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Origins and History
After being accused of contract violation against the Free Worlds League in
2770, the Black Warriors mercenary unit abandoned Marik space, narrowly escaping
capture by the Free Worlds navy. Vowing eternal vengeance on House Marik for
their outlawed status, the Black Warriors settled on the planet Circinus and
joined the pirates already operating there. Colonel Zachariah Cirion, leader of
the Black Warriors, began to support his people through a series of sneak
attacks against outlying Marik agricultural worlds. Both the Star League and the
Marik House forces had their hands full with the Amaris Crisis, and so the
Circinus pirates flourished in the absence of reprisals. In 2785, a small convoy
of settlers fleeing the destruction in the Lyran Commonwealth landed on the
planet to make a new start. Warrior and farmer combined their forces to
establish a viable economy and culture.
The Lyran farmers apparently were never fully aware of the nature of their new
allies. The pirates were involved in what remained "covert operations," but the
farmers asked no questions as long as their allies provided the tools and
consumer goods the farmers needed. The pirates, for their part, welcomed the
farmers for two reasons. First, they provided stability and the possibility of
internal law and order (without the brutal punishments and intimidation that
mark pirate societies elsewhere), that would keep the band of cutthroats from
turning on one another. Second, they helped the pirates present the illusion of
a respectable, agrarian society to the neighboring worlds who were their
victims.
Despite the fact that the Free Worlds military occupied Circinus during a lull
in the Second Succession War, it is still the most successful of the Bandit
Kingdoms, having long since adopted a presidential system of government. Piracy
is a major governmental function, with covert "agencies" responsible both for
the raids themselves and for covering them up. Lyran pundits often note that the
Circinian president's chief duty is to look the other way so that he will not
have to acknowledge the crimes his government is constantly committing.
In recent decades, the inhabitants of Circinus have been cautiously settling
neighboring star systems, claiming eight planets between 2990 and 3020. From
this new empire, President C. J. "Bob" McIntyre has entered into a series of
joint reconciliation talks with leaders of both Inner Sphere governments.
Through skillful diplomacy and judicious return of prisoners, and without once
admitting to any wrongdoing on the part of his people, McIntyre has managed to
avert a wholesale counterattack against his Federation while playing on the
mutual suspicions of his Marik and Steiner counterparts.
McIntyre's position has lately improved with the arrival of numerous mercenary
recruits who see him as a Napoleon of the Periphery. Moreover, by convincing
both House Marik and House Steiner that his support could be invaluable, he has
managed to acquire shipments of badly needed BattleMech spare parts and a small
contingent of AeroSpace Fighters.
Nevertheless, several of McIntyre's lieutenants, yearning for more wealth and
power, have challenged his position. Because of the continued infighting between
McIntyre and his subordinates, it is uncertain whether the Federation will
commit itself to either House. The chief of the officially nonexistent pirates
is Adam Cirion, a descendant of Zachariah Cirion, founder of the Federation.
During the Fourth Succession War the Circinian raids grew increasingly
profitable. At this time Circinian raiders could strike their targets with
virtual impunity, as Lyran forces fought off the Kurita offensives and Marik
armies deteriorated. President McIntyre used much of the profits gained from
these raids to increase the size of the Black Warriors, who remained the primary
Circinian military force. McIntyre bolstered the Warriors by supplying them with
new BattleMechs, personnel, training and members of several mercenary units left
penniless after the Fourth Succession War. By 3032 the Black Warriors had added
two full regiments to its numbers and the Circinus Federation stood poised to
embark on a period of interstellar conquest.
Military
The Black Warriors currently serve as the entire Circinian military. Never a
truly unified force, the Black Warriors constantly test the loyalties of the
various factions within their ranks. The largest faction, led by Major Fritz
Donner, consists of units loyal to President McIntyre. A faction of near-equal
strength, however, supports company commander Michael Cirion, heir to the Black
Warriors' command. Because of the fierce rivalry of these two factions, most of
the mercenaries employed in the Circinian military studiously avoid taking
sides.
Uniforms
Circinian military leaders have never made any real effort to regulate or
standardize uniforms, and so each Circinian military unit has its own uniform.
This system was established when the Black Warriors began attracting other units
to join them, under the belief that unique uniforms help each unit maintain a
strong sense of individuality and morale. Detractors of the practice criticize
it as yet another source of division between military units in the Federation.
However, Circinian military leaders require that all unit uniforms include the
emblem of the Federation - and that all military personnel wear the emblem
somewhere above the waist. This stipulation was added after the Fighting
Shamrocks were spotted wearing large Federation emblems on their rear ends.
Although all Federation units use the same progression of rank, rank insignia
varies widely among units. Shown below are the most common insignia, used by the
Black Warriors.
Succession of Power
President C. J. McIntyre's dream of a Circinian empire received an unforeseen
setback when the president died of a heart attack in August of 3032. The
president's son, H. R. "Little Bob" McIntyre assumed the presidency immediately
after his father's death and quickly consolidated his power with the help of
Adam Cirion, commander of the Black Warriors and "Director of Covert
Operations," namely piracy.
After securing his position, the new president announced that he would carry out
his father's dream of making the Circinus Federation a true interstellar power.
As a first step toward achieving that dream, he planned to conquer the
mineral-rich worlds of the Illyrian Palatinate and ordered Circinian military
leaders to prepare an invasion plan. Within weeks, Circinian manufacturers were
busy producing materiel for the invasion, and the Circinian military had
completed a campaign strategy.
In November 3032, only days before the invasion was scheduled to commence, a
second tragedy delayed the conquest of the Illyrian Palatinate. Black Warriors
commander Adam Cirion died as the result of injuries he suffered during a tavern
brawl on Circinus. The Black Warriors, which served as the command staff and
core of the Circinian forces, were thrown into disarray. Like the government of
the Circinus federation itself, the Black Warriors had no system to provide an
accepted order of succession.
Traditionally, the Black Warriors had been led by a member of the Cirion family,
but many military leaders considered the late commander's only son, Michael
Cirion, too young and inexperienced to lead the Federation's forces. Eager to
avoid any infighting that might threaten morale and unit cohesion and weaken the
Federation military, McIntyre announced that he would assume command of the
Black Warriors until Michael Cirion was able an old enough to lead. Many
individuals in the Black Warriors questioned McIntyre's ability to command the
military, as the president possessed only marginal skill as a MechWarrior and
virtually no battlefield experience. However, McIntyre pre-empted these concerns
by announcing that the invasion would be postponed for one year while he trained
with the Black Warriors to ensure a quick victory for the Federation.
During the subsequent months, McIntyre attempted to consolidate his support
within the Circinian military forces and eliminate any opposition. His efforts
proved only partially successful. Even as the revised invasion date neared, many
members of the Black Warriors viewed McIntyre with suspicion and hostility for
his violation of the traditional, unspoken agreement between Circinian
politicians and military leaders to refrain from visibly encroaching on one
anothers' areas of influence. In addition, "Little Bob" soon proved himself
incapable of continuing the political balancing act of hiding the true nature of
the Black Warriors from the public. Though over the years most Circinians had
become aware of the nature of their planet's income, they gladly turned a blind
eye in favor of the Federations's continued prosperity. McIntyre's ineptitude
stood to ruin decades of clever diplomacy in a matter of months. Michael Cirion
emerged as an unofficial leader of this silent opposition but the Cirion surname
continued to elicit respect and even reverence among the Black Warriors and
McIntyre could do little to counter the rising fortunes of the young MechWarrior.
Palatinate Invasion
In 3034, McIntyre announced to the Circinian people that their time had come. He
vowed that by quickly conquering the Palatinate, the Circinus Federation would
become a respected Periphery power, immune from Inner Sphere aggression forever.
Shortly after that announcement, McIntyre ordered the invasion to begin.
Unfortunately, McIntyre's prediction of a quick victory for the Federation
proved wrong. Apparently, the Federation's ineffective intelligence service
failed to detect the military preparations taken by the Illyrians during the
long delays that plagued the launch of the invasion, and it seems probably that
McIntyre's desire for a quick victory caused him to discount any reports that
did come through. As a result, the invading Circinian forces were completely
surprised when they encountered seasoned mercenary troops defending the
Palatinate worlds. As Circinian losses quickly began to mount, McIntyre ordered
a full-scale retreat to preserve his forces.
Fearful of the popular disdain the failed invasion might engender, as well as
any advantage his failure might provide his opponents in the military, McIntyre
immediately ordered his loyal commanders to identify a suitable, vulnerable
target for another invasion. Within days those commanders had identified a
target: the Lothian world of Dersidatz.
Once the site of a Federation colony, the small agricultural world had been a
protectorate of the Lothian League since 3003, Dersidatz's complete lack of
strategic value and its scant resources had enabled the planet's population to
live free of outside aggression during the intervening years, and it had
virtually no defensive forces when Circinian forces landed. Within days the
Dersidatzans had surrendered to the Circinian invaders, who established several
small garrisons and settlements on the planet. Despite the quick victory,
pockets of Dersidatzan resistance fighters remained on the world, but reports of
these fighters were lost in the flood of news accounts of the Federation's
victory and the government's proclamations of a dawning Circinian empire.
Although Dersidatz held no real strategic or economic value and the victory was
not a particularly impressive military feat, it did improve McIntyre's
popularity and silence his opponents.
On the Defensive
In the years following the conquest of Dersidatz, a number of events occurred
that threatened McIntyre's rule as well as the future of the Federation itself.
First, an uprising on Dersidatz in 3036 interrupted the president's plan to
mount a second invasion of the Illyrian Palatinate. At the time of the uprising,
the Circinian presence on the planet had been reduced to a single, company,
which was easily overwhelmed by a well-armed rebel strike force. The action
enraged McIntyre, who ordered the rest of the Black Warriors to Dersidatz to
crush the rebellion.
However, McIntyre quickly withdrew that order when he received reports of
massive Marik and Steiner troop movements near the Federation borders. Fearing a
war that might spill over into the Federation, McIntyre ordered that all
Circinian worlds along those borders be garrisoned with troops to counter any
incursions. At the same time, he ordered that Circinian military forces cease
all raiding activities directed against Marik and Steiner worlds and return to
the realm. For several tense months, Circinian military leaders waited for the
attacks they considered inevitable. When a year had passed without any foreign
aggression, McIntyre canceled the alert and, confident that the threat had
passed, returned his attention to the rebellion on Dersidatz.
The Dersidatzan rebels spent the passing months digging in and preparing
sturdier defenses. When the Black Warriors returned to the world, they faced a
better-armed and better-prepared opponent. The reconquest of Dersidatz quickly
degenerated into a guerrilla war, in which the Circinian forces were forced to
track small rebel bands through the planet's numerous mountain ranges.
Inevitably, the campaign grew far more costly than the Circinian planners had
anticipated, and though the protracted war provided further fuel to the
simmering discontent within the Circinian military, McIntyre refused to abandon
the planet.
By the end of 3040, the Circinians had subdued most of the rebels on Dersidatz.
Despite continued, scattered guerrilla activity, McIntyre declared victory for
the Federation and withdrew nearly all the Circinian forces from the planet.
Then he began preparations for the delayed second invasion of the Illyrian
Palatinate. Those plans were again interrupted in the opening days of 3041 when
a group of Black Warriors, secretly backed by Michael Cirion, attempted to seize
power in a coup d'etat. The president escaped the initial attack, and soon the
rebels and troops loyal to McIntyre were embroiled in a fierce, running battle
that lasted a full year and spanned every Circinian world. Eventually, the
loyalist forces prevailed, but more than two-thirds of the Circinian military
was destroyed in the brutal civil war.
McIntyre immediately instituted a brutal purge to eradicate any surviving
opposition within his military forces. Michael Cirion was arrested but later
found innocent of the charges of treason. Apparently, Cirion had carefully
avoided any discernible involvement in the rebellion. That fact, along with the
prestige of his family and influence in the Circinian judicial system, saved him
from the executioner's chopping block.
The battered and demoralized Federation received yet another blow in 3042, when
a young Black Warriors company commander on a deep raiding mission into Lyran
space allegedly discovered a Star League cache on an uncharted Periphery world.
Rather than return with this find to the Federation, Captain Hopper Morrison and
his unit deserted. The Federation made several failed attempts to hunt down the
renegade unit.
Despite all these misfortunes, McIntyre managed to retain the presidency and
hold the Circinus Federation together. Slowly the realm began to rebuild itself,
resorting to its traditional means of gathering capital -- raiding. The Clans'
invasion of the Inner Sphere in 3050 actually aided this rebuilding effort by
drawing Inner Sphere attention away from the worlds along the Circinian border.
Circinus Federation
3058 Update
Though the Circinian government remains firmly under the reins held by President
McIntyre, opponents of the president's regime have become increasingly vocal in
recent months. Renewed unrest on Dersidatz, the increasing power of the Marian
Hegemony, and the growing threat of Lyran and Marik military action against the
Federation have provided ample ammunition for critics of the president.
The MechWarrior followers of Michael Cirion constitute the most dangerous
opposition faction, because without loyal military backing the president would
soon fall. At the present time, Cirion appears to be waiting for an opportune
moment to strike at McIntyre. Unlike the president's military opposition, his
civilian opponents criticize him publicly. The strongest of these civilian
opposition groups are the Federation's farmers unions, which criticize McIntyre
for doing little to open new channels of trade for the agricultural surplus of
Federation farmers.
In the past few years, McIntyre has begin to deteriorate physically. He has
gained weight and developed high blood pressure, no doubt from stress associated
with the dangers currently threatening his position and his realm. Not nearly
the fighter he once was, the president increasingly resorts to cruelty and
threats to enforce his will.
ComStar and Word of
Blake
ComStar enjoyed good relations with the Federation until the schism that created
the Word of Blake group occurred. The redefinition of the ComStar mission
confused many citizens of the Federation, and when Word of Blake followers began
showing up in the Periphery shortly afterward, Federation natives made no
objection to their seizing control of the few HPG facilities ComStar maintained
in Circinus space. Blakists maintain control of interstellar communications in
the Federation, though we have managed to maintain a small ROM presence among
their ranks.
Federated Commonwealth
and Lyran Alliance
Relations between the Circinus Federation and the Federated Commonwealth and
Lyran Alliance remain strained, largely due to the long history of Circinian
raids against Davion and Lyran worlds. Recent raids against Lyran possessions
have left Circinian-Lyran relations particularly poor at this time, and many
planetary rulers within the Lyran Alliance have called on the Archon to
authorize punitive retaliatory strikes against the Federation. More than a few
observers have speculated that the Archon may find such actions an attractive
means of bolstering public support for her young Alliance and unity among its
peoples.
Free Worlds League
The Federation maintains no diplomatic relations with the Free Worlds League. A
history of Circinian raids against Marik worlds and Marik occupation of the
Federation have left the populations and governments of both realms suspicious
of one another. In recent years, the Free Worlds League has attempted to improve
relations by providing economic assistance to several impoverished Circinian
worlds, but these programs have done little to alter the deep-seated Circinian
hostility toward the Free Worlds League.
Periphery States
The Circinus Federation's relations with its Periphery neighbors are mixed. The
Illyrian Palatinate, for example, maintains no diplomatic relations with the
Circinians and forbids Illyrian merchants from trading with Federation worlds.
Circinian relations with the Marian Hegemony, however, have improved in recent
months, and trade ties between the two realms are beginning to form. However,
many observers speculate that the Federation's friendly overtures toward the
Hegemony result entirely from the strategic implications of the Hegemony's
conquest of the Lothian League. Those same observers point out that Circinian
leaders remain suspicious and wary of the Marian Caesar. Rising factionalism
within the Federation has largely stymied Circinian attempts to improve
relations with the Magistracy of Canopus, and Circinian relations with the Rim
Collection remain strained as well, due to President McIntyre's reluctance to
deal with the still-unstable government of the recently founded state.
McIntyre's reluctance to deal with the Collection, however, has not prevented
Collection merchants from establishing profitable trade arrangements with their
Circinian counterparts. |
