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 XXVIII: The Mailed Fist—The Commonwealth Today
Fact Sheet: Lyran Commonwealth
Founding Year: 2341
Capital (City, World): Tharkad City, Tharkad
National Symbol: A brown leather-gloved fist set against a rectangular blue field
Location (Terra relative): Coreward and Anti-Spinward quadrant
Total (Inhabited) Systems: 319
Estimated Population (3130): 955,000,000,000
Government: Constitutional Monarchy (with German feudal stylings)
Ruler: Archon Melissa Steiner
Dominant Language(s): English and German (official), Scottish Gaelic, Italian,
French
Dominant Religion(s): Christian (Protestant), Judaism, Muslim
Unit of Currency: Kroner (1 kroner = 2.13 C-Bills)
Succession Wars, and even the FedCom Civil War with little more than the proverbial
scratch. Indeed, in the final years of the Civil War, Donegal’s contribution was little
more than the dispatching of its two ’Mech regiments to Tharkad. The war erupted
inevitably, after years of tension between supporters of Victor Steiner-Davion and his
sister, Katherine, finally spilled over into open hostilities. Its outcome in 3067 left both
the Steiner and Davion realms in tatters, their military might decimated, their
economies and industries exhausted, and untold tens of thousands (perhaps millions)
dead—civilian and military alike. It ended the experiment begun in 3028 with the
unification of the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns into the Federated
Commonwealth, and left a shocked and war-weary people facing an uncertain future.
But the devastation of the Civil War miraculously spared some worlds, like Donegal,
thanks in part to its location deep within the Commonwealth, its heavy protection by ’
Mech forces, and the shadow cast by nearby Tharkad. Yet the Blakist zealots who
launched their Jihad saw in their campaign of terror enough time to devote to an attack
here. Even now, the cleanup of the original Marsdenville, Wellington, and Palar
continues as tons of radioactive debris are gathered and loaded aboard star-barges for
off-world disposal.
Yet even as the old wounds still heal, commerce and industry have returned in force.
Donegal is once more a booming center of economic prosperity, a beacon of all that
the Lyran Commonwealth (renamed from the Lyran Alliance in 3084) stands for
today. The Donegal Stock Exchange is again the most active of the Commonwealth’s
stock markets, and Lockheed/CBM Aerospace continues to produce aerospace craft
for the Lyran navy and commercial interests. It is also one of many core worlds
where the Commonwealth’s traditional free press gathers and disseminates the latest
news from a realm that spans almost four hundred light-years in diameter.
Without a doubt, the Jihad was the worst single event in the history of the Inner
Sphere. For the Lyran Alliance, barely coming to grips with the final, terrible costs of
the FedCom Civil War, its impact was doubly felt for the sheer volume of economic
and industrial devastation it wrought. The loss of Tharkad, the bombing of Donegal,
the bombardment of Skye—all these events sent central authority spinning wildly out
of control. With the loss of the HPG network, chaos reigned across the realm and the
battered remains of the Lyran armed forces, stripped of their command structure,
could barely coordinate even the simplest operations in opposition to the fanatics.
Interstellar trade, the backbone of Lyran economy and infrastructure, collapsed
completely as fleets of JumpShips were attacked or pressed into military service. This
sent whole worlds—even entire sectors—into an economic depression the likes of
which had not been seen since the First Succession War or the early days of the
nation’s formation. Meanwhile, the most industrial worlds of the Skye region, closest
to Terra, faced the brunt of the Jihad, and—for the first time in history—Hesperus II
actually fell to a foreign power. By the time interstellar communications came back on-
line and the people could see what had become of their nation, the Lyran Alliance had
been ravaged.
Ultimately, it took a coalition under the leadership of Devlin Stone to break the Jihad
and bring the Steiner realm back from the brink, and it would be in gratitude for its
survival that the Archon of the Alliance would grant much of the once-rebellious Skye
province to Stone’s new Republic. Since that day, the Lyran Commonwealth has
struggled hard to regain its place as the industrial and economic powerhouse of the
Inner Sphere. With numerous trade deals between the Commonwealth and its
neighbors in The Republic and the Draconis Combine, the economy ultimately
recovered. Factories smashed during the war benefited from several initiatives
launched by the Steiner leaders. JumpShips once more plied the space lanes. As a new
age of peace finally took hold, hope—the real wellspring of Lyran prosperity—
returned to this battered nation. Though it would take decades to come back fully
from the abyss, the hope and the hearts of the Lyran people would one day restore
this wonderful nation to prosperity and dignity.
In our next four-part series, our tour through the history and cultures of the Inner
Sphere will take us to the gypsy merchants of the Clans. Won’t you join us for our
next volume, as we look into the fascinating world of Clan Sea Fox? 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 XXVIII: The Mailed Fist—The Commonwealth Today
Fact Sheet: Lyran Commonwealth
Founding Year: 2341
Capital (City, World): Tharkad City, Tharkad
National Symbol: A brown leather-gloved fist set against a rectangular blue field
Location (Terra relative): Coreward and Anti-Spinward quadrant
Total (Inhabited) Systems: 319
Estimated Population (3130): 955,000,000,000
Government: Constitutional Monarchy (with German feudal stylings)
Ruler: Archon Melissa Steiner
Dominant Language(s): English and German (official), Scottish Gaelic, Italian,
French
Dominant Religion(s): Christian (Protestant), Judaism, Muslim
Unit of Currency: Kroner (1 kroner = 2.13 C-Bills)
- Lying beneath a pale yellow sun made hazy by the smog of heavy industry,
New Marsdenville, the rebuilt capital city of Donegal and home to the
Commonwealth Supreme Court, overlooks the northern seas off the coast of
the Hinterlands continent. The original Marsdenville, home to the Marsden
family that founded the Protectorate of Donegal, lies under tons of natural and
man-made rubble some five hundred kilometers inland, another victim of the
Word of Blake Jihad. Fortunately, however, the Blakists’ strikes on Donegal
were only cursory, a smattering of low-yield tactical weapons aimed at the
major on-planet industries and administrative centers to sow chaos and fear,
but over half a billion Lyran citizens lost their lives on those fateful, dark days.
And yet the people of this world, still known today as the “Trader’s World,”
rallied and rebuilt, burying the dead and pledging their young survivors to the
defense of the Lyran state. The businesses that conducted operations here
grew back, like the limbs of the native unsterblich oaks that grow mostly on
this planet’s Lockenar continent. Like Tharkad, no expense was spared in the
recovery of this important world. Like Tharkad, here on Donegal the spirit of
the Lyran people has again prevailed.
Succession Wars, and even the FedCom Civil War with little more than the proverbial
scratch. Indeed, in the final years of the Civil War, Donegal’s contribution was little
more than the dispatching of its two ’Mech regiments to Tharkad. The war erupted
inevitably, after years of tension between supporters of Victor Steiner-Davion and his
sister, Katherine, finally spilled over into open hostilities. Its outcome in 3067 left both
the Steiner and Davion realms in tatters, their military might decimated, their
economies and industries exhausted, and untold tens of thousands (perhaps millions)
dead—civilian and military alike. It ended the experiment begun in 3028 with the
unification of the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns into the Federated
Commonwealth, and left a shocked and war-weary people facing an uncertain future.
But the devastation of the Civil War miraculously spared some worlds, like Donegal,
thanks in part to its location deep within the Commonwealth, its heavy protection by ’
Mech forces, and the shadow cast by nearby Tharkad. Yet the Blakist zealots who
launched their Jihad saw in their campaign of terror enough time to devote to an attack
here. Even now, the cleanup of the original Marsdenville, Wellington, and Palar
continues as tons of radioactive debris are gathered and loaded aboard star-barges for
off-world disposal.
Yet even as the old wounds still heal, commerce and industry have returned in force.
Donegal is once more a booming center of economic prosperity, a beacon of all that
the Lyran Commonwealth (renamed from the Lyran Alliance in 3084) stands for
today. The Donegal Stock Exchange is again the most active of the Commonwealth’s
stock markets, and Lockheed/CBM Aerospace continues to produce aerospace craft
for the Lyran navy and commercial interests. It is also one of many core worlds
where the Commonwealth’s traditional free press gathers and disseminates the latest
news from a realm that spans almost four hundred light-years in diameter.
- The small town of East Harlow stands in the shadow of Media City, a suburb
of one of the few urban sprawls spared the Blakist assault. From this town,
Commonwealth Press maintains a satellite printing office, producing hardcopies
of everything from fashion magazines to the latest copies of Bryn Charlotte’s
sci-fi thriller, The Invincible. It is here that our author got his start, working in
the editorial offices as war tore the Federated Commonwealth apart.
- The print editions told of a nation in the grip of fratricidal conflict. Steiner
versus Davion. The riots that broke out on Solaris in 3062 paled in comparison
to the stories of battle on Kentares, Coventry, Hesperus II, or the Flacon
Incursion. The sales figures for the Battle of Tharkad went through the roof in
3067, as another phase in Lyran history came to an end.
And it was here that a young Bertram Habeas felt the very earth shudder as a
miniature sun rose on the eastern horizon—marking the death of the city of
Chekswa, home of the Chekswa School of Literature, under a five-kiloton
atomic blast.
Without a doubt, the Jihad was the worst single event in the history of the Inner
Sphere. For the Lyran Alliance, barely coming to grips with the final, terrible costs of
the FedCom Civil War, its impact was doubly felt for the sheer volume of economic
and industrial devastation it wrought. The loss of Tharkad, the bombing of Donegal,
the bombardment of Skye—all these events sent central authority spinning wildly out
of control. With the loss of the HPG network, chaos reigned across the realm and the
battered remains of the Lyran armed forces, stripped of their command structure,
could barely coordinate even the simplest operations in opposition to the fanatics.
Interstellar trade, the backbone of Lyran economy and infrastructure, collapsed
completely as fleets of JumpShips were attacked or pressed into military service. This
sent whole worlds—even entire sectors—into an economic depression the likes of
which had not been seen since the First Succession War or the early days of the
nation’s formation. Meanwhile, the most industrial worlds of the Skye region, closest
to Terra, faced the brunt of the Jihad, and—for the first time in history—Hesperus II
actually fell to a foreign power. By the time interstellar communications came back on-
line and the people could see what had become of their nation, the Lyran Alliance had
been ravaged.
- With the chaos of the Jihad raging, it’s almost a miracle that the Clans did not
simply surge across the border to claim as much of the Lyran Commonwealth
as they could, truth be told. Though many historians consider this no more
than a stroke of dumb luck, the fact was that the sudden HPG blackout gave
the Clans cause to pause, unaware of just what exactly was going on in the
Inner Sphere. Adding to that was the arrival of more Clans from the
homeworlds, keeping them distracted until a new picture of the situation
unfolded.
- What’s truly a testament to the Lyran people, however, was the Steiner
willingness to make a deal. With their military in disarray, it would be Archon
Peter Steiner-Davion’s role—backed by Devlin Stone’s coalition, of course—to
request aid from his realm’s Clan enemies and truly make it possible to turn the
tide on the Lyran front. The real triumph, however, was convincing the
historically separatist people of Skye that they needed help.
—Rossel Schendt, Jihad: A Tale of Survival, Commonwealth Press, 3111
Ultimately, it took a coalition under the leadership of Devlin Stone to break the Jihad
and bring the Steiner realm back from the brink, and it would be in gratitude for its
survival that the Archon of the Alliance would grant much of the once-rebellious Skye
province to Stone’s new Republic. Since that day, the Lyran Commonwealth has
struggled hard to regain its place as the industrial and economic powerhouse of the
Inner Sphere. With numerous trade deals between the Commonwealth and its
neighbors in The Republic and the Draconis Combine, the economy ultimately
recovered. Factories smashed during the war benefited from several initiatives
launched by the Steiner leaders. JumpShips once more plied the space lanes. As a new
age of peace finally took hold, hope—the real wellspring of Lyran prosperity—
returned to this battered nation. Though it would take decades to come back fully
from the abyss, the hope and the hearts of the Lyran people would one day restore
this wonderful nation to prosperity and dignity.
In our next four-part series, our tour through the history and cultures of the Inner
Sphere will take us to the gypsy merchants of the Clans. Won’t you join us for our
next volume, as we look into the fascinating world of Clan Sea Fox? I’m Bertram
Habeas.
