Rim Worlds Republic (In Exile)

The Rim Worlds Republic was thought to have died with Stefan Amaris, but a portion of his nation left the greater inner sphere to hide in the deep periphery, waiting for their chance to return. In their exile, the Rim Worlds Republic went further in their democratization, even though an Amaris remains as the supreme ruler of the nation, keeping Stefan’s title as “Emperor of Mankind”. Scientific advances in the Republic are different from what was seen in the Inner Sphere and the Clan Homeworlds, a lot of it focusing on deep space travel, terraforming and genetic engineering. Seeing Clan Wolf take Terra after the HPG Blackout, the Republic and their Wolverine Union allies have begun plans to attack the Inner Sphere and retake lost territories.

History

The Exile

The Rim Worlds Republic had been gravely damaged by the SLDF during their fight against the Alexander Kerensky’s men. Rather than sending their support to their leader on Terra, senator Drakuun Heisenberg rallied a block of loyalists to the ideals of the Republic and started evacuation towards a location which had been scoped out ahead of time. Heisenberg also took 3 of Stefan Amaris’s “legitimate heirs” (from some of his concubines which remained in Republican space) with him to give his movement more legitimacy.

With more than 30 WarShips and 650 JumpShips, Heisenberg brought the elite of the Rim Worlds Republic with him in this self-imposed exile. While not as big as Operation EXODUS, what was amazing was the speed and efficiency in which this whole operation happened. The fact all ship captains knew what their end destination was allowed them to take their own path towards what would be their new homeland. After their departure, a small number of ships from other nations joined them, mainly from the Lyran Commonwealth and Free Worlds League. A small contingent of vessels from the Magistracy of Canopus also joined them and asked for details on reaching the new promised lands.

Settling down

Reaching the world of Promise, which was already terraformed for the needs of the Republic, Heisenberg settled his people down. Many dropships were turned into temporary shelters as more permanent solutions were put down and factory construction began. The constitution of the Rim Worlds Republic in exile was signed by Constance Amaris, Drakuun Heisenberg and the captain of the 30 WarShips which had brought the population over, who became the first senators. A national election was then called to select the members of congress, all of which cemented Constance Amaris as the “Empress In Exile”.

Unlike the SLDF, the Rim Worlds Republic wanted to bring more people towards their new “promised land”, and secret expeditions were scheduled to go to Periphery and towards former Rim Worlds Republic planets to rescue more people from the upcoming oppression of the SLDF, and then of the Successor Lords. This was made easier when the Super Kearny-Fuchida Drive was created in 2800, using plans put down in the Republic before the Amaris Coup. The terraforming process of many worlds near the system of Promise, protected by the light and radio interference of the Quasar, began in earnest around that time as well.

Meeting the Wolverines

In late 2822, an expedition monitoring the terraforming on one world met with a group of survivors which had settled down on the planet, but that were not from the Inner Sphere. Careful at first, the expedition met with “the Wolverines” but kept their identity mostly secret. Congress was happy to have free settlers on one of their world, while Senate was unsure of how to deal with SLDF survivors which had also been cast away. Ultimately, the now severely weakened Constance Amaris gave a “wait and see” order to her people, while ordering support be provided to the exiled SLDF warriors.

30 years later, under the rule of Daemon Amaris, Daemon himself went to meet with the leadership of the Wolverines and revealed the whole situation to them. Having been indebted to the Republic for 30 years, the Wolverine leadership was happy to learn the truth and understood the similarities between their two nations. The first document which settled the Wolverine Union was signed after this meeting.

Population Explosion

The main takeaway of this Union was the acquisition of the Iron Womb technology by the Rim Worlds Republic. The massive facilities known as “Sarah’s Heart” used by the Wolverines was copied by the Republic on every settled worlds, creating the entire infrastructure which would split “vatgrowns” and “bloodborn” in the future. The average workforce required to expand the Republic was now grown in the Iron Womb facilities. With these facilities in place the population of the Republic exploded and new worlds were settled rapidly in order to get more raw materials for the now very hungry factories, shipyards and genetic repositories.

A new Golden Age

Between 2900 and 3000, the Rim Worlds Republic and the Wolverines saw a long golden age would be where they grew their national power, scientific achievements and establishment of new political powers. With short effective lifespan, 5 emperors and empresses of the Amaris family would rule during that period, generally pushing for the expansion of their realm and build up of their military for upcoming strikes against their sworn enemy. This was controlled by the presence of the First Minister, Senate and Congress, which tampered these urges through careful application of the law.

This period is also when the Republic began financing and building mercenary units which they would send into the Inner Sphere to find more information on the Successor States, cause general trouble and establish supply routes and depots for their own forces. The depression of the Third Succession War let the Republic infiltrate almost all of the militaries of the Inner Sphere, along with giving opportunity for some of their soldiers to get real world experience. Many mercenary outfits did not even know they worked for the Republic as time went on, except for a few deep agents sending constant reports to their leadership.

Lead up to the Clan Invasion

The Wolverines in the early 3000 had started plans to make sure the Clan’s invation of the Inner Sphere would fail and be incredibly costly to both sides. Fangshi Amaris, the Secretary of the Military at the time, met with Juliet Sobral of the Wolverines and put a full plan in motion to have even more infiltrated agents at all levels of both the Clan and Inner Sphere apparatus. The first results from this came during the Fourth Succession War, where Union agents not only reported on the ongoing fights, but also drove forward secessionist sentiments in things like the Duchy of Andurien, Isle of Skye and Capellan Marches.

The Republic also made sure they went around recruiting any disgruntled, fallen and discredited politician, warrior and even average citizen from the Inner Sphere nations. While a lot of them simply were resettled in the Republican territory, many also became infiltrated assets. Using all these assets to try to steer the Clans in their invasion, the Republic managed part of their objectives in destabilizing the Inner Sphere, but also in sowing the seeds of distrust amongst the Clans.

A Second Star League

The victory at Tukayyid gave pause to the Republic, who expected the Clans to take the day in that battle. Both the Republic and the Wolverines found ways of making this work for their own plans. However, the fact the Inner Sphere came together and formed a Second Star League caused the to pause. The Republic used every tool they had to destabilize the Second Star League. On their side, the Wolverines did promote their militarization for their strike against the Smoke Jaguars to further weaken the Clans.

Underground railroad

All these actions led to the collapse of the Second Star League over time. However, at the same time, various Clans were being purged out of Clan space. The Wolverines approached the Republican leadership to set aside worlds for these damaged military powers. Building a structure and preparing 3 worlds for each Clan they viewed as potential members of the Union; the Republic facilitated the Wolverines plan to bring over the likes of Clan Burrock at first. Disassociating with the Clans, the Burrocks were happy to become a Union member after being told they could just act out on their base instincts as Dark Caste and pirates, as long as they didn’t damage the Union.

Other worlds had been set aside for the Steel Vipers, Fire Mandrills and Ice Hellion, who were slowly integrated in the Union in various ways. The average Republican citizen generally viewed these newcomers as barbarians, beneath their status, but the growth of the military of the Union thanks to it made many feel more secure.

With the integration of the Blood Spirits and the broken Word of Blake, the Union had reached a new status quo, with the Republic still being the biggest partner. While The Wolverines were viewed as equals, the other new members of the Union were all seen as expandable minor partners which the Republic could exploit for their own needs. Having placed key elements of their apparatus in the Republic of the Sphere, including Devlin Stone himself, the Republic worked on further weakening the Inner Sphere.

Recent developments

The main problem the Republic is facing right now is the White Light Event of their local Quasar. While the Quasar protected the colonies from being easily detected from anyone outside its general vicinity, the stellar element shifted in the early 32^nd century to emitting a powerful white light, which is damaging to living cells. While the Outer Colonies, generally settled by the Exiled Clans, were less affected, the core worlds of the Republic saw a massive drop in food production, leading to rationing for the entire population. With no end in sight, scientists keep monitoring the Quasar for changes.

This accelerated the plans for strikes against the Inner Sphere, as new sources of food became essential. While the initial plan was to strike in the 3130s, this was moved back as the HPG blackout took hold and the Republic further refined their plans. By the mid 3150s, strikes had begun on outlying locations of the Inner Sphere, like the Marian Hegemony, Raven Alliance and Rimward Alliance, as well as the Escorpion Imperio.

Culture

The Rim Worlds Republic is defined by their hatred of the former Star League and its member states. Stefan Amaris is regarded as a brilliant man who fought against the tyranny of the Terran Hegemony. His actions are justified as righting the wrongs of the Reunification War, and the fact their people were exiled by the Inner Sphere powers is shown as an extension of those wrongs. While not “actually” deified, the national ancestor worship religion places him as one of the 6 Great Ancestors.

“Bonds of blood” are viewed as extremely important within the Republic, even though it is mostly a democratic institution. Being born of a father and mother is seen as the most important thing, with even the lowest bloodborn having a massive sense of superiority over any vatgrown “canister babies”. Family names and family legacies are incredibly important, and bringing dishonor to one’s family will bring great shame.

With the White Light Event going with the Quasar, the Republic’s population has moved mostly underground, requiring special glasses to protect against the sheer light. Heavy clothing is also necessary to protect against the UV lights. Food rationing has caused problems recently as well, with the military being asked to support the police forces to prevent riots.

The Curse of Kerensky

One thing which affected the culture of the Republic was the genetic disease crafted by the SLDF to affect all descendants of the Amaris family. The pathogen is inactive in people that do not have the specific genetic markers of the Amaris family but is highly transmissible. If the Amaris markers are found, the disease begins to attack the Musculo-skeletal system of the individual, eating through muscles and weakening the bone structure to extreme levels. By about the mid to late 30s, anyone affected by this disease will start displaying muscle loss and brittle bone syndrome, which accelerates over time. Most people affected by this will die by their late 60s to early 70s.

This disease which affects the leaders of the nation is a constant reminder to the population of the depravity and evils of the SLDF and especially Alexander Kerensky, who commissioned the disease. Genetic specialists within the Society and the Word of Blake have begun studying ways to control the disease, but treatment appears to be only a pipe dream at this point.

Politics

The legislative and executive power in the Rim Worlds Republic is split between the Senate and the Congress. A third of the Republican Senate is elected every 6 years, elections rotating every 2 years. There is no term limits for senators and 2 senators are elected per state of the Republic (some planets have multiple states).

Congress has a number of congressmen and women proportional to the population of each member states. Members of Congress are limited to 2 terms of 4 years, with elections occurring every 4 year at the same time as the elections of the First Minister.

The First Minister is the highest civilian position someone can achieve in the Republic, and is elected every 4 years, with a maximum of 2 terms. The First Minister has power of veto over legislation and can create executive orders to push necessary legislation.

Separate from this is the position of Emperor or Empress of the Rim Worlds Republic, a hereditary position held by the Amaris family. When the current holder of the position passes, Senate elects one a member of the Amaris family to take over the position. The Emperor or Empress has supreme power over the state, and can veto or overturn any law or executive order.

Stratification

The Rim Worlds Republic is an extremely stratified society. The upper nobility, generally related to the Amaris family, and wealthy industrialists are at the very top. Most of these families are the ones who keep getting elected to Senate positions and view their blood as the most important thing. Military service for this class is almost unknown, and only those “wanting to play soldiers” join the Rim Worlds Army.

Under these elite is a mass of middle-class bloodborn citizens, who are “free men and women” and in term of political power generally can aspire to be elected to Congress or local positions of power. Nonetheless, they are allowed to vote in all elections. Military service is viewed as the basest of position for these middle-class civilians, but some join the Rim Worlds Army in hope that assignments might improve their lot in life or simply to have a steady salary.

Under the middle-class are the plebs or serf class, which mix the lowest class of bloodborn and the upper-class Generation 1 vatgrowns. While they are considered “free”, the plebs are tied to a regional state and need special dispensation to travel. They are only allowed to vote in local elections. They also are not allowed to own land or weapons. Military service for the serfs and plebs is viewed as a glamorous position, as bloodborns (and bloodborns from vatgrown parents) can get commissions.

At the very bottom of society is the servant class, which is composed entirely of vatgrowns. Those have no political power and are not allowed to vote and cannot own any property outside basic consumer goods. Non-commissioned soldiers are drafted from this group of population, usually grown-to-purpose in this case.

Military

One of the first thing which the Rim Worlds Republic built during their settlement near the Quasar was military infrastructure. The fear of the SLDF finding where they were hiding and destroying them made it so military factories and shipyards were prioritized over any consumer goods. The Amaris Dragoons were the first military unit to be recreated and provided the very best equipment available to the Republic.

With the attacks against them never coming, the Republic relaxed its war readiness level, but kept their factories producing new machines and ships, progressing their technology to a further step, but never reaching the Clan’s level of technology. With very limited threats in their region of space, military assignments became more of a decorative element for wealthy elites, with the masses of the military being filled with vatgrowns as soon as the technology became available.

Ground forces

Currently, the Rim Worlds Republic forces are mainly composed of vatgrown soldiers taking all non-commissioned positions. Commissioned officers often are from the lower rungs of the society, with the upper nobility and wealthy seeing “military work” as beneath their status as bloodborn citizens. The ground forces of the Rim Worlds Republic is concentrated on BattleMechs (and the occasional OmniMech), supported by battle armors and the occasional ProtoMech. Conventional armor and regular infantry are almost unheard of in Republican formations currently.

One of the reasons behind this is the now overwhelming integration of bioroid machines in the Rim Worlds Army, which are not functional in units requiring more than one operator. While the pilots of the RWA are not the best in the known universe, an important part of their training is to improve their ability to control multiple machines at once.

Mercenary assets

One place where the RWA is particular is in their hiring of mercenary units. Unlike many Inner Sphere powers, the RWA hires and creates mercenary outfits to be deployed within the Inner Sphere to train pilots in the realities of war, along with being used to destabilize local powers. It is unknown how many mercenary units within the Inner Sphere during the Succession War era up to the Jihad were actually Rim Worlds Republic agents.

Naval forces

The Rim Worlds Navy is particularly massive compared to most modern powers. While about half their ships dates from the Amaris Coup, all of them were updated and upgraded to more modern standards over the years. The key element on all their ship, however, remains the Super Kearny-Fuchida drive, allowing them to jump 10 times further than standard JumpShips with minimal chances of misjumps.

The energy required for these jumps would normally put the ship in extended recharging periods, which led the Rim Worlds Navy to prioritize the construction of specialized recharge station in any system they control. While those stations can be built simply, they are modular and are turned into space fortresses over the course of their existence. These stations, combined with the Super KF Drive, allow the Republic (and by extension, the Wolverine Union) to be one of the most mobile power in known space.

Current National Data

Rim Worlds Republic

Affiliation: Wolverine Union, Successor State
Population: 12.6 billion (3153) (counting vatgrown)
Population growth rate: 8.3 percent
Self-Sufficiency Index: 76 percent and dropping (food shortages)

Leaders:
Empress: Carolyne Amaris

First Minister: Giorgio Constandinopoulos

Secretary of the Armies: Wayland Amaris

Secretary of Intelligence: Maxwell Steinberg

Military:
Regiments: 46

Warships: 42

Controlled worlds: 12

Currency: Republican Dinar