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Circinus Federation
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Location: Outside of the Periphery juncture
of the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League
Number of Worlds: Nine
Current Ruler: H. R. "Little Bob"
McIntyre
Military Strength: 1 Regiment
Technology Level: Poor
Literacy Level: Fair
World Name: Circinus
Star Type: G51V
Position in System: 4
Time to Jump Point: 7.48 days
Recharging Station: None
Political Ruler: C.J. McIntyre
ComStar Facility Class: B
ComStar Representative: Precentor Kim-Han
Alighieri
Percentage and Level of Native Life: 10%,
Reptile
Description:
A dry
world rich in crystals, gemstones, and radioactives, Circinus is
the capital of the Circinus Federation. The capital city,
Clayborne Remembered, maintains a population of just under 10,000
people. Rumors abound of secret bases and training facilities in
the northern deserts, where it is said that the Circinians have
collected an abundance of materiel looted from Steiner and Marik
worlds.
After
being accused of contract violation against the Free Worlds
League in 2770, the Black Warriors mercenary unit abandoned Marik
space, narrowly escaping capture by the Free Worlds navy. Vowing
eternal vengeance on House Marik for their outlawed status, the
Black Warriors settled on the planet Circinus and joined the
pirates already operating there. Colonel Zachariah Cirion, leader
of the Black Warriors, began to support his people through a
series of sneak attacks against outlying Marik agricultural
worlds. Both the Star League and the Marik House forces had their
hands full with the Amaris Crisis, and so the Circinus pirates
flourished in the absence of reprisals. In 2785, a small convoy
of settlers fleeing the destruction in the Lyran Commonwealth
landed on the planet to make a new start. Warrior and farmer
combined their forces to establish a viable economy and culture.
The
Lyran farmers apparently were never fully aware of the nature of
their new allies. The pirates were involved in what remained
"covert operations," but the farmers asked no questions
as long as their allies provided the tools and consumer goods the
farmers needed. The pirates, for their part, welcomed the farmers
for two reasons. First, they provided stability and the
possibility of internal law and order (without the brutal
punishments and intimidation that mark pirate societies
elsewhere), that would keep the band of cutthroats from turning
on one another. Second, they helped the pirates present the
illusion of a respectable, agrarian society to the neighboring
worlds who were their victims.
Despite
the fact that the Free Worlds military occupied Circinus during a
lull in the Second Succession War, it is still the most
successful of the Bandit Kingdoms, having long since adopted a
presidential system of government. Piracy is a major governmental
function, with covert "agencies" responsible both for
the raids themselves and for covering them up. Lyran pundits
often note that the Circinian president's chief duty is to look
the other way so that he will not have to acknowledge the crimes
his government is constantly committing.
In
recent decades, the inhabitants of Circinus have been cautiously
settling neighboring star systems, claiming eight planets between
2990 and 3020. From this new empire, President C. J.
"Bob" McIntyre has entered into a series of joint
reconciliation talks with leaders of both Inner Sphere
governments. Through skillful diplomacy and judicious return of
prisoners, and without once admitting to any wrongdoing on the
part of his people, McIntyre has managed to avert a wholesale
counterattack against his Federation while playing on the mutual
suspicions of his Marik and Steiner counterparts.
McIntyre's
position has lately improved with the arrival of numerous
mercenary recruits who see him as a Napoleon of the Periphery.
Moreover, by convincing both House Marik and House Steiner that
his support could be invaluable, he has managed to acquire
shipments of badly needed BattleMech spare parts and a small
contingent of AeroSpace Fighters.
Nevertheless,
several of McIntyre's lieutenants, yearning for more wealth and
power, have challenged his position. Because of the continued
infighting between McIntyre and his subordinates, it is uncertain
whether the Federation will commit itself to either House. The
chief of the officially nonexistent pirates is Adam Cirion, a
descendant of Zachariah Cirion, founder of the Federation.
During
the Fourth Succession War the Circinian raids grew increasingly
profitable. At this time Circinian raiders could strike their
targets with virtual impunity, as Lyran forces fought off the
Kurita offensives and Marik armies deteriorated. President
McIntyre used much of the profits gained from these raids to
increase the size of the Black Warriors, who remained the primary
Circinian military force. McIntyre bolstered the Warriors by
supplying them with new BattleMechs, personnel, training and
members of several mercenary units left penniless after the
Fourth Succession War. By 3032 the Black Warriors had added two
full rehiments to its numbers and the Circinus Federation stood
poised to embark on a period of interstellar conquest.
The
Black Warriors currently serve as the entire Circinian military.
Never a truly unified force, the Black Warriors constantly test
the loyalties of the various factions within their ranks. The
largest faction, led by Major Fritz Donner, consists of units
loyal to President McIntyre. A faction of near-equal strength,
however, supports company commander Michael Cirion, heir to the
Black Warriors' command. Because of the fierce rivalry of these
two factions, most of the mercenaries employed in the Circinian
military studiously avoid taking sides.
Circinian
military leaders have never made any real effort to regulate or
standardize uniforms, and so each Circinian military unit has its
own uniform. This system was established when the Black Warriors
began attracting other units to join them, under the belief that
unique uniforms help each unit maintain a strong sense of
individuality and morale. Detractors of the practice criticize it
as yet another source of division between military units in the
Federation.
However,
Circinian military leaders require that all unit uniforms include
the emblem of the Federation - and that all military personnel
wear the emblem somewhere above the waist. This stipulation was
added after the Fighting Shamrocks were spotted wearing large
Federation emblems on their rear ends. Although all Federation
units use the same progression of rank, rank insignia varies
widely among units. Shown below are the most common insignia,
used by the Black Warriors.
As
an exclusively BattleMech unit, the Black Warriors integrate only
a few enlisted personnel, and only in support roles. A
stripped-down enlisted rank structure offers sufficient diversity
for this system. Tenure determines promotion, and pay is directly
tied to a soldier's rank.
Private All
new recruits to the Black Warriors are issued the rank of private
until they prove themselves worthy of another rank. If they are
MechWarriors, this process is fairly rapid, as any battlefield or
simulator run will prove a soldier's worth as a MechWarrior.
Making progress beyond the rank of private in the areas of
technical support, medicine and ship's crew requires traveling a
long and arduous road, and competition is fierce. Only the most
skilled and persistent soldiers reach the rank of corporal.
Corporal Unlink
the low station this rank affords in larger militaries, the
Circinian corporal acts as a team leader or department head in
the technical support division. Each corporal supervises a team
of techs in support of a company, or a department (such as
engineering) on board a ship.
Sergeant Few
corporals ever advance to the rank of sergeant, a post soldiers
hold until death or retirement once they attain it. A sergeant
coordinates the activities of all support personnel associated
with a particular battalion or ship.
The
command structure of the Black Warriors follows the typical model
used by most mercenary units in the Inner Sphere. It is
interesting to note, however, that personnel rarely advance from
enlisted to officer ranks in the Black Warriors, mainly because
such a promotion would require a support person to develop
MechWarrior skills and demonstrate competence.
MechWarrior As
the rank name implies, a MechWarrior pilots a BattleMech. Though
considered an officer with all the associated perks and pay
scale, a MechWarrior commands no authority over enlisted
personnel.
Lieutenant Lieutenants
command a lance of four BattleMechs. On board a ship, a
lieutenant acts as the executive officer.
Captain Captains
are the most important officers in the Black Warriors. This
statement has taken on a deeper truth as the unit has returned to
raiding in recent years. Each captain commands a company of
twelve BattleMechs, plus associated support staff. The company is
the main unit deployed by the Warriors, so each captain is given
a large degree of latitude on the battlefield and is expected to
operate independent of higher command authority. In the small
Circinus navy, captains command DropShips as well as JumpShips.
Major In
the Federation military, a major commands a battalion.
Colonel The
position of colonel, the highest rank in the Black Warriors, is
occupied by H. R. "Little Bob" McIntyre, basically a
tactical failure in battle. The original Black Warriors were
commanded by a colonel, and when the Black Warriors total force
reached three regiments, each regiment was commanded by a
colonel. They in turn reported directly to the president. Though
the current Federated consists of a full regiment in strength,
Little Bob apparently prefers the position of president to the
rank of colonel.
For
military dress functions, the president's uniform rivals a
colonel's in gaudy flash, each shoulder festooned with gold cords
and ten glittering chrome stars lining each epaulet and collar
(representing the ten worlds of the Federation). As the
Federation grows, the President's uniform may become difficult to
look at without sunglasses.
President
C. J. McIntyre's dream of a Circinian empire received an
unforeseen setback when the president died of a heart attack in
August of 3032. The president's son, H. R. "Little Bob"
McIntyre assumed the presidency immediately after his father's
death and quickly consolidated his power with the help of Adam
Cirion, commander of the Black Warriors and "Director of
Covert Operations," namely piracy.
After
securing his position, the new president announced that he would
carry out his father's dream of making the Circinus Federation a
true interstellar power. As a first step toward achieving that
dream, he planned to conquer the mineral-rich worlds of the
Illyrian Palatinate and ordered Circinian military leaders to
prepare an invasion plan. Within weeks, Circinian manufacturers
were busy producing materiel for the invasion, and the Circinian
military had completed a campaign strategy.
In
November 3032, only days before the invasion was scheduled to
commence, a second tragedy delayed the conquest of the Illyrian
Palatinate. Black Warriors commander Adam Cirion died as the
result of injuries he suffered during a tavern brawl on Circinus.
The Black Warriors, which served as the command staff and core of
the Circinian forces, were thrown into disarray. Like the
government of the Circinus federation itself, the Black Warriors
had no system to provide an accepted order of succession.
Traditionally,
the Black Warriors had been led by a member of the Cirion family,
but many military leaders considered the late commander's only
son, Michael Cirion, too young and inexperienced to lead the
Federation's forces. Eager to avoid any infighting that might
threaten morale and unit cohesion and weaken the Federation
military, McIntyre announced that he would assume command of the
Black Warriors until Michael Cirion was able an old enough to
lead. Many individuals in the Black Warriors questioned
McIntyre's ability to command the military, as the president
possessed only marginal skill as a MechWarrior and virtually no
battlefield experience. However, McIntyre pre-empted these
concerns by announcing that the invasion would be postponed for
one year while he trained with the Black Warriors to ensure a
quick victory for the Federation.
During
the subsequent months, McIntyre attempted to consolidate his
support within the Circinian military forces and eliminate any
opposition. His efforts proved only partially successful. Even as
the revised invasion date neared, many members of the Black
Warriors viewed McIntyre with suspicion and hostility for his
violation of the traditional, unspoken agreement between
Circinian politicians and military leaders to refrain from
visibly encroaching on one anothers' areas of influence. In
addition, "Little Bob" soon proved himself incapable of
continuing the political balancing act of hiding the true nature
of the Black Warriors from the public. Though over the years most
Circinians had become aware of the nature of their planet's
income, they gladly turned a blind eye in favor of the
Federations's continued prosperity. McIntyre's ineptitude stood
to ruin decades of clever diplomacy in a matter of months.
Michael Cirion emerged as an unofficial leader of this silent
opposition but the Cirion surname continued to elicit respect and
even reverence among the Black Warriors and McIntyre could do
little to counter the rising fortunes of the young MechWarrior.
In
3034, McIntyre announced to the Circinian people that their time
had come. He vowed that by quickly conquering the Palatinate, the
Circinus Federation would become a respected Periphery power,
immune from Inner Sphere aggression forever. Shortly after that
announcement, McIntyre ordered the invasion to begin.
Unfortunately,
McIntyre's prediction of a quick victory for the Federation
proved wrong. Apparently, the Federation's ineffective
intelligence service failed to detect the military preparations
taken by the Illyrians during the long delays that plagued the
launch of the invasion, and it seems probably that McIntyre's
desire for a quick victory caused him to discount any reports
that did come through. As a result, the invading Circinian forces
were completely surprised when they encountered seasoned
mercenary troops defending the Palatinate worlds. As Circinian
losses quickly began to mount, McIntyre ordered a full-scale
retreat to preserve his forces.
Fearful
of the popular disdain the failed invasion might engender, as
well as any advantage his failure might provide his opponents in
the military, McIntyre immediately ordered his loyal commanders
to identify a suitable, vulnerable target for another invasion.
Within days those commanders had identified a target: the Lothian
world of Dersidatz.
Once
the site of a Federation colony, the small agricultural world had
been a protectorate of the Lothian League since 3003, Dersidatz's
complete lack of strategic value and its scant resources had
enabled the planet's population to live free of outside
aggression during the intervening years, and it had virtually no
defensive forces when Circinian forces landed. Within days the
Dersidatzans had surrendered to the Circinian invaders, who
established several small garrisons and settlements on the
planet. Despite the quick victory, pockets of Dersidatzan
resistance fighters remained on the world, but reports of these
fighters were lost in the flood of news accounts of the
Federation's victory and the government's proclamations of a
dawning Circinian empire. Although Dersidatz held no real
strategic or economic value and the victory was not a
particularly impressive military feat, it did improve McIntyre's
popularity and silence his opponents.
In
the years following the conquest of Dersidatz, a number of events
ocurred that threatened McIntyre's rule as well as the future of
the Federation itself. First, an uprising on Dersidatz in 3036
interrupted the president's plan to mount a second invasion of
the Illyrian Palatinate. At the time of the uprising, the
Circinian presence on the planet had been reduced to a single,
company, which was easily overwhelmed by a well-armed rebel
strike force. The action enraged McIntyre, who ordered the rest
of the Black Warriors to Dersidatz to crush the rebellion.
However,
McIntyre quickly withdrew that order when he received reports of
massive Marik and Steiner troop movements near the Federation
borders. Fearing a war that might spill over into the Federation,
McIntyre ordered that all Circinian worlds along those borders be
garrisoned with troops to counter any incursions. At the same
time, he ordered that Circinian military forces cease all raiding
activities directed against Marik and Steiner worlds and return
to the realm. For several tense months, Circinian military
leaders waited for the attacks they considered inevitable. When a
year had passed without any foreign aggression, McIntyre canceled
the alert and, confident that the threat had passed, returned his
attention to the rebellion on Dersidatz.
The
Dersidatzan rebels spent the passing months digging in and
preparing sturdier defenses. When the Black Warriors returned to
the world, they faced a better-armed and better-prepared
opponent. The reconquest of Dersidatz quickly degenerated into a
guerrilla war, in which the Circinian forces were forced to track
small rebel bands through the planet's numerous mountain ranges.
Inevitably, the campaign grew far more costly than the Circinian
planners had anticipated, and though the protracted war provided
further fuel to the simmering discontent within the Circinian
military, McIntyre refused to abandon the planet.
By
the end of 3040, the Circinians had subdued most of the rebels on
Dersidatz. Despite continued, scattered guerrilla activity,
McIntyre declared victory for the Federation and withdrew nearly
all the Circinian forces from the planet. Then he began
preparations for the delayed second invasion of the Illyrian
Palatinate. Those plans were again interrupted in the opening
days of 3041 when a group of Black Warriors, secretly backed by
Michael Cirion, attempted to seize power in a coup d'etat. The
president escaped the initial attack, and soon the rebels and
troops loyal to McIntyre were embroiled in a fierce, running
battle that lasted a full year and spanned every Circinian world.
Eventually, the loyalist forces prevailed, but more than
two-thirds of the Circinian military was destroyed in the brutal
civil war.
McIntyre
immediately instituted a brutal purge to eradicate any surviving
opposition within his military forces. Michael Cirion was
arrested but later found innocent of the charges of treason.
Apparently, Cirion had carefully avoided any discernible
involvement in the rebellion. That fact, along with the prestige
of his family and influence in the Circinian judicial system,
saved him from the executioner's chopping block.
The
battered and demoralized Federation received yet another blow in
3042, when a young Black Warriors company commander on a deep
raiding mission into Lyran space allegedly discovered a Star
League cache on an uncharted Periphery world. Rather than return
with this find to the Federation, Captain Hopper Morrison and his
unit deserted. The Federation made several failed attempts to
hunt down the renegade unit.
Despite
all these misfortunes, McIntyre managed to retain the presidency
and hold the Circinus Federation together. Slowly the realm began
to rebuild itself, resorting to its traditional means of
gathering capital -- raiding. The Clans' invasion of the Inner
Sphere in 3050 actually aided this rebuilding effort by drawing
Inner Sphere attention away from the worlds along the Circinian
border.
Unit Name Experience Regiments Homeworld Black Warriors Regular 1 Circinus (CO: H. R. "Little Bob" McIntyre)
Though the Circinian government remains firmly under the reins
held by President McIntyre, opponents of the president's regime
have become increasingly vocal in recent months. Renewed unrest
on Dersidatz, the increasing power of the Marian Hegemony, and
the growing threat of Lyran and Marik military action against the
Federation have provided ample ammunition for critics of the
president.
The MechWarrior followers of Michael Cirion constitute the most
dangerous opposition faction, because without loyal military
backing the president would soon fall. At the present time,
Cirion appears to be waiting for an opportune moment to strike at
McIntyre. Unlike the president's military opposition, his
civilian opponents criticize him publicly. The strongest of these
civilian opposition groups are the Federation's farmers unions,
which criticize McIntyre for doing little to open new channels of
trade for the agricultural surplus of Federation farmers.
In
the past few years, McIntyre has begin to deteriorate physically.
He has gained weight and developed high blood pressure, no doubt
from stress associated with the dangers currently threatening his
position and his realm. Not nearly the fighter he once was, the
president increasingly resorts to cruelty and threats to enforce
his will.
ComStar
enjoyed good relations with the Federation until the schism that
created the Word of Blake group occurred. The redefinition of the
ComStar mission confused many citizens of the Federation, and
when Word of Blake followers began showing up in the Periphery
shortly afterward, Federation natives made no objection to their
seizing control of the few HPG facilities ComStar maintained in
Circinus space. Blakists maintain control of interstellar
communications in the Federation, though we have managed to
maintain a small ROM presence among their ranks.
Relations
between the Circinus Federation and the Federated Commonwealth
and Lyran Alliance remain strained, largely due to the long
history of Circinian raids against Davion and Lyran worlds.
Recent raids against Lyran possessions have left Circinian-Lyran
relations particularly poor at this time, and many planetary
rulers within the Lyran Alliance have called on the Archon to
authorize punitive retaliatory strikes against the Federation.
More than a few observers have speculated that the Archon may
find such actions an attractive means of bolstering public
support for her young Alliance and unity among its peoples.
The
Federation maintains no diplomatic relations with the Free Worlds
League. A history of Circinian raids against Marik worlds and
Marik occupation of the Federation have left the populations and
governments of both realms suspicious of one another. In recent
years, the Free Worlds League has attempted to improve relations
by providing economic assistance to several impoverished
Circinian worlds, but these programs have done little to alter
the deep-seated Circinian hostility toward the Free Worlds
League.
The
Circinus Federation's relations with its Periphery neighbors are
mixed. The Illyrian Palatinate, for example, maintains no
diplomatic relations with the Circinians and forbids Illyrian
merchants from trading with Federation worlds. Circinian
relations with the Marian Hegemony, however, have improved in
recent months, and trade ties between the two realms are
beginning to form. However, many observers speculate that the
Federation's friendly overtures toward the Hegemony result
entirely from the strategic implications of the Hegemony's
conquest of the Lothian League. Those same observers point out
that Circinian leaders remain suspicious and wary of the Marian
Caesar. Rising factionalism within the Federation has largely
stymied Circinian attempts to improve relations with the
Magistracy of Canopus, and Circinian relations with the Rim
Collection remain strained as well, due to President McIntyre's
reluctance to deal with the still-unstable government of the
recently founded state. McIntyre's reluctance to deal with the
Collection, however, has not prevented Collection merchants from
establishing profitable trade arrangements with their Circinian
counterparts.
Unit Name Experience Regiments Homeworld The Black Warriors (CO: Major Fritz Donner) Sarono's Sting Veteran 0.11 Maximillian (CO: Captain Julio Sarono) Davidson's Dirt Devils Regular 0.11 Thadora's Land (CO: Captain Sarah Davidson) Cirion's Death Machine Veteran 0.11 Circinus (CO: Lord Captain Michael Cirion) McIntyre House Guards (CO: President H. R. McIntyre) 1st Circinus Militia Green 0.11 Zorn's Keep (CO: Captain Jenna Lawrence) The McIntyre Guard Regular 0.11 Circinus (CO: Captain Geraldo Villinus) The Circinus Lancers Green 0.11 Andirion (CO: Captain Jimmy Peterson) The Fighting Shamrocks Regular 0.11 Thadora's Land (CO: Captain Angus O'Leary) (1 company) Reed's Brew Regular 0.07 Clayborne II (CO: Captain Burly Reed) (2 lances) Quint's Olympian Groundpounders Veteran 0.11 Diedre's Den (CO: Captain Herman Quint) (1 company)
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