D ETALLE DE P ASIVOS Y D EUDAS

OF THE PERIPHERY

The realms of the Periphery are—as ever—a contrast both to one another and when compared to the Inner Sphere. While some of the Periphery states experienced the horrors of the Jihad and saw their militaries crumble before the Blakist onslaught, others felt merely the mild peripheral effects of the Blakist war (if you’ll forgive the unintended pun). While some Periphery states faced the brutality of Blakist weapons directly, others became puppets of the Word for a time—though the outcomes in both cases were typically similar. TAURIAN CONCORDAT TAURIAN CONCORDAT

The Taurian Concordat did indeed suffer from Blakist attacks, but the Taurians’ historic distrust towards the Federated Suns saw them accept the notion that New Avalon was to blame for the asteroid bombardment that shattered the Concordat capital. Galvanized to strike against their age-old enemy, the Concordat—manipulated by Blakist collaborators— threw the entirety of its military might at the Federated Suns, seeking to punish House Davion for its heinous crimes.

In so doing, the small but fierce Taurian Defense Force was pitted against the largest military in the Inner Sphere. Though they mostly fought militias and small mercenary outfits, the TDF still was forced to rely upon weapons of mass destruction to defeat the FedSuns defenders. Indeed, it was elements of the Hansen’s Roughriders who managed to give the Taurians a taste of the same when they used captured Taurian WMDs to strike back. And later, with so much of the TDF in the Suns, the same Roughriders would launch a campaign to savage multiple worlds in the Concordat single-handedly.

Even with their home worlds once again threatened, the Taurians continued their single-minded invasion of the FedSuns until—only a few months ago—evidence was made clear to their leaders that the Blakists, not the Davions, had committed the atrocities on Taurus.

Today’s TDF is a shadow of its former self. On Aletha’s Choice, the Ceti Hussars killed the Red Chasseurs to a man, while the Davion Assault Guards and the First Syrtis Fusiliers LCT annihilated the

Concordat Jaegers on Flintoft. Much of the remaining

TDF regiments have been reduced to a quarter of

their strength or less, including the Taurian Guards, Third Taurian Lancers, and Gordon’s Armored Cavalry. The First Taurian Lancers and Concordat Jaegers on Ridgebrook, and the First MacLeod’s Regiment on Grossbach, are at little more than one-third of their nominal strength. Only the First Taurian Lancers battalion and the Pleiades Hussars can boast even half of their operating strength. MAGISTRACY OF CANOPUS MAGISTRACY OF CANOPUS

In comparison to the TDF, the Magistracy of Canopus appears to have improved its defenses since the last reported data. The Magistracy Armed Forces avoided involvement in any of the later major battles of the Jihad, focusing solely on mopping up small pockets of trapped Blakists within their borders and repairing their damaged commands. Nearly all MAF regiments have already returned to full operational strength, though the incorporation of replacement troops has reduced overall quality in some cases.

The hardest hit to the MAF was the loss of so many of their top tier command officers when Crimson was firebombed, along with the destruction of the Canopian Institute of War. With numerous local academies also destroyed by the Blakists on other worlds, the Canopian initiative to improve the quality of its local militias has been set back.

The reconstruction of the CIW is already far along, with courses being taught in auxiliary facilities dotting the Canopian countryside. Meanwhile, instruction at local schools has been taken up in governmental buildings spared by Blakist guns. As an ally to the Capellans, the Canopians present a significant problem. Given the breakup of the Free Worlds League and past alliances between the Canopians and Anduriens, we should

WHAT LIES BENEATH

WHAT LIES BENEATH

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JIHAD: FINAL RECKONJIHAD: FINAL RECKONINGING

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be aggressive in efforts to prevent an expanded military pact between them and the Capellans, as such could easily destabilize the entire region in favor of our avowed Capellan opposition. MARIAN HEGEMONY

MARIAN HEGEMONY

The Marian Hegemony fared relatively well, facing only Blakist-backed Circinians and mercenaries through much of the Jihad. Still, their losses were significant since the Legions are relatively small when compared to Inner Sphere militaries. The MHAF undertook rebuilding once the conflict with the Circinians began to fall off, but the rebellions in the Lothian and Illyrian Districts kept them occupied. Evidence that the Word-controlled Circinus Federation was manipulating both insurrections ultimately quieted the Illyrian quest for independence, but the Lothians seem undeterred.

To placate his restive population, Caesar Cassius focused his armies away from the rebellious Lothians and against the fringes of the Free Worlds League, likely in the hopes of appearing more magnanimous to Marian citizens. Overstepping his bounds, his invasion of multiple League worlds netted initial gains until a powerful defense by ex-League defenders, some employing nuclear weapons, forced the Fourth and Sixth Legions to return home bloodied.

The remaining Legions, especially the Second, continue to recover from losses taken during the Circinian invasion. The Fifth has apparently become the core of a new Lothian military, still active, but stricken from the MHAF’s rolls.

FILTVELT COALITION FILTVELT COALITION

The defense forces of the Periphery’s smaller nations continue to struggle against plagues of piracy and terrible deficiencies of infrastructure. The Filtvelt Coalition’s militia force is full-strength in terms of troops, but lacks equipment, and thus the ability to hold off a sufficiently sophisticated attacker. Though some local industry and trade deals may remedy this in the future, at present the Thumpers mercenary command remains the strongest part of the Coalition’s defense force.

FRONC REACHES FRONC REACHES

The Marshals of the Fronc Reaches have managed to recover much of their strength since the Jihad, with their mobile defense regiment claiming full-strength status for the first time in years. The reduction in pirate attacks and additional Marshals raised during the Jihad has gone a long way toward making this happen. Meanwhile, the Sentinels Brigade still consists only of the Fronc Cuirassiers, who have reached a bit over one-third of their intended strength.

It is worth noting that the Marshals have added massed numbers of non-’Mech forces to their TO&E, mainly home-built tanks tasked with static location defense, to free their ’Mechs up for more effective and aggressive actions against incoming

raiders. The Reaches also added several smaller mercenary outfits to their security forces, though many of these company- sized groups were troops who refused the offer of landholds to permanently join the Sentinels. Deployed along the Concordat border to guard against Taurian or pirate raids, these mercenaries are under strict orders not to sally forth on any raids of their own. CALDERON PROTECTORATE

CALDERON PROTECTORATE

The Calderon Protectorate remains at about the same strength level as it fielded in 3079, with the third class of graduates of the New Hope Military University adding to the ranks of the Calderon Guard just a few months ago. Each of these Guard regiments is now at twenty-five percent strength, while the two Taurian Pride regiments have seen another surge in their numbers thanks to the influx of top graduates from NHMU.

Most significant was the addition of the WarShip TCSVendetta as part of the peace agreement they brokered between New Avalon and Taurus. While still under repair from the massive damage taken in the invasion, and under the watchful eye of FedSuns and Republic observers, this WarShip immediately made the Protectorate a major power in the Periphery. Though still in need of repair after its brutal career in the Jihad, Erik Martens-Calderon has stated his intention to rechristen the vessel the CPSRedemption, and to dedicate its service to deterring piracy “from Taurian to Filtvelt space”.

LESSER PERIPHERY AND PIRATES LESSER PERIPHERY AND PIRATES

Nothing worth noting has changed in terms of force size for the lesser Periphery states, though our assessment of the strength of the Niops Association Militia was apparently optimistic, as Word of Blake reprisals have blasted the NAM to perhaps ten percent of its pre-Jihad strength. At the other end of the Sphere, the Brotherhood of Randis recently elected to form a third battalion from their two overstrength battalions, leaving all at about eighty-five percent strength. This was deemed a necessary action to provide a more flexible defense force for their increasing population.

Many of the known pirate bases in the Periphery have largely become off-limits to those who would use them to strike at undefended border worlds. Though piracy itself remains alive and well, many bandit groups have moved into as-yet undetermined bases in the shattered Concordat area, the remnants of the Circinus Federation, and elsewhere. The pirate haven of the Tortuga Dominions has been remarkably quiet since the downfall of the Death’s Consorts and we believe a power struggle is taking place there in the vacuum created after the Consorts’ dramatic fall. The most worrisome pirate band now is the Calderon’s Commando, which has apparently moved on from their suspected base in the Fronc Reaches, in favor of better hunting in the Concordat. Multiple simultaneous raids on as many as three worlds show their contempt for the shattered TDF by taunting them within their own borders.

WHAT LIES BENEATH

WHAT LIES BENEATH