Touring the Stars with Bertram Habeas
We began on Terra, millions of years ago. Today, mankind stretches out among the
stars of the Milky Way, touching thousands of worlds, as far from our home as Clan
space, more than 2,000 light-years distant. Yet who are we, really? What have we
become in our relentless push outward and onward? I’m Bertram Habeas, and tonight,
let’s find the answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we
tour the stars!
Volume XXVI: People, Politics, and Profit—The Steiner Equation
capital city of the Lyran Commonwealth, built during the Age of War, when it seemed
Kurita troops would overrun the original capital of Arcturus. No expense was spared
in that original effort, and thus none was spared for the post-Jihad repair either. Of
course, for a realm as wealthy as that ruled today by House Steiner, “no expense
spared” takes on new meaning.
Founded by three mercantile alliances, the Lyran Commonwealth, unlike some of its
fellow Successor States, has enjoyed the strongest and most stable economy in the
Inner Sphere, eclipsed only briefly by the Free Worlds League during the invasion of
the Clans and its aftermath. While some have claimed this comes naturally from
possessing some of the richest and most industrialized planets in the Inner Sphere,
what many people may fail to realize is that the Lyrans’ economic might actually
stems from a much more basic relationship, an understanding between government
and business born even before the leaders of Tamar, Skye, and Donegal joined forces
to create the Commonwealth itself.
Free enterprise remains the cornerstone of Lyran identity, a capitalist mindset that has
made empires of colonial nations even before man reached out to the stars. This
system, made possible even after the Commonwealth discarded its nine-archon system
in favor of a dynastic rule—thanks to Robert Marsden’s Articles of Acceptance—gave
the people the right to pursue their own happiness and fortune. The rights applied not
only to world governments, but also to common citizens. In the days before feudalism
truly took hold in the Commonwealth, merchants and entrepreneurs had already begun
staking their claims to a life of prosperity, unfettered by artificial government
restrictions.
Openness and tolerance were encouraged as well, as any Lyran worth his salt knew
that even a foreigner could be a customer or a business partner. Regardless of sexual
persuasion, ethnic background, or even political views, the Lyran way is to keep an
open mind to all people, everywhere. Even on the national level the governments of
member-worlds vary wildly, reflecting this tolerance on the interplanetary level. This
variety truly is the spice of life for the Commonwealth, allowing its people to sample a
myriad of lifestyles, while also providing an endless series of internal markets based on
the social, cultural, political, and even practical needs of the various member-worlds.
Interestingly, however, a few constants do permeate the Commonwealth. German and
English are the languages of state, though most merchants and diplomats speak a host
of others to facilitate trade. A strong work ethic, the offshoot of the free enterprise
economics and the lack of restrictions on rising through the social classes, means that
most Lyrans one might encounter are hard workers, constantly driven to improve the
quality of their lives. The culture and the class structure, like those of all the Great
Houses, have their roots in the spirit of the ruling family.
After assuming the title of Archon Basileus and handily bringing all internal opposition
under control with deft politics and personal charm, Katherine Steiner (the first)
turned her own flair for business and government toward rebuilding the war-ravaged
realm and cementing her dynasty. Offering no-interest loans for the reconstruction of
damaged industries in exchange for a share of the afflicted company’s stocks, she
opened the markets and gained access to amazing new sources of wealth at the same
time. In addition, she funded planet-scouting programs to locate prime real estate
throughout the Commonwealth, either for further colonization efforts or to bestow
such lands on particularly loyal subjects.
These efforts not only accomplished the goals of rebuilding a realm ravaged by the
Age of War and solidifying Steiner power, but also gave new life to the old institution
of noble peerage. Over time, the social structure of an aristocracy would form
alongside the common classes and their blue- and white-collar strata. Even more
subtle was the gradual impression of the Steiner family’s native German heritage and
cultural bent on the Commonwealth, a development that grew more from the people’s
reverence toward Katherine and her successors than from any nationally instituted
campaign.
Indeed, by the time of Katherine Steiner’s retirement in favor of her son, Alistair
Steiner, in 2445, the Commonwealth had been forever changed from a mere alliance
of merchants to a viable state with the beginnings of a unifying culture, values, and
way of life.
Of course, an open mercantile society brings its share of problems and challenges as
well. Though the Lyran Commonwealth can trace its prosperity to the industrious
nature of its people, the laws of capitalism are not so far removed from the laws of
Darwinism. Not without compassion—innumerable charity funds are still sponsored
by all manner of corporate and government agencies—the affluence of the
Commonwealth is nevertheless most available to those who work for it, or who are on
good terms with those who do. And some have amassed such wealth and power that
they have become political and social entities in their own right.
Advancing one’s fortune or prominence in the social strata is thus vastly improved as
much by who one knows as much as it is by how hard one works. Even before the
resurgence of the aristocratic and noble classes, the lines of ruling classes began to
form among the corporate executives, the statesmen, and the master tradesmen. It’s
thus little wonder that shrewd negotiation skills, political finesse, or the occasional
ethical flexibility in business are cultivated as art forms by even the most common
Lyran citizen, who has come to see all deals, prices, and conditions of service as open
to haggling.
In our third installment on the Lyran Commonwealth, we’ll look at the rise, fall, and
resurrection of House Steiner through the Succession Wars, and the subsequent years
that changed this realm forever. Please join us as we continue our tour of the stars! I’
m Bertram Habeas.
stars of the Milky Way, touching thousands of worlds, as far from our home as Clan
space, more than 2,000 light-years distant. Yet who are we, really? What have we
become in our relentless push outward and onward? I’m Bertram Habeas, and tonight,
let’s find the answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we
tour the stars!
Volume XXVI: People, Politics, and Profit—The Steiner Equation
- The Triad, Tharkad City, and the neighboring city, Oympia, lie under a thin
layer of springtime snow, reflecting sunlight as the world’s distant yellow G6-
class star peeks out from a rolling gray cloud cover. On the outer limits of the
twin metros, construction vehicles continue a decades-long effort to restore the
original city limits. Their labors complete a campaign of demolition and
reconstruction that began in 3068, when the survivors of the worst fusion plant
meltdown in Inner Sphere history—a meltdown that occurred just as hordes of
Blakist zealots dropped on Tharkad in a WarShip-supported blitzkrieg the likes
of which has never been seen in the history of this proud realm—finally
trickled back to their homelands.
On that fateful day, when mankind’s darkest time was launched in a fury of
nuclear bombs, BattleMech rampages, and WarShip bombardments, the
mighty, city-sized fusion plant buried deep beneath the Lyran capital lost
containment and spewed enough radiation into the surrounding lands to force
the evacuation of every man, woman, and child not killed in the initial blasts for
a distance of 150 –kilometers. Even as MechWarriors and foot soldiers fought
and died on the streets, lethal radiation spewed from ruptured lines, forming a
cloud of death that lingered and drifted over the countryside for years
afterward. Though understandably attributed at the time to the Blakists, modern
analysis shows that the Tharkad City disaster was actually a simple accident, a
horrible fluke of coincidence, compounded by the chaos that accompanied the
first volleys of the Jihad.
Today, over sixty years and billions of kroner later, the last scars of the Jihad
are only now being obliterated, save for the massive crater dug into the frozen,
glassy earth to remove the remains of the ruined reactor. As if memorializing
the most heroic phase of the reconstruction, the crater remains a testament to
the brave DropShip crews who sacrificed themselves to pull the radioactive
material from their beloved capital world and send it hurtling into space.
capital city of the Lyran Commonwealth, built during the Age of War, when it seemed
Kurita troops would overrun the original capital of Arcturus. No expense was spared
in that original effort, and thus none was spared for the post-Jihad repair either. Of
course, for a realm as wealthy as that ruled today by House Steiner, “no expense
spared” takes on new meaning.
Founded by three mercantile alliances, the Lyran Commonwealth, unlike some of its
fellow Successor States, has enjoyed the strongest and most stable economy in the
Inner Sphere, eclipsed only briefly by the Free Worlds League during the invasion of
the Clans and its aftermath. While some have claimed this comes naturally from
possessing some of the richest and most industrialized planets in the Inner Sphere,
what many people may fail to realize is that the Lyrans’ economic might actually
stems from a much more basic relationship, an understanding between government
and business born even before the leaders of Tamar, Skye, and Donegal joined forces
to create the Commonwealth itself.
Free enterprise remains the cornerstone of Lyran identity, a capitalist mindset that has
made empires of colonial nations even before man reached out to the stars. This
system, made possible even after the Commonwealth discarded its nine-archon system
in favor of a dynastic rule—thanks to Robert Marsden’s Articles of Acceptance—gave
the people the right to pursue their own happiness and fortune. The rights applied not
only to world governments, but also to common citizens. In the days before feudalism
truly took hold in the Commonwealth, merchants and entrepreneurs had already begun
staking their claims to a life of prosperity, unfettered by artificial government
restrictions.
Openness and tolerance were encouraged as well, as any Lyran worth his salt knew
that even a foreigner could be a customer or a business partner. Regardless of sexual
persuasion, ethnic background, or even political views, the Lyran way is to keep an
open mind to all people, everywhere. Even on the national level the governments of
member-worlds vary wildly, reflecting this tolerance on the interplanetary level. This
variety truly is the spice of life for the Commonwealth, allowing its people to sample a
myriad of lifestyles, while also providing an endless series of internal markets based on
the social, cultural, political, and even practical needs of the various member-worlds.
Interestingly, however, a few constants do permeate the Commonwealth. German and
English are the languages of state, though most merchants and diplomats speak a host
of others to facilitate trade. A strong work ethic, the offshoot of the free enterprise
economics and the lack of restrictions on rising through the social classes, means that
most Lyrans one might encounter are hard workers, constantly driven to improve the
quality of their lives. The culture and the class structure, like those of all the Great
Houses, have their roots in the spirit of the ruling family.
- If there is a weakness in how the Steiner family rules, it is that they show too
much intelligence and imagination. Let something happen to a Steiner Archon,
whether it be an assassination or the most mild but incapacitating illness, and
the entire realm comes to a screeching halt. The Steiners might be good at
making others feel an important part of the government, but don’t be fooled.
The Steiners rule with an iron hand.
—Hervsas David, Political Advisor to Hanse Davion, c. 3024
After assuming the title of Archon Basileus and handily bringing all internal opposition
under control with deft politics and personal charm, Katherine Steiner (the first)
turned her own flair for business and government toward rebuilding the war-ravaged
realm and cementing her dynasty. Offering no-interest loans for the reconstruction of
damaged industries in exchange for a share of the afflicted company’s stocks, she
opened the markets and gained access to amazing new sources of wealth at the same
time. In addition, she funded planet-scouting programs to locate prime real estate
throughout the Commonwealth, either for further colonization efforts or to bestow
such lands on particularly loyal subjects.
These efforts not only accomplished the goals of rebuilding a realm ravaged by the
Age of War and solidifying Steiner power, but also gave new life to the old institution
of noble peerage. Over time, the social structure of an aristocracy would form
alongside the common classes and their blue- and white-collar strata. Even more
subtle was the gradual impression of the Steiner family’s native German heritage and
cultural bent on the Commonwealth, a development that grew more from the people’s
reverence toward Katherine and her successors than from any nationally instituted
campaign.
Indeed, by the time of Katherine Steiner’s retirement in favor of her son, Alistair
Steiner, in 2445, the Commonwealth had been forever changed from a mere alliance
of merchants to a viable state with the beginnings of a unifying culture, values, and
way of life.
- One needs to know very little to get by in the Lyran Commonwealth: who to
talk to, who not to talk to, and who to persuade with the appropriate number of
C-bills.
—Cyro Tslio, ex-ComStar Precentor of Donegal Station, 3025
Of course, an open mercantile society brings its share of problems and challenges as
well. Though the Lyran Commonwealth can trace its prosperity to the industrious
nature of its people, the laws of capitalism are not so far removed from the laws of
Darwinism. Not without compassion—innumerable charity funds are still sponsored
by all manner of corporate and government agencies—the affluence of the
Commonwealth is nevertheless most available to those who work for it, or who are on
good terms with those who do. And some have amassed such wealth and power that
they have become political and social entities in their own right.
Advancing one’s fortune or prominence in the social strata is thus vastly improved as
much by who one knows as much as it is by how hard one works. Even before the
resurgence of the aristocratic and noble classes, the lines of ruling classes began to
form among the corporate executives, the statesmen, and the master tradesmen. It’s
thus little wonder that shrewd negotiation skills, political finesse, or the occasional
ethical flexibility in business are cultivated as art forms by even the most common
Lyran citizen, who has come to see all deals, prices, and conditions of service as open
to haggling.
In our third installment on the Lyran Commonwealth, we’ll look at the rise, fall, and
resurrection of House Steiner through the Succession Wars, and the subsequent years
that changed this realm forever. Please join us as we continue our tour of the stars! I’
m Bertram Habeas.
