips, and surface-to-orbit missile 
  batteries as their only means of blunting the Capellans’ numerical 
  superiority. Although these defenses did inflict severe casualties on 
  the invaders’ naval assets, the CCAF nevertheless managed to drop 
  two ’Mech regiments on the planet. 
  After a weeks-long battle among the industrial heartlands of 
  Oriente’s Navarre continent, it was only sheer determination and luck 
  that allowed the provincial forces to beat back the Confederation. 
  Convinced that their assault could easily prompt the League 
  to set aside its internal differences and invite an overwhelming 
  counterattack, the invasion planners outlined strict mission objectives 
  that dictated the battle’s timing and set the maximum amount 
  of losses considered acceptable. When the planetary defenders 
  managed to upset the Capellans’ timetable and reduce their strength 
  past these mission-directed limits, the ranking CCAF commander, 
  Colonel Ernst Maretta, ordered a fighting retreat.
  Despite their defeat, by the time the last of the Capellans 
  departed from Oriente in early February, the cities of Lugo, Mercia, 
  and Soria had been reduced to smoking ruin. Of the four WarShips 
  committed to the attack, only one Liao vessel—the battered Du Shi 
  Wang-class battleship Duncan Liao—remained operational. Among 
  the ground forces, all three regiments suffered extensive casualties.
  Objective Oriente – Strike Two
  To the astonishment of Liao’s Strategios, intelligence reports 
  from within the League showed that the Captain-General remained 
  unmoved by the assault. Despite nearly losing such an important 
  world, the Maskirovka found no sign of additional FWLM troops 
  moving to protect the planet. In fact, it appeared that the only 
  real effect was a stream of orders from Duke Allison to several of 
  his provincial commanders, requesting additional forces to cover 
  Oriente’s Confederation borders in the absence of League support.
  Emboldened by this news, Chancellor Ilsa Liao approved a 
  second assault on Oriente as soon as possible. In late April 2805, 
  CCAF forces captured Fujidera. Barely two months later—just four 
  months after its last attack on Oriente—the Confederation returned 
  with a battlegroup that included the hastily refreshed Eleventh and 
  Twenty-Fourth Sian Dragoons, reinforced with the Always Faithful 
  mercenary command’s Alpha Regiment, and a large contingent of 
  aerospace fighters. With the Duncan Liao still undergoing repairs, 
  the best naval escort the Capellans could manage this time was a 
  quartet of Vincent-class corvettes.
  Oriente, still recovering from the previous invasion, was 
  effectively unable to oppose the inbound WarShips. Still, having 
  learned from the last attack, the Confederation ship captains knew 
  better than to draw too close to the planet’s atmosphere, risking 
  STROKE OF LUCK: ORIENTE ABANDONED
  In January 2804, Captain-General Kenyon Marik suffered a 
  fatal heart attack on Atreus less than a week before his seventieth 
  birthday. His second son, Fleet Admiral Thaddeus Marik, was 
  in the field at the time, overseeing a final assault against Lyran 
  fortifications on Alhena. When word reached him of his father’s 
  death, it came with additional news that the Marik Parliament had 
  called a session to discuss candidates for the next League ruler. 
  In response, Thaddeus remained at his post just long enough to 
  ensure that the enemy defenders were broken. Three days later—
  and just hours after the Commonwealth survivors boosted off-
  world—he boarded the first available shuttle back to his flagship 
  Bucharest. Ordering the destroyer’s crew to make best speed for 
  Atreus, the admiral leapt into the void, destined to stake his claim 
  on the throne.
  During Marik’s journey back to the Free Worlds’ capital, his 
  venerable WarShip’s drive core burned out over the world of 
  Rasalas, the victim of strain from a quick-charged double-jump. 
  Though forced to switch to a conventional military JumpShip, he 
  took the opportunity to attach a ’Mech-loaded FWLM DropShip 
  to his entourage. Thus, when the man who would be Captain-
  General finally arrived on Atreus in late July, he did so with a heavy 
  BattleMech battalion at his side.
   Thaddeus Marik burst into Parliament amid its deliberations, 
  and presented the gathered representatives with the terms and 
  provisions of Resolution 288. Citing the fact that his father died 
  before relinquishing his post or repealing the resolution, as well 
  as the clear fact that the crisis which prompted the resolution had 
  not passed, Marik proclaimed his right to assume the mantle of 
  Captain-General as Kenyon’s successor. Fierce debate between 
  Marik’s supporters and opponents ensued, as Thaddeus stood at 
  the floor of the chamber in intense silence. When the arguments 
  deadlocked, close to two-thirds of Parliament angrily stormed out 
  of the building, only to face a company of FWLM assault ’Mechs 
  standing ominously before them.
  The majority of Parliament’s anti-Marik delegates promptly 
  returned to chambers with a fresh change of heart to reaffirm the 
  state of emergency, satisfying the terms of Resolution 288. But the 
  vote was not unanimous; Carter Allison, ruler of the Duchy of Oriente, 
  and coadjutant administrator of several smaller provinces along the 
  Capellan border, refused to be intimidated into submission. As he 
  defiantly challenged the affirmation, backed up almost exclusively 
  by MPs from the provinces under his control, Thaddeus Marik icily 
  noted that it was, of course, Allison’s decision to make. 
  As Captain-General, however, it was now within Thaddeus’ 
  power to withdraw all FWLM federal troops from Oriente—which 
  he promptly did.
  Objective: Oriente – Strike One
  In the Capellan Confederation, word of House Marik’s internal 
  struggles offered the Strategios a rare opportunity to cripple a key 
  member of the Free Worlds League. CCAF forces swept forth from 
  staging grounds on Anegasaki, Ipswich, and Pella II the moment 
  the FWLM departures were confirmed. By mid-September, the 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  84
  HOUSE lIAO FORGES ON
  to flee to orbit without having secured a single runway. Without air 
  cover to help bombard the enemy strongholds around Cadiz, his 
  BattleMechs—caught largely in the open and slowed down by a 
  thickening blanket of driving snow—suffered horrendous damage. 
  The worst stroke of luck fell on the eighth day of this second 
  battle for Oriente, when an enemy scout lance stumbled upon 
  Maretta’s command lance during a brief lull in the storm. As the 
  winds let up and the snowfall lightened for just a few precious 
  minutes, the quick-thinking provincials called in a massive artillery 
  strike on Maretta’s position, guiding in the incoming fire at 
  dangerously close range. Maretta’s lance was obliterated, along 
  with two of the enemy scouts, just as the storm seemed to roar 
  back to life more furious than before. With their commander 
  abruptly cut down, the Capellans’ morale broke and the next officer 
  in line called for a fighting retreat.
  Two days later, the Confederation invaders again left Oriente 
  behind, but not before they had managed to demolish a significant 
  portion of the suburbs outside Cadiz, and destroy most of the 
  planet’s remaining surface-to-orbit silos. As a parting shot, three 
  of the Capellan corvettes executed a single low-orbit pass over the 
  planet, lobbing capital missiles at a heavily populated portion of 
  the Martigues continent.
  The second assault on Oriente might have been another 
  defeat for House Liao, but Duke Allison realized that the planet 
  remained his due only to a mere twist of fate. In the twelve 
  months since opposing the new Captain-General’s ascension, his 
  homeworld had suffered from two full-blown invasions. In that 
  same time, not only had the Capellans reclaimed three worlds 
  taken earlier in the war, they had also begun to seize planets 
  elsewhere in the Duchy, while border worlds outside his province 
  enjoyed the benefit of federal support. Millions had died while 
  Allison and Marik played a game of political chicken—for which 
  Allison had proven woefully unprepared.
  Faced with the certainty that the next Capellan invasion would 
  slice through the porous remains of Oriente’s defenses, Duke Allison 
  boarded the next DropShip off-world, calling in as many favors as 
  he could to assemble a command circuit straight to Atreus.
  Objective Oriente – Strike Three and Out
  Allison’s departure from Oriente so soon after the defeat of the 
  CCAF’s second invasion attempt did not go unnoticed by Capellan 
  intelligence. When word reached the Strategios on Sian, the 
  consensus was that the Duke was likely about to beg for help from 
  the Captain-General directly. While the details of the rift between 
  the two leaders remained murky, the danger of their reconciliation 
  was clear enough—it would dash the Confederation’s best hope of 
  crippling a sizeable chunk of the Free Worlds League.
  Recognizing that their window was about to close, the CCAF 
  high commanders hastily drew plans for a third offensive against 
  Oriente. To ensure its victory, they planned to strip the forces from 
  their new conquests near the system—Fujidera and Fletcher, as 
  well as the defenders on the reclaimed worlds of Lukla and Sappho. 
  Together with the remaining elements of the regiments used in 
  the latest assault, and with every WarShip available to them in 
  the immediate vicinity (including the still-damaged battleship 
  fire from the surface launchers they now knew to be positioned 
  around the planet’s capital city of Cadiz, as well as its major military 
  bases and spaceports. This would leave the landing ships with 
  little cover fire as they made planetfall, but the Capellans offset 
  this danger by setting their forces down farther away from the 
  cities and facilities they planned to strike. Once grounded, special 
  commando teams—traveling on board smaller, low-flying craft—
  were dropped closer to the objectives. These teams were part of a 
  strategy aimed at neutralizing key points of defense ahead of the 
  main assault, including radar sites, communications hubs, and any 
  other fixed defenses they encountered en route.
  Ernst Maretta once more acted as the invasion’s overall 
  commander, leading from a special HQ detachment in the 
  field. As before, his focus was on the large landmass of Navarre, 
  where the capital city was located, as well as some additional 
  high-priority industrial targets overlooked during the previous 
  invasion. Unfortunately, no sooner had his troops deployed than 
  his comrades in high orbit sent word of trouble: a massive storm 
  system was developing off the eastern Navarre coast, evidently the 
  first blizzard of the local month-long winter season.
  The incoming storm presented a serious complication to the 
  strategy Colonel Maretta pursued this time around. For this invasion 
  to succeed, several key pieces of enemy infrastructure needed to 
  be disabled by his commando teams so that his aerospace forces 
  could operate with greater impunity. With enemy communications 
  and advanced warning systems compromised, the CCAF could 
  isolate and secure (or destroy) three key airfields they had identified 
  as critical to the capital valley’s defense. With these taken down, 
  his fighters would then have a better chance at attaining air aerial 
  supremacy over the area, which they could then use to take out the 
  surface-to-orbit missile silos covering the valley area.
  But with a blizzard rolling in, the colonel knew that his 
  commando teams could be slowed or even immobilized completely, 
  forcing him to risk his precious air support—and, with it, covering 
  fire for his ground units—in an area that could easily fill the skies 
  with provincial air power. Worse, if the storm persisted over the area, 
  it could prevent him from deploying his air power altogether, and 
  would slow his ground forces to a crawl at a time when they needed 
  their mobility the most. Fearing another defeat from something as 
  mundane as falling behind schedule, Maretta called in his air power 
  at once, tasking them with destroying the surface-to-orbit silos 
  before his commandos could even reach their objectives.
  The result was a large, costly, low-altitude air battle reminiscent 
  of mankind’s early days of flight—in the bitter, increasingly windy 
  skies over Navarre’s capital valley. To their credit, the CCAF fighters 
  managed to eliminate approximately eighty percent of the missile 
  silos throughout the valley area, but not without losing more than 
  half their strength in dogfights with their Oriente counterparts. 
  Meanwhile, Maretta ordered his ’Mech forces to advance, hoping to 
  close the distance toward his primary targets: Oriente’s capital city 
  of Cadiz and its adjacent spaceport.
  In the end, it was the weather that defeated Maretta’s second 
  assault against Oriente. Though his commandos managed to 
  take out their assigned objectives long after they ceased to be a 
  priority, the storm winds effectively forced his aerospace support 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  85
  HOUSE lIAO FORGES ON
  As the fighting for Cadiz began in earnest, the news Laurie 
  dreaded finally came through. Relayed to her by the Duncan Liao, 
  it was a frenzied distress call from the zenith jump station, where 
  a fleet of Free Worlds League JumpShips and WarShips had just 
  materialized. House Marik was coming to Oriente’s rescue.
  Tipped off by contacts among the League’s merchant marine, 
  Thaddeus Marik learned of Duke Allison’s departure from Oriente at 
  almost the same time the Capellans did. In anticipation of the duke’s 
  expected capitulation, the Captain-General sent orders diverting 
  WarShips and FWLM regiments from the Principality of Regulus to 
  Tintavel. Initially, Marik had planned to send these forces first to 
  the worlds of Fujidera and Fletcher, establishing both as bases from 
  which they would then push against the Confederation’s advance.
  But then word of House Liao’s third assault on Oriente 
  reached him, along with the certainty that, this time, no amount 
  of misfortune would prevent the Capellans from overrunning 
  the provincial defenses. Marik’s response was to send the entire 
  task force directly to Oriente, with orders to annihilate the 
  invaders there.
  The League fleet, led by Bismarck—one of the rapidly 
  dwindling number of Atreus-class battleships left in the Free 
  Worlds’ navy—emerged at Oriente’s zenith jump point to find 
  the bulk of the invaders’ transport JumpShips parked close by. 
  With ruthless efficiency, the WarShips moved to destroy the 
  enemy vessels before they could warn the ground-side CCAF 
  of their arrival. Though unable to prevent the transmission 
  of a warning, the Marik ships managed to capture two of the 
  Confederation JumpShips, and destroyed the rest within twenty 
  minutes of their arrival.
  Detailing two League destroyers to escort the ground troops, 
  the remaining WarShips of the FWLM fleet—the Bismarck, and the 
  Soyal-class cruisers Karka and Makara—held back just long enough 
  to recharge their drives and compute an in-system jump to Oriente’s 
  best lunar Lagrange point. Though the effort was complicated 
  by planet’s two moons, the League navigators managed to find 
  a suitable point close enough to execute a jump long before 
  the inbound ground forces would arrive. Bismarck jumped first, 
  surprising the Capellans’ orbiting ships, and maneuvering quickly 
  to close with the Duncan Liao. Karka and Makara leapt in minutes 
  afterward, prepared to lend fire support and engage outliers as 
  necessary. As they closed to firing range, both WarShip groups 
  launched their on-board fighters.
  The Capellan WarShips enjoyed a significant numerical 
  advantage, with the battleship Duncan Liao supported by four 
  Vincent corvettes and a pair of Essex destroyers, but the League 
  ships entered the battle in much better condition, and brought 
  ample fighter support. By the end of the half-hour orbital firefight, 
  all four corvettes were destroyed, the surviving destroyer had 
  surrendered, and the Duncan Liao was a cloud of wreckage 
  tumbling into Oriente’s gravity well. In exchange, the Marik battle 
  group had lost the Makara, and Bismarck had suffered crippling 
  damage to her K-F drive system. Over a third of the FWLM fighters 
  were also lost in the exchange, while little more than a single 
  squadron of their Confederation opponents survived to seek refuge 
  on the ground below.
  Duncan Liao), they would surely overrun the provincial defenders 
  and secure a foothold long before the FWLM could move enough 
  troops back to stop them.
  With speed of the essence, the Strategios sent the orders 
  mobilizing their troops even before they had finished fully planning 
  their invasion strategy. Simply put, they needed this task force to 
  strike before Allison or any FWLM reinforcements came to Oriente, 
  which gave them a window no greater than two months. The hasty 
  deployment orders caught many of their own troops completely 
  unprepared, so much so that the regiments departing from Lukla 
  and Sappho were forced to move without their armor and infantry 
  support assets, thanks to a dearth of transports.
  Miraculously for the CCAF, aside from the shortage of 
  supporting units, their collected forces managed to assemble at 
  Fletcher with few serious problems. It was only then, however, that 
  they learned what their operational chain of command would be. 
  For her experience as one of the few surviving regimental leaders 
  who took part in the previous invasions, the Strategios named 
  Colonel Sascha Laurie of the Eleventh Sian Dragoons as the overall 
  mission commander, seconded by Colonel Danladi Raziq of the 
  Twenty-Fourth.
  With no time to waste, Colonel Laurie ordered the entire battle 
  group to jump into the Oriente system on 18 September 2805.
  The third Capellan invasion of Oriente began with the 
  destruction of two provincial DropShips and a commercial JumpShip 
  at the planet’s zenith jump point—an action that represented the 
  total amount of naval combat seen in the task force’s entire approach. 
  During the eighteen-day in-system burn, Colonel Laurie and the 
  other regimental commanders worked out a list of priority targets 
  they would strike first, as well as several secondary and opportunity-
  based objectives. Using her knowledge of the previous invasion’s 
  outcome, Laurie identified the best vectors for the Confederation 
  WarShips to enter orbit from and avoid what remained of the 
  surface-based capital missile silos. As her ’Mech forces dropped, they 
  encountered only a smattering of resistance from Oriente aerospace 
  fighters, many of which were dispatched quickly.
  The Capellan troops hit the ground running, each regiment 
  quickly moving to secure their primary targets across the Navarre 
  continent and encountering only modest resistance from the local 
  defenders, whose numbers were now stretching thin. Within two 
  days of landfall, the Confederation seized four major aerospace 
  ports in and around the valleys where the capital of Cadiz stood. 
  Also taken out were several power stations, and two military bases 
  whose troops had evidently been redeployed elsewhere. 
  Compared to the previous two invasions, the Confederation’s 
  third assault on Oriente was unfolding like child’s play—so much 
  so that it made Colonel Laurie openly muse that the whole affair 
  was some kind of League trap. Urging further caution as the 
  invasion continued to encircle Cadiz, and its aerospace forces and 
  artillery targeted and destroyed all remaining capital launch silos, 
  Laurie quickly developed a habit of badgering her subordinates 
  for status updates. Her continuous, increasingly paranoia-driven 
  micromanaging soon began to wear on her officers’ nerves, but 
  none of this prevented the invaders from completely isolating the 
  capital city by mid-November.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  86
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  BLOODY KENTARES
  In 2796, an insurrection led by survivors of the Seventh 
  Crucis Lancers began to endanger DCMS control over Kentares 
  IV. At the time, Kentares housed massive stores of war materiel 
  stockpiled there in support of the Draconis Combine’s invasion of 
  the Federated Suns. Although the system was already well behind 
  the current front lines, the loss of the Kentares depots would have 
  complicated the Combine’s final assault against House Davion’s 
  throneworld of New Avalon. 
  For these reasons, Minoru Kurita, the Draconis Combine’s 
  aging Coordinator, chose to personally lead his Sixth Sword of 
  Light BattleMech regiment back to Kentares. Arriving there in 
  June, Minoru’s forces were besieged almost immediately when 
  insurgents struck at their landing DropShips. Ample fighter cover, 
  the superior skills of the Sixth Sword, and support from the locally-
  stationed DCMS troops quickly drove back the Davion rebels, but 
  far more of the enemy managed to escape than were destroyed. 
  For more than a month and a half, Minoru led the Combine 
  forces against the Seventh Lancers and their fellow insurgents, 
  eventually isolating them on the temperate continent of Bucholia. 
  By early August, the DCMS encircled the Davion rebels in the 
  Carmelite Mountain region, where only a few townships and agro 
  centers remained to support their infrequent raids. On 9 August, 
  Coordinator Minoru and his command company passed the town 
  of New Snowfield, near the southern foot of the Carmelite Chain, 
  when Minoru found himself mesmerized by the beauty of the 
  landscape. Ordering his team to a stop, Lord Kurita made the 
  unorthodox decision to dismount from his BattleMaster and, with 
  only his command lance mates, a few guards, and a Buddhist priest 
  to accompany him, set off on foot to the nearby meadows. The 
  other two ’Mech lances in the company moved toward the town 
  itself to sweep for hostiles.
  From the mountains above the town, a platoon of Seventh 
  Crucis soldiers led by Sergeant Latha Pischel monitored the event 
  with curiosity. The elderly MechWarrior who descended from 
  the Kurita BattleMech was unfamiliar to them, but he was clearly 
  someone of great importance, given his entourage. As the bulk 
  of the Combine force moved toward the town, Pischel ordered 
  the rest of his platoon to withdraw, but remained behind himself 
  to keep an eye on their activity through the scope of his laser 
  rifle. As he continued quietly reporting DCMS activity near New 
  Snowfield back to his superiors, Pischel watched as the elderly 
  Kurita dismissed his guards, and walked into a lightly wooded 
  grove with only the brightly robed priest at his side.
  The single bolt Sergeant Pischel fired caught the ninety-one 
  year old Coordinator of the Draconis Combine squarely in the back. 
  With no armor protecting him—the Coordinator dismounted from 
  By the time the rest of the League task force slipped into 
  planetary orbit for the ground phase, the CCAF troops below 
  had managed to secure Cadiz, having destroyed or driven off 
  the remnants of its provincial defense forces. The Confederation 
  troops now occupied the entirety of the capital city, as well 
  as the majority of the Navarre continent’s major industrial and 
  military strongpoints. Although many of the Capellan troops were 
  exhausted from battle and beginning to run low on consumables, 
  battlefield salvage and spirited engineering works had enabled 
  them to dig in and prepare for the inevitable Marik assault.
  They did not have to wait long. On 18 December, under 
  complete orbital supremacy and heavy aerospace escort, the 
  Free Worlds League dropped four BattleMech regiments and a 
  dozen more regiments of mixed armor and infantry on Oriente. 
  Half of these forces moved directly on the capital city, while the 
  rest fanned out to reclaim other key bases and airfields in the 
  surrounding countryside. Trapped inside their captured objectives, 
  and with no real hope of escape after the destruction of their fleet, 
  the Capellans fought with the ferocity and desperation of cornered 
  animals, with some of their troops even resorting to tactical 
  atomics in an effort to hold off the inevitable.
  By the first week of 2806, the last of the CCAF invasion forces 
  on Oriente had been either destroyed or captured. Leaving a 
  single ’Mech regiment and two more of armor and infantry to 
  hold the system and aid with rebuilding, the Marik forces moved 
  on from Oriente barely more than a month after the fighting 
  ended. Over the rest of the year, these troops would not only 
  reclaim Fujidera and Fletcher, but also the Capellan border worlds 
  of Lukla and Sappho. 
  Aftermath
  In the wake of this final, disastrous defeat, the CCAF’s 
  Strategios found themselves forced back into defense-only 
  strategies on the League front. Hugely disappointed, Chancellor 
  Ilsa Liao dismissed two of these military advisors for “gross 
  incompetence,” and ordered the majority of the Confederation’s 
  naval assets to cover the League border in the hopes of blunting 
  or discouraging raids by House Marik. 
  As the Confederation fell back into a defensive stance against 
  the League, the rest of the war along their mutual border became 
  a slugging match of raids and small naval actions that ultimately 
  accomplished little more than bleeding resources on both sides.
  THE SUNS RESURGENT:  
  HOUSE DAVION RALLIES 
  For the Federated Suns, the Succession War was a massive 
  and incredibly demoralizing string of defeats that brought their 
  once-proud realm to its knees in just ten short years. The Draconis 
  Combine’s onslaught had claimed roughly a hundred worlds and 
  most of the Davion navy, while the Capellan Confederation nibbled 
  away at the Suns’ flank unchecked. With the Dragon’s blade bearing 
  down on New Avalon itself, the people had begun to succumb to 
  despair. Their future was bleak, their great nation was doomed, and 
  it seemed that nothing in the universe could stop it.
  Mist-covered mountains
  Move in and out of vision.
  Real or just fog dreams?
  –Haiku reportedly found upon the body of Minoru Kurita
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  87
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  What came next would make Davion regret that decision for 
  the rest of his life.
  On 11 September 2796, Jinjiro Kurita arrived on Kentares IV, 
  gathered his officers together, and issued the most infamous order 
  in the history of the First Succession War: “Kill them all.” When one 
  of his officers asked the new Coordinator to clarify his order, Jinjiro 
  had his Otomo guards execute the man on the spot.
  For the next five months, Combine units on Kentares dispersed 
  across the planet to systematically kill every Davion citizen they 
  found. Mass executions were accomplished by rounding up as 
  many civilians as possible in the cities, then using ’Mechs and 
  vehicles to hunt down the rest. DCMS troops also distributed 
  caches of poisoned rations, intended to kill scavenging survivors 
  who evaded the sweeps. Strict discipline instilled in these troops 
  by the Combine’s harsh military training protocols enabled them 
  to carry out their atrocities for a short time without question; the 
  people of the Suns were enemies of the Dragon who had conspired 
  to kill their liege lord in cold blood. Honor demanded that someone 
  be punished—the AFFS insurgents fled in cowardice, so the lives of 
  their confederates would do.
  But by the second month of the ongoing slaughter, the 
  legendary Kuritan military discipline began to waver. No matter 
  how deeply indoctrinated with stoicism and obedience to the 
  his ’Mech clad only in DCMS standard-issue coveralls—the shot 
  instantly burned through flesh, muscle, and, most critically, the 
  man’s heart. Panic instantly erupted on the ground, with even the 
  ’Mech forces amid the streets of New Snowfield turning to scramble 
  toward their leader. In the confusion, Pischel managed to slip away 
  undetected, unaware of just how important the man he’d killed 
  truly was.
  When word of Minoru Kurita’s death on Kentares reached 
  AFFS High Command amid an explosion of enemy activity and 
  intercepted communications, the general reaction was not a 
  sense of victory, but of dread. Despised as Minoru had been, the 
  Davion leadership knew of Jinjiro’s far more volatile nature, and 
  feared the day when he would lead the House of Kurita. After all, 
  it was Minoru’s sense of caution that had given New Avalon its 
  latest reprieve, for it was Minoru’s idea—not Jinjiro’s—to postpone 
  invading the capital of the Federated Suns until their captured 
  territories had been further quelled.
  Hoping to deny Jinjiro a target for his vengeance, Prince John 
  Davion ordered all AFFS troops left on Kentares IV to withdraw 
  at once. By the end of August, less than two weeks before the 
  Coordinator’s heir reached the planet himself, the Suns managed 
  to discretely evacuate all of its military forces from the Kentares via 
  JumpShips diverted from nearby Sonnia.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  88
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  Coordinator, the task of killing hundreds of civilians, day after day, in so personal a 
  fashion, began to take a toll on the Combine soldiers. The cracks started in the lower 
  ranks of the infantry who were sent into the cities and towns; some deliberately allowed 
  groups of Kentarens to escape. Others began actively hiding their would-be victims, 
  stashing whole families and communities in mineshafts or beneath collapsed structures 
  while claiming to find such areas abandoned. Eventually, these acts even spread to the 
  MechWarriors, vehicle crews, and officers. In many cases, soldiers unable to justify their 
  role in massacres—even if they never personally pulled a trigger or swung a sword—
  ultimately resorted to suicide.
  For Jinjiro Kurita, the thousands killed were little more than numbers; he could 
  have easily achieved the same body counts with nuclear bombardment. To truly satisfy 
  his need for revenge, he craved wanton bloodshed. After the first month, he began 
  attending executions, and forbade the use of modern weapons at those he witnessed, 
  preferring to see his victims beheaded by the sword. When confirmed reports came in 
  of his own warriors protecting the Kentares natives, or simply refusing their orders to 
  kill, the Coordinator dispatched his elite guards to round up such “traitors,” along with 
  anyone they protected. These dissident troops were then executed along with the 
  Kentarens they’d tried to save.
  By the time Jinjiro left Kentares IV in February 2797, an estimated fifty-two million 
  men, women, and children—nearly all of them civilians—had died at the hands of the 
  DCMS. Kentares IV, a previously beautiful farming world with a population of nearly 
  fifty-eight million, had been reduced to a ghost world full of burning, blood-soaked 
  towns, and trampled farmlands. 
  [Editor’s Note: The soldier whose fateful shot killed Minoru Kurita, Sergeant Latha 
  Pischel, was among the troops evacuated from Kentares before the massacre began. In 
  March 2797, after learning of the events that took place in the wake of Minoru’s death, he 
  committed suicide, blaming himself for the atrocity.] 
  United in Rage
  Across the Federated Suns, reaction to news of the Kentares Massacre was universal. 
  An intense wave of outrage spread through the realm, boiling over into such raw fury 
  that it seemed as if every person, from the humblest citizens and soldiers to its most 
  powerful generals and politicians, clamored for revenge. Hate groups, particularly those 
  that proposed locking away (or simply killing) all those of Asiatic ethnicities or Eastern 
  faiths, found willing audiences among the general populace. The fear and despair that 
  gripped the Suns just weeks before burned away in a flash, as a wave of anger spread 
  across the nation at the speed of a hyperpulse signal.
  Field units nearest to Combine-occupied worlds began plotting their own 
  vengeance campaigns, not even bothering to wait for orders from the dysfunctional 
  AFFS High Command. Unsurprisingly, the first regiments to break ranks were those 
  closest to Kentares—including the survivors of the Seventh Crucis Lancers, the 
  Twentieth Syrtis Fusiliers, and the Third Deneb Light Cavalry—all of which launched 
  unauthorized assaults against the DCMS. Staging from Goderich in October 2797, 
  these forces targeted Kuritan conquests nearest to their position, even as Capellan 
  forces actively consolidated their own recent captures of Tawas and Sanilac. By mid-
  November 2797, the reckless ferocity of these “renegade” Davion actions broke the 
  Kuritan defenses on Marlette and Logandale, returning both to the sword-and-sunburst 
  banner of House Davion.
  “Remember Kentares!” became the battle cry that rallied a realm on the verge of 
  utter defeat.
  The reactionary assaults spread further in the following months. AFFS troops landed 
  on Bristol in November, while forces near New Avalon assaulted Odell and Delavan in 
  December, essentially throwing themselves against the point of the Dragon’s spear.
  DISPROPORTIONATE OUTRAGE
  Atrocity and outcry are funny things, aren’t they?
  Since at least the early days of mass media—and likely 
  all the way back to the days of ancient Rome—people have 
  always reacted upon learning of some event that claimed 
  a lot of lives at once. When the cause is natural, like a flood, 
  earthquake, or a comet strike, the reaction is usually one of 
  compassion: charitable donations surge, emergency services 
  are deluged with volunteers, blood banks are packed, and 
  people suddenly care about others they would otherwise 
  never see or interact with in any way. When the cause is man-
  made, like a war-time atrocity, a mass shooting, or an indus-
  trial disaster that could have been prevented, the reaction is 
  less one of sympathy and more one of outrage: Politicians and 
  community leaders line up to lay blame, protesters hit the 
  streets, news pundits argue over who was wrong and why, 
  and military or police spokespeople vow justice. 
  It says something good about mankind, to be sure, that 
  we can still manage such empathy, even today, as we’ve 
  spread ourselves farther and farther into space. But the 
  funny part—under the ironic definition of the word—is 
  how inconsistent those reactions can be, compared to the 
  scale of the tragedy. The passing of a single beloved leader 
  or other celebrity can bring out the tears of a thousand 
  worlds, while the crash of a star liner would barely register 
  in a ten o’clock newsvid. The slow, agonizing death of Beta 
  Regulus II from a planetoid strike in 2899 riveted the people 
  of the Lyran Commonwealth, but the rest of the Inner 
  Sphere barely recognized the event at all.
  In the First Succession War, so many billions of people 
  died that we may never know an accurate count. Whole 
  worlds vanished from the maps in the years after Kerensky’s 
  Exodus—some in the fires of nuclear warfare, others 
  among the choking clouds of chemical and biological weap-
  onry, and still others simply starved out as the supply ships 
  stopped coming. After the horrors of the Amaris years, it 
  almost seemed as if mankind (or, at least, the leaders of the 
  interstellar realms that represented mankind) had grown so 
  inured to the concept of total war that killing off their fellow 
  man by the millions was about as tragic as burning down a 
  single city. It was the kind of thing that was justified, when 
  one did so in the course of a war—and a motivation for 
  new recruits when the enemy did it.
  At the time of the Kentares Massacre, the Succession 
  War was already ten years along, and the Federated Suns 
  was so trounced that it seemed as if they were ready to 
  just roll over and die beneath the Combine’s onslaught. As 
  it was on every front, worlds had died from nuclear bombs 
  and engineered bio-chemical toxins—the nastiest weap-
  ons of mass destruction the warlords of humanity had 
  ever commissioned. Tens of billions had died or were 
  actively dying on every front.
  (CONTINUED ON P. 89)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  89
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  These attacks, like those launched from Goderich, were not directed by Prince John, 
  but he and his senior officers certainly welcomed them. In fact, on 2 December, when 
  word came that a small Davion battle group had emerged at Delavan to engage the 
  pair of Combine destroyers posted there, the Prince was on nearby Ipava, preparing 
  his own counter-offensive against that very world. Upon learning of the destruction of 
  both enemy WarShips three days later, he reportedly heaved a deep sigh of relief and 
  muttered, “Thank God for the loose cannons.” 
  THE RISE OF PRINCE PAUL
  It was Prince Davion’s hope to harness the Suns’ newfound fighting spirit by 
  restoring the chain of command and launching a concerted counter-assault against the 
  occupied worlds in the Crucis March. Unfortunately, on 9 December 2797, as he and his 
  son Joshua worked to finalize these plans, an unknown assassin struck at the Prince’s 
  field headquarters and killed both men. The crown—and, with it, the future of the 
  Federated Suns—fell to Joshua Davion’s nineteen-year-old son, Paul Davion.
  Prince Paul Davion ascended to the throne decades before even he had anticipated. 
  Still technically enrolled in the New Avalon Military Academy, where he had only just 
  earned the epaulets of a senior leftenant, his schooling in matters both military and 
  political was far from complete. Nevertheless, at the very time his realm needed him, he 
  proved to be a quick study. In the year that followed Paul’s ascension, the spontaneous 
  and uncoordinated attacks by various AFFS front-line commands raged on. Rather than 
  condemn these regiments for poor discipline, Paul instead bestowed official approval for 
  these assaults. In proclaiming these warriors as heroes of the realm, he not only accrued 
  some small measure of credit for their victories for himself, but he made it known to his 
  officers that their efforts and initiative were welcomed. Their battles would not be acts of 
  mere vengeance; they would be victories for all brothers and sisters of the Federated Suns.
  With their supply lines overextended, and rebellions erupting throughout their 
  occupied territories as word of Kentares continued to spread, the Draconis Combine 
  spent much of 2798 battling insurgencies even as its rank-and-file soldiers became 
  increasingly dispirited. Against the frenzied strikes of the Suns’ border units, Kuritan 
  defenses began to crumble. The worlds of Coloma, Strawn, Arcadia, and Saginaw all 
  fell before the AFFS, whose warriors often drove back Kurita’s forces using tactics that 
  verged on recklessness. Although the deaths of Prince John and Joshua Davion left their 
  original plans in disarray, the Federated Suns managed to push the Dragon back as its 
  people raged against their would-be conquerors.
   At the dawn of 2799, the reactionary assaults began to slow down as supplies 
  grew short. Bremond and Tancredi IV were reclaimed early in the year, followed by 
  Fairfax, and Sanilac—the latter having only recently been taken by House Liao. In 2800, 
  another Capellan-occupied world, Tawas, also fell back under Davion sway. For all of 
  these successful actions, however, there were many defeats. All along the Combine’s 
  occupation zone, AFFS regiments, mercenary forces, and scattered WarShips had 
  crossed the border only to be sent back in defeat. Yet even these skirmishes bled the 
  Combine, sapping away more than just soldiers and materiel. To ensure these AFFS 
  victories would not be easily reversed, Paul instructed his logistical commanders to 
  ensure that the most successful forces receive priority for resupply.
  Meanwhile, the Combine was suffering an ever-mounting morale crisis. The Kentares 
  Massacre had become a stain on the hearts of many DCMS warriors, who were further 
  shocked by the ferocity and sheer randomness of the scattered counterassaults. In many 
  cases, Kuritan soldiers actually broke after only token resistance, laying down their arms 
  and surrendering before the Davion advance. As word of these surrenders reached the 
  Prince, he ordered the field commanders to treat all prisoners as humanely as possible, and 
  to interrogate captured officers and NCOs thoroughly for any intelligence on the Combine’s 
  current disposition and resources. These reports, Paul insisted, were to come to him directly—
  bypassing the Military Intelligence apparatus that he was in the process of radically overhauling.
  DISPROPORTIONATE OUTRAGE 
  (CONTINUED)
  And still, the people of the Federated Suns were 
  ready to accept their fate…until Kentares.
  How does the death of fifty-two million better 
  motivate a people to rise up than the deaths of nearly a 
  dozen worlds in the fires of man-made holocausts? What 
  was so special about fifty-two million people—mostly 
  farmers, merchants, and miners—that “Remember 
  Kentares” remains a rallying cry even four hundred years 
  after the fact?
  The answer likely varies from case to case, but I think, 
  when it comes to Kentares, that it all comes down to 
  how personal the whole thing was. Thanks to recordings 
  smuggled out by guilt-wracked members of Jinjiro’s own 
  command staff and the local ComStar hyperpulse generator 
  staff, the universe saw an orgy of bloody slaughter. They 
  didn’t see whole cities blown apart by a single fireball, 
  launched by weapon techs who did nothing more mali-
  cious than pushing a launch button. They didn’t see titans 
  of metal, blasting each other to high-tech scrap. They saw 
  soldiers armed with pistols, swords, submachine guns, and 
  flamers, as they rounded up men, women, and children—
  some still in bedclothes, some naked, and most looking 
  as though they’d already been beaten up by their armed 
  captors. And they saw the horror on these victims faces as 
  Kurita’s soldiers cut them down at point-blank range. 
  For those of the Federated Suns, it was only then 
  that the victims had faces they could truly relate to. These 
  massacre victims were no longer casualty figures from 
  far-off worlds; they were countrymen—real people, who 
  could just as easily been family, friends, loved ones. And 
  their killers were monsters wrapped in the colors of an 
  enemy state. The Combine did not murder strangers from 
  light-years away; they’d killed the brothers and sisters of 
  every citizen in the Suns!
  The outage even echoes among the warriors of House 
  Kurita. For the soldiers of the DCMS, these smuggled imag-
  es spread the horrors of Jinjiro’s bloodlust before Kurita’s 
  state-run media could spin or sanitize it. What happened on 
  Kentares was not bushido. It was not honor. It was not even a 
  righteous vengeance. It was senseless murder against a world 
  of people whose only crime had been being unable to escape 
  a madman’s wrath.
  For both sides, perhaps, it was a lesson in the horrors 
  of war that had been long overdue. And it changed the 
  course of history.
  —From Reflections on War, by Bertram Habeas, 
  Republic Publications, 3132
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  90
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  The Reformation
  As his military essentially moved on its own momentum—and with the Prince’s 
  blessings—Paul Davion focused the majority of his first four years in power on an 
  ambitious effort to reform the Suns from top to bottom. From 2798 through 2801, the 
  Prince enacted several reforms intended to resolve many of the political and strategic 
  issues that undermined the realm’s cohesion throughout the war. Although some of 
  these changes worried the High Council members, who had enjoyed greater political 
  and provincial power prior to Paul’s Reformation, the realm was in crisis, and—strangely 
  enough—this young, untested ruler seemed to have a plan that promised to help end it.
  Key to the Reformation was Prince Paul’s claim to the title of Duke of New Avalon. 
  Established as a mark of honor to the heir of the Star League’s First Lordship, the title was 
  claimed by his grandfather, John, when he joined the other House Lords in proclaiming 
  their right to rule the post-Amaris League. But this was no mere honorary birthright; in 
  the days of the Star League, it accumulated several additional powers that the Cameron 
  lords exercised throughout their reign, albeit rarely. These rarely-used powers, and the 
  supposedly honorary nature of the title, made the Duchy of New Avalon insignificant to 
  those who sat on the Federated Suns’ High Council. 
  Demonstrating an astonishingly keen familiarity with Star League history, Paul 
  recognized that many of these added powers granted the Duke of New Avalon legal 
  abilities previously denied even to the Prince. Among them was titular ownership over 
  roughly thirty of the Suns’ planets, the ability to bestow courtesy titles, and the right to 
  summon, dismiss, and speak first at any Federation High Council meeting. Combined 
  with those of Prince of the Federated Suns, the additional powers afforded to the 
  Duchy of New Avalon—Paul’s birthright as a claimant to the throne of the First Lord—
  effectively enabled him to legally assume absolute power over the Federated Suns. 
  The Prince of the Federated Suns was now a true feudal monarch. With these new 
  powers, Paul Davion set out to reorganize the AFFS into a fighting force loyal to House 
  Davion over any single political or regional entity. Under the centralized power of a 
  single ruler, rather than the shared reign of a Prince and a slow-moving High Council, 
  the Suns would be more responsive to outside aggression. In 2799, Paul established fifty 
  new nobles in the Suns’ order of peerage, streamlined the military’s chain of command 
  so that it properly flowed down from the Prince as Commander-in-Chief of the AFFS, 
  and established two new military awards to recognize exemplary warriors of the realm. 
  But the greatest of Prince Paul’s creations was the reformation of the Suns’ 
  intelligence-gathering apparatus. Citing the inadequate capabilities of the realm’s 
  civilian information-gathering services—which were reliant on Military Intelligence for 
  virtually all of their data needs and field support—and the provincial factionalism of 
  the MI agency itself, Paul initiated a radical overhaul of both. The civilian intelligence 
  agencies were replaced by a new, more autonomous civilian agency dubbed the 
  Ministry of Intelligence, Investigations, and Operations (MIIO), which was tasked with 
  gathering information through any means necessary, and feeding said information to 
  the state as quickly as possible. The MIIO received abundant funding, and the Prince 
  ordered the new ministry to reward and encourage individual initiative. The MIIO no 
  longer needed to go through Military Intelligence for its operational or informational 
  needs; it could field agents and gather data on its own. 
  Paul’s investment in the MIIO proved remarkably effective. By late 2790, a year 
  after its inception, the civilian agency had already established a network of operatives 
  throughout much of the Suns’ territory still occupied by Combine invaders. By the 
  beginning of 2800, critical intelligence on House Kurita’s activities behind the front lines 
  was flowing back to the Prince from MIIO’s agents more quickly and thoroughly than it 
  was from those of Military Intelligence. Over the months to come, the Prince would see 
  to it that Military Intelligence reduced its bureaucracy and internal divisiveness, using 
  many of the same carrot-and-stick techniques that had worked so well in rehabilitating 
  the AFFS and creating the MIIO.
  WHO KILLED THE PRINCE?
  The mystery of who sent the assassin that killed 
  Prince John Davion and his son has persisted for centuries. 
  Even declassified ComStar documents shed little light 
  on the subject—a fact that, among many conspiracy 
  theorists, suggests that the nascent Order had something 
  to do with it. Given the political and strategic situation at 
  the time, and the fact that John was planning a counter-
  invasion on a world just one jump away from Combine-
  occupied space, the conventional wisdom has long held 
  that the killer was an agent of House Kurita. This tends 
  to be the most common assumption among historians, in 
  spite of the curious lack of evidence.
  However, even a cursory look at the state of the 
  Suns—and, indeed, the Inner Sphere at large—reveals 
  a laundry list of suspects who might have had it in for the 
  Davion Prince. The following are merely some of the most 
  likely candidates for who would have wanted John Davion 
  dead, and why:
  Jinjiro Kurita – The easiest and most obvious can-
  didate, of course, is the man who ruled the Draconis 
  Combine when the assassin struck. After all, the AFFS 
  killed his father, and most analyses of the Kentares 
  Massacre have posited that Jinjiro struggled to find closure 
  in the bloodbath, only to come up wanting. Killing his 
  father’s rival, the man who led the armies of the Suns, 
  would have been perhaps the only way for the brutal and 
  vengeance-driven Jinjiro to even the scales. 
  Sandol Quinn – The next most probable culprit, 
  naturally, is the Capellan ruler at the time of the assas-
  sination. Regent-Chancellor Quinn had just embarked 
  on an ambitious campaign aimed at annexing the 
  Chesterton worlds two years before the Prince’s murder. 
  The Confederation was having a relatively easy time of it, 
  too, as the Suns continued to descend into despair under 
  the ongoing Kurita invasion. But then Kentares happened, 
  reigniting the AFFS’ fighting spirit. By taking out the 
  Prince, perhaps Quinn hoped to deprive the Suns of a man 
  who could have harnessed that focus.
  Jerome Blake – The suggestion that ComStar had a 
  hand in Prince John’s demise began as a fringe theory. But 
  after the ComStar Schism of 3052, it gained a great deal 
  of support as rumors of the Order’s political meddling 
  propagated. The “convenient” lack of any information 
  about the assassin’s identity—or even any coded mes-
  sages sent or received on Ipava in the days leading up to 
  the assassination—are often cited as evidence of Primus 
  Blake’s perfidy. 
  (CONTINUED ON P. 91)
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  91
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  THE FIRST AFFS COUNTEROFFENSIVE:  
  BEATING BACK THE DRAGON
  With greater authority, an improved intelligence network, and a military no 
  longer burdened by its own broken morale, Prince Paul Davion returned his full 
  attention to the war in 2801. After arriving on Logandale in February to his join forces 
  already gathering there, the twenty-two year old First Prince of the Federated Suns led 
  a new counteroffensive against the Draconis Combine. While his strategy was nothing 
  terribly creative—being effectively a full frontal assault against the targeted DCMS 
  positions—the fact that the Prince himself was entering the fray further boosted his 
  warriors’ morale.
  The first target of this organized counteroffensive was, naturally, Kentares IV. By 
  making the liberation of that world his first priority, the Prince underscored his position 
  not merely as a leader of the Federated Suns, but a warrior who—like everyone else in 
  the realm—sought justice for the massacre. Paul Davion was not some distant ruler who 
  focused on preventing the fall of his capital; he was a man willing to charge into battle 
  for those helpless citizens caught so far behind enemy lines.
  At Paul’s side for this campaign was his uncle, Marshal Thomas Halder-Davion. An 
  experienced battlefield commander, Halder-Davion oversaw the majority of the ground 
  operations while ensuring Paul’s security. (The young Prince, strategic and political 
  prodigy though he was, nevertheless had much to learn on the battlefield.) The general 
  success of the first Davion counteroffensive, which would liberate nearly forty worlds 
  between 2801 and 2807, is largely credited to the complementary skills of these two 
  men, as well as a sudden eruption of hostilities between Capellan and Combine forces 
  over several former worlds of the Terran Hegemony.
  The liberation of Kentares IV itself was further aided by a surprise discovery: a small, 
  company-sized group of AFFS survivors had failed to evacuate the world with the rest 
  of the Seventh Crucis Lancers. Although this company, led by Captain Kieran McKinnon, 
  was unable to prevent the Kentares Massacre, its covert operations in the midst of 
  the tragedy saved many Kentaren lives. Since Jinjiro’s departure in 2797, McKinnon’s 
  guerillas had resurfaced to harass and further demoralize the DCMS forces left to defend 
  the now-cursed world. Between McKinnon’s Raiders (as the company was known), and 
  the Prince’s assault, Kentares was reclaimed by the end of April 2801. Impressed by 
  Captain McKinnon’s effectiveness in long-term, behind-the-lines raiding, Paul Davion 
  sent him and his Raiders onward to act as a vanguard objective-raider during future 
  waves of the counteroffensive campaign.
  The victories of the first counteroffensive further bolstered morale across the AFFS, 
  and wore away at the DCMS’ resolve. Armed with military intelligence that continued to 
  improve with each successive wave, Davion’s field commanders grew bolder, executing 
  daring operations that netted stores of Kuritan material. Modifying a page from the 
  Combine’s invasion playbook, many planetary assaults would begin with advance 
  strikes aimed at disabling their transport assets, taking out JumpShips, DropShips, and 
  even WarShips when possible. Often, these shipping raids actually hit systems adjoining 
  a target world first, to strand any reinforcements which could be called when the main 
  forces launched their final assaults. 
  In an effort to blunt the Federated Suns’ counterassault, several DCMS generals 
  found themselves forced to move troops from elsewhere in the occupied territories, 
  stripping many to minimalist defenses. Meanwhile, reports of low morale, up to and 
  including the surrender of whole infantry and armor battalions, further enraged 
  Coordinator Jinjiro Kurita. In an effort to reignite the spark in his men, Jinjiro resorted 
  to the harsh disciplinarian measures used throughout the DCMS training regimen. 
  When these efforts failed, the Coordinator ordered the torture and execution of his own 
  officers. Still other DCMS field commanders, shamed by their failure, or by the sense of 
  tarnished honor that came with news of Kentares, committed seppuku. 
  WHO KILLED THE PRINCE? 
  (CONTINUED)
  Alexander Dresari – At the time of John’s assas-
  sination, Alexander Dresari was the Brevet Colonel who 
  took effective command of the Seventh Crucis Lancers 
  remnants that evacuated from Kentares on the Prince’s 
  orders. According to this conspiracy theory (which only 
  gained traction during the FedCom Civil War of the 3060s), 
  Dresari was so horrified by the massacre following the 
  Seventh’s withdrawal that he blamed John for the atrocity, 
  and hired the assassin at great personal expense.
  Paul Davion – A favorite theory for those who enjoy 
  seeing the Davions as a family of moustache-twirling villains, 
  this one often piggybacks on the Dresari theory by suggesting 
  that Paul—then a young NAMA cadet—conspired with 
  Dresari to have his father and grandfather killed. The sole “evi-
  dence” usually offered by those who suggest it comes down 
  to the fact that Paul immediately ascended to the throne and 
  that he subsequently awarded Dresari a ducal title as ruler of 
  Kentares IV once that world was liberated.
  Anastasia Cunningham – Countess Cunningham of 
  Kestrel was a ranking member of the Federated Suns’ High 
  Council who had the ear of the Privy Council’s Minister of 
  Military Intelligence (the progenitor to the modern MIIO). 
  Under this theory, the assassination of the Prince and his 
  heir was intended to usurp Davion control over the Suns 
  by putting Paul Davion on the throne as a puppet. Those 
  who suggest that Cunningham masterminded Prince John’s 
  death tend to believe that her motives were more driven 
  by patriotism than politics; a great many members of the 
  High Council blamed the Prince for the AFFS’ failure to hold 
  back the Kuritan hordes, and the Kentares Massacre was 
  merely the straw that broke the proverbial cameloid’s back. 
  Proponents of the so-called Cunningham Conspiracy theory 
  often split on whether or not Paul Davion was aware of 
  the plot, and whether he was rebelling against it when he 
  launched his reformation, which—among other things—
  saw the creation of the MIIO and the radical overhaul of the 
  Military Intelligence department.
  Joshua Davion – This final theory is most favored 
  by those obsessed with tales of Shakespearean tragedy. 
  Though it has many subtle variations, it posits that the 
  Prince’s son, overcome with grief and shame for the events 
  leading up to the Kentares Massacre, killed his father dur-
  ing an argument over the planning table, and then turned 
  the gun on himself when he realized what he’d done. 
  Under this theory, all witness and investigative reports of 
  the murder-suicide were covered up, both to avoid embar-
  rassing the Davion family, and to prevent the tragedy 
  from undermining the Suns’ newfound spirit of unity that 
  would be so vital to pushing back the Combine invaders.
  —From Conspiracies for All Seasons (Volume XXI), J. 
  M. Starling, 3142
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  92
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  By the end of 2807, the first Suns counteroffensive 
  reclaimed thirty-nine worlds and pushed the Combine 
  advance back as far as Kestrel. With supply lines 
  straining to keep up, Prince Davion decided to give 
  his troops time to catch their breath and consolidate 
  gains. Remnant DCMS units scattered amongst the 
  reclaimed worlds also needed to be hunted down, a 
  process aided—more often than not—by locals only 
  too eager to turn in their former occupiers. Shipping 
  raids bled the navies of both realms white, to the 
  point where the AFFS began imposing moratoriums 
  on the summary destruction of simple JumpShips. 
  Instead, naval raiding forces were to try and capture 
  such vessels intact as often as possible, resorting 
  to destruction only as a last resort; Kurita WarShips, 
  however, remained under House Davion’s “Kill on 
  Sight” lists.
  On both sides, a shortage of troops also made 
  itself felt. With so many conventional forces and 
  smaller outfits breaking ranks or simply rolling over 
  before the Suns’ campaign, Coordinator Jinjiro began 
  ordering his military academies and training bases to 
  release their trainees into service as much as a year 
  ahead of schedule. For the Suns, similar crash-course 
  training programs were enacted to fill the lower 
  ranks and replace battlefield losses in anticipation of 
  the next counteroffensive. Both realms also sought 
  additional mercenary support; while Prince Davion 
  was able to sign many new mercenary commands 
  to his realm’s employ, the Draconis Combine was 
  actually losing mercenary support. 
  Once again, the specter of Kentares loomed; 
  out of disgust for Jinjiro’s actions, the Eridani Light 
  Horse mercenary brigade began the process of 
  relocating from Sendai in Combine space in June 
  2798. On what was later revealed to be his own 
  initiative, the planetary administrator on Sendai 
  responded to this by taking many of the brigade’s 
  dependents hostage, and ordering the last of the 
  mercenaries’ resident battalions—the Eighth Recon 
  and Fiftieth Heavy Cavalry—to stay at their posts. 
  When the Sendai administrator subsequently made 
  good on his threat to execute the hostages, the two 
  battalions returned to the planet and, in a week-long 
  rampage, destroyed all of the DCMS ’Mech forces 
  and officers present. As news of the Light Horse’s 
  experience spread, several more mercenary groups 
  fled Combine space as quickly as they were able, 
  some even switching sides immediately to fight for 
  the Federated Suns.
  !((
  (
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  Pleiades Cluster (100)
  Kathil
  Taygeta
  Lockdale
  Markesan
  Sarna
  Brinton
  Tikonov
  Capella
  Robinson
  St. Ives
  New Syrtis
  Sian
  Terra
  Taurus
  Rio
  Bex
  Paf
  Mas
  Ina
  Nis
  Dol
  Wei
  Sax
  Oli
  Lee
  Khi
  Kek
  Ito
  Ife
  Eom
  Aer
  Keid
  Hean
  Hall
  Caph
  Azha
  Weiz
  Maia
  Zion
  Ward
  Vard
  Teng
  Taga
  Sumy
  Styk
  Prix
  Pell
  Ovan
  Mira
  Liao
  Lamu
  Krin
  Kimi
  Kern
  Kazu
  Java
  Genf
  Daol
  Bora
  Bell
  Beid
  Ares
  Alto
  Wasat
  Towne
  Saiph
  Ronel
  Ozawa
  Nopah
  Hsien
  Hamal
  Genoa
  Errai
  Ankaa
  Angol
  Woogi
  Qalzi
  Flaum
  Artru
  Turko
  Tawas
  Salem
  Odell
  Namen
  Jenet
  Hobbs
  Herat
  Elbar
  Chota
  Caria
  Blida
  Amiga
  Acoma
  Yuris
  Yongd
  Wazan
  Verlo
  Undra
  Turin
  Truth
  Spica
  Shiba
  Shaun
  Purvo
  Pojos
  Phact
  Payia
  Patan
  Palos
  Nukus
  Nihal
  Milos
  Menke
  Matsu
  Lhasa
  Laong
  Kansu
  Jilin
  Itrom
  Ilmar
  Ikast
  Hurik
  Hurgh
  Hunan
  Gorki
  Espia
  Enkra
  Dicon
  Decus
  Corey
  Conwy
  Brest
  Braum
  Bacum
  Axton
  Atlas
  Aosia
  Aomen
  Andro
  Anaea
  Algot
  Algol
  Adrar
  Adler
  Acala
  Zurich
  Tybalt
  Sirius
  Propus
  Mandal
  Kawich
  Bryant
  Bharat
  Basalt
  Acamar
  Pinard
  Parian
  Menion
  Ishtar
  Heliat
  Guldra
  Burton
  Wernke
  Werfer
  Strawn
  Smythe
  Rollis
  Okains
  Nahoni
  Mirach
  Midale
  Merope
  Merlin
  Kluane
  Jaipur
  Hobson
  He-shi
  Goshen
  Exeter
  Clovis
  Chouli
  Carnac
  Aucara
  Ashley
  Argyle
  Zindao
  Zaurak
  Zangul
  Yunnah
  Wright
  Weldry
  Vintru
  Velhas
  Valexa
  Uravan
  Untran
  Umgard
  Tyrlon
  Thamel
  Texlos
  Tallin
  Suzano
  Slocum
  Sirdar
  Shipka
  Shensi
  Sharpe
  Rhodos
  Renown
  Randar
  Quemoy
  Primus
  Poznan
  Panzyr
  Paches
  Ordino
  Oligar
  Ningpo
  Murris
  Mumbai
  Merdal
  Menkib
  Menkar
  Mazdru
  Madras
  Latice
  Larsha
  Klayne
  Jonzac
  Jacson
  Imalda
  Hexare
  Harloc
  Harbin
  Hansii
  Gurnet
  Gei-Fu
  Geifer
  Gahral
  Fronde
  Frazer
  Fjaldr
  Exedor
  Elnath
  Egress
  Drozan
  Dowles
  Denbar
  Chamdo
  Carmen
  Cammal
  Borden
  Bhykov
  Bethel
  Barras
  Ashkum
  Armaxa
  Almach
  Yangtze
  Tigress
  Ruchbah
  Procyon
  Nanking
  Ingress
  Hechnar
  Capolla
  Arboris
  Addicks
  Mithron
  Megaris
  Laconis
  Katinka
  Gangtok
  Spencer
  Detroit
  Vecchio
  Talcott
  Scudder
  Schedar
  Sanilac
  Robsart
  Olancha
  Ogilvie
  Meinhof
  McHenry
  Manteno
  Maharet
  Lindsay
  Layover
  Horsham
  Farwell
  Everett
  Emerson
  Electra
  Edwards
  Demeter
  Corydon
  Cholame
  Chillon
  Cartago
  Brusett
  Bristol
  Brabent
  Boeotia
  Beecher
  Batavia
  Barstow
  Avawatz
  Arcadia
  Ziliang
  Yan-hui
  Warlock
  Tantara
  Staffin
  Smithon
  Sichuan
  Sarmaxa
  Sadurni
  Repulse
  Relevow
  Raphael
  Raballa
  Preston
  Pleione
  Plataea
  Pentvar
  Overton
  Non Diz
  Niomede
  Necromo
  Nashuar
  Myrvoll
  Muridox
  Mitchel
  Midthun
  Mendham
  Mechdur
  Mandate
  Maldive
  Maladar
  Lyreton
  Lucknow
  Lacadon
  Kurvasa
  Kumqwat
  Kohlman
  Knutdor
  Kittery
  Kirkvag
  Kasdach
  Kaifeng
  Ibstock
  Hadnall
  Gunthar
  Glasgow
  Frondas
  Foochow
  Di-fang
  Decatur
  Daniels
  Corodiz
  Corella
  Claxton
  Chitwan
  Chennai
  Cavalor
  Calpaca
  Buchlau
  Bogerth
  Bodnath
  Blandou
  Bentley
  Belamor
  Bandora
  Avigait
  Altorra
  Alcyone
  Abruzzi
  Sheratan
  Outreach
  New Home
  New Stevens
  Fletcher
  Chisholm
  Berenson
  Achernar
  Samantha
  Renfield
  Portland
  Landmark
  Girondas
  Brisbane
  Wroxeter
  Wrentham
  Waycross
  Victoria
  Tiskilwa
  Tedibyhr
  Tazaraki
  Streator
  Smolensk
  Skaslien
  Sekulmun
  Saunemin
  Sanurcha
  Saltural
  Rosamond
  Oltepesi
  Narellan
  Muskegon
  Montcoal
  Marlette
  Mandaree
  Listowel
  Helixmar
  Gruyeres
  Goderich
  Flushing
  Flintoft
  Firgrove
  Fathepur
  Crawford
  Chebanse
  Caselton
  Carmacks
  Bromhead
  Brockway
  Branzoll
  Aggstein
  Zhaomaon
  Zanzibar
  Weatogue
  Victoria
  Valdives
  Tsitsang
  Tsingtao
  Tsinghai
  Tianamon
  Tecumseh
  Snailzar
  Sindalin
  Shui-pao
  Shoreham
  Shaobuon
  Sendalor
  Scituate
  Sakhalin
  Redfield
  Perkasie
  Ohrensen
  Mytilene
  Moravian
  Monhegan
  Mesartim
  Mentasta
  Manapire
  Lurgatan
  Lesalles
  Kurragin
  Krakatau
  Kashilla
  Jonathan
  Indicass
  Ilmachna
  Hustaing
  Holloway
  Haerhbin
  Gardnaus
  Florarda
  Cordiagr
  Carver V
  Bringdam
  Brighton
  Bithinia
  Bernardo
  Bergtatt
  Asuncion
  Angelsey
  Andarmax
  Alrescha
  Achilles
  Woodstock
  Northwind
  Fomalhaut
  Aldebaran
  Illiushin
  Coromodir
  New Earth
  Herotitus
  Tallassee
  Stockpoll
  Royalston
  Rochester
  Quittacas
  Orbisonia
  Logandale
  Klamriz V
  Kigamboni
  Freisland
  Fortymile
  Beenleigh
  Weitinger
  Weekapaug
  Wantorill
  Vestallas
  Ventabren
  Tetschner
  Sunnywood
  St. Loris
  St. Andre
  Shaunavon
  Safe Port
  Remshield
  Principia
  No Return
  New Sagan
  New Macao
  New Crete
  Minnacora
  Masterson
  Manennaia
  Jungar Qi
  Jacomarle
  Ingersoll
  Ichlangis
  Homestead
  Highspire
  Harsefeld
  Ghorepani
  Gan Singh
  Gallitzin
  Foot Fall
  Dhaulgiri
  Conquista
  Columbine
  Castrovia
  Boardwalk
  Bhaktapur
  Belluevue
  Bellatrix
  Amu Darya
  Tall Trees
  New Canton
  Campertown
  New Vallis
  Wappingers
  Versailles
  Ulan Batar
  Ridgebrook
  Mordialloc
  Kautokeino
  Kaitangata
  Cumberland
  Chesterton
  Carmichael
  Westphalia
  Westerhand
  Ulan Bator
  Sigma Mare
  Second Try
  Ryans Fate
  Quimberton
  Palladaine
  New Westin
  New Roland
  New Hessen
  New Athens
  New Aragon
  Lochmantle
  Kyrkbacken
  Kafr Silim
  Immenstadt
  Housekarle
  Heligoland
  Halloran V
  Grand Base
  Glentworth
  Cotocallao
  Betelgeuse
  Ambergrist
  Alexandria
  Aldertaine
  Terra Firma
  Small World
  Brownsville
  Camadeierre
  Monongahela
  Kentares IV
  Johnsondale
  Gravensteen
  Dirk's Gulf
  Diefenbaker
  Scarborough
  Linhauiguan
  Haappajarvi
  Courcellete
  Calseraigne
  New Florence
  Epsilon Indi
  Deneb Kaitos
  Rockwellawan
  New Ganymede
  Atreus Prime
  Noh-wan Hohm
  New Valencia
  Beten Kaitos
  Old Kentucky
  Huanghuadian
  Buenos Aires
  Jansen's Hold
  Reinhardstein
  Novaya Zemlya
  Blandinsville
  Xieng Khouang
  Stein's Folly
  Mangzhangdian
  Kristiandsund
  Capricorn III
  Rigil Kentarus
  New Rhodes III
  New Vandenburg
  MacLeod's Land
  Bahl's Retreat
  Epsilon Eridani
  Mallory's World
  Desolate Plains
  Pietermaritzburg
  BORDER KEY
  2786 Borders
  2786-2791
  2791-2796
  2796-2801
  2701-2806
  2806-2811
  2811-2816
  2816-2821
  Reversals
  CAPELLAN CONFEDERATION-
  FEDERATED SUNS FRONT 2786-2821
  90 LIGHT YEARS OR 27.6 PARSECS
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  MAXIMUM JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  LEGEND
  PLANET KEY
  National Capital
  District Capital
  Province Capital
  Dead/Dying World
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  93
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  FAR ENOUGH: THE CONFEDERATION-SUNS FRONT
  In April 2808, hoping to avert a full-scale war with the now resurgent Federated 
  Suns, Chancellor Ilsa Liao took the unprecedented step of renouncing her grandmother’s 
  claim to the First Lordship. In a peace overture to Paul Davion, she extended an offer for 
  a “new and lasting détente” between the Capellan Confederation and the Suns, as well as 
  her support for House Davion’s claim to the throne of the fallen Cameron family. 
  But there was a price, of course: this peace and support for a Davion First 
  Lordship would only be granted if the Prince “returned” the world of Chesterton 
  to the Confederation, and acknowledge Capellan sovereignty over the contested 
  Chesterton Worlds in perpetuity.
  At the time of the offer, Prince Paul was in the midst of planning his second 
  counteroffensive against the Draconis Combine, which still occupied large swaths of 
  the Federated Suns’ Draconis and Crucis Marches. Meanwhile, most of the Chesterton 
  Worlds to which Ilsa referred had already been taken by the Confederation during 
  Sandol Quinn’s reign as Regent-Chancellor. For the Federated Suns, allowing the 
  House Liao to claim Chesterton and end all conflict on that front would enable 
  the AFFS to move additional forces to the fight against Kurita. For the Capellan 
  Confederation, acceptance of this peace proposal would allow Liao to proclaim a 
  victory no previous Chancellor had ever accomplished, while freeing more CCAF 
  troops to reclaim worlds lost on the Free Worlds League front.
  In a move that many in both realms would criticize and question for years to come, 
  Prince Paul Davion not only rejected the offer in its entirety, he also dispatched the Third 
  and Fifth Crucis Lancers regiments to assault the Capellan-captured worlds of Ulan 
  Batar and Farwell less than a year later. This action reignited a front that had simmered 
  since Sandol Quinn yielded the Chancellorship to Ilsa Liao. Combat would rage on the 
  worlds around Chesterton for the better part of the next two years, even as the Suns 
  simultaneously launched its second counteroffensive against the Combine. 
  WHY, INDEED?
  Even ComStar’s historical archives have wondered what drove 
  Paul Davion to reject Ilsa Liao’s overtures, especially in the overtly 
  hostile manner he did so. It was, after all, one thing to snub the 
  peace offer as a possible Capellan trick, but quite another to initiate 
  a new round of heavy fighting on a second front when the Dragon 
  still breathed down the FedSuns’ proverbial neck. When members 
  of the Suns’ nobility and high government officials openly ques-
  tioned the Prince, his reaction was often to send such individuals 
  (or a family member) to one of the front lines.
  Theories abounded. Some were reasonable suggestions; 
  perhaps there a secret clause that Davion simply could not accept, 
  or maybe he suspected the Confederation was behind his father’s 
  assassination. Others were a bit more far-fetched, such as one 
  that suggested the peace proposal was a last-ditch effort by Ilsa 
  to patch up an illicit affair between the two young rulers. Still 
  other theories amounted to a shrugging assumption that the 
  Suns’ reversal of fortunes upon Paul’s ascent to the throne gave 
  him a “God complex” wherein he considered himself invincible 
  and infallible.
  But the answer could lie right in Paul’s own words when he 
  rejected the proposal: 
  “Why should we be so amazed and honored because Dame Ilsa 
  Liao wants to make a deal that would recognize me as First Lord? The 
  truth is self-evident; it shouldn’t have to be bargained for.”
  At face value, the Prince’s words sound like the same 
  arrogant rhetoric that started the Succession Wars, but this 
  assessment misses the fact that, for Paul the First Prince, there 
  may have been far more at stake. When Paul first claimed the 
  throne, one of his most dramatic acts was to assume the title of 
  Duke of New Avalon. That once-honorary position, reserved for 
  the First Lord of the Star League, had accumulated additional 
  powers that when combined with his rights as Prince, effective-
  ly made Paul an absolute monarch. The Duchy of New Avalon 
  became the source of Paul’s wealth, allowed him to control the 
  Suns’ High Council, and the made it possible for him to end the 
  regional divisiveness that plagued his realm and military.
  In acknowledging Ilsa Liao’s proposal, Paul would reveal a 
  critical weakness to his domestic enemies: that the First Lordship 
  was already an empty title. In the more than twenty years since 
  Kerensky’s Exodus, the Terran Hegemony had ceased to exist, and 
  the Star League’s last embers had been extinguished right along 
  with it. There was no real chance that the Great Houses would 
  now set aside their differences and reform the League. If Paul had 
  accepted Liao’s peace proposal, he would trade a world that had 
  been part of the Suns since before the Confederation itself truly 
  existed in exchange for a title that held no meaning beyond being 
  the source of his duchy. 
  And if he were willing to do that, then others within the 
  Suns would surely begin asking: what right had he to claim the 
  duchy to begin with?
   —From Conspiracies for All Seasons (Volume XXI), J. M. 
  Starling, 3142
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  94
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  previous campaigns. These raiding reports confirmed what Paul 
  Davion’s MIIO had told him for the last few years; the Arm of the 
  Dragon was finally shaking off its malaise.
  On the Capellan front, the Federated Suns managed to reclaim 
  Ulan Batar, Farwell, Demeter, and was driving the Confederation 
  off Mirach, all worlds surrounding the coveted Chesterton system. 
  In the course of the fighting, a nuclear exchange on the world of 
  Tedibyhr effectively obliterated the Capellan forces there, but not 
  without also devastating the few human settlements that remained 
  on the marginal planet. These victories had nearly reversed the 
  conquests made during Sandol Quinn’s reign, and drove home 
  the Prince’s rejection of Chancellor Ilsa Liao’s peace proposal. Amid 
  signs that the CCAF was now fully on defensive footing—if only for 
  the time being—Paul felt confident enough to divert some of those 
  troops back toward House Kurita.
  Once more, the offensive against the Combine-occupied 
  worlds of the Draconis March began with two prongs, one on each 
  side of the conquered territories. With few exceptions, the target 
  systems were all pre-war holdings of the Federated Suns. With 
  the Kuritans reclaiming their fighting spirit, the Prince was keenly 
  aware of the dangers inherent in setting foot on their home soil. 
  Having spent years reclaiming worlds whose native populations 
  were only too eager to aid their AFFS liberators, it was easy to 
  imagine Combine citizens doing the same to oppose them once 
  the border was crossed. 
  The first few waves of this counteroffensive aimed to isolate 
  a pair of key worlds in the occupied March where Prince Davion 
  and his military commanders anticipated the strongest resistance: 
  Robinson and Dahar IV. Given the importance both worlds held to 
  the regional command structure prior to the war, and their central 
  location within the remnants of the Kurita Bulge, both the MIIO 
  and Military Intelligence agreed that both systems now served 
  as the central hub for DCMS command and control throughout 
  the region. The Suns’ strategy was to strike at both only after 
  eliminating the threat of immediate reinforcements.
  Over the course of three years, the AFFS reclaimed almost 
  twenty worlds from Combine control. Though the DCMS offered 
  fierce resistance on some, such as Harrow’s Sun, New Ivaarsen, and 
  Nouveau Toulouse, other worlds fell after only token resistance. A 
  few systems, including Dobson and Fairfield, even turned out to 
  be completely devoid of Kurita presence by the time their Davion 
  liberators arrived, the enemy having relocated elsewhere weeks or 
  even months before. In these cases, the AFFS troops often spent a 
  short while on the planet, clearing booby traps and other hazards 
  before leaving security to a mix of infantry and armor detachments 
  augmented by local militia and paramilitary police.
  Robinson and Dahar
  In March 2814, the invasions of both Robinson and Dahar IV 
  began with the appearance of a Federated Suns naval squadron in 
  each system. In the Robinson system, the Davion fleet included the 
  Starlight Raider (a Congress-D frigate), and a pair of Davion II destroyers, 
  supported by a squadron of six carrier DropShips. Opposing them in 
  Robinson’s orbit was the Samarkand II-class carrier New Samarkand, 
  paired up with a single Narukami II destroyer, the Shōwakusei.
  THE SECOND AFFS COUNTEROFFENSIVE:  
  SQUEEZING THE BULGE
  In late 2808, the AFFS gathered to launch its second 
  counteroffensive against what some called the “Kurita Bulge.” This 
  offensive would largely be aimed at the enemy’s flanks, but also had 
  a secondary goal of sweeping the last remaining DCMS presence 
  out of the Crucis March. The first wave of this counteroffensive, 
  launched in the early months of 2809, was a two-pronged assault 
  setting out from Castleton on one side and Rowe on the other. 
  The Castleton drive seized Johnsondale and Olancha by 
  the middle of 2809, and dug as far as Layover and Blandinsville 
  by the end of the year. The Rowe drive, meanwhile, managed to 
  take Cassias, Udibi, and Barlow’s End by the close of 2809, while 
  additional forces worked on Choudrant and Damevang. Toward the 
  end of 2809, the AFFS launched a third prong of attacks, this one 
  starting with the valuable breadbasket world of Kestrel.
  The initial assaults of this counteroffensive proved overwhelming 
  for the Kuritan defenders, many of whom remained unable to summon 
  adequate reinforcements due to the loss of so many transports to 
  Davion shipping raids. Furthermore, the DCMS morale crisis following 
  the Kentares Massacre and the 2801-2807 counteroffensive continued 
  to plague the defending forces. To ensure that the enemy would remain 
  off-balance, Prince Davion also directed several smaller formations—
  some as small as a company, such as McKinnon’s Raiders—to raid 
  Combine supply centers deep behind enemy lines. These raids, 
  combined with the liberation of Kestrel by early 2810, strangled the 
  occupation forces to the point where many surrendered or retreated 
  after only a brief skirmish or two.
  The Second AFFS Counteroffensive officially ended in 
  December 2810, by which time the last of the Draconis Combine’s 
  military forces in the Crucis March had been destroyed, captured, or 
  driven back. As a new year dawned, the Dragon stood no closer to 
  New Avalon than Robinson—a far cry from its position just before 
  the massacre on Kentares.
  With half of the Draconis March yet to be reclaimed, and 
  the conflict against the Capellan Confederation still raging over 
  the Chesterton region, Prince Paul Davion once again called for a 
  pause in the AFFS advance, to consolidate his gains and resupply 
  his troops.
  THE THIRD AFFS COUNTEROFFENSIVE: 
  BACK TO SQUARE ONE
  The third and final major counteroffensive campaign launched 
  by the Federated Suns against Combine-occupied space began 
  only three months after the second. Although the Suns’ news 
  media (and many historians since) proclaimed the short respite 
  between offensives to be a calculated strategy, the fact of the 
  matter was that the Prince felt rushed to regain momentum before 
  his enemies could rally. 
  In the opening months of 2811, several AFFS raiding parties, 
  working in advance of the next phase of anti-Combine operations, 
  reported that the Kuritan forces were starting to reinforce their 
  borders. Furthermore, many of the DCMS troops they encountered 
  appeared less prone to breaking ranks than they had been in the 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  95
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  LAM transports accelerated to maximum thrust, emerging from 
  the destroyers’ shadow on a virtual collision course with New 
  Samarkand’s aft quarter. 
  With the destroyers tied up, the fighters swarming one another 
  in a desperate dogfight, and New Samarkand struggling against 
  Starlight Raider, the LAM transports managed to close with only 
  modest damage. At the last moment, all three DropShips released 
  their fighter-configured ’Mechs, and veered away from the enemy 
  carrier, which lacked sufficient anti-fighter weaponry to deal with 
  the sudden swarm. Though dangerous given the sheer speeds of 
  the various craft, two of the three LAM squadrons managed to 
  execute a coordinated strafing run across the ship’s length, covering 
  the third squadron’s landing directly on the New Samarkand’s hull. 
  After switching to ’Mech modes, the LAMs walked along the 
  Samarkand’s metallic shell like fleas on a dog, making their way 
  to the fighter bay doors even as capital weapons fire crisscrossed 
  between the great WarShips, and anti-fighter weapons strained to 
  draw a bead on them. Forcing their way through the launch bay 
  doors, the Davion Land-Air MechWarriors entered New Samarkand’s 
  cavernous flight deck with only three casualties, and proceeded to 
  blast the monstrous vessel apart from the inside. 
  Almost immediately, the besieged WarShip tumbled out of 
  control as its on-board invaders struck at fighter bays filled with 
  stockpiled munitions. Starlight Raider, suffering from moderate 
  damage, veered away from the enemy ship, lingering just closely 
  Although all five WarShips at Robinson had seen better days, 
  they entered battle in fighting trim, save for one deficiency on New 
  Samarkand: of her normal complement of seventy-two fighters, only 
  half as many were on board when the Davion task force arrived. 
  The remaining fighter squadrons were based on the planet below, 
  supporting BattleMech forces based near the capital city of Bueller, the 
  Jericho Industriplex, and the Exeter Island Maximum Security Prison. 
  Commanding the Federated Suns’ naval group was Admiral 
  Mateo Arrian, a veteran of the Battle of Cholame and several naval 
  raids since then. Prior to the assault, Arrian had learned of the New 
  Samarkand’s presence through scouting reports received mere days 
  before the attack. In anticipation of facing the carrier that once 
  served as flagship for the Combine Admiralty’s Second Fleet, he 
  chose to make a last-minute substitution in the squadrons assigned 
  to three of his escort DropShips, replacing the aerospace squadrons 
  with Land-Air BattleMechs. 
  As the two naval groups maneuvered toward each other near 
  Robinson, Arrian ordered the carriers with the LAMs on board to 
  drift behind his destroyers, hiding behind their mass while the 
  dedicated fighter carriers advanced and launched their craft. 
  In response, New Samarkand launched her own fighters, and 
  angled herself for battle with Starlight Raider, while Shōwakusei 
  attempted to engage both of the Raider’s destroyer escorts, Duke 
  Alexander and Sarah Davion. As the Kurita fighters swarmed 
  their Davion counterparts and their attached DropShips, the 
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  Acala
  Achilles
  Aer
  Alcyone
  Aldertaine
  Algol
  Algot
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  Alto
  Anaea
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  Angelsey
  Aodh
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  Ares
  Ashkum
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  Axton
  Bandora
  Bell
  Belluevue
  Bernardo
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  Cammal
  Capricorn III
  Carbonis
  Carver V
  Chamdo
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  Cordiagr
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  Daniels
  Elnath
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  Lee
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  Ningpo
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  Ohrensen
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  Oli
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  Second Chance
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  Shensi
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  St. Andre
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  Tecumseh
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  Truth
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  Ulan Bator
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  Yunnah
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  Albalii
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  Ancha
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  Benet III
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  Biham
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  Dabih
  David
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  Gandy's Luck
  Halstead Station
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  Lapida II
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  McComb
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  Okaya
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  Perigueux
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  Reisling's Planet
  Sadachbia
  Sadalbari
  Shimonita
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  Shitara
  Skat
  Tannil
  Thestria
  Udibi
  Waddesdon
  Wapakoneta
  Yance I
  Acoma
  Aggstein
  Allerton
  Alnadal
  Amiga
  Andalusia
  Antietam
  Arcadia
  Argyle
  Augusta
  Avawatz
  Bahl's Retreat
  Ballentine
  Barlow's End
  Barstow
  Bastian
  Batavia
  Beecher
  Belladonna
  Bellevue
  Beten Kaitos
  Bettendorf
  Blandinsville
  Boeotia
  Bogard
  Brabent
  Branzoll
  Breed
  Bremond
  Bristol
  Cahokia
  Capac
  Carcassonne
  Caria
  Carnac
  Cartago
  Caselton
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  Charleywood
  Chaumont
  Chebanse
  Chesterton
  Cholame
  Chota
  Choudrant
  Clovis
  Colchester
  Colia
  Coloma
  Colorado
  Corydon
  Courtney
  Covington
  Crossing
  Dahar IV
  Damevang
  Declan II
  Delavan
  Delphos
  Demeter
  DeWitt
  Dirk's Gulf
  Dobson
  Dol
  Doneval II
  Du Lac
  Dunkerque
  Edwards
  El Dorado
  Elbar
  Emerson
  Emporia
  Entalun
  Euclid
  Evansville
  Everett
  Exeter
  Fairfield
  Fallon II
  Farwell
  Ferrara
  Fincastle
  Flushing
  Franklin
  Freisland
  Galax
  Galtor III
  Gambier
  Glenmora
  Goderich
  Goshen
  Gravensteen
  Gulkana
  Harrow's Sun
  Helixmar
  Herat
  Hoff
  Huron
  Imbrial III
  Ipava
  Johnsondale
  Josselin
  Kentares IV
  Kestrel
  Keytesville
  Kirklin
  Klamriz V
  Klathandu IV
  Versailles
  Kluane
  Korvitz
  Larned
  Layover
  Le Blanc
  Leamington
  Leipsic
  Lexington
  Listowel
  Logandale
  Lucerne
  Lynchburg
  Macomb
  Maison
  Mallory's World
  Manassas
  Manksville
  Manteno
  Marduk
  Marlette
  Maynard
  McHenry
  Meinhof
  Meinrad
  Melcher
  Mirach
  Monongahela
  Montcoal
  Muskegon
  Nahoni
  Necedah
  New Ivaarsen
  New Mendham
  New Valencia
  Newton
  Nis
  Noh-wan Hohm
  Northfield
  Notwina
  Nouveau Toulouse
  Novaya Zemlya
  Numenor
  Nunivak
  Odell
  O'Fallon
  Olancha
  Orbisonia
  Paris
  Parma
  Pattonsbrug
  Paulding
  Peabody
  Petrolia
  Plymouth
  Point Barrow
  Potwin
  Quimper
  Quincy
  Raman
  Ramona
  Reinhardstein
  Reisterstown
  Remagen
  Rochester
  Rosamond
  Rowe
  Royal
  Saginaw
  Sakhara V
  Salem
  Saltural
  Saltville
  Sanilac
  Sauk City
  Saumur
  Saunemin
  Scheat
  Schedar
  Scudder
  Skaslien
  Smolensk
  Sodus
  Sparrevohn
  Steeles
  Stockpoll
  Strawn
  Streator
  Sturganos
  Sun Prairie
  Susulatna
  Swales
  Sylvester
  Talcott
  Tallassee
  Tallmadge
  Tarkio
  Tatlawiksuk
  Tawas
  Tedibyhr
  Tishomingo
  Tiskilwa
  Torrence
  Tripoli
  Turkalia
  Turko
  Ulan Batar
  Demeter
  Farwell
  Mirach
  Tedibyhr
  Ulan Batar
  Unkador
  Vecchio
  Verde
  Victoria
  Waunakee
  Waxell
  Waycross
  Wedgefield
  Willowick
  Wroxeter
  Xhosa VII
  Zambezi
  Abadan
  Acubens
  Avellaneda
  Blue Sava
  Bonaire
  Calloway VI
  Daneshmand
  Dubhe
  Elbing
  Fuentes
  Gomeisa
  Hamilton
  Holt
  Irian
  Kievanur
  Ling
  Loeches
  Matheran
  McKenna
  Miaplacidus
  New Delos
  Pavia
  Pliska
  Remulac
  Semenyih
  Sorunda
  Alkalurops
  Alphecca
  Alrakis
  Balkan
  Carnwath
  Chara
  Cor Caroli
  Dromini VI
  Galatea
  Kessel
  Kochab
  Komephoros
  La Blon
  Menkent
  Mizar
  Nusakan
  Phecda
  Ryde
  Skondia
  Syrma
  Unukalhai
  Zebebelgenubi
  Acamar
  Achernar
  Addicks
  Al Na'ir
  Aldebaran
  Alioth
  Altair
  Angol
  Ankaa
  Arboris
  Asta
  Athenry
  Atria
  Azha
  Basalt
  Berenson
  Bex
  Bharat
  Bordon
  Brownsville
  Bryant
  Callison
  Callison
  Campertown
  Caph
  Capolla
  Castor
  Chaville
  Chisholm
  Connaught
  Deneb Algedi
  Deneb Kaitos
  Denebola
  Devil's Rock
  Dieron
  Dyev
  Epsilon Eridani
  Epsilon Indi
  Errai
  Fomalhaut
  Galatia III
  Genoa
  Haddings
  Hall
  Hamal
  Hean
  Hechnar
  Helen
  Hsien
  Imbros III
  Inglesmond
  Ingress
  Kawich
  Keid
  Kervil
  Ko
  Lambrecht
  Lipton
  Lyons
  Mandal
  Marcus
  Menkalinan
  Milton
  Muphrid
  Murchison
  Nanking
  New Canton
  New Dallas
  New Florence
  New Home
  New Rhodes III
  New Stevens
  Nirasaki
  Nopah
  Northwind
  Oliver
  Outreach
  Ozawa
  Pike IV
  Pokhara
  Pollux
  Procyon
  Propus
  Quentin
  Rio
  Rocky
  Ronel
  Ruchbah
  Sabik
  Saffel
  Saiph
  Sheratan
  Sirius
  Small World
  Styx
  Summer
  Talitha
  Tall Trees
  Telos IV
  Terra Firma
  Thorin
  Tigress
  Towne
  Tybalt
  Van Diemen IV
  Wasat
  Woodstock
  Wyatt
  Yangtze
  Yorii
  Zavijava
  Zollikofen
  Zosma
  Zurich
  New Avalon
  Terra
  Capella
  Sarna
  Tikonov
  Robinson
  Skye
  Ashio
  Kuzuu
  Proserpina
  Fairfax
  Kathil
  Markesan
  Lockdale
  Lone Star
  Tyrfing
  Mandate
  Alphard
  Augustine
  Nathan
  Alchiba
  New Earth
  Afleir
  Alula Australis
  Fletcher
  Graham IV
  Killbourn
  Rigil Kentarus
  90 LIGHT YEARS OR 27.6 PARSECS
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  MAXIMUM JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  LEGEND
  FEDERATED 
  SUNS 
  COUNTER-
  OFFENSIVES 
  2801-2818
  PLANET KEY
  BORDER KEY
  National Capital
  District Capital
  Province Capital
  Dead/Dying World
  2797 Borders
  Initial Retaliations
  1st Counteroffensive
  2nd Counteroffensive
  3rd Counteroffensive
  Chesterton Offensive
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  96
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  Jericho proved the easiest objective to take; only two ’Mech 
  battalions from the Sixteenth Benjamin Regulars stood guard 
  at the industriplex, augmented by a regiment of infantry, light 
  artillery, and fixed gun emplacements. The Combine defense 
  collapsed after two days of fighting, during which the Federated 
  Suns force managed to establish a partial encirclement of the 
  area before pushing their way through weak points at the city’s 
  north and southeast entry routes. Even after the last DCMS 
  BattleMech fell, however, the fighting continued for another 
  three days as surviving squads of Combine infantry forced the 
  Suns’ own troopers to root them out, sometimes one building 
  at a time. Worse, in the midst of the fighting, massive chemical 
  bombs were set off in the main complexes of the Jericho 
  Weapons factories, located on the western side of the Rostovok 
  River which ran through the city. The cascading explosives not 
  only caused severe damage to the industriplex that made up so 
  much of Jericho’s land area, it poisoned the Rostovok for nearly 
  a decade to come.
  The capital city of Bueller took nearly a week to seize, thanks 
  to the dug-in Kurita occupation forces there, estimated at more 
  than a reinforced regiment of BattleMechs, supported by four 
  armor battalions and two infantry regiments. Before the fighting 
  was over, a full quarter of the city was in flames, and hundreds 
  of civilians had been killed in the crossfire. Errant artillery fire 
  even damaged the local ComStar HPG compound, disrupting 
  interstellar communications through Robinson for nearly three 
  months afterward.
  But the oddest battle of Robinson’s liberation took place at 
  Exeter Island, site of the Exeter Island Maximum Security Prison, 
  just off the west coast of the Solomon continent. According to the 
  locals, most of the cadets from the Battle Academy of Robinson 
  had been sent there after they were forced to dismantle their own 
  school, brick by brick, in the early days of the occupation. When 
  AFFS troops arrived at the island complex, however, they found a 
  facility already in flames amid sounds of heavy weapons fire.
  Fearing the worst, Marshal Halder-Davion, who chose to 
  personally lead the prison’s liberation, ordered his troops to cross 
  the relatively shallow waters between the island and the mainland 
  at once. Once more, Kurita aerospace fighters rose up from nearby 
  airfields and attempted to stop the Davion troops, strafing them 
  in the water. An AFFS squadron swooped in to help to drive 
  them off when suddenly one of the island’s anti-aircraft turrets 
  swung about and shot down two of the Combine fighters. It soon 
  became clear that the sounds and signs of carnage from within 
  the prison were not the mass executions Halder-Davion feared, 
  but a full-scale prison rebellion led by Robinson’s academy cadets. 
  Evidently, the imprisoned MechWarriors had spent years planning 
  their escape, and were just days away from carrying out those 
  plans when word of the Federated Suns’ assault reached them. 
  Emboldened by their captors’ distraction with other on-world 
  events, the cadets struck, effectively freeing themselves mere 
  hours before the AFFS reached the area.
  By May 2814, the worlds of Robinson and Dahar IV were back 
  in House Davion’s hands.
  enough to provide intermittent fire support. Within minutes, New 
  Samarkand was reduced to a dead hulk, burning from the inside 
  out as her internal attackers fought through a blazing hell of their 
  own creation to escape the doomed ship. Only three members 
  of the boarding squadron managed to find their way out before 
  the great ship exploded, taking with her one of the DCA’s most 
  experienced carrier crews.
  Meanwhile, the Raider’s escort destroyers successfully put 
  down the Shōwakusei, but not before the Sarah Davion was 
  crippled by a devastating broadside. Though the fighter battle 
  would continue for nearly a half-hour more, Admiral Arrian’s task 
  force successfully established orbital superiority. Only then did 
  he signal the rest of the invasion force, commanded by Marshal 
  Thomas Halder-Davion, to approach the planet.
  Compared to the Robinson assault, the naval action for Dahar 
  IV was far less exciting, but much more costly. There, the Federated 
  Suns’ attack force approached with a naval group comprised of 
  two Davion II-class destroyers flanking the Robinson-class carrier 
  Marlette. Opposing them was a single Kuritan WarShip, the Aegis-
  class cruiser Eos. Despite being both outnumbered and outgunned 
  by her attackers, Eos maneuvered to engage them, launching 
  nuclear-tipped capital missiles as soon as she was in range. Lacking 
  sufficient anti-missile capabilities, Marlette’s escort destroyers were 
  both crippled by Eos’ fire, and Marlette herself suffered a devastating 
  impact that disabled her port-side weapons batteries by the time 
  her fighter squadrons managed to finish off the enemy vessel. 
  The ground defenses of both worlds were roughly 
  proportionate to their naval support, with the DCMS presence far 
  stronger on Robinson than on Dahar IV. Despite Dahar’s mineral 
  wealth and its strategic value as a military command center before 
  the war, the planet’s harsh temperatures and desolate landscape 
  proved barely worth the trouble to defend. As a result, the Combine 
  military presence there gradually waned in the months prior to the 
  Davion assault that would liberate it, to the point where the planet 
  fell after only a brief skirmish near the capital city of Drakaar.
  The ground campaign for Robinson was much more hard-
  fought. The first AFFS landing attempts took place near the capital 
  city of Bueller and the industrial city of Jericho, both located on the 
  Canaan continent. As the Davion forces entered the atmosphere, 
  they came under immediate attack by two wings of DCMS aerospace 
  fighters. Focusing much of their effort on downing the invaders’ 
  DropShips, the Kuritan pilots scarcely paid attention to the enemy 
  fighter cover, and many became easy prey as a result. Increasingly 
  desperate as more FedSuns transports burned their way toward the 
  surface, a few even resorted to suicidal kamikaze attacks, ramming 
  their fighters into the engines and hulls of the ’Mech transports. 
  Although these costly tactics spent most of the Combine’s air 
  power over the two major cities, their efforts successfully cut down 
  nearly two battalions worth of Davion BattleMechs, and one more 
  of armored vehicles, before they could make landfall. The AFFS 
  forces that did land successfully were scattered across the rolling 
  hills and woodlands that made up much of the region below, and 
  were forced to spend hours rallying for their ground battles, often 
  under periodic strafing and bombing runs.
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  97
  THE SUNS RESURGENT
  Farwell, Mirach, and Ulan Batar would eventually fall back under 
  Capellan control over the next nine years, the Suns would hold onto 
  Demeter and Chesterton. Further fighting along the Confederation-
  Suns front saw another half-dozen worlds lost to House Davion 
  before the war’s end in 2821.
  Mission Accomplished
  With the Capellan Confederation’s last great drive into 
  Federated Suns space thwarted, and the core of the Draconis 
  March liberated, Prince Davion briefly considered one more pause 
  in his counteroffensive campaign. In all, some twenty more of the 
  Suns’ worlds remained under DCMS occupation, but the strain on 
  the realm’s economy and infrastructure was evident everywhere he 
  looked. The surge in morale sparked in the wake of the Kentares 
  Massacre, and further boosted by the inspiring victories that 
  followed, was giving way to exhaustion. 
   The Combine’s warriors felt the same weakness. While 
  the honor stains of Kentares still plagued the DCMS, industrial, 
  economical, and physical exhaustion made the war increasingly 
  difficult for its soldiers to prosecute. The Suns had already taken 
  back some of their most important star systems; what remained 
  under the Dragon’s banner were mere consolation prizes in 
  comparison. Worse still, the wave of officer suicides—whether from 
  the shame of Kentares, or the shame of failing to hold their ground 
  in the face of the resurgent Davion enemy—forced the Combine 
  military to fill their gaps with younger and far less experienced 
  replacements. Jinjiro Kurita even forced himself to discontinue 
  summary executions of failing officers, and forbade those in the 
  field whom he could not reach from doing that job for him. Even a 
  poor commander was better than none at all.
  Instead of calling a complete halt, Prince Davion instead 
  decided to slow the pace of his counteroffensive. In the four 
  years that followed the recapture of Robinson and Dahar IV, the 
  AFFS advanced more cautiously than before, seizing only one or 
  two worlds from each flank of the occupied territories per wave. 
  Although some fierce battles did still erupt—including a heavy 
  nuclear exchange on Klathandu IV following an orbital attack 
  by Kuritan WarShips—the majority of the fighting was modest 
  compared to the battles earlier in the war.
  By the middle of 2818, the AFFS had finally swept the armies 
  of House Kurita back to an approximation of their pre-war border. 
  With the fall of Marduk, Scheat, and Tripoli, in fact, the number of 
  worlds retaken by Paul Davion’s forces matched the number seized 
  by those of Jinjiro Kurita’s entire campaign. Reconnaissance raids, 
  however, now showed that the Arm of the Dragon was reinforcing 
  this new border, preparing itself for the next wave of AFFS attacks.
  Rather than push his luck, the First Prince ordered his army 
  to instead fortify its conquests. Declaring his goal of driving the 
  serpent from his realm now complete, Paul Davion decided that the 
  time had come for the Federated Suns to begin the long, arduous 
  task of rebuilding and repairing all that it could.
  Liao’s Last Play: The Battle for Chesterton
  In May 2812, Chancellor Liao sent a massive assault force 
  to seize Chesterton once and for all. The force included the 
  First and Second Ariana Fusiliers, Vincent’s Commandos, and 
  Cochraine’s Goliaths, along with an equal number of armor and 
  infantry support forces. With the AFFS already stretched thin 
  across the contested region, this battle group seemed certain 
  to overpower the enemy defenders. In an effort to take the Suns 
  by surprise, the CCAF and Maskirovka did their best to conceal 
  the assault force’s true objective, so much so that even rank-
  and-file MechWarriors on board the task force’s DropShips were 
  uncertain of their destination. 
  Unfortunately for the Confederation, a mole within the 
  Maskirovka alerted the MIIO of the operation mere days before the 
  fleet set out. By the time Liao’s assault group reached Chesterton, 
  the AFFS was ready for them.
  When the Capellan fleet materialized in the Chesterton 
  system, they found no significant Davion naval presence to oppose 
  them, and their burn in-system passed without incident. Planetside 
  communications traffic was low, and only a smattering of aerospace 
  forces scrambled from bases on one of the planet’s moons to 
  oppose the incoming DropShips. So far as the attackers could tell, it 
  appeared as though the Federated Suns had indeed been taken by 
  surprise. If anything, their defenses on Chesterton were surprisingly 
  light—so much so that the vanguard ships of the Ariana Fusiliers 
  found they could land at the empty spaceport just outside the 
  planetary capital of Chesterton City. 
  Only as the Capellan forces began unloading their troops did 
  the AFFS defenders spring their trap. Emerging from prepared 
  positions across the spaceport and city outskirts, two regiments 
  of Crucis Lancers backed up by the Belinda’s Irregulars mercenary 
  command and several more supporting elements hammered the 
  invaders while they were still in tight formation. The First and 
  Second Fusiliers suffered heavy damage, losing more than two 
  BattleMech battalions in an opening skirmish that became even 
  more chaotic when the Lancers pushed forward.
  At the industrial cities of Tristram and Swansea, where the 
  Commandos and Goliaths were set to land, respectively, similar 
  events unfolded as secondary Davion forces emerged from hiding 
  to smash the off-loading ’Mechs. Despite the heavy damage, the 
  Capellan invaders solidified their positions and held out for nearly 
  three days before it became clear that they no longer possessed 
  enough strength to overcome the dug-in defenders. 
  On the third day of the disastrous operation, with over 
  a regiment’s worth of BattleMechs and MechWarriors killed or 
  captured, the ranking CCAF commander finally called a retreat. Of 
  the twelve ’Mech battalions that set foot on Chesterton soil, only 
  two came away from the debacle whole. 
  The failure on Chesterton cost the CCAF some of its best 
  warriors, and further undermined the Confederation’s capabilities 
  against the Federated Suns. Although the worlds of Castleton, 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  98
  ExHAUSTION ANd dECAy
  or from starvation and plague—underscored the sheer extent 
  of the damage the Succession War brought to all of humankind. 
  Across the Inner Sphere, hundreds of billions were dead—so many 
  that, even centuries later, the exact number cannot be estimated.
  The industrial damage of the First Succession War devastated 
  the economies of all five Houses, to say nothing of the worlds that 
  lay beyond their spheres of influence. Worse, the sheer scale of the 
  damage reduced the technological capabilities of the Inner Sphere. 
  Fusion engines, Kearny-Fuchida drives, and terraforming tech that had 
  been plentiful during the days of the Star League grew scarce. State-of-
  the-art weapons, armor, and equipment perfected for the Star League 
  Defense Force—most of which had been produced exclusively on the 
  worlds of the Terran Hegemony—was nearly irreplaceable.
  By the dawn of the 2820s, the member states of the fallen 
  League had pummeled themselves to exhaustion, and begun the 
  industrial and technological decay that would only grow worse 
  EXHAUSTION AND DECAY
  With a few exceptions, the last five years of the First Succession 
  War saw a dramatic drop in widespread fighting. The war fleets of the 
  Great Houses had been reduced to a shadow of their former might; 
  the means to repair or maintain them were all but lost, let alone the 
  ability to replace such massive ships. Mercantile shipping and support 
  transports were likewise ravaged, with most civilian ships across the 
  Inner Sphere conscripted to aid the various war efforts. Because of this, 
  many worlds that would otherwise have weathered the conflict intact 
  began to starve or succumb to disease as vital resources grew short.
  Further damaging the realms was the sheer volume of nuclear, 
  chemical, and biological weapons employed by all sides, many of 
  which compromised the long-term habitability of worlds that had 
  been marginal or nearly marginal to begin with. The disappearance 
  of whole systems from the interstellar maps—be they from warfare 
  THE DAVION COUNTER-OFFENSIVES
  As news of the brutal massacres on Kentares IV spread, the people and soldiers of the Federated Suns rose almost as one to beat 
  back the Combine invaders who had come so close to destroying them. While the initial reactions were fueled mostly by raw emotion, 
  they often lacked direction or support from the AFFS leadership. Nevertheless, in the years that followed, the Suns’ recovery was 
  nothing short of miraculous.
  Initial Retaliations
  2797 
  Marlette, Logandale
  2797-98 
  Bristol, Odell, Delavan
  2798 
  Coloma, Strawn, Arcadia,  Saginaw
  2798-99 
  Bremond, Tancredi IV
  2799 
  Fairfax, Sanilac
  2800 
  Tawas
  First FedSuns Counteroffensive
  2801 
  Kentares, Streator, Waycross, Avawatz
  2801-02 
  Entalun, Markesan, Edwards, Rosamond
  2802 
  Tarkio, Manteno, Wroxeter, Northfield, Cahokia, 
  Anguilla 
  2802-03 
  Fallon II, Petrolia, Melcher
  2803 
  Capac, Sodus, Kirklin, Colia 
  2803-04 
  Flushing, Batavia
  2804 
  Beecher, Barstow
  2804-05 
  Imbrial III, Peabody
  2805 
  Newton, New Valencia
  2805-06 
  Cartago, Elbar, Lexington
  2806 
  Cholame, Corydon
  2806-07 
  Saunemin, Waunakee
  2807 
  Sun Prairie, Rowe, Evansville, Castleton
  The Chesterton Offensive
  2809 
  Ulan Batar, Farwell
  2809-10 
  Demeter 
  2810 
  Tedibyhr*
  2810-11 
  Mirach
  Second FedSuns Counteroffensive
  2809 
  Johnsondale, Olancha, Barlow’s End, Udibi, Cassias
  2809-10 
  Layover, Blandinsville, Kestrel, Choudrant, 
  Damevang
  2810 
  Potwin, Colchester, Saltural, Bogard, Larned, Carnac,  
  DeWitt, Charleywood, Exeter
  Third FedSuns Counteroffensive
  2811 
  Clovis, Doneval II, Le Blanc, Harrow’s Sun
  2811-12 
  McGehee, Tishomingo, Xhosa VII
  2812 
  Dobson, New Ivaarsen, Swales
  2812-13 
  Ballentine, Lucerne, Nouveau Toulouse*
  2813 
  Maynard, Alnadal, Turkalia, Klamriz V, Rochester, 
  Fairfield
  2814 
  Robinson, Dahar IV
  2814-15 
  Sakhara V, Klathandu IV*, Glenmora
  2815 
  Breed, Royal, Tallmadge
  2816 
  Hoff, Paris, Benet III, Mallory’s World
  2817 
  Courtney, Sauk City, Emporia, Allerton
  2817-2818 Franklin, Crossing, Lima
  2818 
  Tripoli, Scheat, Marduk
  *Significant use of weapons of mass destruction 
  recorded by either or both sides
  Note: Worlds in italics were taken by the Capellan 
  Confederation at this time
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  99
  dEClINE OF THE PERIPHERy
  then, as the reign of Stefan Amaris would reveal, the Republic 
  found ways to establish secret colonies beyond prying eyes.
  The end of the Rim Worlds Republic began the moment 
  Stefan Amaris shot Richard Cameron. Enraged, General Aleksandr 
  Kerensky raced across the Periphery to strike at the Rim Worlds, 
  quickly dismantling the Republic Army and much of the industrial 
  complex that provided Amaris with his power base. After years of 
  SLDF occupation, Kerensky’s troops in departed the Republic in 2772, 
  destined for their final showdown with Amaris in the Terran Hegemony. 
  Although Kerensky intended for the Republic to thrive again under a 
  restored post-Amaris Star League, such a fate was not to be.
  The Lyran Invasion
  As with so many large empires throughout history, the 
  devastation of the Rim Worlds’ government and military left a 
  power vacuum that several local warlords and would-be kings 
  scrambled to fill. Amid reports that surviving Amaris-loyal military 
  groups were resurfacing with an eye toward restoring a regime 
  in his name, the Lyran Commonwealth’s Archon, Robert Steiner 
  II, ordered roughly one hundred regiments of LCAF troops into 
  the Republic. Although he officially described this invasion as 
  a police action in the name of the Star League, the so-called 
  Commonwealth-Republic Conflict was likely also an effort to quell 
  domestic unrest over the Archon’s failure to more actively support 
  Kerensky against Amaris. 
  Over the next few years, Commonwealth military units seized 
  approximately one hundred Republic worlds, including the realm’s 
  most developed and wealthy systems. Many of these worlds fell 
  easily as the disorganized and demoralized remains of the Rim 
  Worlds Army surrendered or scattered before the LCAF, but on a 
  few systems—such as Apollo, Bucklands, and Somerset—Republic 
  troops offered fierce resistance. While General Kerensky did protest 
  the Lyrans’ opportunism, he was far too involved in the war to 
  liberate Terra to do much about it.
  The Lyran annexation of Republic worlds ended without 
  completely absorbing the Periphery realm, however. Fearful of 
  further inciting Kerensky’s ire, and equally concerned about rising 
  tensions along other borders, the Archon ordered a halt to the 
  Commonwealth’s advance that left more than 140 Rim Worlds 
  systems unclaimed. Many of these were outlying colony planets or 
  systems otherwise dependent on resources produced elsewhere, 
  and thus these fringes began to decline almost immediately. But 
  others struggled to reunify. 
  The First Oberon Confederation
  In 2775, Republic nationalists on Oberon, Crellacor, and Sigurd 
  forged an alliance they dubbed the Oberon Confederation—the 
  first of the mini kingdoms that would rise from the Rim Worlds’ 
  ashes. Although this tiny state did attempt to bring others into 
  the fold, pirate groups—many formed from remnants of shattered 
  Rim Worlds Army or SLDF commands—had already begun to stake 
  their claims and prey on the isolated remains of the Republic. 
  The Oberon Confederation survived for the next twenty 
  years, but could not attain the industrialization, economics, and 
  infrastructure needed to maintain its security and cohesion, and 
  in centuries yet to come. In the final years of the war, none of the 
  major states could muster enough forces or transport assets to 
  launch a major offensive; even raiding became sporadic. By 2821, 
  peace treaties and cease-fires formalized the borders between some 
  realms, while others settled into a state of tense, undeclared peace.
  The Great Succession War was over.
  HARD TIMES:  
  THE DECLINE OF THE PERIPHERY
  Ravaged by Kerensky after the New Vandenberg Crisis, 
  abandoned to their fate by Amaris, and virtually forgotten by the 
  Houses, the Periphery realms all but collapsed with the Star League 
  that conquered them centuries before. Without the influx of Star 
  League dollars and other material support on which they had 
  grown reliant through generations of carefully-managed League 
  dominance, many worlds beyond the Great Houses floundered. Key 
  life support and logistical systems failed, reverting marginal worlds 
  to inhospitable landscapes, and starving others into oblivion. 
  The Periphery combat and merchant navies were all but 
  obliterated or captured in the course of the fighting that erupted 
  when Amaris seized Terra. In the League’s wake, the lack of 
  transport hobbled interstellar trade in the Periphery to a degree 
  even greater than the House Lords managed to do to themselves, 
  while leaving whole sectors open to rampant piracy. Worse still, 
  even communications were in shambles, as Jerome Blake’s ComStar 
  proved far less efficient in restoring the HPG network on Periphery 
  worlds. Although his spokespeople often claimed otherwise, many 
  felt this was a personal snub to the worlds that Blake believed 
  instigated the Star League’s collapse.
  REMNANTS OF THE REPUBLIC
  For reasons nearly every schoolchild knows today, the largest 
  and most significant Periphery state affected by the collapse of the 
  Star League was the Rim Worlds Republic. The seat of power of the 
  Amaris family, the Republic predated the Lyran Commonwealth, 
  and eventually spread across an arc of space so vast that it came 
  into geographic contact with three of the Star League’s founding 
  member states, from House Kurita’s Draconis Combine to the Free 
  Worlds League. At its pinnacle, the Rim Worlds Republic controlled 
  nearly 250 star systems—outsizing the present-day Capellan 
  Confederation by nearly a hundred populated systems.
  As it shared the longest border in Inner Sphere history with 
  the Lyran Commonwealth, it is remarkable that the Republic 
  did not come into major conflict with House Steiner’s realm 
  until the Reunification War. Indeed, the two realms actually 
  enjoyed a rather cordial trading relationship before and after 
  the Star League’s formative years. Because of this, the Republic 
  became perhaps the most industrialized and technologically 
  advanced of the early Periphery states, boasting many arms 
  manufacturers and shipyards that produced military equipment 
  ranging from small arms and tanks to BattleMechs and WarShips. 
  Only the realm’s relative lack of readily accessible resources and 
  the dearth of ideally habitable worlds in the region limited the 
  Republic’s growth in the golden days of the Star League—even 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  100
  dEClINE OF THE PERIPHERy
  By the late 2780s, Finmark had extended its influence to 
  several more ex-Rim Worlds systems as far away as Port Vail and 
  Inner Surge. Although most of these new worlds were not formal 
  members of the FFR, they were receiving some defensive support 
  from Finmark, which seemed intent on rebuilding as much of 
  its fallen province as possible. Better yet, the near-complete 
  restoration of the Roe Weapons Factory shipyards over Finmark 
  itself offered the tiny realm an enviable industrial base that could 
  eventually help to build a native interstellar fleet.
  However, all of this progress soon drew the attention of the 
  Lyran Commonwealth, which could not afford to have another 
  powerful neighbor. In a 2792 naval raid, the Commonwealth 
  attempted to seize Finmark’s shipyard, only to face a desperate 
  resistance from the local defenders that quickly escalated. After 
  booby traps on the shipyard factory platforms took out his 
  boarding parties and seriously damaged two of his corvettes, the 
  spiteful Lyran commander ordered a nuclear bombardment of the 
  planetary surface, targeting all major settlements for destruction. 
  With the death of its capital world and the associated political, 
  industrial, and economic resources, the FFR collapsed over the 
  next decade.
  Other Fragments
  While a great many of the worlds left to their own devices 
  after the fall of the Rim Worlds died off (or simply fell off the map 
  thanks to the complete disinterest of the interstellar community), 
  several of these forgotten worlds managed to eke out an existence. 
  Surviving as outliers, visited mainly by lostech prospectors, pirates, 
  and adventurous deeper-space traders, many lingered on as 
  isolated independent systems. Some would be rediscovered later 
  in the form of reclusive mini-states and alliances that somehow 
  completely escaped the notice of the Inner Sphere. The following 
  describe the most notable examples.
  Chainelane Isles: One of the larger planetary clusters forged 
  from the coreward remains of the Rim Worlds Republic, the 
  Chainelane Isles emerged at some point between the Republic’s 
  fall and the mid-to-late 2800s. It was then that the majority of 
  these orphaned systems—developed and controlled by a diverse 
  group of local warlords, displaced cultures, and other scattered 
  communities of both honest and illicit nature—forged a semi-
  formal trading alliance. The Isles would remain a haven for rogues, 
  merchants, and refugees alike for centuries to come. Miraculously, 
  they would even survive the Clan Invasion and the Word of Blake 
  Jihad more or less intact, and still exist today—albeit in a state of 
  ongoing internal conflict.
  Von Strang’s World: Originally known as Erin, Von Strang’s 
  World received its current name when a local Amaris-loyalist 
  warlord named Baron Nico von Strang seized power around 2780 
  and established a new government under his Barony of Strang. 
  The Von Strang family maintained an iron-fisted rule through the 
  centuries until the coming of the Clans, treating their underclasses 
  as serfs and slaves while constantly filling their heads with pro-
  Amaris propaganda and fears of an imminent Inner Sphere invasion. 
  Conquered first by Clan Jade Falcon in 3049, and then by Clan Hell’s 
  Horses during the Jihad, the planet actually enjoyed a period of 
  effectively dissolved in the mid-2790s. The Confederation existed 
  in name only after 2796, but would rise again a few generations 
  later, when a pirate named Hendrik Grimm revived it as a bandit 
  kingdom in the mid-2850s.
  [Editor’s Note: The second Oberon Confederation would 
  eventually be overrun in the Clan Invasion of 3048-3050. Its leaders 
  and disarmed military served as an administrative body under Clan 
  rule, while its member worlds enjoyed a period of relative prosperity 
  and stability. When the Clans withdrew from the region in 3086, the 
  Confederation formed once more just a few months later, and today 
  still exists as the New Oberon Confederation.]
  The Circinus Federation
  In 2784, the same year General Kerensky led his Exodus fleet 
  into the unknown, another fragment of the Rim Worlds Republic 
  formed in the distant fringes of the Inner Sphere. Centered on 
  the world of Circinus, a Republic trade world turned into an SLDF 
  recruitment and training center prior to the Hegemony Liberation, 
  the Federation started as a haven for pirates who periodically 
  raided the Free Worlds League. 
  Around 2785, these pirates were joined by a group of Lyran 
  refugees fleeing the early fighting that would eventually become 
  the Succession Wars. A partnership of sorts was forged between 
  these refugees and the bandit groups, in which the pirates would 
  become the refugees’ protectors, while the Lyrans worked the land 
  to provide the pirates with food, support, and other resources. 
  Supported by piracy and other vices that its agrarian, civilian 
  populace ultimately turned a blind eye to, the Federation would 
  grow to encompass nine worlds in the centuries to come, several of 
  them annexed from the remains of the fallen Republic. 
  [Editor’s Note: The Circinus Federation eventually clashed with 
  newer Periphery states that would appear centuries later, but did not 
  fall until the very end of the Word of Blake Jihad in 3081, when assault 
  forces of the Principality of Regulus bombarded most of Circinus’ 
  planetary surface with salted strategic weaponry. It has since been 
  confirmed that the Word of Blake’s secret “Master,” Thomas Marik, was 
  present in the Circinian capital at the time of the bombing, and was 
  killed along with a significant portion of his remaining followers.]
  The Finmark Free Republic
  The short-lived state called the Finmark Free Republic was 
  organized in 2779, when the former Republic provincial capital 
  world of Finmark established an interstellar alliance with five 
  of its nearest Rim Worlds neighbors. As home to one of the 
  few semi-operational Republic industries not claimed during the 
  Commonwealth invasion, as well as an aerospace combat academy, 
  Finmark proved an effective core for a mini-state. Over a period of 
  three years, the Finmark government—modeled loosely on the 
  early Rim Worlds system—managed to stitch together a decent 
  defense force made up largely of orphaned elements of the Rim 
  Worlds Army, the SLDF, and fresh recruits. In all, this nascent state 
  possessed close to two BattleMech regiments, an equal number 
  of aerospace fighters, and supporting forces that numbered 
  approximately two regiments in mixed armor and infantry per 
  member world. 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  101
  dEClINE OF THE PERIPHERy
  THE TAURIAN-CANOPIAN WAR  
  (2813-2814)
  The Taurian-Canopian War (also called the Magistracy-
  Concordat Conflict, or the Herotitus Crisis, depending on whose 
  textbooks are consulted) was a brief dispute that erupted in 
  mid-2813 between the Taurian Concordat and the Magistracy of 
  Canopus. The war is remarkable for several reasons, not the least 
  of which that it was the only full-scale conflict between Periphery 
  states for the entirety of the Succession Wars era. 
  It was also the “cleanest-fought” of the border clashes in 
  the entire First War period. Across the four worlds where it was 
  fought, not a single weapon of mass destruction was deployed. 
  At the start of the conflict, both realms possessed fewer than ten 
  BattleMech regiments each; while the Taurian Concordat did have 
  an operational WarShip at its disposal (the Concordat-class TCS 
  Parin), the vessel never left Flannagan’s Nebula. Furthermore, while 
  the starting and ending dates of the war span more than eight 
  months, the vast interstellar distances between the four battle 
  sites meant that most attack forces spent more time in transit 
  than actually fighting. After all was said and done, in fact, the total 
  amount of time spent in combat between both sides was just over 
  eight standard Terran days, leading to one Canopian historian to 
  refer to the conflict as the “200-Hour War.”
  The war began when the Taurian Protector of the Realm, 
  Semyon Calderon, convinced his Privy Council to authorize a plan 
  to expand the realm’s resource base in anticipation of potential 
  invasion from the Federated Suns. Contemporary critics of this 
  decision openly wondered how the conquest of worlds situated 
  between the Concordat and the Magistracy of Canopus could 
  possibly have aided the Taurians in a war against House Davion, 
  but their concerns failed to register in the upper chambers of the 
  government, who ultimately backed the Protector. It is surmised 
  that Calderon’s appeal to the Privy Council not only addressed 
  his unsubstantiated war fears, but also added the promise of 
  reclaiming worlds denied to the Concordat by borders drawn 
  during the years of Star League oppression.
  As it was, the Protector was interested in securing two worlds 
  in particular: Herotitus and Detroit. Both worlds were self-sufficient 
  and resource-rich, but only sparsely populated and developed. 
  They were also located close to the rimward fringes of the Capellan 
  Confederation, which was busy dealing with wars on both sides. 
  Along with a third system, Spencer, these worlds had initially been 
  settled by a mix of Canopian and Taurian colonists.
  During the Star League era, competing claims on those three 
  “free worlds” had been arbitrarily decided by a League chronically 
  indifferent to Periphery affairs. The Magistracy of Canopus was 
  awarded nominal control over Detroit and Herotitus, while the 
  Taurian Concordat was awarded nominal control over Spencer. 
  However, the imposed treaty defined “nominal control” as a kind 
  of demilitarized protectorate status of the respective realms, which 
  meant neither realm was allowed to post military forces more 
  significant than paramilitary militia on these worlds, while Star 
  League “observers” maintained watch posts in these systems—
  ostensibly in the name of peacekeeping, but largely to take note of 
  stability under Clan occupation. Following the Clans’ abandonment 
  of the coreward Periphery in the late 3080s, Von Strang’s World has 
  devolved into ruin and piracy.
  Star’s End: The world of Star’s End and its asteroid fields 
  persisted after the Republic’s fall as a haven for pirates plaguing 
  the Inner Sphere for centuries, including the notorious Belt Pirates. 
  The hidden JumpShip yard based in the system helped keep the 
  pirate bands viable for much of that time, but was dismantled by 
  the Clans during their occupation. Since the Clan withdrawal of the 
  late 3080s, Star’s End and its lone habitable planet, Novo Cressidas, 
  is home to a smattering of diverse settlements united under a loose 
  government for mutual protection.
  Rim Collection: The Rim Collection of today consists of several 
  former Republic worlds that survived for centuries at a subsistence 
  level after their realm’s demise. Uniting in the late 3040s for 
  mutual defense against banditry, the Collection developed a loose 
  democratic society that has struggled to hold the realm together to 
  this day, and combined their resources to maintain a military based 
  primarily on mercenary hiring.
  Rim Territories: Another group of former Republic worlds that 
  reunited centuries after that nation’s collapse, the Rim Territories is a 
  bandit kingdom in the classic sense of the world. Although banded 
  together ostensibly in the name of mutual defense and resource-
  pooling, the leadership of this realm (which also includes a few 
  Rim Worlds systems once occupied by the Lyran Commonwealth) 
  is mainly an alliance of pirate groups who run their worlds like a 
  collection of organized crime families, with each world serving as a 
  different band’s “turf.” Surprisingly, the Rim Territories has survived 
  for decades under this arrangement, and despite the criminal 
  nature of their leadership, the Territories’ worlds are more stable 
  than most independent Periphery worlds.
  Secret Outposts of the Republic
  Discovered only decades or centuries after the fact, a number 
  of worlds (or world clusters) have turned up that evidence indicates 
  were associated with Stefan Amaris’ secret build-up prior to the 
  launch of his coup. Only a few of these Rim Worlds outposts have 
  ever been confirmed, and all were found in an advance state of 
  ruin, often due to harsh environmental conditions or an outbreak 
  of fighting between either their own survivors or the survivors and 
  local bandits.
  Records found among these ruins, which appear not only 
  along the coreward fringes of the fallen Republic, but also in 
  the Deep Periphery beyond Taurian space, show that there may 
  have been as many as thirty such “outposts” located beyond the 
  fringes of the original Star League’s sphere of influence. Yet, to 
  date, only four secret Rim Worlds outposts have been confirmed 
  by deep-space explorer groups. With clear evidence that these 
  systems served to train and equip the vast number of troops who 
  would eventually launch the Vandenberg Uprising and overthrow 
  the Terran Hegemony, many lostech prospectors have combed 
  over large swaths of space in search of the others. The mystery of 
  where these remaining outposts might be, and in what condition, 
  persists today.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  102
  dEClINE OF THE PERIPHERy
  On the ground, the Taurians and Canopians chased each other 
  around the planet’s few significant military targets, most of which 
  amounted to spaceports and mining complexes. After the MAF 
  defenders failed to lure the invaders into a major ambush prepared 
  near the port city of Dearborn, the campaign for Detroit (such 
  as it was) devolved into a series of attempted traps and counter-
  traps that neither side proved foolish enough to blunder into. The 
  fighting for Detroit thus ground down into quick defensive actions 
  and probing raids until word of the truce arrived months later.
  Spencer
  Upon receiving word of the assault on Herotitus, Magestrix 
  Rwannah Centrella ordered the MAF to retaliate, choosing as their 
  first targets the free system of Spencer, and the Concordat fringe 
  system of Portland. By hitting an actual Taurian system, Centrella 
  hoped to drive home a warning to the Concordat: the Magistracy 
  would not be easy prey. 
  The first attack, on Spencer, proved nearly as disastrous for the 
  Canopians as had the Taurian attack on Herotitus. MAF DropShips 
  carrying the Kossandra’s Volunteers BattleMech regiment, backed 
  by a mixed armor and infantry regiment and two squadrons of 
  aerospace fighters, arrived via the system’s zenith jump point and 
  burned straight for the planet. Their target was the capital city of 
  Liberty Point, the largest urbanized area on Spencer—a fact picked 
  up in their communications chatter by signal-eavesdropping 
  satellites floating in-system. 
  On the ground was Comptroller Hendras Mohandun, 
  commander of the local militia force, which included a mixed 
  regiment of ’Mechs and armor. Upon learning of the Canopians’ 
  objective, Mohandun directed the complete evacuation of the 
  capital city and strategically parked the majority of his militia 
  units among its larger buildings. Landing just outside the city, 
  the inexperienced Volunteers stormed the capital and blundered 
  straight into the trap. After nearly an hour of heavy fighting, the 
  MAF invaders suffered nearly fifty percent casualties, while a mix 
  of aerospace fighters and conventional bombers struck at their 
  DropShips. Surrounded by Concordat forces, with the path back 
  to their landing zone cut off, the remaining Magistracy units 
  surrendered to avoid destruction.
  Portland
  On Portland, the Magistracy’s First Canopian Light Horse 
  regiment proved much more effective, although that was almost 
  certainly due to the fact that the Concordat had no significant 
  aerospace forces to oppose their landing. After landing near the 
  town of Carter’s Mill, the Light Horse secured the small settlement 
  and proceeded to advance on the capital of Cooperton, which fell 
  after a brief skirmish against local militia.
  With no significant hard targets to capture on the sparsely-
  populated agrarian world, the Canopians were content with holding 
  the capital area until they came under fire by guerilla insurgents. 
  BattleMechs and armored vehicles assigned to the local militia, 
  though far fewer in number than those of the Light Horse, managed 
  to harass the invading MAF troops for weeks, using their superior 
  knowledge of the terrain to spring traps and evade pursuit with ease. 
  any valuable resources or industries the Territorial States might find 
  or found there. After Kerensky left the region and the Star League 
  entered its death throes, both the Magistracy and the Concordat 
  quietly “upgraded” the garrisons on each world.
  In June 2813, the Taurian offensive began, with Marshal 
  Gertrude Blake-Andrews assigned to the two-world invasion’s 
  strategic command, seconded by Comptroller Augustin Shapiro.
  Herotitus
  Arrogance, pure and simple, undermined the Taurian invasion 
  of Herotitus before it even began. The Concordat battle group 
  that materialized there did so at the planet’s zenith jump point, 
  and proceeded to secure the local recharge station without even 
  bothering to interdict its communications. Knowing through scout 
  reports that the Canopian garrison on Herotitus lacked much in 
  the way of BattleMechs, it is possible that Comptroller Shapiro, 
  commander of the attack group, considered this a means of 
  psychological warfare. By allowing the jump station to warn the 
  planet below, the MAF troops on Herotitus would know they faced 
  the superior might of his Second Pleiades Hussars ’Mech regiment 
  and its supporting armor and infantry. By giving the defenders time 
  to consider their imminent demise, Shapiro may have hoped to 
  inspire a quick surrender rather than a protracted fight.
  Instead, all he accomplished was giving the MAF defenders 
  ample time to send word back to Canopus and prepare an effective 
  defense. Employing aerospace assets that apparently missed the 
  advanced scouts’ notice, the Canopians swarmed and shot down 
  the incoming Taurian DropShips as they entered the planetary 
  atmosphere. The fierce air battle took the invaders by surprise, and 
  many ships crashed as concerted attacks by Magistracy fighters, 
  small craft, and low-flying DropShips hammered them to pieces. 
  In all, barely more than two companies of Concordat BattleMech 
  forces made landfall intact, along with half a mixed regiment of 
  infantry and armor. 
  Among the casualties was Comptroller Shapiro, whose 
  command ship was the first to penetrate the atmosphere—and 
  thus, the first to die in the crossfire. Command of the invasion once 
  it landed fell to its ranking officer, Subaltern Josiah Brandamas 
  of the Nineteenth New Vandenberg BattleMech Company. With 
  most of the Second Pleiades Hussars decorating swaths of the 
  local landscape, Brandamas acknowledged the hopelessness of 
  his situation and surrendered to the defenders without even 
  deploying his remaining troops.
  Detroit
  The invasion of Detroit, which took place under Marshal 
  Blake-Andrews’ direct command, turned out much better for the 
  Concordat than Herotitus—although it would have been hard to 
  do worse. Unlike Herotitus, Detroit had no recharge station in the 
  immediate vicinity of the arriving Taurians, and Blake-Andrews had 
  no intention of announcing her presence to the Canopians, nor 
  did she skimp on her aerospace escort. As a result, most of the TDF 
  invaders—the Red Chasseurs ’Mech regiment, plus two regiments 
  each of armor and infantry—managed to reach the planetary 
  surface alive. 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
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  dEClINE OF THE PERIPHERy
  Although specific causes varied, the more general reason the 
  Alliance lost close to a third of its worlds was, quite simply, apathy.
  Since its inception, the Outworlds government lacked the 
  centralization and authority of even the semi-dysfunctional Free 
  Worlds League. Its many worlds were largely administered on the local 
  level, under a loose confederacy that barely acknowledged its own 
  representative leaders on Alpheratz. More than any other Periphery 
  state, the people of the Alliance saw themselves as independent, 
  disinterested in the follies of the Inner Sphere. In the age of the 
  BattleMech, its primary mode of defense was the aerospace fighter, 
  used to intercept bandit groups long before they made landfall. To 
  many, these traits combined to create the impression of a backwards 
  realm, a nation of interstellar “hillbillies,” as it were.
  Thus, the majority of the Inner Sphere barely took notice of 
  affairs within the Alliance, if they thought of the realm at all. When 
  the Succession War erupted, the Outworlds Alliance was roundly 
  ignored by its neighbors, save for the expeditions sent through 
  the region in a vain effort to trace Kerensky’s Exodus route. Houses 
  Kurita and Davion were simply too focused on trying to destroy one 
  another to pay much heed to a Periphery state that never posed a 
  credible threat to them.
  Even Jerome Blake, biased as he allegedly was against the 
  Periphery realms, saw little reason to pay attention to the Outworlds 
  one way or the other. When his ComStar Order got around to 
  establishing HPG compounds in the region, its efforts scarcely 
  ventured beyond the Alliance’s capital; the majority of the realm had 
  to make do with courier ships for their interstellar communications. 
  After weeks of failing to decisively beat the Taurian insurgents, 
  the Light Horse finally decided to simply plunder the capital’s stores of 
  food and basic supplies before pulling back to their DropShips. When 
  word came down that a ceasefire was in the works, the Light Horse was 
  only too happy to put Portland behind them and return home.
  Aftermath
  Though the Canopian response to the Concordat invasions of 
  Herotitus and Detroit was far from devastating, it was fast and decisive 
  enough to give the Taurians pause. The fact that the Magestrix was 
  ready to retaliate within months of the first strikes, combined with 
  news of the spectacular failure on Herotitus, quickly convinced the 
  Taurian government to rethink its support for what became known 
  as Semyon Calderon’s war. Furthermore, the casualties and costs of 
  prosecuting a conflict where the front lines were several jumps away 
  from the nearest friendly border underscored the utter pointlessness 
  of the entire affair in a way that words alone apparently could not.
  In a subdued signing ceremony on Detroit in February 
  2814, emissaries from both realms agreed to uphold the borders 
  established during the Star League era, while reaffirming the free 
  worlds of Herotitus, Detroit, and Spencer as demilitarized systems. 
  Prisoners of war taken from both sides were returned to their 
  homelands over the following month, during which time the media 
  outlets in both realms heaped scorn on the Protector Semyon 
  Calderon for “playing House Lord.”
  The Taurian-Canopian War would be the only major war 
  involving a Periphery state until the Canopian-Andurien War in the 
  3030s. In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, Protector Semyon 
  Calderon dismissed Marshal Blake-Andrews, hoping to deflect 
  blame for the failed campaign on her. Blake-Andrews’ replacement 
  as head of the TDF was Natal Choudhoury of the Taurian Guard, 
  who would later sum up the war with a dry quip: “[The war] was not 
  a total loss; it can always be used as a bad example.”
  As for Semyon Calderon himself, the embarrassment of the 
  disastrous conflict would haunt him for years as the Privy Council 
  hardened against him and his people lost confidence in his leadership. 
  The animosity would eventually lead to his resignation in 2816. In 
  his place, the Privy Council chose Rayna Arantino, the Minister of 
  Education at the time, to serve as Protector of the Realm—one of the 
  very few times a non-Calderon ever held the title.
  DEATH BY APATHY:  
  THE CRUMBLING OUTWORLDS
  Tragic though each set of circumstances were in their own 
  right, at least it is easy understand how the Rim Worlds Republic, the 
  Magistracy of Canopus, and the Taurian Concordat fell on hard times 
  when the Star League era came to its end. Less understandable is what 
  became of the Outworlds Alliance in the wake of the League’s demise. 
  In the years leading up to the Amaris Crisis, the Alliance numbered just 
  under 140 populated systems—over three times its pre-Reunification 
  War size, even when accounting for the worlds quietly annexed by 
  the Draconis Combine and Federated Suns. By the end of the First 
  Succession War, over thirty of these worlds had perished, and another 
  dozen or so had simply vanished from the maps—all without a single 
  invasion launched or weapon of mass destruction detonated.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  104
  dEClINE OF THE PERIPHERy
  Theories abound as to why the Camerons ignored these 
  miniature realms while keeping the four major Periphery realms 
  under the SLDF’s boot, but the simplest and easiest explanation lay 
  in how little they offered in terms of strategic resources and military 
  threat. Indeed, it was not until after the Star League’s collapse 
  that the Illyrians and Lothians even seemed to employ much of a 
  defense force; bandit groups simply considered these realms too 
  remote, and were more apt to hide in their space than plunder it. 
  Even Stefan Amaris largely ignored these states (although rumors 
  of their use in training his secret armies still crop up from time to 
  time). The upsurge of piracy and fleeing refugees that came with 
  the Amaris Crisis and its aftermath eventually prompted the hiring 
  of mercenaries and other free-roving warriors for protection.
  Beyond their slightly increased need for military protection, 
  the minimal interactions between the Illyrian and Lothian states 
  and the Star League enabled both to weather the Succession 
  Wars with relative ease. Indeed, neither realm would face a serious 
  danger until the thirty-first century.
  Niops
  At the time of the Amaris Civil War, the Niops solar system, 
  located almost twenty-five light-years from the Free Worlds 
  League’s Romita system, was a well-stocked but isolated scientific 
  settlement. Established in 2700 as a long-term study project on 
  the death of a star (Niops is technically in the early stages of stellar 
  death, and has been for more than four hundred years as of this 
  writing), Niops was cut off when the Star League collapsed, as it 
  lacked any JumpShips or hyperpulse generator system at the time. 
  The scientists and their resident families would not learn of the 
  League’s fate until the tail end of the First Succession War, when 
  refugee ships from the Capellan Confederation arrived there.
  Over the centuries since, Niops evolved into a technocratic 
  oligarchy, where the descendants of the scientific elite ruled over an 
  unskilled labor force made up of refugees and their descendants. 
  Though still confined to their single star system, the Niopsians 
  eventually settled two of Niops’ other marginal worlds, creating the 
  three-world micro-empire known today as the Niops Association. 
  When defense forces were needed, the Association’s leadership 
  eventually began hiring mercenaries, but continued to rely primarily on 
  the system’s obscurity and a stockpile of Star League-era technology 
  to survive while the rest of the Inner Sphere descended into warfare. 
  Micanos
  Corporate interests within the Draconis Combine founded 
  domed mining settlements on three worlds in the Micanos system 
  during the late 2750s. While the government of the nearby Federated 
  Suns protested the move as a likely cover for spying into their realm 
  (Micanos lay just two jumps away from the Suns’ Periphery border 
  world of Hivrannee), the Combine actually used the world as a penal 
  colony for dissidents and other political prisoners. 
  In the early years of the Succession War, when the Combine 
  needed as many ships as possible to maintain its assault on the 
  Federated Suns, it quickly became impractical to support the 
  With the collapse of the Star League, the investors who fueled 
  the Alliance’s remarkable population growth vanished. With them 
  went financial support for virtually all terraforming efforts then 
  underway in the outer half of the realm. Even when resources were 
  located that might be vital for these worlds’ survival, the Outworlds’ 
  merchants found them impossible to obtain without making the 
  trek across the war-ravaged Inner Sphere—a challenge few cared 
  to take on.
  The end of the Star League hit the Outworlds economy 
  particularly hard as well. Under League rule, the Alliance had 
  adopted the Star League dollar and its local markets were sustained 
  by the stability of that currency. When the Council Lords adjourned 
  for the last time, the dollar lost its value practically overnight, 
  ultimately forcing Outworlds merchants to revert to a primitive 
  barter system in order to secure what goods and services they 
  could. The largely insular nature of the various Alliance worlds 
  further hastened this economic collapse, as local traders and 
  tradesmen increasingly found dealing with even the closest 
  neighboring systems too much hassle and expense to bother with.
  And so, for want of anyone to care—even among the Alliance 
  itself—worlds began to succumb to starvation, disease, and 
  environmental collapse. Many of these were simply abandoned 
  by their dwindling populations, who typically moved deeper into 
  the Outworlds or even the fringes of the Inner Sphere. Others died 
  out before their people could get away, their passing unnoticed 
  until ComStar completed periodic surveys with its Safe Transit and 
  Astrogation Project (STAP). For those poor casualties of an uncaring 
  universe, ComStar’s warning satellites near the local jump point or 
  in LaGrange orbits close to the dead planets themselves acted as 
  a global grave marker—a cold, metallic memorial to hundreds or 
  thousands of lost souls.
  To those who would eventually pick over these remains 
  decades and centuries later, these worlds became known simply as 
  the Outworlds Wastes.
  OTHER ORPHANS
  Beyond the four major Periphery states were a number of 
  smaller worlds and world groups established during the Star 
  League era. Although these mini-realms lacked the power to 
  influence historic events in the Inner Sphere at large, their survival 
  for centuries after the fall of the League became a testament to 
  human determination that almost flies in the face of logic.
  Illyrian Palatinate and Lothian League
  If anything, the Illyrian Palatinate and the Lothian League—
  two minor Periphery realms located beyond the anti-spinward 
  edge of the Free Worlds League—were remarkable in how both 
  managed to evade the Star League’s attention for virtually all of 
  their existence. Founded by runaways from past Terran empires 
  (the Illyrians fled a collapsing Terran Alliance, while the Lothians 
  were Taurians fleeing the Star League), both evolved on the fringes 
  of human space at a subsistence level, but eventually grew to trade 
  among themselves and the nearby Free Worlds. 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  105
  lOST WORldS
  A DCMS expedition to Antallos soon after the Succession 
  War erupted aimed to seize all high technology left behind by 
  the Terran and Davion interests, but resulted in a massacre when 
  the locals resisted. In their wake, what remained of the planetary 
  governing body collapsed, replaced by city-states that battled each 
  other for resources in the centuries to come. 
  The planet became a haven for regional bandits, outlaws, and 
  refugees as the Succession Wars raged on, and remained so until 
  the Word of Blake Jihad, when it was seized by advance forces from 
  Clan Snow Raven.
  LOST WORLDS
  The Succession Wars ultimately wiped approximately 800 
  worlds from the maps of the Inner Sphere and local Periphery 
  states. Although the First War only directly claimed just under 150 
  of these planetary casualties, the damage done during that conflict 
  contributed to the eventual demise of many more as technology 
  continued to decline and JumpShip fleets continued to shrink. 
  Popular accounts often blame the loss of these worlds on the 
  rampant use of mass-destruction weapons such as atomic and 
  nuclear bombs, chemical weapons, and engineered biological 
  agents. More often, however, it was isolation that made these worlds 
  vanish—either in death, from starvation, plague, or environmental 
  collapse; or simply abandoned by travelers who found nothing 
  worth the expense of visiting these worlds to begin with. 
  In truth, even with modern technology, it takes a great deal 
  of damage to “kill” a world such that mankind cannot survive 
  there. Examples abound of systems throughout the Inner Sphere 
  in which the only human settlements are a few environmentally-
  enclosed arcologies, either buried underground, submerged 
  beneath toxic waves, or domed against toxic atmospheres or 
  inhospitable weather. Some systems—such as Cholame and 
  Gulf Breeze—have virtually no planetary habitation at all, but 
  instead are home to space-borne colonies and orbital habitats. 
  In these systems, and others where populations are minimal 
  for one reason or another, “killing” the world simply means 
  destroying the majority of the human settlements and/or the 
  life support systems that keep them viable. For other, more 
  populous worlds with stable ecosystems, destroying the world 
  entails a greater spread of strategic weaponry, focused on large 
  population centers, industries, and vital water sources. Yet even in 
  these cases, there will always be survivors capable of scratching 
  out a living amid the ruins and wastelands.
  Ultimately, it is only a supreme act of God that can truly 
  render a solar system completely uninhabitable by mankind. 
  These are the most extreme of cases: an exploding star, a stray 
  gamma burst, a planet-cracking asteroid strike. But in the grand 
  scheme of the interstellar community, what takes an inhabited 
  star system off the map has less to do with how the world has 
  been killed, and more to do with what’s left worth saving. This 
  factor—apparently subjective to so many, yet actually grounded 
  in cold, hard, objective data—is what truly decides whether or 
  not a star remains on the simplified charts used by interstellar 
  merchants and military strategists alike.
  far-flung mining operation, regardless of how profitable Mican 
  mineral resources were in those days. Remarkably, instead of 
  starving out entirely, the system became a port of call for various 
  local trading interests. Its largely well-educated and determined 
  population, freed from their bonds as Combine prisoners, formed 
  a workable governing system that maintained order and helped 
  pool vital resources. 
  Like the Niops Association, the new micro-state that resulted—
  dubbed the Mica Majority by its natives—emerged as a three-
  world, single-star realm that would continue to thrive against all 
  odds throughout the Succession Wars.
  Novo Franklin
  The world of Novo Franklin began as a haven for Outworlds 
  Alliance refugees fleeing the Reunification War. The various groups 
  of settlers who fled there, however, hailed from numerous Alliance 
  worlds and ultimately held no interest in forming a unifying 
  government, preferring instead to establish their own individual 
  enclaves across the world, most of which maintained a subsistence-
  level existence.
  The collapse of the Star League and the Succession Wars had 
  little effect on this isolated world beyond driving an occasional 
  band of new refugees, pirates, and other wanderers its way. Instead, 
  this world declined on its own as multiple fiefdoms rose and battled 
  one another for the centuries to come. Even today, the so-called 
  Franklin Fiefs remain in a state of low-level internecine conflict, 
  with many splinter groups existing at an almost pre-industrial level.
   
  Antallos and Tortuga
  The pirate havens of Antallos and Tortuga—beyond the 
  farthest reaches of the Draconis Combine and Federated Suns, 
  respectively—followed similar paths after the fall of the Star 
  League despite their differing origins. 
  The pirates of Tortuga Prime first arose in the midst of the 
  Reunification War, based around a core of AFFS survivors from a 
  disastrous campaign. Through the Star League era, these pirates 
  only grew bolder in their predations as other bandits flocked to their 
  banner, until they formed a tiny bandit empire eventually called the 
  Tortuga Dominions. Eventually growing into one of the largest clusters 
  of bandit groups in the Inner Sphere, the Dominion has plagued every 
  nearby state ever since, surviving numerous attempts to wipe them 
  out by House Lords, Periphery states, and mercenaries alike.
  Though once a pirate haven arguably as vexing to the Draconis 
  Combine and Outworlds Alliance as the Tortuga Domains were to 
  the Inner Sphere’s entire “southeast” quadrant, Antallos began with 
  far more lofty goals. Settled in 2764 by a collective of mercantile 
  interests from the Draconis Combine, Federated Suns, Terran 
  Hegemony, and Outworlds Alliance, Antallos was to be a neutral 
  trading hub that would service all nearby realms during a hoped-
  for expansion into the region. Within its first few years of operation, 
  the world thrived as such, drawing merchants from across half 
  of the Inner Sphere even through the years of the Amaris Crisis. 
  But when the Star League collapsed, so too did Antallos, as the 
  merchants quickly stopped coming. 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  106
  lOST WORldS
  JumpShip and DropShip assets, a system no longer viable for 
  human habitation could be depopulated by a mass migration 
  or evacuation—but as transport assets grew increasingly scarce 
  during the Succession Wars, such “abandoned” worlds were the 
  exception rather than the norm. By 2824, of the 148 worlds that 
  dropped off the maps, only thirty-four of them were abandoned. 
  The remaining systems were declared “dead” by the only 
  census-takers entrusted at the time: ComStar’s Safe Transit and 
  Astrogation Project.
  The Reaper’s Scorecard
  ComStar began documenting the decline of the Inner Sphere 
  practically from its inception. As part of Jerome Blake’s effort 
  to rebuild the HPG network for the Inner Sphere, he created 
  the Safe Transit and Astrogation Project, an agency that would 
  establish whether a populated system in the Inner Sphere merited 
  hyperpulse service based on its population and viability. Starting 
  in 2790, these planetary census reports were performed once 
  every five years. Where worlds were identified as having been 
  depopulated, the STAP would record its data and pass it along to 
  their cartography division as a complimentary service for JumpShip 
  captains everywhere. 
  DEPOPULATION
  The primary determinant in what removes a world from the 
  lists of mankind’s interstellar homelands is, naturally, population. 
  This tends to be a flexible value, with no absolute minimum, 
  although the conventional standard is around 10,000 living 
  inhabitants—about the size of a single, medium-sized, suburban 
  settlement. Systems in which the population of the primary world 
  (or human enclave) has dropped below this number are often 
  considered depopulated, but may still appear on charts for some 
  other reason, such as the presence of a recharge station that allows 
  JumpShip traffic to pass through on their way to other worlds. On 
  the other extreme, worlds could be classified as “depopulated” on 
  charts even when they possess hundreds of thousands of people in 
  residence—just because the last few visitors could not locate any 
  of these inhabitants in the wake of a disaster or other misfortune.
  Dead vs. Abandoned
  A depopulation event could be caused by anything from 
  natural disaster, starvation, and disease to damage from war 
  and/or the collapse of local government. In cases where the 
  local inhabitants are lucky enough to have access to sufficient 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  107
  lOST WORldS
  For worlds found to have been depopulated—or which were 
  in the process of depopulating—the STAP created a shorthand 
  list, usable by the common layman. This list would record a 
  depopulated world’s position, its common name, its date of 
  depopulation (as well as the date on which it was delisted from star 
  maps), and the dominant cause of depopulation (simplified down 
  to famine, disease, war, or other disaster). Over the course of the 
  Succession Wars, space travelers of all stripes would come to refer 
  to this layman’s list as “The Reaper’s Scorecard.”
  This service interfaced with local digital networks connected to 
  the HPG grid, and generally worked automatically with a JumpShip’s 
  on-board navigational systems as part of routine software updates 
  available to all commercial traffic. Military shipping also accessed 
  these map updates of their own volition, a standard procedure 
  since the Star League days, when maps required continual updates 
  thanks to the establishment of new colonies and ports of call. In 
  this manner, the entire map of the Inner Sphere was updated within 
  a matter of weeks for interstellar travelers everywhere. In addition, 
  ComStar dispatched technical ships to depopulated systems to 
  deploy warning buoys in cases where the local world had suffered 
  depopulation as a result of some form of bio-hazard. 
  THE DEATH OF WORLDS
  Between the start of the First Succession War in 2786 and its stuttering conclusion in 2822, a total of 146 star systems vanished 
  from the maps, removed by ComStar’s Safe Transit and Astrogation Project. This “courtesy service” arose naturally as part of Jerome 
  Blake’s effort to reconnect the worlds of the Inner Sphere in the wake of Kerensky’s Exodus, and effectively amounted to an interstellar 
  census, displaying the worlds where enough human civilization existed to merit communication and trade.
  In 2824, two more worlds would bring the final tally of fallen stars to 148. 
  Capellan Confederation
  Worlds Depopulated: 21 (15 dead, 6 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (9), Disease (8), War (2),  
  Other Disaster (2)
  Draconis Combine
  Worlds Depopulated: 22 (15 dead, 7 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (9), Disease (3), War (7),  
  Other Disaster (3)
  Federated Suns
  Worlds Depopulated: 29 (24 dead, 5 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (12), Disease (8), War (7),  
  Other Disaster (2)
  Free Worlds League
  Worlds Depopulated: 3 (3 dead, 0 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (1), Disease (0), War (2),  
  Other Disaster (0)
  Lyran Commonwealth
  Worlds Depopulated: 7 (4 dead, 3 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (3), Disease (2), War (2),  
  Other Disaster (0)
  Outworlds Alliance
  Worlds Depopulated: 30 (19 dead, 11 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (14), Disease (4), War (0),  
  Other Disaster (12)
  Rim Worlds Republic*
  Worlds Depopulated: 33 (24 dead, 9 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (23), Disease (5), War (2),  
  Other Disaster (3)
  Taurian Concordat
  Worlds Lost: 3 (1 dead, 2 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (1), Disease (1), War (0),  
  Other Disaster (1)
  Magistracy of Canopus
  Worlds Lost: 0 (0 dead, 0 abandoned)
  Depopulation Causes: Famine (0), Disease (0), War (0),  
  Other Disaster (0)
  *Not counting systems annexed by the Lyran Commonwealth 
  prior to the Star League’s collapse
  Note: All world casualties are assessed against the realm whose 
  borders encompass them as of 2822 (e.g. Rocky, though Lyran when 
  depopulated, was located in the Draconis Combine at the war’s end)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  108
  OddITIES
  ODDITIES OF THE SUCCESSION WAR 
  The First Succession War was a conflict characterized by a few cohesive campaigns, 
  some major battles, and a mind-boggling amount of raiding actions. As brutal as they 
  were, the logic behind most of these events made sense against the broader backdrop 
  of the war itself. Due to their borders, neighboring states usually battled with their 
  nearest foes. Priority targets tended to be industries, command centers, and other vital 
  components of infrastructure—whatever would bring about the quickest victory.
  Yet some of the clashes that took place in the war seem bizarre, virtually inexplicable, 
  even with the benefit of hundreds of years of hindsight. Why, for example, did Prince John 
  Davion order his Operation BRASS RING in April 2788? Even at its outset, he must have 
  known an assault aimed against House Steiner’s most fortified worlds had little chance of 
  success. And even if it had succeeded, what purpose would such an attack serve beyond 
  creating yet another enemy in a war the Federated Suns was already losing against just 
  one? Still, even after the failure of that attack on Hesperus, Davion sent word to the BRASS 
  RING task force to find other objectives worth striking in Lyran space—which they would 
  eventually do the following year, on Thorin, Rocky, and New Earth.
  And why, just as diplomats on both sides neared the consensus that would ultimately 
  result in the Bella I accords, did Captain-General Thaddeus Marik suddenly decide he 
  needed one more victory in battle on Dieudonné? Although the world had once been rich 
  in both minerals and foodstuffs, it suffered badly in the Amaris years, which destroyed the 
  SLDF bases that had been there and left the world with little strategic value at the time of 
  Marik’s visit. Stranger still was the Captain-General’s decision to leave his orbiting flagship 
  and oversee operations on the ground, leaving himself open to the fateful LCAF artillery 
  mission that would take his life while he discussed strategy with the commanders of his 
  First Atrean Dragoons in an innocuous field tent.
  Of course, such oddities were hardly the exclusive purview of Houses Davion and Marik.
  INCIDENT ON HELM 
  Before BRASS RING, the Draconis Combine made a similarly unfathomable decision 
  to launch a deep raid into the Free Worlds League. In 2788, a DCMS ’Mech regiment, 
  escorted by a pair of destroyers, was dispatched to the Helm system, several jumps past 
  the old Hegemony borders into Free Worlds space. Drawn by reports of a massive SLDF 
  stockpile left behind in a fortified complex somewhere near the city of Freeport, this 
  attack force was allegedly dispatched by Coordinator Minoru Kurita himself with orders 
  to seize the stockpile. Anticipating heavy resistance and a need to penetrate the Castle 
  Brian complex beneath the city, the Combine troops came armed with an ample supply 
  of tactical nuclear ordnance and demolitions charges.
  At the time of the raid in mid-May, the League had just redeployed its own forces to support the conquest of the Terran Hegemony, leaving a 
  local militia of mostly armor and infantry to defend the planet. The raiders, under the command of Tai-sho Olav Nansen, made short work of the militia 
  troops at the city of Freeport, driving off the small BattleMech contingent, and began their search for the stockpile. After eight hours of blasting their 
  way into the complex bunkers, only to find nothing but empty storehouses and ancillary facilities stripped to the point of uselessness, the already-
  tense Nansen chose to begin torturing captive locals for information. While he was still doing so, a group of insurgents and forces managed to slip 
  into Freeport to ambush the Kuritans, sparking a fierce urban firefight that cost the DCMS nearly a company of ’Mechs.
  Enraged, and now convinced that the Free Worlds’ military had already looted the facilities long before his arrival, Nansen pulled his 
  troops out of the city and called in a nuclear strike against the site from orbit. After returning to his DropShips and boosting into space, Nansen 
  widened the scope of this nuclear attack, targeting several major cities on the planet with the orders to continue firing until the task force’s 
  entire supply of tactical missiles was expended. The DCMS raiders returned home empty-handed, but not before killing or displacing over 
  ninety million of Helm’s inhabitants, and reducing large swaths of the planet to radioactive waste.
  [Editor’s Note: Unknown to Nansen at the time, the SLDF stockpile had been hidden away by Star League engineers and, along with some SLDF 
  aerospace bays hidden in the local asteroid belt, survived the centuries largely intact.]
  WHY, WESTPHALIA?
  Compared to the DCMS strike on Helm, the Lyran-sponsored raid on Westphalia was much less destructive, but far more incomprehensible. 
  In 2815, the Freeman’s Fanatics mercenary battalion landed on the water-rich world and was engaged by the CCAF’s First Chesterton Voltigeurs. 
  THE SCARS OF TOTAL WAR
  Though two centuries have passed since the last 
  major attack using nuclear and chemical weapons 
  occurred, we still live with the effects of those out-
  rages today. The number of birth defects attributed to 
  genetic damage sustained by the infants’ long-dead 
  ancestors has only recently begun to drop off. This in 
  no way means that the figure is small—we estimate 
  about a million per year.
  The secondary effects of the chemical and nuclear 
  attacks on the land have also begun to drop off slightly. 
  The constant influx of untainted plants and animals 
  helped to dilute the effects of those tainted lifeforms, 
  but at considerable cost. There are still large tracts of land 
  unsuited for use, not to mention the occasional nasty 
  surprise, such as a radioactive dumpsite or an unexploded 
  biological weapon found buried beneath the soil.
  The target sites, usually cities, are called Dead 
  Zones if created by a nuclear weapon, Poison Pits if 
  created by chemical weapons, and Rats’ Nests if created 
  by biological weapons. If wearing a light environmental 
  suit, humans can usually remain safely in these places for 
  about three hours. Any longer and the visitor risks con-
  tamination. Unfortunately, many hundreds of treasure 
  hunters comb these cities every year, seemingly with 
  no concern for the health risks. That has resulted in a 
  rise in the number of radiation and chemical sicknesses, 
  reintroducing a whole new generation of physicians to 
  the horrifying effects of those evil weapons.
  —From Report on the Long-Term Effects of Nuclear, 
  Chemical, and Biological Weapons Used in the First 
  Succession War, Commonwealth Military Press, 3025
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  109
  OddITIES
  Over the course of several weeks, the Fanatics and the Voltigeurs engaged in an island-
  hopping game of cat and mouse, which ultimately cost the mercenaries little more than 
  a company’s worth of ’Mechs—including a lance of heavy machines taken down by the 
  Capellans’ faster-maneuvering scouts.
  Today, centuries after the Westphalia raid, the reason for such a strike remains a 
  mystery. The Lyrans shared no common border or reason for conflict with the Capellan 
  Confederation. Furthermore, lacking any significant military industry or technology 
  centers, Westphalia was barely of any real strategic value; only its proximity to Davion 
  border and the Chesterton worlds region made it worthy of a CCAF garrison. 
  LCAF records on the operation were lost in the fires of the First War, to the point 
  where even Commonwealth historians remain uncertain why a mercenary force was 
  hired to strike at such an insignificant target so far from Lyran interests. Today, the best 
  theories suggest that Freeman’s Fanatics were sent to Westphalia to pick up a high-
  value spy who was sent to gather data on the state of the region and somehow became 
  trapped there. A more radical—yet still somewhat plausible—theory suggests the raid 
  occurred as a result of some failed alliance talks between Houses Liao and Steiner, with 
  an eye toward working together against the Free Worlds.
  RANDOM REMNANTS
  Early in the First Succession War, a number of battles were complicated by 
  interference from forces other than those the combatants came to fight. Remnants 
  of the Terran Hegemony, orphaned Rim Worlds Army survivors, and SLDF troops who 
  failed to join Kerensky’s Exodus—all of these made their presence known whenever 
  the fighting between House Lords happened to cross their paths. While many of these 
  would eventually turn mercenary (such as the Lexington Combat Group and Blue Star 
  Irregulars), others fought for causes all their own to the bloody end.
  What follows are just a few examples where such “random remnants” altered the 
  flow of battle.
  The Battle of Rocky
  Of the many devastating battles over worlds of the former Terran Hegemony, Rocky 
  stands out as one of the few times in the First War when Davion and Steiner forces faced 
  each other, but also as an instance where remnant forces from Stefan Amaris’ imperial 
  army resurfaced to make matters even worse. 
  The LCAF took control of Rocky in 2785, only to learn soon afterward from the 
  locals that a detachment of AEAF forces had been hiding among the ruins of the seaport 
  city of Cavingwood since soon after the Terran liberation. Having turned to banditry 
  since then, the former Republican troops preyed on several nearby townships. With no 
  effective military left of their own, the people of Rocky were only too happy to point the 
  Commonwealth forces at these insurgents. The Lyrans were still in the process of hunting 
  the bandits when the AFFS units arrived, determined to avenge their earlier failure at Hesperus. 
  Deciding that the new attackers represented the greater threat, the Steiner forces abandoned their pirate hunt to engage them. As the 
  LCAF and AFFS units turned on each other in a series of savage battles over the capital city region roughly 100 kilometers away, the Republican 
  remnant troops struck at the Lyrans’ command center. Now convinced that the insurgents were working with the Davions all along, and taken 
  unawares by the audacity of their direct assault, the Commonwealth commander panicked. Determined to end the insurgency and teach the 
  new invaders a lesson, he ordered a tactical nuclear strike on Cavingwood, and called in a bombing mission against the AFFS landing sites near 
  the capital. The enemy WarShips in orbit responded in kind, lobbing nuclear-tipped capital missiles at the Commonwealth ground positions.
  The nuclear escalation worsened conditions for a planet that had already suffered grievous damage during the Amaris Crisis. Between 
  the fallout and the ash filling the skies, the planet found itself facing the beginnings of a premature ice age, with virtually no infrastructure to 
  support its dwindling population. In all, the LCAF and AFFS each managed to evacuate around a battalion’s worth of troops from Rocky, but 
  the Republican forces were never seen again.
  The Siege of Inglesmond
  The Terran Hegemony world of Inglesmond survived the Amaris Crisis in fairly good shape, thanks largely to its people’s reluctance to 
  struggle against what they saw as the legitimate Hegemony authority. Although the Amaris era saw Inglesmond’s citizenry grow increasingly 
  DEAD, LOST, OR HIDDEN?
  Helpful as ComStar’s STAP service was for Jumper 
  captains, we know today that the Order’s motives were 
  not altogether altruistic. Through STAP, whole swaths 
  of the Periphery were simply dumped off the map, 
  reported as depopulated, usually due to famine or 
  disease. While it is likely true that such crises were claim-
  ing their due among the locals, Blake’s distaste for the 
  Periphery—especially the denizens of the Rim Worlds 
  Republic—is well known today. Having STAP exagger-
  ate the state of decline on those worlds helped to justify 
  passing them over for HPG service, while incidentally 
  hastening their demise by causing shipping services to 
  note their “deaths” prematurely and stop coming by. 
  How many Periphery folk died, one must wonder, 
  simply because a petty comm-tech with delusions of god-
  hood blamed them for bringing down the Star League?
  And then, of course, there were the secret 
  worlds—the ones ComStar hid by quietly fudging 
  their data sets—sometimes going as far as chang-
  ing the names a few years or so in advance, to really 
  confuse things. Among those, we would one day learn, 
  were the dreaded Five Worlds. Since the Jihad, many 
  a money-grubbing merc, lostech scavenger, amateur 
  sleuth, and would-be adventuring explorer have gone 
  searching for the three (or two, depending on whose 
  story you’re buying) remaining worlds…only to come 
  up empty or dead (or both).
  Of course, the funny thing is, ComStar took a lot 
  of planets off the map for perfectly legit reasons along 
  the way, so even searching the dead lists leaves open 
  the question as to which of these are the Hidden plan-
  ets…and which are merely lost.
   —From Conspiracies for All Seasons (Volume XXI), 
  J. M. Starling, 3142
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  110
  THE TyRFING HOlOCAUST
  In the time of the Star League, the world of Tyrfing served as a 
  provincial capital for the Terran Hegemony. Settled in the mid-2300s, 
  the heavily industrialized world was home to some three billion 
  Hegemony citizens at the time of the Amaris coup, and possessed 
  both a sophisticated space defense system network and no less than 
  five of the Star League’s Castles Brian. The planet was also home to 
  some of the Hegemony’s most intriguing natural vistas, including the 
  Great Crystal Valley—a thousand-kilometer long stretch of lush, exotic 
  woodlands nestled between two snow-capped mountain ranges rich 
  in assorted, naturally-growing quartz-like crystal formations that 
  likewise dot the valley itself in a riot of bright colors. 
  During Kerensky’s campaign to liberate the Hegemony, Tyrfing was 
  targeted for liberation by the SLDF’s Fifth Army, escorted by the Twelfth 
  Fleet. Fighting for the planet was long and bloody, and the Amaris 
  Empire defenders were quick to deploy nuclear weapons to hold back 
  the Star League’s troops as soon as they made landfall. In an effort to 
  stem the loss of civilian life, the League forces drove the Empire troops 
  into the fortifications, and kept them largely contained while the bulk of 
  their manpower worked to evacuate civilians to safe zones or off-world 
  entirely. Only once the invasion’s commander, SLDF General Solheim, felt 
  the potential for additional collateral damage was minimize did he order 
  a final assault on the enemy-occupied fortifications, employing orbital 
  fire and “surgical” nuclear strikes to shatter them. 
  By the time the siege ended in mid-2777, the planetary 
  infrastructure and economy lay in ruins, and severe ecological 
  damage from the use of various nuclear and chemical weapons—
  combined with the uncontrolled spread of toxins from the industrial 
  cities struck early in the campaign—rendered much of the world 
  uninhabitable. Postwar reconstruction efforts had barely even begun 
  by the time of Kerensky’s Exodus, but that did not stop the emigration 
  of local residents as the planet’s atmosphere and weather patterns 
  grew ever more inhospitable. Still, the world of Tyrfing was deemed 
  significant enough for the Free Worlds League to annex it during the 
  initial years of the Star League’s collapse.
  In late 2788, just three years after the start of the Succession War, 
  the still-struggling planet came under attack once more—by not one 
  new invader, but all four of the other Great Houses. Drawn in by reports 
  of significant weapon caches left behind there by the Star League and 
  Amaris forces (and by rumors that House Marik was making progress in 
  reactivating the remnants of the planetary SDS network), raiding forces 
  from the Lyran Commonwealth and Capellan Confederation arrived 
  first in the month of July, clashing with each other and the FWLM 
  defenders on site. In late August, the three-way war for Tyrfing was 
  joined by a strike force from the Federated Suns, which was growing 
  increasingly desperate to seize any potential Star League technologies 
  they could turn against House Kurita. The Draconis Combine, either 
  intent on thwarting the Suns’ expedition, or eager to capture their own 
  technological advantages, landed its own forces in October.
  The five-way battle for Tyrfing unleashed even more of the 
  chemical and nuclear horrors the world had suffered a mere decade 
  before, all but annihilating the last of its major cities and Castles Brian 
  alike. The number of skirmishes, temporary alliances, and inevitable 
  betrayals that took place throughout the conflict is nearly impossible 
  to determine, even thirty years later. 
  One of the most dramatic firefights erupted in the Great Crystal 
  Valley, where elements from all eleven of the BattleMech regiments 
  on-planet clashed amid the vivid landscape of what was once 
  Tyrfing’s most breathtaking nature preserve. The six-day, five-sided 
  battle for the valley tore apart and burned away what remained of its 
  now-poisoned woodlands, and most of the ancient and iconic crystal 
  growths throughout the land were trampled and blasted to dust.
  By the time the last of the invading ships departed, in late 
  February 2789, Tyrfing was beyond saving. None of its major 
  industrial cities remained intact, and the resident population was 
  less than eight million. Although all of the participating ’Mech 
  regiments survived to greater or lesser extent, some—such as 
  the Confederation’s Ariana Grenadiers—would need to undergo 
  extensive repair and reorganization before they could fight again. 
  In stark contrast, the various supporting ground forces weren’t so 
  lucky. The rampant use of nuclear and chemical weapons, combined 
  with toxins left over from the Amaris Crisis battles, took their heaviest 
  toll on the various infantry units, with none of the participating forces 
  claiming more than twelve percent of their original infantry support 
  by the end of the fighting. Vehicular and aerospace forces fared only 
  modestly better, but even then, only the defending Twenty-Third 
  Marik Militia could call more than twenty percent of their original 
  conventional support combat-ready.
  In the wake of the fighting, Captain-General Kenyon Marik 
  ordered hostile-environment salvage crews to recover whatever 
  equipment they could from the ruins of the planet’s Castles Brian, 
  before scorching the remainder. Afterward, he reduced Tyrfing’s 
  garrison to specialized conventional troops while volunteers and 
  government agencies attempted to bring relief to the local survivors. 
  As of the end of the Succession War, Tyrfing’s population was 
  estimated at around five million and still falling, with the majority 
  of the decline attributed to a series of toxic after-effects from all the 
  fighting, and a lack of effective medical infrastructure. The system 
  was officially quarantined by the Free Worlds government in 2824.
  THE TYRFING HOLOCAUST
  Aggressors:
  AFFS: Fourth Davion Guards and the Fifth Dragonlords Regiments
  LCAF: Seventh Donegal Guards and the Stealths Regiments
  DCMS: Eighth Sword of Light and the Black Sharks (mercenary) Regiments* 
  CCAF: Prefectorate Guard and Ariana Grenadiers Regiments
  *formerly the Twenty-Third Amaris Dragoons
  Defenders: 
  FWLM: Twenty-Third Marik Militia, Third and Seventh Oriente Hussars Regiments
  —Stephen Latt, Forgotten Battles of the Succession War (Vol. 2), Greenbay Press, 2825
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  111
  OddITIES
  Stationed as close to the Federated Suns’ border with the 
  Taurian Concordat, the 238th was one of the first Divisions moved 
  in to help contain the crisis. Savaged in the heavy fighting against 
  surprisingly well-equipped secessionist forces, the Czech Lancers 
  were officially disbanded by General Kerensky by 2767. While 
  roughly a third of the division’s Second Mechanized Infantry 
  Brigade was folded into other commands, along with a regiment 
  of BattleMechs, the remains—a little over four battalions’ worth of 
  ’Mechs and infantry—were shunted into a reserve pool.
  In 2771, as Kerensky’s forces prepared to embark on their final 
  campaign to liberate Terra, a full battalion of the reserve-status 
  Lancers went AWOL in the Periphery. Calling themselves Charon’s 
  Children, this battalion spent several years preying on the worlds 
  of the former Rim Worlds Republic, hastening their decline before 
  finding their way across the Inner Sphere and vanishing among the 
  pirate domains around Tortuga Prime.
  Four years later, in the wake of the Amaris Crisis and the 
  final collapse of the Star League Council, agents of the Lyran 
  Commonwealth approached the remaining survivors of the Lancers’ 
  reserves, hoping to woo them over to their employ. By that point, 
  however, increasing tensions among these surviving SLDF troops 
  had spilled over into violence, and more than a battalion’s worth of 
  Lancers MechWarriors had been imprisoned in the local stockade, 
  placed under the guard of their fellow warriors. Hoping to maximize 
  their recruitment, the Commonwealth’s solicitors approached the 
  prisoners first, quickly obtaining a pledge from their commander, 
  Colonel David Cline, to join the LCAF in exchange for their freedom.
  When the Lyran agents proposed to “buy” the prisoners from 
  their former comrades, it prompted further conflict among the Lancers 
  who weren’t already locked up. The mechanized infantry contingent, 
  under the command of Colonel Lionel Schaffer, remained devoted 
  to Kerensky, and steadfastly refused even to consider such a deal. 
  Others were more tempted. Those inclined to accept the offer, led 
  by Colonel Lacey McGill, met with the solicitors in secret, to propose 
  a deal: in exchange for the offered money, a retainer contract for her 
  own battalion, and the loan of some LCAF ’Mechs for her plan, they 
  would stage a prison break for the imprisoned Lancers. In this way, 
  the Kerensky loyalists would not feel they had betrayed their ideals, 
  the LCAF would gain a battalion of SLDF-trained warriors, and McGill 
  would be able to lead her own battalion into mercenary service.
  The Lyran solicitors accepted, but what McGill did not anticipate 
  was how hard Schaffer’s Kerensky loyalists would fight to keep 
  Cline and his men behind bars. When McGill’s warriors approached 
  the prison complex in LCAF machines, the resulting firefight 
  with Schaffer’s security troops resulted in the deaths of over two 
  companies of mechanized infantry and the destruction of a third 
  company of loyalist ’Mechs. McGill’s forces prevailed (albeit with 
  some damage of their own) and managed to evacuate the facility.
  In the aftermath of the whole affair, Colonel Cline’s POWs 
  went on to form the core of the LCAF’s Eighth Lyran Regulars, while 
  McGill’s battalion reorganized itself as the Iron Raven Mercenary 
  Command. Reduced to less than a battalion of mixed infantry 
  and ’Mech forces, the few survivors of the original Czech Lancers 
  Division limped off into history, joining with Kerensky’s Exodus fleet 
  the following year.
  uneasy about this decision, they did not openly rebel. When 
  General Kerensky liberated Terra, Inglesmond embraced his victory, 
  and looked forward to the restoration of the Hegemony’s glory in 
  the wake of the Civil War. By 2782, however, it had become painfully 
  apparent that the realm was in a terrible state, and that it was 
  suicide to merely sit and wait for recovery while the House Lords 
  failed to save the Star League. 
  Taking matters into their own hands, like several other 
  Hegemony-loyal world governments in the Lone Star District, 
  Inglesmond reached out to a number of neighbor worlds and shifted 
  their local industries to wartime production. By the end of 2785, 
  these efforts began to bear some fruit; while its upgraded orbital 
  shipyards raced to construct new WarShips, armed forces equipped 
  with state-of-the-art Star League equipment were helping to defend 
  allies on Algedi, Kervil, and Styx. Unfortunately, by then, the House 
  Lords had already set their sights on the Hegemony’s rich remains, 
  and the Draconis Combine was bearing down on those same worlds.
  In the early months of 2786, Inglesmond’s troops fought 
  against the DCMS incursions. While they ultimately failed to 
  prevent the fall of their allied systems, their resistance taught the 
  Dragon that the people of the Hegemony still had some fight left 
  in them. In response, a Combine raiding force struck at Inglesmond 
  directly in 2787, destroying millions of tons of partially constructed 
  WarShips in Inglesmond’s shipyards. Recognizing the inevitability 
  of a brutal Kurita invasion, Inglesmond’s government appealed for 
  aid from Kurita’s mutual enemies—the Lyran Commonwealth and 
  the Federated Suns—and offered their loyalty to whichever House 
  could protect them. 
  Preoccupied with their own efforts elsewhere, both the 
  Commonwealth and the Suns dispatched small “exploratory forces” 
  to Inglesmond, ostensibly to help break what had already become 
  a full-on siege of the planet. Their arrival only made matters worse, 
  turning the entire affair into a four-way conflict for control over what 
  remained of one of the Hegemony’s wealthier systems. Well aware 
  that they could not hold the planet for themselves, the Davion and 
  Steiner forces began resorting to nuclear scorched-earth tactics, 
  desperate to deny any advantages to the Kuritan invaders. The 
  DCMS forces responded in kind. Inglesmond’s largest cities and 
  industrial sites were destroyed, and all planetary government and 
  infrastructure had completely collapsed by the end of 2788. 
  The Combine ultimately claimed a planet shrouded by clouds of 
  radioactive debris. Ten years later, after scavenging Inglesmond for 
  any salvageable resources, House Kurita left all that remained in the 
  throes of a nuclear winter. Soon afterward, ComStar’s cartography 
  service struck the world from its maps when a perfunctory search 
  for survivors found no signs of life among the ruins.
  The Scattered Lancers
  In the course of the events leading up to the Star League’s 
  demise, a number of SLDF commands suffered extreme damage 
  as they tried to stave off the inevitable. One of these was the 238th 
  Mechanized Infantry Division (the Czech Lancers). Long plagued 
  by Taurian-sponsored bandit attacks and terrorism, the Lancers 
  suffered from low morale and a siege mentality when the New 
  Vandenberg Uprising kicked off in 2765. 
  
  Helduza
  Findal
  Seven Lands
  Elba
  Jardangal
  Sialkot
  Lywick
  Farcry
  Anatolia
  Megiddo
  Viluisk
  Valabhi
  Lushun
  Oporto
  Windhoek
  Lokoja
  Ubangi
  Heidelburg
  Salisberg
  Zanbasa
  Montsegur
  Arlanda
  Machapuchre
  Tordenskjold
  Várri
  Mogabouti
  Awyron
  Far Reach
  Ambrose
  Von Strang’s
  Sentarus
  Aboukir
  Derby
  Inner Surge
  Baggville
  Rypful
  Bremen
  Zefri
  Quelimane
  Gorgon
  Biegga
  Vannes
  Abushiri
  Vargtass
  Mearra
  Dijonne
  Naco
  Sidon
  Kerman
  Rosetta
  Cilvituk
  Parvan
  Choex
  Yidtall
  Calvados
  Erdvynn
  Tatopani
  Green Stone
  Iolas
  Himmels
  Beauvais
  Viroflay
  Ceram
  Ceuta
  Zinal
  Harlez
  Valladolid
  Merlynpede
  Haggard
  Lande
  Malacca
  Melilla
  Meghy
  Shalaine
  Fallen Stars
  Duantia
  Aquavita
  Nichol's Rest
  Ukunela
  McKellan
  Aigle
  Altoona
  Hornir's Keep
  Myrrdin
  Stardawn
  Dagda
  Pardeau
  Lintz
  Albion
  Dresden
  Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
  Caledea
  Nuelson Minor
  Stellaris
  Annwyn
  Warrumbungle
  Graz
  Manx
  Conley's Patch
  Zuhbehr
  Cardff
  Starshine
  Prydain
  Bayis II
  Malazan
  Tylarzka
  Zebrenaski
  Sardis
  Hódmezovásárhely
  New Galicia
  Naissus
  Sparta
  Köln
  Z
  Flychenia
  Thirty Weight
  Bo
  Cree
  Esztergom
  Cerignola
  Ceará
  Izmir
  Revel
  Stettin
  Szepes
  Zempoatlepetl
  Hell's Paradise
  Calchedon
  Eion
  Mohács
  Turov
  Pec
  Szombathely
  Vicksland
  Melk
  Spirit
  Gran
  Alta
  Maratho
  Bye's Ship
  Durabon
  Luxani
  Mondra 
  Schmitt
  Zelmag III
  Herrmaz
  Coopertown
  Kleinwelt
  Shipton
  Cresson
  Cayuga
  Gettorf
  Eagle Rest
  Helvetica
  Camlann
  Abramkovo
  Biloela
  Khon Kaen
  Madiun
  Pencader
  Penobscot
  Stantsiya
  Timbiqui
  Zdice
  Acrux
  Althastan
  Binyang
  Danxian
  Ellijay
  Finsterwalde
  Herzberg
  Loburg
  Maisons
  Radostov
  Shahr Kord
  Teyvareb
  Aberystwyth
  Al Jafr
  Cruz Alta
  Enders Cluster (10)
  Florida
  Ilzra
  Sarikavak
  Coldbrook
  Halifax
  Hinckley
  Karkkila
  Rapla
  Sapienza
  Stanley
  Wiltshire
  Gillfillan's Gold
  Otisberg
  Amminadav
  Waypoint
  Caldarium
  Pocologan
  Issaba
  Langhorne
  Lost
  Ma'anshan
  Engadine
  Hood IV
  Inarcs
  Jerangle
  Jesenice
  Kowloon
  Kwangchowwang
  Neerabup
  Trentham
  Willunga
  Annunziata
  Clermont
  Kolovraty
  Melissia
  Mogyorod
  Bone-Norman
  Botany Bay
  Erewhon
  Last Chance
  Chiavenna
  Mezzana
  Czarvowo
  Rosice
  Zaprudy
  Aiguebelle
  Batajnica
  Calafell
  Firenze
  Mercedes
  Novara
  Abejorral
  Ciampino
  Kostinbrod
  Noisiel
  Nuneaton
  Quilino
  Vendrell
  Vihtijarvi
  Virtue
  Baryshevo
  Champadanga
  Chhaprauli
  Jatznik
  Niangol
  Qarahta
  Saravan
  Storfors
  Tapihue
  Kelang
  Triesting
  Callisto V
  Thuban
  Australia
  Brooloo
  Ewanrigg
  Gatineau
  Khartoum
  Ludwigshafen
  Mahone
  Mandaoaaru
  Millerton
  Mississauga
  Moriguchi
  Recife
  Strandfontein
  Swartklip
  Windsor
  Zwipadze
  Baba
  Blue Hole
  Deia
  Dukambia
  Esteros
  Goat Path
  Kookens 
  Pleasure Pit
  Mkuranga
  Timkovichi
  Yeguas
  Bondurant
  Curaumilla
  Dalcour
  Edmondson
  Griffith
  Kosciusko
  Labouchere
  Maderas
  Merton
  Millungera
  Saltillo
  Schererville
  Promised Land
  Atzenbrugg
  Aylmer
  Bayindir
  Corbeanca
  Ghaziabad
  Goth Khakar
  Hammer
  Hazeldean
  Huntington
  Jubka
  Karakiraz
  Kogl
  Lahti
  Landfall
  Lepaterique
  Lesnovo
  Mankova
  Negushevo
  Panjang
  Prato
  Romita
  San Nicolas
  Schiedam
  Stotzing
  Tchamba
  Tematagi
  Tormentine
  Tuamotu
  Valil'yevskiy
  Wolof
  Conakry
  Escobas
  Howrah
  Manotick
  Sackville
  Sharqah
  Silver
  Skvorec
  Trznadel Cluster
  Wisconsin
  Thraxa
  Vixen
  Gambilon
  Booker
  Ballad II
  Weistheimer
  Crawford's Delight
  Novo Tressida
  Glevakha
  Cameron
  Zanderij
  Krievci
  Me
  Forkas
  Circinus
  Niops V
  Niops VI
  Niops VII
  Hunter's Paradise
  Paulinus
  Lordinax
  Lothario
  Lummatii
  Leximon
  Lindassa
  Logan Prime
  Svalstad
  Gwynedd
  Luanda
  Wypoute
  Gabenstad
  Herbania
  Melville
  Delagoa
  Port Vail
  Finmark
  Synsstad
  Austerlitz
  Edirne
  Nightwish
  Helbrent
  Milvano
  Huesta
  Wingzar
  Kitopler
  Janina
  Marisura
  Mahrah
  Stirling
  Fjernet
  Malaga
  Battaraigi
  Jápminboddu
  Vulture’s Nest
  Renren
  Eschen
  Beta Regulus II
  Jorvikland
  Morrigan
  Marsalle
  Rochers
  Ildlandet
  Nobel
  Mangor
  Cranston
  Restitution
  Obrenovac
  Payvand
  Ruschegg
  Vak
  Hednesford
  Bismarck
  Katlehong
  Campoleone
  Ibarra
  Bass
  Afarsin
  Bethonolog
  Gallis
  Lindenmarle
  Royal Foxx
  Candiear
  Harminous
  Techne's Revenge
  Megarez
  Kossandra's Memory
  Hardcore
  Krimari
  Tarol IV
  Marantha
  Palladix
  Wildwood
  Cerillos
  Epsilon
  Galisteo
  Maxwell
  Sierra
  Cascade
  Kilarney
  Valloire
  Abbadiyah
  Adelaide
  Akfata
  Alarion
  Alekseyevka
  Anembo
  Arluna
  Ayacucho
  Black Earth
  Bobruisk
  Bucklands
  Buena
  C.M.O. 26
  Canal
  Chapultepec
  Coventry
  Ellengurg
  Elume
  Enzesfled
  Etiler
  Ferihegy
  Great X
  Halfway
  Howick
  Inchicore
  Kikuyu
  Kladnitsa
  Krung Thep
  Kvistgard
  Kwangjong-ni
  Main Street
  Miquelon
  New India
  Newtown Square
  Nouasseur
  Ormstown
  Pangkalan
  Poulsbo
  Premana
  Qanatir
  Qurayyat
  Revivim
  Roadside
  Son Hoa
  Tainjin
  Tangua
  Timbuktu
  Timehri
  Tiruppur
  Tsarahavana
  Urjala
  Venaria
  Viborg
  Winter
  All Dawn
  Rajkot
  Beta VII
  Blackjack
  Here
  Hot Springs
  Malibu
  Pasig
  M
  Saonara
  Can
  Slewis
  Tharkad
  Tellman's Mistake
  Dar-es-Salaam
  Lancaster
  York
  Anywhere
  Golandrinas
  Gotterdammerung
  Lackhove
  Wot
  Reykavis
  Trondheimal
  Illyria
  Trasjkis
  Loxley
  Kendall
  Eleusis
  Kaumberg
  Somerset
  Alorton
  Bowang
  Diamantina
  Gibraltar
  Carlisle
  Goetville
  Guatavita
  Rijeka
  Blumenort
  Chahar
  Machida
  Medellin
  Barcelona
  Campbelton
  Dickins
  Ionus
  Vosloorus
  Al Jubaylah
  Lengkong
  Cirebon
  Fieferana
  Ellsworth
  Fadiffolu
  Hiratsuka
  Ford
  Bella I
  Chalouba
  Tamarind
  Gannett
  Tania
  Loric
  Albert Falls
  Cajamarca
  Hellos Minor
  Newcastle
  Ankolika
  Westover
  Atsugi
  Isabela
  Karachi
  Tapachula
  Gatchina
  Tohelet
  Trellisane
  Atreus
  Zhongshan
  Pressby
  Ngake
  Clinton
  Donegal
  Concor
  Gallatin
  Launam
  Megrez
  Nestor
  Rah
  Rexburg
  Shasta
  Zwenkau
  Arc-Royal
  Bountiful Har
  Gibbs
  Greenlaw
  Hamilton
  Horneburg
  Incukalns
  New Capetown
  Santana
  Tetersen
  Tsinan
  Upano
  Vorzel
  Wrociaw
  Ashburton
  Bolan
  Cameron
  Colfax
  Danais
  Drosendorf
  Fian
  Gypsum
  Hongqiao
  Jiddah
  Medzev
  Paradise
  Rzhishchev
  Uzhgorod
  Clipperton
  Mauripur
  Rohinjan
  Scheuerheck
  Ayn Tarma
  Hindmarsh
  Aconcagua
  Chagos
  Kutludugun
  Cavanaugh II
  Kakada
  Kamenz
  Duran
  Minderoo
  Sargasso
  Atocongo
  Biuque
  Pobeda
  Reese Station
  Richvale
  Diass
  Nullarbor
  Faleolo
  Mackenzie
  Molokai
  Wilkes
  Alula Borealis
  Eromanga
  Home
  Loongana
  Simpson Desert
  Aitutaki
  Arcadia
  Bainsvill
  Dixie
  Giausar
  Gibson
  Gienah
  Keeling
  Laureles
  Loyalty
  McAffe
  Niihau
  Nockatunga
  Norfolk
  Rasalas
  Senftenberg
  Sheridan
  Thermopolis
  Uh
  Wallis
  Washburn
  Zortman
  Alma Alta
  Aristotle
  Bjornlund
  Eidsfoss
  Sierpc
  Smolnik
  Westerstede
  Pingree
  Regulus
  Jardine
  Ilion
  F
  Chukchi III
  Ciotat
  Colinas
  Eutin
  Hollabrunn
  Jaumegarde
  Kitzingen
  Pher
  Soilihull
  Turinge
  Zvolen
  Alterf
  Har
  Manihiki
  Midkiff
  Mu
  Sterling
  Trinidad
  Coriscana
  Futuna
  Mundrabilla
  Olafsvik
  Preston
  Togwotee
  Aur
  Cumbres
  Eilenburg
  Gallery
  New 
  Hyde
  Kirkenlaard
  T
  Ideyld
  Mariefred
  Arganda
  D
  Sarpsborg
  Tongatapu
  New Oly
  Autumn Wind
  Alula Borealis
  Vermezzo
  Sappir
  Da
  Neb
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
    1) Magistracy of Canopus
    2) Taurian Concordat
    3) Outworlds Alliance
    4) Illyrian Palatinate
    5) Lothian League
    6) Tortuga Dominions
  The Periphery
  Tamar Pact
    1) Trellshire
    2) Tamar Domains
    3) Camlann Shire
  Protectorate of Donegal
    4) Coventry Province
    5) Alarion Province
    6) District of Donegal
    7) Furillo Province
  Federation of Skye
    8) Kannon Shire
    9) Virginia Shire
    10) Rahneshire
    11) Isle of Skye
  Lyran Commonwealth
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  11
  Pesht Military District
    1) Kagoshima Prefecture
    2) Coudoux Prefecture
    3) Bjarred Prefecture
    4) Pusht-i-rud Prefecture
    5) Ningxia Prefecture
  Galedon Military District
    6) Oshika Prefecture
    7) Matsuida Prefecture
    8) New Samarkand Prefecture
    9) Kaznejoy Prefecture
  Draconis Combine
  Rasalhague Military District
    10) Radstadt Prefecture
    11) Trondheim Prefecture
    12) Tinaca Prefecture
  Benjamin Military District
    13) Baldur Prefecture
    14) Xinyang Prefecture
    15) Kajikazawa Prefecture
    16) Proserpina Prefecture
    17) Irurzun Prefecture
  Dieron Military District
    18) Kuzuu Prefecture
    19) Ashio Prefecture
    20) Lone Star Prefecture
    21) Addicks Prefecture
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  INNER SPHERE - 2822
  Pesht Military District
  Rasalhague Military District
  Galedon Military District
  Benjamin Military District
  Federation of Skye
  Protectorate of Donegal
  Tamar Pact
  Draconis March
  Crucis March
  Capellan March
  Draconis March
    1) Robinson Operational Area
    2) Woodbine Operational Area
  Crucis March
    3) Markesan Operational Area
    4) Minette Operational Area
    5) Chirikof Operational Area
  Capellan March
    6) Kathil Operational Area
    7) Taygeta Operational Area
  Federated Suns
  2
  4
  5
  6
  7
  1
  3
    1) Tikonov Commonality
    2) Chesterton Commonality
    3) Sarna Commonality
    4) Capella Commonality
    5) Sian Commonality
    6) St Ives Commonality
    7) Andurien Commonality
  Capellan Confederation
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
    1) Marik Commonwealth
    2) Federation of Oriente
    3) Principality of Regulus
    4) Duchy of Andurien
    5) Stewart Confederation
    6) Duchy of Graham-Marik
    7) Rim Commonality
    8) Regulan Free States
    9) Principality of Gibson
    10) Abbey District
    11) Duchy of Orloff
  Free Worlds League
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  Dieron Military District
  20
  21
  11
  
  Apsalar
  Beowulf
  World
  Ichmandu
  Caillinius
  Iron Land
  New Ålborg
  Fefferfer
  Chimpaw
  Kingtribel
  Glenlivet
  Bushmill
  Stonarboi
  Qualip
  Deweidewd
  Murmansk
  Tottori
  Old Canton
  Sikkim
  Ulsan
  Corfu
  New Ceylon
  Takata
  New Sumatra
  Hildaman
  Tangerz
  Okaya
  Celebes
  Grootfontein
  Dalmantia
  Westfield
  Goldlure
  Belacruz
  Nai-Stohl
  Knutstad
  Naikongzu
  Isfahan
  olobrzeg
  Catroxx
  Bonaire
  Grobin
  ra
  Heart Fjord
  rib
  Pavia
  Sarkel
  Aquileia
  Gniezno
  Kievanur
  St Gall
  August
  Ragusa
  Oldsmith
  Quimper
  Everett
  Carnac
  Carcassonne
  Bayeux
  Arromanches
  Périgueux
  Cork
  St. Cyr
  Giverny
  Mackolla
  Rennes
  Fugeres
  Jacobabad
  Dol
  Roscoff
  Vereeniging
  Saumur
  Du Lac
  Tiruchchirappalli
  Quimper
  Wittington
  Dunkerque
  Waycross
  Merlin
  Alnadal
  Klamriz V
  Ballentine
  Reinhardstein
  Turkalia
  Entalun
  Saltural
  Bothwell
  Courtney
  Nogales
  Simancas
  Andelys
  Agmond
  Josselin
  Manksville
  Sturganos
  Unkador
  Teylingen
  Charleywood
  Verdinge
  Tantallon
  Wedderborg
  Ormal
  Duxford
  Arundel
  Valois
  Bamburgh
  Merowinger
  Hoensbroek
  Kenilworth
  Frankson
  Aggstein
  Gruyeres
  Gravensteen
  Chillon
  El Kerak
  Mytilene
  Ferrara
  Caerlaverock
  Kublenz
  Saltville
  Vecchio
  Branzoll
  Fathepur
  Zambezi
  Swales
  Lynchburg
  Declan II
  Ildrong
  Bringdam
  Maldive
  Mazdru
  Gahral
  Lacadon
  Vintru
  Knutdor
  Plataea
  Namen
  Brabent
  Blida
  Paches
  Caria
  Jenet
  Tazaraki
  Pentvar
  Maharet
  Lochmantle
  Anaea
  Weitinger
  Ryans Fate
  Umgard
  Tetschner
  Adler
  Boeotia
  Oli
  Turko
  Chouli
  Fjaldr
  Kazu
  Sindalin
  Oligar
  Wantorill
  Kek
  Laong
  Alto
  Undra
  Blandou
  Yongd
  Bergtatt
  Tyrlon
  Itrom
  Enkra
  Khi
  Zindao
  Hurgh
  Non Diz
  Smithon
  Aosia
  Shaobuon
  Arn
  Espia
  Salardion
  Naryn
  Tengil
  Dili
  Rosendal
  Konopiste
  Kupang
  New Troy
  Nam Dinh
  Banfora
  Borka
  Aomen
  Ullieri
  Sappho
  Sumy
  Java
  Lucknow
  Patan
  Kristiandsund
  Chengdu
  Ramen II
  Jilin
  Snailzar
  Manennaia
  Achilles
  Myrvoll
  Lukla
  Aodh
  Westphalia
  Genf
  Dhaulgiri
  Sharpe
  Crawford
  Stockpoll
  Conwy
  Payia
  Antias
  Segerica
  Athna
  Pernik
  Mattisskogen
  Dì-fang
  Nukus
  Harbin
  Chitwan
  Haerhbin
  Jungar Qi 
  Bodnath
  Florarda
  Tianamon
  Bhaktapur
  Gorki
  Belluevue
  Kohlman
  Yàn-huì
  Dansur
  Lyreton
  Chennai
  Zhaomaon
  Viribium
  Hibuarius
  Adrar
  Linhauiguan
  Ordino
  Aquagea
  Karlstejn
  New Athens
  Ilmachna
  Staffin
  Brest
  Bogerth
  Mumbai
  Pell
  Itica
  Hè-shì
  Katla
  Sichuan
  Lhasa
  Shui-pào
  Klayne
  Smythe
  Angelsey
  Bahl's Retreat
  Dalian
  Lamu
  Finnalon
  Itsbur
  Kalindam
  Zanzor
  Toch Zu
  Burl
  Crichton
  Michtal
  Flynn
  Dralkig
  Ugland
  Toten
  Jeppens
  Vinstra
  Finse
  Waitur
  Halgrim
  Halla
  Dreadlord
  Eigerland
  Kaldu
  Ictus
  Mindrel
  Devil’s Breath
  Bell
  Joan’s Post
  Braben’s Frontier
  Joshua
  Coyle
  Achton
  Schrim
  Shiri
  Tresspass
  Ulubis
  Blueys
  Kent
  Onverwacht
  Calingasta
  Loikaw
  Voehn
  Hrafn
  Raetia
  Renorsal
  Vangburg
  Wynn’s Roost
  Nerum
  Zebuluraskai
  Zumbo
  Greypearl
  Achnoly
  Glitnir
  Fallry
  Sornath
  Puttalam
  Tanz
  Gaeri
  Domeyko
  Feijo
  Mizt
  Koury
  Helland
  Northsun
  Johnson
  Zalt
  Grankum
  Gitarama
  Danli
  Zetang
  Blommestein
  Ambatomainty
  Maripa
  Vonja
  Azur
  Barahona
  Waini Point
  Brinton
  Centavido
  Flatspin
  Amber
  Woogi
  Girondas 
  Qalzi
  Paf
  Mas
  Angra
  Tirabad
  Simone
  Klenkar
  Leh
  Lorkdal
  Famdo
  Cadela
  Serenity
  Baltar
  Fiery Plains
  Sebha
  San Carlos
  Gangtok
  Zelski II
  Masterton 
  Katinka
  Artru
  Coromodir 
  Reinbak
  odesto
  Skyfog
  Itzehoe
  Antallos (Port Krin)
  Nova Roma
  Butte Hold
  Elissa
  Oberon VI
  Sigurd
  Paulus Prime
  Gustrell
  Blackstone
  Crevedia
  A Place
  Alleghe
  ski
  Bruben
  Chateau
  Csesztreg
  Dustball
  Feltre
  Harvest
  Kirchbach Liezen
  Maxie's Planet
  Mozirje
  Parakoila
  Planting
  Verthandi
  Alyina
  Apolakkia
  Colmar
  Dell
  Denizli
  Devin
  Dompaire
  Evciler
  Graus
  Leskovik
  Skokie
  Sudeten
  Svarstaad
  Twycross
  Vulcan
  Zoetermeer
  Bessarabia
  Gunzburg
  Hyperion
  Kandis
  Karston
  Kobe
  Kufstein
  Laurent
  Memmingen
  Rastaban
  Perrot
  Thannhausen
  Weingarten
  Wheel
  Alshain
  Balsta
  Chandler
  Darius
  Dawn
  Eguilles
  Ferleiten
  Goito
  Hermagor
  Kaesong
  Kempten
  Kiamba
  Kiesen
  Krenice
  Leoben
  Mannedorf
  Marawi
  Meilen
  Numki
  Pomme De Terre
  Radlje
  Setubal
  Spittal
  Sternwerde
  Susquehanna
  Dumaring
  Cebalrai
  Diosd
  Galuzzo
  Jabuka
  Marfik
  Ramsau
  Shionoha
  Shirotori
  Trolloc Prime
  Vindemiatrix
  Adhafera
  Scarborough
  Decus
  Prix
  Manapire
  Shiba
  Menkib
  No Return
  Purvo
  Tantara
  Shipka
  Capricorn III
  Cap Rouge
  Granera
  Maritgues
  Yanchep
  Dunianshire
  Luxen
  Palm
  Dainmar Majoris
  Abruzzi
  Ambergrist
  Andarmax
  Armaxa
  Ashley
  Aucara
  Bacum
  Barras
  Beid
  Betelgeuse
  Borden
  Carbonis
  Cavalor
  Claxton
  Claybrooke
  Columbine
  Conquista
  Cursa
  Decatur
  Dicon
  Drozan
  Egress
  Elnath
  Exedor
  Fagerholm
  Fortymile
  Frazer
  Fronde
  Gomeisa
  Goodna
  Gunthar
  Gurnet
  Haappajarvi
  Harsefeld
  Hurik
  Ikast
  Immenstadt
  Ingonish
  Ito
  Jacomarle
  Jacson
  Jonzac
  Kafr Silim
  Kittery
  Krin
  Kujari
  Larsha
  Les Halles
  Lopez
  Madras
  Matsu
  Mitchel
  Monhegan
  Nashuar
  New Roland
  Niomede
  Overton
  Pilpala
  Pojos
  Principia
  Quimberton
  Renown
  Repulse
  Royalston
  Sarmaxa
  Sax
  Second Chance
  Second Try
  Shoreham
  Sirdar
  Turin
  Vard
  Velhas
  Victoria
  Villanueva
  Wallacia
  Ward
  Weatogue
  Wright
  Xanthe III
  Yunnah
  Yuris
  Zanzibar
  Detroit
  Herotitus
  Corey
  Andro
  Hecheng
  Altoona
  Palmyra
  Marielund
  Dothan
  Arnaudville
  Mishkadrill
  Ramora
  Sterope
  Jansen's Hold
  Illiushin
  Camadeierre
  Flaum
  Burton
  Atreus Prime
  Mithron
  Brisbane
  Laconis
  Amber Grove
  Euschelus
  Grossbach
  Perdition
  Logan's Land
  Norman's World
  Celentaro
  Organo
  Dicallus
  Althea's Choice
  Paulding
  Steeles
  Lexington
  McGehee
  Waimalu
  Newton
  Adelson
  Alta Vista
  Andalusia
  Baranda
  Bassfield
  Boondock
  Cambiano
  Cimeron
  Crofton
  Cumberland
  Damevang
  Defiance
  Delacambre
  Die Moot
  Emporia
  Euclid
  Fuveau
  Gronholt
  Grosvenor
  Hahira
  Hephzibah
  Hickok
  Hivrannee
  Humansville
  Junior
  Kaguyak
  Kentwood
  Kirklin
  Kountze
  Lihue
  Lothair
  Lyceum
  Macintosh
  Mansfield
  Mararn
  Mejicanos
  Melcher
  Memphis
  Mermentau
  Milligan
  Millray
  Molino
  Morven
  New Aberdeen
  Nunivak
  Okefenokee
  Pattison
  Princton
  Redondo
  Reisterstown
  Rosepine
  Sabanillas
  Sherwood
  Shubuta
  Stratford
  Wapakoneta
  Weldon
  Skepptana
  Dunklewälderdunklerflüssenschattenwelt
  Osset
  Fatima
  Blair Atholl
  Fort Loudon
  Leganes
  Whittington
  Biota
  Ueda
  Lothan
  Lyndon
  a Verde
  Corridan IV
  Auldhouse
  Enif
  Kokpekty
  Soul
  Brasha
  Coraines
  Rudolpho
  Baliggora
  Raldamax
  Trimaldix
  Alegro
  Calish II
  Calish III
  Luderitz
  Adhara
  Spencer
  Rockwellawan
  Portland
  Addasar
  Novo Franklin
  Abagnar
  Abiy Adi
  Altona
  Bangor
  Brailsford
  Brihuega
  Capra
  Charity
  Cheriton
  Clearfield
  Delitzsch
  Ebensburg
  Echo
  Gravenhage
  Hanover
  Igualada
  Isesaki
  Jeanette
  Jezersko
  Juazeiro
  Kamarod
  Korramabad
  Koulen
  Labrea
  Land's End
  Lapida II
  Last Frontier
  Leyland
  Loysville
  Luzerne
  Matamoras
  McAlister
  Meinacos
  Minowa
  Outer Volta
  Paracale
  Pinnacle
  Polcenigo
  Qandahar
  Richmond
  Savinsville
  Sawyer
  Soverzene
  Stapelfeld
  Tarnby
  Turtle Bay
  Waldheim
  Yumesta
  Mica II
  Mica V
  Mica VII
  Alfirk
  New Gascony
  New Hati
  Fletcher's Feast
  New Port Royal
  Morgan's Holdfast
  Jarett
  Baruun Urt
  Rhodos
  Laconis
  Dowles
  Thamel
  Amu Darya
  Elix
  Miyazaki
  Nara
  Seuta Bimyeong
  Emar
  Caracol
  New Sarum
  Kiruna
  Glabach
  Caesaera
  New Sapporo
  Wonju
  Kanto
  Yufu
  Muroto
  Jeju
  Cabanatuan
  Lone Star
  Hechnar
  New Dallas
  Haddings
  Chaville
  Tyrfing
  Lockdale
  Pokhara
  Afleir
  New Stevens
  Brownsville
  Inglesmond
  New Florence
  Bex
  Killbourn
  Mandal
  Zertarum
  Taran's World
  Oyevaina
  Shardayne
  Kreller
  erg
  Talisker
  Vaajakoski
  Osumi
  Mokpo
  Sunchon
  Hakkaido
  Miyako
  Shimoda
  Odawara
  Tuat
  Ouagadougou
  Ferranil
  Bilma
  Duxfort
  Blue Sava
  Pliska
  Elbing
  New Praha
  Jászberény
  Kalmar
  Kern
  Ghorepani
  Alexandria
  Santiago
  Medron
  Nexus Ri
  Ki Zoban
  Megaris
  Mavegh
  Dumassas
  Sartu
  Hanseta
  Victralla
  Badlands
  Werfer
  Parian
  Ina
  Menion
  Hastur
  Zathras
  Aspropirgos
  Gouderak
  Thurrock
  rel
  Butzfleth
  Deschenes
  Shenwan
  Beenleigh
  El Giza
  Leyda
  Piriapolis
  Ryerson
  Taygeta
  Hassad
  Novaya Zemlya
  Bethel
  Muridox
  Mosiro
  Lockton
  Adherlwin
  Fanardir
  Borgan's Rift
  Joyz
  Early Dawn
  Brixtana
  Cate's Hold
  Basiliano
  Butler
  Hainfeld
  Heiligendreuz
  Hohenems
  Lovinac
  Moritz
  New Caledonia
  Rodigo
  Romulus
  Seiduts
  Stanzach
  The Edge
  Trell I
  Unzmarkt
  Vantaa
  Waldorff
  Crellacor
  Agliana
  Armington
  Birmensdorf
  Csomad
  Drienfontein
  Enchi
  Estuan
  Firgrove
  Gambarare
  Hortense
  Jaboatao
  Kaitangata
  Kiserian
  Leipsic
  Malagrotta
  Minette
  Oltepesi
  Point Barrow
  Sodertalje
  Symsonia
  Tatlawiksuk
  Tegaldanas
  Vackisujfalu
  Anguilla
  Baxley
  Beaumont
  Benedict
  Bonneau
  Chanute
  Cohay
  Delos IV
  Ebro
  Gillingham
  Inman
  Kilbourne
  Kirbyville
  Lackland
  Mayetta
  McRae
  Metter
  Neosho
  Offerman
  Pascagoula
  Perdido
  Rentz
  St. Robert
  Sterlington
  Sturgis
  Tangipahoa
  Thibodaux
  Vandalia
  Waipahu
  Winfield
  Zolfo
  New Ivaarsen
  Abbeville
  Anjin Muerto
  Belaire
  Brockton
  Broken Wheel
  Brundage
  Cassias
  Chakachamna
  Chenier
  Hobson
  Kigamboni
  Kotzebue
  Markesan
  Meinrad
  Necedah
  Protection
  Electra
  Flintoft
  Horsham
  Lindsay
  Maia
  Merope
  Pleiades Cluster
  Ridgebrook
  Robsart
  Rollis
  Wrentham
  Landmark
  MacLeod's Land
  New Vallis
  New Ganymede
  100
  Keuterville
  Nahoni
  Semichi
  Warren
  Caldwell
  Cohagen
  Montour
  Naka Pabni
  Pierce
  Songgang
  Tentativa
  Verdigreis
  Weippe
  Badlands Cluster
  50
  Jodipur
  Eustatius
  Hoonaar
  Bastrop
  Farnsworth
  Greeley
  Hazelhurst
  Inner End
  Tellman IV
  Vibrunum
  Valasha
  Alpheratz
  Bad News
  Bryceland
  Cerberus
  Ferris
  Groveld III
  Haynesville
  Kennard
  Niles
  Pajarito
  Sevon
  Valentina
  Morthac
  Quiberas
  Jordan Wais
  Praxton
  Loparri
  Lushann
  Banori
  Mitchella
  Dindatari
  Quatre Belle
  Budingen
  Schirmeck
  Parma
  Amiga
  Augusta
  Monroe
  Filtvelt
  Sheliak
  Engadin
  Radstadt
  St. John
  Thessalonika
  Ad Duwayd
  Algate
  Almunge
  Avon
  Brocchi's Cluster
  Byesville
  Caripare
  Chapineria
  Chorley
  Chupadero
  Constance
  Coudoux
  Courchevel
  Damian
  Dover
  Espakeh
  Garstedt
  Hartshill
  Hassi R'mel
  Herndon
  Hongor
  Huaide
  Hyner
  Idlewind
  Irece
  Kabah
  Linqing
  Lonaconing
  Macksburg
  Midway
  Monywa
  Multan
  Ningxia
  Nowhere
  Nykvarn
  Pondicherry
  Pusht-i-rud
  Ramgarh
  Rockland
  Salford
  Schuyler
  Schwartz
  Shimonoseki
  Sinope
  Slaithwaite
  Suianheer
  Teniente
  Virentofta
  Wolcott
  Yardley
  Zalaf
  Tuscarawas
  55
  Courcellete
  Corodiz
  Mendham
  Shaunavon
  adowvale
  Tetski
  Camlann
  Sekulmun
  Ankaa
  Dalton
  pus IV
  New Abilene
  Great Gorge
  Tancredi IV
  Tortuga Prime
  Sabik
  Tukayyid
  Albalii
  Kazanka
  Tabayama
  Zlatousi
  Prinis Prime
  Dneiper
  Milligan's World
  Risin
  Rushaven
  Quantraine
  Bensinger
  Derf
  Icar
  Persistence
  Star's End
  Steelton
  Toland
  Treeline
  n
  Amity
  Brockway
  Bromhead
  Diefenbaker
  Midale
  Renfield
  Cyrton
  Pesht
  Predlitz
  Bjarred
  Kaznejoy
  Hyalite
  New Vandenburg
  Pinard
  Carmichael
  Deneb Kaitos
  Outpost
  As Samik
  Basantapur
  Panpour
  Deneb Algedi
  Kansu
  Thimphu
  Kesai IV
  Conroe
  Diboll
  Mirage
  Urich
  Linneus
  Savonburg
  Steinhatchee
  Jesup
  Fetsund
  Gurrnazovo
  June
  Moultrie
  Olindo
  Vaucluse
  Hudeiba
  Kwamashu
  Latice
  Lurgatan
  Sadurni
  Baker 3
  Ridderkerk
  Jeronimo
  Kilmarnock
  Mandaree
  n
  Tintavel
  Kearny
  Mansu-ri
  Cole Harbour
  Calloway VI
  Ipswich
  Shuen Wan
  Frondas
  Furud
  Australis
  McKenna
  Antipolo
  Vikindu
  Flannagan's Nebulea
  Galatea
  Taurus
  New Syrtis
  New Rhodes III
  Angol
  Zebebelgenubi
  Apollo
  Luthien
  Galedon V
  Alrescha
  Acamar
  Holmsbu
  New Bergen
  Rasalhague
  Skallevoll
  Svelvik
  Thule
  Trondheim
  Vipaava
  Spica
  Taga
  Palladaine
  Bettendorf
  Evansville
  Bellevue
  Maynard
  Mokane
  Quincy
  Vicente
  Niquinohomo
  Sparrevohn
  Strawn
  Tarazed
  Vanern
  Corsica Nueva
  Volders
  Oshika
  Marshdale
  almyre Deans
  Wetumpka
  Sakuranoki
  Casere
  El Dorado
  Sverdlovsk
  Alcyone
  Daniels
  Anaheim
  Redfield
  Wernke
  Kirei Na Niwa
  Benjamin
  Numenor
  Worrell
  Nox
  Suk II
  Tamar
  Asgard
  Delavan
  Merak
  New Kyoto
  e
  Ballynure
  Borghese
  est
  Canonbie
  Dalkeith
  Eaglesham
  Edasich
  Ginestra
  Hesperus II
  Meacham
  Montmarault
  Orkney
  Quarell
  Rasalgethi
  Surcin
  Yed Posterior
  Zebeneschamali
  Anegasaki
  a
  Iknogoro
  Loeches
  Matheran
  Milnerton
  Pella II
  Sophie's World
  Sorunda
  Barlaston
  Bora
  Buenos Aires
  Calpaca
  Carmen
  Fujidera
  Glasgow
  Grand Base
  Hadnall
  Holloway
  Hustaing
  Kaifeng
  Lesalles
  Mentasta
  Phact
  Preston
  Primus
  Raballa
  Randar
  Relevow
  Sakhalin
  Scituate
  Sendalor
  Sigma Mare
  Tallin
  Teng
  Texlos
  Umka
  Vestallas
  Warlock
  Watermael
  Wazan
  Xieng Khouang
  Ziliang
  Apriki
  Belladonna
  Bogard
  Bristol
  Cahokia
  Carmacks
  Gallitzin
  Handa
  Heligoland
  Ipava
  Kathil
  Klathandu IV
  Kluane
  Layover
  Le Blanc
  Listowel
  Mandate
  Manteno
  Marodzi
  Matar
  Matsuida
  McComb
  Montcoal
  Mordialloc
  New Damascus
  New Mendham
  Northfield
  Orbisonia
  Reisling's Planet
  Remshield
  Sakhara V
  Tatsuno
  Togura
  Victoria
  Waxell
  Koping Chian
  Adrian
  Altdorf
  Bergman's Planet
  Broaddus
  Brookeland
  Cerulean
  Choudrant
  Colchester
  Colia
  Davisville
  De Berry
  Delacruz
  Des Arc
  Fairfield
  Hoyleton
  Keytesville
  Latexo
  Macomb
  Nadrin
  Nagel
  Ottumwa
  Pitkin
  Potwin
  Senorbi
  Shawnee
  Sullivan
  Sun Prairie
  Sylvan
  Tsamma
  Weisau
  Xenia
  Crestoblus
  Kinkaid II
  Chirala
  Sertar
  Morrill
  Pattonsbrug
  Ulysses
  Mauckport
  Rosiclare
  Bluford
  Alsek
  Colorado
  Kaiyuh
  Noatak
  Killarney
  Nizina
  Birqash
  Hobbs
  Andurien
  Kanata
  Kasdach
  Shiro III
  Verlo
  Maldonado
  Unity
  Kagoshima
  Keihoku
  Miyada
  Tiflis
  Ban Na San
  New Samarkand
  Sanda
  Sighisoara
  Arcturus
  Crimond
  Grunwald
  Hillerod
  Porrima
  Ardoz
  Carse
  Chatham
  Cusset
  Grumium
  Halesowen
  Karbala
  Maule
  Mualang
  Pilkhua
  Port Arthur
  Rubigen
  Satalice
  Skandia
  Tomans
  Utrecht
  Annapolis
  Babuyan
  Baldur
  Braunton
  Dyfed
  Havdhem
  Ogano
  Omagh
  Peacock
  Sakai
  Shibukawa
  Tanh Linh
  Xinyang
  Philadelphia
  Chinmen Tao
  Fairfax
  Mizunami
  Tishomingo
  Udibi
  Antietam
  Bastian
  Capac
  Dahar IV
  Delphos
  Galax
  Gulkana
  Huron
  Manassas
  Notwina
  O'Fallon
  Petrolia
  Torrence
  Verde
  Willowick
  Highspire
  Allerton
  Chebanse
  Chirikof
  Darwendale
  Ingenstrem
  Islamabad
  Okains
  Atlas
  Avigait
  Corella
  Cotocallao
  Glentworth
  Jaipur
  Quittacas
  Altorra
  Bellatrix
  Calseraigne
  Kurvasa
  Menke
  New Westin
  Raphael
  Westerhand
  Chilung
  Guangzho
  Chichibu
  New Oslo
  Shinonoi
  Arkab
  Alkes
  Bordon
  Agematsu
  An Ting
  Barlow’s End
  Beta Mensae V
  Bicester
  Blandinsville
  Cholame
  Cosenza
  Cyrenaica
  DeWitt
  Dnepropetrovsk
  Falsterbo
  Fellanin II
  Galtor III
  Gandy's Luck
  Glenmora
  Helsingfors
  Iijima
  Itabaiana
  Johnsondale
  Kanowit
  Kawabe
  Koumi
  Lima
  Ljugarn
  Lucerne
  Paris
  Peabody
  Ramona
  Rowe
  Sauk City
  Saunemin
  Silkeborg
  Simferopol
  Sodus
  Tarkio
  Thestria
  Tinaca
  Umijiri
  Waunakee
  Xhosa VII
  Avawatz
  Axton
  Corydon
  Elidere IV
  Fallon II
  Farwell
  Fincastle
  Flushing
  Freisland
  Gambier
  Goubellat
  Huan
  Imbrial III
  Irurzun
  Larned
  Marlowe's Rift
  Misery
  Monongahela
  Narellan
  Ogilvie
  Perkasie
  Proserpina
  Remagen
  Salem
  Stein's Folly
  Streator
  Sylvester
  Ulan Batar
  Wedgefield
  Hachiman
  Lee
  Abadan
  Ariel
  Asellus Borealis
  Bentley
  Bithinia
  Castrovia
  Cronulla
  Denbar
  Geifer
  Hexare
  Holt
  Housekarle
  Hunan
  Kashilla
  Kiyev
  Lancaster
  Lungdo
  Necromo
  New Delos
  New Macao
  Ohrensen
  Safe Port
  Salur
  St. Andre
  St. Loris
  Tiber
  Truth
  Ulan Bator
  Vanra
  Ventabren
  Weekapaug
  Zaurak
  Avior
  Jouques
  New Hope
  ru
  Antares
  Benfled
  Caldrea
  Chaffee
  Dehgolan
  Gladius
  Graceland
  Kandersteg
  Komephoros
  Koniz
  Lamon
  Laurieston
  Maestu
  orges
  Najha
  Nekkar
  Odessa
  Sakhalin
  Shimosuwa
  Svinngarn
  Symington
  Toffen
  Vega
  Vorarlberg
  Leiston
  Nakaojo
  Yamarovka
  Covington
  Leamington
  Aix-la-Chapelle
  Altenmarkt
  Boardwalk
  Campertown
  Homestead
  Odabasi
  Odell
  Sanilac
  Thun
  Wappingers
  Bremond
  Hoff
  Plymouth
  Saginaw
  Susulatna
  Oriente
  Smolensk
  Brusett
  Rocky
  Kannon
  Helixmar
  Dirk's Gulf
  Kumqwat
  Aldertaine
  Cussar
  Bedeque
  Carsphairn
  rillo
  Helm
  Kajikazawa
  Kimball II
  Ling
  Monistrol
  Phalan
  Semenyih
  Tamsalu
  Tania Borealis
  Tawas
  Tecumseh
  Tripoli
  Rosamond
  Pandora
  Kockengen
  Alnasi
  Altais
  Buckminster
  Carstairs
  Kirkcaldy
  Minakuchi
  Otho
  Port Moseby
  Tsukude
  Al Hillah
  Algorab
  Baxter
  Caledonia
  Enkoping
  Ganshoren
  Garrison
  Kelenfold
  ad
  Veckholm
  Arlington
  Benet III
  Breed
  Dobson
  Donenac
  Fukuroi
  Harpster
  Harrow's Sun
  Kentares IV
  Mersa Matruh
  Raman
  Acala
  Ashkum
  Barstow
  Beecher
  Cammal
  Goderich
  Moravian
  Tiskilwa
  Valexa
  Maladar
  Brighton
  Cordiagr
  Harloc
  Milos
  Old Kentucky
  Ovan
  Tsinghai
  Tsingtao
  Eom
  Imalda
  Propus
  Uravan
  Jonathan
  Poznan
  Angell II
  Daneshmand
  Dayr Khuna
  Elektrougli
  Emris IV
  Fletcher
  ony
  cida
  Deshler
  Gram
  Hun Ho
  Osmus Saar
  Saaremaa
  Tok Do
  Valmiera
  St. Ives
  Sian
  Athenry
  New Avalon
  Ancha
  Azha
  Miaplacidus
  Talitha
  Alhena
  Alya
  Augustine
  Carnwath
  Gacrux
  Glengarry
  Kalidasa
  Kaus Borealis
  Kochab
  Kyrkbacken
  Seginus
  Shimonita
  Van Diemen IV
  Yance I
  Zaniah
  Pollux
  New Canton
  Nopah Achernar
  Caselton
  Cylene
  Rio
  Ronel
  Schedar
  Tybalt
  Galatia III
  Almach
  Buchlau
  Gan Singh
  Mesartim
  Ningpo
  Mira
  Halloran V
  Elbar
  Alexandria
  Lucianca
  Morningside
  Summit
  Chamdo
  Indicass
  Jasmine
  Menkar
  Minnacora
  Tsitsang
  Argyle
  Clovis
  Coloma
  Marlette
  Olancha
  Rochester
  Scudder
  Talcott
  Tallmadge
  Kyeinnisan
  Oceana
  Apostica
  Izar
  La Grave
  xford
  Yed Prior
  Solaris
  Awano
  Cadiz
  Sulafat
  Sutama
  David
  Exeter
  Franklin
  Ludwig
  Shaul Khala
  Marduk
  Avellaneda
  Ibstock
  Park Place
  Bell
  Wei
  Accrington
  Alkaid
  Asellus Australis
  Breukelen
  Goshen
  New Wessex
  Orestes
  ent
  Wroxeter
  Tannil
  Hagiwawa
  Kurragin
  Ares
  Capella
  Beten Kaitos
  Chisholm
  Emerson
  Liao
  Foochow
  Styk
  Algot
  Addicks
  Konstance
  Kuzuu
  Mara
  Fuentes
  Sarna
  Bandora
  New Sagan
  Acubens
  Al Na'ir
  Alchiba
  Alioth
  Alphard
  Alrakis
  Alula Australis
  Berenson
  Biham
  Chertan
  Dromini VI
  Dubhe
  Fletcher
  Genoa
  Hamal
  Hean
  Kaus Australis
  Kaus Media
  La Blon
  Marcus
  Menkalinan
  Murchison
  Nanking
  Nathan
  Remulac
  Ruchbah
  Saiph
  Savannah
  Skondia
  Skye
  Slocum
  Towne
  Unukalhai
  Wing
  Wyatt
  Zosma
  Dieron
  Zollikofen
  Chara
  Errai
  Algedi
  Ashio
  Bernardo
  Dabih
  Halstead Station
  Hamilton
  Kitalpha
  Kurhah
  Markab
  New Hessen
  Sadachbia
  Shensi
  Shitara
  Suzano
  Waddesdon
  Yangtze
  Gei-Fu
  Ingersoll
  Masterson
  Palos
  Quemoy
  Batavia
  Crossing
  Homam
  Kestrel
  Logandale
  New Valencia
  Royal
  Scheat
  usibacken
  Keystone
  Algol
  Pleione
  Mirach
  Aubisson
  Tikonov
  Terra Caph
  Freedom
  Mallory's World
  Marik
  McHenry
  Muskegon
  New Earth
  pia
  Procyon
  Ozawa
  Robinson
  Rochelle
  Ryde
  Sevren
  Capolla
  Terra Firma
  Bryant
  Sirius
  Ingress
  Keid
  New Home
  Oliver
  Rigil Kentarus
  Thorin
  Eltanin
  Alkalurops
  Atria
  Menkent
  Dyev
  Imbros III
  Ko
  Lyons
  Nusakan
  Pike IV
  Altair
  Asta
  Helen
  Kervil
  Muphrid
  Nashira
  Nirasaki
  Quentin
  Saffel
  Styx
  Telos IV
  Yorii
  Carver V
  CastorDevil's Rock
  Epsilon Eridani
  Epsilon Indi
  Fomalhaut
  Graham IV
  Hall
  Hsien
  Irian
  Lipton
  Northwind
  Outreach
  Small World
  Zavijava
  Doneval II
  Edwards
  Eaton
  Blue Diamond
  Stewart
  Chesterton
  Demeter
  Foot Fall
  Zion
  Junction
  Sadalbari
  Asuncion
  Piedmont
  Skat
  Ascella
  Kessel
  Rukbat
  Alcor
  Dieudonne
  Laiaka
  Cartago
  Phecda
  Arboris
  Basalt
  Sheratan
  Aldebaran
  Connaught
  Denebola
  Milton
  Mizar
  Wasat
  Zurich
  Alphecca
  Callison
  Cor Caroli
  Kawich
  Lambrecht
  Moore
  Syrma
  Tall Trees
  Tigress
  Shiloh
  Menkalinan
  Wing
  Summer
  Deneb Algedi
  Pollux
  Altair
  Nirasaki
  Epsilon Eridani
  Fomalhaut
  Mesartim
  Bharat
  Tikonov
  Bryant
  Woodstock
  New Aragon
  New Canton
  Algot
  Slocum
  Beten Kaitos
  Harrow's Sun
  Jamestown
  Jamestown
  Samantha
  Ishtar
  Samantha
  Ishtar
  Taurus
  Sanurcha
  Balkan
  Domain
  Nihal
  Traussin
  k
  la
  Woodbine
  Jansen's Hold
  MacLeod's Land
  Coreward
  Spinward
  Anti-spinward
  Rimward
  Map compiled by COMSTAR.
  From information provided by the COMSTAR EXPLORER CORPS 
  and the STAR LEAGUE ARCHIVES on Terra.
  MAXIMUM  JUMP: APPROXIMATELY 30 LIGHT YEARS
  L E G E N D
  National capital
  District capital
  Region capital
  30 LIGHT YEARS
  120 LIGHT YEARS OR 36.8 PARSECS
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  114
  TImElINE
  TIMELINE OF THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  2779 
  Terra liberated from Stefan Amaris, 
  ending Star League Civil War (a.k.a. The 
  Amaris Crisis)
  2780 
  Star League Council strips Aleksandr 
  Kerensky of title of Protector; (10 Oct) Star 
  League Council appoints Jerome Blake 
  to Minister of Communications, charges 
  him with restoration of SLCOMNET
  2781 
  (12 Aug) Star League disbands, Star League 
  Council adjourns for last time; (Aug) 
  Robert Steiner II dies; Jennifer Steiner 
  named Archon of Lyran Commonwealth
  2782 
  Administrator Jerome Blake assumes 
  responsibility for Terran reconstruction
  2783 
  Court of the Star League sealed; (Oct) 
  Federated Suns claims Towne
  2784 
  (5 Nov) Eighty percent of SLDF undertakes 
  Operation 
  EXODUS, 
  majority 
  of 
  remainder pledge themselves to Jerome 
  Blake’s reconstruction efforts; (8 Nov) 
  Jerome Blake reestablishes First Circuit 
  of SLCOMNET; (19 Dec) Marik Parliament 
  passes Resolution 288, repeals Rule of 75
  2785 
  Capellan Confederation begins annexing 
  Hegemony worlds; (Feb) Combine 
  and Confederation forces raid Towne 
  simultaneously; (Mar) LCAF launches 
  Operation ELBOW JOINT, conquers 
  Bolan; Kenyon Marik declares Ares 
  Conventions violated, declares war on 
  Lyran Commonwealth; (Aug) Unmarked 
  DCMS forces attack Bone-Norman, 
  drawing LCAF forces to deter “bandit” 
  threat; (Sep) Towne Debacle, Draconis 
  Combine conquers Towne; (Sep-Nov) 
  Draconis Combine conquers Gram and 
  Trolloc Prime; (Dec) Conrad Toyama 
  appointed Chief Administrator of Dieron 
  HPG, suggests renaming SLCOMNET
  2786 
  (Jan) SLCOMNET renamed ComStar, 
  introduces ComStar Letter of Credit; (Mar) 
  Federated Suns forces begin massing 
  to attack Capellan Confederation; (Mar-
  Apr) FWLM invades Altoona, deploying 
  weapons of mass destruction against 
  LCAF troops there; (Jun) Draconis Combine 
  raids Skondia; (Jul) FWLM captures 
  Hornir’s Keep; (Dec) Minoru Kurita declares 
  himself First Lord of Star League, Draconis 
  Combine declares war on any who oppose 
  him; DCMS forces invade Kesai IV; Barbara 
  Liao declares herself First Lord of Star 
  League; (31 Dec) Jennifer Steiner declares 
  herself First Lord of the Star League and 
  declares war on Draconis Combine; First 
  Succession War begins 
  2787 
  ComStar 
  neutrality 
  established 
  by 
  Communications Protocol of 2787; (Jan) 
  Kenyon Marik declares himself First Lord 
  of the Star League; (Feb) Draconis Combine 
  seizes Skondia; Free Worlds League 
  begins raids along Commonwealth 
  border, destroys Bolson Shipyards at 
  New Kyoto; Free Worlds League attacks 
  Capellan Confederation, captures Corey 
  and Wazan; (Mar-April) LCAF forces 
  begin raiding Draconis Combine, Tamar 
  Tigers raid Luthien; (1 May) Draconis 
  Combine launches massive assault across 
  Federated Suns’ Draconis March; (Jun-Jul) 
  LCAF invades Rochers, nuclear weapons 
  deployed by both sides; (Oct) CCAF forces 
  capture several Federated Suns worlds 
  in the Terran Corridor; (Dec) Draconis 
  Combine launches Operation BROKEN 
  BLADE, the First Battle of Hesperus II; LCAF 
  repels DCMS attack 
  2788 
  (Jan) DCMS forces withdraw from 
  Hesperus II; (Jan-Feb) LCAF begins 
  raiding Free Worlds League; (Feb) DCMS 
  counterstrikes against Lyran border begin; 
  Prince John Davion leads counterattack 
  against DCMS advance; (Mar-Apr) Second 
  Battle of Hesperus II, LCAF defends 
  Hesperus II from AFFS special forces 
  attack; (Mar-May) DCMS forces raid Free 
  Worlds League in search of SLDF depots, 
  employs nuclear weapons on Helm; 
  FWLM invades Duantia, employs nuclear 
  weapons to destroy LCAF garrison; 
  (Jun) DCMS stops AFFS counterattack 
  on Cartago, nearly killing Prince John 
  Davion in battle; FedSuns begins losing 
  ground again; (25 Jun) ComStar launches 
  Operation SILVER SHIELD, briefly shuts 
  down all HPGs in Inner Sphere, and 
  conquers Terra; (Jul) ComStar raids New 
  Earth, stripping SLDF bases there; (Jul-
  Oct) Drawn by rumors of top-secret Star 
  League technologies on-world, raiding 
  parties from the Lyran Commonwealth, 
  Capellan Confederation, Federated Suns, 
  and Draconis Combine all converge on 
  Tyrfing, sparking a five-sided battle that 
  continues until February 2789
  2789 
  Mercenary 
  Review 
  Board 
  formed 
  by ComStar; (Jan) CCAF forces invade 
  New 
  Delos, 
  massacre 
  thousands; 
  AFFS resistance humiliates DCMS on 
  New Rhodes III, destroying enormous 
  stockpiles of strategic supplies; DCMS 
  chooses Kentares IV to replace New 
  Rhodes III as supply base; (Mar) Third 
  Battle of Hesperus II, LCAF defends 
  Hesperus II from Free Worlds League 
  attack; (Apr-Aug) Free Worlds League 
  forces firebomb Hall, Ingersoll, New 
  Canton, and Outreach; (May-Sep) FWLM 
  invades Myrrdin, chemical and nuclear 
  weapons deployed by both sides; (Jul) 
  Free Worlds League captures Alula 
  Australis; Carl Marik killed in action 
  during LCAF raid on Kamenz; (Sep-Dec) 
  LCAF forces repel AFFS incursions on 
  Thorin, New Earth, and Rocky; nuclear 
  exchange renders Rocky uninhabitable
  2790 
  Lyran Commonwealth launches second 
  wave of raids against Free Worlds League 
  and Draconis Combine, hitting several 
  worlds, including Dieudonné, Oliver, and 
  Sirius in the League, and Dieron, Dyev, 
  Kervil, Telos I, and Styx in the Combine; 
  Free Worlds League captures Andurien, 
  Ingonish, and Ryerson; (Jan) Federated 
  Suns begins naval counterattack against 
  DCMS advance; (Feb) Capellan Task 
  Force Devlin attacks Calloway VI, but is 
  repelled by FWLM; both sons of Barbara 
  Liao are killed in action at Calloway; (9 
  Mar-18 Apr) Battle of Cholame, largest 
  naval action between FedSuns and 
  Draconis fleets, destroys 75 percent of 
  
  115
  TImElINE
  TImElINE OF THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  Davion combat fleet and equal number 
  of Kurita ships; (Jul-Aug) LCAF campaign 
  to capture Bolan Thumb worlds begins 
  with attack on Valloire; FWLM forces 
  seizes Radostov in response
  2791 
  ComStar Archives Branch and Sol 
  Administrative Branch created by ComStar; 
  Ward Marik assassinated; LCAF forces 
  capture Danxian and recapture Radostov; 
  (4 Jan) Archon Jennifer Steiner killed in 
  action on Styx, Richard Steiner becomes 
  Archon of Lyran Commonwealth; Graham 
  Kelswa assigned to command Lyran-
  Combine front
  2792 
  FWLM forces raid Gypsum and Zdice, and 
  capture Alula Borealis; (Dec) LCAF initiates 
  Operation 
  HAIFISCHFLOSSENSUPPE: 
  naval force raids Finmark; Roe Weapons 
  Systems naval yard destroyed by remnant 
  RWR elements; Finmark bombarded with 
  strategic weapons
  2793 
  CCAF forces capture Anegasaki, destroy 
  Fourth Marik Militia; LCAF forces capture 
  Binyang
  2794 
  Lyran Commonwealth launches third 
  major raiding campaign against Draconis 
  Combine; Jason Marik killed in action 
  during CCAF atomic raid on Oriente; 
  (Apr-Jul) LCAF forces capture Ellijay, 
  raid Loburg and Kamenz; (May) LCAF 
  forces attack Asuncion, destroy Kallon 
  Industries factories there; (Dec) Tamar 
  Tigers trapped on Benjamin by DCMS, 
  but continue to struggle for six years; 
  Paul Steiner resumes command of Lyran-
  Combine border operations
  2795 
  (Sep-Nov) LCAF captures Loburg, raids 
  Kamenz and Tylarzka; (18 Nov) Barbara 
  Liao 
  dies, 
  Prefect 
  Sandol 
  Quinn 
  becomes Chancellor-Regent of Capellan 
  Confederation; (Nov-Dec) CCAF forces begin 
  concerted series of attacks to capture 
  Chesterton worlds from Federated Suns, 
  starting with Mirach and Castleton
  2796 
  DCMS advances to within one jump from 
  New Avalon; LCAF invades Kamenz, raids 
  Tylarzka, Marsalle, and Ilion; (Apr) CCAF 
  conquests in Terran Corridor continue 
  Federated Suns off from Terra; (Jun) 
  Minoru Kurita leads Sixth Sword of 
  Light to pacify Kentares; (9 Aug) Minoru 
  Kurita assassinated on Kentares IV; Jinjiro 
  Kurita named Coordinator; (28 Aug) 
  AFFS retreats from Kentares IV; (11 Sep) 
  Jinjiro Kurita arrives on Kentares, orders 
  Kentares Massacre; 52 million FedSuns 
  civilians killed over next five months 
  2797 
  (Jan) LCAF completes capture of 
  Kamenz; (15 Feb) Jinjiro Kurita leaves 
  Kentares IV, Kentares Massacre ends; 
  (Oct-Nov) Enraged AFFS forces begin 
  long series of unsanctioned attacks 
  against Combine occupiers in response 
  to Kentares Massacre, starting with 
  Marlette and Logandale; (Nov-Dec) 
  Additional uncoordinated AFFS attacks 
  begin on Bristol, Odell, and Delavan; (9 
  Dec) John Davion and son assassinated 
  on Ipava; Paul Davion named Prince of 
  Federated Suns 
  2798 
  Paul 
  Davion 
  initiates 
  FedSuns 
  Reformation; Ministry of Information 
  and Operations formed; Uncoordinated 
  AFFS retaliations formally approved; 
  (Feb-Oct) AFFS forces retake Arcadia, 
  Coloma, Saginaw, and Strawn; (Mar-
  Jun) LCAF captures Tylarzka; (Nov-Dec) 
  Uncoordinated AFFS forces attack 
  Bremond and Tancredi IV
  2799 
  LCAF captures Marsalle and Ilion, heavy 
  damage to life support systems on Ilion 
  prompts eventual evacuation of planet; 
  (Mar-Sep) Ongoing AFFS retaliatory 
  assaults retake Fairfax from DCMS, 
  and Sanilac from CCAF; (Nov) Draconis 
  Combine raids Lamar, uses nuclear 
  weapons to render planet inhabitable, 
  LCAF commander Paul Steiner killed on 
  Lamar, replaced by Amanda Lestrade; 
  Lyran Commonwealth scales back raiding 
  campaigns
  2800 
  (Apr-May) DCMS captures Ronel, shatters 
  CCAF defenders; (Jul-Sep) AFFS retakes 
  Tawas from CCAF; (Sep-Oct) DCMS invades 
  Rio, but is defeated by CCAF forces; (Nov) 
  Credible intelligence of Tamar Tigers’ 
  continued survival on Benjamin reaches 
  Archon Richard Steiner
  2801 
  (Jan) Last survivors of the Tamar Tigers 
  are destroyed on Benjamin; (Feb) FedSuns 
  Reformation concludes; (Mar-Nov) First 
  coordinated 
  AFFS 
  counterattack 
  campaign against Combine begins: 
  Kentares IV is struck in first wave, followed 
  by Streator, Waycross, and Avawatz; 
  (Apr-Jul) LCAF captures Herzberg, raids 
  Malazan, Finsterwalde, and Marsalle; (19 
  Apr) Sandol Quinn steps down as Regent-
  Chancellor; Ilsa Liao named Chancellor 
  of Capellan Confederation; (Oct-Dec) 
  Second wave of first AFFS counterattack 
  campaign launches against Edwards, 
  Entalun, Markesan, and Rosamond
  2802 
  AFFS counteroffensive against DCMS 
  invasion continues with three more waves, 
  reclaiming thirteen worlds, including 
  Entalun, Markesan, Tarkio, Cahokia, and 
  Fallon II; (Mar) ComStar claims profit for 
  first time since its formation
  2803 
  AFFS counteroffensive against DCMS 
  reclaims Capac, Colia, Kirklin, and Sodus; 
  assaults on Batavia and Flushing begin
  2804 
  (19 Jan) Kenyon Marik dies; (Feb-Dec) AFFS 
  reclaims Barstow and Beecher, begins 
  assaults on Imbrial III and Peabody; (Jul) 
  Thaddeus Marik cites Resolution 288, 
  claims title of Captain-General of Free 
  Worlds League; Duke Carter Allison of 
  Oriente opposes Thaddeus Marik; FWLM 
  forces withdrawn from Oriente’s defense; 
  (Aug-Sep) CCAF reclaims Lukla, Sappho, 
  and Shuen Wan; (Dec-Feb 2805) First CCAF 
  invasion of Oriente, ends after three 
  months in CCAF withdrawal
  2805 
  (Mar-May) FWLM captures Bella I; (late 
  Apr) CCAF seizes Fujidera; (Apr-Dec) AFFS 
  recaptures New Valencia and Newton, 
  begins attacks on Cartago, Elbar, and 
  Lexington; 
  (Jun-Jul) 
  Second 
  CCAF 
  invasion of Oriente; (Jul) CCAF captures 
  Fletcher; (Aug) Duke Allison arrives on 
  Atreus, reaffirms Resolution 288; (18 Sep) 
  Third CCAF invasion of Oriente begins; 
  (Nov-Dec) FWLM forces arrive in Oriente 
  system, defeat CCAF naval group, and 
  engage stranded CCAF ground forces
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  116
  TImElINE
  2806 
  (7 Jan) FWLM defeats CCAF on Oriente; 
  (Feb-May) FWLM captures Radostov; AFFS 
  recaptures Cholame and Corydon; (Mar-
  Dec) FWLM recaptures Fujidera, Fletcher, 
  Lukla, and Sappho; (Apr-Jun) LCAF reclaims 
  Bella l; (Nov-Dec) AFFS begins to reclaim 
  Saunemin and Waunakee from DCMS
  2807 
  (Jan-Jul) First AFFS Counteroffensive 
  campaign ends with reclamation of 
  Castleton from CCAF, and Evansville, 
  Rowe, and Sun Prairie from DCMS; (Dec) 
  FWLM invades Marsalle
  2808 
  (Feb) FWLM forces completes conquest 
  of Marsalle; (Apr) Ilsa Liao renounces 
  claim to First Lordship, offers peace and 
  recognition of title to Paul Davion in 
  exchange for Chesterton; (May-Jul) LCAF 
  retakes Radostov; (Jun-Aug) AFFS’ Third 
  and Fifth Crucis Lancers begin to attack 
  Capellan worlds near Chesterton in 
  response to Liao peace offer
  2809 
  (Jan-Mar) Second Federated Suns counter-
  offensive begins, targeting remaining 
  DCMS-occupied worlds in Crucis March; 
  (Mar) AFFS reclaims Farwell and Ulan 
  Batar from CCAF; (Oct-Dec) AFFS begins 
  recapture of Blandinsville, Choudrant, 
  Damevang, Kestrel, and Layover from 
  DCMS; (Nov) LCAF begins assault on 
  Acrux; (Dec) AFFS begins recapture of 
  Demeter from CCAF
  2810 
  (Jan) LCAF repulsed from Acrux after 
  three-month battle; (Feb-Apr) AFFS 
  recaptures Demeter from CCAF, begins 
  third wave of Second Counteroffensive 
  against DCMS on nine worlds, including 
  Colchester, DeWitt, and Exeter; (May) 
  LCAF captures Alula Borealis; (Jun) 
  AFFS retakes Tedibyhr from CCAF, but 
  nuclear exchanges render most remnant 
  population centers uninhabited; (Dec) 
  LCAF assaults Marsalle; AFFS begins 
  recapture of Mirach from CCAF
  2811 
  Third Federated Suns counter-offensive 
  begins, targeting Clovis, Doneval II, 
  Harrow’s Sun, and Le Blanc; (Feb) FWLM 
  repels LCAF assault on Marsalle; (Mar) Free 
  Worlds League offensive on Poulsbo fails; 
  AFFS recaptures Mirach from CCAF, but 
  suspends further anti-Capellan operations 
  to focus on DCMS border zones; (Mar-
  Apr) Capellan operatives attempt to seize 
  HPG station on Nanking; (May) LCAF forces 
  capture Acrux, completing annexation of 
  the former Bolan Thumb; ComStar begins 
  formation of ROM; (Nov) LCAF launches 
  another assault on Marsalle; (Nov-Dec) AFFS 
  begins assaults on McGehee, Tishomingo, 
  and Zhosa VII
  2812 
  DCMS forces capture Caldrea and attack 
  Dove; extensive NBC weapon use on 
  Dove renders world uninhabitable; (Feb) 
  LCAS captures Marsalle; (Apr-Sep) AFFS 
  retakes Dobson, New Ivaarsen, and 
  Swales from DCMS; (May) CCAF forces 
  attack Chesterton, but are repelled 
  by AFFS; (Jun) Lyran Estates-General 
  disbanded due to lack of transports; (3 
  Aug) Landgrave Richard Perkins of Hegel 
  attempts to assassinate Archon Richard 
  Steiner with aid from Free Worlds League 
  spies; (Nov-Dec) Free Worlds League 
  captures Alula Borealis; Federated Suns 
  begins assaults on Ballentine, Lucerne, 
  and Nouveau Toulouse
  2813 
  (Mar-Dec) AFFS seizes six worlds from 
  DCMS 
  control, 
  including 
  Alnadal, 
  Fairfield, and Rochester; (Apr) FWLM 
  forces assault Bella I, beginning series of 
  League-Commonwealth battles centered 
  on this world; (Jun) Taurian-Canopian War 
  begins; (Jul-Sep) CCAF recaptures Mirach 
  from AFFS
  2814 
  (Feb) Taurian-Canopian War ends; (Mar-
  May) AFFS recaptures Dahar IV and 
  Robinson from DCMS; (May-Jun) CCAF 
  retakes Farwell from AFFS; (Nov-Dec) 
  Federated Suns begins assaults on 
  Glenmora, Klathandu IV, and Sakhara V
  2815 
  Nicholas Kerensky names himself the 
  first ilKhan of the Clans; (Mar-Oct) AFFS 
  reclaims Breed, Royal, and Tallmadge 
  from DCMS
  2816 
  (Feb-Nov) AFFS claims Benet III, Hoff, 
  Mallory’s World, and Paris from DCMS; 
  (Mar) LCAF forces retake Bella I; (Jul-Sep) 
  CCAF captures Castleton from AFFS
  2817 
  (Mar-Sep) Federated Suns seizes Allerton, 
  Courtney, Emporia, and Sauk City; (Apr-
  Dec) FWLM forces invade Bella I again, 
  conquer world after nine-month battle; 
  (Nov-Dec) AFFS begins invasions of 
  Crossing, Franklin, and Lima
  2818 
  Capellan Science Foundation founded; 
  (Apr-Jun) AFFS forces Draconis Combine 
  back to its pre-war Draconis March 
  borders with capture of Marduk, Scheat, 
  and Tripoli; Third Federated Suns 
  Counteroffensive ends
  2819 
  ComStar Order formed, Conrad Toyama 
  named Prime Administrator of ComStar, 
  Jerome Blake dies, ROM purge initiated; 
  DCMS 
  begins 
  raiding 
  campaign 
  against Lyran Commonwealth, hitting 
  Alexandria, Kessel, and Tamar; (Feb) LCAF 
  captures Rochelle; (Apr-Jun) LCAF takes 
  Kalidasa; (10 Sep) Solaris secedes from 
  Free Worlds League, accepts Lyran rule
  2820 
  Conrad Toyama visits House leaders and 
  raises HPG rates; Lyran Commonwealth 
  and Free Worlds League open peace talks 
  on Bella I; (Jan) LCAF establishes garrison 
  on Solaris VII; (Mar) Free Worlds League 
  raids Solaris VII
  2821 
  (Feb) CCAF captures Ulan Batar; (Mar) 
  DCMS forces attack Otho, destroy Fifty-
  Fourth Lyran Guard, prompts halt to third 
  LCAF raiding campaign against Combine; 
  (Apr) Thaddeus Marik killed in battle 
  on Dieudonné; Charles Marik named 
  Captain-General after Jeannette Marik 
  refuses the post; Jeannette Marik joins 
  ComStar; (16 May) Peace Accord of Bella 
  I signed; (24 Sep) Capellan Confederation 
  and Federated Suns negotiate ceasefire; 
  First Succession War ends
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  117
  PREPARING FOR ARmAGEddON
  FORCES OF THE SUCCESSION WARS
  “The great armies, accumulated to provide security and preserve the peace, carried the nations to war by their own weight.”
  —A. J .P Taylor, The First World War - An Illustrated History, 1963
  “Too long have we been forced to denude our strength, and now we stand on the brink of disaster. If we are to persevere we must have 
  troops and ships, ’Mechs and planes.”
  —Kenyon Marik, Parliamentary address after the Amaris Coup, 2767
  PREPARING FOR ARMAGEDDON
  One of the founding principles of the Star League was a shift 
  away from national armies and toward a central military force—the 
  SLDF—to provide defense, security and disaster relief. The vast 
  destruction of the Age of War made this approach more attractive 
  to the Great Houses, who were willing to sacrifice their own strength 
  in order to build a better universe (or at least to counter their rivals’ 
  abilities). Some did so willingly. Others, notably House Kurita, less 
  so. By the mid-twenty-eighth century, as rivalries flared up once 
  more, the Houses viewed the cap on troop numbers mandated by 
  the Star League Accords as oppressive, and each sought ways to 
  circumvent its restrictions.
  The death of Simon Cameron on New Silesia and the installation 
  of his son, Richard, as First Lord and General Aleksandr Kerensky 
  as Regent, caused a power shift of titanic proportions. Where 
  previously the Camerons had served as a dampening rod on the 
  ambitions and antagonisms of the High Council, now the five Great 
  Houses were largely unchecked. Kerensky could have stopped their 
  games, but his role as Commanding General of the SLDF proved to 
  be a major distraction—just as the Council had hoped.
  One of their first moves was to abrogate the force-strength 
  provisions mandated by the Star League. On its own, this would 
  have been a worrying development, though there was little chance 
  of the house militaries rivaling the SLDF in size. However, the 
  political ramifications were far-reaching—having successfully 
  tested the boundaries of their power, the House Lords saw no 
  reason to show further restraint. Under the pretense of “bolstering 
  internal security in these uncertain times” they called for a new tax 
  to fund this expansion. Officially, the tax was to apply to all member 
  states of the Star League—the six Great Houses and the Periphery 
  realms. But tax breaks and accounting practices set off this levy 
  against production contracts for the SLDF (principally within the 
  five Great Houses), meaning the burden was exclusively shouldered 
  by the Periphery States. In some cases, the Great Houses even 
  received rebates from the Star League. With this action, the High 
  Council sowed the seeds of resentment and rebellion that would 
  bring down the Star League.
  The move was not entirely unopposed; the Periphery states 
  protested venomously, but were ignored or else defeated in the 
  Star League’s courts. A more serious threat emerged in the form 
  of the new First Lord, who reached his majority in 2762. Spurred 
  on by Stefan Amaris, Richard planned to order the disbanding of 
  all House militaries via Executive Order 156. Kerensky opposed the 
  order, believing it went against the Star League Accords, though 
  he privately agreed that the Great Houses needed to be brought 
  back in line. Richard went against the General’s reservations and 
  presented Executive Order 156 to the High Council in February 
  2762. The Council refused to heed the order, and when even 
  Kerensky opposed it—as he had already told the First Lord he 
  would—Richard had little choice but to back down. The encounter 
  forced a rift between the First Lord and his Commanding General, 
  exactly as Amaris planned.
  RABBITS OUT OF HATS
  The growth of the Great House militaries between the death 
  of Simon Cameron on New Silesia and the outbreak of the First 
  Succession War is nothing short of phenomenal. By the outbreak 
  of the Periphery Rebellion, most of the House forces had doubled 
  in size since Simon’s death, and by 2786 they doubled again. Some 
  theorists suggest growth on this scale could only have been done 
  with significant pre-planning—indicating that the Great Houses 
  were actively gearing up for full-scale war as early as 2750, amid the 
  closing years of the Third Hidden War. Despite their militaristic and 
  aggressive policies, there was no evidence that they envisaged a 
  situation where the SLDF wouldn’t act as policeman and keep them 
  in check. That realization came slowly, and even as late as 2784 the 
  threat of SLDF intervention was a very real one; in fact, the Draconis 
  Combine feared the first stages of Operation EXODUS were just 
  such a move.
  So, how did they do it?
  Production Capacity
  The advent of the Star League mandated a reduction in the 
  size of each Great House’s standing armies, but it did not impinge 
  on their military production. In fact, the early years of the Star 
  League actually escalated it, as the Reunification War spurred 
  increased manufacture to at first support the war effort, and later to 
  expand the SLDF. Throughout the two centuries of the Star League, 
  these factories continued to churn out BattleMechs, fighters, tanks, 
  DropShips and other war materiel. Some were native designs, while 
  other configurations were licensed from the Hegemony. A portion 
  of this construction went to the Great House forces, replacing their 
  losses and upgrading their capabilities, but the vast majority went 
  to the SLDF.
  With the removal of size limitations on House armed forces, 
  these production capacities were expanded and a larger proportion 
  shunted into the Member States’ armies. With negligible losses at 
  that time, this trend led to a dramatic growth in each House’s forces. 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  118
  RABBITS OUT OF HATS
  do through forced taxes. Other, more direct sponsorship took 
  place—individual worlds might raise funds to purchase a ’Mech or 
  armor regiment for their favorite unit, or a business could sponsor a 
  battalion. Even the ultra-rich got in on the act, in return for naming 
  rights and lucrative commercial contracts.
  Patriotism also encouraged young men and women to join 
  the military and serve their nation. Recruitment started off slowly 
  in most houses (the Draconis Combine seeing the greatest initial 
  uptake) but increased significantly after Amaris killed Richard 
  Cameron and open hostilities between the SLDF and Rim Worlds 
  forces erupted, particularly on border worlds.
  However, as the very real prospect of war between the 
  Houses began to emerge in the early 2780s, and particularly 
  after Operation EXODUS in 2784, even this wave of enlistment 
  was deemed insufficient and all of the houses introduced some 
  level of conscription. Conscripts mostly filled out less-glamorous 
  infantry regiments, but were also included in a few armor units. 
  Border worlds were particular targets for conscription, but by 2786, 
  most worlds were impacted. Conscription methods varied widely 
  across the Great Houses; in the Lyran Commonwealth non-military 
  service or a fee could offset conscription, while in the Capellan 
  Confederation, the high and low were placed side-by-side in Home 
  Guard units.
  Cannibalization Of The SLDF—
  House Units And Mercenaries
  The vast majority of the SLDF left the Inner Sphere with 
  Kerensky, as did some of the surviving Rim Worlds troops, but the 
  SLDF’s trust in the General’s vision was not unanimous. Some chose 
  to stay and support what remained of the League—the nascent 
  ComStar. These troops became the progenitors of the Com Guards, 
  though their existence remained a closely-guarded secret until 
  the aftermath of the Fourth Succession War, and even today is not 
  widely known. Others were seduced by the Great Houses, or struck 
  out on their own as mercenaries.
  Attempts by the Great Houses to recruit entire regular SLDF 
  units, and the trickle of resulting defections, became a torrent once 
  the bulk of the surviving SLDF departed with Kerensky. More than 
  100 SLDF or Rim Worlds regiments eventually remained in the Inner 
  Sphere in some form. Approximately half joined a Successor State 
  military, some as cohesive brigades, others as independent units; 
  the remainder entered mercenary service.
  Despite attempts by the SLDF to restrict the mercenary trade, 
  soldiers of fortune were a reality during the Star League era, and 
  their numbers grew during the Amaris Coup. After Kerensky’s 
  Exodus, the mercenary trade was suddenly bolstered by more 
  than fifty SLDF and Rim Worlds regiments, and exploded from 
  a small nuisance to a major force in the Inner Sphere almost 
  overnight. Many of those commands would perish in the conflicts 
  that followed, but others, such as the Eridani Light Horse, the 
  Lexington Combat Group and the Blue Star Irregulars, survived 
  into modern times.
  The outbreak of hostilities between the SLDF and Amaris 
  provided another unexpected boost. With the Houses standing 
  aloof from the conflict, much of the production that had gone 
  to supporting the vast SLDF logistics train was withheld from 
  both Kerensky and Amaris. Though an illegal act, neither was in 
  a position to bring the Star League’s legal system to bear. Some 
  materiel did continue to flow to the combatants (particularly from 
  pro-SLDF John Davion, in stark contrast with Kerensky-hating 
  Kenyon Marik’s total embargo), but a large amount remained 
  within the Member States. 
  Contrary to the widespread belief that Inner Sphere 
  manufacturing was crushed early in the First Succession War, 
  significant quantities of materiel continued to bolster the Great 
  House militaries throughout the first half of the conflict, allowing 
  them to both make good their losses and to raise new units; new 
  formations such as the An Ting Legion came online as late as 2820. 
  However, such large-scale deployment became rare by the end 
  of the First Succession War, as the destruction of infrastructure 
  impeded the Houses’ ability to recover their losses—a situation that 
  worsened severely in the Second Succession War.
  Flouting Convention
  The Star League Accords placed strict limits on the size of 
  each of Great House’s military, but there were a plethora of legal 
  loopholes that could be used to circumvent the restrictions. Only 
  the numbers of active units were limited, so some quantities 
  of equipment could be retained as reserve or spares. Similarly, 
  demobilized troops could be retained in near-fighting condition 
  through reserve duty and non-governmental service (police forces, 
  unofficial paramilitary forces, etc). The removal of the force-size 
  limitations legitimized this sleight of hand, and much of the initial 
  growth in the Great Houses’ forces was in fact recognition of reality, 
  rather than true expansion (though that soon followed).
  Subscription, Recruitments Drives And Conscriptions
  Even as the Great Houses squeezed the Periphery states until 
  they revolted, there was a finite limit to the amount of money that 
  they could push into military expansion. The Periphery Rebellion 
  and the Amaris Coup cut off the two cash cows for the Great 
  Houses, Periphery taxation and sales to the Star League. Though 
  greater production assets were available to them, the Member 
  States were forced to cast around for additional sources of income 
  to fund their military expansion. Raising taxes was one option, but 
  as the Periphery demonstrated, this tactic could only be pushed 
  so far before causing civil unrest. Instead, as with many wars in the 
  past, the Houses called on another currency: patriotism.
  Starting with the Lyran Commonwealth in 2765, and by 
  2770 encompassing all the Great Houses, the sale of war bonds 
  played on the nationalism within the borders of each House. By 
  extracting a “voluntary contribution” (so voluntary in the Capellan 
  Confederation that non-purchase of a bond was grounds for a 
  Maskirovka investigation), the Houses achieved what they couldn’t 
  
  THE SUCCESSION WAR (2786-2821)
  119
  RABBITS OUT OF HATS
  HOUSE DAVION
  Unlike most of the great Houses, who chose to bolster 
  their existing formations, much of House Davion’s expansion 
  focused creating on wholly new units. Troops that would later 
  become mainstays of the Federated Suns—the Crucis Lancers 
  and the Deneb Light Cavalry—emerged during this era, along 
  with a number of independent units and many training cadres. 
  The AFFS’ initial expansion matched that of the DCMS, but 
  the honorable First Prince John initially refrained from seizing 
  Hegemony worlds and lagged behind the more militaristic 
  Combine. John was not reticent in enticing SLDF troops into his 
  service, however—the Federated Suns would eventually hire 
  eleven SLDF regiments.
  HOUSE MARIK
  House Marik was slow to respond to the wealth suddenly 
  available to the High Council during the years before the Amaris 
  Coup. Though House Marik grew rich, the League’s internal 
  bureaucracy hampered the expansion of the FWLM. As a result, 
  the FWLM raised only half as many units during this exploitative 
  era as its neighbors. They did, however, sell significant quantities 
  of war materiel to the other states, the lure of profit overriding 
  military necessity. Only with the very real threat of war looming 
  in the 2770s and early 2780s were those resources applied 
  to bolster the FWLM, causing it to double in size by the time 
  of the Exodus. Animosity hampered further expansion of the 
  FWLM; Kenyon Marik’s antipathy toward the SLDF and Kerensky 
  made him reticent to hire any of the Star League forces who 
  remained, though eventually he was persuaded to absorb five  
  ex-SLDF regiments.
  HOUSE STEINER
  Like the Free Worlds League, the Lyran Commonwealth reaped 
  massive profits by selling materiel to their neighbors before the 
  Amaris Coup, though doing so limited their own expansion. Most 
  of the LCAF’s initial growth came among formations facing the 
  Draconis Combine, with whom they’d sparred in the 2740s. The 
  Commonwealth received a massive boost from the annexation 
  after General Kerensky ravaged the Rim Worlds Republic and 
  launched Operation LIBERATION. Massed manufacturing and 
  training saw a major growth in forces such as the Lyran Guards 
  and the Donegal Guards. Expansion of other formations was more 
  modest, though the Commonwealth’s retention of manufacturing 
  capacity during the First Succession War allowed House Steiner 
  to field a plethora of new units during the conflict, including half 
  a dozen Lyran Regular regiments, the Second Donegal Regulars, 
  and others. The Commonwealth's strong economy gave it success 
  in hiring on former SLDF troops, with eleven regiments joining the 
  LCAF on the eve of war.
  HOUSE LIAO
  The smallest military among the Great Houses at the time 
  of Simon Cameron’s death, the Capellan Confederation’s crash 
  re-armament program caused the CCAF to double in size between 
  2750 and the onset of the Amaris Coup. Fully fifty regiments were 
  added to the Liao forces in those first fifteen years, as the Great 
  Houses exploited the weakness at the heart of the Star League 
  government to line their own pockets at the expense of the Periphery 
  states. CCAF expansion after the Coup and before the outbreak of the 
  First Succession War was more modest, totaling a further twenty-
  nine regiments, plus another fifteen recruited from the SLDF. Not 
  all of these troops were high quality—many were Reserve or Home 
  Guard units—but as war loomed, the odds looked favorable for the 
  Liao troops. Further manufacturing during the First Succession War 
  elevated the CCAF to an all-time-high of 129 regiments in 2799, 
  though its strength would only dwindle from there.
  HOUSE KURITA
  As with all the Great Houses, the DCMS grew dramatically in 
  the years before the Amaris Coup, gaining sixty regiments scattered 
  throughout its formations. Much of the Combine’s post-Coup 
  development focused on its border with the Terran Hegemony, as the 
  Dieron Regulars gained ten regiments (the Sixth through Fifteenth). As 
  the League collapsed and Hegemony worlds were gobbled up on the 
  eve of the First Succession War, an amazing twenty-six more Dieron 
  Regular regiments were raised, plus five more after the outbreak of 
  hostilities. Surprisingly, the Combine fielded five new regiments in 
  the last years of the war: the An Ting Legion. By 2784, the DCMS had 
  almost tripled in size from its 2750 strength; with the addition of ten 
  SLDF regiments, the Combine was the pre-eminent military power in 
  the Inner Sphere, something its neighbors would soon rue. 
  ARMIES OF  
  THE GREAT HOUSES, 
  2750-2786
  Realm
  ’Mech Regiments*
  (2750 / 2784 / 2786)
  Capellan Confederation
  42 / 96 / 121 (incl. 15 ex-SLDF)
  Draconis Combine
  55 / 139 / 147 (incl. 9 ex-SLDF)
  Federated Suns
  53 / 139 / 143 (incl. 11 ex-SLDF)
  Free Worlds League
  61 / 106 / 119 (incl. 5 ex-SLDF)
  Lyran Commonwealth
  52 / 104 / 122 (incl. 11 ex-SLDF)
  *Approximate numbers, based on regimental strength averages 
  of 120 BattleMechs, discounting supporting elements.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  120
   
  
  121
  PEACE OvERTURES 
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  EYE OF THE STORM (2821-2830)
  “I could not help feeling that it were better to perish than sign such a humiliating peace.” 
  —Paul von Hindenburg (attributed), regarding the Treaty of Versailles, 1919 
  “If they sign a lasting treaty then Blake’s Vision will be for naught. Their efforts must be stymied, and any provisions must be so onerous 
  that renewed warfare and death are preferable.”
  —Primus Conrad Toyama, Private diaries, 2823
  The First Succession War was the most devastating conflict 
  fought by humanity. Tens of billions died, both as a direct result of 
  military action and from its economic and political side-effects. Early 
  interstellar wars targeted people and, to a lesser extent, industry, 
  but after the establishment of the Ares Conventions in 2412 civilian 
  populations were largely spared the direct consequences of war. 
  Not so in the First Succession War.
  The Star League itself had occasionally abrogated the Ares 
  Conventions—notably in the Reunification War—but despite 
  advocating a total-war policy, the League steered clear of targeting 
  civilian populations. The civil war against Amaris was another matter, 
  however, with countless atrocities perpetrated by Rim Worlds forces 
  (and allegedly some of the SLDF in the Rim Worlds Republic). Both 
  sides employed strategic weapons, though the Amaris’ forces did so 
  much more indiscriminately than did Kerensky’s troops.
  Whether the Amaris Civil War, which lasted more than a 
  decade, played a direct role in what followed is hard to judge. But it 
  is clear that, when the First Succession War erupted, all of the Great 
  Houses were willing to follow the SLDF’s lead and use all of the 
  weapons at their disposal. Furthermore, they would strike not only 
  at the enemy military, but at the population and infrastructure that 
  allowed their rivals to fight. It was a war fought not for conquest, 
  but to eliminate their rivals.
  PEACE OVERTURES 
  “Why should we be so amazed and honored because Dame llsa 
  Liao wants to make a deal that would recognize me as First Lord? The 
  truth is self-evident and shouldn’t have to be bargained for.”
  —Prince Paul’s remarks concerning Chancellor Liao’s offer to 
  recognize him as First Lord in exchange for certain worlds, quoted 
  from Political Memoirs, by Duke Gregory Simons, Toledo Press, New 
  Avalon, 2999 
  By the 2820s, all of the Successor States were exhausted and 
  finding offensive operations difficult to mount. The conflict ground 
  to a halt, and back-channel negotiations began to hint at the 
  prospect of peace.
  STEINER-MARIK
  On 16 May 2821, the Free Worlds League and the Lyran 
  Commonwealth signed the Peace Accord of Bella I. This followed 
  seven months of delicate negotiation, at first via third parties 
  and then with face-to-face discussions. Notable for its lack of 
  pomp, the signing of the accords led to sighs of relief on both 
  sides of the border, though difficulties over specific details and 
  provisions marred relations between the two powers during the 
  inter-war years. The signing of the accords served as a catalyst for 
  other Successor States to sue for peace. With the exception of the 
  Draconis Combine—whose mutual antipathy with their neighbors 
  precluded any formal peace—soon brought the First Succession 
  War to a close.
  LIAO-DAVION
  Dame Ilsa’s attempts to secure peace with the Federated Suns 
  in 2808 fell on deaf ears, but by the early 2820s, much of the fight 
  had gone out of the Liao-Davion front and both sides sought time 
  to lick their wounds. When back-channel negotiations conducted by 
  Minister Dimitri Rogozin of Tikonov hinted at the opportunity for an 
  armistice between the two nations, the Federated Suns responded 
  favorably. After the Steiner-Marik truce in May 2821, a formal 
  agreement was put in place between the Capellan Confederation 
  and the Federated Suns on 24 September 2821, bringing that front 
  of the First Succession War to an end. Even so, relations between 
  the two states remained frosty and POW repatriation negotiations 
  became a protracted affair. Ilsa Liao insisted on financial reparations 
  from the Federated Suns, which the Davions were unwilling to 
  provide until the Capellans began war crimes proceedings and 
  executed numerous high-ranking AFFS officers on Christmas Day 
  2822. Prince Paul reluctantly agreed to the Liao terms on 30 January 
  2823, but Ilsa’s harsh actions set the stage for the return to war that 
  would follow after a scant five years later.
  MARIK-LIAO
  With the Lyran border secured—and with Charles Marik now 
  Captain-General following Thaddeus’ death—the Free Words 
  League offered peace to the Capellan Confederation, dispatching 
  Duke Jonathan Humphreys of Andurien to negotiate with the Liaos. 
  Expecting a difficult process, the duke instead found the Chancellor 
  receptive to the League’s overtures, and by the end of November 
  the two had laid down the details of a formal armistice. The 
  document ratified existing boundaries (including the restoration of 
  the Duke’s own world to the Free Worlds League) and allowed for a 
  comprehensive prisoner exchange.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  122
  THE BUTCHER’S BIll
  their quest for the most basic supplies complicated efforts to 
  rebuild core infrastructure. The Federation of Skye and the Tamar 
  Pact raced to repair their industries, but the systematic collapse 
  of the Commonwealth’s economy and supply network hampered 
  their efforts to rebuild. Rebuilding projections of five years began 
  to stretch out, exacerbated by low-level enemy action. Only the 
  Protectorate of Donegal survived the war mostly intact, with much 
  of its industry and many worlds avoiding direct combat. However, 
  the failure of the Commonwealth’s freighter network meant few 
  worlds, even in the Protectorate, were untouched by war.
  DAVION
  On paper, the Federated Suns should have done well in 
  the First Succession War, with their well-trained military and 
  experienced leadership. Instead, they came within a hair’s breadth 
  of being annihilated by the Draconis Combine; it could be said that 
  only the brutality of House Kurita itself saved House Davion. The 
  war showed that the AFFS, though well-equipped and trained, was 
  a paper tiger. Political divisions and structural weaknesses almost 
  cost the Davions dearly, providing a lesson they would need to 
  learn for the next round. That the Federated Suns were able to 
  damage the Capellan Confederation speaks more to the paucity 
  of the CCAF’s performance than the skills of the Davion troops. 
  Their net loss of ten worlds belied the massive defeats prior to the 
  Kentares Massacre.
  The depredations of the war shattered the Federated Suns’ 
  economy, and the scale and brutality of enemy action left many 
  worlds struggling to survive. Basic necessities were in short supply. 
  Water and power facilities had been hard-hit on worlds targeted 
  by the DCMS, which made supporting the Suns population—let 
  alone rebuilding the nation’s industry and war-making capability—a 
  challenge. Most of the Davion ship-building facilities were crippled 
  or destroyed, further hampering efforts to rebuild broken worlds. 
  The war was over, but people continued to die on the most battered 
  worlds from starvation, disease, radiation poisoning, and the like, 
  driving the civilian death toll of the conflict to more than a billion.
  KURITA
  Looking at worlds taken, the Draconis Combine came out 
  ahead, gaining worlds on both its active fronts as well as from 
  the Terran Hegemony, though they also lost worlds to the Lyran 
  Commonwealth. All told, the Combine captured 75 worlds and lost 
  just six worlds—but the cost for them was high and many of the 
  worlds they captured were shattered ruins, able to contribute little 
  to the nation. More importantly, the Combine had the Federated 
  Suns on the ropes but failed to deliver a knock-out blow as the 
  reprisals for the assassination of Minoru Kurita on Kentares lead to 
  a reversal of fortunes along the front.
  Jinjiro’s punishment of the political and military leadership of 
  the Combine, whom the Coordinator felt had failed their nation, 
  was surprisingly restrained. Some were executed, but demotion 
  or exile to a prison camp was more often the extent of the 
  punishment. A few officers were promoted and set to training the 
  new generations of DCMS troops.
  HOUSE KURITA
  “What is it the Christians say? ‘And the lion shall lay down with the 
  lamb’? Not so the Dragon. There will be no peace, no treaties. We are 
  predators. They are prey.”
  —Coordinator Jinjiro Kurita (alleged)
  The Draconis Combine refused to formally negotiate with 
  either the Federated Suns or the Lyran Commonwealth, but the 
  DCMS was exhausted by the decades of fighting and both fronts 
  drifted into an uneasy cessation of hostilities. By 2821, fighting in 
  both arenas had died down and an unofficial cease-fire existed 
  between the Draconis Combine, the Commonwealth, and the 
  Federated Suns. Raids still took place, but usually involved a ’Mech 
  company or battalion, charged with either destruction or seizure 
  of resources rather than full-scale invasion. The commencement 
  of the Chain Gang missions against the Suns and Commonwealth 
  in 2825 further underscored the lack of a true peace. As the DCMS 
  sought to rebuild, the Coordinator’s mental health began to fail; by 
  the mid-2820s he was rarely lucid, leaving the Combine rudderless. 
  Further challenged by the raids of the Minnesota Tribe in 2825, the 
  Combine struggled to develop a coherent reconstruction strategy; 
  it would take the resumption of war in 2830 to focus their planning.
  “WINNERS” AND LOSERS:  
  THE BUTCHER’S BILL
  Most conflicts are evaluated in terms of winners and losers. 
  In the case of the First Succession War, there were no winners, 
  though some clearly lost more than others. Every Successor State 
  lost millions of troops and billions of their civilian population. Their 
  economies were ruined and their ability to wage war drastically 
  curtailed, but none were categorically out of the fight.
  STEINER
  The Lyran Commonwealth’s war was a mixed bag. It lost many 
  worlds, including several important planets such as Nox, Juniper, 
  and Alula Australis, and gained a few, for a net loss of eight worlds. 
  But the Commonwealth managed to survive the onslaughts of 
  two determined foes, an achievement that might not have been 
  expected of the LCAF prior to the war. More significant was the 
  economic collapse within the Commonwealth. As a nation of 
  merchants and bankers, the destruction of industry and the 
  collapse of international trade was a body-blow as damaging as 
  the military losses.
  The First Succession War cost the LCAF a dozen regiments, 
  while the remaining 110 regiments suffered heavy casualties. Most 
  of the Commonwealth navy was destroyed, with only one capital 
  ship—the battlecruiser LCS Invincible—remaining. Industry, the 
  lifeblood of the Commonwealth, was in even worse shape. Many 
  industrial centers had been razed, or seen their supply chains 
  disrupted. Most shipyards were lost or crippled, and JumpShip 
  manufacturing had all but ceased.
  Many worlds were forced to find new sources of food and 
  resources to replace those destroyed or captured in the war, and 
  
  EyE OF THE STORm (2821-2830)
  123
  THE BUTCHER’S BIll
  House Davion than it lost was the only salve on their pride, with 
  almost forty worlds lost to House Marik to total a net loss of thirty-
  five worlds.
  Ilsa Liao used the armistice negotiations with the Federated 
  Suns to bolster her realm, gaining both political cachet and much-
  needed resources as her price for large-scale POW exchanges. The 
  crash rebuilding process instigated by the Strategios consumed not 
  only the spoils of war but also much of the remaining Liao assets, 
  leaving little for rebuilding civil infrastructure or the decimated 
  merchant fleet of the Confederation. Despite these efforts to 
  alleviate the CCAF’s materiel shortfalls, Ilsa’s inter-war program did 
  little to revise the military’s tactical doctrines and strategic thinking, 
  leaving it in a perilous position with the looming resumption of 
  hostilities. The Chancellor believed only an aggressive policy could 
  save the Confederation, a mindset that would have devastating—
  and, for Ilsa, fatal—consequences.
  OTHERS
  The Great Houses weren’t the only losers of the First Succession 
  War. The remaining Periphery states—the Magistracy of Canopus, 
  the Taurian Concordat and the Outworlds Alliance—weren’t 
  targeted directly by the war, but they did feel the consequences. 
  Most significantly was the collapse of trade; the Periphery states 
  wanted independence, but after two centuries their economies 
  were inextricably linked to those of the six Great Houses. The 
  war between Amaris and Kerensky strained this trade with the 
  Periphery (which was already curtailed by the Periphery Uprising) 
  but the onset of the Succession Wars brought it to a dead stop. The 
  Great Houses turned their economic power toward supporting their 
  war efforts rather than trading with their neighbors. While some 
  independent merchants continued to trade with the Periphery 
  realms, it was a drop in the ocean. More importantly, key products 
  such as medicines and industrial components imported from the 
  Great Houses were suddenly in short supply. As a consequence, 
  worlds died for want of a widget or a SL$5 anti-viral previously 
  commonly available. The fates of Bossangoa and Guldra were far 
  from unusual.
  Little-acknowledged by the main players, another faction 
  weighed the pros and cons of the war. ComStar began the conflict 
  as a neutral communications agency—albeit one with teeth in the 
  form of “mercenaries” hired to seize Terra. But by the war’s end the 
  last remnant of the Star League bureaucracy had metamorphosed 
  into an ambitious and secretive organization. It was not yet a 
  theocratic state—that would not occur until the reign of Raymond 
  Karpov—but by the 2820s it was taking an active if covert role in 
  interstellar affairs. So much of Blake’s legacy has been obscured by 
  Conrad Toyama’s ambition that is difficult to determine the origin 
  of ComStar’s interventionist policies, but it is clear that then-Prime 
  Administrator Toyama was displeased by the winding down of the 
  conflict in the 2820s. Under Toyama, ComStar undertook an active 
  policy of provocation to reheat the war once more.
  Officially, the First Succession War ended in 2821 and the 
  Second Succession War began in 2830, but the intervening years 
  were far from peaceful. 
  A national census revealed the scale of the war’s damage to 
  the Combine, and found it was particularly extensive in the border 
  regions. The census also consolidated the Coordinator’s hold over 
  his people, including millions of new citizens brought into the 
  Combine on worlds captured from the Lyran Commonwealth and 
  Federated Suns, and absorbed from the Terran Hegemony. 
  The conflict destroyed many factories, but those in the heart of 
  the realm, notably in the Pesht Military District, remained intact and 
  functional. The major limitation on their operation was the supply 
  of parts from subcontractors. Some industries relocated from the 
  border regions of the Dieron and Benjamin Military Districts into 
  the interior of the Combine, though such efforts were costly and 
  time-consuming. Civilian infrastructure was equally hard-hit, but 
  the absence of materials to rebuild water purification plants or 
  vessels for interstellar commerce meant many of the “rebuilding 
  projects” were little more than an exhortation to national effort.
  MARIK
  The Free Worlds League was the only other realm to make 
  significant gains, taking worlds from both the Lyran Commonwealth 
  and the Capellan Confederation. They did, however, lose the worlds 
  of the Bolan Thumb; while not a major economic or strategic 
  blow—in fact, the loss helped strengthen the FWL’s borders—the 
  Thumb’s removal was a major political blow. The League’s massive 
  gains on the Liao front were offset by the losses to Steiner, leaving 
  a net gain of twenty-two worlds. Furthermore, the bitterness of 
  the conflict hurt the League’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, 
  forcing them to make decisions that would come back to haunt 
  them in the Second Succession War.
  Parliament sought to instigate a massive reconstruction 
  program across the League’s industry and civil infrastructure. 
  But Captain-General Charles Marik, wary that the Bella Accords 
  were merely a lull rather than a cessation of hostilities, insisted 
  on the repair and resupply of front-line troops. His decision was 
  not popular, but together with technical efforts to adapt combat 
  designs to accept locally-produced parts, Charles’ policies brought 
  significant success in rebuilding the FWLM.
  The Captain-General was less fortunate in rebuilding the 
  League’s intelligence services. Most agents operating on foreign 
  soil were slain during the conflict, and efforts to reestablish the 
  Marik intelligence-gathering networks were slow and difficult. 
  Realizing the difficult position this placed him in, Charles sought 
  out a new source of foreign intelligence: ComStar.
  LIAO
  Without a doubt, House Liao suffered the greatest losses of the 
  First Succession War. The Confederation lost worlds on both borders, 
  though it made significant gains in the former Terran Hegemony 
  and managed to prevent any devastating breakthroughs such the 
  one that nearly felled the Federated Suns. This resistance came at a 
  cost. The CCAF, never the largest of the Great House militaries, was 
  brutalized and would need to radically reform its tactics to survive 
  (it ultimately would, in the form of the Jade Castle during the reign 
  of Laurelli Liao). That the Confederation gained more worlds from 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  124
  THE BUTCHER’S BIll
  was super-massive consumers 
  such as WarShip production; 
  the shortage of rare materials 
  such as gallium arsenide 
  halted the production of 
  these behemoths even before 
  Kerensky’s departure. As a 
  consequence, while ground 
  forces grew significantly, there 
  was little expansion of naval 
  forces. This also meant that 
  the massive naval losses of the 
  First Succession War could not 
  be made good, or fielded with 
  downgraded technologies.
  For the ground forces, the 
  first sign of the technological 
  plight was the increasing scarcity of advanced munitions. War 
  stockpiles were consumed within the first few years of the conflict, 
  and munitions factories struggled to keep up with the demand 
  even before they themselves became targets of the war. Units often 
  had to make do with locally-produced dumb munitions in lieu of 
  their smart rounds, which were often funneled to premier units. 
  But by the mid-2790s even these elite formations were deprived of 
  advanced rounds, the munitions factories which made them either 
  reduced to cinders or lacking key components or materials.
  Similarly, replacement armor and weapons became 
  increasingly scarce, and field repairs often required the replacement 
  of an advanced system with a less sophisticated but more readily 
  available version. “FrankenMechs” became the order of the day, 
  often employing jury-rigged systems and “field downgrades” to 
  remain operational. 
  A Farewell to Arms
  The weapons of the First Succession War were those of the Star 
  League: Extended Range PPCs, pulse lasers, Streak missiles and the 
  like. ’Mechs, tanks and fighters used advanced armor composites 
  and structural components, making them lighter and faster than 
  their cousins of the Age of War or the later Succession Wars. However, 
  producing such advanced components required sophisticated 
  industrial capabilities, and with the targeting of infrastructure in the 
  First Succession War, that soon became a problem.
  The collapse of the Inner Sphere’s technology base began 
  slowly, even before many production facilities were reduced to 
  smoking ruins. The collapse in trade caused shortages of key 
  materials necessary to the production of war materiel even before 
  the outbreak of general war, but reserves built up during the Amaris 
  crisis allowed the Great Houses to continue large-scale production 
  right up to the eve of the First Succession War. The main exception 
  STAR LEAGUE EXCHANGES AND MINTS 
  Broker’s Haven, El Giza: Printed FWL and CC currency. Destroyed in First Succession War. 
  Commerce City, Epsilon Eridani: Printed CC currency. Destroyed in the Amaris Coup. 
  Currency, Narellan: Printed CC and FS currency. Destroyed in First Succession War. 
  Monetary Gain, Talitha: Printed FWL currency. Destroyed in the Amaris Coup. 
  Moniesville, Preston: Printed LC and FWL currency. Destroyed in First Succession War
  Profitica, Stanzach: Printed DC and LC currency. Destroyed in First Succession War. 
  Prosperity, Ozawa: Printed FS currency. Destroyed in First Succession War. 
  Success, Lambrecht: Printed DC currency. Ransacked during the Amaris Coup. 
  The Exchange, Deshler: Printed FS and DC currency. Destroyed in Second Succession War. 
  Trader’s City, Zollikofen: Printed LC currency. Destroyed in First Succession War. 
  
  EyE OF THE STORm (2821-2830)
  125
  THE BUTCHER’S BIll
  New vehicle production suffered similar issues; 
  the production lines might be able to physically 
  assemble Star League-spec Warhammers but lacked 
  the ER PPCs, armor composites and electronics to 
  do so. Instead, there was a gradual downgrading 
  of specifications—standard autocannons replaced 
  Ultra versions, ER lasers were dropped in favor of 
  regular versions and so forth. Few low-tech designs 
  appeared instantly; instead, designs like the MAD-
  3R Marauder emerged slowly from the Star League-
  era “Lostech” versions. 
  Despite this, the designs and configurations 
  of the Star League remained the principal versions 
  of ’Mechs, tanks and fighters in use through the 
  end of the First Succession War in the early twenty-
  ninth Century. It would take the brutality of the 
  Second Succession War—and the long slog of the 
  Third—to degrade battle technology to its nadir 
  before the slow climb back that began in the early 
  thirty-first century.
  While 
  advanced 
  equipment 
  became 
  increasingly scarce, the first two decades of the 
  First Succession War saw sufficient production 
  to still allow the raising of new units. These 
  formations, such as the Sixteenth Lyran Regulars, 
  were generally less well equipped than their pre-
  war siblings. It wasn’t until near the end of the 
  First Succession War—and more notably during 
  the Second Succession War—that production fell 
  so low that the Great Houses struggled to even 
  maintain existing equipment and formations.
  Taking a Breath
  The era of peace that followed the Succession 
  War came to an end in the late 2820s, incidentally 
  transforming the Succession War into the “First” 
  Succession War in the process. As with the First 
  Succession War (or Terra’s World Wars), the dates of 
  the conflict varied significantly depending on the 
  participants; some border conflicts, such as that 
  between the Lyran Commonwealth and Draconis 
  Combine, re-ignited in 2825, while others, such 
  as the Federated Suns-Capellan Confederation 
  conflict, resumed in 2828. The Free Worlds League 
  did not become embroiled in the general conflict 
  until 2830; as such, this is the date most historians 
  use to date the start of the Second Succession War. 
  Some historians suggest that the First Succession 
  War never truly ended, and that the period from 
  2821 to 2825 was instead merely a period of 
  retrenchment and re-arming before the conflict 
  heated up again. They instead suggest that the 
  “Great Succession War” ran from 2787 to 2863. 
  However, the two phases of the conflict bore 
  markedly different characteristics, reinforcing the 
  SHIPBUILDING CASUALTIES OF
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR 
  Capellan Confederation 
  Delhi WarShips (Capella) – Destroyed 
  Delhi WarShips (Carver IV) – Destroyed 
  Krester’s Ship Construction (Keid) – Destroyed 
  Krester’s Ship Construction (Terra Firma) – Destroyed 
  Rashpur-Owens Inc. (Capella) – Damaged 
  Thompson Shipyards (Keid) – Destroyed 
  Draconis Combine 
  Izumi JumpShips (Altair) – Destroyed 
  Krester’s Ship Construction (Yorii) – Destroyed 
  LTV Aerospace (Inglesmond) – Destroyed 
  Stellar Trek (Chatham) – Survived 
  Stellar Trek (Dieron) – Destroyed 
  Federated Suns 
  Federated-Boeing (Galax) – Crippled 
  McKenna’s Shipyards (Kathil) – Crippled 
  Universal Air (Delavan) – Damaged 
  Free Worlds League 
  Bowie Industries (Wasat) – Destroyed 
  DeKirk Aerospace (Graham IV) – Destroyed 
  Di Tron Heavy Industries (Sirius) – Destroyed 
  Irian Naval Systems (Clipperton [Regulan]) – Crippled 
  Mitchell Vehicles Interstellar (Graham IV) – Ground Facilities Destroyed 
  SelaSys Inc. (Loyalty [Graham-Marik]) – Damaged 
  Technicron Manufacturing (Tamarind [Tamarind]) – Destroyed 
  Lyran Commonwealth
  Boeing Interstellar (New Earth) – Destroyed 
  Bolson Shipyards (New Kyoto) – Destroyed 
  Bolson-Tamar Shipyards (Tamar) – Destroyed 
  Daussault-Shimmon Enterprises (New Earth) – Destroyed 
  Di Tron Heavy Industries (New Earth) – Destroyed 
  Di Tron Heavy Industries (Zebebelgenubi) – Destroyed 
  Krester’s Ship Construction (Thorin) – Destroyed 
  ComStar 
  Blue Nose Clipperships (Mars) – Decommissioned 
  Boeing Interstellar (Terra) – Decommissioned 
  Di Tron Heavy Industries (Terra) – Decommissioned 
  Krester’s Ship Construction (Terra) – Decommissioned 
  Periphery
  Athena Corporation (Canopus [Canopus]) – Destroyed 
  Concordat Aerospace Limited (Taurus [Taurian]) – Destroyed 
  Roe Weapon Systems (Finmark [Rim Worlds]) – Destroyed 
  United Outworlders Corporation (Ramora [Outworlds]) – Decommissioned 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  126
  THE WINdS OF WAR
  idea of two distinct conflicts—just as the low-tempo (and extremely long) Third 
  Succession War is distinguished from the Second despite the absence of a formal 
  cessation of hostilities and a very brief (three-year) inter-war period.
  THE WINDS OF WAR (2825-2830)
  Unlike the First Succession War, the path to the Second wasn’t clearly defined. 
  Instead, a series of localized brush-fire wars escalated, and eventually led to a 
  resumption of general warfare. Even in the quietest inter-war years, espionage and 
  special-forces actions were the order of the day, as each Successor State sought to 
  ascertain the status of their rivals and prevent any rebuilding before the inevitable 
  resumption of hostilities. 
  Having suffered years of external attack—and, in many cases, damage at the 
  hands of their own counter-intelligence operations—none of the Successor States’ 
  intelligence agencies operated at peak efficiency, and high-profile successes 
  were few and far between. One of the most notable occurred within the Lyran 
  Commonwealth, when the ISF succeeded in placing agents within the Duke of 
  Tamar’s staff. This gave them access to data regarding the military and economic 
  situation within the Tamar Pact and across the Commonwealth. The leaks only 
  ended when another agent, a member of the Free Worlds League’s SAFE, killed the 
  ISF operatives, mistakenly believing they were LIC Molehunters.
  Better known, though less damaging overall, were the Draconis Combine’s 
  so-called “Chain Gang” missions of 2825 and 2826 that targeted both the Lyran 
  Commonwealth and Federated Suns. Conceiving of a way to utilize undesirable 
  elements of his population—convicts, political prisoners and other outcasts—
  Coordinator Jinjiro Kurita ordered them to be given rudimentary training and 
  equipment and then unleashed at targets in the neighboring realms. Most 
  “Chain Gang” units were lance- or company-sized, included members jacked up 
  on combat drugs, and inflicted minimal damage. Others were larger and more 
  effective, and required the redeployment of LCAF line units to counter them. In 
  the eyes of the Coordinator and the DCMS, the chaos the attacks sowed more than 
  made up for their limited military value. Lyran counter-blows soon followed, with 
  LCAF troops hitting back at several targets within the Combine with surprisingly 
  effective assault operations. Further Combine actions were expected, but fate 
  intervened to distract the Kurita forces.
  The Minnesota Tribe
   On 9 October 2825, the world of Svelvik on the Periphery border of the 
  Draconis Combine came under attack by a regimental-sized unit. The attackers 
  were skilled and well-versed in Star League tactics, their ’Mechs apparently painted 
  in Regular Army colors and equipped with technologies already becoming scarce 
  in the Inner Sphere. No identifiers linked them to Kerensky’s forces—though the 
  Coordinator believed they were precursors of Kerensky’s return. The units bore an 
  insignia that corresponded to the Terran district of Minnesota in North America, 
  leading to the mysterious combatants being dubbed the “Minnesota Tribe.” These 
  mysterious assailants took supplies and left, departing into uncharted systems 
  along with a fleet of cargo vessels and military craft.
  The Tribe disappeared for months, but then re-appeared on 17 December 
  2825 to strike at Trondheim, smashing the Twentieth Rasalhague Regulars and 
  again taking what they wanted before disappearing into the void between stars. 
  The Tribe refused any attempt at contact, going so far as to commit suicide rather 
  than be captured. This security procedure further inflamed fears that the Tribe were 
  vanguards of Kerensky’s returning army, prompting the Coordinator to flood the 
  region with troops to deal with the incursions. A third attack by the Tribe against 
  on Jarrett on 19 August 2826 further demonstrated the skill of the invaders and the 
  weakness of the Combine position. The raiders’ aerospace forces handily defeated 
  FORLORN HOPE
  The flight of the SLDF to distant stars was intended to keep 
  them aloof from the conflicts shortly to wrack the Inner Sphere, 
  preserving the soul of the Star League as a beacon in the dark-
  ness. But no sooner had the Exodus Fleet departed then cracks 
  began to appear in the unified front of the troops, leading to 
  the Prinz Eugen revolt and its bloody suppression. In the wake of 
  that disaster, Kerensky issued General Order 137, better known 
  as the Hidden Hope Doctrine, enshrining the need for the SLDF’s 
  self-imposed Exile.
  Return to the Inner Sphere is impossible for us. Our heritage 
  and our convictions are different from those we left behind. The 
  greed of the five Great Houses and the Council Lords is a disease 
  that can only be burned away by the passing of decades, even 
  centuries. And though the fighting may seem to slow, or even cease, 
  it will erupt again as long as there are powerful men to covet one 
  another’s wealth. We shall live apart, conserving all the good of 
  the Star League and ridding ourselves of the bad, so that when we 
  return — and return we shall — our shining moral character will 
  be as much our shield as our BattleMechs and fighters.
  —General Order 137
  Even to this day, many of the Clans hold the Hidden Hope 
  Doctrine in near reverence, it having taken literal form in the 
  Second Exodus of Nicholas Kerensky and his followers to Strana 
  Mechty in the wake of his father’s death. The Exodus Civil War 
  (2801-2822) ran parallel to the latter years of the First Succession 
  War, and mirrored its ferocity and devastation. While the factions 
  of the Inner Sphere pulled back from the brink of total annihila-
  tion, much of the SLDF in the Pentagon did not. In many regards, 
  the Pentagon wars were even more brutal than the Succession 
  War, with the use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons 
  compounded by ethnic cleansing and other war crimes. In the 
  Inner Sphere, the Great Houses were bloodied by the conflict 
  but remained in control of functioning states. In Clan space, little 
  remained of society. The survivors were malleable clay in Nicholas 
  Kerensky’s hands when he launched Operation KLONDIKE in 
  2821, unleashing the Clans he had forged from the troops who 
  had accompanied him on the Second Exodus.
  The annihilation of Clan Wolverine, beginning in 2823, 
  was the first major political event within the Clans and the only 
  one—until late in the thirtieth century, at least—to possibly 
  have had any impact on the Inner Sphere. The Minnesota Tribe 
  incident is popularly linked to survivors of the Wolverines, though 
  even today there is no definitive connection. Even more signifi-
  cantly to the Clans were the events of 2834. A dispute with Clan 
  Widowmaker evolved into a Trial of Refusal, and while refereeing 
  the contest, ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky was killed. The Clans were 
  now deprived of Kerensky’s vision and authority, metamorphos-
  ing over the next “golden century” into the factionalized, milita-
  ristic society that returned to the Inner Sphere in 3050.
  —A Pocket History of the Inner Sphere, Terra Press, 3122
  
  EyE OF THE STORm (2821-2830)
  127
  THE WINdS OF WAR
  Getting Your Revenge in First
  Though they kept a close eye on the Dragon, House Davion’s 
  main focus in the inter-war years was their other neighbor, the 
  Capellan Confederation. Paul Davion did not want to rush into a 
  new war, but knew that delivering a decisive blow to House Liao 
  would be essential if the AFFS hoped to then counter the Combine 
  threat. He planned a major assault against Liao—Operation DAO—
  designed to secure the long-contested Chesterton worlds. He knew 
  that Ilsa Liao would seek to recover the strategic planets, whose 
  absence from the Confederation remained a stain on Capellan 
  honor, and planned to blunt her response.
  The Chancellor struck first, beginning by launching a series 
  of diversionary attacks along the border to distract the AFFS and 
  to draw troops away from the real target. The CCAF campaign to 
  crush the Demeter-Chesterton salient began in May 2828; never 
  one to watch from the rear, Ilsa took direct command of the 
  assault on Orbisonia, leading the Red Lancers and Prefectorate 
  Guard to pin several Davion units in place. Unfortunately for 
  the Chancellor, her hard-won gains on the world soon turned 
  to ashes—Orbisonia had been selected as a staging point for 
  AFFS forces, and her assault ran headlong into the AFFS’ planned 
  counter-blow. On 24 June, the Chancellor perished leading a 
  rearguard action and preventing a Capellan rout. Laurelli Liao, 
  commanding the assault on Kathil, became the new Chancellor 
  and immediately called off the CCAF assaults. Her mother’s 
  gambit had failed, and Laurelli needed time to reflect on the 
  disaster and make new plans to meet the Davion and Marik 
  juggernauts. Fortunately for the new Chancellor, the Free Worlds 
  League was content with staging only the occasional raid, though 
  Paul Davion followed up his victories in Operation DAO with 
  two more campaigns: Operation SUN, directed at Tikonov; and 
  Operation RAIN, against the Valexa-Axton region.
  Assuming the Captain-Generalcy upon the death of his 
  father, Thaddeus, in 2821, Charles Marik sought to remain aloof 
  from the new conflicts emerging across the Inner Sphere. But 
  when prisoner exchange talks with the Lyran Commonwealth 
  faltered (thanks to ComStar interference), House Marik’s return 
  to the conflict became inevitable. His intelligence service, SAFE, 
  remained in shambles, and failed to provide notice of the 
  Confederation’s weakness during the abortive attack against 
  House Davion. When the situation and SAFE’s failure became 
  known to the Captain-General, he began casting around for new 
  sources of information. One immediately landed in his lap: his 
  sister Jeanette was a ComStar adept and in June 2830 agreed to 
  provide Charles with intelligence information. This was the final 
  move in Conrad Toyama’s plan to ignite a new war, effectively 
  drawing House Marik back into the conflict and building the 
  Free Worlds’ dependence on ComStar’s intelligence. The resulting 
  Second Succession War would be devastating for the Inner 
  Sphere—and tragic for House Marik.
  the DCMS, pinning them in place and interdicting transport links 
  long enough for the Tribe to scour local storehouses and move on.
  The final encounter with the Tribe took place on 9 March 2827 
  when they again defeated defending forces and raided storage 
  facilities on Richmond. Additionally, the Tribe liberated secret 
  prisons and slave camps established by the Combine, spiriting their 
  occupants away to an unknown destination. This was the last time 
  the tribe was sighted in the Inner Sphere, though ComStar survey 
  vessels followed the unit’s trail through the Periphery until all traces 
  disappeared near Valentina.
  Officially.
  Unconfirmed rumors during the Jihad claimed that ComStar 
  had in fact made contact with the invaders and offered them 
  sanctuary, with the Minnesota Tribe becoming the core of what 
  would later become the Word of Blake. These rumors also identified 
  the raiders as remnants of Clan Wolverine, fleeing from the 
  oppression of Nicholas Kerensky’s new regime. The claims fit neatly 
  with facts known from the Clan Homeworlds about the Not-Named 
  Clan and proved to be a political bombshell, spurring the Ghost 
  Bears into aiding the Allied campaign against the Word of Blake.
  With the benefit of years of hindsight, and without any further 
  evidence to support that claim, the fit may have been too neat, and 
  too accurately punched the Clans’ buttons to move them to action. 
  Whether there is any truth to the rumors, or whether they are a 
  fabrication of Anastasius Focht, Chandrasekhar Kurita or Devlin 
  Stone may never be known. Even now, more than three hundred 
  years later, the Minnesota Tribe remain an enigma that grips the 
  populace of the Inner Sphere.
  Chahar Profit
  The LCAF reprisals after the “Chain Gang” missions drew 
  only limited response from the DCMS, but a further incident in 
  late 2826 threatened to fully ignite tensions. On 30 December, a 
  commercial JumpShip, the Chahar Profit, made an erroneous jump 
  to Darius and was captured by the DCMS. The event is often cited 
  as a mis-jump, but conflicting reports attribute it to everything 
  from computer error that transposed jump coordinates to an 
  attempt to rescue a Lyran intelligence cell. The LCAF immediately 
  began planning the vessel’s recovery, leading to a lightning raid 
  by the hastily-reformed Stealths in late February 2827 to recover 
  the vessel, its crew and cargo. The assault was a stunning success, 
  with only two ’Mechs lost (and their pilots recovered). Though still 
  distracted by the Minnesota Tribe, the successful Lyran operation 
  challenged the honor of the DCMS. With a subsequent series of 
  reprisals finding little success, the Combine began plotting a more 
  serious assault on their Lyran foes. To the LCAF, the raid showed the 
  value of maneuverable forces and reinforced the idea that the LCAF 
  could hold their own against the militaristic Combine.
  The Davion front had no incident comparable to the Chahar 
  Profit affair to crystallize House Kurita’s attention, but the Combine’s 
  plan for a resumption of hostilities did include the Federated Suns. 
  Jinjiro’s focus on the Lyran front in the late 2820s nonetheless the 
  Davions a chance to prepare for the inevitable return to war. When 
  it did occur in 2830, the result was not as the Combine expected. 
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  128
   
  
  129
  HOUSE kURITA
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  PERSONALITIES OF  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR (2784-2821)
  MINORU KURITA 
  Rank/Position: Coordinator of the Draconis Combine  
  (served 2766 – 2796)
  Lived: 30 April 2705 – 14 September 2796
  The Minoru Kurita who led his realm into the Succession Wars 
  was not quite the same man as the one who oversaw the final days 
  of the Star League. Though he never abandoned his claim to the 
  First Lord’s throne, or his House’s right to wage war for that very 
  prize, the departure of Kerensky’s Exodus fleet seemed to affect 
  him on a profound but subtle level. In the years that followed, the 
  Coordinator grew increasingly weary and pensive.
  The first, and perhaps most outwardly apparent, sign of Minoru’s 
  shifting attitudes came in the years leading up to the First Succession 
  War. The Coordinator debated which of his realm’s enemies to test, 
  eventually opting to attack the Federated Suns despite the Lyran 
  Commonwealth’s obvious weakness. This decision, though rooted 
  in honorable Combine traditions, nonetheless demonstrated an 
  indecisiveness few would have expected of the Coordinator who 
  was the first to lay claim to the title of First Lord. That he left the 
  major planning for that war against House Davion to his son, Jinjiro, 
  only further underscored what many scholars have come to see as 
  Minoru’s growing exhaustion with the burdens of leadership. 
  By the mid-2790s, the aging Coordinator of the Draconis 
  Combine was no longer the ambitious warlord he once was. With 
  his armies a mere one jump from topping the Federated Suns, it 
  was his counsel to Jinjiro that stayed the Dragon’s killing blow. With 
  this fateful decision, he unknowingly set the stage for both his last 
  moments on the otherwise unremarkable world of Kentares IV, and 
  the undoing of all that he and his heir had accomplished since the 
  death of the Star League.
  JINJIRO KURITA
  Rank/Position: Warlord of Galedon (2777-2796);  
  Coordinator of the Draconis Combine (served 2976-2837)
  Lived: 15 September 2747 – 11 April 2841
  Due to his response to his father’s death—the Kentares 
  Massacre—and his own final years, Jinjiro is often characterized as 
  a madman whose psychopathic tendencies wrought carnage on 
  the Inner Sphere. The reality is much more nuanced; he was a skilled 
  warrior and commander who rose to lead the Galedon Military 
  district and whose operational planning led to the Combine’s 
  decisive successes of the early First Succession War.
  Born on Luthien to Heaven’s Gate, Minoru’s favorite concubine, 
  Jinjiro spent the first decade of his life in political limbo and as 
  the focus of numerous schemes. His mother’s plotting eventually 
  persuaded Minoru to recognize Jinjiro as his son and heir, but at 
  the cost of her life; Minoru’s wife, Yvonne Toshi-Kurita, who was six 
  months pregnant with Zabu Kurita, pushed the courtesan from the 
  palace walls. Kuritan legend has it that Heaven’s Gate died in her son’s 
  arms, her murder coloring Jinjiro’s actions in the Succession Wars.
  After his mother’s death, Jinjiro threw himself into his new 
  life, seeking to excel and prevent his half-brother from eclipsing 
  Jinjiro’s more tenuous position. Jinjiro finished at the top of his 
  class at the Sun Zhang MechWarrior Academy and earned a place 
  in the Galedon Regulars. He could have frozen Zabu out of his 
  life, but instead became the perfect big brother. Jinjiro’s military 
  skill—and his brother’s academic bent—solidified Jinjiro’s place 
  as heir-designate. In 2777, Jinjiro was confirmed as Warlord of 
  Galedon, one of the youngest to serve in the role. His military skill 
  and inspirational leadership made it clear that nepotism wasn’t a 
  primary factor in his appointment, though those who suggested it 
  was soon witnessed Jinjiro’s legendary temper.
  At the outbreak of the First Succession War, Jinjiro persuaded 
  his father to ignore the weak Lyran Commonwealth and instead 
  focus the Combine’s efforts on the Federated Suns. Initially staged 
  under the cover of heightened military activity in the wake of 
  Kerensky’s Exodus, Jinjiro’s planning was meticulous, and the 
  offensive came within a hair’s breadth of annihilating House 
  Davion. The turning point came in 2796 on the world of Kentares, 
  when Coordinator Minoru Kurita was killed by a lone sniper 
  while personally overseeing operations against the Seventh 
  Crucis Lancers. Jinjiro’s response after arriving on-world two 
  weeks later became the single bloodiest atrocity in the history of 
  humanity: the Kentares Massacre. More than fifty million Davion 
  citizens were murdered in a five-month wave of carnage—along 
  with no few DCMS officers who had failed to protect the former 
  Coordinator, showed insufficient spine to promptly inform his 
  heir of the incident, or later attempted to protect Davion civilians 
  during the rampage.
  The new Coordinator’s skill failed him in the years that 
  followed; though still showing flashes of genius, his tactics became 
  increasingly brutal—and unsuccessful. As the DCMS faltered and 
  lost ground, even the unstable Coordinator realized that some of 
  his nation’s traditions—refusing to retreat and committing seppuku 
  to atone for dishonor—would have to be put aside for the good of 
  the Combine. Ironically, around the same time, gladiatorial blood 
  sports became a staple of Combine entertainments.
  By the mid-2820s, Lord Jinjiro was teetering on the brink of 
  madness, his periods of lucidity increasingly scarce. The Coordinator 
  knew that stepping aside in favor of his intellectual half-brother 
  would be a disaster for the Combine. Even as the First Succession 
  War drew to a close, Jinjiro retained an iron grip on the Combine 
  and sought to strengthen the DCMS.
  Ultimately, madness consumed the Coordinator, and his fears 
  about Zabu succeeding him would be assuaged by direct action on 
  the part of the DCMS. Jinjiro would outlive his brother, but the last 
  half-decade of his life was lost to insanity.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  130
  HOUSE lIAO
  distracted by activity along the Combine front, became the main 
  victims of House Liao’s lightning assaults. The Chancellor was quick 
  to lavish praise on his valiant troops; his presence and willingness 
  to reward victory and determination buoyed the spirits of the CCAF, 
  though it also encouraged them to undertake foolhardy and often 
  desperate action to win the Chancellor’s praise.
  Quinn’s relationship with Ilsa Liao was complex. He quickly 
  learned not to treat Ilsa as a child, finding her precocious and able 
  to grasp both Capellan politics and those of the wider Inner Sphere. 
  But he found her disinterested in military campaigns against 
  the Confederation’s foes. She rarely joined him at the front, an 
  arrangement that suited them both; Sandol could bask in the glory 
  of the CCAF’s successes, while the teenage Ilsa established her own 
  power base on Sian.
  There are suggestions that Quinn considered remaining in 
  office after Ilsa achieved her majority in 2801 in the hopes of 
  establishing House Quinn as rulers of the Confederation. It was 
  clear, however, that both the Prefectorate and the House of Scions 
  wanted a return to Liao rule, and Quinn resigned his office on 
  19 April 2801. He continued as Strategic Military Director and 
  advisor to the Chancellor, serving not only Ilsa but also, briefly, her 
  daughter Laurelli.
  ILSA LIAO
  Rank/Position: Duchess of Sian, Chancellor of  
  the Capellan Confederation (served 2801-2828)
  Lived: 19 April 2783 – 23 June 2828
  Ilsa Liao was only six when her father Baltazar died in the 
  debacle at Calloway VI, and became heir to the Confederation six 
  years later, when her grandmother passed away. With Sandol Quinn 
  serving as Chancellor-Regent, Ilsa threw herself into the intricacies 
  of government, learning to navigate the murky politics of the Sian 
  court. As a child she showed little interest in combat, though she 
  did learn to pilot a BattleMech, and served two months with the Red 
  Lancers when she was sixteen (including the daring raid on Mirach). 
  Instead, she preferred to delegate military matters to Quinn, who 
  would later serve as Strategic Military Director during her reign. She 
  was, however, deeply aware of the political implications of military 
  action, and took a keen interest in the actions and reactions of the 
  neighboring Great Houses. 
  After becoming Chancellor in 2801 she took a more hands-
  on approach to military operations, touring front-line units and 
  even occasionally taking part in engagements. Like Quinn before 
  her, she came to appreciate the impact her presence had on her 
  troops, and when it came time to retake the Chesterton Worlds, she 
  opted to lead from the front. It would be a fatal decision; Ilsa died 
  fighting a rearguard action on Orbisonia in the opening salvos of 
  the Second Succession War, the first Chancellor to perish in combat.
  BARBARA LIAO
  Rank/Position: Duchess of Sian, Chancellor of  
  the Capellan Confederation (served 2760-2795)
  Lived: 1 May 2731 – 18 November 2795
  Barbara Liao proved to be a pragmatic leader for the 
  Confederation, not rushing to war, but willing to take action where 
  it was warranted. The border conflict between the Confederation 
  and the Federated Suns after the Demeter incident in Barbara’s 
  earliest days shaped her outlook toward the Star League. When 
  Amaris launched his coup, she was unwilling to side with either 
  the Emperor or Kerensky. But in the face of popular support for the 
  General’s counter-offensive, she softened her stance and allowed 
  the SLDF to operate in the Confederation—though she stopped 
  short of offering direct support.
  In her later years, Barbara came to regret this, believing that 
  had Kerensky been aided fully in his efforts against Amaris, the 
  war would have been over sooner and the Star League would 
  have survived. Though she was lukewarm to the League after its 
  refusal to aid the Confederation against House Davion, she saw it 
  as preferable to the horrors of the Succession War that followed. 
  That she had been complicit in Kerensky’s removal preyed on her 
  until the end of her days, a mistake of criminal proportions that she 
  could never undo.
  Nonetheless, when war erupted Barbara showed herself 
  willing to use every weapon in her arsenal. Initial gains against 
  the Federated Suns were balanced by significant losses to House 
  Marik, so when she launched her counterblow in 2789, it was to 
  be decisive. New Delos saw a massive Capellan invasion that was 
  more interested in killing and destroying than capturing territory. 
  Her “Devlin Solution” suspended the Ares Conventions and allowed 
  indiscriminate targeting of civilians and unfettered use of strategic 
  weapons. It shocked the enemy, but provoked an equally bloody 
  reprisal. 
  Barbara’s sons died in the debacle at Calloway VI; her sole 
  heir was her granddaughter Ilsa, born the year before Kerensky’s 
  Exodus. When Barbara died of a rare blood disorder in 2795, 
  Ilsa was too young to succeed her, and so the Prefect of the 
  Tikonov Commonality—Sandol Quinn—was chosen to act as the 
  Confederation’s Chancellor-Regent.
  SANDOL QUINN
  Rank/Position: Duke of Sirius ; Prefect of Tikonov;  
  Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation (served 2795-2801)
  Lived: 4 November 2749 – 13 February 2831
  Ambitious, determined, and a descendant of the rulers of 
  the Sarna Supremacy, Sandol Quinn knew he had only a few 
  years to make his mark. Though installed as Chancellor-Regent, 
  it was understood he was merely the caretaker of the post until 
  Ilsa Liao came of age. He set about strengthening the CCAF and 
  rebuilding the Confederation’s pride after a series of military 
  reversals, spending much of his tenure at the front, commanding 
  operations against both House Marik and House Davion. The latter, 
  
  PERSONAlITIES
  131
  HOUSE mARIk
  THADDEUS MARIK
  Rank/Position: Captain-General of the Free Worlds League 
  (served 2804-2821)
  Lived: 7 May 2755 – 7 January 2821
  Kenyon’s second son eschewed the BattleMech training of 
  his siblings, instead attending flight school, where he became an 
  accomplished fighter pilot and rose rapidly through the ranks. A 
  landing accident while serving on the FWLS Hector in 2779 ended 
  Thaddeus’ piloting career, and he transferred to naval command, 
  heading up the Ionia battle group in the early days of the First 
  Succession War. In 2789, he was elevated to the post of Fleet 
  Admiral commanding naval forces on the Lyran border, becoming 
  the mainstay of the defenses against Steiner aggression. He 
  narrowly avoided death in the disastrous assault on Hesperus in 
  2795, but continued to lead from the front, even accompanying 
  assault troops as they struck at Steiner worlds. It was during one 
  such assault in 2804 that Thaddeus learned of his father’s passing, 
  but rather than immediately head back to Atreus, he opted to see 
  the campaign through. 
  This dedication nearly cost Thaddeus dearly, as Parliament 
  sought to revoke Resolution 288 and claw back the powers they 
  ceded to the Captain-General two decades earlier; only a show of 
  force secured his position. Political in-fighting with provincial lords 
  such as Carter Allison and the resulting military brinkmanship left 
  the FWLM defenses of Oriente deliberately degraded, allowing Liao 
  forces to assault the planet until Duke Allison capitulated. 
  Unlike his father’s measured, focused brutality, Thaddeus 
  opted for a high tempo of operations on a broader front, winning 
  many engagements but at the cost of much of the League’s war 
  materiel. By the early 2820s, with exhaustion setting in, Thaddeus 
  ordered his diplomatic corps to negotiate an armistice with the 
  Steiners. However, the Captain-General insisted on securing one 
  final factory, and personally led an assault to retake Deiudonné. 
  He died in an artillery strike while discussing strategy with several 
  field commanders, falling scant weeks before the end of the First 
  Succession War. 
  KENYON MARIK
  Rank/Position: Duke of Atreus, Thirty-fourth Captain-General of 
  the Free Worlds League (served 2763-2804)
  Lived: 21 April 2734 – 19 January 2804
  Kenyon Marik’s relationship with the SLDF was a stormy 
  one—he briefly served on Kerensky’s staff, but was dismissed after 
  taking brutal action during a civilian protest. This action, which 
  occurred during Kerensky’s regency for Richard Cameron, colored 
  the relationship between the two men until the Exodus; Marik 
  refused to help the SLDF against Amaris, going as far as to attempt 
  military action against intruding SLDF vessels. After the Liberation 
  of Terra, Kenyon took vindictive pleasure in stripping Kerensky of 
  his office. When the SLDF sided with the General and began to 
  maneuver toward Exodus, the Captain-General feared the SLDF 
  would strike at the League on their way. Instead, he breathed a sigh 
  of relief when they headed into the Draconis Combine.
  The factionalized nature of FWL politics hampered Kenyon’s 
  ability to prepare for the coming war. Only after Kerensky’s forces 
  left the Inner Sphere in late 2784 did Parliament agree to Marik’s 
  request for extraordinary powers in the form of Resolution 288. 
  Intended as a short-term consolidation of power to allow the 
  Captain-General to prosecute the looming conflict, it instead 
  become a cornerstone of Free Worlds politics until the late thirty-
  first century.
  Kenyon proved to be a skilled military commander, insightful 
  and deadly in equal measure. He refused to squander resources, 
  instead opting to take precise but devastating action. This led to 
  considerable success in occupying worlds of the Terran Hegemony 
  and against the Capellan Confederation, but was less successful 
  against House Steiner. When clashes with the Lyran military did 
  not go in the FWLM’s favor, Kenyon ordered the targeting of 
  Commonwealth industry. His brutal tit-for-tat exchanges with 
  Barbara Liao and Sandol Quinn—including the infamous order 
  to “clear a route ten parsecs wide to Sarna”—typified the First 
  Succession War.
  The conflict had grave personal consequences for Kenyon. 
  Two of his sons perished in battle, while his grandson Ward was 
  assassinated, leaving Thaddeus Marik to ascend to the Captain-
  Generalcy when Kenyon suffered a stroke on 11 January 2804 and 
  died eight days later.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  132
  HOUSE STEINER
  RICHARD STEINER 
  Rank/Position: Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth  
  (served 2781 – 2823)
  Lived: 3 July 2769 – 14 June 2823
  Richard Steiner was born amid the Amaris Crisis, in the 
  same year that Aleksandr Kerensky and the SLDF completed their 
  conquest of the Rim Worlds Republic, and spent his youth hearing 
  of the war between Kerensky and Amaris. Although he was only 
  twelve years old when the Star League disbanded, the enormity 
  of the event was not lost on him. He began his military training as 
  a tank commander under the certainty of war between the Great 
  Houses.
  Growing up in the dawn of the Succession Wars, and receiving 
  greater access than most of his fellow LCAF officers to the classified 
  reports detailing the horrors being inflicted across the Inner 
  Sphere, Richard lost what little taste he had for court politics and 
  the lifestyles of the Commonwealth’s high society. With the severity 
  of a warrior facing the Ragnarök, he embraced the austerity of 
  military life, and distanced himself from the sycophants and social 
  generals who infested the LCAF at every level. This dedication 
  to military service earned him command of the Eleventh Lyran 
  Guards—a reinforced armor regiment—by the time he was just 
  twenty years old.
  When his mother’s death just two years later placed Richard on 
  the Archon’s throne, years of frustration with the LCAF’s widespread 
  ineptitude prompted him to order a shakeup in the chain of 
  command. Shuffling more competent strategic commanders into 
  positions to direct the Commonwealth’s front lines, he isolated Paul 
  Steiner—his uncle and General of the Armies at the time—from 
  the decision-making process, turning instead to Generals Graham 
  Kelswa and Amanda Lestrade. He also moved quickly to cripple any 
  potential threat from the ruins of the Rim Worlds Republic, ordering 
  a decisive, devastating strike against the shipyard world of Finmark 
  and using LIC operatives and other commando units to neutralize 
  any local warlords seeking to reunify the fallen realm.
  In the latter stages of the First Succession War, Richard Steiner 
  kept the Commonwealth largely on a defensive footing, but 
  continued his fight to improve the LCAF by first nationalizing and 
  then dispersing one of his best raiding forces—the Stealths—among 
  the various state academies. With his realm teetering on the brink of 
  exhaustion, he welcomed Captain-General Thaddeus Marik’s peace 
  initiative, though he knew any cease-fire would be fleeting at best. To 
  Richard, winning the Succession Wars was impossible; he could only 
  hope to ensure that his realm survived them.
  As an unsteady peace settled across the Inner Sphere, Archon 
  Richard turned his full attention to revitalizing the Commonwealth, 
  including the creation of the temporary Archonettes intended 
  to improve coordination for regional reconstruction projects. He 
  would not live to see the fruits of these efforts, however. In June 
  of 2823, little more than two years after the signing of the Bella 
  Accords, Richard Steiner died of natural causes, leaving the Lyran 
  recovery to his son, Marcus.
  JENNIFER STEINER 
  Rank/Position: Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth  
  (served 2781 – 2791)
  Lived: 18 February 2725 – 4 January 2791
  Despite effectively starting the First Succession War with 
  the invasion of Bolan, Jennifer Steiner was a reluctant wartime 
  Archon. She inherited the throne from her brother Robert, who 
  disappointed many Commonwealth citizens with his inaction 
  in the face of Amaris’ betrayal, reluctance to support Kerensky’s 
  war against the Usurper, and self-serving grab for the Rim Worlds 
  Republic’s most developed systems. Indeed, the last years of 
  Robert Steiner’s reign were so unpopular that when he passed 
  away from fatal pneumonia, many Lyran citizens viewed his death 
  as divine retribution for his role in disbanding and destroying the 
  Star League.
  Well into her fifties when she became Archon, Jennifer had 
  long since grown cynical about the state of the Inner Sphere and 
  its rulers. While she shared popular dismay at the Star League’s 
  collapse, she also believed its failure after the coup was inevitable, 
  as none of the House Lords could be trusted to lead the League’s 
  remains. Thus, her first focus upon claiming the Lyran throne was 
  to accelerate all efforts to build up the LCAF—including efforts to 
  recruit as many SLDF commands as possible. 
  In addition to her realm’s natural enemies in the Draconis 
  Combine and Free Worlds League, Jennifer feared the potential 
  threat of a resurgent and vengeful Rim Worlds Republic, and felt 
  that the only option was to prepare for a war on every side. This 
  concern, echoed by many of her generals, led to the LCAF’s over-
  emphasis on static defense in the years leading up to the start 
  of the First Succession War (and beyond). Ironically, this strategy 
  merely opened the Commonwealth up to attacks from the highly 
  mobile raiding parties unleashed by Houses Kurita and Marik.
  Continually frustrated by her military’s lack of battlefield 
  prowess, Archon Jennifer spent most of her wartime rule struggling 
  to inspire greater creativity and motivation in her officer corps. 
  Unfortunately, the LCAF’s lack of practical combat experience and 
  overabundance of so-called “social generals” undermined most 
  of these efforts. Worse yet, the same military weaknesses found 
  throughout the Lyran military applied to the Archon herself—as 
  evidenced by the tactical blunder that took her life during the 
  battle for Styx.
  
  PERSONAlITIES
  133
  HOUSE dAvION
  PAUL DAVION
  Rank/Position: First Prince of the Federated Suns, Duke of New 
  Avalon (served 2797 – 2842)
  Lived: 12 September 2778 – 4 July 2842
  Paul Davion was only nineteen years of age when fate thrust 
  him into the most critical moment in Federated Suns history. 
  Months after the Kentares Massacre, the realm he inherited still 
  teetered at the edge of ruin. While the atrocity on Kentares had 
  renewed the AFFS’ fighting spirit, a concerted plan to focus that 
  energy toward driving back the Draconis Combine’s invading 
  hordes died with Paul’s father and grandfather on Ipava. 
  At the time of his ascension, Paul was a novice in battlefield 
  tactics, and his military training was incomplete. But his keen mind 
  for politics and history, as well as an appreciation of the bigger 
  picture, led him to insights that would revolutionize the Federated 
  Suns and cement House Davion’s power in the troubled times still 
  to come. Among his first acts was the retroactive sanction of the 
  reactionary attacks all along the Combine front, essentially lauding 
  the “initiative” of his more impulsive generals, and thus claiming 
  some credit for their victories. This enabled him to reap the 
  rewards of his field commanders’ successes, while turning his own 
  focus toward addressing the political, regional, and intelligence 
  weaknesses that had so undermined the Suns in the face of its 
  ancient enemies.
  Before leading the counterassaults that ultimately drove the 
  Combine invaders back to the Suns’ pre-war borders, Paul’s most 
  significant action was his assumption of the title of Duke of New 
  Avalon. This formerly ceremonial title, augmented with powers 
  bestowed upon it for use by the First Lord of the Star League, 
  essentially granted him the legal rights to reform the Federated 
  Suns without having to submit his plans to High Council review. 
  In the early years of his reign, Paul streamlined the AFFS chains of 
  command, eliminated provincial divisions, and created the MIIO 
  organization that would revolutionize the realm’s intelligence-
  gathering capabilities. 
  With his reformations and the assistance of a cadre of 
  competent and loyal field commanders, Paul Davion ensured the 
  survival of the Federated Suns against Houses Liao and Kurita. 
  Although some of his actions during the First Succession War—
  such as his harsh rejection of Ilsa Liao’s peace offer—were seen by 
  a few as missteps, Paul would eventually go down in history as one 
  of the Suns’ greatest First Princes.
  JOHN DAVION 
  Rank/Position: First Prince of the Federated Suns (served 2745 – 2797)
  Lived: 8 November 2719 – 9 December 2797
  Although relations between the Federated Suns and the 
  Terran Hegemony were still strained when he came to power in 
  2745 (the result of the SLDF’s slow response to the War of Davion 
  Succession some twenty years earlier), First Prince John Davion 
  nevertheless saw the Star League as a powerful ally and maintained 
  a cordial relationship with its leadership. In fact, both General 
  Aleksandr Kerensky and First Lord Richard Cameron regarded John 
  as a man of such integrity that the general called him “the best and 
  noblest of all the Lords”, and the young First Lord referred to him 
  as “a light of hope against the dark depravity” of the other Houses. 
  [Editor’s Note: Several contested reports even contend that 
  Richard Cameron wished to install John Davion as his heir—and later, 
  as regent for his daughter, Amanda—in the event that something 
  should happen to him. These reports were often cited to bolster the 
  Davion claim on the First Lordship, even though it remains broadly 
  accepted that Richard was thoroughly under Stefan Amaris’ influence 
  at the time, and would thus have been unlikely to name any non-
  Cameron other than the Usurper to such honors.]
  There is some substance to the legend of Prince John’s 
  integrity. He openly refused to support Stefan Amaris in his war 
  against General Kerensky, stating simply to the Usurper, “I do not 
  recognize your right to the throne.” Though he failed to offer much 
  more support to Kerensky, his reasoning for doing so was his focus 
  on marshalling the AFFS to defend the Federated Suns against 
  possible attacks from Amaris’ armies. 
  After the Star League’s inevitable collapse, John resisted the 
  temptation to invade the Terran Hegemony wholesale, and instead 
  tried to absorb Hegemony worlds through more peaceful means. 
  Unfortunately, this strategy limited the Federated Suns’ gains in the 
  Terran corridor, slowing its expansion into the region long enough 
  for Barbara Liao and her Capellan Confederation to annex most 
  of the systems between the Suns and Terra. It is perhaps because 
  of this annexation that John Davion prepared his military for an 
  overwhelming assault against the Confederation, even as House 
  Kurita massed troops along the Suns border—a critical error that 
  would nearly cost him his realm.
  Overwhelmed by the Combine’s assault, and struggling against 
  divisiveness within his own military and government, Prince John 
  found himself nearly powerless before the DCMS juggernaut. In 
  a cruel twist of fate, it would take the savagery of the Kentares 
  Massacre to turn his luck around and spare New Avalon from House 
  Kurita’s killing blow. An assassin denied John his final vindication, 
  however, and left the survival of the Suns to his grandson, Paul.
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  134
  AFFS dEPlOymENT
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  1st Arcadian Cuirassiers
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Galatia III
  41%
  Galatia III
  2nd Arcadian Cuirassiers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Addicks
  52%
  Alnadal
  Argyle Lancers†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Argyle
  45%
  Argyle
  1st Avalon Borderers
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  New Avalon
  55%
  New Avalon
  2nd Avalon Borderers†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Numenor
  32%
  Barlow's End
  3rd Avalon Borderers†
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Delavan
  [D]
  —
  4th Avalon Borderers†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Odell
  42%
  Royal
  1st Avalon Hussars
  E/F
  A
  133%
  Marduk
  82%
  Breed
  2nd Avalon Hussars
  E/F
  M
  133%
  Nouveau Toulouse
  81%
  New Ivaarsen
  4th Avalon Hussars
  E/F
  A
  133%
  Colia
  85%
  Colia
  8th Avalon Hussars
  V/F
  A
  133%
  Anguilla
  68%
  Anguilla
  9th Avalon Hussars
  V/F
  M
  133%
  Cohay
  80%
  Cohay
  11th Avalon Hussars
  V/F
  L
  133%
  Tallassee
  64%
  Robinson
  12th Avalon Hussars
  V/F
  M
  133%
  New Avalon
  62%
  New Avalon
  13th Avalon Hussars
  R/F
  M
  133%
  Xhosa VII
  [D]
  —
  14th Avalon Hussars
  V/F
  L
  133%
  Klathandu IV
  73%
  Breed
  16th Avalon Hussars
  V/F
  L
  133%
  Crossing
  [D]
  —
  17th Avalon Hussars
  R/F
  M
  133%
  Turko
  65%
  Turko
  20th Avalon Hussars
  E/R
  L
  133%
  Quittacas
  83%
  Quittacas
  22nd Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  H
  133%
  Narellan
  70%
  Bodnath
  23rd Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  M
  133%
  Ashley
  62%
  Ashley
  26th Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  M
  133%
  Robsart
  80%
  Mendham
  27th Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  H
  133%
  Kathil
  80%
  Kathil
  28th Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  A
  133%
  Tedibyhr
  [D]
  —
  33rd Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  M
  133%
  Rowe
  72%
  New Aberdeen
  34th Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  L
  133%
  Damevang
  91%
  Damevang
  35th Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  L
  133%
  Kennard
  76%
  Kennard
  36th Avalon Hussars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Defiance
  30%
  Defiance
  38th Avalon Hussars
  G/R
  M
  133%
  Inner End
  [D]
  —
  39th Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  A
  133%
  Kentwood
  66%
  Kentwood
  41st Avalon Hussars†
  R/R
  M
  133%
  Elbar
  70%
  Alnadal
  42nd Avalon Hussars†
  R/F
  H
  133%
  New Mendham
  [D]
  —
  45th Avalon Hussars
  R/R
  M
  133%
  Tallmadge
  [D]
  —
  56th Avalon Hussars
  G/R
  H
  133%
  Towne
  [D]
  —
  1st Albion
  G/Q
  H
  [NF]
  —
  36%
  Markesan
  2nd Albion
  G/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  65%
  New Avalon
  1st NAMA
  R/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  44%
  Crossing
  2nd NAMA
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  56%
  New Aberdeen
  3rd NAMA
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  54%
  New Avalon
  1st Sakhara
  G/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  60%
  Crossing
  2nd Sakhara
  G/Q
  H
  [NF]
  —
  43%
  Xhosa VII
  3rd Sakhara
  R/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  39%
  Bremond
  4th Sakhara
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  50%
  Crossing
  5th Sakhara
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  [D:2794]
  —
  6th Sakhara
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  67%
  Boeotia
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  1st Ceti Hussars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Panpour
  35%
  Panpour
  2nd Ceti Hussars†
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Enchi
  25%
  Franklin
  3rd Ceti Hussars†
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Cumberland
  39%
  Logandale
  1st Clovis Guards
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Clovis
  [D]
  —
  Chesterton CMM
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Chesterton
  30%
  Chesterton
  Kathil CMM
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Kathil
  44%
  Kathil
  New Syrtis CMM
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  New Syrtis
  50%
  New Syrtis
  Royalston CMM
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Royalston
  42%
  Royalston
  Anjin Muerto CrMM
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Giverny
  51%
  Giverny
  Bastian CrMM
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Susulatna
  21%
  Susulatna
  Broken Wheel CrMM
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Lackland
  53%
  Lackland
  Islamabad CrMM
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Cohagen
  41%
  Cohagen
  Kestrel CrMM
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Kestrel
  32%
  Markesan
  Malagrotta CrMM
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Malagrotta
  46%
  Malagrotta
  Marlette CrMM
  R/R
  L
  100%
  New Valencia
  [D]
  —
  New Avalon CrMM
  V/F
  H
  100%
  New Avalon
  33%
  New Avalon
  Point Barrow CrMM
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Point Barrow
  50%
  Point Barrow
  Tsamma CrMM
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Ulysses
  49%
  Ulysses
  1st Crucis Lancers†
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Markesan
  33%
  Waycross
  2nd Crucis Lancers†
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Kestrel
  44%
  Elbar
  3rd Crucis Lancers
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Marlette
  54%
  Listowel
  4th Crucis Lancers
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Point Barrow
  43%
  Chesterton
  5th Crucis Lancers
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Remagen
  34%
  Goderich
  6th Crucis Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  46%
  Choudrant
  7th Crucis Lancers†
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Broken Wheel
  36%
  Doneval II
  8th Crucis Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  56%
  Markesan
  1st Davion Guards
  E/F
  M
  100%
  New Avalon
  39%
  Breed
  2nd Davion Guards
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Royalston
  24%
  Royalston
  3rd Davion Guards
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Tancredi IV
  52%
  Tancredi IV
  4th Davion Guards
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Galtor III
  52%
  Royal
  5th Davion Guards
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Smolensk
  57%
  New Avalon
  Davion Assault Guards
  E/F
  A
  100%
  Rollis
  40%
  Rollis
  Davion Heavy Guards
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Robinson
  41%
  Markesan
  Davion Light Guards
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Ulvskollen
  44%
  Frankson
  3rd Deneb Light Cavalry
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Ozawa
  49%
  Chesterton
  4th Deneb Light Cavalry†
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Ronel
  36%
  Robinson
  5th Deneb Light Cavalry†
  R/R
  M
  100%
  New Florence
  47%
  Edwards
  8th Deneb Light Cavalry†
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Hean
  35%
  Franklin
  9th Deneb Light Cavalry
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Deneb Kaitos
  39%
  Cartago
  Clovis DMM
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Alnadal
  [D]
  —
  Dahar DMM
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Harrow's Sun
  [D]
  —
  Fairfax DMM
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Junior
  52%
  Tishomingo
  Kilbourne DMM
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Delos IV
  42%
  Delos IV
  Robinson DMM
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Alnadal
  [D]
  —
  Woodbine DMM
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Junior
  35%
  Junior
  FIRST SUCCESSION WAR 
  DEPLOYMENT TABLE
  The following table lists the movements and assignments made by each BattleMech unit involved in the First Succession War and its 
  status at the end of the war. The table is divided into seven sections, each related to one of the major military powers involved in the war: the 
  Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS), Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF), Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS), Free Worlds 
  League Military (FWLM) and Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces (LCAF). The sixth section lists the forces of the Major Periphery States and the 
  final section refers to notable mercenary units unemployed at the outbreak of the war; employed mercenary units are listed along with their 
  employer’s regular units.
  The Weight (Wt.) column lists the combat command's overall asset weight, used in Inner Sphere at War game play (see Converting ISW 
  Combat Commands to other systems, p. 166). Dagger (†) notations indicated a combat command comprised of ex-SLDF forces.
  Other status is listed in [brackets]. If a combat command lists [NF] as its (2684) Strength, it was not yet formed at the start of the war; [D] as its 
  (2821) Strength means the unit effectively lost its ability to function in combat and was not reconstituted; [DB] indicates the unit was disbanded.
  ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERATED SUNS (AFFS)
  
  dEPlOymENT TABlE
  135
  CCAF dEPlOymENT
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  11th Syrtis Fusiliers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Namen
  48%
  Namen
  12th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Ulan Batar
  26%
  Amiga
  13th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Caria
  58%
  Caria
  14th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Electra
  28%
  Mendham
  15th Syrtis Fusiliers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Maharet
  39%
  Maharet
  16th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Blida
  35%
  Atlas
  17th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Wappingers
  54%
  Barlow's End
  18th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Merlin
  39%
  Merlin
  19th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Taygeta
  [D]
  —
  20th Syrtis Fusiliers
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Salem
  42%
  Cartago
  1st Syrtis Hussars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  New Syrtis
  [D]
  —
  7th Tancredi Loyalists
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Tancredi IV
  41%
  Tancredi IV
  10th Tancredi Loyalists
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Crofton
  36%
  Crofton
  11th Tancredi Loyalists
  R/F
  M
  100%
  New Valencia
  [D]
  —
  13th Tancredi Loyalists
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Sturgis
  39%
  Sturgis
  Mercenary Combat Commands (AFFS)
  Belinda's Irregulars†
  R/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  47%
  Tawas
  Blue Star Irregulars†
  1894th Light Horse† 
  E/R
  M
  66%
  Muskegon
  43%
  Muskegon
  21st Rim Worlds† 
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Farwell
  41%
  Klathandu IV
  Avatars of Painful Death
  V/R
  L
  66%
  Beten Kaitos
  28%
  Beten Kaitos
  Fighting Urukhai
  8th Striker
  E/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  60%
  Crossing
  Bar Hounds
  R/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  54%
  Klathandu IV
  Sluggers
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  60%
  Robinson
  Hsien Hotheads
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  40%
  Tallmadge
  The Lazy Eights (Btn.)†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Orbisonia
  51%
  Orbisonia
  Lexington Combat Group†
  180th Dragoon† 
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Tazaraki
  27%
  Kumqwat
  241st Battle† 
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Jaipur
  52%
  Jaipur
  32nd Recon† 
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Beenleigh
  42%
  Beenleigh
  Longhorns† 
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Halesowen
  [D]
  —
  Redfield's Renegades
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Chouli
  49%
  Chouli
  Screaming Eagles†
  Bald Eagles† 
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Tawas
  30%
  Tedibyhr
  Golden Eagles† 
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Edwards
  38%
  Tedibyhr
  Night Eagles† 
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Logandale
  45%
  Robinson
  Snow Eagles† 
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Goderich
  34%
  Robinson
  Storm Eagles† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Waycross
  33%
  Robinson
  Simpson's Samurai (Btn.)† 
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Bahl's Retreat
  26%
  Bahl's Retreat
  Tyson's Troublemakers† 
  R/Q
  A
  100%
  Goshen
  [D]
  —
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  1st Dragonlords
  V/F
  A
  100%
  Hyalite
  36%
  Hyalite
  2nd Dragonlords
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Montour
  46%
  Montour
  3rd Dragonlords
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Warren
  35%
  Warren
  4th Dragonlords
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Brockway
  50%
  Brockway
  5th Dragonlords
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Talcott
  40%
  Muskegon
  3rd Robinson Chevaliers
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Robinson
  [D]
  —
  4th Robinson Chevaliers
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Sakhara V
  [D]
  —
  5th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Fairfax
  28%
  Fairfax
  7th Robinson Chevaliers
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Royal
  [D]
  —
  8th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Mayetta
  33%
  Harrow's Sun
  9th Robinson Chevaliers
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Cartago
  [D]
  —
  10th Robinson Chevaliers
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Schedar
  [D]
  —
  13th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Dobson
  [D]
  —
  14th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Haynesville
  42%
  Choudrant
  15th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Barlow's End
  [D]
  —
  17th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Pitkin
  51%
  Pitkin
  21st Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Hazelhurst
  31%
  Saumur
  22nd Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Stratford
  40%
  Colia
  23rd Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Altoona (FS)
  39%
  Damevang
  25th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Mallory's World
  [D]
  —
  26th Robinson Chevaliers
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Cussar
  [D]
  —
  27th Robinson Chevaliers
  G/R
  A
  100%
  Breed
  [D]
  —
  28th Robinson Chevaliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Harrow's Sun
  [D]
  —
  31st Robinson Chevaliers
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Choudrant
  [D]
  —
  32nd Robinson Chevaliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  New Ivaarsen
  [D]
  —
  34th Robinson Chevaliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Saumur
  [D]
  —
  35th Robinson Chevaliers
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Woodbine
  20%
  Woodbine
  36th Robinson Chevaliers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Farnsworth
  49%
  Saumur
  37th Robinson Chevaliers
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Marduk
  [D]
  —
  1st Robinson Rangers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Robinson
  [D]
  —
  2nd Robinson Rangers
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Robinson
  [D]
  —
  1st Syrtis Fusiliers
  E/R
  A
  100%
  New Syrtis
  17%
  New Syrtis
  2nd Syrtis Fusiliers
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Horsham
  51%
  Horsham
  3rd Syrtis Fusiliers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Brusett
  [D]
  —
  4th Syrtis Fusiliers
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Anaheim
  44%
  Royal
  5th Syrtis Fusiliers
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Aucara
  31%
  Aucara
  6th Syrtis Fusiliers
  E/Q
  M
  100%
  New Syrtis
  46%
  Shaunavon
  7th Syrtis Fusiliers
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Monongahela
  37%
  Monongahela
  8th Syrtis Fusiliers
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Chesterton
  45%
  New Ivaarsen
  9th Syrtis Fusiliers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Firgrove
  42%
  Elbar
  10th Syrtis Fusiliers
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Wernke
  47%
  Glenmora
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  1st Andurien Hussars
  V/F
  M
  100%
  El Giza
  26%
  Calseraigne
  2nd Andurien Hussars
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Banfora
  45%
  Rosendal
  3rd Andurien Hussars
  G/Q
  A
  100%
  Viribium
  30%
  Viribium
  4th Andurien Hussars
  G/F
  M
  100%
  Pernik
  46%
  Calseraigne
  5th Andurien Hussars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Kalmar (CC)
  [D]
  —
  6th Andurien Hussars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Fagerholm
  [D]
  —
  7th Andurien Hussars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Andurien
  38%
  Calseraigne
  8th Andurien Hussars†
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Itica
  46%
  Itica
  9th Andurien Hussars†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Mosiro
  36%
  Konopiste
  10th Andurien Hussars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Piriapolis
  39%
  Leyda
  11th Andurien Hussars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Tengil
  47%
  Dili
  12th Andurien Hussars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Andurien
  [D]
  —
  1st Capellan Chargers
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Vanra
  [D]
  —
  2nd Capellan Chargers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Les Halles
  [D]
  —
  3rd Capellan Chargers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Cammal
  [D]
  —
  4th Capellan Chargers
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Aer
  [D]
  —
  5th Capellan Chargers
  G/R
  H
  [NF]
  —
  [D:2812]
  —
  6th Capellan Chargers
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  [D:2817]
  —
  Andurien Heavy Guard
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Andurien
  [D]
  —
  Ares Titans
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Ares
  [D]
  —
  Blandford’s Grenadiers
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Sarna
  36%
  Sarna
  Chesterton Guardians
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Conwy
  35%
  Schedar
  Gryff’s Hussars
  V/F
  L
  100%
  St. Ives
  30%
  St. Ives
  Marshals of Tikonov
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Tikonov
  48%
  Tikonov
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  Prefectorate Guard
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Capella
  51%
  Capella
  Red Lancers
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Sian
  43%
  Propus
  1st Ariana Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Mira
  35%
  Sonnia
  2nd Ariana Fusiliers
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  70%
  Tikonov
  Ariana Grenadiers
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Almach
  51%
  Oli
  Chesterton Cuirassiers
  V/F
  L
  100%
  New Aragon
  52%
  Ulan Batar
  3rd Chesterton Cavalry
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Algot
  33%
  Everett
  8th Chesterton Cavalry
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Mesartim
  24%
  Sonnia
  1st Chesterton Voltigeurs
  G/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  53%
  Rio
  2nd Chesterton Voltigeurs
  G/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  69%
  Tikonov
  3rd Chesterton Voltigeurs
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  69%
  Tikonov
  Shadrack's Shadowhawks
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Capolla
  39%
  Keid
  Tristram’s Avengers
  R/Q
  A
  100%
  Conwy
  63%
  Rio
  1st Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Westphalia
  44%
  Goshen
  2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Sakhalin (CC)
  53%
  Mesartim
  3rd Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Propus
  31%
  Propus
  4th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Ambergrist
  42%
  Avigait
  5th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Repulse
  50%
  Lurgatan
  6th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  G/F
  A
  100%
  Merdal
  27%
  Non Diz
  7th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Mattisskogen
  61%
  Mattisskogen
  8th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Necromo
  52%
  Andro
  9th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Necromo
  35%
  Gallitzin
  10th Confederation Reserve Cavalry†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Corey
  [D]
  —
  11th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  52%
  Oli
  CAPELLAN CONFEDERATION ARMED FORCES (CCAF)
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  136
  dCmS dEPlOymENT
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  9th Sian Dragoons
  R/Q
  A
  100%
  Buenos Aires
  41%
  Katla
  10th Sian Dragoons
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Payia
  31%
  Payia
  11th Sian Dragoons
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Sian
  30%
  Calpaca
  12th Sian Dragoons
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Zanzibar
  [D]
  —
  13th Sian Dragoons
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Yuris
  37%
  Yuris
  14th Sian Dragoons
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Mendham
  26%
  Frazer
  15th Sian Dragoons
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Lyreton
  44%
  Lyreton
  16th Sian Dragoons
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Arn
  53%
  Arn
  17th Sian Dragoons†
  G/F
  H
  100%
  New Troy
  43%
  New Troy
  18th Sian Dragoons†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Preston (CC)
  41%
  Lesalles
  19th Sian Dragoons†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Harbin
  27%
  Dalian
  20th Sian Dragoons†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Hexare
  53%
  Pella II
  21st Sian Dragoons†
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Bentley
  36%
  Ipswich
  22nd Sian Dragoons†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Java
  31%
  Iknogoro
  23rd Sian Dragoons†
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Harbin
  52%
  Harbin
  24th Sian Dragoons†
  V/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  40%
  Anegasaki
  25th Sian Dragoons
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  43%
  Anegasaki
  26th Sian Dragoons
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  61%
  Abruzzi
  27th Sian Dragoons
  G/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  61%
  Victoria
  1st Tikonov Lancers
  R/F
  H
  100%
  Tikonov
  46%
  Mirach
  2nd Tikonov Lancers
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Kristiandsund
  [D]
  —
  3rd Tikonov Lancers
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Second Chance
  51%
  Hall
  4th Tikonov Lancers
  R/Q
  A
  100%
  Alrescha
  [D]
  —
  5th Tikonov Lancers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Ibstock
  [D]
  —
  6th Tikonov Lancers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Myrvoll
  41%
  Ohrensen
  7th Tikonov Lancers
  G/R
  H
  100%
  New Hessen
  38%
  Basalt
  8th Tikonov Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Jilin
  44%
  Ventabren
  9th Tikonov Lancers†
  V/Q
  L
  100%
  Terra Firma
  45%
  Mirach
  10th Tikonov Lancers†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Belluevue
  34%
  Schedar
  11th Tikonov Lancers†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Yangtze
  27%
  Mirach
  12th Tikonov Lancers
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Ohrensen
  [D]
  —
  13th Tikonov Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Arboris
  42%
  Berenson
  Vincent's Commandos
  R/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  88%
  Jonathan
  Mercenary Combat Commands (CCAF)
  Always Faithful†
  Alpha† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Aodh
  47%
  Aodh
  Bravo† 
  E/R
  H
  100%
  Carbonis
  [D]
  —
  Charlie† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Bithinia
  30%
  Campertown
  15th Dracon† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Bhaktapur
  35%
  Mirach
  Narhal's Raiders†
  First†  
  V/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  60%
  Ullieri
  Second†  
  R/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  [D:2819]
  —
  Northwind Highlanders†
  1st Kearny Highlanders†
  E/Q
  M
  100%
  Halloran V
  43%
  Halloran V
  2nd Kearny Highlanders† 
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Halloran V
  37%
  Halloran V
  3rd Kearny Highlanders† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Northwind
  47%
  Northwind
  McCormack's Fusiliers †
  V/R
  L
  100%
  St. Ives
  51%
  St. Ives
  Marion's Highlanders† 
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Lee
  31%
  Yunnah
  Stuart's Highlanders† 
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Northwind
  21%
  Northwind
  12th Star Guard†
  10th Heavy Assault† 
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Tianamon
  45%
  Tianamon
  42nd Striker† 
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Ashkum
  32%
  Farwell
  4th Tau Ceti Rangers† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Tecumseh
  40%
  Caselton
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  Justine's Grenadiers
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  96%
  Kwamashu
  1st Liao Guards
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Liao
  [D]
  —
  2nd Liao Guards
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Sian
  42%
  Sian
  3rd Liao Guards
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Outreach
  49%
  Berenson
  4th Liao Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Snailzar
  41%
  Suzano
  5th Liao Guards
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  74%
  Capella
  6th Liao Guards
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  77%
  Ulan Bator
  1st 'Sarna' Lancers
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Bora
  39%
  Chamdo
  2nd 'Glasgow' Lancers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Glasgow
  35%
  Sarna
  3rd 'Mira' Lancers
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Anaea
  40%
  Anaea
  4th 'St. Andre' Lancers
  G/F
  H
  100%
  St. Andre
  34%
  Small World
  5th 'Demeter' Lancers
  R/F
  H
  100%
  Angelsey
  [D]
  —
  6th 'Zion' Lancers
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Zion
  32%
  Caph
  7th 'Asuncion' Lancers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Asuncion
  52%
  Asuncion
  8th 'Old Kentucky' Lancers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Wazan
  DESTROYED
  9th 'Hassad' Lancers
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Hassad
  34%
  Bithinia
  10th 'Jasmine' Lancers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Jasmine
  30%
  Jasmine
  11th 'Paches' Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Paches
  36%
  Paches
  12th 'Lee' Lancers
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Lee
  42%
  Genf
  13th 'Jonathan' Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Bell (CC)
  [D]
  —
  14th 'Zurich' Lancers
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Zurich
  22%
  Wasat
  15th 'Styk' Lancers
  G/F
  M
  100%
  Bex
  37%
  New Stevens
  16th 'Valexa' Lancers
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Valexa
  31%
  Conwy
  17th 'Chengdu' Lancers†
  V/Q
  L
  100%
  Chengdu
  27%
  Chengdu
  18th 'Belluevue' Lancers 
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Belluevue
  35%
  Belluevue
  19th 'Lacadon' Lancers†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Lacadon
  42%
  Lacadon
  20th 'Ramen II' Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Second Chance
  [D]
  —
  Capellan Cuirassiers
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Capricorn III
  42%
  Raballa
  1st Centauri Guards
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Kumqwat
  50%
  Teng
  2nd Centauri Guards
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Hadnall
  33%
  Hadnall
  3rd Centauri Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Bacum
  36%
  Cotocallao
  1st Redfield Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Bethel
  38%
  Bethel
  2nd Redfield Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Redfield
  41%
  Redfield
  St Ives Cheveau Legers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Hurgh
  43%
  Hurgh
  1st St Ives Lancers
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Atlas
  47%
  Corella
  2nd St Ives Lancers
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Knutdor
  41%
  Knutdor
  3rd St Ives Lancers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  St. Ives
  39%
  St. Ives
  4th St Ives Lancers
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  St. Ives
  48%
  St. Ives
  5th St Ives Lancers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Laong
  33%
  Laong
  6th St Ives Lancers†
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Kittery
  35%
  Shoreham
  7th St Ives Lancers†
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Spica
  44%
  Helixmar
  Sharpe Rifles
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Sharpe
  43%
  Stein's Folly
  6th Teng Hussars
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Beid
  46%
  Haappajarvi
  7th Teng Hussars
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Teng
  44%
  Bacum
  1st Sian Dragoons
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Lukla
  [D]
  —
  2nd Sian Dragoons
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Ipswich
  [D]
  —
  3rd Sian Dragoons
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Aquagea
  50%
  Aquagea
  4th Sian Dragoons
  G/Q
  A
  100%
  Vard
  32%
  Lochmantle
  5th Sian Dragoons
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Holloway
  27%
  Aomen
  6th Sian Dragoons
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Smithon
  23%
  Smithon
  7th Sian Dragoons
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Itrom
  31%
  Itrom
  8th Sian Dragoons
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Kern
  48%
  Kern
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  1st Amphigean Light Assault Group
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  59%
  New Rhodes III
  2nd Amphigean Light Assault Group
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  67%
  New Rhodes III
  3rd Amphigean Light Assault Group
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  71%
  Quentin
  4th Amphigean Light Assault Group
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  72%
  New Wessex
  5th Amphigean Light Assault Group
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  65%
  Tybalt
  1st Arkab Legion
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Algedi
  38%
  McComb
  2nd Arkab Legion
  E/R
  M
  100%
  Jeju
  59%
  Cussar
  3rd Arkab Legion
  V/R
  L
  100%
  David
  [D]
  —
  4th Arkab Legion
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Arkab
  36%
  Gandy's Luck
  5th Arkab Legion
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Sulafat
  55%
  McGehee
  6th Arkab Legion
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Al Na'ir
  34%
  Addicks
  7th Arkab Legion
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  58%
  Deneb Kaitos
  1st An Ting Legion
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  100%
  An Ting
  2nd An Ting Legion
  G/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  100%
  An Ting
  3rd An Ting Legion
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  100%
  Matsuida
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  4th An Ting Legion
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  100%
  Kaznejoy
  1st Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Najha
  35%
  Kiesen
  2nd Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Trolloc Prime
  42%
  Buckminster
  3rd Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Dover
  37%
  Odabasi
  4th Benjamin Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Benjamin
  37%
  Buckminster
  5th Benjamin Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Irurzun
  50%
  Ludwig
  6th Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Benjamin
  42%
  Benjamin
  7th Benjamin Regulars
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Tangerz
  [D]
  —
  8th Benjamin Regulars
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Rukbat
  47%
  Reisling's Planet
  9th Benjamin Regulars
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Elix
  28%
  Galtor III
  10th Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Kaus Borealis
  30%
  Paris
  11th Benjamin Regulars
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Kaus Media
  49%
  Ludwig
  12th Benjamin Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Osumi
  36%
  Vega
  13th Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Maule
  44%
  Maule
  14th Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Deshler
  [D]
  —
  DRACONIS COMBINE MUSTERED SOLDIERY (DCMS)
  
  dEPlOymENT TABlE
  137
  dCmS dEPlOymENT
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  40th Galedon Regulars
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Misery
  27%
  Irurzun
  2nd Pesht Regulars
  R/F
  A
  100%
  Pesht
  44%
  Pesht
  3rd Pesht Regulars
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Luthien
  38%
  Luthien
  4th Pesht Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Isfahan
  47%
  Richmond
  5th Pesht Regulars
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Land's End
  46%
  Land's End
  6th Pesht Regulars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Qandahar
  44%
  Qandahar
  7th Pesht Regulars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  New Sapporo
  34%
  New Sapporo
  9th Pesht Regulars
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Bjarred
  46%
  Bjarred
  10th Pesht Regulars
  G/R
  A
  100%
  Hassi R'mel
  52%
  Hassi R'mel
  1st Proserpina Hussars
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Proserpina
  42%
  Paris
  2nd Proserpina Hussars
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Homam
  34%
  Lima
  3rd Proserpina Hussars
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Chandler
  32%
  Wapakoneta
  4th Proserpina Hussars
  E/R
  M
  100%
  Conroe
  37%
  Matar
  7th Proserpina Hussars
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Gram
  [D]
  —
  9th Proserpina Hussars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Santiago
  41%
  Santiago
  1st Rasalhague Regulars
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Richmond
  18%
  Richmond
  2nd Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Alshain
  37%
  Heiligendreuz
  3rd Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Rubigen
  32%
  Toffen
  4th Rasalhague Regulars
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Marawi
  30%
  Oyevaina
  5th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Sternwerde
  42%
  Halesowen
  6th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Ferleiten
  36%
  Kufstein
  7th Rasalhague Regulars
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Rasalhague
  45%
  Kirchbach
  8th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Trondheim (DC)
  30%
  Trondheim (DC)
  9th Rasalhague Regulars
  V/Q
  A
  100%
  Eguilles
  33%
  Baldur
  10th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  St. John
  44%
  Hohenems
  11th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Christiania
  44%
  Mozirje
  12th Rasalhague Regulars
  V/R
  H
  100%
  New Oslo
  [D]
  —
  13th Rasalhague Regulars
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Bruben
  39%
  Liezen
  14th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Tovetin
  36%
  Outpost
  15th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Kempten
  40%
  Kempten
  16th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Soverzene
  45%
  Soverzene
  17th Rasalhague Regulars
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Mualang
  48%
  Mualang
  18th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Luzerne
  56%
  Vorarlberg
  19th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Kiruna
  39%
  Kiruna
  20th Rasalhague Regulars
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Nykvarn
  37%
  Nykvarn
  21st Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Pinnacle
  48%
  Pinnacle
  22nd Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Vipaava
  57%
  Lovinac
  23rd Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Engadin
  48%
  Bushmill
  24th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Rasalhague
  45%
  Liezen
  25th Rasalhague Regulars
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Utrecht
  34%
  Eguilles
  26th Rasalhague Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  New Bergen
  27%
  Rodigo
  1st Sword of Light
  E/F
  H
  133%
  Capra
  85%
  Benet III
  2nd Sword of Light
  E/F
  M
  133%
  Luthien
  78%
  Arlington
  3rd Sword of Light
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Eguilles
  [DB]
  —
  4th Sword of Light
  E/F
  M
  [DB:2785]
  —
   —
  —
  5th Sword of Light
  V/F
  M
  133%
  Awano
  83%
  Scheat
  6th Sword of Light
  E/F
  M
  [NF]
  —
  [DB]
  —
  7th Sword of Light
  V/F
  L
  133%
  Goito
  69%
  Bergman's Planet
  8th Sword of Light
  V/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  80%
  Stanzach
  1st Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Luthien
  38%
  Luthien
  2nd Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Rasalhague
  49%
  Rasalhague
  3rd Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Galedon V
  55%
  Galedon V
  4th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Benjamin
  [D]
  —
  5th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  New Samarkand
  24%
  Gandy's Luck
  6th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Aldrecht
  [D]
  —
  7th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  M
  100%
  Hildaman
  51%
  Lima
  8th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Minakuchi
  [D]
  —
  9th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Latexo
  60%
  Latexo
  10th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Nexus Ri
  [D]
  —
  11th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  G/F
  L
  100%
  Korramabad
  23%
  Elidere IV
  12th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Tarnby
  45%
  Périgueux
  Mercenary Combat Commands (DCMS)
  Bad Dream (Btn.) 
  R/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  74%
  New Wessex
  Black Sharks† 
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Numki
  [D]
  —
  Bolton's Rangers† 
  V/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  97%
  Kuzuu
  Daemien's Destroyers† 
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Kaesong
  59%
  Vorarlberg
  Fuchida's Fusiliers† 
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Tinaca
  51%
  Tinaca
  28th Heavy Horse Regiment† 
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Sheliak
  38%
  Gunzburg
  52nd Heavy Assault Regiment† 
  V/F
  A
  100%
  Pilkhua
  [D]
  —
  Longhorns† 
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Halesowen
  See AFFS
  Paul Bunyon Regiment† 
  R/R
  H
  [NF]
  —
  97%
  Lone Star
  Red Eagles (Btn.)† 
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Alleghe
  34%
  The Edge
  104th Striker Regiment† 
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Radstadt
  54%
  Gunzburg
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  15th Benjamin Regulars
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Silkeborg
  23%
  Darius
  16th Benjamin Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Reisling's Planet
  [D]
  —
  17th Benjamin Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Matar
  27%
  Donenac
  18th Benjamin Regulars
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Skat
  33%
  Donenac
  19th Benjamin Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Kuzuu
  35%
  Proserpina
  1st Dieron Regulars
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Alya
  47%
  Eltanin
  2nd Dieron Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Shimonita
  43%
  Ko
  3rd Dieron Regulars
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Junction
  49%
  Marlowe's Rift
  4th Dieron Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Mara
  [D]
  —
  5th Dieron Regulars
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Biham
  34%
  Proserpina
  6th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Nai-Stohl
  34%
  Nai-Stohl
  7th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Markab
  40%
  David
  8th Dieron Regulars
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Miyazaki
  53%
  Killbourn
  9th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Ashio
  29%
  Skat
  10th Dieron Regulars
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Ancha
  [D]
  —
  11th Dieron Regulars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Cylene
  26%
  Sadalbari
  12th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Ascella
  58%
  Atria
  13th Dieron Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Yance I
  33%
  Dieron
  14th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Sadachbia
  [D]
  —
  15th Dieron Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Murchison
  49%
  Hean
  16th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Nashira
  28%
  Dieron
  17th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Sadalbari
  [D]
  —
  18th Dieron Regulars
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Moore
  [D]
  —
  19th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Halstead Station
  [D]
  —
  20th Dieron Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Lambrecht
  53%
  Sabik
  21st Dieron Regulars†
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Lapida II
  47%
  Irurzun
  22nd Dieron Regulars
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Kuzuu
  41%
  Eltanin
  23rd Dieron Regulars†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Kaus Australis
  31%
  Kaus Australis
  24th Dieron Regulars†
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Fellanin II
  34%
  Tripoli
  25th Dieron Regulars†
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Kurhah
  [D]
  —
  26th Dieron Regulars†
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Altais
  39%
  Alnasi
  27th Dieron Regulars†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Telos IV
  57%
  Yorii
  28th Dieron Regulars†
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Dabih
  48%
  Aubisson
  29th Dieron Regulars†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Helen
  54%
  Fomalhaut
  30th Dieron Regulars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Okaya
  38%
  Mallory's World
  31st Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Shinonoi
  51%
  Lyons
  32nd Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Shitara
  42%
  Donenac
  33rd Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Pokhara
  42%
  Yorii
  34th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  [NF]
  —
  68%
  Fomalhaut
  35th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  52%
  Ronel
  36th Dieron Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  57%
  Asta
  1st Galedon Regulars
  E/F
  A
  100%
  Medron
  33%
  Medron
  2nd Galedon Regulars
  V/R
  M
  100%
  McComb
  36%
  Arlington
  3rd Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Benet III
  48%
  Thestria
  4th Galedon Regulars
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Misery
  [D]
  —
  5th Galedon Regulars
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Enif
  44%
  Enif
  6th Galedon Regulars
  E/R
  H
  100%
  Galedon V
  49%
  Marduk
  7th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Kawabe
  [D]
  —
  8th Galedon Regulars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Worrell
  47%
  Marlowe's Rift
  9th Galedon Regulars†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  New Aberdeen
  34%
  Deshler
  10th Galedon Regulars†
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Udibi
  33%
  Misery
  11th Galedon Regulars
  V/R
  M
  100%
  New Samarkand
  39%
  New Samarkand
  12th Galedon Regulars
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  *
  47%
  *
  13th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Cassias
  43%
  Galtor III
  14th Galedon Regulars
  V/F
  H
  100%
  Galedon V
  41%
  Galedon V
  15th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Oshika
  36%
  Oshika
  16th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Delacruz
  49%
  Cimeron
  17th Galedon Regulars
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Tatsuno
  35%
  Lima
  18th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Bad News
  37%
  Bad News
  19th Galedon Regulars
  G/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  33%
  An Ting
  20th Galedon Regulars
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Sinope
  41%
  Sinope
  21st Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Valentina
  35%
  Valentina
  22nd Galedon Regulars
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Bryceland
  35%
  Bryceland
  23rd Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Gandy's Luck
  51%
  New Mendham
  24th Galedon Regulars
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Lima
  44%
  Fellanin II
  27th Galedon Regulars
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Thestria
  53%
  Gandy's Luck
  29th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  K
  100%
  McGehee
  [D]
  —
  30th Galedon Regulars
  V/R
  K
  100%
  Ludwig
  48%
  Harpster
  31st Galedon Regulars
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Ningxia
  [D]
  —
  36th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Echo
  43%
  Wittington
  37th Galedon Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Lima
  [D]
  —
  39th Galedon Regulars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  McGehee
  26%
  Udibi
  * Dunklewälderdunklerflüssenschattenwelt
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  138
  FWlm dEPlOymENT
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  27th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Hednesford
  25%
  Hednesford
  28th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Callison
  43%
  Callison
  29th Marik Militia
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Tylarzka
  [D]
  —
  30th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Nockatunga
  42%
  Ilion
  30th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Trellisane
  40%
  Dixie
  32nd Marik Militia
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Ellijay
  57%
  Colfax
  33rd Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Loburg
  33%
  Cavanaugh II
  34th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Denebola
  [D]
  —
  35th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Calloway VI
  46%
  Tsinghai
  36th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  New Delos
  43%
  Vanra
  37th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Wasat
  38%
  Elnath
  38th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Augustine
  34%
  Kristiandsund
  39th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Tiber (FWL)
  43%
  Old Kentucky
  40th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Gomeisa
  43%
  Elnath
  1st Oriente Hussars
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Calloway VI
  22%
  Calloway VI
  2nd Oriente Hussars
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Oriente
  34%
  Shuen Wan
  3rd Oriente Hussars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Jouques
  31%
  Alula Australis
  4th Oriente Hussars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Fletcher (FWL)
  35%
  Shuen Wan
  5th Oriente Hussars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Oriente
  47%
  Oriente
  6th Oriente Hussars
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Tintavel
  44%
  Sappho
  7th Oriente Hussars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Dayr Khuna
  50%
  Wazan
  8th Oriente Hussars
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Calloway VI
  23%
  Fletcher (FWL)
  9th Oriente Hussars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Daneshmand
  33%
  Daneshmand
  10th Oriente Hussars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Kievanur
  27%
  Ramen II
  11th Oriente Hussars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Hamilton (FWL)
  45%
  Bernardo
  1st Orloff Grenadiers
  V/R
  A
  100%
  New Delos
  34%
  Vanra
  2nd Orloff Grenadiers
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Sophie's World
  29%
  Phact
  3rd Orloff Grenadiers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Ling
  28%
  Ibstock
  4th Orloff Grenadiers
  V/R
  M
  100%
  New Praha
  49%
  Matheran
  5th Orloff Grenadiers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Nova Roma
  39%
  Harsefeld
  6th Orloff Grenadiers†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Pavia
  46%
  Calloway VI
  7th Orloff Grenadiers
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Sorunda
  33%
  Park Place
  8th Orloff Grenadiers†
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Emris IV
  43%
  Calloway VI
  9th Orloff Grenadiers
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  [D:2788]
  —
  10th Orloff Grenadiers
  R/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  39%
  Kievanur
  11th Orloff Grenadiers
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  [D:2814]
  —
  Iron Guard
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Marcus
  30%
  Marcus
  Steel Guards
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  57%
  Dieudonne
  1st Regulan Hussars
  E/R
  A
  100%
  Regulus
  29%
  Alhena
  2nd Regulan Hussars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Wallis
  48%
  Epsilon
  3rd Regulan Hussars
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Alta
  29%
  Bondurant
  4th Regulan Hussars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Tiber (FWL)
  44%
  Cascade
  5th Regulan Hussars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Ildlandet
  48%
  Banfora
  6th Regulan Hussars†
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Muscida
  37%
  Cerillos
  7th Regulan Hussars†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Köln (FWL)
  38%
  Remulac
  8th Regulan Hussars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Avior
  66%
  Concord
  9th Regulan Hussars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Cameron (FWL)
  40%
  Togwotee
  10th Regulan Hussars
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  50%
  Cameron (FWL)
  1st Sirian Lancers
  G/Q
  H
  [NF]
  —
  55%
  Sirius
  2nd Sirian Lancers
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  49%
  Sirius
  3rd Sirian Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  68%
  Procyon
  Helm Cuirassiers
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Bainsville
  33%
  Oliver
  Home Guards
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Stewart
  20%
  Stewart
  Juggernaut
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Helm
  34%
  Myrvoll
  1st Tania Dragoons
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Tania Borealis
  48%
  Van Diemen IV
  2nd Tania Dragoons
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Tania Australis
  44%
  Myrvoll
  Mercenary Combat Commands (FWLM)
  Baldwin's Cobras†
  79th Striker† 
  V/R
  H
  [NF]
  —
  42%
  Mosiro
  Alexander's Asps† 
  V/R
  H
  [NF]
  —
  44%
  Kalmar (CC)
  Black Cobra† 
  V/R
  H
  [NF]
  —
  43%
  Kalmar (CC)
  Clinton's Cutthroats† 
  V/R
  H
  [NF]
  —
  47%
  Hamilton (FWL)
  Dark Spirits
  R/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  56%
  Trellisane
  Edom's Bandits (Btn.)† 
  R/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  [D:2812]
  —
  Eridani Light Horse†
  151st Light Horse† 
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Trondheim (DC)
  62%
  Bella I
  21st Striker† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Trondheim (DC)
  72%
  Malazan
  71st Light Horse† 
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Trondheim (DC)
  74%
  Rochers
  Gladstone's Gladiators
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Dieudonne
  [D]
  —
  Langendorf Lancers
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  63%
  Calloway VI
  Salicia's Defiants (Btn.)† 
  R/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  100%
  Bordon
  Smithson's Chinese Bandits 
  R/R
  M
  133%
  Galatea (LC)
  83%
  Carbonis
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  1st Atrean Dragoons
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Atreus (FWL)
  50%
  Atreus (FWL)
  2nd Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Talitha
  59%
  Devil's Rock
  3rd Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  M
  100%
  New Dallas
  49%
  Hechnar
  4th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Ionus
  40%
  Borka
  5th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  H
  100%
  Castor
  52%
  Castor
  6th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Paradise
  41%
  Paradise
  7th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Savannah
  48%
  Acubens
  8th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Irian
  35%
  Irian
  9th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  L
  100%
  New Olympia
  48%
  Shiloh
  10th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Holt
  42%
  Second Chance
  11th Atrean Dragoons
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Atreus (FWL)
  41%
  Lopez
  12th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Jardine
  47%
  Alula Borealis
  13th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  H
  100%
  Gibraltar
  [D]
  —
  14th Atrean Dragoons
  R/F
  L
  100%
  Tamarind
  45%
  Altoona (LC)
  1st Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Promised Land
  [D]
  —
  2nd Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Colfax
  [D]
  —
  3rd Bolan Defenders
  V/F
  A
  100%
  Ilion
  [D]
  —
  4th Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Valloire
  [D]
  —
  5th Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Malazan
  [D]
  —
  6th Bolan Defenders
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Rochers
  [D]
  —
  7th Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Kamenz
  [D]
  —
  8th Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Acrux
  [D]
  —
  9th Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Finsterwalde
  [D]
  —
  10th Bolan Defenders
  R/F
  H
  [D:2785]
  —
  —
  —
  11th Bolan Defenders
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Rochers
  [D]
  —
  12th Bolan Defenders†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Danxian
  [D]
  —
  13th Bolan Defenders
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Binyang
  [D]
  —
  14th Bolan Defenders
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Herzberg
  [D]
  —
  1st Defenders of Andurien
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Kanata
  37%
  El Giza
  2nd Defenders of Andurien
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Thurrock
  37%
  Thurrock
  3rd Defenders of Andurien
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Antipolo
  47%
  Mosiro
  4th Defenders of Andurien
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Butzfleth
  46%
  Villanueva
  5th Defenders of Andurien†
  V/Q
  L
  100%
  Granera
  49%
  Fagerholm
  6th Defenders of Andurien
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  61%
  Tengil
  1st Brigade
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Pec
  54%
  Kwamashu
  2nd Brigade
  V/R
  L
  100%
  Fuentes
  35%
  Fletcher (FWL)
  3rd Brigade
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Milnerton
  48%
  Lukla
  4th Brigade
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Semenyih
  35%
  Blue Sava
  Ducal Guards
  E/F
  M
  100%
  Oriente
  27%
  Nam Dinh
  1st FW Guards
  E/F
  A
  133%
  Galisteo
  75%
  Galisteo
  2nd FW Guards
  V/F
  M
  133%
  Mangor
  68%
  El Giza
  3rd FW Guards
  R/F
  M
  133%
  Stettin (FWL)
  87%
  Stettin (FWL)
  4th FW Guards
  R/F
  M
  133%
  Landfall
  79%
  Landfall
  5th FW Guards
  V/F
  H
  133%
  McAffe
  78%
  McAffe
  6th FW Guards
  V/F
  M
  133%
  Solaris VII
  84%
  Amity
  Marik Guard
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Marik
  44%
  Graham IV
  1st Marik Militia
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Tamarind
  53%
  Tamarind
  2nd Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Van Diemen IV
  55%
  Dalcour
  3rd Marik Militia
  G/F
  L
  100%
  New Olympia
  29%
  Corey
  4th Marik Militia
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Berenson
  [D]
  —
  5th Marik Militia
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Wing
  30%
  Wing
  6th Marik Militia
  V/F
  L
  100%
  Hamilton (FWL)
  47%
  Shui-pào
  7th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Alphard (FWL)
  [D]
  —
  8th Marik Militia
  G/F
  M
  100%
  Oriente
  39%
  Hassad
  9th Marik Militia
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Cranston
  48%
  Cranston
  10th Marik Militia
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Eleusis
  49%
  Eleusis
  11th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Lesnovo
  28%
  Lesnovo
  12th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Maxwell
  53%
  Maxwell
  13th Marik Militia
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Rochelle
  [D]
  —
  14th Marik Militia
  G/R
  A
  100%
  Griffith
  28%
  Griffith
  15th Marik Militia
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Kalidasa
  40%
  Savannah
  16th Marik Militia
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Danais
  44%
  Danais
  17th Marik Militia
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Aitutaki
  [D]
  —
  18th Marik Militia
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Cole Harbour
  31%
  Xanthe III
  19th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Watermael
  38%
  Corey
  20th Marik Militia
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Keystone
  39%
  Corey
  21st Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Harmony
  [D]
  —
  22nd Marik Militia
  G/F
  A
  100%
  Nova Roma
  41%
  Elnath
  23rd Marik Militia
  R/F
  H
  100%
  Tyrfing
  [D]
  —
  24th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Umka
  50%
  Andurien
  25th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Megrez
  47%
  Megrez
  26th Marik Militia
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Thermopolis
  61%
  Thermopolis
  FREE WORLDS LEAGUE MILITARY (FWLM)
  
  dEPlOymENT TABlE
  139
  lCAF dEPlOymENT
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  19th Lyran Guards†
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Wyatt
  38%
  Wyatt
  20th Lyran Guards
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Dar-es-Salaam
  29%
  Here
  21st Lyran Guards
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Waldorff
  41%
  Somerset
  23rd Lyran Guards
  V/F
  A
  100%
  Afleir
  39%
  Zosma
  24th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Tainjin
  32%
  Valabhi
  26th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Zdice
  56%
  Tylarzka
  29th Lyran Guards
  G/R
  H
  100%
  York (LC)
  44%
  New India
  30th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Skandia
  45%
  Skandia
  32nd Lyran Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Harvest
  59%
  Kreller
  33rd Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Fefferfer
  31%
  Najha
  35th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Son Hoa
  49%
  Son Hoa
  36th Lyran Guards
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Loric
  41%
  Loric
  40th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Loxley
  60%
  Alekseyevka
  41st Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Tamar
  50%
  Tamar
  43rd Lyran Guards
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Oyevaina
  36%
  Shardayne
  44th Lyran Guards
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Tamar
  26%
  Tamar
  45th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Albion (LC)
  61%
  Alarion
  53rd Lyran Guards
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Novara
  51%
  Hinckley
  54th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Kirkcaldy
  [D]
  —
  1st Lyran Regulars
  V/F
  H
  100%
  Orestes
  41%
  Orestes
  2nd Lyran Regulars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Dove
  30%
  Caldrea
  3rd Lyran Regulars†
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Apollo
  38%
  Apollo
  4th Lyran Regulars
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Elume
  24%
  Elume
  5th Lyran Regulars
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Timbuktu
  53%
  Timbuktu
  6th Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Unzmarkt
  53%
  Arc-Royal
  7th Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Inarcs
  56%
  Inarcs
  8th Lyran Regulars†
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Revivim
  60%
  Marsalle
  9th Lyran Regulars†
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Bobruisk
  52%
  Zdice
  10th Lyran Regulars
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Firenze
  36%
  Firenze
  11th Lyran Regulars
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Rodigo
  41%
  Harvest
  12th Lyran Regulars
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Mahone
  33%
  Bella I
  13th Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Ayacucho
  42%
  Aigle
  14th Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Timbiqui
  58%
  Timbiqui
  15th Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Bushmill
  39%
  Kandis
  16th Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  52%
  Vulture's Nest
  17th Lyran Regulars
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  40%
  Dijonne
  18th Lyran Regulars
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  58%
  Zdice
  19th Lyran Regulars
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  63%
  Acrux
  20th Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  54%
  Gienah
  21st Lyran Regulars
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  64%
  Marsalle
  22nd Lyran Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  68%
  Verthandi
  1st Odessa Regulars
  G/G
  H
  100%
  Satalice
  31%
  Satalice
  2nd Odessa Regulars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Odessa
  33%
  Annunziata
  1st Royal Guards
  E/F
  A
  100%
  Tharkad
  52%
  Tharkad
  2nd Royal Guards
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Tharkad
  57%
  Tharkad
  3rd Royal Guards
  V/F
  H
  100%
  Donegal
  42%
  Donegal
  4th Royal Guards
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Coventry
  44%
  Coventry
  1st Sakhalin Regulars†
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Sakhalin (LC)
  50%
  Sakhalin (LC)
  2nd Sakhalin Regulars
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  58%
  Sakhalin (LC)
  1st Skye Rangers
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Talisker
  50%
  Shionoha
  2nd Skye Rangers
  R/Q
  A
  100%
  Izar
  27%
  Alkalurops
  3rd Skye Rangers
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Skye
  33%
  Skye
  4th Skye Rangers
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Vega
  51%
  Baxter
  5th Skye Rangers
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Accrington
  21%
  Accrington
  8th Skye Rangers
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Kessel
  55%
  Kessel
  9th Skye Rangers
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Shiloh
  52%
  Gacrux
  10th Skye Rangers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Altoona (LC)
  [D]
  —
  14th Skye Rangers
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Menkent
  44%
  Muphrid
  15th Skye Rangers
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Dromini VI
  51%
  Dromini VI
  16th Skye Rangers
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Phecda
  32%
  Wing
  17th Skye Rangers
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  New Kyoto
  45%
  New Hope
  20th Skye Rangers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Premana
  48%
  Acrux
  21st Skye Rangers
  R/Q
  H
  100%
  Phalan
  37%
  Skondia
  22nd Skye Rangers
  R/F
  H
  100%
  Tsukude
  56%
  Kannon
  25th Skye Rangers
  E/F
  A
  100%
  Pardeau
  39%
  Uhuru
  Stealths**
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Syrma
  83%
  Poulsbo
  Tamar Tigers
  E/F
  L
  100%
  Tamar
  [D]
  —
  23rd York Regulars
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Dell
  36%
  Dell
  27th York Regulars
  E/R
  M
  100%
  Chateau
  27%
  New Caledonia
  31st York Regulars
  R/Q
  A
  100%
  Tukayyid
  43%
  Chandler
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  1st Arcturan Guards
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Arcturus
  44%
  Icar
  2nd Arcturan Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Liezen
  [D]
  —
  3rd Arcturan Guards
  E/F
  H
  100%
  Kufstein
  26%
  Tamar
  4th Arcturan Guards
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Niangol
  61%
  Elba
  5th Arcturan Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Suk II
  45%
  Suk II
  6th Arcturan Guards†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Starshine
  39%
  Starshine
  7th Arcturan Guards†
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Caldrea
  42%
  Numki
  8th Arcturan Guards
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Stanzach
  40%
  Weingarten
  9th Arcturan Guards
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Sabik
  [D]
  —
  10th Arcturan Guards
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Tharkad
  46%
  Tharkad
  11th Arcturan Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Bolan
  27%
  Radostov
  12th Arcturan Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Nox
  48%
  Utrecht
  13th Arcturan Guards
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Gunzburg
  46%
  Thannhausen
  14th Arcturan Guards
  G/R
  A
  100%
  Bolan
  52%
  Kamenz
  15th Arcturan Guards
  G/R
  L
  100%
  Muswell
  48%
  Karston
  16th Arcturan Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Maisons
  39%
  Marsalle
  17th Arcturan Guards†
  V/Q
  A
  100%
  Chimpaw
  32%
  Camlann (LC)
  18th Arcturan Guards
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Altenmarkt
  51%
  Rubigen
  19th Arcturan Guards
  R/Q
  A
  100%
  Al Jafr
  41%
  Al Jafr
  20th Arcturan Guards
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Ford
  47%
  Ford
  21st Arcturan Guards
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Borghese
  42%
  Borghese
  22nd Arcturan Guards
  G/F
  H
  100%
  Poulsbo
  30%
  Timbiqui
  23rd Arcturan Guards
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  40%
  Cebalrai
  24th Arcturan Guards
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  55%
  Lambrecht
  25th Arcturan Guards
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  70%
  Moore
  1st Donegal Guards
  E/F
  A
  100%
  Donegal
  32%
  Donegal
  2nd Donegal Guards
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Roadside
  41%
  Barcelona
  3rd Donegal Guards
  V/F
  H
  100%
  Ridderkerk
  43%
  Ridderkerk
  4th Donegal Guards
  R/F
  H
  100%
  Sudeten
  27%
  Sudeten
  5th Donegal Guards†
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Giausar
  39%
  Giausar
  6th Donegal Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Buckminster
  38%
  Camlann (LC)
  7th Donegal Guards
  G/F
  M
  100%
  Alarion
  30%
  Chara
  8th Donegal Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Port Moseby
  34%
  Port Moseby
  9th Donegal Guards
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Buena
  29%
  Aquileia
  10th Donegal Guards
  E/F
  L
  100%
  Alkaid
  21%
  Thorin
  11th Donegal Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Bella I
  51%
  Zwenkau
  12th Donegal Guards
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Summer
  53%
  Summer
  13th Donegal Guards
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Hyde
  [D]
  —
  14th Donegal Guards†
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Launam
  33%
  Launam
  15th Donegal Guards
  G/Q
  H
  100%
  Myrrdin
  40%
  Marsalle
  16th Donegal Guards
  G/Q
  M
  100%
  Inchicore
  39%
  Catroxx
  17th Donegal Guards
  R/F
  M
  100%
  Trell I
  28%
  Trell I
  18th Donegal Guards
  G/Q
  H
  [NF]
  —
  39%
  Shionoha
  19th Donegal Guards
  G/Q
  H
  [NF]
  —
  50%
  Bolan
  20th Donegal Guards
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  42%
  Memmingen
  1st Donegal Regulars
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Nestor
  52%
  Nestor
  2nd Donegal Regulars
  G/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  75%
  Bolan
  4th Hesperus Guards
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Lamon
  49%
  Hesperus II
  6th Hesperus Guards
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Canonbie
  49%
  Hesperus II
  9th Hesperus Guards
  V/Q
  L
  100%
  Caledonia
  47%
  Hesperus II
  11th Hesperus Guards†
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Hesperus II
  46%
  Hesperus II
  1st Lyran Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Nusakan
  36%
  Nusakan
  2nd Lyran Guards
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Radostov
  [D]
  —
  3rd Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Orkney (LC)
  45%
  Sulafat
  4th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  The Edge
  47%
  New Caledonia
  5th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Duantia
  [D]
  —
  6th Lyran Guards
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Skondia
  41%
  Skondia
  7th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  A
  100%
  Arc-Royal
  35%
  Newtown Square
  8th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Koniz
  51%
  Koniz
  9th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Miquelon
  45%
  Kowloon
  10th Lyran Guards
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Tharkad
  33%
  Tharkad
  11th Lyran Guards
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  69%
  Pressby
  12th Lyran Guards
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Cavanaugh II
  42%
  Abramkovo
  13th Lyran Guards
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  63%
  Bella I
  14th Lyran Guards
  G/R
  A
  100%
  Denebola
  48%
  Denebola
  15th Lyran Guards
  G/R
  H
  100%
  Mizar
  46%
  New Earth
  16th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Aristotle
  27%
  Shahr Kord
  17th Lyran Guards
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Ewanrigg
  44%
  Kerman
  18th Lyran Guards†
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Cor Caroli
  38%
  Rigil Kentarus
  LYRAN COMMONWEALTH ARMED FORCES (LCAF)
  ** Began as mercenaries; nationalized 2810
  
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  140
  PERIPHERy dEPlOymENT
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  Black Band Legion† 
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Brinton
  46%
  Brinton
  Black Warriors 
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Circinus
  28%
  Circinus
  Blackhearts† 
  E/R
  M
  100%
  Sterope
  24%
  Sterope
  Cardinal Sins† 
  R/Q
  M
  100%
  Dumassas
  45%
  Dumassas
  Grave Walkers
  First
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Bethonolog
  38%
  Bethonolog
  Second
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Gallis
  38%
  Gallis
  Grim Determination 
  V/Q
  M
  100%
  Cerberus
  45%
  Cerberus
  King's Wild Cards† 
  R/Q
  L
  100%
  Luxen
  35%
  Luxen
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  Magistrcy of Canopus
  1st Canopian Fusiliers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Luxani
  49%
  Luxani
  2nd Canopian Fusiliers
  G/R
  M
  100%
  Booker
  46%
  Booker
  3rd Canopian Fusiliers
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Tarol IV
  36%
  Tarol IV
  1st Canopian Light Horse†
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Hastur
  34%
  Hastur
  2nd Canopian Light Horse†
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Schmitt
  51%
  Schmitt
  Kossandra’s Volunteers
  G/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  35%
  Brixtana
  1st Canopian Cuirassiers†
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Canopus IV
  42%
  Canopus IV
  Magistracy Guards†
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Canopus IV
  47%
  Canopus IV
  Outworlds Alliance
  Alliance Grenadiers†
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Lushann
  44%
  Lushann
  Alpheratz Guards†
  V/R
  M
  100%
  Alpheratz
  46%
  Alpheratz
  Alliance Provisional Relief Force
  G/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  [DB:2820]
  —
  1st Baliggora Defenders
  G/Q
  L
  100%
  Baliggora
  38%
  Baliggora
  1st Ramora Guards
  R/Q
  L
  [NF]
  —
  37%
  Ramora
  Taurian Concordat
  Concordat Commandos
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Menion
  36%
  Samantha
  Concordat Cuirassiers†
  V/Q
  H
  100%
  Perdition
  41%
  Amber Grove
  Concordat Jeagers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  New Vallis
  36%
  Brinton
  Hyades Light Infantry
  R/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  50%
  Pinard
  Pleiades Hussars
  V/F
  M
  100%
  Illiushin
  29%
  Sterope
  2nd Pleiades Hussars
  V/R
  M
  [NF]
  —
  [D]
  —
  Red Chasseurs†
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Coromodir
  40%
  Rockwellawan
  Taurian Guard
  V/F
  H
  100%
  Taurus
  42%
  Taurus
  Taurian Velites
  E/R
  L
  100%
  Parian
  43%
  Mithron
  (2786)
  (2821)
  Combat Command
  Exp/Loy
  Wt. Strength
  Post
  Strength
  Post
  Mercenary Combat Commands (LCAF)
  The Fomorians† 
  V/R
  H
  100%
  Eltanin
  [D]
  —
  Freeman's Fanatics (Btn.)† 
  R/R
  L
  [NF]
  —
  61%
  Planting
  12th Heavy Assault Regiment† 
  V/R
  A
  100%
  Alkalurops
  47%
  Radostov
  Iron Raven Mercenary Group (Btn.)†
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Morrigan
  [D]
  —
  Illician lancers
  21st Rangers
  R/R
  L
  100%
  Rahne
  36%
  Alkes
  4th Rangers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Zaniah
  23%
  Gniezno
  59th Strike
  R/R
  H
  100%
  Alhena
  58%
  Zaniah
  9th Rangers
  R/R
  M
  100%
  Algorab
  41%
  Kalidasa
  Raymond's Redcoats† 
  R/Q
  M
  [NF]
  —
  77%
  Langhorne
  MAJOR PERIPHERY STATES
  UNCONTRACTED MERCENARIES
  ACTIVE WARSHIPS  
  OF THE GREAT HOUSES 
  Navy 
  2786 
  2821
  Federated Suns Navy 
  184 
  15
  Capellan Confederation Navy 
  157 
  12
  Draconis Combine Admiralty 
  199 
  16
  Free Worlds Navy 
  159 
  14
  Lyran Commonwealth Navy 
  217 
  18
  
  141
   
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  
  142
  CREATING SCENARIOS
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  RULES ANNEX
  The following rules allow the complexities of the First 
  Succession War to be simulated in regular campaign play. These 
  rules are intended for use with all levels of BattleTech as detailed 
  in Total Warfare (TW), TechManual (TM), Tactical Operations (TO), 
  Strategic Operations (SO), A Time of War (AToW), Alpha Strike (AS), 
  Alpha Strike Companion (ASC) and Interstellar Operations (IO).
  Creating First Succession War Scenarios, when used in 
  conjunction with the Creating Scenarios rules contained in Total 
  Warfare (see p. 256, TW), allows for the quick generation of BattleTech 
  scenarios and forces for pick-up games. 
  The last section, Combat Units, provides descriptions and 
  game information for several common BattleMechs seen on the 
  battlefields of the First Succession War.
  SPECIAL CASE RULES
  The Early Succession Wars brought few new innovations, but 
  some of the special items from the Star League era survived, or 
  returned to common use. Players creating forces for this era should 
  note that the Early Succession Wars saw widespread deployment 
  of the following era-unique units and equipment featured in 
  Interstellar Operations:
  • 
  SLDF Advanced Neurohelmet (pp. 68-69)
  • 
  Centurion Weapon System (pp. 85-86)
  • 
  Land-Air BattleMechs (see pp. 105-115) 
  • 
  Thermobaric Weapons (pp. 165-166)
  • 
  Weapons of Mass Destruction (pp. 166-168)
  • 
  Binary Laser (see p. 319, TO)
  Additionally, players may find that The Early Succession Wars 
  Sub-Era rules (see p. 19, IO) add another layer of immersion into this 
  tumultuous time.
  CREATING FIRST  
  SUCCESSION WAR SCENARIOS
  The following rules allow gamemasters and players to generate 
  scenarios set in the Early Succession Wars era, with an emphasis on 
  the First Succession War.
  BEFORE YOU START
  The Early Succession Wars era encompasses a wide variety 
  of battles and campaigns, and so the following pages present a 
  basic framework for generating forces and unit abilities. With these, 
  gamemasters and players can create their own battles based on 
  those described in the previous chapters.
  Gamemasters and players should use the historical information 
  in those chapters to create a general framework for any battles or 
  campaigns, and then use these rules as well as common sense to 
  generate the specifics. Prior to the start of any games or campaigns, 
  all players should agree on the setup and any special rules that will 
  be included.
  Finally, remember the two “prime directives” of playing BattleTech: 
  1. HAVE FUN 
  2. DON’T LET YOURSELF GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THE RULES 
  THAT YOU STOP HAVING FUN
  GENERAL RULES
  Except as outlined below, gamemasters and players 
  designing scenarios and campaigns set during the Early 
  Succession War era should follow the rules for creating scenarios 
  presented in Total Warfare.
  RANDOM ASSIGNMENT TABLES
  The Random Unit Assignment Tables in this section should be 
  used instead of those provided in Total Warfare and A Time of War 
  (pp. 267-271, TW; pp. 130-135, AToW) to generate era-specific unit 
  choices. The Random Unit Assignment Tables in this book are designed 
  specifically for the composition of Early Succession War-era forces.
  Statistics for most of these units may be found in Technical 
  Readouts 3039, 3050 Upgrade, 3057 Revised Edition, 3075, Record 
  Sheets: Operation Klondike, and the Experimental Technical Readout: 
  Primitives series, as well as in this book.
  RECORD SHEET
  SOURCE TABLE
  Abbr.
  Source
  3039 
  Record Sheets: 3039 Unabridged
  3050U-C 
  Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrade,  
  Clan and Star League
  3058U-C 
  Record Sheets: 3058 Upgrade,  
  Clan and Star League
  3075u-AW Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged—Age of War
  3085u-PP 
  Record Sheets 3085: Project Phoenix
  OK 
  Record Sheets: Operation Klondike
  HistRW 
  Historical: Reunification War
  JSBD
  Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents
  3057R 
  Technical Readout: 3057 Revised
  XTRPrim1 
  Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives vol. 1
  XTRPrim2 
  Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives vol. 2
  XTRPrim3 
  Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives vol. 3
  XTRPrim4 
  Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives vol. 4
  XTRRetro 
  Experimental Technical Readout: RetroTech
  
  143
  ASSIGNING ’mECHS ANd vEHIClES
  RUlES ANNEx
  Ex-Star League Defense Force Commands: Despite several 
  years of peace between the fall of the Usurper at the end of 
  Operation CHIEFTAIN and the start of the First Succession War, 
  the SLDF saw nearly a decade of unrelenting combat, making it 
  the most experienced military force in the Inner Sphere. As such, 
  anyone playing ex-SLDF forces (see Those Left Behind, pp. 32-36) 
  may apply a +3 bonus to all Random Experience Rating Table rolls, 
  and a +2 bonus to all Random Skills Table rolls for all SLDF pilots. 
  These bonuses are in addition to any other appropriate modifiers.
  Assigning ’Mechs and Vehicles in A Time of War
  The Random Unit Assignment Table can also be used to assign 
  the starting ’Mech or Vehicle for A Time of War characters created in 
  the Early Succession War era, rather than the Random Assignment 
  Tables in AToW (see pp. 130-135, AToW). Base the character’s 
  equipment rating on their current regiment (or the regiment in 
  which the character last served).
  If the character never served with the SLDF before joining a 
  Great House, Periphery or mercenary force, assume they have an 
  equipment rating of C. Increase the rating by one level for every 
  two of the following that the character possesses: Property, Title, 
  Connections, Leadership Skill level of 7+, or a Tour of Duty Life 
  Module (only one Tour of Duty Module counts toward this total). 
  Decrease the rating by one level for every two of the following they 
  possess: negative-TP Reputation (any level), negative-TP Wealth 
  (any level), negative-TP Extra Income (any level), Bloodmark (any 
  level), or use of the Ne’er-Do-Well Life Module during character 
  generation. The character’s final equipment rating cannot be 
  increased above A (or B for non-SLDF characters) or below C.
  Repairs
  For most stand-alone battles, repairs will not be a concern. 
  For campaign play, players and gamemasters will need to know 
  the availability of replacement weapons and equipment, as well as 
  the techs and repair facilities they can call upon. Use the following 
  guidelines, in conjunction with the Maintenance, Repair, Salvage 
  and Customization rules (see pp. 166-199, SO) to determine each 
  force’s repair abilities.
  Assigning ’Mechs and Vehicles
  After determining the weight classes of the combat units 
  in each force (see p. 265, TW), use the appropriate Random Unit 
  Assignment Tables on pages 148-153 to determine the specific 
  designs to be used.
  When determining the BattleMechs to be fielded by a Great 
  House or Periphery realm force, first decide whether the scenario 
  will involve a combat command unique to that faction’s armed 
  forces. If so, roll 2D6, apply the modifier shown in the Die Roll 
  Modifiers By Combat Command portion of each faction’s Random 
  Assignment Table (see p. 147), then consult the appropriate weight 
  class column.
  If using vehicles, aerospace fighters and/or DropShips, simply 
  roll on the corresponding faction columns of the Vehicle and 
  Aerospace tables
  Ex-Star League Defense Force Commands: The Star League  
  Defense Force’s Deployment Zones—and hence an SLDF 
  Army’s proximity to the Terran Hegemony and the heart of its 
  manufacturing might—factors into the types of units available 
  to an ex-SLDF force, as well as whether Royal units bled into  
  such commands. 
  To reflect this, when building a force which includes former 
  SLDF commands, first determine the exact SLDF origins of the 
  command (see Those Left Behind, pp. 32-36). Then, roll a d6 and 
  consult the SLDF Army Deployments Table below and add the 
  appropriate modifier to reflect the unit’s SLDF deployment; the 
  “Royal” modifier is not cumulative with any other modifiers. On a 
  result of 5 or more, roll on Column A of the Star League Defense 
  Force Random Unit Assignment Table (see p. 152); on a result of 3-4, 
  roll on Column B; on a result of 2 or less, roll on Column C.
  For example, a player is building a scenario that includes the 
  Second Avalon Borderers. Checking the Those Left Behind sidebar, 
  she notes that that the Borderers were once part of the SLDF’s 
  Fifth Army. Reviewing the Army Deployments Table, she sees a +2 
  modifier applies to SLDF commands with origins in the Fifth Army. 
  She then rolls a D6 and gets a result of 4, leaving her with a final 
  result of 6: she’ll be able to roll for her units on Column A of the Star 
  League Defense Force Random Assignment Table! 
  Assigning Pilots
  Once the players have determined the ’Mechs and 
  other battlefield units they will use, they should assign pilots 
  to each using the Random Experience Level Table and the 
  Random Skills Table (Expanded) (see p. 273, TW).
  If playing an Elite force, the controlling player should 
  add a +4 modifier to the Random Experience Rating roll 
  and a +2 modifier to the Random Skill Rating roll. If playing 
  a Veteran force, add +2 to the Experience Roll and +1 to the 
  Skill Roll. If playing a Regular force, apply no modifiers, and 
  if playing a Green force, apply –2 to the Experience Roll and 
  –1 to the Skill Roll. 
  ARMY DEPLOYMENTS TABLE
  Forces Origins
  Modifier
  Includes “Royal” in name
  +4
  1st Army
  +3
  2nd/5th/8th/11th/14th Army
  +2
  3rd/4th/6th/7th/9th/10th/12th/13th/15th/16th Army
  +1
  17th/18th/19th/20th
  +0
  
  144
  CUSTOmIzATION
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  If one or more DropShips relocate, what happens to the field base 
  set up around them? Moreover, a suitable landing zone may not be 
  available close by—few hard-packed surfaces capable of supporting 
  a landing DropShip and allowing it to take off again exist in most 
  mountain, jungle and arctic landscapes.
  On the other hand, successful campaigns driving deep into 
  enemy territory may be able to benefit from repurposed enemy 
  factories, with the quality of those key facilities increasing as 
  fighting reaches the opposing nation’s core worlds.
  Players and gamemasters should take all these difficulties into 
  account and alter the rules above (Years 2786-2807) in accordance 
  with the state of their own campaigns during the years 2808-2821.
  Customization
  Numerous customized combat vehicles and ’Mechs were used 
  by the various Great Houses at the start of the First Succession 
  War, both those retooled on the production lines en masse and 
  developed on the battlefield. As the conflict dragged on, far fewer 
  factory-customized units remained operational. On the other hand, 
  wide-scale patchwork repairs were the norm, resulting in numerous 
  “field-customized” units in most regiments. 
  If players seek an additional level of excitement and 
  randomness into their games, use the following rules in conjunction 
  with Customization guidelines (see p. 188, SO). 
  The modifiers listed below are drawn from the Army 
  Deployments Table for former Star League Defense Forces (see 
  p. 143), or the Die Roll Modifiers By Combat Command portion 
  of each faction’s Random Assignment Table (see p. 148-153), as 
  appropriate. For example, a player is running a force from House 
  Kurita’s Proserpina Hussars Combat Command. Reviewing the 
  Die Roll Modifiers By Combat Command Table for the Draconis 
  Combine, the player notes a +2 modifier, which means they use the 
  +2 modifier rules below when customizing their units.
  +0 Modifier: No customization is allowed.
  +1 Modifier: All company com-
  manders (or lance commanders in 
  any Ex-Star League Defense Force 
  units that previously had “Royal” 
  in their name) may make minor  
  customizations to their ’Mechs/
  fighters/vehicles. They may replace 
  one major weapon or piece of  
  equipment (massing five tons or 
  more and/or occupying three criti-
  cal slots or more), or up to five lesser 
  pieces of equipment (massing no 
  more than ten tons total) with equip-
  ment of the same or a different class 
  (yet massing the same amount and 
  occupying the same or fewer critical 
  spaces). This replacement may be a 
  Class A or Class B Refit (see p. 188, 
  SO), and all new equipment must be 
  placed in critical slots vacated by the  
  replaced equipment.
  Years 2786-2807: First, for each individual combat unit and 
  vehicle, roll 2D6 on the Random Quality Table below. Apply a modifier 
  based on the combat command RAT modifier (see Rat Die Roll Modifiers 
  By Combat Command Table, p. 147)—for example, Liao Guards apply +1 
  modifer and Atrean Dragoons apply a +3 modifier. This will provide the 
  quality level of the unit to be repaired. Next, determine the technician’s 
  Skill Rating by rolling on the Random Experience Rating Table (TW, p. 
  273—see Support Personnel Experience Table, SO, p.168 for the actual 
  Skill Ratings, once again applying any skill bonuses applicable to the 
  unit). Finally, follow the Obtaining Replacement Parts rules (see p. 178, 
  SO) to determine if replacement parts are available through the supply 
  chain, or must be scavenged or fabricated. If replacement parts can be 
  found, follow the rules for Repairs and Replacements (see p. 181, SO).
  Years 2808-2821: Between 2808 and 2821 the various 
  factions had exhausted their strategic reserves and no longer had 
  a nearly limitless logistical train to draw upon. While the Great 
  Houses developed a chain of suppliers to provide ammunition, 
  spare parts and other consumables, there are limits to the quantity 
  of these supplies available, and how quickly they can be delivered. 
  Whenever possible, factions salvaged and scavenged what they 
  could from the battlefields, or even turned to local factories and 
  tradesmen to manufacture or modify parts to keep their ’Mechs, 
  tanks, fighters and other vehicles operating. On the other hand, the 
  factions possessed a highly-skilled technical pool that has learned 
  to work under less than ideal conditions, with each company 
  typically assigned its own technical team and additional teams 
  standing by at the regimental level to assist with battle repairs.
  Most regiments’ best maintenance facilities were still on 
  their DropShips, which, except in rare instances, were typically far 
  removed from the battlefields. As a result, most techs used portable 
  field repair gantries—of which there were limited numbers, 
  typically only a handful per battalion formation—to meet most 
  of a combat command’s maintenance and repair needs. That is, 
  unless their regimental commander 
  authorized the movement of their 
  DropShips closer to the battlefield.
  Of course, that was easier 
  said than done. The typical ’Mech 
  and aerospace fighter carrier has 
  little additional space for carrying 
  replacement parts, let alone for 
  the 
  support 
  personnel 
  (cooks, 
  administrators, logisticians, radio 
  operators, 
  military 
  police 
  and 
  the like) needed to keep things 
  running. One or more additional 
  DropShips, typically cargo ships or 
  troop carriers, maintain and house 
  those support personnel. Using a 
  DropShip to deliver maintenance and 
  repair supplies means finding and 
  offloading the right parts, and then 
  getting them to the right place. A 
  DropShip can take off and relocate, 
  but which one (or ones) should go? 
  RANDOM  
  QUALITY TABLE
  2D6 Roll
  ’Mech/Tank/Fighter/ 
  DropShip/ Vehicle Quality
  Less than 2
  A
  3-4
  B
  5-7
  C
  8-9
  D
  10-11
  E
  12+
  F
  Random Quality Roll Modifiers
  Use combat command RAT modifier (see RAT Die Roll 
  Modifiers By Combat Command Table, p. 147). For example, 
  Liao Guards apply +1 and Atrean Dragoons apply a +3.
  
  145
  PRE-ExISTING dAmAGE
  RUlES ANNEx
  2808 to 2821: For battles fought between 2808 and 2821, rotate 
  all modifiers down one level; i.e., a +1 Modifier Combat Command 
  now uses the rules for a +0 Modifier unit (no customizations); the 
  +2 Modifier Combat Command now uses the rules for a +1 Modifier 
  unit; and so on.
  Note: These refits may only be made to the soldier’s 
  primary battlefield unit (the unit he or she was initially assigned). 
  Replacement and captured units cannot be refit “automatically” in 
  this way during the course of a campaign—though one soldier can 
  pilot another’s customized unit if the situation warrants, such as on 
  a temporary basis, or if permanently assigned to that unit after the 
  death or incapacitation of its previous warrior). 
  +2 Modifier:  All battalion commanders (or company 
  commanders in any Ex-Star League Defense Force units that 
  previously had “Royal” in their name) may make any number of Class 
  A or Class B Refits (see p. 188, SO) to their ’Mechs/fighters/vehicles. 
  +3 Modifier: All regimental commanders and higher (or 
  battalion commanders and higher for any Ex-Star League Defense 
  Force units that previously had “Royal” in their name) may make any 
  number of Class A, B and/or C Refits (see p. 188, SO) to their ’Mechs/
  fighters/vehicles.
  +4 Modifiers: All regimental commanders and higher (or 
  battalion commanders and higher for any Ex-Star League Defense 
  Force units that previously had “Royal” in their name) may make 
  any number of Class A, B, C and/or D Refits (see p. 188, SO) on their 
  ’Mechs/fighters/vehicles.
  PRE-EXISTING DAMAGE TABLE
  1D6
  TOTAL WARFARE
  ALPHA STRIKE/BATTLEFORCE*
  SBF/ACS
  1
  No pre-existing damage.
  No pre-existing damage.
  No pre-existing damage.
  2-3
  Light pre-existing damage. This unit 
  receives 1 point of damage for every 
  5 tons of mass, distributed randomly 
  in 5-point (or fraction thereof) groups. 
  Do not roll critical hits, even if internal 
  structure is damaged.
  Light existing damage. This unit receives 1 
  point of armor damage; if it has no armor, 
  this point of damage is transferred to 
  structure. Ignore this damage if it would 
  destroy the unit by eliminating the last of 
  its structure.
  Light existing damage. This Unit 
  subtracts 5% of its armor (round 
  down); if it has no armor, this damage 
  is transferred to structure. Ignore this 
  damage if it would destroy the unit by 
  eliminating the last of its structure.
  4-5
  Moderate existing damage. This unit 
  receives 2 points of damage for every 
  5 tons of mass, distributed randomly 
  in 5-point (or fraction thereof) groups. 
  Determine one critical hit to a random 
  location, as well as any possible critical 
  hits suffered from internal structure 
  damage. Disregard any hits that 
  would immobilize or destroy the unit, 
  including cockpit/crew killed hits, 
  ammunition hits, and destroyed motive 
  systems/engines and gyros.
  Moderate existing damage. This unit 
  receives 2 points of armor damage; if it 
  has no armor, these points of damage 
  are transferred to structure. Ignore any 
  damage that would destroy the unit by 
  eliminating the last point of its structure. 
  Determine one critical hit, as well as 
  any possible critical hits suffered from 
  structure damage. Disregard any hits that 
  would immobilize or destroy the unit, 
  including crew killed hits, ammo hits, 
  second engine hits and Unit Destroyed 
  hits).
  Moderate existing damage. This Unit 
  subtracts 10% of its armor (round 
  down); if it has no armor, this damage 
  is transferred to structure. Ignore the 
  last of the damage that would destroy 
  the Unit by eliminating the last of its 
  structure. Determine one critical hit, 
  disregarding the Unit Destroyed result.
  6
  Heavy existing damage. This unit 
  receives 4 points of damage for every 
  5 tons of mass, distributed randomly 
  in 5-point (or fraction thereof) groups. 
  Determine two critical hits, each to a 
  random location, as well as any possible 
  critical hits suffered from internal 
  structure damage. Disregard any hits 
  that would immobilize or destroy the 
  unit, including cockpit/crew killed hits, 
  ammunition hits, and destroyed motive 
  systems/engines and gyros).
  Heavy existing damage. This unit receives 
  3 points of armor damage and 1 structure 
  damage; if it has no armor, these points of 
  damage are transferred to structure. Ignore 
  any damage that would destroy the unit by 
  eliminating the last point of its structure. 
  Determine two critical hits, as well as any 
  possible critical hits suffered from structure 
  damage. Disregard any hits that would 
  immobilize or destroy the unit, including 
  crew killed hits, ammo hits, second engine 
  hits and Unit Destroyed hits).
  Heavy existing damage. This Unit 
  subtracts 20% of its armor and 5% of 
  its structure (round down); if it has 
  no armor, this damage is transferred 
  to structure. Ignore any damage that 
  would destroy the Unit by eliminating 
  the last of its structure. Determine 
  two critical hits, disregarding the Unit 
  Destroyed result).
  *For BattleForce, apply all the rules on the table to each Element of a Unit.
  
  146
  dOWNGRAdES
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  Downgrades
  Every non-infantry unit such as ’Mechs, vehicles, fighters, and 
  exoskeletons that feature any Tech Rating E technologies as part 
  of their original design must check for downgrades prior to the 
  start of a BattleTech scenario. To do this, the controlling player rolls 
  2D6, and applies to the result all appropriate modifiers from the 
  First Succession War Era Downgrades Table (see below) based on 
  the date of the scenario, the force’s affiliation, and its Skill Rating. If 
  the modified roll result is 7 or higher, the unit does not have to be 
  downgraded—although players may still decide to downgrade it at 
  their option. On a modified result of 6 or less, the unit is considered 
  to be using extinct equipment and must be downgraded with 
  equivalent non-extinct technologies. 
  If no equivalent downgraded technologies exist for the item 
  or items the unit must sacrifice, alternate replacement items of 
  any kind may be substituted, as long as the combined weight and 
  critical space requirements of these replacements are equal to or 
  less than those of the original items. If the extinct technology 
  is a unit class—such as power armor suits after 2766—the unit 
  must be deleted from the player’s force and replaced with a unit 
  of a lesser class. (DropShips or JumpShips, for example, would 
  replace WarShips, while conventional infantry would replace 
  power armor infantry.) 
  Downgrade rules do not apply to ComStar forces.
  Universal Technology Advancement Table: For a more 
  detailed determination of what is available, consult the Universal 
  Technology Advancement Table (see pp. 35-63, IO) to find which 
  items have gone out of production by the time of a given scenario.
  Pre-Existing Damage 
  The First Succession War was a staggeringly expensive 
  proposition for all of its combatants. By the midway point of 
  the thirty-five years of unrelenting war, significant shortfalls in 
  spare parts, replacement personnel and equipment adversely 
  affected each faction’s ability to keep their ’Mechs and vehicles in 
  operational order.
  Unless otherwise indicated, units may begin a scenario with 
  pre-existing damage. First, roll 2D6 for each individual combat 
  command with elements in the battle. Modify this roll by +1 for every 
  two years that the combat command’s forces have been fighting the 
  war (to a maximum of +6); ex-SLDF forces apply an additional +1 
  modifier to this roll. On a result of 10 or greater, pre-existing damage 
  is possible for that regiment’s units. Roll 1D6 for each combat unit in 
  the regiment (’Mech, vehicle, conventional or aerospace fighter) and 
  apply the appropriate result from the Pre-Existing Damage Table (p. 
  145) to determine what damage, if any, each suffers.
  Units that receive pre-existing damage suffer the indicated 
  amount of damage and critical hits; the locations affected and 
  any critical hits are randomly determined. For BattleMechs, use 
  the Front/Back column to determine the locations of all damage. 
  For aerospace fighters and conventional aircraft, use the Above/
  Below column. For conventional combat vehicles, determine the 
  location of any damage by first rolling a direction of attack using 
  the BattleMech Facing After a Fall Table (see p. 68, TW) before 
  rolling the hit location of any damage. Reroll any critical damage 
  that would destroy a unit or reduce its mobility to 0. If the second 
  result also destroys or immobilizes the unit, disregard both results 
  and apply an additional 5 points of damage to a random location.
  There is also a chance that any units with pre-existing 
  damage which employ ammunition-based weapons may not 
  have a full combat load. Roll 1D6 for each individual combat 
  unit that requires ammunition. On a result of 1-2, the unit has 
  a full load of ammunition; on a 3-4, the unit has only half its 
  ammunition load for each weapon (rounded up); on a 5, the unit 
  has only 1D6 rounds of ammunition for each weapon; on a 6, the 
  unit has no ammunition. Again, all former SLDF forces apply an 
  additional +1 modifier to this roll.
  Finally, specialized ammunition is rare. Any time specialized 
  ammunition is requested (including LB-X cluster and Artemis 
  missile ammunition), roll 1D6. On a result of 1-2, the ammunition 
  is available; on any other result, the specialized ammunition  
  is unavailable.
  Campaign Play: Players and gamemasters embarking on a First 
  Succession War campaign should first generate all the units available 
  to each force taking part in the campaign. They can then apply any 
  pre-existing damage to the various units, as appropriate. This will be 
  the condition in which each unit starts campaign play. Once the pre-
  existing damage is applied, no further rolls for such damage need 
  be made through the end of the campaign (unless reinforcements 
  are received—if their parent combat command initially rolled 10+, 
  then each combat unit in the reinforcements must roll for pre-
  exisintg damage as well). All units must then accomplish regular 
  maintenance, as well as repair battle damage, as appropriate.
  FIRST SUCCESSION WAR 
  ERA DOWNGRADES TABLE
  Base TN to avoid downgrade: 7
  Condition
  Modifier
  Scenario Date 
  2790-2819 
  –1 
  2820-2821 
  –2 
  Force Affiliation 
  Major IS Power 
  +0 
  Minor IS Power 
  –1 
  Major Periphery Power 
  –1 
  Minor Periphery Power 
  –2 
  Mercenary/Pirate 
  –2 
  Force Skill Rating 
  Elite 
  +2 
  Veteran 
  +1 
  Green 
  –1
  
  147
  FORCE COmPOSITIONS
  RUlES ANNEx
  To reflect this homogeneousness, in battles set between 2786 
  and 2807, once the weight class of a particular lance has been 
  determined, roll only once on the Random Unit Assignment Tables 
  per lance; all ’Mechs in the lance are of the resulting type. In games 
  set between 2808 and 2819, roll twice for each lance. From 2820 
  onward, normal rules for Random Unit Assignment apply.
  Ex-Star League Defense Force Commands: The SLDF long 
  embraced unit homogeneity, but losses incurred during the Rim 
  Worlds Campaign and the Liberation of Terra largely eradicated 
  that trait. As such, any ex-Star League Defense Forces apply normal 
  rules regardless of the year in which a battle is set.
  Force Compositions
  In contrast with the modern combat environment, the armed 
  forces of the Great Houses in the Early Succession Wars  displayed a 
  remarkable degree of homogeneity. Any supplier of military goods 
  in this era had to be able provide for the entirety of the Star League 
  (at least on paper), rather than just one House. Massive factory 
  complexes churned out new war machines by the hundreds or even 
  thousands, sending their products to every corner of the League. As 
  a result, when the Succession Wars broke out, each combatant drew 
  on a common pool of mass-produced and SLDF-approved units. 
  Victory would go not to the combatant with the better equipment, 
  but with the superior doctrine behind its employment.
  RAT DIE ROLL MODIFIERS BY COMBAT COMMAND TABLE
  Mod.
  Capellan 
  Confederation
  Draconis Combine
  Federated Suns
  Free Worlds League
  Lyran 
  Commonwealth
  +4
  Capellan Hussars
  Sword of Light
  Davion Brigade of Guards, 
  Avalon Hussars (1st–20th)
  Fusiliers of Oriente, 
  Orloff Grenadiers
  Royal Guard
  +3
  St. Ives Armored Cavalry, 
  Capellan Chargers
  Galedon Regulars
  Avalon Hussars (22nd–56th), 
  Dragon Lords
  Atrean Dragoons, 
  Free Worlds Guards
  Donegal Guards, 
  Odessa Regulars
  +2
  Chesterton Regulars, 
  Andurien Hussars
  Proserpina Hussars
  Arcadian Cuirassiers, 
  Robinson Chevaliers, 
  Syrtis Fusiliers, 
  Tancredi Loyalists
  Marik Guard, 
  Regulan Hussars
  Skye Rangers, 
  Arcturan Guards
  +1
  Liao Guards, 
  Liao Lancers, 
  Sian Dragoons, 
  Tikonov Lancers
  Dieron Regulars, 
  Sun Zhang Academy Cadre, 
  Rasalhague Regulars, 
  Arkab Legion
  Ceti Hussars, 
  Crucis March Militia
  Bolan Defenders, 
  Stewart Dragoons
  Lyran Guards
  +0
  Confederation  
  Reserve Cavalry
  Pesht Regulars
  Capellan March Militia, 
  Draconis March Militia
  Marik Militia, 
  Oriente Hussars, 
  Defenders of Andurien
  Hesperus Guards, 
  Lyran Regulars, 
  York Regulars
  Die Roll Modifiers For Dropships:
  +4
  Fleet
  Fleet
  Dept. of the Line,  
  Dept. of Naval Assault
  FWLN Fleet
  Fleet
  +3
  —
  —
  Dept. of Naval Defense
  —
  —
  +2
  —
  —
  —
  Provincial Navy Fleet
  —
  +1
  —
  —
  —
  FWLN Transport
  —
  +0
  Transport
  Transport
  Dept. of Naval Transport
  Provincial Navy Transport
  Transport
  Mod.
  Magistracy of Canopus
  Outworlds Alliance
  Taurian Concordat
  +2
  Magistracy Royal Guards,  
  Chasseurs a Cheval
  Avellar Guards, Alliance Borderers
  Taurian Guard, II Corps, III Corps—Pleiades Hussars,  
  III Corps—Pleiades Lancers
  +1
  Canopian Fusiliers
  2nd Baliggora Fusiliers,  
  Onverwacht Guards,  
  Blommenstein Demons, Cerberus Watch
  I Corps,  
  III Corps—4th–8th Perdition Guards
  +0
  People’s Volunteers 
  4th and 6th Ramora Regulars,  
  3rd Baliggora Fusiliers, Trader Sentinels
  IV Corps
  Die Roll Modifiers For Dropships (All Periphery):
  +2
  Fleet
  +0
  Transport
  
  148
  BATTlEmECH RATS
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  RANDOM UNIT ASSIGNMENT TABLE: BATTLEMECHS
  CAPELLAN CONFEDERATION
  Roll
  Light BattleMechs
  Medium BattleMechs
  Heavy BattleMechs
  Assault BattleMechs
  2
  STG-3R Stinger [20] (3039)
  SCP-1N Scorpion [55] (3039)
  CPLT-C1 Catapult [60] (3039)
  STC-2C Striker [80] (3058U-C)
  3
  LCT-1V Locust [20] (3039)
  BJ-1 Blackjack [45] (3039)
  TDR-5S Thunderbolt [65] (3039)
  BNC-3E Banshee [95] (3039)
  4
  WSP-1L Wasp [20] (3039)
  WTH-1S Whitworth [40] (3039)
  GHR-5H Grasshopper [70] (3039)
  GOL-1H Goliath [80] (3039)
  5
  FLC-4N Falcon [30] (3039)
  HOP-4C Hoplite [55] (3050U-I)
  ARC-2R Archer [70] (3039)
  AWS-8Q Awesome [80] (3039)
  6
  THE-N Thorn [20] (3050U-C)
  VL-2T Vulcan [40] (3039)
  CHP-1N Champion [60] (3050U-C)
  LGB-0W Longbow [85] (3039)
  7
  FRB-2E Firebee [35] (3075u-AW)
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039)
  KSC-3I Koschei [65] (3075u-AW)
  VTR-9B Victor [80] (3039)
  8
  TLN-5V Talon [35] (3058U-C)
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039)
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C)
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039)
  9
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C)
  WVR-6R Wolverine [55] (3039)
  LNC25-01 Lancelot [60] (3050U-C)
  HGN-732 Highlander [90] (3050U-C)
  10
  MON-66 Mongoose [25] (3050U-C)
  GRF-1N Griffin [55] (3039)
  CRD-2R Crusader [65] (3075u-AW)
  THG-11E Thug [80] (3050U-C)
  11
  FS9-H Firestarter [35] (3039)
  DV-6M Dervish [55] (3039)
  MAD-1R Marauder [75] (3075u-AW)
  BLR-1G BattleMaster [85] (3039)
  12
  OTT-7J Ostscout [35] (3039)
  PXH-2 Phoenix Hawk [45] (3085-PP)
  WHM-6Rb Warhammer [70] (3075u-AW)
  LGB-7Q Longbow [85] (3058U-I)
  13
  SDR-5V Spider [30] (3039)
  WVE-5N Wyvern [45] (3050U-C)
  KSC-4L Koschei [65] (3075u-AW)
  XNT-3O Xanthos [100] (3075u-AW)
  14
  FFL-3A Firefly [30] (OK)*
  KTO-19 Kintaro [55] (3050U-C)*
  EXC-B2 Excalibur [70] (3058U-C)
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C)
  15
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C)
  KY2-D-02 Kyudo [45] (3075u-AW)
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C)
  CP-10-Z Cyclops [90] (3039)
  16
  HSR-200-D Hussar [30] (3050U-C)*
  LNX-9Q Lynx [55] (3058U-C)*
  EXT-4D Exterminator [65] (3050U-C)
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C)
  DRACONIS COMBINE
  Roll
  Light BattleMechs
  Medium BattleMechs
  Heavy BattleMechs
  Assault BattleMechs
  2
  LCT-1V Locust [20] (3039)
  SCP-1N Scorpion [55] (3039)
  OTL-4D Ostsol [60] (3039)
  STC-2C Striker [80] (3058U-C)
  3
  WSP-1A Wasp [20] (3039)
  BJ-1 Blackjack [45] (3039)
  QKD-4G Quickdraw [60] (3039)
  BNC-3E Banshee [95] (3039)
  4
  STG-3G Stinger [20] (3039)
  HOP-4C Hoplite [55] (3050U-I)
  TDR-5S Thunderbolt [65] (3039)
  GOL-1H Goliath [80] (3039)
  5
  JR7-D Jenner [35] (3039)
  WTH-1S Whitworth [40] (3039)
  DRG-1N Dragon [60] (3039)
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039)
  6
  FLC-4N Falcon [30] (3039)
  VL-2T Vulcan [40] (3039)
  ARC-2R Archer [70] (3039)
  VTR-9B Victor [80] (3039)
  7
  THE-N Thorn [20] (3050U-C)
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039)
  LNC25-01 Lancelot [60] (3050U-C)
  AWS-8Q Awesome [80] (3039)
  8
  PNT-9R Panther [35] (3039)
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039)
  CHP-1N2 Champion [60] (3050U-C)
  LGB-0W Longbow [85] (3039)
  9
  TLN-5V Talon [35] (3058U-C)
  WVR-6R Wolverine [55] (3039)
  MAD-1R Marauder [75] 3075u-AW)
  THG-11E Thug [80] (3050U-C)
  10
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C)
  GRF-1N Griffin [55] (3039)
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C)
  BLR-1G BattleMaster [85] (3039)
  11
  MON-66 Mongoose [25] (3050U-C)
  DV-6M Dervish [55] (3039)
  CRD-2R Crusader [65] (3075u-AW)
  LGB-7Q Longbow [85] (3058U-I)
  12
  FS9-H Firestarter [35] (3039)
  WVE-5N Wyvern [45] (3050U-C)
  EXC-B2 Excalibur [70] (3058U-C)
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C)
  13
  OTT-7J Ostscout [35] (3039)
  KTO-19 Kintaro [55] (3050U-C)
  FLS-8K Flashman [75] (3050U-C)
  AS7-D Atlas [100] (3039)
  14
  SDR-5V Spider [30] (3039)*
  PXH-1Kk Phoenix Hawk [45] (ER2750) (3039)*
  WHM-6Rk Warhammer [70] (ER2750) (3039)
  STK-3Fk Stalker [85] (ER2750) (3039)
  15
  FFL-3A Firefly [30] (OK)
  LNX-9Q Lynx [55] (3058U-C)
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C)
  CP-10-Z Cyclops [90] (3039)
  16
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C)*
  KY2-D-02 Kyudo [45] (3075u-AW)*
  EXT-4D Exterminator [65] (3050U-C)
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C)
  FEDERATED SUNS
  Roll
  Light BattleMechs
  Medium BattleMechs
  Heavy BattleMechs
  Assault BattleMechs
  2
  HER-1S Hermes [30] (3050U-C)
  SCP-1N Scorpion [55] (3039) 
  HMH-3D Hammerhands [75] (3075u-AW)
  STC-2C Striker [80] (3058U-C)
  3
  STG-3R Stinger [20] (3039)
  BJ-1 Blackjack [45] (3039)
  TDR-5S Thunderbolt [65] (3039)
  BNC-3E Banshee [95] (3039)
  4
  LCT-1M Locust [20] (3039)
  HOP-4C Hoplite [55] (3050U-I)
  BKX-7K Battleaxe [70] (3075u-AW)
  GOL-1H Goliath [80] (3039)
  5
  WSP-1A Wasp [20] (3039)
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039)
  OTL-4D Ostsol [60] (3039)
  AWS-8Q Awesome [80] (3039)
  6
  FLC-4N Falcon [30] (3039)
  VL-2T Vulcan [40] (3039)
  CHP-1N Champion [60] (3050U-C)
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039)
  7
  THE-N Thorn [20] (3050U-C)
  DV-6M Dervish [55] (3039)
  ARC-2R Archer [70] (3039)
  VTR-9B Victor [80] (3039)
  8
  TLN-5V Talon [35] (3058U-C)
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039)
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C)
  LGB-0W Longbow [85] (3039)
  9
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C)
  STN-3L Sentinel [40] (3050U-C) 
  LNC25-01 Lancelot [60] (3050U-C)
  THG-11E Thug [80] (3050U-C)
  10
  MON-66 Mongoose [25] (3050U-C)
  WVR-6R Wolverine [55] (3039)
  CRD-2R Crusader [65] (3075u-AW)
  HGN-732 Highlander [90] (3050U-C)
  11
  FS9-H Firestarter [35] (3039)
  GRF-1N Griffin [55] (3039) 
  MAD-1R Marauder [75] (3075u-AW)
  LGB-7Q Longbow [85] (3058U-I)
  12
  OTT-7J Ostscout [35] (3039)
  PXH-2 Phoenix Hawk [45] (3085-PP)
  WHM-6Rb Warhammer [70] (3075u-AW)
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C)
  13
  SDR-5V Spider [30] (3039)
  KTO-19 Kintaro [55] (3050U-C)
  CTS-6Y Cestus [65] (3058U-C)
  AS7-D Atlas [100] (3039)
  14
  FFL-3A Firefly [30] (OK)*
  WVE-5N Wyvern [45] (3050U-C)*
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C)
  BLR-1Gd BattleMaster [85] (ER2750) (3039)
  15
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C)
  DV-6Md Dervish [55] (ER2750) (3039)
  TDR-5Sd Thunderbolt [65] (ER2750) (3039)
  CP-10-Z Cyclops [90] (3039)
  16
  HSR-200-D Hussar [30] (3050U-C)*
  LNX-9Q Lynx [55] (3058U-C)*
  EXT-4D Exterminator [65] (3050U-C)
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C)
  * Player may choose the Land-Air BattleMech of the appropriate weight (STG-A5 or PHX-HK2) instead of the rolled result.
  
  149
  BATTlEmECH RATS
  RUlES ANNEx
  RANDOM UNIT ASSIGNMENT TABLE: BATTLEMECHS
  FREE WORLDS LEAGUE
  Roll
  Light BattleMechs
  Medium BattleMechs
  Heavy BattleMechs
  Assault BattleMechs
  2
  HER-1S Hermes [30] (3050U-C)
  HOP-4C Hoplite [55] (3050U-I)
  OTL-4D Ostsol [60] (3039)
  STC-2C Striker [80] (3058U-C)
  3
  STG-3R Stinger [20] (3039)
  HER-2S Hermes II [40] (3039)
  QKD-4G Quickdraw [60] (3039)
  BNC-3E Banshee [95] (3039)
  4
  LCT-1V Locust [20] (3039)
  VL-2T Vulcan [40] (3039)
  TDR-5S Thunderbolt [65] (3039)
  GOL-1H Goliath [80] (3039)
  5
  WSP-1A Wasp [20] (3039)
  ICR-1S Icarus II [40] (3075u-AW)
  ARC-2R Archer [70] (3039)
  LGB-7Q Longbow [85] (3058U-I)
  6
  FLC-4N Falcon [30] (3039)
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039)
  CHP-1N Champion [60] (3050U-C)
  AWS-8Q Awesome [80] (3039)
  7
  THE-N Thorn [20] (3050U-C)
  WVR-6R Wolverine [55] (3039)
  ON1-K Orion [70] (3039)
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039)
  8
  TLN-5V Talon [35] (3058U-C)
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039)
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C)
  THG-11E Thug [80] (3050U-C)
  9
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C)
  TBT-5N Trebuchet [50] (3039)
  LNC25-01 Lancelot [60] (3050U-C)
  LGB-0W Longbow [85] (3039)
  10
  MON-66 Mongoose [25] (3050U-C)
  STN-3L Sentinel [40] (3050U-C)
  CRD-2R Crusader [65] (3075u-AW)
  HGN-732 Highlander [90] (3050U-C)
  11
  SDR-5V Spider [30] (3039)
  GRF-1N Griffin [55] (3039)
  MAD-1R Marauder [75] (3075u-AW)
  BLR-1G BattleMaster [85] (3039)
  12
  FS9-H Firestarter [35] (3039)
  DV-6M Dervish [55] (3039)
  WHM-6Rb Warhammer [70] (3075u-AW)
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C)
  13
  OTT-7J Ostscout [35] (3039)
  PXH-2 Phoenix Hawk [45] (3085-PP)
  FLS-8K Flashman [75] (3050U-C)
  AS7-D Atlas [100] (3039)
  14
  FFL-3A Firefly [30] (OK)*
  WVE-5N Wyvern [45] (3050U-C)*
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C)
  BLR-1Gc BattleMaster [85] (3075u-AW)
  15
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C)
  KTO-19 Kintaro [55] (3050U-C)
  EXC-B2 Excalibur [70] (3058U-C)
  CP-10-Z Cyclops [90] (3039)
  16
  HSR-200-D Hussar [30] (3050U-C)*
  LNX-9Q Lynx [55] (3058U-C)*
  EXT-4D Exterminator [65] (3050U-C)
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C)
  LYRAN COMMONWEALTH
  Roll
  Light BattleMechs
  Medium BattleMechs
  Heavy BattleMechs
  Assault BattleMechs
  2
  STG-3R Stinger [20] (3039)
  SCP-1N Scorpion [55] (3039)
  WHM-6R Warhammer [70] (3039)
  STC-2C Striker [80] (3058U-C)
  3
  LCT-1S Locust [20] (3039)
  BJ-1 Blackjack [45] (3039)
  OTL-4D Ostsol [60] (3039)
  BNC-3E Banshee [95] (3039)
  4
  WSP-1A Wasp [20] (3039)
  WTH-1S Whitworth [40] (3039)
  ON1-K Orion [70] (3039)
  GOL-1H Goliath [80] (3039)
  5
  FLC-4N Falcon [30] (3039)
  HOP-4C Hoplite [55] (3050U-I)
  TDR-5S Thunderbolt [65] (3039)
  VTR-9B Victor [80] (3039)
  6
  THE-N Thorn [20] (3050U-C)
  VL-2T Vulcan [40] (3039)
  CHP-1N Champion [60] (3050U-C)
  AWS-8Q Awesome [80] (3039)
  7
  COM-2D Commando [25] (3039)
  GRF-1N Griffin [55] (3039)
  ARC-2R Archer [70] (3039)
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039)
  8
  TLN-5V Talon [35] (3058U-C)
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039)
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C)
  LGB-0W Longbow [85] (3039)
  9
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C)
  WVR-6R Wolverine [55] (3039)
  CRD-2R Crusader [65] (3075u-AW)
  BWP-3A Ymir [90] (3075u-AW)
  10
  MON-66 Mongoose [25] (3050U-C)
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039)
  LNC25-01 Lancelot [60] (3050U-C)
  ZEU-5S Zeus [80] (3039)
  11
  FS9-H Firestarter [35] (3039)
  DV-6M Dervish [55] (3039)
  MAD-1R Marauder [75] (3075u-AW)
  HGN-732 Highlander [90] (3050U-C)
  12
  OTT-7J Ostscout [35] (3039)
  PXH-2 Phoenix Hawk [45] (3085-PP)
  FLS-8K Flashman [75] (3050U-C)
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C)
  13
  SDR-5V Spider [30] (3039)
  WVE-5N Wyvern [45] (3050U-C)
  WHM-6Rb Warhammer [70] (3075u-AW)
  BLR-1Gc BattleMaster [85] (3075u-AW)
  14
  FFL-3A Firefly [30] (OK)*
  KTO-19 Kintaro [55] (3050U-C)*
  GLH-2D Galahad [60] (3075u-AW)
  AS7-D Atlas [100] (3039)
  15
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C)
  KY2-D-02 Kyudo [45] (3075u-AW)
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C)
  CP-10-Z Cyclops [90] (3039)
  16
  HSR-200-D Hussar [30] (3050U-C)*
  LNX-9Q Lynx [55] (3058U-C)*
  EXT-4D Exterminator [65] (3050U-C)
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C)
  MAJOR PERIPHERY STATES
  Roll
  Light BattleMechs
  Medium BattleMechs
  Heavy BattleMechs
  Assault BattleMechs
  2
  FS9-K Firestarter [35] (3039)
  SCP-1N Scorpion [55] (3039)
  CPLT-C1 Catapult [60] (3039)
  CGR-1A1 Charger [80] (3039)
  3
  STG-3R Stinger [20] (3039)
  ICR-1S Icarus II [40] (3075u-AW)
  RFL-3N Rifleman [60] (3039)
  AWS-8Q Awesome [80] (3039)
  4
  HER-1S Hermes [30] (3050U-C)
  HOP-4C Hoplite [55] (3050U-I)
  TDR-5S Thunderbolt [65] (3039)
  STC-2C Striker [80] (3058U-C)
  5
  WSP-1A Wasp [20] (3039) 
  BJ-1 Blackjack [45] (3039)
  OTL-4D Ostsol [60] (3039)
  VTR-9B Victor [80] (3039)
  6
  STG-3G Stinger [20] (3039)
  WTH-1S Whitworth [40] (3039)
  ARC-2R Archer [70] (3039)
  LGB-0W Longbow [85] (3039)
  7
  LCT-1V Locust [20] (3039)
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039)
  ON1-K Orion [70] (3039)
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039)
  8
  THE-N Thorn [20] (3050U-C)
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039)
  WHM-6R Warhammer [70] (3039)
  BNC-3E Banshee [95] (3039)
  9
  FLC-4N Falcon [30] (3039)
  WVR-6R Wolverine [55] (3039)
  OSR-2C Ostroc [60] (3039)
  MSK-8B Mackie [100] (3075u-AW)
  10
  FS9-H Firestarter [35] (3039)
  GRF-1N Griffin [55] (3039)
  CHP-1N Champion [60] (3050U-C)
  RMP-2G Rampage [85] (ISP2)
  11
  FFL-3A Firefly [30] (OK)
  DV-6M Dervish [55] (3039)
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C)
  THG-11E Thug [80] (3050U-C)
  12
  OTT-7J Ostscout [35] (3039)
  PXH-2 Phoenix Hawk [45] (3085-PP)
  CRD-2R Crusader [65] (3075u-AW)
  BLR-1G BattleMaster [85] (3039)
  13
  TLN-5V Talon [35] (3058U-C)
  WVE-5N Wyvern [45] (3050U-C)
  MAD-1R Marauder [75] (3075u-AW)
  HGN-732 Highlander [90] (3050U-C)
  14
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C)
  KTO-19 Kintaro [55] (3050U-C)
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C)
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C)
  15
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C)
  KY2-D-02 Kyudo [45] (3075u-AW)
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C)
  CP-10-Z Cyclops [90] (3039)
  16
  HSR-200-D Hussar [30] (3050U-C)*
  LNX-9Q Lynx [55] (3058U-C)*
  EXT-4D Exterminator [65] (3050U-C)
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C)
  * Player may choose the Land-Air BattleMech of the appropriate weight (STG-A5 or PHX-HK2) instead of the rolled result.
  
  150
  AEROSPACE RATS
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  RANDOM UNIT ASSIGNMENT TABLE: AEROSPACE
  CAPELLAN CONFEDERATION
  Roll
  Light Fighters
  Medium Fighters
  Heavy Fighters
  DropShips
  2
  TR-5 Thrush* [25] (3039)
  TR-9 Transit** [50] (3039)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Colossus (2660) (3075u-AW)
  3
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  HCT-213D Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Leopard (2537) (3057R)
  4
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Black Eagle (2453) (XTR:Prim2)
  5
  THK-43 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  SL-25 Samurai [50] (3039)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Fury (2638) (3057R)
  6
  TR-5 Thrush* [25] (3039)
  GTHA-100 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  EGL-R9 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Confederate (2703) (3057R)
  7
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  TR-9 Transit** [50] (3039)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Gazelle (2351) (3057R)
  8
  RGU-133E Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Dictator (2600) (3075u-AW)
  9
  TRN-3T Trident [20] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213S Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Triumph (2593) (3057R)
  10
  THK-53 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  11
  RGU-133F Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039)
  CHP-W7 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Union (2708) (3057R)
  12
  RGU-133L Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  IRN-SD1 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  AHB-443 Ahab [90] (3050U-C)
  Overlord (2762) (3057R)
  13
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039)
  HMR-HE Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Achilles (2582) (3057R)
  14
  ZRO-114 Zero [35] (3050U-C)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  15
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  IRN-SD2 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  CHP-W7 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Titan (2647) (3057R)
  16
  RGU-133Eb Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  HCT-214 Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  TRB-D46 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Vengeance (2682) (3057R) 
  *TR-5 Thrush uses ferro-aluminum armor. Identical to TR-7 with 1 additional armor point per wing
  **TR-9 Transit uses ferro-aluminum armor. Identical to TR-10 with 2 additional armor points aft and 15 AC ammo
  DRACONIS COMBINE
  Roll
  Light Fighters
  Medium Fighters
  Heavy Fighters
  DropShips
  2
  SPR-H5 Sparrowhawk [30] (3039)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Gazelle (2351) (3057R)
  3
  THK-43 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Vulture (2312) (3075)
  4
  SWF-606 Swift [25] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213R Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Leopard (2537) (3057R)
  5
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  LCF-R15 Lucifer [65] (3039)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Lion (2595) (3057R)
  6
  TRN-3T Trident [20] (3050U-C)
  SL-25 Samurai [50] (3039)
  SL-15 Slayer [80] (3039)
  Dictator (2600) (3075)
  7
  S-2B Star Dagger* [30] (XTR:Retro)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C)
  Triumph (2595) (3057R)
  8
  RGU-133E Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  SL-15 Slayer [80] (3039)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  9
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Achilles (2582) (3057R)
  10
  SPD-502 Spad [30] (3050U-C)
  SL-25 Samurai [50] (3039)
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  11
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075)
  HCT-213D Hellcat [60] (3075)
  SL-15 Slayer [80] (3039)
  Achilles (2582) (3057R)
  12
  SWF-606 Swift [25] (3050U-C)
  IRN-SD1 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  13
  SB-27b Sabre [25] (OK)
  SL-26 Samurai [50] (3039)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Achilles (2582) (3057R)
  14
  ZRO-114 Zero [35] (3050U-C)
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039)
  AHB-443 Ahab [90] (3050U-C)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  15
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  16
  RGU-133L Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15b Lightning [50] (OK)
  HMR-HDb Hammerhead [75] (3075u-AW)
  Model 96 “Elephant” (2600) (3075u-AW)
  * Use S-2 Star Dagger with standard components. Replace engine with 240 rating. Replace small laser with medium laser.  Armor layout is 34/22/18.
  FEDERATED SUNS
  Roll
  Light Fighters
  Medium Fighters
  Heavy Fighters
  DropShips
  2
  SPR-H5 Sparrowhawk [30] (3039)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R10 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Fortress (2613) (3057R)
  3
  THK-43 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R9 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Confederate (2703) (3057R)
  4
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  HCT-213R Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  AHB-443 Ahab [90] (3050U-C)
  Colossus (2660) (3075)
  5
  CNT-1D Centurion [30] (3075u-AW)
  HCT-213S Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Vampire (2715) (3075)
  6
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  SL-25 Samurai [50] (3039)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Leopard (2537) (3057R)
  7
  CNT-1D Centurion [30] (3075u-AW)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Lion (2595) (3057R)
  8
  TRN-3T Trident [20] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Dictator (2600) (3075)
  9
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  HCT-213D Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Union (2708) (3057R)
  10
  RGU-133E Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  11
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  IRN-SD1 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Triumph (2593) (3057R)
  12
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  HCT-214 Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  HMR-HE Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Overlord (2762) (3057R)
  13
  RGU-133L Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  14
  ZRO-114 Zero [35] (3050U-C)
  SL-26 Samurai [50] (3039)
  TRB-D46 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Achilles (2582) (3057R)
  15
  SWF-606 Swift [25] (3050U-C)
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039)
  AHB-443 Ahab [90] (3050U-C)
  Vengeance (2682) (3057R)
  16
  SPD-502 Spad [30] (3050U-C)
  IRN-SD2 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  CHP-W5b Chippewa [90] (OK)
  Titan (2647) (3057R)
  
  151
  AEROSPACE RATS
  RUlES ANNEx
  RANDOM UNIT ASSIGNMENT TABLE: AEROSPACE
  FREE WORLDS LEAGUE
  Roll
  Light Fighters
  Medium Fighters
  Heavy Fighters
  DropShips
  2
  THK-43 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Leopard (2537) (3057R)
  3
  SWF-606 Swift [25] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213D Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Fury (2638) (3057R)
  4
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  SL-25 Samurai [50] (3039)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Gazelle (2351) (3057R)
  5
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  GTHA-300 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  EGL-R10 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Black Eagle (2453) (XTR:Prim2)
  6
  THK-53 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Dictator (2600) (3075u-AW)
  7
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  GTHA-100 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW) 
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  8
  SPR-H5 Sparrowhawk [30] (3039)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Triumph (2595) (3057R)
  9
  TRN-3T Trident [20] (3050U-C)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Union (2708) (3057R)
  10
  RGU-133E Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039)
  EGL-R9 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Lion (2595) (3057R)
  11
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  IRN-SD1 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  AHB-443 Ahab [90] (3050U-C)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  12
  ZRO-114 Zero [35] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  CHP-W7 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Vengeance (2682) (3057R)
  13
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  HMR-HE Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Achilles (2582) (3057R)
  14
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  IRN-SD2 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  15
  SWF-606 Swift [25] (3050U-C)
  HCT-214 Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  EGL-R6b Eagle [75] (OK)
  Titan (2647) (3057R)
  16
  RGU-133L Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D46 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Model 96 “Elephant” (2600) (3075u-AW)
  LYRAN COMMONWEALTH
  Roll
  Light Fighters
  Medium Fighters
  Heavy Fighters
  DropShips
  2
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  LCF-R15 Lucifer [65] (3039)
  TFN-3M Typhoon [90] (3075u-AW)
  Gazelle (2351) (3057R)
  3
  SYD-21 Seydlitz [20] (3039)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Lion (2595) (3057R)
  4
  THK-43 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  SL-25 Samurai [50] (3039)
  TFN-2A Typhoon [90] (3075u-AW)
  Dictator (2600) (3075u-AW)
  5
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Leopard (2537) (3057R)
  6
  CNT-1D Centurion [30] (3075u-AW)
  LCF-R15 Lucifer [65] (3039)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Fortress (2613) (3057R)
  7
  SYD-21 Seydlitz [20] (3039)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  8
  SPR-H5 Sparrowhawk [30] (3039)
  LCF-R15 Lucifer [65] (3039)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Union (2708) (3057R)
  9
  SYD-21 Seydlitz [20] (3039)
  HCT-213D Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  CHP-W7 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  10
  THK-53 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  AHB-443 Ahab [90] (3050U-C)
  Fortress (2613) (3057R)
  11
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  12
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  IRN-SD1 Ironsides [65] (3050U-C)
  TRB-D46 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Achilles (2582) (3057R)
  13
  ZRO-114 Zero [35] (3050U-C)
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039)
  RPR-101 Rapier [85] (3050U-C)
  Titan (2647) (3057R)
  14
  RGU-133E Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  SL-26 Samurai [50] (3039)
  CHP-W7 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Intruder (2655) (3057R)
  15
  THK-63 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  HCT-214 Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  RPR-101 Rapier [85] (3075u-AW)
  Model 96 “Elephant” (2600) (3075u-AW)
  16
  RGU-133P Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  LCF-R15 Lucifer [65] (3039)
  TFN-3M Typhoon [90] (3075u-AW)
  Gazelle (2351) (3057R)
  MAJOR PERIPHERY STATES
  Roll
  Light Fighters
  Medium Fighters
  Heavy Fighters
  DropShips
  2
  THK-43 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Czar (2462) (XTR:Prim3)
  3
  TRN-3T Trident [20] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  see Periphery States sub-table
  4
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  Vulture (2312) (3075u-AW)
  5
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  GTHA-100 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039)
  Gazelle (2531) (3057R)
  6
  CNT-1D Centurion [30] (3075u-AW)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Dictator (2600) (3075u-AW)
  7
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  8
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  HCT-213 Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Trojan (2720) (JSBD)
  9
  RGU-133E Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  GTHA-300 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] (3050U-C)
  Triumph (2593) (3057R)
  10
  THK-43 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  VLC-5N Vulcan [80] (3075u-AW)
  Leopard (2537) (3057R)
  11
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  12
  THK-53 Tomahawk [45] (3050U-C)
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50] (3050U-C)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  DroST IIb (2443) (XTR:Prim4)
  13
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  STU-K5 Stuka [100] (3039)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  14
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  see Periphery States sub-table
  
  152
  SldF RATS
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  RANDOM UNIT ASSIGNMENT TABLE: SLDF
  LIGHT UNITS (20 TO 35 TONS)
  2D6
  BattleMechs A (5+) 
  B (3-4) 
  C (2-) 
  Vehicles 
  Aerospace Fighters (20 to 45 tons) 
  2 
  FlC -4Nb Falcon [30] (OK) 
  TLN-5W Talon [35] (3058U-C) 
  HSR-200D Hussar [30] (3050U-C) 
  Cobra Transport VTOL [30]V (3075u-AW)
  TRN-3T Trident [20]R 
  3 
  HER-1Sb Hermes [30] (OK) 
  HSR-200D Hussar [30] (3050U-C) 
  FFL-4A Firefly [30] (3050U-I)
  Beagle [15]H (3050U-C) 
  SWF-606 Swift [25] (3050U-C) 
  4 
  MON-66b Mongoose [25] (3075u-AW) 
  PNT-9R Panther [35] (3039) 
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C) 
  Rotunda [20]W (3050U-C) 
  ZRO-114 Zero [35]R (3050U-C) 
  5 
  LCT -1Vb Locust [20] (OK) 
  FS9-H Firestarter [35] (3039) 
  THE-N Thorn [20] (3050U-C) 
  Cobra Transport VTOL [30]V (3075u-AW)
  THk-63 Tomahawk [45]R (3050U-C) 
  6 
  OTT-7Jb Ostscout [35] (3075u-AW) 
  FFl-4A Firefly [30] (3050U-I) 
  WSP-1A Wasp [20] (3039) 
  Cyrano [30]V R (3050U-C) 
  SPD-502 Spad [30] (3050U-c) 
  7 
  HER-1Sb Hermes [30] (OK) 
  MON-66 Mongoose [25] (3050U-C) 
  LCT-1V Locust [20] (3039) 
  Lightning [35]H R (3050U-C) 
  SB-28 Sabre [25]R (3075u-AW) 
  8 
  THE-Nb Thorn [20] (OK) 
  SDR-5V Spider [30] (3039) 
  PNT-9R Panther [35] (3039) 
  J. Edgar [25] H (r 3039u) 
  TN-3T Trident [20]R (3050U-C) 
  9 
  SL-1G Sling [25] (OK) 
  MCY-99 Mercury [20] (3050U-C) 
  STG-3T Stinger [20] (3039) 
  Ripper [10]V R (3050U-C) 
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039) 
  10 
  STG-3Gb Stinger [20] (OK) 
  SPR-4F Spector [35] (3058U-C) 
  JVN-10N Javelin [30] (3039) 
  Nightshade [25]V R (3050U-C) 
  RGU-133E Rogue [40]R (3050U-C) 
  11 
  SPR-4F Spector [35] (3058U-C) 
  TLN-5V Talon [35] (3058U-C) 
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C) 
  Chevalier [35]W (3060u) 
  ZRO-114 Zero [35]R (3050U-C) 
  12 
  HSR-200Db Hussar [30] (3075u-AW) 
  NTK-2Q Night Hawk [35] (3058U-C) 
  SDR-5V Spider [30] (3039) 
  Gabriel [5] V (3050U-C) 
  SB-28 Sabre [25]R (3075u-AW) 
  MEDIUM UNITS (40 TO 55 TONS)
  2D6
  BattleMechs A (5+) 
  B (3-4) 
  C (2-) 
  Vehicles 
  Aerospace Fighters (50 to 70 tons)
  2 
  WVE-5Nb Wyvern [45] (3075u-AW) 
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039) 
  WVE-5N Wyvern [45] (3050U-C) 
  Kanga [50]H (3050U-C) 
  HCT-214 Hellcat II [50]R (3050U-C)
  3 
  WVR-7H Wolverine II [55] (OK) 
  STN-3L Sentinel [40] (3050U-C) 
  PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk [45] (3039) 
  Zephyr [40]H R (3050U-C) 
  IRN-SD1 Ironsides [65]R (3050U-C) 
  4 
  KTO-19b Kintaro [55] (3075u-AW) 
  WTH-1 Whitworth [40] (3039) 
  GRF-1N Griffin [55] (3039u) 
  Thor [55]W (3050U-C) 
  SL-26 Samurai [50] (3039) 
  5 
  SHD-2Hb Shadow Hawk [55] (OK) 
  CRB-27 Crab [50] (3050U-C) 
  WVR-6R Wolverine [55] (3039) 
  Chaparral [50]T (3050U-C) 
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50]R (3050U-C) 
  6 
  GRF-2N Griffin [55] (OK) 
  KTO-19 Kintaro [55] (3050U-C) 
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039) 
  Turhan [50]W (3075u-AW) 
  GTHA-500 Gotha [60]R (3050U-C) 
  7 
  CRB-27b Crab [50] (3075u-AW) 
  PXH-2 Phoenix Hawk [45] (3085u-PP)
  SHD-2H Shadow Hawk [55] (3039) 
  T12 Tiger [55]H (HistRW)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50]R (3075u-AW)
  8 
  HBK-4G Hunchback [50] (3039) 
  CDA-2A Cicada [40] (3039) 
  DV-6M Dervish [55] (3039) 
  Kanga [50]H (3050U-C) 
  IRN-SD1 Ironsides [65]R (3050U-C) 
  9 
  PXH-1b Phoenix Hawk [45] (3075u-AW) 
  ASN-21 Assassin [40] (3039) 
  ASN-21 Assassin [40] (3039) 
  Maxim [50]H (3039) 
  GTHA-300 Gotha [60]R (3050U-C) 
  10 
  STN-3Lb Sentinel [40] (OK) 
  GRF-2N Griffin [55] (OK) 
  CRB-27 Crab [50] (3050U-C) 
  Chaparral [50]T (3050U-C) 
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039) 
  11 
  CRB-27 Crab [50] (3050U-C) 
  KY2-D-02 Kyudo [45] (3075u-AW) 
  STN-1S Sentinel [40] (3039) 
  Goblin [45] T (3039) 
  HCT-213B Hellcat II [50]R (3050U-C)
  12 
  LNX-9Q Lynx [55] (3058U-C) 
  STY-2C Starslayer [50] (3058U-C)
  KTO-19 kintaro [55] (3050U-C) 
  LVT-4 Hovertank [50]H (XTRPrim2)
  LCF-R20 Lucifer [65] (3039) 
  HEAVY UNITS (60 TO 75 TONS)
  2D6
  BattleMechs A (5+) 
  B (3-4) 
  C (2-) 
  Vehicles 
  Aerospace Fighters (75 to 100 tons) 
  2 
  EXT-4Db Exterminator [65] (OK) 
  CHP-1N Champion [60] (3050U-C) 
  FLS-8K Flashman [75] (3050U-C) 
  Burke [75]T R (3050U-C) 
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] R (3039) 
  3 
  OST-2Cb Ostroc [60] (3075u-AW) 
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C) 
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C) 
  Padilla [75]T (3058U-C) 
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C) 
  4 
  BMB-12D Bombardier [65] (3050U-C)
  LNC25-05 Lancelot [60] (3050U-C) 
  OTL-4D Ostsol [60] (3039) 
  Burke [75]T R (3050U-C) 
  TRB-D46 Thunderbird [100]R (3075u-AW) 
  5 
  TDR-5Sb Thunderbolt [65] (OK) 
  WHM-6Rb Warhammer [70] (3075u) 
  GLH-2D Galahad [60] (3075u-AW) 
  Von Luckner [75]T R (3039) 
  STU-K5 Stuka [100]R (3039) 
  6 
  ARC-2Rb Archer [70] (OK) 
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C) 
  WHM-6R Warhammer [70] (3039) 
  Magi [70]T (3050U-C) 
  AHB-443 Ahab [90]R (3050U-C) 
  7 
  WHM-7A Warhammer [70] (OK) 
  MAD-1R Marauder [75] (3075u) 
  TDR-5S Thunderbolt [65] (3039) 
  Manticore [60]T (3039) 
  HMR-HD Hammerhead [75] R (3050U-C)
  8 
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C) 
  EXC-B2 Excalibur [70] (3058U-C) 
  ON1-K Orion [75] (3039) 
  Bulldog [60]T (3039) 
  RPR-100 Rapier [85]R (3050U-C) 
  9 
  MAD-2R Marauder [75] (3075u-AW) 
  CRD-2R Crusader [65] (3075u) 
  LNC25-01 Lancelot [60] (3050U-C) 
  Demon [60]W R (3050U-C) 
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75]R (3075u-AW) 
  10 
  GLH-2D Galahad [60] (3075u-AW) 
  BMB-12D Bombardier [65] (3050U-C) 
  CTS-6Y Cestus [65] (3058U-C) 
  Burke [75]T R (3050U-C) 
  AHB-443 Ahab [90] (3050U-C) 
  11 
  CHP-1Nb Champion [60] (OK) 
  BL-6-KNT Black Knight [75] (3050U-C) 
  GLT-3N Guillotine [70] (3050U-C) 
  Marksman [65]T (3050U-C) 
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75]R (3075u-AW) 
  12 
  EXC-B2b Excalibur [70] (3075u-AW) 
  CTS-6Y Cestus [65] (3058U-C) 
  ST-8A Shootist [70] (3058U-C) 
  Demon [60]W R (3050U-C) 
  RPR-100 Rapier [85] (3050U-C) 
  ASSAULT UNITS (80 TO 100 TONS)
  2D6
  BattleMechs A (5+) 
  B (3-4) 
  C (2-) 
  Vehicles 
  DropShips 
  2 
  AS7-D-H Atlas II [100] (3075u-AW) 
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C) 
  LGB-7Q Longbow [85] (3058U-C) 
  Puma [95]T (3050U-C) 
  Leopard/Leopard CVA (3057r) 
  3 
  NSR-9J Nightstar [95] (3058U-C) 
  AWS-8Q Awesome [80] (3039) 
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039) 
  Rhino [80]T R (3050U-C) 
  FortressS (3057r) 
  4 
  STK-3Fb Stalker [85] (OK) 
  EMP-6A Emperor [90] (3058U-C) 
  THG-11E Thug [80] (3050U-C) 
  Puma [95]T (3050U-C) 
  OverlordS (3057r) 
  5 
  CRK-5003-1b Crockett [85] (OK) 
  PLG-3Z Pillager [100] (3058U-C) 
  STC-2C Striker [80] (3058U-C) 
  Fury [80]T R (3050U-C) 
  UnionS (3057r) 
  6 
  RFL-3N-2 Rifleman II [80] (3075u-AW) 
  LGB-7Q Longbow [85] (3058U-C) 
  AS7-D Atlas [100] (3039) 
  Fury [80]T R (3050U-C) 
  TriumphA (3057r) 
  7 
  HGN-732b Highlander [90] (3050U-C) 
  THG-11E Thug [80] (3050U-C) 
  BLR-1G BattleMaster [85] (3039) 
  Alacorn Mk. VI [95]T (3058U-C) 
  DictatorS (3075u-AW) 
  8 
  KGC-000b King Crab [100] (3050U-C) 
  STK-3F Stalker [85] (3039) 
  HGN-732 Highlander [90] (3050U-C) 
  Rhino [80]T R (3050U-C) 
  LionS (3057r) 
  9 
  THG-11Eb Thug [80] (3050U-C) 
  AS7-D Atlas [100] (3039) 
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C) 
  Puma [95]T (3050U-C) 
  MuleS (3057r) 
  10 
  BLR-1Gb BattleMaster [85] (3075u-AW) 
  BLR-1G BattleMaster [85] (3039) 
  EMP-6A Emperor [90] (3058U-C) 
  Alacorn Mk. VI [95]T (3058U-C) 
  AchillesA (3057r) 
  11 
  STK-3H Stalker [85] (3039) 
  HGN-732 Highlander [90] (3050U-C) 
  VTR-9B Victor [80] (3039) 
  Fury [80]T R (3050U-C) 
  PentagonS (3075u-AW) 
  12 
  SHG-2H Shogun [85] (OK) 
  KGC-000 King Crab [100] (3050U-C) 
  CP-10-Z Cyclops [90] (3039) 
  Rhino [80]T R (3050U-C) 
  TitanA (3057r) 
  *This is a four-legged (quad) BattleMech. AAerodyne HHover SSpheroid TTracked VVTOL WWheeled. RRoyal variant available for SLDF Royal units.
  
  153
  vEHIClE RATS
  RUlES ANNEx
  TECHNICAL READOUT
  The re-imagined depictions on the following 
  pages showcase a few of the now-ubiquitous 
  BattleMechs that premiered during the First 
  Succession War. The dates at right outline when 
  each of these variants became available.
  [EDITORIAL NOTE]: In assembling the fol-
  lowing technical readout (TRO), which showcases 
  a selection of the most prominent BattleMechs 
  available across the Inner Sphere, I made a con-
  scious editorial decision. 
  This document specifically covers the First 
  Succession War. As a result, it is appropriate that 
  this technical readout focuses on BattleMech 
  variants that premiered during those thirty-five 
  years of conflict. For example, the first entry covers 
  the twenty-ton Locust, but details only the LCT-1E 
  variant, which debuted in 2811. 
  Nevertheless, as with any ’Mech, the 1E was 
  not the most prevalent variant of the age. As such, I 
  chose to provide visuals of the model that would be 
  most recognizable across all realms. In the instance 
  of the Locust, the variant pictured is the venerable 
  LCT-1V, which fought in great numbers and under 
  every banner during the First Succession War. 
  —Paladin Constance McGuire, Geneva, Terra, 3150
  RANDOM UNIT ASSIGNMENT TABLE: AEROSPACE
  PERIPHERY STATES SUB-TABLE
  Roll
  Light Fighters
  Medium Fighters
  Heavy Fighters
  DropShips
  Magistracy of Canopus
  4
  RGU-133L Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R10 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  DroST IIb (2443) (XTR:Prim4)
  7
  F-10 Cheetah [25] (3039)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  EGL-R6 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Lion (2595) (3057R)
  11
  MM-1 Dragonfly [40] (Hist:RW)
  GTHA-300 Gotha [60] (3050U-C)
  TRB-D36 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Black Eagle (2453) (XTR:Prim2)
  14
  MM-2 Dragonfly [40] (Hist:RW)
  F-90 Stingray [60] (3039)
  EGL-R9 Eagle [75] (3075u-AW)
  Leopard (2537) (3057R)
  Outworlds Alliance
  4
  CNT-1D Centurion [30] (3075u-AW)
  HCT-213D Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  SL-15 Slayer [80] (3039)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  7
  SYD-21 Seydlitz [20] (3039)
  SL-25 Samurai [50] (3039)
  SL-15 Slayer [80] (3039)
  Leopard CV (2581) (3057R)
  11
  SPR-H5 Sparrowhawk [30] (3039)
  HCT-213S Hellcat [60] (3075u-AW)
  VLC-6N Vulcan [80] (3075u-AW)
  Trojan (2720) (JSBD)
  14
  RGU-133L Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  SL-26 Samurai [50] (3039)
  TRB-D46 Thunderbird [100] (3075u-AW)
  Titan (2647) (3057R)
  Taurian Concordat
  4
  TR-5 Thrush [25] (3039)
  LCF-R15 Lucifer [65] (3039)
  SL-15 Slayer [80] (3039)
  DroST IIb (2443) (XTR:Prim4)
  7
  SYD-21 Seydlitz [20] (3039)
  LCF-R15 Lucifer [65] (3039)
  CHP-W5 Chippewa [90] (3039) 
  Lion (2595) (3057R)
  11
  SB-27 Sabre [25] (3075u-AW)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  VLC-6N Vulcan [80] (3075u-AW)
  Black Eagle (2453) (XTR:Prim2)
  14
  RGU-133F Rogue [40] (3050U-C)
  LTN-G15 Lightning [50] (3075u-AW)
  VLC-6N Vulcan [80] (3075u-AW)
  Trojan (2720) (JSBD)
  RANDOM UNIT ASSIGNMENT TABLE: VEHICLES (ALL)
  Roll
  Light Vehicles
  Medium Vehicles
  Heavy Vehicles
  Assault Vehicles
  2
  Beagle Hover Scout [15] (3050U-C)
  Tiger Tank T-12 [55] (Hist:RW)
  SRM Carrier [60] (3039)
  Alacorn Tank Mk III [95] (3058U-C)
  3
  Tracked APC (LRM) [10] (3039)
  Condor Hovertank [50] (3039)
  Merkava Heavy Tank Mk VIII [75] (3075u-AW)
  Alacorn Tank Mk IV [95] (3058U-C)
  4
  Packrat LPRV PKR-T5 [20] (3039)
  Maxim Hover Transport [50] (3039)
  Gallant Urban Assault Tank [70] (Hist:RW)
  Fury Tank II [80] (3050U-C)
  5
  Hover APC (SRM) [10] (3039)
  Goblin Tank [45] (3039)
  Thumper Artillery Vehicle [60] (3075u-AW)
  Mobile Long Tom [95] (3039)
  6
  Heavy Wheeled APC [25] (3060u)
  LTV-4 Hover Tank [50] (XTR:Prim2)
  LRM Carrier [60] (3039)
  Rhino Tank (MG) [80] (3050U-C)
  7
  Galleon Tank GAL-100 [30] (3058U-I)
  Prowler Multi-Terrain Vehicle [55] (3085)
  Bulldog Tank [60] (3039)
  Puma Tank PAT-005 [95] (3050U-C)
  8
  J. Edgar Hovertank [25] (3039)
  Turhan UCV [50] (3075u-AW)
  Burke Tank [75] (3050U-C)
  Rhino Tank [80] (3050U-C)
  9
  Cyrano Gunship [30] (3050U-C)
  Zephyr Hovertank [40] (3050U-C)
  Manticore Tank [60] (3039)
  Puma Tank PAT-005 [95] (3050U-C)
  10
  Ripper VTOL [10] (3050U-C)
  Maxim Hover Transport [50] (3039)
  Magi ISV [75] (3050U-C)
  Fury Tank II [80] (3050U-C)
  11
  Chevalier Tank [35] (3060u)
  Kanga Hovertank [50] (3050U-C)
  Von Luckner Tank VNL-K65N [75] (3075u-AW)
  Puma Tank PAT-005 [95] (3050U-C)
  12
  Beagle Hover Scout [15] (3050U-C)
  Chaparral Artillery Tank [50] (3050U-C)
  Marksman Artillery Vehicle [65] (3050U-C)
  Rhino Tank (ML) [80] (3050U-C)
  13
  Lightning Attack Hovercraft [35] (3050U-C)
  Goblin Tank (SRM) [45] (3039)
  Demon Tank [60] (3050U-C)
  Alacorn Tank Mk VI [95] (3058U-C)
  14
  Gabriel Recon Hovercraft [5] (3050U-C)
  Condor Hovertank [50] (3039)
  Von Luckner Tank (Star League) [75] (OK)
  Fury Tank II [80] (3050U-C)
  15
  Maultier Hover APC [15] (3058U-C)
  Thor Artillery Vehicle [55] (3050U-C)
  Marksman Artillery Vehicle [65] (3050U-C)
  Mobile Long Tom [95] (3039)
  16
  Packrat LPRV PKR-T5 [20] (3039)
  Chaparral Artillery Tank [50] (3050U-C)
  Thumper Artillery Vehicle [60] (3075u-AW)
  Rhino Tank (Royal) [80] (3050U-C)
  TRO Timeline
  2787: Valkyrie VLK-QA
  2796: Shadow Hawk SHD-2D
  2799: Wasp WSP-1L
  2803: Shadow Hawk SHD-2K
  2811: Locust LCT-1E
  2816: Wolverine WVR-6M
  2818: Wasp WSP-1K
  2823: Wasp WSP-1D
  
  154
  lCT-1E lOCUST
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  CAPABILITIES
  The LCT-1E Locust earned its “E” designation for its all-energy 
  loadout. Retaining all of the 1V’s core features, this light, compact, and 
  speedy ’Mech traded in its ammo-hungry SperryBrowning machine 
  guns for a second Martell medium laser and two Magna small lasers. 
  Eschewing the distinctive chin turret, Bergan’s engineers instead 
  mounted these weapons in the arm turrets, a feature that enabled 
  Locust-1E pilots to overcome the ’Mech’s limited firing arc by flipping 
  its weaponry between forward and rearward firing modes at will. 
  BATTLE HISTORY
  Though it only emerged in the final decade of the First 
  Succession War, the Locust-1E made its presence felt in numerous 
  engagements as the war wound down. The first company of these 
  machines produced, in fact, was priority-shipped to Vincent’s 
  Commandos and took part in the Confederation’s Chesterton 
  offensive in May 2812. Although the Capellans failed to defeat the 
  AFFS defenders, the Commandos’ Locust-1Es proved instrumental 
  in denying the Davions a quick victory outside of the city of 
  Tristram, their speed and improved firepower often confounding 
  the enemy forces trying to contain them. 
  As more Locust-1Es were rushed to the field, the Confederation 
  Strategios saw to it that nearly every front-line regiment was put 
  on the list for a minimum of one company of the new variants. 
  Unfortunately, the widespread disruption of interstellar shipping, 
  combined with the loss of several key industrial border worlds and 
  a declining economy, hindered laser manufacturing realm-wide. 
  Bergan simply could not meet the CCAF’s demands fast enough. 
  As a result, the majority of the 1Es produced were shipped to 
  regiments closer to Ares—those along the Davion front.
  As the First War finally began to wind down, Locust-1Es took part 
  in the CCAF’s few victories against the Federated Suns. Indeed, the 
  retaking of Castleton, Farwell, and Ulan Batar might not have been 
  possible were it not for the swarms of these Capellan “Energy Locusts.”
  NOTABLE MECHWARRIORS
  Subcommander Buster “Buzz-Kill” Sakhoff: Subcommander 
  Sakhoff led a lance of LCT-1E Locusts that took part in the CCAF’s 
  second conquest of Ulan Batar, the last major combat action in the 
  First War between the Capellan Confederation and the Federated 
  Suns. Known among his men as “Buzz-Kill” for his peculiar habit of 
  reminding them how they’re always one PPC bolt from death every 
  time they take to the field, Sakhoff fought with a mix of speed and 
  recklessness that bordered on suicidal. 
  His favorite tactic was a perfect example of this combat style. 
  By racing directly at slower-moving lances of light or medium 
  ’Mechs at full speed, he would fire his lasers the instant they came 
  into range, often more to frighten and scatter his enemy than to 
  cause any actual damage. Maneuvering to avoid collisions only 
  at the last moment, he would then flip his 1E’s lasers backward 
  and fire again, often blazing holes into a target’s rearward armor 
  without ever slowing his stride. With this technique—its impact 
  multiplied by four as all of his lance mates followed suit—he was 
  credited with four kills (and two assists) in the battle for Ulan Batar.
  OVERVIEW
  Debuting in 2499, the lightweight Locust BattleMech was 
  already widely familiar in recon lances and raiding forces by the 
  onset of the Succession Wars. Although originally introduced by 
  Bergan Industries on Ares for sale to the Capellan Confederation, 
  the rise of the Star League led to additional Locust manufacturing 
  sites on New Earth (for the Terran Hegemony and SLDF), and all four 
  of the Territorial States in the Periphery (under Bergan license) by 
  the time of the Amaris Coup.
  In the two hundred years after its introduction, three variations 
  on the baseline LCT-1V model emerged: the LCT-1Vb “Royal” 
  variant, the SRM-based LCT-1S variant, and the LRM-based LCT-
  1M. Of these, the most advanced was the “Royal” LCT-1Vb variant 
  built on New Earth after 2610. Production of this model ended in 
  the midst of the Star League’s collapse, first stalling as a result of 
  Amaris-era damage to the Bergan facilities, then ended entirely 
  by ComStar’s looting of advanced equipment from the New Earth 
  factory complex. At roughly the same time, the destruction of the 
  Timbuktu-based Diplass BattleMechs site in the course of the SLDF 
  invasion of the Rim Worlds ended the manufacture of 1V models for 
  the crumbling Republic.
  The remaining Locust production sites survived the Star 
  League’s collapse and—despite shattered economies and the 
  return of total warfare—continued to work toward arming the 
  surviving realms, with the Ares factories running full-tilt to fill 
  the needs of the CCAF. When the First Succession War kicked 
  off, Locusts scurried into battle by the company, much like their 
  namesake insects. As the heavy fighting of the early war years gave 
  way to lower-intensity raiding, the Confederation ordered Bergan 
  Industries to furnish them with a newer scout ’Mech that could 
  deliver greater punch with less munitions consumption. Bergan 
  answered in 2811 with a new Locust variant: the LCT-1E.
  LCT-1E LOCUST
  Mass: 20 tons
  Chassis: Bergan VII
  Power Plant: LTV 160
  Cruising Speed: 86 kph
  Flank Speed: 129 kph
  Jump Jets: None
   
  Jump Capacity: None
  Armor: StarSlab/1
  Armament:
   
  2 Martell Medium Lasers
   
  2 Magna Small Lasers
  Manufacturer: Bergan Industries
   
  Primary Factory: Ares
  Communications System: Garrett T10-B
  Targeting and Tracking System: O/P 911
  
  155
  lCT-1E lOCUST
  TECHNICAl REAdOUT
  LOCUST
  Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
  Tonnage: 20
  Battle Value: 553
  Equipment 
   
  Mass
  Internal Structure: 
   
  2
  Engine:  
  160 
  6
   
  Walking MP:  
  8 
   
  Running MP:  
  12
   
  Jumping MP:  
  0
  Heat Sinks:  
  10 
  0
  Gyro: 
   
  2
  Cockpit: 
   
  3
  Armor Factor: 
  64 
  4
   
   
  Internal Structure Armor Value
  Head 
  3 
  8
  Center Torso 
  6 
  10
  Center Torso (rear) 
   
  2
  R/L Torso 
  5 
  8
  R/L Torso (rear) 
   
  2
  R/L Arm 
  3 
  4
  R/L Leg 
  4 
  8
  WEAPONS AND AMMO 
    
   
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Medium Laser 
  RA 
  1 
  1
  Small Laser 
  RA 
  1 
  .5
  Medium Laser 
  LA 
  1 
  1
  Small Laser 
  LA 
  1 
  .5
  Notes
  Features the following Design Quirks: Compact 
  ’Mech, Cramped Cockpit, Narrow/Low Profile, No/
  Minimal Arms, No Torso Twist, Weak Legs
  Unit Type 
  Role 
  TP 
  SZ MV TMM S/M/L OV 
  A/S 
  PV 
  Special
  Locust LCT-1D 
  Scout 
  BM 
  1 16” 
  3 
  2/1/0 
  0 
  2/2 
  15 
  ENE
  
  156
  WSP-1d/1k/1l WASP
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  The other two First War Wasp variants—the 1K and 1D—were 
  actually after-market refits. Designated for the Houses who first fielded 
  them, these machines largely reflected changes made due to logistical 
  attrition in the latter years of the war. For the Davion variant (1D), the 
  1A’s SRM launcher was swapped in favor of a pair of small lasers and 
  a flamethrower for anti-infantry work, in an effort to improve its use 
  as a raider. The Kurita (1K) variant also dropped its SRM launcher, but 
  replaced it with a single machine gun and an extra half-ton of armor, to 
  improve the machine’s utility in clearing cities without wasting missiles. 
  BATTLE HISTORY
  Of the new Wasp variants, only the Capellan WSP-1L variant saw 
  much use during the First Succession War. Deployed as intended in 
  a number of raiding actions along both fronts, its performance was 
  deemed adequate by the CCAF leadership, but far from spectacular. 
  The largest concentration of these machines saw use in the multiple 
  battles for Oriente, where three full companies were dispersed in 
  lance-sized formations among the various assault forces sent to seize 
  the vital system. Of these thirty-six Wasp-1Ls, however, only five were 
  still operational by the time the FWLM forced the Confederation back 
  to its borders.
  The Kuritan WSP-1K appeared just as the Federated Suns pushed 
  the DCMS back to its prewar border, and was primarily funneled 
  to defensive commands in that region in anticipation of a Davion 
  incursion. When the Federated Suns chose not to push its luck further, 
  these ’Mechs were left largely untested. Likewise, the Suns’ 1D variant 
  also saw little use in the years immediately after its debut; thanks to 
  exhausted supply lines and massive industrial damage throughout the 
  war, the first of these models did not march off the production lines 
  until two years after the war had ended.
  NOTABLE MECHWARRIORS
  Subcommander Rico Cazador: Attached to the task force 
  hastily assembled for the third assault against Oriente in late-2805, 
  Subcommander Cazador of the Twenty-Fourth Sian Dragoons 
  commanded a lance of Wasps, of which two were the new 1L 
  configuration. In the battle to capture Oriente’s capital city of Cadiz, he 
  and his lance were ordered to support CCAF infantry squads in clearing 
  enemy insurgents from among the city’s buildings. Considering himself 
  an honorable warrior, he specifically forbade his lance mates from using 
  lethal munitions in an effort to keep civilian deaths to a minimum, 
  restricting his lance to using a mix of tear gas and smoke rounds against 
  any structures from which small arms fire erupted. 
  This technique did indeed prevent a number of civilian casualties, 
  and even aided his attached infantry squads in clearing swaths of the 
  city with minimal losses. But it did so at a rate that Cazador’s superiors 
  considered far too slow for their liking. Thus, when the FWLM finally 
  landed its troops on Oriente in December, the subcommander and 
  his lance were assigned the task of harassing the enemy vanguards. 
  Though he knew the mission was a death sentence, Cazador and his 
  lance of Wasps sold themselves dearly to delay the League’s advance 
  on Cadiz. Using Inferno and smoke munitions to scorch the land and 
  obscure their movements, the four MechWarriors were able to not only 
  slow down the inbound Regulan Hussars, but managed to take out two 
  lances of combat vehicles and three light ’Mechs before succumbing to 
  concentrated fire.
  OVERVIEW
  A venerable BattleMech first produced for the Terran Hegemony 
  by General Mechanics in 2471, the WSP-1A Wasp was as ubiquitous as 
  it was unchanging throughout the Star League era. The first BattleMech 
  to feature jump jets, the Wasp was lauded as cutting edge when it was 
  new, and became the first recon ’Mech to enter mass production for the 
  Terran military. Thousands of Wasps were built in the centuries prior to 
  the Star League’s collapse, but few integrated the newer technologies 
  the SLDF developed. (The closest thing to a Wasp variant to appear in 
  the Star League period, in fact, was the Land-Air BattleMech version.)
  By the time of the Amaris Crisis, the WSP-1A was in production at 
  several sites throughout the Inner Sphere, including factories in all four 
  Periphery states, the Free Worlds League, the Lyran Commonwealth, 
  and the Capellan Confederation. While this explains how the venerable 
  machine managed to survive the hellish years of the Succession Wars, it 
  only further baffles those who wonder why new Wasp variants did not 
  emerge until after the League’s collapse.
  CAPABILITIES
  Of the three new Wasp models to emerge during the First 
  Succession War, only one—1L variant—was born in the factory. Intended 
  to augment forces deployed on a multitude of raiding missions, this 
  machine replaced the 1A’s weapon loadout with a four-tube SRM 
  launcher, mounted on the right arm in place of the laser. The CCAF 
  Strategios envisioned deploying this ’Mech with multiple munitions 
  types based on the mission at hand, such as incendiary or gas SRMs for 
  anti-infantry support, or smoke SRMs for recon-concealment.
  WSP-1D/1K/1L WASP
  Mass: 20 tons
  Chassis: 1A Type 3
  Power Plant: Hermes 120
  Cruising Speed: 64 kph
  Flank Speed: 97 kph
  Jump Jets: Rawlings 52
   
  Jump Capacity: 180 meters
  Armor: Durallex Light
  Armament:
  WSP-1D Variant
   
  1 Diverse Optics 2 Medium Laser
   
  1 Olympian Flamer
   
  2 ChisComp 32 Small Lasers
  WSP-1K Variant
   
  1 Diverse Optics 2 Medium Laser
   
  1 SperryBrowning Machine Gun
  WSP-1L Variant
   
  1 Holly Short Range Missile 4 Pack
  Manufacturer: Irian BattleMechs Unlimited,  
   
  Hellespont ’Mech Works
   
  Primary Factory: Shiro III (Irian), Sian (Hellespont)
  Communications System: Duotech 65
  Targeting and Tracking System: RadCom TXX
  
  157
  WSP-1d/1k/1l WASP
  TECHNICAl REAdOUT
  WASP
  Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
  Tonnage: 20
  Battle Value (1D): 403
  Battle Value (1K): 376
  Battle Value (1L): 335
  Equipment 
   
  Mass
  Internal Structure: 
   
  2
  Engine:  
  120 
  4
   
  Walking MP:  
  6 
   
  Running MP:  
  9
   
  Jumping MP:  
  6
  Heat Sinks:  
  10 
  0
  Gyro: 
   
  2
  Cockpit: 
   
  3
  Armor Factor (1D,1L): 48 
  3
   
   
  Internal Structure Armor Value
  Head 
  3 
  4
  Center Torso 
  6 
  6
  Center Torso (rear) 
   
  4
  R/L Torso 
  5 
  6
  R/L Torso (rear) 
   
  2
  R/L Arm 
  3 
  4
  R/L Leg 
  4 
  5
  Armor Factor (1K):  56 
  3.5
   
   
  Internal Structure Armor Value
  Head 
  3 
  5
  Center Torso 
  6 
  7
  Center Torso (rear) 
   
  4
  R/L Torso 
  5 
  7
  R/L Torso (rear) 
   
  2
  R/L Arm 
  3 
  5
  R/L Leg 
  4 
  6
  WEAPONS AND AMMO 
  1D Variant 
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Medium Laser 
  RA 
  1 
  1
  2 Small Lasers 
  LT 
  2 
  1
  1 Flamer 
  LL 
  1 
  1
  1K Variant 
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Medium Laser 
  RA 
  1 
  1
  Machine Gun 
  LT 
  1 
  .5
  Ammo (MG) 200 
  LT 
  1 
  1
  1L Variant 
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  SRM 4 
  RA 
  1 
  3
  Ammo (SRM) 25 
  RT 
  1 
  1
  All Variants 
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Jump Jet 
  RT 
  1 
  .5
  Jump Jets 
  CT 
  2 
  1
  Jump Jet 
  LT 
  1 
  .5
  Jump Jet 
  RL 
  1 
  .5
  Jump Jet 
  LL 
  1 
  .5
  Notes
  Features the following Design Quirks: Easy to 
  Maintain, Extended Torso Twist 
  Unit Type 
  Role 
  TP 
  SZ MV TMM S/M/L OV 
  A/S 
  PV 
  Special
  Wasp WSP-1D 
  Scout 
  BM 
  1 12”j 2 
  2/1/0 
  0 
  2/2 
  15 
  ENE
  Wasp WSP-1K 
  Scout 
  BM 
  1 12”j 2 
  1/1/0 
  0 
  2/2 
  14 
  Wasp WSP-1L 
  Scout 
  BM 
  1 12”j 2 
  1/1/0 
  0 
  2/2 
  14 
  
  158
  vlk-QA vAlkyRIE
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  While Corean’s output still lagged behind the rate at which the 
  Federated Suns was losing materiel to its invaders, it all but ensured that 
  Valkyries would find themselves shipped to the front lines by the battalion. 
  Some of these shipments would be diverted en route—redirected to other 
  commands as their destination worlds fell—while others were intercepted 
  and destroyed or captured by the Kuritans. Enough made it to the front to 
  see extensive use in battle, but in their haste to get there, many saw combat 
  with bare, unprimed armor and factory labels instead of regimental colors 
  and insignia.
  As AFFS commands fell before the DCMS and Davion troops scattered 
  into resistance groups and raiding parties, Valkyries became a common 
  sight in their insurgent activities. In this capacity, their combination 
  of lighter weight, decent mobility, and long-range hitting power gave 
  the rebel forces exceptional supporting fire without risking their more 
  expensive, slower, and heavier machines in the bargain. VLKs would thus 
  play key roles in the operations of behind-the-lines forces operating on 
  Galtor, New Rhodes, and, of course, Kentares IV.
  Corean Enterprises continued to produce Valkyries by the company, 
  even as the Federated Suns regained its footing after the Kentares Massacre, 
  but by then the logistical strain was taking its toll. Shortages of parts and 
  shipping disruption had reduced the factory’s output by half, which barely 
  enabled them to keep up with demand. Twice throughout the war, the 
  New Avalon complexes suffered from months-long shutdowns to address 
  wear and tear on their semi-automated, Star League-quality assembly 
  equipment.
  NOTABLE MECHWARRIORS
  Leftenant Rachel Akron (“The Avenger”): Leftenant Akron was one 
  of the survivors of the Seventh Crucis Lancers still operating as a resistance 
  force on Kentares IV in 2796. Shot out of her Enforcer during the Combine’s 
  conquest of that world, she was assigned to infantry duties when the 
  Seventh remained behind to continue harassing the DCMS occupiers. A 
  shipment of Valkyries, smuggled to the planet in 2792, put her back at 
  the helm of a BattleMech. Over the next four years, Akron and her Valkyrie 
  served as the sole ’Mech support for a series of ground raids led by her 
  former infantry platoon. Often using her ’Mech as bait, she would lure away 
  the heavier defenses around the various depots and supply caravans they 
  hit, leading these units into improvised traps that kept them busy enough 
  for the rebel commandos to claim the goods and escape.
  When word of Minoru’s assassination on Kentares prompted Prince 
  Davion to recall the Seventh from that planet, Leftenant Akron was among 
  the majority who obeyed those orders, in the hopes that the DCMS would 
  not retaliate against the people of Kentares. Most of her infantry comrades 
  remained behind, intent on monitoring the situation. When she returned 
  to Kentares in the wake of the Massacre, she learned that her infantry were 
  among those killed by a First Sword of Light recon lance commanded by 
  Chu-i Sohoshi Oshita. 
  Incensed, Leftenant Akron requested an immediate leave of absence 
  to take up the bounty offered by House Davion for the heads of all members 
  of Oshita’s recon lance. By 2801, not only were all members of the infamous 
  DCMS command dead, but so too were their technicians. Aided in her 
  efforts by a small mercenary command, Akron tracked the recon lance to 
  their latest posting on Tallmadge. There, as the mercenary bounty hunters 
  set an ambush for the Kurita MechWarriors, Akron personally saw to the 
  deaths of Oshita’s technicians, stomping many under her Valkyrie’s feet 
  when she stormed their unprotected field hangars. 
  OVERVIEW
  The VLK-QA Valkyrie was originally commissioned by the Star League 
  in the immediate aftermath of its civil war. At the time of the order, many 
  believed that inter-realm business would soon return to normal in the wake 
  of the Amaris years. Anticipating the SLDF’s pressing need for replenishment 
  after the conflict, the more profit-conscious military tech industries of the 
  Great Houses made themselves ready, willing, and able to take advantage 
  of this new demand. Corean Enterprises—one of the largest non-Terran 
  defense industries to do business with the League military—thus easily 
  secured a contract to produce a machine its marketing department billed 
  as a lightweight support-fire unit.
  When the Star League collapsed before the first Valkyries walked off 
  the assembly lines on New Avalon, these machines instead found their way 
  into the armies of the soon-to-be beleaguered Federated Suns.
  CAPABILITIES
  For a light ’Mech, the Valkyrie possessed only an average land speed 
  compared to many of its contemporaries. Topping out at just under ninety 
  kilometers per hour, with a 150-meter jumping range, it was about as 
  maneuverable as high-end medium ’Mechs such as the Shadow Hawk and 
  Griffin. This was considered acceptable, however, as its battlefield role was 
  less focused on pursuit and reconnaissance, and more on fire support. 
  Intended to act in concert with other light ’Mechs better suited to close-in 
  work, the Valkyrie would play the huntsman to its lance mates’ hounds, 
  lobbing missiles at a target from afar while they worried the opponent’s 
  armor with quick slashing attacks.
  BATTLE HISTORY
  The Valkyrie debuted in 2787—barely one year into the First Succession 
  War, and mere months after the Draconis Combine’s border-wide assault 
  against the Federated Suns. As the DCMS continued to overrun world 
  upon world, the AFFS sent a rapidly increasing number of orders to Corean 
  Enterprises for replacement machines, resulting in a faster and faster 
  production cycle until the factory was pumping out almost 200 VLKs per 
  year on New Avalon. 
  VLK-QA VALKYRIE
  Mass: 30 tons
  Chassis: Corean Model 1AA
  Power Plant: Omni 150
  Cruising Speed: 54 kph
  Flank Speed: 86 kph
  Jump Jets: Norse Industries 3S
   
  Jump Capacity: 150 meters
  Armor: Reise 470
  Armament:
   
  1 Sutel IX Medium Laser
   
  1 Devastator Series-7 LRM 10
  Manufacturer: Corean Enterprises
   
  Primary Factory: New Avalon
  Communications System: Lynx-shur
  Targeting and Tracking System:  
   
  Sync-Tracker (39-42071)
  
  159
  vlk-QA vAlkyRIE
  TECHNICAl REAdOUT
  VALKYRIE
  Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
  Tonnage: 30
  Battle Value: 723
  Equipment 
   
  Mass
  Internal Structure: 
   
  3
  Engine:  
  150 
  5.5
   
  Walking MP:  
  5
   
  Running MP:  
  8
   
  Jumping MP:  
  5
  Heat Sinks:  
  11 
  1
  Gyro: 
   
  2
  Cockpit: 
   
  3
  Armor Factor:  
  96 
  6
   
   
  Internal Structure Armor Value
  Head 
  3 
  8
  Center Torso 
  10 
  14
  Center Torso (rear) 
   
  4
  R/L Torso 
  7 
  12
  R/L Torso (rear) 
   
  2
  R/L Arms 
  5 
  9
  R/L Legs 
  7 
  12
  WEAPONS AND AMMO 
    
   
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Medium Laser 
  RA 
  1 
  1
  Ammo (LRM) 
  RT 
  1 
  1
  LRM 10 
  LT 
  2 
  5
  Jump Jets 
  RL 
  2 
  1
  Jump Jet 
  CT 
  1 
  .5
  Jump Jets 
  LL 
  2 
  1
  Notes
  Features the following Design Quirks: Easy to 
  Maintain, Improved Communications
  Unit Type 
  Role 
  TP 
  SZ MV TMM S/M/L OV 
  A/S 
  PV 
  Special
  Valkyrie VLK-QA MBoat 
  BM 
  1 10”j 2 
  1/2/1 
  0 
  3/3 
  21 
  IF1
  
  160
  SHd-2d/2k SHAdOW HAWk
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  The Combine’s 2K variant likewise sought improved firepower. This 
  version dropped the close-in weapons and the autocannon, replacing them 
  with a PPC to enhance the machine’s ability to pummel targets at long range. 
  However, there was another reason for this change that was more telling: at the 
  time the 2K emerged in 2803, the Federated Suns was beginning to turn back 
  the Kuritans on nearly every front, often seizing or destroying whole depots 
  of stockpiled munitions and supplies—exacerbating a dearth in autocannon 
  components that the Combine was quietly wrestling with, which in turn forced 
  the DCMS to seek alternative weaponry that could be obtained more readily.
  BATTLE HISTORY
  The Federated Suns’ Shadow Hawk 2D refit first hit battlefields in 2796, 
  shortly before the Kentares Massacre. With no native factories to produce 
  new Shadow Hawks, the AFFS instead distributed refit kits and instructions 
  to its front line commands, encouraging them to make their modifications 
  as needed. After First Prince Paul Davion took the throne and approved the 
  uncoordinated reactionary assaults that stalled the Combine advance, he 
  saw that many of these refit kits went to those commands that proved most 
  successful in such operations. This essentially made the 2D refit one of the 
  many rewards that his field commanders could reap in their raids against 
  the Dragon, while also adding further incentives to hit worlds where the 
  DCMS might be stockpiling compatible munitions.
  The Draconis Combine’s 2K Shadow Hawks first saw battle against 
  Capellan forces on Rio, when the DCMS raided that world (for the third time) 
  in 2803. The PPC-armed Shadow Hawks proved quite effective against the 
  Confederation defenders, but the Kuritan raiders simply lacked the numbers 
  to hold their ground for very long. It would not be until 2805, when the AFFS 
  counterassaults reached the occupied world of New Valencia, that the Combine 
  would finally see how its 2K variant fared against the 2D Shadow Hawks.
  NOTABLE MECHWARRIORS
  Chu-i Karina Ayeed (“The Saber Smasher”): A female ace MechWarrior 
  in the Second Arkab Legion, Chu-i Ayeed was considered an oddity on many 
  levels. Cold and tenacious, she was the bane of the AFFS in engagements 
  throughout the war, but achieved her near-legendary status during the opening 
  months of the Suns’ third counteroffensive. During a prior Davion assault on 
  Strawn, both Ayeed and her Shadow Hawk-2H suffered severe damage while 
  covering the DCMS retreat. Although both survived, Ayeed spent months in 
  recovery while her ’Mech was repaired and refit to the 2K variant. 
  By the time she faced FedSuns MechWarriors again on Doneval II on 
  2811, Ayeed had already made a name for herself as a dedicated insurgent-
  stalker who had hunted down and destroyed pro-Davion rebels across 
  several Combine-occupied worlds, marking her kills as shattered swords 
  painted on the shoulder plates of her ’Mech. Over the course of the two-
  month struggle to hold Doneval, Ayeed added four more “smashed sabers” 
  to her kill card until her superiors informed her that, once again, the Second 
  Arkab had been ordered to retreat.
  Without hesitation, Chu-i Ayeed volunteered herself to help cover 
  the Legion’s withdrawal. While her fellow warriors fell back, she and a few 
  other volunteers arranged themselves to face a demi-company of pursuing 
  AFFS BattleMechs. The moment she sighted the first of these enemy units, 
  however, Ayeed’s normally stoic composure gave way to a sudden berserker 
  rage. Charging forward, she savaged the approaching ’Mechs, taking one 
  down before they could even react to her rampage. By the time the startled 
  Davions managed to cripple her Shadow Hawk, Ayeed had killed two more 
  of them and seized a third in a “death hug,” detonating her own fusion plant 
  to take just one more enemy down with her. 
  OVERVIEW
  Much like the Wasp, the Shadow Hawk’s origins extend back to the 
  earliest days of ’Mech development. The ’Mech was first produced for the 
  Terran Hegemony by Lang Industries as early as 2467, using far more primitive 
  components. Also like the Wasp, the standard model of the Shadow Hawk—
  the SHD-2H—became a mainstay that remained largely unchanged in form 
  and function throughout the Star League era. Armed with a broad variety of 
  weapons, this ’Mech boasted excellent maneuverability for its size, and was one 
  of the heaviest to feature jump jets when it debuted. This made the Shadow 
  Hawk an outstanding all-aspect combatant which found its way into the armies 
  of each of the Star League’s Member and Territorial States by the mid-2700s. 
  The eruption of the First Succession War severed the trade routes that 
  had helped to distribute the SHD across the Inner Sphere, so much so that 
  those realms that lacked their own Shadow Hawk factories—specifically the 
  Draconis Combine and Federated Suns—found it increasingly difficult to 
  maintain their damaged units. By the late 2790s, this obstacle prompted 
  the emergence of the Davion variant (the SHD-2D), followed by the Kurita 
  variant (SHD-2K) less than a decade later.
  CAPABILITIES
  Both the 2D and 2K variants of the Shadow Hawk were field refits, 
  devised to meet the strategic needs their respective creators faced at the 
  time. For the Federated Suns, reeling against the Draconis Combine’s all-
  out assault, the goal was to create a BattleMech that could deliver more 
  anti-’Mech firepower to the front as cheaply as possible. Thus, the 2D model 
  reduced its armor protection to make room for additional SRMs and medium 
  lasers—creating a raider unit with nearly twice the firepower at brawling 
  range, but offering a level of protection more consistent with a scout. 
  SHD-2D/2K SHADOW HAWK
  Mass: 55 tons
  Chassis: Earthwerks SHD
  Power Plant: CoreTek 275
  Cruising Speed: 54 kph
  Flank Speed: 86 kph
  Jump Jets: Pitban LFT-50
   
  Jump Capacity: 90 meters
  Armor: Maximilian 43
  Armament:
  SHD-2D Variant
   
  1 Armstrong J11 Autocannon
   
  1 Holly Long Range Missile 5 Rack
   
  2 Holly Short Range Missile 2 Packs
   
  2 Martel Model 5 Medium Lasers
  SHD-2K Variant
   
  1 Donal PPC
   
  1 Holly Long Range Missile 5 Rack
  Manufacturer: Lang Industries, Earthwerks Incorporated
   
  Primary Factory: Caph (Lang),  
   
   
  Calloway VI (Earthwerks)
  Communications System: O/P 300 COMSET
  Targeting and Tracking System: O/P 2000A
  
  161
  SHd-2d/2k SHAdOW HAWk
  TECHNICAl REAdOUT
  SHADOW HAWK
  Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
  Tonnage: 55
  Battle Value (2D): 889
  Battle Value (2K): 1,147
  Equipment 
   
  Mass
  Internal Structure: 
   
  5.5
  Engine:  
  275 
  15.5
   
  Walking MP:  
  5
   
  Running MP:  
  8
   
  Jumping MP:  
  3
  Heat Sinks (2D):  
  14 
  4
  Heat Sinks (2K):  
  17 
  7
  Gyro: 
   
  3
  Cockpit: 
   
  3
  Armor Factor (2D):  72 
  4.5
   
   
  Internal Structure Armor Value
  Head 
  3 
  6
  Center Torso 
  18 
  12
  Center Torso (rear) 
   
  6
  R/L Torso 
  13 
  9
  R/L Torso (rear) 
   
  5
  R/L Arm 
  9 
  5
  R/L Leg 
  13 
  5
  Armor Factor (2K): 152 
  9.5
   
   
  Internal Structure Armor Value
  Head 
  3 
  9
  Center Torso 
  18 
  23
  Center Torso (rear) 
   
  8
  R/L Torso 
  13 
  18
  R/L Torso (rear) 
   
  6
  R/L Arm 
  9 
  16
  R/L Leg 
  13 
  16
  WEAPONS AND AMMO 
  2D Variant 
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Medium Laser 
  RA 
  1 
  1
  LRM 5 
  RT 
  1 
  2
  Ammo (LRM) 24 
  RT 
  1 
  1
  Ammo (SRM) 50 
  RT 
  1 
  1
  SRM 2 
  CT 
  1 
  1
  SRM 2 
  HD 
  1 
  1
  Autocannon/5 
  LT 
  4 
  8
  Ammo (AC) 20 
  LT 
  1 
  1
  Ammo (SRM) 50 
  LT 
  1 
  1
  Medium Laser 
  LA 
  1 
  1
  2K Variant 
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  LRM 5 
  RT 
  1 
  2
  Ammo (LRM) 24 
  RT 
  1 
  1
  PPC 
  LT 
  3 
  7
  Both Variants 
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Jump Jet 
  RT 
  1 
  .5
  Jump Jet 
  CT 
  1 
  .5
  Jump Jet 
  LT 
  1 
  .5
  Notes
  Features the following Design Quirks: Battlefists, 
  Improved Life Support, Exposed Weapon Linkage 
  (Autocannon/5, 1D variant; PPC, 2K variant)
  Unit Type 
  Role 
  TP SZ 
  MV 
  TMM S/M/L OV A/S PV 
  Special
  Shadow Hawk SHD-2D Striker BM 2 10”/6”j 
  2 
  2/3/1 0 
  2/5 
  24 
  IF0*
  Shadow Hawk SHD-2K Sniper BM 2 10”/6”j 
  2 
  1/2/2 0 
  5/5 
  30 
  IF0*
  
  162
  WvR-6m WOlvERINE
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  BATTLE HISTORY
  The first WVR-6M variants entered the war en masse a year 
  after they marched off the assembly lines, during the League’s final 
  invasion of Bella I in 2817. There, two lances of these ’Mechs were 
  deployed alongside a mixed company of standard 3R and Star League-
  era 3K variants. In the high-mobility fighting across the planet, this 
  all-Wolverine battle group kept the Steiners guessing about their 
  capabilities, denying them an easy defense strategy.
  The 6M’s heat management issues, however, also led to some 
  of the more embarrassing failures in the battle for Bella I. A few 
  Marik MechWarriors who received these refits tried to use them as 
  aggressively as they did the original, much cooler-running 6R models. 
  Several of these warriors thus found their machines growing sluggish 
  far more quickly than anticipated, and a few succumbed to heat-
  induced ammunition explosions that claimed the ’Mech and pilot alike. 
  NOTABLE MECHWARRIORS
  Mackenzie “The Knife” Henkel: Originally a company 
  commander in the Free Worlds League Military, Mackenzie Henkel’s career 
  took an unexpected turn in the course of the League-Commonwealth 
  fighting over the Solaris Bulge. Originally assigned to a medium support 
  company on Kalidasa, Henkel led her command from the cockpit of a 
  rare, SLDF-model TBT-3C Trebuchet when LCAF forces invaded the planet 
  in 2819. A majority of the League defenders were intercepted in space on 
  their way to another off-world post, but Henkel’s company were among 
  the lucky ones who had not been among them. This, however, did not 
  spare her or her men the Lyrans’ wrath when they eventually landed.
  Despite the advanced nature of her Trebuchet (or possibly because 
  of it), Henkel was quickly shot out of her BattleMech, and reassigned 
  to a Wolverine WVR-6M whose pilot had been killed. For much of the 
  two-month ground war on Kalidasa, Henkel adapted to her new ride 
  and her new role as a raider, with five kills to her credit by the time 
  the planet surrendered. Among the few surviving FWLM troops who 
  managed to evade capture, Henkel was apparently prepared to stay 
  and wage a guerilla war against the Lyran occupiers. Instead, League 
  operatives managed to smuggle her and her BattleMech off-world 
  mere weeks later. 
  With her command all but destroyed, Henkel was temporarily 
  reassigned to serve as a liaison with the Red Eagles mercenary 
  battalion. When the Eagles were paired up with elements of Clinton’s 
  Cutthroats to raid Solaris VII just a few months later, Henkel went with 
  them, taking part in several skirmishes among the Bracken Swamps 
  northeast of Solaris City. Unfortunately for the mercenaries, the LCAF 
  response proved effective enough to separate several of their warriors 
  from the rest, and as the raiders fled the planet, Henkel found herself 
  stranded in what was now enemy territory. Before she could get a 
  message back to her comrades, the planet was bombarded by the 
  Despiser, an orbiting League destroyer—with Henkel dangerously close 
  to ground zero as thousands perished.
  Horrified by the carnage she witnessed firsthand, Henkel quit 
  the League’s service. Partnering up with the few Red Eagle survivors 
  she could find, she created the Red Knives, an independent stable 
  of MechWarriors who made their living in the arenas of Solaris. 
  Still piloting her WVR-6M Wolverine, Henkel developed a signature 
  combat style in which she almost always dispatched her opponents 
  via “backstabbing” laser fire. For this reason, and her place as de facto 
  leader of the Red Knives stable, Henkel became known as “the Knife”.
  OVERVIEW
  By the mid-2810s, decades of heavy fighting along the Free 
  Worlds League’s border with the Lyran Commonwealth had savaged 
  industries and shipping on both sides of the line. In the wake of the 
  League’s failure to ward off the Commonwealth’s final invasion of the 
  Bolan Thumb worlds, the heaviest action focused on the central border 
  region, with both realms clashing repeatedly on and around the world 
  of Bella I. Located close to this active warzone, the Kallon Industries 
  factories on Thermopolis managed to weather the conflict with only 
  minor damage to its WVR-6R Wolverine assembly lines. 
  But while Kallon could still produce the Wolverine chassis on 
  Thermopolis, the Lyran raids had destroyed the factory’s stockpile of 
  GM Whirlwind autocannons. Forced to adapt to this shortage, the local 
  engineers devised a new variant that would not only overcome Kallon’s 
  lack of autocannons, but also enhanced the ’Mech’s firepower and its 
  endurance as a strike raider. This new House Marik variant—designated 
  as the WVR-6M—hit the field in 2816.
  CAPABILITIES
  Trading in its lost autocannon for a large laser in the same 
  semi-detachable mount, the Wolverine 6M not only improved its 
  offensive power, but did so with a substantial weight savings that 
  the designers used to add a second medium laser, additional heat 
  sinks to handle the load, an even a little more armor. Together, this 
  payload produced a striker with superior firepower and greater 
  protection without sacrificing mobility in the bargain. 
  Although these advantages were somewhat limited by 
  the heat management issues inherent in using so many energy 
  weapons at once, the 6M proved itself many times against House 
  Steiner in the years to come. Impressed by this performance, the 
  FWLM placed increasingly large orders for the new variant, to 
  which Kallon Industries responded by permanently retooling its 
  Thermopolis factory to produce it.
  WVR-6M WOLVERINE
  Mass: 55 tons
  Chassis: Crucis-A
  Power Plant: CoreTek 275
  Cruising Speed: 54 kph
  Flank Speed: 86 kph
  Jump Jets: Northrup 12000
   
  Jump Capacity: 150 meters
  Armor: Maximillian 60
  Armament:
   
  1 Magna Mk III Large Laser
   
  1 Harpoon-6 SRM Launcher
   
  2 Magna Mk II Medium Lasers
  Manufacturer: Kallon Industries
   
  Primary Factory: Thermopolis
  Communications System: Tek BattleCom
  Targeting and Tracking System: Garrett T11b
  
  163
  WvR-6m WOlvERINE
  TECHNICAl REAdOUT
  WOLVERINE
  Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
  Tonnage: 55
  Battle Value: 1,291
  Equipment 
   
  Mass
  Internal Structure: 
   
  5.5
  Engine:  
  275 
  15.5
   
  Walking MP:  
  5
   
  Running MP:  
  8
   
  Jumping MP:  
  5
  Heat Sinks:  
  14 
  4
  Gyro: 
   
  3
  Cockpit: 
   
  3
  Armor Factor:  
  168 
  10.5
   
   
  Internal Structure Armor Value
  Head 
  3 
  9
  Center Torso 
  18 
  25
  Center Torso (rear) 
   
  8
  R/L Torso 
  13 
  20
  R/L Torso (rear) 
   
  6
  R/L Arm 
  9 
  18
  R/L Leg 
  13 
  19
  WEAPONS AND AMMO 
    
   
  Location Critical 
  Tonnage
  Large Laser 
  RA 
  2 
  5
  Ammo (SRM) 15 
  RT 
  1 
  1
  Medium Laser 
  HD 
  1 
  1
  SRM 6 
  LT 
  2 
  3
  Medium Laser 
  LA 
  1 
  1
  Jump Jets 
  RT 
  2 
  1
  Jump Jet 
  CT 
  1 
  .5
  Jump Jets 
  LT 
  2 
  1
  Notes
  Features the following Design Quirks:  
  Command ’Mech, Cramped Cockpit,  
  Extended Torso Twist, Jettison-Capable Weapon 
  (Large Laser), Protected Actuators 
  Unit Type 
  Role 
  TP SZ 
  MV 
  TMM S/M/L OV A/S PV 
  Special
  Wolverine WVR-6M 
  Skirmisher BM 2 
  10”j 
  2 
  2/2/0 1 
  6/5 
  32
  
  164
  ISW: GAmE SETUP
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  Faction Abilities and Flaws
  Consult the Faction Starting Abilities (2786) Table to determine 
  any special Abilities with which a Faction begins play. Abilities in 
  italics indicate new or modified abilities detailed in the Intelligence 
  Operations section of The Second Succession War.
  STARTING SETUP
  The following tables provide the starting data and values for 
  ISW First Succession War play. 
  INNER SPHERE AT WAR 
  (EXPANSION)
  The following rules allow simulation of the First Succession 
  War in an Inner Sphere at War (ISW) game (see pp. 344-368, IO). 
  These rules expand upon—or in some cases, completely replace—
  those from Interstellar Operations. 
  Game Setup provides the playable Factions’ abilities and flaws, 
  while Starting Setup provides their starting Resource Points along 
  with world and force data. 
  GAME SETUP
  Setup the Map
  A pdf of the 2786 Interstellar Hex map is available from the 
  downloads section of bg.BattleTech.com.
  Choose Factions
  The Player Factions (2786) Table lists the common Factions 
  available in 2786, the year the First Succession War began. Players 
  are strongly encouraged to choose only those Factions that border 
  each other, favouring the Great Houses. Smaller Periphery Factions 
  and other minor powers are not generally suitable for play during 
  the First Succession War; they are only listed here for use in localized 
  border conflicts. Mercenary forces are never considered Factions unto 
  themselves; they are controlled only by the player Factions currently 
  employing them, or by the gamemaster when unemployed.
  PLAYER FACTIONS (2786)
  Inner Sphere
  Capellan Confederation
  Draconis Combine
  Federated Suns
  Free Worlds League
  Lyran Commonwealth
  Periphery
  Magistracy of Canopus 
  Outworlds Alliance
  Taurian Concordat
  FACTION STARTING 
  ABILITIES (2786)
  Inner Sphere
  Capellan Confederation 
  Closed State, Poison Pill,  
  State Run, Superior Black Ops
  Draconis Combine 
  Fanatical Offense, Fanatical Defense,  
  State Run, Superior Black Ops
  Federated Suns 
  Decentralized State, Open State,  
  Superior Counterintelligence 
  Free Worlds League 
  Decentralized State, Inferior Black Ops,  
  Inferior Counterintelligence,  
  Merchant King, Parliamentary Chaos, 
  Supply Problems 
  Lyran Commonwealth 
  Flawed Doctrine, Merchant King,  
  Superior Black Ops,  
  Superior Counterintelligence 
  Periphery
  Magistracy of Canopus: 
  Merchant Kings, Poison Pill,  
  Superior Black Ops 
  Taurian Concordat: 
  Dug In, Fanatical Defense,  
  Inferior Black Ops, Poison Pill, 
  Production Issues: BattleMechs
  Outworlds Alliance: 
  Decentralized State,  
  Flawed Doctrine, Production 
  Specialist: Aerospace, Unsteady
  WORLD VALUES  
  TABLE (2786)
  World Type
  RP Value*
  National capital (e.g. Luthien)
  160
  Regional capital (e.g. Robinson)
  80
  Hyper Industrial world (e.g. Terra)
  128
  Major industrial world (e.g. Hesperus)
  80
  Minor industrial world (e.g. New Earth)
  48
  Other world (e.g. Lancaster)
  5
  *Values are cumulative, so a National Capital that is also a Major Industrial 
  World will generate 240RP
  FACTION STARTING RESOUCES  (2786)
  Inner Sphere
  # of Planets
  Starting RP/RP per turn*
  Capellan Confederation
  432
  3723
  Draconis Combine
  404
  3411
  Federated Suns
  538
  4081
  Free Worlds League
  338
  3317
  Lyran Commonwealth
  476
  4029
  Periphery
  # of Planets
  Starting RP/RP per turn*
  Magistracy of Canopus
  65
  726
  Taurian Concordat
  77
  1418
  Outworlds Alliance
  137
  1214
  *Does not include modifiers for Faction Abilities/Flaws
  
  165
  ISW: GAmE SETUP
  RUlES ANNEx
  Starting Military
  The First Succession War ISW campaign uses 
  the Combat Commands listed in the First Succession 
  War Deployment Tables (pp. 148-153). Each Combat 
  Command’s Experience and Loyalty are noted in the Exp/
  Loy column. All listed Combat Commands begin First 
  Succession War campaign play with attendant Jumpships. 
  Each Combat Command is placed in the Interstellar Hex 
  containing the planet listed in the “Post (2786)” column. 
  If a Combat Command has an “[NF]” (Not Founded) 
  notation in its “Strength (2786)” column, then the 
  Faction does not begin play with that Command; all 
  new commands past 2786 are created during gameplay 
  in the Military Development Phase (see p. 166). The 
  Faction is under no obligation to 
  create these “future” Combat 
  Commands, nor is the Faction 
  limited 
  to 
  these 
  named 
  Combat Commands when 
  creating new Commands.
  To convert ISW Combat 
  Commands for use in the 
  Abstract Combat System, as 
  well as Strategic BattleForce, 
  BattleForce, Alpha Strike and 
  Total Warfare, see Converting 
  ISW Combat Commands to 
  Other Systems, p. 166.
  Starting 
  Mercenary 
  Assets: Each Faction begins 
  play with the mercenary 
  Combat Commands detailed 
  in the First Succession War 
  Deployment Tables (pp. 148-
  153), which are counted 
  as “already hired” by those 
  Factions. Combat Commands 
  listed 
  as 
  Uncontracted 
  Mercenaries at the begin-
  ning of play are consid-
  ered 
  “free 
  agents”; 
  see 
  Uncontracted Mercenaries (p. 
  352, IO). Mercenary Combat 
  Commands are converted 
  to ACS play in the same 
  fashion as Faction Combat 
  Commands; see Converting 
  ISW Combat Commands to 
  Other Systems, p. 166)
  MAJOR FACTORY WORLDS TABLE (2786)
  CAPELLAN CONFEDERATION
  World
  Factories
  Type
  Andurien
  1(1)
  Minor
  Ares
  4(2)
  Major
  Ascuncion
  1
  Minor
  Axton
  1 
  Minor
  Bernado
  1
  Minor
  Betelgeuse
  4 
  Major
  Capella 
  4(2) 
  Major
  Corey
  2 
  Minor
  Grand Base
  2 
  Minor
  Indicass
  3 
  Major
  Nanking
  2 
  Minor
  Sarna
  2(1) 
  Minor
  Shiro III
  2 
  Minor
  Sian
  3 
  Major
  St. Ives
  4(2) 
  Major
  Styk
  2 
  Minor
  Tikonov
  8 
  Hyper
  Total:
  46(8)
  DRACONIS COMBINE
  World
  Factories
  Type
  Andurien
  1(1)
  Minor
  Avon
  0(1)
  Other
  Chatham
  4(2) 
  Major
  Dover 
  1(1) 
  Minor
  Irece
  2 
  Minor
  Jarett
  1 
  Minor
  Luthien
  10(3)
  Hyper
  New Oslo (FRR)
  4 
  Major
  New Samarkand
  3 
  Major
  Oldsmith
  6 
  Major
  Proserpina
  4 
  Major
  Satalice (FRR)
  2 
  Minor
  Schuyler
  2(2) 
  Minor
  Spittal
  1 
  Minor
  Total:
  45(9)
  FEDERATED SUNS
  World
  Factories
  Type
  Belladonna
  1 
  Minor
  Crofton
  3 
  Major
  Delavan
  0(2)
  Other
  Galax
  0(3)
  Other
  Johnsondale
  1 
  Minor
  Kathil
  6(1) 
  Major
  Kirklin
  1 
  Minor
  Layover
  3(1) 
  Major
  Marduk
  3 
  Major
  New Avalon
  10
  Hyper
  New Syrtis
  4 
  Major
  New Valencia
  2 
  Minor
  Panpour
  4(2) 
  Major
  Robinson
  2 
  Minor
  Salem
  2 
  Minor
  Talon
  4 
  Major
  Total:
  46(9)
  FREE WORLDS LEAGUE
  World
  Factories
  Type
  Amity
  1 
  Minor
  Atreus
  0(2)
  Other
  Calloway
  3 
  Major
  Clipperton
  0(2)
  Other
  Dalton
  0(1)
  Other
  Emris IV
  5 
  Major
  Gibson
  1(1) 
  Minor
  Irian
  8
  Hyper
  Kalidasa
  5 
  Major
  Kendall
  4 
  Major
  Keystone
  7 
  Major
  Loburg
  2 
  Minor
  Loyalty
  1(2) 
  Minor
  Marik
  2 
  Minor
  Savannah
  2 
  Minor
  Stewart
  4 
  Major
  Tamarind
  0(2)
  Other
  Tematagi
  2 
  Minor
  Thermopolis
  4 
  Major
  Wallis
  2 
  Minor
  Westover
  3 
  Major
  Total:
  56(10)
  LYRAN COMMONWEALTH
  World
  Factories
  Type
  Alarion 
  1(3) 
  Minor
  Arc Royal
  1 
  Minor
  Arcturus
  2 
  Minor
  Carlisle 
  3 
  Major
  Coventry 
  6 
  Major
  Donegal
  3 
  Major
  Furillo
  3 
  Major
  Gibbs
  3(1) 
  Major
  Gienah 
  2 
  Minor
  Hesperus II
  9
  Hyper
  Loxley
  1 
  Minor
  New Earth
  1(2) 
  Minor
  Pandora
  4 
  Major
  Skye
  4(2) 
  Major
  Son Hoa
  4 
  Major
  Sudeten 
  5 
  Major
  Tamar
  1(1) 
  Minor
  Tharkad
  6(1) 
  Major
  Twycross
  4 
  Major
  Yed Posterior
  3 
  Major
  Total:
  65(10)
  PERIPHERY
  World
  Factories
  Type
  Magistracy of Canopus
  Canopus IV
  1(1)
  Minor
  Dunianshire
  2(1)
  Minor
  Total:
  3(2)
  Outworlds Alliance
  Alpheratz
  1
  Minor
  Mitchella
  1 
  Minor
  Ramora
  1
  Minor
  Total:
  3 (0)
  Taurian Concordat
  lliushin
  1(1) 
  Minor
  McLeod's Land
  1
  Minor
  New Vandenburg
  2
  Minor
  Perdition
  3
  Major
  Pinard
  2
  Minor
  Sterope
  2(1) 
  Minor
  Taurus
  2(1) 
  Minor
  Total:
  13(3)
  FACTION CAPITAL WORLDS (2786)
  Inner Sphere
  National
  Regional
  Capellan Confederation
  Sian
  Tikonov, Sarna, Capella, St. Ives, Andurien
  Draconis Combine
  Luthien
  Rasalhague, Galedon V, Pesht, Benjamin
  Federated Suns
  New Avalon
  New Syrtis, Robinson
  Free Worlds League
  Atreus
  Stewart, Regulus, Oriente, Kanata
  Lyran Commonwealth
  Tharkad
  Donegal, Skye, Tamar
  Periphery
  National
  Regional
  Magistracy of Canopus
  Canopus IV
  Luxen, Ballad II
  Taurian Concordat
  Taurus
  Brinton, Perdition, Dumassas
  Outworlds Alliance
  Alpheratz
  Baliggora, Ramora, Cerberus
  
  166
  mIlITARy dEvElOPmENT PHASE
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  Minoru wants to raise a new Sword of Light Combat Command 
  on his National Capital of Luthien. He wants it to consist of a single 
  medium ’Mech regiment, two light Aerospace wings, one light 
  Armor regiment, and one infantry regiment. The total cost for this 
  is 54 RP. While he would like this unit to have a higher Experience 
  Rating, the highest quality permitted is Regular, which doubles the 
  cost to 108 RP. Minoru insists that the new Combat Command must 
  possess a Fanatical Loyalty rating, and the resulting 2.0 modifier 
  brings the total to 216 RP. Finally, he intends for this force to be very 
  active, and invests in attendant JumpShips, which brings the total 
  cost for the new Combat Command to 432 RP.
  CONVERTING  
  ISW COMBAT COMMANDS  
  TO OTHER SYSTEMS
  The following rules detail how to convert ISW Combat 
  Commands into playable units in the Abstract Combat System, 
  Strategic BattleForce, BattleForce, Total Warfare and Alpha Strike.
  Converting ISW Combat Commands to ACS Formations, 
  Combat Units and Combat Teams: Combat in ISW requires taking 
  Combat Commands—either from a detailed army list or created 
  during ISW game play—and converting them into ACS forces.
  Converting ACS Combat Teams to SBF Formations 
  and Units: ISW campaigns can be expanded by narrowing 
  the scope and “zooming in” by transferring ACS forces to 
  SBF game play.
  Converting SBF Units to BattleForce, Alpha Strike 
  and Total Warfare Elements: Players can drill down even 
  farther by taking their ISW campaigns to familiar tactical 
  levels in which every Element is represented.
  CONVERTING ISW COMBAT 
  COMMANDS TO ACS FORMATIONS, 
  COMBAT UNITS AND TEAMS
  Abstract Combat System Formations
  The first step in converting Combat Commands 
  to Abstract Combat System play is to select the Combat 
  Command to be converted. This Combat Command is 
  the equivalent of the ACS Formation. Place all Aerospace 
  wings into an Aerospace Formation and the rest of the 
  components into a Ground Formation (see Type, p. 305, IO). 
  MILITARY DEVELOPMENT PHASE
  Creating Combat Commands
  The following rules modify and supersede those found under 
  Military Development Phase (p. 353, IO) by introducing Weight 
  ratings to a Combat Command’s constituent Formations. 
  To create a new Combat Command, a player must first 
  determine its composition. Each new Combat Command must have 
  1 ’Mech regiment (and can have no more than 1 ’Mech regiment), 
  but beyond that, its additional attendant Units need not follow the 
  standard for that Faction. The new Command’s exact composition 
  and Weight dictates its cost. The cost is modified based on the 
  Experience Rating (Green or Regular) of the Command and its 
  Loyalty Rating (Questionable, Reliable or Fanatical). This cost is then 
  doubled if the Command will have attendant JumpShips, which 
  has an effect on the transportation cost for the unit (see Movement, 
  p. 358, IO). Once this total cost is subtracted from the Faction’s 
  remaining Resource Points, the new unit can begin its existence on 
  any world within your Faction except an ‘Other’ world. It is available 
  for immediate use, such as combat and transportation.
  Mercenary Combat Commands may not be created by the 
  player Factions using these rules. The gamemaster may, at his own 
  option, decide to create or introduce new mercenary Combat 
  Commands if desired. These forces follow the basic ISW rules.
  NEW COMBAT COMMAND COST TABLE
  Cost (RP) by Weight
  Combat Formation
  Light
  Medium
  Heavy
  Assault
  BattleMech Regiment*
  16
  24
  30
  40
  Aerospace Wing
  8
  12
  15
  24
  Armor Regiment
  8
  12
  15
  24
  Infantry Regiment
  6
  6
  6
  6
  Artillery Battery
  5
  5
  5
  5
  *No more than 1 per Combat Command
  Experience
  Mod.
  Wet Behind the 
  Ears (0 XP)
  x0.5
  Really Green (5 XP)
  x0.75
  Green (9 XP)
  x1
  Regular (13 XP)
  x2
  Loyalty
  Mod.
  Questionable
  x1
  Reliable
  x1.5
  Fanatical
  x2
  Attendant 
  JumpShips
  Mod.
  None
  x1
  Assigned
  x2
  COMBAT COMMAND COST MODIFIERS**
  **Apply the appropriate modifier one at a time 
  to the total cost of the Combat Command
  STANDARD COMBAT COMMAND
   COMPOSITIONS (2786)
  Inner Sphere
  ’Mech 
  Regiment
  Aerospace 
  Wings
  Armor 
  Regiments
  Infantry 
  Regiments
  Artillery 
  Battalions
  Capellan Confederation
  1
  2
  3
  5
  2
  Draconis Combine
  1
  3
  3
  5
  1
  Federated Suns
  1
  2
  3
  5
  1
  Free Worlds League
  1
  2
  3
  8
  1
  Lyran Commonwealth 
  1
  2
  5
  7
  1
  Periphery
  Magistracy of Canopus 
  1
  2
  3
  5
  1
  Outworlds Alliance
  1
  10
  4
  7
  1
  Taurian Concordat 
  1
  2
  3
  5
  1
  Mercenaries
  1
  1
  1
  1
  1
  
  167
  CONvERTING ISW TO ACS
  RUlES ANNEx
  faction (pp. 170-176 ) and go to the ACS Combat Unit sub-
  table. Using the type and Weight of the Combat Unit, find the 
  corresponding row and use the listed stats for the Combat Unit.
  The Combat Unit’s Skill Rating is equal to the Combat 
  Command’s Skill Rating. To determine the Combat Unit’s Tactics 
  and Morale values, follow Steps 3G through 3H under Create 
  ACS Combat Units (see p. 330, IO). If a final PV is required by the 
  gamemaster, it is determined by multiplying it by the skill value 
  modifier. A Unit with a skill value of 4 does not modify its PV.
  Less Experienced Units: For each point that the Unit’s Skill 
  value is higher than 4, multiply the Unit’s PV by 1 – (0.1 per Skill value 
  above 4). Round normally; a Unit’s highest possible Skill value is 7.
  More Experienced Units: For each point that the Unit’s Skill 
  value is lower than 4, multiply the Unit’s PV by 1 + (0.2 per Skill 
  value below 4). Round normally; the minimum PV increase is 1 
  point per point of Skill value improvement. A Unit’s lowest possible 
  Skill value is 0.
  Minoru is converting his First Sword of Light for ACS play. 
  Looking at the Draconis Combine row of the Standard Combat 
  Command Compositions Table (see p. 166), Minoru finds he has 
  an ACS Ground Formation containing 1 ’Mech regiment, 3 armor 
  regiments, 5 infantry regiments, 1 artillery battery and an ACS 
  Aerospace Formation containing 3 aerospace wings. The Combat 
  Command’s Experience Rating is Elite, thus the Formation’s Skill 
  Rating (for both the Ground and Aerospace Formations) is 2. The 
  Formations’ Move, Tactics and Morale Values will be determined 
  after the Combat Units are assigned.
  Minoru’s ’Mech and armor regiments need to be broken 
  down further into battalions before they can be assigned Combat 
  Unit stats. Minoru consults the Random Battalion Composition 
  Table (see p. 167) and rolls 1D6 for his ’Mech regiment. He gets a 
  2, and since the First Sword of Light’s Weight is Heavy, that means 
  its ’Mech regiment is comprised of a medium, a heavy and an 
  assault battalion (Combat Units). Since the First Sword of Light is 
  listed at 133% Strength, another heavy battalion is added (as it is 
  the same Weight as the Combat Command). Minoru rolls again 
  for each of his armor regiments and records the results. For his 
  aerospace wings, he rolls 1D6 for each, resulting in a 3, 6 and a 1. 
  The first and third wings are recorded as heavy (the same as the 
  parent Combat Command), but since he rolled a 6 for the second 
  wing, he can choose its Weight, and decides on a light wing. 
  Minoru’s infantry regiments and artillery battery do not need any 
  further breakdown or Weight designations. All Combat Units are 
  assigned a Skill Rating of 2 (the same as the Formations).
  With all his Combat Units recorded, Minoru can now assign 
  them stat blocks. Looking at the Draconis Combine ISW Combat 
  Command Conversion Tables (p. 171), and the Combat Units sub-
  table, he finds each of his Combat Units and assigns them stats. 
  His first Combat Unit is his medium ’Mech battalion, so he finds 
  that on the table and records its stats as Size 2, Move 6, TMM 4, 
  ARM 36, Short 9, Medium 9, Long 6, no special abilities, PV 108. 
  If Jerome (the gamemaster) needs the final PVs for any reason, 
  Minoru will have to calculate them—in the case of his medium 
  ’Mech battalion, it is PV 151 (108 x 1.4).
  Next Minoru determines Tactics and Morale values for each 
  Combat Unit. For his medium ’Mech battalion, Tactics is 2 (10, – 6 
  for Move, – 2 for Skill) and Morale is 5 (3 + 2 for Skill Rating). The 
  medium ’Mech battalion Morale Triggers are 9, 6 and 3 (ARM of 12 
  at 75%, 50% and 25%).
  To determine the Formation’s Combat Units, the Combat Command 
  needs to be broken up into its constituent components. If using a 
  Combat Command from a detailed army list (such as those found in 
  the First Succession War Deployment Tables, pp. 148-153), use the 
  Standard Combat Command Compositions Table (p. 166) to break 
  up the BattleMech, Aerospace and conventional forces within the 
  Combat Command. If the Combat Command was created during 
  gameplay (see Creating Combat Commands, p. 166), then the 
  component forces have already been determined.
  The Formation’s Skill Rating is equal to the Combat Command’s 
  Experience Value (see Experience Skill Value Table, p. 328, IO). To 
  determine the Formation’s Movement, Tactics and Morale values, 
  follow Steps 4C through 4E under Create ACS Formations (see p. 
  330, IO) after creating its component Combat Units (see Determine 
  ACS Combat Units, below).
  Determine ACS Combat Units
  In order to assign stat blocks to Combat Units, their individual 
  Weight stats must be derived. 
  BattleMech and Armor regiments: BattleMech and armor 
  regiments need to be broken down further into their component 
  battalions. Roll 1d6 and consult the Random Battalion Composition 
  Table below, cross-referencing the roll result with the Weight of the 
  overall Combat Command (or the Weight of the regiment if it was 
  created during gameplay, see Creating Combat Commands, p. 166). 
  The result provides the Weights of the component battalions. Note 
  each battalion as a separate Combat Unit. If a Combat Command 
  is listed at 133% Strength, add one extra ’Mech battalion (Combat 
  Unit) with a Weight equal to that of the Combat Command.
  Aerospace wings: For each Aerospace wing, roll 1d6; on a result 
  of 6, the player may choose the Weight, while on a 1-5 the Weight is 
  equal to the Combat Command Weight. If the Combat Command 
  was created during gameplay (see Creating Combat Commands, 
  p. 166), then the Weight of each wing should have already been 
  determined. Note each wing as a separate Combat Unit.
  Infantry regiments and artillery batteries: Note each 
  Infantry regiment and each artillery battery as a separate Combat 
  Unit. These units do not use a Weight statistic.
  Once each Combat Unit is noted and its Weight has been 
  derived, stat blocks can be assigned. For each Combat Unit, check 
  the ISW Combat Command Conversion Tables for the appropriate 
    RANDOM BATTALION 
  COMPOSITION TABLE
  Roll
  Light
  Medium
  Heavy
  Assault
  1
  3 light
  1 light,  
  2 medium
  1 medium,  
  2 heavy
  1 heavy,  
  2 assault
  2-3
  3 light
  3 medium
  1 medium,  
  1 heavy, 1 assault
  1 heavy,  
  2 assault
  4-5
  2 light,  
  1 medium
  1 light,  
  1 medium, 1 heavy
  3 heavy
  3 assault
  6
  2 light,  
  1 medium
  2 medium,  
  1 heavy
  2 heavy, 1 assault
  3 assault
  
  168
  CONvERTING ACS TO SBF
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  Less Experienced Units: For each point that the Unit’s Skill 
  value is higher than 4, multiply the Unit’s PV by 1 – (0.1 per Skill value 
  above 4). Round normally; a Unit’s highest possible Skill value is 7.
  More Experienced Units: For each point that the Unit’s Skill 
  value is lower than 4, multiply the Unit’s PV by 1 + (0.2 per Skill 
  value below 4). Round normally; the minimum PV increase is 1 
  point per point of Skill value improvement. A Unit’s lowest possible 
  Skill value is 0.
  John is converting a Twenty-Second Avalon Hussars heavy 
  ’Mech company from ACS for use as a Formation in Strategic 
  BattleForce. He uses the same stats as in ACS, except for the base 
  PV (he uses the PV in parenthesis instead, 122 in this case). The 
  SBF Formation has a Skill Rating of 4 (Regular), and so would not 
  have to adjust PV due to skill). The Formation’s Tactics is 5 (10 – 5 
  for Move and – 0 for Skill) and Morale is 7 (3 + 4 for Skill Rating). 
  John fills in the top box of the Strategic BattleForce Formation 
  Record Sheet (see p. 382, IO) with the stat block.
  Determine SBF Units
  After the stat block for each Formation is finalized, its component 
  Units can be determined as well. Each Formation stat block listed in 
  the ISW Combat Command Conversion Tables (see pp. 170-176 ) lists 
  the Weights of its constituent Units in the “Composition” column. For 
  each Unit listed in the composition column, consult the SBF Unit sub-
  table and use the corresponding stat block.
  The Unit’s Skill Rating is equal to the Formation’s Skill Rating. 
  The Unit’s PV does not need to be modified for skill as the 
  Formation’s final PV has already been determined above.
  Optional—Random Skill Ratings: If players wish to add more 
  variety to the Experience/Skill Ratings of their SBF Formations and 
  Units, they may roll randomly for their Unit Ratings. Roll 1D6 for each 
  Unit, based on the Experience Rating of the Combat Command; the 
  result on the Random Skills Table below is the Unit’s Skill Rating. 
  Once new Skill Ratings for the Formation’s Units are determined, 
  average them together (round normally) and apply that Skill Rating 
  to the Formation. The Formation’s PV may need to be recalculated 
  from its initial PV (see Determine SBF Formations, at right).
  Next, John needs stat blocks for the lances (Units) that make 
  up his Twenty-Second Avalon Hussars heavy ’Mech company 
  (Formation). He checks the “components” column for a heavy 
  ’Mech company on the Federated Suns ISW Combat Command 
  With all his Combat Units statted, Minoru can calculate the 
  parent Formation’s Movement, Tactics and Morale values (using 
  the rules found in Create ACS Formations, p. 330, IO). For the 
  Ground Formation, the Move value is equal to its slowest Combat 
  Unit, which is the artillery battery with a 3. Tactics is a 6 (10, – 2 
  for Move, – 2 for Skill). Morale is 5 (3 + 2 for Skill Rating). The 
  Aerospace Formation values are calculated the same way, which 
  results in a Move of 6, Tactics 2 and Morale of 5.
  Determine ACS Combat Teams
  After the stat block for each Combat Unit is entered, its 
  component Combat Teams can be determined. Each Combat Unit 
  stat block listed in the ISW Combat Command Conversion Tables 
  (see pp. 170-176 ) includes a “Composition” column which lists the 
  Weights of its constituent Combat Teams. For each Combat Team 
  listed in the composition column, consult the ACS Combat Team/
  SBF Formation sub-table and use the corresponding stat block.
  The Combat Team’s Skill Rating is equal to the Combat 
  Command’s Skill Rating. The Combat Team’s PV does not need to 
  be modified for skill, as the Combat Unit’s final PV has already been 
  determined above.
  In order to use his medium ’Mech battalion Combat Unit in 
  ACS play, Minoru needs to create stat blocks for its constituent 
  Combat Teams (companies). He checks the “components” column 
  for the medium ’Mech battalion on the Draconis Combine ISW 
  Combat Command Conversion Tables (see p. 171), and sees that 
  it is comprised of 3 medium ’Mech companies. Minoru notes the 3 
  Combat Teams on this Combat Unit’s record sheet (see p. 383, IO). 
  For their stat blocks, he copies the entry from the medium ’Mech 
  company row of the Combat Team sub-table—Size 2, Move 6, 
  Jump 2, TMM 2, ARM 12, Short 3, Medium 3, Long 2, no special 
  abilities, PV 36. The Skill Rating for each Combat Team is 2.
  CONVERTING ACS COMBAT TEAMS  
  TO SBF FORMATIONS AND UNITS
  Determine SBF Formations
  Converting forces to Strategic BattleForce gameplay from ACS is 
  a simple process. Each converted Combat Team directly corresponds 
  to an SBF formation and uses the stats as-is from ACS, with the 
  exception of PV and the addition of Tactics and Morale values. To 
  determine the Formation’s 
  Tactics and Morale values, 
  follow Steps 2H through 2I 
  under Create SBF Formations 
  or 
  ACS 
  Combat 
  Teams 
  (see p. 329, IO). The initial 
  Formation PV is listed in 
  the ACS Combat Team/SBF 
  Formation sub-tables (see 
  pp. 170-176 ) in parenthesis. 
  If a final PV is required 
  by the gamemaster, it is 
  determined by multiplying 
  it by the Skill value modifier. 
  A Unit with a Skill value of 4 
  does not modify its PV.
  RANDOM SKILLS TABLE
  1D6 
   (Wet Behind 
  the Ears)
  1D6 
   (Really Green)
  1D6 
   (Green)
  1D6 
   (Regular)
  1D6 
   (Veteran)
  1D6 
   (Elite)
  1D6 
   (Heroic)
  1D6 
   (Legendary)
  Skill 
  Rating
  1-3
  1
  0
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  7
  4-5
  2-3
  1
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  6
  6
  4-5
  2-3
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  5
  —
  6
  4-6
  1-4
  —
  —
  —
  —
  4
  —
  —
  —
  5-6
  1-4
  1-2
  1
  —
  3
  —
  —
  —
  —
  5-6
  3-4
  2-3
  1-2
  2
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  5-6
  4-5
  3-4
  1
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  6
  5-6
  0
  
  169
  CONvERTING SBF TO TW/AS/BF
  RUlES ANNEx
  that Experience Rating (eg. A Veteran-rated MechWarrior would be 
  assigned a 3 Gunnery and 4 Piloting).
  Battle Value (BV): Note that Battle Value is not used in these 
  conversions. BV is used for balancing forces in Total Warfare scenarios, 
  and while PV is similarly used for BattleForce scale and above, 
  balancing forces in an ISW campaign is only achieved through the 
  supervision of the gamemaster. PV is used in these conversion rules 
  as a means to keep consistency between the different scales of play.
  Barbara is converting an SBF Unit for use in a Total Warfare-
  scale scenario. She feels more comfortable rolling the dice and 
  seeing what she gets, as opposed to fiddling around with PVs. She 
  has a Veteran Capellan assault ’Mech lance from the Chesterton 
  Regulars, so first she rolls 1D6 on the Lance Weight Composition 
  Table (p. 265, TW), resulting in a 5. Cross-referenced with the assault 
  lance sub-table, she finds she has 1 heavy and 3 assault ’Mechs in 
  the lance. For each ’Mech, she rolls 2D6 (and adds +2 to the result, 
  since these are Chesterton Regulars), and consults the appropriate 
  weight class table on the Capellan Confederation Random Unit 
  Assignment Table. The rolls yield her a CHP-1N Champion, BLR-1G 
  BattleMaster, STK-3F Stalker and a LGB-7Q Longbow.
  Barbara can assign each ’Mech a Veteran Skill Rating (Gunnery 
  3/Piloting 4) and complete the process, or she can roll randomly for 
  the skills as well. She decides she would rather have variety and rolls 
  1D6 for each on the Random Skills Table—Expanded (see p. 273, 
  TW) against the Veteran column, and garners a 2, 3, 1, and 4. The 
  Champion and BattleMaster receive a 4 Gunnery/5 Piloting and 
  the Stalker and Longbow receive a 3 Gunnery/4 Piloting.
  Jennifer has an SBF Unit—a Donegal Guards Regular heavy 
  ’Mech lance—that she wishes to convert into Alpha Strike Elements. 
  She decides to use the PV method to choose her Elements, so she 
  multiplies the Unit’s PV of 45 by 4 for a total of 180 PV as her limit. 
  She chooses a MAD-1R Marauder (37 PV), WHM-6Rb Warhammer 
  (38 PV), FLS-8K Flashman (37 PV) and a STC-2C Striker (36 PV) for a 
  total PV of 148. She still has PV to spend, allowing her to assign all 
  the Elements a Veteran Skill Rating (3)—just one Rating away from 
  the original Regular Rating—for a new PV total of 177, just shy of 
  the allowable PV total.
  CONVERTING BACK FROM 
  BATTLEFORCE, ALPHA STRIKE AND 
  TOTAL WARFARE TO SBF AND ACS
  At the strategic scales of SBF and ACS, players will find lot of 
  simplicity and homogeny in the stat blocks. However, once forces 
  are converted to the tactical scales of BF, AS and TW, a whole world 
  of detail unfolds. If the gamemaster agrees, players may use the SBF 
  and ACS conversion rules found in Interstellar Operations (pp. 326-
  339) to bring any forces converted down to the tactical scale during 
  the campaign back “upward” to SBF and ACS scale. 
  The Marik is pleased with how his Second Free Worlds 
  Guards have performed in the battles they’ve fought across the 
  Total Warfare scenarios to retake Bolan, and feels that ’Mech for 
  ’Mech and tank for tank, the Guards are an interesting Combat 
  Command. He would like to convert this Total Warfare force back 
  into SBF and ACS scale, replacing their default stat blocks as 
  shown in the ISW Combat Command Conversion Tables. He asks 
  the gamemaster, Jerome, for permission to do so; Jerome denies 
  his request, and places the Free Worlds League under interdiction.
  Conversion Tables (see p. 172), and sees that it is comprised of 1 
  medium ’Mech lance and 2 heavy ’Mech lances. John creates an 
  entry for each Unit. He uses the stats of the medium and heavy 
  ’Mech lances from the SBF Unit sub-table. While John can simply 
  apply a Skill Rating of 4 (Regular) to each of these lances (the 
  same Rating as the parent Formation), he decides he wants to 
  mix things up a bit. He rolls a 6, 5 and a 3, so one medium and one 
  heavy lance are assigned a 3 (Veteran) Skill Rating and one heavy 
  lance retains the 4 Skill Rating. A side effect of these results is that 
  the Unit’s parent Formation, the heavy ’Mech company, is also 
  upgraded to a Veteran Experience Rating with a Skill Rating of 3, 
  and Tactics and Morale for the Formation are each lowered by 1. 
  CONVERTING SBF UNITS TO 
  BATTLEFORCE, ALPHA STRIKE  
  AND TOTAL WARFARE ELEMENTS
  Players may wish to zoom in on their campaign even further, 
  to BattleForce, Alpha Strike or Total Warfare levels. There are two 
  methods to do so: randomly or by using Point Values (PV). All 
  players must agree which method to use before the beginning of 
  the BF-, AS- or TW-scale game.
  Random Method
  The random method makes use of the Random Unit 
  Assignment Tables contained in this book (see pp. 148-153) or any 
  era-appropriate RATs for the campaign, as well as several tables 
  from Total Warfare. First, note the Weight of the SBF Unit (lance) 
  to be converted, and roll 1D6 on the Lance Weight Composition 
  Table (see p. 265, TW) to determine the composition of the lance. 
  Next, for each Element, roll on the appropriate Faction Random 
  Assignment Table’s sub-table for the corresponding weight class 
  (including any applicable Combat Command modifiers). 
  Skill Ratings: Once all Elements are chosen, Skill Ratings need 
  to be assigned. For Elements to be used in Total Warfare games, roll 
  1D6 twice on the Random Skills Table—Expanded (see p. 273, TW) for 
  each Element, cross-referencing the Unit’s Experience Rating in order 
  to determine the Element’s Gunnery and Piloting Skills. Wet behind 
  the Ears-rated Elements subtract 2 from each roll, and Really Green 
  Elements subtract 1 from each roll. Heroic Elements add 1 to each roll 
  and Legendary Elements add 2. Elements to be used in BattleForce 
  or Alpha Strike play roll 1D6 only once and consult the Random Skills 
  Table (see p. 168). Repeat for every SBF Unit being converted.
  PV Method
  This method allows the most flexibility for players to fine-tune 
  their Force as they see fit. Take the SBF Unit’s PV and multiply by 
  4. This is the total PV allowed for the lance in TW/AS/BF scale. The 
  player may choose any Element of appropriate type and Era, as 
  long as the standard number of Elements does not exceed the limit 
  per Unit (typically four per lance) and the total PV is not exceeded. 
  Skill Ratings: Each Element may have any Skill Rating assigned, 
  as long as it is within one step in either direction of the SBF Unit’s 
  Skill Rating; For example, an Element from a Regular-rated SBF 
  Unit can be Green, Regular or Veteran. The PV for each Element 
  must be modified by its Experience Rating (see Adjusting for Skill, 
  p. 24, AS), and the combined PV of all the Elements still cannot 
  the total PV allowed for the lance. If the Elements are being used 
  for Total Warfare play, once the Experience Ratings are finalized, 
  assign the Elements the average Gunnery and Piloting ratings for 
  
  170
  CONvERSION TABlES
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  ISW COMBAT COMMAND CONVERSION TABLE: 
  CAPELLAN CONFEDERATION (2786)
  ACS COMBAT UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Battalion
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  5
  30
  9
  9
  0
  —
  87
  RCN
  3LM
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  4
  39
  10
  10
  3
  —
  107
  1HM2MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  45
  11
  12
  5
  —
  126
  1AM1HM1MM
  Assault Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  48
  12
  13
  5
  —
  134
  1AM2HM
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  3
  21
  6
  6
  0
  —
  60
  IT45, RCN
  3LV
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  3
  24
  9
  6
  3
  —
  72
  IT57
  3MV
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  30
  12
  12
  9
  —
  93
  IT33
  3HV
  Assault Vehicle
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  32
  13
  13
  11
  —
  100
  IT24
  1AV2HV
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  1
  30
  3
  0
  0
  —
  99
  ART-S12
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  6
  NA
  3
  19
  4
  4
  1
  0
  45
  BOMB3, FUEL18
  1MA2LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  21
  6
  6
  3
  0
  54
  BOMB4, FUEL18
  1HA1MA1LA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  23
  8
  8
  5
  0
  63
  BOMB5, FUEL20
  2HA1MA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  1
  39
  9
  12
  3
  0
  84
  AT60,IT36,MT120,VT84
  3 DS
  Infantry Regiment
  1
  1f
  6w
  3
  18
  6
  3
  0
  —
  48
  CAR54, IT54
  3 Inf
  ACS COMBAT TEAM/SBF FORMATION CONVERSION TABLE
  Company
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV 
  (PV SBF)
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  10
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29 (87)
  RCN
  3L
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  12
  3
  3
  1
  —
  33 (99)
  1L2M
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  15
  4
  4
  1
  —
  41 (123)
  1M2H
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  18
  4
  5
  3
  —
  52 (156)
  3A
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20 (60)
  IT15, RCN
  3L
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  24 (72)
  IT19
  1L2M
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  10
  4
  4
  3
  —
  31 (92)
  IT11
  1M2H
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  12
  5
  5
  5
  —
  38 (115)
  IT2
  1H2A
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33 (99)
  ART-S4
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13 (39)
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  3 LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19 (57)
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  3 MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  22 (66)
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  3 HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  3
  4
  1
  0
  28 (84)
  AT20,IT12,MT40,VT28
  4 DS
  Infantry Battalion
  1
  1f
  6w
  0
  2
  6
  2
  1
  0
  —
  16 (47)
  CAR18, IT18
  2 Inf, 3 Transport
  SBF UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Lance
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  10
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29
  RCN
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  13
  3
  3
  1
  —
  35
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  16
  4
  4
  1
  —
  44
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  18
  4
  5
  2
  —
  52
  IF1
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9h
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20
  IT5, RCN
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7w
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  26
  IT7
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  5t
  NA
  NA
  2
  11
  4
  4
  2
  —
  33
  IF1, IT2
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4t
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  5
  5
  3
  —
  41
  IF2
  Artillery
  2
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33
  ART-S4
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  22
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  DropShip
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  2|1|1
  2|1|2
  1|1|0
  0
  21
  AT5, IT3, MT10, VT7
  Infantry Company
  1
  1f
  NA
  0
  1
  3
  2
  1
  0
  —
  7
  CAR9
  Infantry Transport Lance
  1
  6w
  NA
  0
  2
  4
  1
  0
  0
  —
  11
  IT6
  
  171
  CONvERSION TABlES
  RUlES ANNEx
  ISW COMBAT COMMAND CONVERSION TABLE: 
  DRACONIS COMBINE  (2786)
  ACS COMBAT UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Battalion
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  5
  27
  9
  9
  3
  —
  87
  RCN
  3LM
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  4
  36
  9
  9
  6
  —
  108
  3MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  42
  12
  12
  6
  —
  120
  3HM
  Assault Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  48
  14
  14
  10
  —
  138
  2AM1HM
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  3
  21
  6
  6
  0
  —
  60
  IT45, RCN
  3LV
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  3
  24
  9
  6
  3
  —
  72
  IT57
  3MV
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  30
  12
  12
  9
  —
  93
  IT33
  3HV
  Assault Vehicle
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  32
  13
  13
  11
  —
  100
  IT24
  1AV2HV
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  1
  30
  3
  0
  0
  —
  99
  ART-S12
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  6
  NA
  3
  19
  5
  5
  0
  0
  45
  BOMB3, FUEL18
  1MA2LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  3
  21
  7
  7
  2
  0
  53
  BOMB4, FUEL18
  1HA1MA1LA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  23
  9
  9
  4
  0
  61
  BOMB5, FUEL24
  2HA1MA
  DropShips
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  45
  9
  12
  9
  0
  99
  AT48,IT60,MT12,VT36
  3 DS
  Infantry Regiment
  1
  1f
  6w
  3
  18
  6
  3
  0
  —
  48
  CAR54, IT54
  3 Inf
  ACS COMBAT TEAM/SBF FORMATION CONVERSION TABLE
  Company
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV 
  (PV SBF)
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  9
  3
  3
  1
  —
  29 (87)
  RCN
  3L
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  12
  3
  3
  2
  —
  36 (107)
  1H1M1L
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  14
  4
  4
  2
  —
  40 (121)
  1M2H
  Assault Mech
  4
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  17
  5
  5
  4
  —
  49 (147)
  2A1H
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20 (60)
  IT15, RCN
  3L
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  24 (72)
  IT19
  1L2M
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  10
  4
  4
  3
  —
  31 (92)
  IT11
  1M2H
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  12
  5
  5
  5
  —
  38 (115)
  IT2
  1H2A
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33 (99)
  ART-S4
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  10
  NA
  NA
  4
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13 (39)
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  3 LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  3
  3
  0
  0
  19 (57)
  BOMB1, FUEL24
  3 MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  21 (63)
  BOMB2, FUEL27
  3 HA
  DropShips
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  15
  3
  4
  3
  0
  33 (100)
  AT16,IT20,MT4,VT12
  4 DS
  Infantry Battalion
  1
  1f
  6w
  0
  2
  6
  2
  1
  0
  —
  16 (47)
  CAR18, IT18
  2 Inf, 3 Transport
  SBF UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Lance
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  9
  3
  3
  1
  —
  29
  RCN
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  12
  3
  3
  1
  —
  35
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  15
  4
  4
  3
  —
  43
  Assault Mech
  4
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  18
  5
  5
  3
  —
  51
  IF1
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9h
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20
  IT5, RCN
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7w
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  26
  IT7
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  5t
  NA
  NA
  2
  11
  4
  4
  2
  —
  33
  IF1, IT2
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4t
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  5
  5
  3
  —
  41
  IF2
  Artillery
  2
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33
  ART-S4
  Light Aerospace
  1
  10
  NA
  NA
  4
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  3
  3
  0
  0
  19
  BOMB1, FUEL24
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  21
  BOMB2, FUEL27
  DropShip
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  11
  1|1|2
  2|1|2
  1|1|1
  0
  25
  AT4, IT5, MT1, VT3
  Infantry Company
  1
  1f
  NA
  0
  1
  3
  2
  1
  0
  —
  7
  CAR9
  Infantry Transport Lance
  1
  6w
  NA
  0
  2
  4
  1
  0
  0
  —
  11
  IT6
  
  172
  CONvERSION TABlES
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  ISW COMBAT COMMAND CONVERSION TABLE: 
  FEDERATED SUNS (2786)
  ACS COMBAT UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Battalion
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  5
  27
  9
  9
  0
  —
  87
  RCN
  1MM2LM
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  4
  36
  9
  9
  3
  —
  108
  3MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  43
  12
  12
  8
  —
  126
  1AM1HM1MM
  Assault Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  45
  14
  14
  10
  —
  131
  1AM2HM
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  3
  21
  6
  6
  0
  —
  60
  IT45, RCN
  3LV
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  3
  24
  9
  6
  3
  —
  72
  IT57
  3MV
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  30
  12
  12
  9
  —
  93
  IT33
  3HV
  Assault Vehicle
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  32
  13
  13
  11
  —
  100
  IT24
  1AV2HV
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  1
  30
  3
  0
  0
  —
  99
  ART-S12
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  3
  18
  3
  3
  0
  0
  39
  BOMB3, FUEL18
  3LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  21
  6
  6
  3
  0
  57
  BOMB3, FUEL22
  3MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  27
  9
  9
  6
  0
  66
  BOMB6, FUEL21
  3HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  1
  39
  9
  12
  9
  0
  123
  AT60,IT36,MT120,VT120
  3 DS
  Infantry Regiment
  1
  1f
  6w
  3
  18
  6
  3
  0
  —
  48
  CAR54, IT54
  3 Inf
  ACS COMBAT TEAM/SBF FORMATION CONVERSION TABLE
  Company
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV 
  (PV SBF)
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  9
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29 (87)
  RCN
  3L
  Valkyrie Company
  1
  5
  NA
  3
  2
  9
  1
  3
  2
  —
  28 (84)
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  12
  3
  3
  1
  —
  36 (107)
  1H1M1L
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  14
  4
  4
  3
  —
  41 (122)
  1M2H
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  17
  5
  5
  4
  —
  49 (147)
  2A1H
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20 (60)
  IT15, RCN
  3L
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  24 (72)
  IT19
  1L2M
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  10
  4
  4
  3
  —
  31 (92)
  IT11
  1M2H
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  12
  5
  5
  5
  —
  38 (115)
  IT2
  1H2A
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33 (99)
  ART-S4
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13 (39)
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  3 LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19 (57)
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  3 MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  9
  3
  3
  2
  0
  22 (66)
  BOMB2, FUEL21
  3 HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  3
  4
  3
  0
  41 (124)
  AT20,IT16,MT40,VT40
  4 DS
  Infantry Battalion
  1
  1f
  6w
  0
  2
  6
  2
  1
  0
  —
  16 (47)
  CAR18, IT18
  2 Inf, 3 Transport
  SBF UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Lance
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  9
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29
  RCN
  Valkyrie Lance
  1
  5
  NA
  3
  2
  9
  1
  3
  1
  —
  28
  IF1
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  11
  3
  3
  1
  —
  34
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  15
  4
  4
  3
  —
  44
  IF1
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  18
  5
  5
  3
  —
  52
  IF1
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9h
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20
  IT5, RCN
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7w
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  26
  IT7
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  5t
  NA
  NA
  2
  11
  4
  4
  2
  —
  33
  IF1, IT2
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4t
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  5
  5
  3
  —
  41
  IF2
  Artillery
  2
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33
  ART-S4
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  9
  3
  3
  2
  0
  22
  BOMB2, FUEL21
  DropShip
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  2|1|1
  2|1|2
  1|1|1
  0
  31
  AT5, IT4, MT10, VT10
  Infantry Company
  1
  1f
  NA
  0
  1
  3
  2
  1
  0
  —
  7
  CAR9
  Infantry Transport Lance
  1
  6w
  NA
  0
  2
  4
  1
  0
  0
  —
  11
  IT6
  
  173
  CONvERSION TABlES
  RUlES ANNEx
  ISW COMBAT COMMAND CONVERSION TABLE:  
  FREE WORLDS LEAGUE (2786)
  ACS COMBAT UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Battalion
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  5
  28
  9
  9
  1
  —
  90
  RCN
  1MM2LM
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  4
  30
  9
  9
  3
  —
  96
  3MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  42
  11
  11
  7
  —
  128
  2HM1MM
  Assault Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  44
  12
  12
  8
  —
  133
  1AM1HM1MM
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  3
  21
  6
  6
  0
  —
  60
  IT47, RCN
  3LV
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  3
  24
  9
  6
  3
  —
  72
  IT57
  3MV
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  30
  12
  12
  9
  —
  93
  IT33
  3HV
  Assault Vehicle
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  34
  14
  14
  13
  —
  107
  IT15
  2AV1HV
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  1
  30
  3
  0
  0
  —
  99
  ART-S12
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  6
  NA
  3
  19
  5
  5
  2
  0
  45
  BOMB3, FUEL18
  1MA2LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  20
  7
  7
  4
  0
  51
  BOMB3, FUEL18
  2MA1LA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  23
  9
  9
  6
  0
  65
  BOMB5, FUEL20
  2HA1MA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  1
  39
  12
  12
  9
  0
  84
  AT108,IT60,MT48,VT72
  3 DS
  Infantry Regiment
  1
  1f
  6w
  3
  18
  6
  3
  0
  —
  48
  CAR54, IT54
  3 Inf
  ACS COMBAT TEAM/SBF FORMATION CONVERSION TABLE
  Company
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV 
  (PV SBF)
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  9
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29 (87)
  RCN
  3L
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  10
  3
  3
  1
  —
  32 (97)
  1L2M
  Heavy Mech
  3
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  16
  4
  4
  3
  —
  48 (143)
  1A2H
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  18
  5
  5
  4
  —
  53 (159)
  3A
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20 (60)
  IT15, RCN
  3L
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  24 (72)
  IT19
  1L2M
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  10
  4
  4
  3
  —
  31 (92)
  IT11
  1M2H
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  12
  5
  5
  5
  —
  38 (115)
  IT2
  1H2A
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33 (99)
  ART-S4
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13 (39)
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  3 LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  3
  3
  2
  0
  19 (57)
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  3 MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  23 (69)
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  3 HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  4
  4
  3
  0
  28 (84)
  AT36,IT20,MT16,VT24
  4 DS
  Infantry Battalion
  1
  1f
  6w
  0
  2
  6
  2
  1
  0
  —
  16 (47)
  CAR18, IT18
  2 Inf, 3 Transport
  SBF UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Lance
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  9
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29
  RCN
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  11
  3
  3
  1
  —
  34
  Heavy Mech
  3
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  15
  4
  4
  2
  —
  45
  IF1
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  18
  5
  5
  3
  —
  53
  IF1
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9h
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20
  IT5, RCN
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7w
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  26
  IT7
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  5t
  NA
  NA
  2
  11
  4
  4
  2
  —
  33
  IF1, IT2
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4t
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  5
  5
  3
  —
  41
  IF2
  Artillery
  2
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33
  ART-S4
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  3
  3
  2
  0
  19
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  23
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  DropShip
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  2|1|2
  2|1|2
  1|1|1
  0
  21
  AT9, IT5, MT4, VT6
  Infantry Company
  1
  1f
  NA
  0
  1
  3
  2
  1
  0
  —
  7
  CAR9
  Infantry Transport Lance
  1
  6w
  NA
  0
  2
  4
  1
  0
  0
  —
  11
  IT6
  
  174
  CONvERSION TABlES
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  ISW COMBAT COMMAND CONVERSION TABLE:  
  LYRAN COMMONWEALTH (2786)
  ACS COMBAT UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Battalion
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  4
  30
  9
  9
  0
  —
  87
  RCN
  3LM
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  4
  41
  10
  10
  5
  —
  112
  1HM2MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  47
  12
  13
  10
  —
  133
  1AM2HM
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  2
  51
  12
  15
  12
  —
  147
  3AM
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  3
  22
  7
  7
  1
  —
  64
  IT49, RCN
  1MV2LV
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7
  NA
  3
  26
  10
  10
  5
  —
  79
  IT49
  1HV2MV
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  34
  13
  13
  11
  —
  100
  IT24
  1AV2HV
  Assault Vehicle
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  32
  13
  13
  11
  —
  100
  IT24
  1AV2HV
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  1
  30
  3
  0
  0
  —
  99
  ART-S12
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  10
  NA
  4
  18
  3
  3
  0
  0
  39
  BOMB3, FUEL17
  3LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  24
  6
  6
  3
  0
  57
  BOMB3, FUEL21
  3MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  24
  9
  9
  6
  0
  69
  BOMB6, FUEL20
  3HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  1
  45
  12
  12
  9
  0
  96
  AT72,IT72,MT48,VT36
  3 DS
  Infantry Regiment
  1
  1f
  6w
  3
  18
  6
  3
  0
  —
  48
  CAR54, IT54
  3 Inf
  ACS COMBAT TEAM/SBF FORMATION CONVERSION TABLE
  Company
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV 
  (PV SBF)
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  1
  3
  10
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29 (87)
  RCN
  3L
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  13
  3
  3
  1
  —
  35 (105)
  3MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  15
  4
  4
  3
  —
  42 (125)
  1M2H
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  17
  4
  5
  4
  —
  49 (147)
  2A1H
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20 (60)
  IT15, RCN
  3L
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  8
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  24 (72)
  IT19
  1L2M
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  10
  4
  4
  3
  —
  31 (92)
  IT11
  1M2H
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  12
  5
  5
  5
  —
  38 (115)
  IT2
  1H2A
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33 (99)
  ART-S4
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  10
  NA
  NA
  4
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13 (39)
  BOMB1, FUEL17
  3 LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19 (57)
  BOMB1, FUEL21
  3 MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  23 (69)
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  3 HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  15
  4
  4
  3
  0
  32 (96)
  AT24,IT24,MT16,VT12
  4 DS
  Infantry Battalion
  1
  1f
  6w
  0
  2
  6
  2
  1
  0
  —
  16 (47)
  CAR18, IT18
  2 Inf, 3 Transport
  SBF UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Lance
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  1
  3
  10
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29
  RCN
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  13
  3
  3
  1
  —
  35
  Heavy Mech
  3
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  16
  4
  4
  3
  —
  45
  IF1
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  17
  4
  5
  3
  —
  51
  IF1
  Light Vehicle
  1
  9h
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20
  IT5, RCN
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7w
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  3
  2
  1
  —
  26
  IT7
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  5t
  NA
  NA
  2
  11
  4
  4
  2
  —
  33
  IF1, IT2
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4t
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  5
  5
  3
  —
  41
  IF2
  Artillery
  2
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33
  ART-S4
  Light Aerospace
  1
  10
  NA
  NA
  4
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13
  BOMB1, FUEL17
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19
  BOMB1, FUEL21,PNT1
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  23
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  DropShip
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  11
  2|1|2
  2|1|2
  1|1|1
  0
  24
  AT6, IT6, MT4, VT3
  Infantry Company
  1
  1f
  NA
  0
  1
  3
  2
  1
  0
  —
  7
  CAR9
  Infantry Transport Lance
  1
  6w
  NA
  0
  2
  4
  1
  0
  0
  —
  11
  IT6
  
  175
  CONvERSION TABlES
  RUlES ANNEx
  ISW COMBAT COMMAND CONVERSION TABLE: 
  PERIPHERY (2786)
  ACS COMBAT UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Battalion
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  5
  30
  9
  9
  0
  —
  87
  RCN
  3LM
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  4
  36
  9
  9
  3
  —
  99
  3MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  42
  12
  9
  9
  —
  123
  3HM
  Assault Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  3
  46
  13
  11
  10
  —
  130
  1AM2HM
  Light Vehicle
  1
  8
  NA
  3
  21
  4
  4
  0
  —
  60
  IT45, RCN
  3LV
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7
  NA
  3
  24
  6
  6
  3
  —
  69
  IT57
  3MV
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  28
  8
  8
  7
  —
  83
  IT41
  2HV1MV
  Assault Vehicle
  3
  5
  NA
  2
  32
  11
  11
  13
  —
  98
  IT24
  1AV2HV
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  1
  30
  3
  0
  0
  —
  99
  ART-S12
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  6
  NA
  2
  19
  4
  4
  1
  0
  45
  BOMB3, FUEL19
  1MA2LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  20
  5
  5
  2
  0
  51
  BOMB3, FUEL19
  2MA1LA
  Heavy Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  22
  7
  7
  3
  0
  61
  BOMB4, FUEL20
  1HA2MA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  1
  33
  9
  9
  3
  0
  81
  AT12,IT36,MT72,VT132
  3 DS
  Infantry Regiment
  1
  1f
  6w
  3
  18
  6
  3
  0
  —
  48
  CAR54, IT54
  3 Inf
  ACS COMBAT TEAM/SBF FORMATION CONVERSION TABLE
  Company
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV 
  (PV SBF)
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  10
  3
  3
  0
  —
  29 (87)
  RCN
  3L
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  12
  3
  3
  1
  —
  33 (99)
  2M1L
  Heavy Mech
  3
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  14
  4
  3
  3
  —
  41 (123)
  2H1M
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  0
  1
  18
  5
  5
  4
  —
  48 (144)
  2A1H
  Light Vehicle
  1
  8
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20 (60)
  IT15, RCN
  3L
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  2
  2
  1
  —
  23 (70)
  IT19
  1L2M
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  10
  3
  3
  3
  —
  30 (89)
  IT11
  1M2H
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  12
  4
  4
  5
  —
  38 (114)
  IT2
  1H2A
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33 (99)
  ART-S4
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13 (39)
  BOMB1, FUEL19
  3 LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19 (57)
  BOMB1, FUEL21
  3 MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  1
  0
  23 (69)
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  3 HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  11
  3
  3
  1
  0
  27 (80)
  AT4,IT12,MT24,VT44
  4 DS
  Infantry Battalion
  1
  1f
  6w
  0
  2
  6
  2
  1
  0
  —
  16 (47)
  CAR18, IT18
  2 Inf, 3 Transport
  SBF UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Lance
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Light Mech
  1
  7
  NA
  2
  3
  9
  3
  2
  0
  —
  27
  RCN
  Medium Mech
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  2
  11
  3
  2
  1
  —
  35
  Heavy Mech
  3
  4
  NA
  0
  1
  16
  4
  4
  2
  —
  44
  IF1
  Assault Mech
  4
  4
  NA
  0
  1
  19
  5
  5
  3
  —
  50
  IF1
  Light Vehicle
  1
  8h
  NA
  NA
  3
  7
  2
  2
  0
  —
  20
  IT5, RCN
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  7w
  NA
  NA
  3
  8
  2
  2
  1
  —
  25
  IT7
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  5t
  NA
  NA
  2
  11
  4
  4
  2
  —
  32
  IF1, IT2
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  4t
  NA
  NA
  1
  13
  4
  4
  3
  —
  41
  IF2
  Artillery
  2
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33
  ART-S4
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  0
  0
  13
  BOMB1, FUEL19
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  19
  BOMB1, FUEL21
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  1
  0
  23
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  DropShip
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  8
  2|1|1
  2|1|1
  1|1|0
  0
  20
  AT1, IT3, MT6, VT11
  Infantry Company
  1
  1f
  NA
  0
  1
  3
  2
  1
  0
  —
  7
  CAR9
  Infantry Transport Lance
  1
  6w
  NA
  0
  2
  4
  1
  0
  0
  —
  11
  IT6
  
  176
  CONvERSION TABlES
  THE FIRST SUCCESSION WAR
  ISW COMBAT COMMAND CONVERSION TABLE:  
  SLDF REMNANTS (2786)
  ACS COMBAT UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Battalion
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  8
  NA
  5
  21
  9
  9
  0
  —
  81
  RCN
  3LM
  Medium Mech
  2
  5
  NA
  3
  39
  12
  12
  3
  —
  120
  3MM
  Heavy Mech
  3
  4
  NA
  2
  51
  12
  15
  12
  —
  156
  3HM
  Assault Mech
  4
  3
  NA
  2
  60
  21
  21
  18
  —
  195
  3AM
  Light Vehicle
  1
  11
  NA
  4
  21
  3
  3
  0
  —
  57
  IT36, RCN
  3LV
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  5
  NA
  2
  27
  9
  9
  6
  —
  81
  IT36
  3MV
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  4
  NA
  1
  33
  12
  12
  12
  —
  105
  3HV
  Assault Vehicle
  3
  3
  NA
  1
  51
  12
  15
  15
  —
  144
  3AV
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  1
  30
  3
  0
  0
  —
  99
  ART-S12
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  3
  18
  3
  3
  3
  0
  39
  BOMB3, FUEL18
  3LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  2
  21
  6
  6
  3
  0
  60
  BOMB3, FUEL22
  3MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  2
  24
  9
  9
  6
  0
  69
  BOMB6, FUEL20
  3HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  1
  45
  12
  12
  9
  0
  87
  AT24,IT24,MT156,VT120
  3 DS
  Infantry Regiment
  1
  1f
  6w
  3
  18
  6
  3
  0
  —
  48
  CAR54, IT54
  3 Inf
  ACS COMBAT TEAM/SBF FORMATION CONVERSION TABLE
  Company
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV 
  (PV SBF)
  Special
  Composition
  Light Mech
  1
  8
  NA
  2
  3
  7
  3
  3
  0
  —
  27 (81)
  RCN
  3L
  Medium Mech
  2
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  13
  4
  4
  1
  —
  40 (120)
  3M
  Heavy Mech
  3
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  17
  4
  5
  4
  —
  52 (156)
  3H
  Assault Mech
  4
  3
  NA
  1
  1
  20
  7
  7
  6
  —
  65 (195)
  FLK
  3A
  Light Vehicle
  1
  11
  NA
  NA
  4
  7
  1
  1
  0
  —
  19 (57)
  IT12, RCN
  3L
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  5
  NA
  NA
  2
  9
  3
  3
  2
  —
  27 (81)
  IT12
  3M
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  11
  4
  4
  4
  —
  35 (105)
  3H
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  17
  4
  5
  5
  —
  48 (144)
  3A
  Artillery
  2
  3
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33 (99)
  ART-S4
  3 Art 
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  1
  0
  13 (39)
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  3 LA
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  20 (60)
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  3 MA
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  23 (69)
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  3 HA
  DropShips
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  15
  4
  4
  3
  0
  29 (88)
  AT8,IT8,MT52,VT40
  4 DS
  Infantry Battalion
  1
  1f
  6w
  0
  2
  6
  2
  1
  0
  —
  16 (47)
  CAR18, IT18
  2 Inf, 3 Transport
  SBF UNIT CONVERSION TABLE
  Lance
  Size
  Move
  Transport 
  MP
  Jump
  TMM
  ARM
  Short
  Medium
  Long
  E (Aero)
  PV
  Special
  Light Mech
  1
  8
  NA
  2
  3
  7
  3
  3
  0
  —
  27
  RCN
  Medium Mech
  2
  5
  NA
  1
  2
  13
  4
  4
  1
  —
  40
  Heavy Mech
  3
  4
  NA
  1
  1
  17
  4
  5
  3
  —
  52
  IF1
  Assault Mech
  4
  3
  NA
  1
  1
  20
  7
  7
  5
  —
  65
  FLK1/0,IF1
  Light Vehicle
  1
  11h
  NA
  NA
  4
  7
  1
  1
  0
  —
  19
  IT4, RCN
  Medium Vehicle
  2
  5w
  NA
  NA
  2
  9
  3
  3
  1
  —
  27
  IF1,IT4
  Heavy Vehicle
  3
  4t
  NA
  NA
  1
  11
  4
  4
  3
  —
  35
  IF1
  Assault Vehicle
  4
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  17
  4
  5
  4
  —
  48
  IF1
  Artillery
  2
  3t
  NA
  NA
  1
  10
  1
  0
  0
  --
  33
  ART-S4
  Light Aerospace
  1
  9
  NA
  NA
  3
  6
  1
  1
  1
  0
  13
  BOMB1, FUEL18
  Medium Aerospace
  2
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  7
  2
  2
  1
  0
  20
  BOMB1, FUEL22
  Heavy Aerospace
  3
  6
  NA
  NA
  2
  8
  3
  3
  2
  0
  23
  BOMB2, FUEL20
  DropShip
  2
  4
  NA
  NA
  1
  11
  2|1|2
  3|1|2
  1|1|1
  0
  22
  AT2, IT2, MT14, VT10
  Infantry Company
  1
  1f
  NA
  0
  1
  3
  2
  1
  0
  —
  7
  CAR9
  Infantry Transport Lance
  1
  6w
  NA
  0
  2
  4
  1
  0
  0
  —
  11
  IT6
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/BattleTech [multi]/Sourcebooks/Battletech - First Succession War [2016] {CAT35235}.pdf