Touring the Stars with Bertram Habeas
We began on Terra, millions of years ago. Today, mankind stretches throughout the
Milky Way, touching worlds as far from our home as Clan space, more than two
relentless push outward and onward? I'm Bertram Habeas, and tonight we'll find the
answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we tour the stars!
Volume IX: Rising Sun "The Dawn of the Federated Suns"
The Federated Suns is a self-described bastion of freedom amid a universe of despots,
and many of its citizens point to the Six Liberties of their national Constitution as proof
of its egalitarian ideals. Critics, however, point to the ranks of armed 'Mech forces on
FedSuns' borders, or the striking inequity between grand palaces on key industrial
worlds and the impoverished masses who eke out a living on other, more far-flung
planets. Both of these are faces of House Davion's Federated Suns, but does either
face present the whole truth, or set this realm apart as better or worse than its
neighbors? Like all such questions, of course, there can be no definitive yes-or-no
answers. So instead we explore the history and the culture of today's Federated Suns.
Where did it all begin? What compelled the formation of this realm from the chaos of
the early 24th century to become the 434-world power it is today? Like all tales of
great nations, the story of the Federated Suns is rooted in war and politics.
What is interesting to note is that the Grain Rebellion itself was an interesting
repetition of ancient Terran history, one that even led to the formation of a
democratic state that eventually attained global prominence, just as the FedSuns itself
eventually would do on an interstellar scale. A collection of angry locals "most of
them farmers" raided the local spaceport, where their military-seized produce had
been recently gathered for off-world shipment. They then sabotaged the assembled
fleet of DropShips, essentially spoiling the efforts by Governor-General [Emil]
Varnay to keep New Avalon in line.
In fact, short of dressing up like local bandit raiders and calling the whole affair the
"New Avalon Grain Party", one might be hard pressed to come up with a more
obvious link to the historical event that once signified the same fateful rallying cry for
colonial independence on ancient Terra.
--Dr. Byron Wolfe, PhD., Here We Go Again, Republican Publications, 3126
While the signing of the Crucis Pact in 2317 was the official formation of the
Federated Suns, it was the New Avalon Grain Rebellion 80 years earlier, when the
people of New Avalon said œno more to Terran Alliance work quotas, that signified
the birth of this nation. Sweeping aside the heavy-handed military governorship of the
Alliance's strongman, Emil Varnay, the people of New Avalon first tried to rebuild their
world in its newfound independence under a democratic rule, much the same way the
former European colonists on North America did upon their own successful bid for
liberty.
But where the North Americans would one day create a political, industrial, and
military powerhouse from those seeds of a representative democracy, the "œtrue
democracy" implemented on New Avalon began to fail within its first decade. A
handful of local industrialists quickly gained wealth, prestige, and their own private
armies, and turned on one another as they jockeyed for planetary control. In their
efforts to avoid the tyranny of oppressive rulers, the people of New Avalon soon
found themselves ruled by the tyranny of chaos itself.
It was not until the cooperation of militia colonels Adam Davion and Nathan DuVall,
who launched a seven-year campaign against the other feuding families on New
Avalon, that peace and stability would return to this world, along with a neofeudal
system to replace the failed experiment in "true democracy". The war-weary
population readily accepted this change to an oligarchy for the stability and security it
promised. But such security lasted only until rumors of a burgeoning Terran
Hegemony reached New Avalon.
It's striking to note that what brought New Avalon to such a position of prominence
was the same anti-Terran concerns that led to the creation of the Draconis Combine,
its greatest historical enemy. Lucian Davion, eldest son of Colonel [Adam] Davion,
and successor to Prime Minister [Nathan] DuVall of New Avalon, perceived the rising
Terran Hegemony as a threat to his world’s sovereignty. Though many historians
have called him a dreamer, Lucien was probably more pragmatic than most of his
fellow New Avalonians, who tended toward isolationism. Fear of a new Terran
domination and the need for a defensive alliance prompted him to devise and pitch his
Crucis Pact to other world rulers.
Like Shiro Kurita did around the same time, Lucien spent a lot of time gathering
political support for a local confederation of mutual defense. Unlike Kurita, however,
Lucien stressed politics far more than military force; if a planetary ruler wanted no
part of his deal, then he or she was on his or her own – theoretically speaking. This
fair but pragmatic diplomatic approach won him a great deal of respect, and even got
him elected President of the Federated Suns when that 20-world alliance formed
officially in 2317.
But would it have worked out that way had there been no Terran boogeyman to rally
against?
--Dr. Lanz Rettig, PhD., Professor of Inner Sphere History, University of Academia,
Kessel
Though the Crucis Pact theoretically granted the Federated Suns limited central
authority to create an alliance-wide defense force, what existed at the end of Lucien
Davion’s reign was little more than an ad-hoc collection of local militias.
Disorganized and ineffective, these forces were constantly mired in skirmishes on the
Capellan frontier. Charles Davion, Lucien’s youngest brother and successor to the
dual titles of New Avalon Prime Minister and FedSuns President, addressed this
problem by forming the Federated Peacekeeping Force (FPF). This new standing
army, loyal to the alliance as a whole rather than any individual world, became the
core of the modern Federated Suns army. Henceforth, military strength would become
a signature of House Davion’s political power and resolve.
The prominence of the military in the Federated Suns is a reflection of the ideals
espoused by the ruling House Davion line since their original ascent in the 2300s.
Even Lucien Davion, the dreamer and politician, hailed from a military background
and resorted to the use of force to further his political aims. Though hardly as
belligerent and eager to conquer as the Kuritas, the Davions were no less militaristic
than their coreward counterparts. Indeed, their belief in military service as a
prerequisite to political leadership – spelled out in the FedSuns Constitution –
clearly demonstrates the value placed on the business of war.
Shortly after Charles Davion’s death, his successor, Reynard Davion, would use
the FPF in the realm’s first true stab (but certainly not its last) at expansion
through conquest, flexing the realm’s military muscle against the neighboring
Capellan states.
If the FedSuns’ citizenry opposed the military adventurism of its rulers, however,
few apparently felt the need to say so. With the clout of the FPF behind them, every
Davion to become ruler of the realm was seen as a war hero, and through their
military background they grew a powerful political base that would ensure Davion
rule from then onward.
--Dr. Lorenzo Torres, PhD., Professor of History, University of Thorin
By the time of Reynard Davion’s death in 2371, the Federated Suns was
completely dominated by the Davion family, who enjoyed the support of the military
and no small degree of public opinion to effectively create the dynasty that even now
continues to rule that nation. In the wake of Reynard’s rule, however, successive
Davion Presidents gradually drove the realm into a destructive, downward cycle.
Some, such as Reynard’s son, Etien Davion, proved mad or ineffective, while
others, like Edward Davion, leaned toward the very despotism the realm was said to
stand against.
The ascent of Simon Davion – ironically after willingly submitting to a trial for
assassinating his cousin Edward – saved the Federated Suns from its decline toward
corruption and collapse. Under Simon Davion, the Federated Suns was reorganized
politically. The last vestiges of the Federated Suns’ semidemocratic government
hierarchy were swept aside in favor of an interlocking system of nobility – including
several government leaders newly elevated to nobility – that would prevent future
abuses of power. The March Lordships were created, establishing a secondary tier of
national leadership that deemphasized Simon’s personal rule over the Suns, but his
fair-handed approach to this political reorganization still won him the title of First
Prince, replacing the office of the President once and for all in 2418.
In part two of this series on the Federated Suns, we’ll continue our exploration of
the Davion realm. Please join us as we continue our tour of the stars! I’m Bertram
Habeas.
Milky Way, touching worlds as far from our home as Clan space, more than two
relentless push outward and onward? I'm Bertram Habeas, and tonight we'll find the
answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we tour the stars!
Volume IX: Rising Sun "The Dawn of the Federated Suns"
The Federated Suns is a self-described bastion of freedom amid a universe of despots,
and many of its citizens point to the Six Liberties of their national Constitution as proof
of its egalitarian ideals. Critics, however, point to the ranks of armed 'Mech forces on
FedSuns' borders, or the striking inequity between grand palaces on key industrial
worlds and the impoverished masses who eke out a living on other, more far-flung
planets. Both of these are faces of House Davion's Federated Suns, but does either
face present the whole truth, or set this realm apart as better or worse than its
neighbors? Like all such questions, of course, there can be no definitive yes-or-no
answers. So instead we explore the history and the culture of today's Federated Suns.
Where did it all begin? What compelled the formation of this realm from the chaos of
the early 24th century to become the 434-world power it is today? Like all tales of
great nations, the story of the Federated Suns is rooted in war and politics.
What is interesting to note is that the Grain Rebellion itself was an interesting
repetition of ancient Terran history, one that even led to the formation of a
democratic state that eventually attained global prominence, just as the FedSuns itself
eventually would do on an interstellar scale. A collection of angry locals "most of
them farmers" raided the local spaceport, where their military-seized produce had
been recently gathered for off-world shipment. They then sabotaged the assembled
fleet of DropShips, essentially spoiling the efforts by Governor-General [Emil]
Varnay to keep New Avalon in line.
In fact, short of dressing up like local bandit raiders and calling the whole affair the
"New Avalon Grain Party", one might be hard pressed to come up with a more
obvious link to the historical event that once signified the same fateful rallying cry for
colonial independence on ancient Terra.
--Dr. Byron Wolfe, PhD., Here We Go Again, Republican Publications, 3126
While the signing of the Crucis Pact in 2317 was the official formation of the
Federated Suns, it was the New Avalon Grain Rebellion 80 years earlier, when the
people of New Avalon said œno more to Terran Alliance work quotas, that signified
the birth of this nation. Sweeping aside the heavy-handed military governorship of the
Alliance's strongman, Emil Varnay, the people of New Avalon first tried to rebuild their
world in its newfound independence under a democratic rule, much the same way the
former European colonists on North America did upon their own successful bid for
liberty.
But where the North Americans would one day create a political, industrial, and
military powerhouse from those seeds of a representative democracy, the "œtrue
democracy" implemented on New Avalon began to fail within its first decade. A
handful of local industrialists quickly gained wealth, prestige, and their own private
armies, and turned on one another as they jockeyed for planetary control. In their
efforts to avoid the tyranny of oppressive rulers, the people of New Avalon soon
found themselves ruled by the tyranny of chaos itself.
It was not until the cooperation of militia colonels Adam Davion and Nathan DuVall,
who launched a seven-year campaign against the other feuding families on New
Avalon, that peace and stability would return to this world, along with a neofeudal
system to replace the failed experiment in "true democracy". The war-weary
population readily accepted this change to an oligarchy for the stability and security it
promised. But such security lasted only until rumors of a burgeoning Terran
Hegemony reached New Avalon.
It's striking to note that what brought New Avalon to such a position of prominence
was the same anti-Terran concerns that led to the creation of the Draconis Combine,
its greatest historical enemy. Lucian Davion, eldest son of Colonel [Adam] Davion,
and successor to Prime Minister [Nathan] DuVall of New Avalon, perceived the rising
Terran Hegemony as a threat to his world’s sovereignty. Though many historians
have called him a dreamer, Lucien was probably more pragmatic than most of his
fellow New Avalonians, who tended toward isolationism. Fear of a new Terran
domination and the need for a defensive alliance prompted him to devise and pitch his
Crucis Pact to other world rulers.
Like Shiro Kurita did around the same time, Lucien spent a lot of time gathering
political support for a local confederation of mutual defense. Unlike Kurita, however,
Lucien stressed politics far more than military force; if a planetary ruler wanted no
part of his deal, then he or she was on his or her own – theoretically speaking. This
fair but pragmatic diplomatic approach won him a great deal of respect, and even got
him elected President of the Federated Suns when that 20-world alliance formed
officially in 2317.
But would it have worked out that way had there been no Terran boogeyman to rally
against?
--Dr. Lanz Rettig, PhD., Professor of Inner Sphere History, University of Academia,
Kessel
Though the Crucis Pact theoretically granted the Federated Suns limited central
authority to create an alliance-wide defense force, what existed at the end of Lucien
Davion’s reign was little more than an ad-hoc collection of local militias.
Disorganized and ineffective, these forces were constantly mired in skirmishes on the
Capellan frontier. Charles Davion, Lucien’s youngest brother and successor to the
dual titles of New Avalon Prime Minister and FedSuns President, addressed this
problem by forming the Federated Peacekeeping Force (FPF). This new standing
army, loyal to the alliance as a whole rather than any individual world, became the
core of the modern Federated Suns army. Henceforth, military strength would become
a signature of House Davion’s political power and resolve.
The prominence of the military in the Federated Suns is a reflection of the ideals
espoused by the ruling House Davion line since their original ascent in the 2300s.
Even Lucien Davion, the dreamer and politician, hailed from a military background
and resorted to the use of force to further his political aims. Though hardly as
belligerent and eager to conquer as the Kuritas, the Davions were no less militaristic
than their coreward counterparts. Indeed, their belief in military service as a
prerequisite to political leadership – spelled out in the FedSuns Constitution –
clearly demonstrates the value placed on the business of war.
Shortly after Charles Davion’s death, his successor, Reynard Davion, would use
the FPF in the realm’s first true stab (but certainly not its last) at expansion
through conquest, flexing the realm’s military muscle against the neighboring
Capellan states.
If the FedSuns’ citizenry opposed the military adventurism of its rulers, however,
few apparently felt the need to say so. With the clout of the FPF behind them, every
Davion to become ruler of the realm was seen as a war hero, and through their
military background they grew a powerful political base that would ensure Davion
rule from then onward.
--Dr. Lorenzo Torres, PhD., Professor of History, University of Thorin
By the time of Reynard Davion’s death in 2371, the Federated Suns was
completely dominated by the Davion family, who enjoyed the support of the military
and no small degree of public opinion to effectively create the dynasty that even now
continues to rule that nation. In the wake of Reynard’s rule, however, successive
Davion Presidents gradually drove the realm into a destructive, downward cycle.
Some, such as Reynard’s son, Etien Davion, proved mad or ineffective, while
others, like Edward Davion, leaned toward the very despotism the realm was said to
stand against.
The ascent of Simon Davion – ironically after willingly submitting to a trial for
assassinating his cousin Edward – saved the Federated Suns from its decline toward
corruption and collapse. Under Simon Davion, the Federated Suns was reorganized
politically. The last vestiges of the Federated Suns’ semidemocratic government
hierarchy were swept aside in favor of an interlocking system of nobility – including
several government leaders newly elevated to nobility – that would prevent future
abuses of power. The March Lordships were created, establishing a secondary tier of
national leadership that deemphasized Simon’s personal rule over the Suns, but his
fair-handed approach to this political reorganization still won him the title of First
Prince, replacing the office of the President once and for all in 2418.
In part two of this series on the Federated Suns, we’ll continue our exploration of
the Davion realm. Please join us as we continue our tour of the stars! I’m Bertram
Habeas.
