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Origins and History
ComStar is dedicated to fulfilling a single, divine mission: to preserve the
glorious Star League's technological legacy in order to prevent a new Dark Age.
Founded in 2788 by the Blessed Jerome Blake, ComStar guards and maintains the
hyperpulse generator communications network and other valuable technologies
developed during humanity's golden age, knowledge that might have been lost
forever were it not for the foresight of our Blessed Founder.
Blake recognized two great responsibilities in the wake of the collapse of the
Star League: preserving as much of the currently available technological
knowledge as possible, and preventing the Successor States from seizing the
interstellar communications network and misusing it to destroy each other.
In 2788, Blake took control of Terra and declared it a neutral world. He offered
secure interstellar communication to all Successor States that would pledge to
respect the neutrality of the hyperpulse generator stations and personnel. The
Inner Sphere leaders recognized that open communications were crucial to their
survival, agreed to Blake's demands, and the blessed Order of ComStar was born.
Blake created a rigid religious hierarchy, which he headed in the capacity of
Primus, along with the First Circuit Precentors to administer ComStar's affairs,
and a secret brotherhood among ComStar's members in order to keep the secrets of
the Star League safe from outside harm. Realizing that the Department of
Communications was no longer a suitable name for the new organization, Blake
chose to adopt the name of ComStar, a blend of Communications Enterprises Inc.
and Starlight Broadcasting Ltd., which had formerly sold their services to the
Star League.
Blake's Vision
Jerome Blake's leadership of ComStar lasted 31 years. During that time he laid
the groundwork that would define the philosophy, operations, and structure of
ComStar for centuries to come. One of his deepest beliefs was that ComStar must
retain its purity by remaining somewhat isolated from the "outside world", and
he used the organization's hierarchy and technology to accomplish that goal. Any
member who discussed even the most mundane technology with outsiders was
severely punished and could be expelled from the organization. Blake believed
that the decline of civilization was a form of punishment that humanity was
suffering for its sins.
It was also obvious by this time that the scope of the destruction of the wars
being fought around him would eventually destroy civilization completely unless
some individual or group undertook to guard precious technological and
scientific knowledge. This Jerome Blake considered to be ComStar's highest
purpose: the maintenance and preservation of human knowledge at all costs. Thus,
ComStar has become a haven for all manner of technicians, prospering while the
rest of interstellar society is tearing itself to shreds.
Under Blake's leadership, the First Circuit, now the absolute governing body of
ComStar, barred all but its own members from it meetings and established the
strong, secret brotherhood among members of the Order. An internal security
force known as ROM was formed in 2811 to help prevent leakage of technological
information to the outside and to help thwart defection of ComStar personnel to
the Successor States. ROM quickly became respected and feared throughout
ComStar.
One of the longest-lasting branches of service Blake founded was the Mercenary
Review Board. (available in more detail in a separate section.) Developed as a
means to monitor and control mercenary contracts, the project might have seemed
beyond the traditional scope of ComStar at the time, but each of the House Lords
responded with enthusiasm to Blake's proposal for such a board.
Jerome Blake, meanwhile, continued to be visionary. The war raged around him and
his world, a conflagration that Blake foresaw would continue for several
generations and that would destroy most of the high technology perfected in the
golden age of the Star League. In Blake's own words, "ComStar is the only hope
of preserving the future of human beings in the Inner Sphere."
Early Primuses
After Blake's death in 2819, Conrad Toyama of Dieron succeeded Blake as Primus
of ComStar. He helped to further solidify and bind the Order together as one.
During this time rituals were adopted for operation of the vast HyperPulse
Generators and other technological wonders, to help remind each and every
Acolyte and Precentor of their sacred duty to humanity as a member of ComStar.
In addition, the belief was fostered and spread outside the Order, reinforcing
the fact that the sacred magic of HPG transmissions could only be wielded by
ComStar adepts, and ensuring that no Successor State would attempt to take
control of the Star League's technological legacy.
Primus Toyama's handpicked successor, Raymond Karpov, took over as Primus in
2837 when Toyama suffered a massive stroke. Primus Karpov continued Toyama's
work to strengthen Blake's vision for ComStar. Though many of his enhancements
were minor, they have endured for over centuries and have had a powerful
symbolic impact. Karpov suggested, for instance, that all members of ComStar
wear white robes instead of the gray jumpsuits used by techs since the Blake
era. In his own words, "white represents the purity of Blake's vision and of
ComStar's intent." Often, the robes are adorned with mathematical symbols taken
from the holy scriptures of an ancient science journal or technical readout.
Other subtle additions included the establishment of nightly indoctrination
sessions at each HPG to discuss the theology of ComStar and its role in the fate
of the Inner Sphere. Raymond Karpov stepped down as Primus in 2875, due to his
failing health, but remained semi-active within our blessed Order, administering
the Blake Medical Center in Europe, until his death in 2880.
The Office of Primus
Including Blake and his two immediate successors, there has been a total of 14
Primuses:
| Name |
Previous
Position |
Time Served |
| Jerome Blake |
Minister of
Communications |
2788 - 2819 |
| Conrad Toyama |
Precentor
Dieron |
2819 - 2837 |
| Raymond Karpov |
Precentor Alpha
C |
2837 - 2875 |
| Andrea Marteen |
Precentor
Arcturus |
2875 - 2901 |
| Dwight Kurstin |
Precentor Caph |
2901 - 2902 |
| Gregori
Hartford |
Precentor
Procyon |
2902 - 2910 |
| Kari Marie
Marshall |
Precentor
Procyon |
2910 - 2930 |
| Hollings York |
Precentor New
Earth |
2930 - 2947 |
| Adrienne Sims |
Precentor
Oriente |
2947 - 2979 |
| Yin Takami |
Precentor New
Earth |
2979 - 2994 |
| Allen
Rusenstein |
Precentor Alpha
C |
2994 - 3006 |
| Julian Tiepolo |
Precentor
Atreus |
3006 - 3029 |
| Myndo Waterly |
Precentor
Dieron |
3029 - 3052 |
| Sharilar Mori |
Precentor
Dieron |
3052 - present |
Summary
Each Primus has made his or her own contributions to the office and to the
Order. The early Primuses were responsible for laying the groundwork for the
heavy burden ComStar carries for the fate of humanity.
Jerome Blake single-handedly saved the Inner Sphere from complete and utter
destruction after the Aramis Coup and Kerensky's Exodus, by restoring and taking
command of the vast HPG network that the Star League Department of
Communications had built throughout known space. His Proclamation to the House
Lords of ComStar's neutrality set the stage for the Order to accomplish its
sacred mission. Blake showed tremendous talent in technology, foresight,
political savvy, economic planning, and leadership. In all these areas Blake
achieved absolutely incredible feats during ComStar's foundation.
Primuses Toyama and Karpov continued Blake's work, drawing strength from his
divine vision for the Order, to build ComStar into the sacred and benevolent
institution it is today. Of significant note in later years, Primus York was
responsible for the formation of our very own standing military, the ComStar
Guards and Militia; and Primus Sims initiated the Explorer Corps, founded to
scout out and map the worlds beyond the Periphery. The background of each of
these is detailed in a its own section.
ComStar Logo
The design for the famous symbol of ComStar, a circle star with two
downward-pointing beams, was commissioned by Primus Conrad Toyama in 2823.
Knowing the value of a visual symbol to unify any organization, he announced a
competition to choose an emblem for ComStar. More then 800 entries were
submitted, and the Primus judged each one personally.
The winning entry was submitted by Adept Stanfield K'wani. In his own words, the
dark outer circle represents the dark times prophesied by Jerome Blake. The
original drawing showed a star within the dark circle but the Primus modified
it, removing all but two star points, leaving the rest as spokes circled in
black. According to Toyama the star represents the light of mankind - technology
and the enlightenment of Blake's words. Once the prophesies of Blake had been
fulfilled the image would reclaim its star points.
The most striking aspect of the ComStar logo are the two star points. On the
original design these were as they are now, elongated and pointing downward.
According to designer Adept K'wani, "the point on the right of the image
represents communications and the other represents technology, the two bases of
ComStar's true source of power in the Inner Sphere."
Comstar Mercenary
Review Board
The Mercenary Review Board allowed ComStar agents to serve as brokers for all
mercenaries and their employers in the Inner Sphere. After negotiating a
contract, an employer would turn over the full amount of money (plus a 5 percent
handling fee) to local ComStar authorities. ComStar, in turn, advanced as much
of the payment as it saw fit to the mercenary unit for necessary purchases and
operating capital. Upon successful completion of their contract, the mercenaries
collected the balance (less a second 5 percent handling charge).
Arbitration of contracts by the Mercenary Review Board proved a valuable
safeguard on both sides. Any unit failing to perform contracted services after
taking an advance found itself unable to evade ComStar's almost universal reach.
ComStar informed other potential employers of a rogue unit's actions, and had
the power to threaten an Interdiction against any House employing such a unit.
ComStar returned the money to the original employer when a unit skipped on a
contract, and in the interim, used the money for profitable investments.
To ensure fair dealings on the part of employers as well as those they hire,
Blake provided for a panel of ComStar administrators to hear claims concerning
breaches of faith and to judge the veracity of complaints. Upon reaching a
verdict, the panel broadcasted its findings throughout the Inner Sphere. As the
reputations of mercenary units and their employers have a bearing on subsequent
negotiations involving other units or Houses, violating contractual terms
offered little profit to any concerned.
Through the Mercenary Review Board's variety of activities, ComStar has
functioned not only as a communications service, but also as a mercenary guild,
an inter-League criminal extradition service, and a banking house, all of which
has added considerably through the centuries to ComStar's power and prestige.
Due to ComStar's dealing with the Clans before Tukayyid, however, most if not
all of the Houses no longer trusted the Order as an impartial arbitrator of
mercenary contracts. So, during the peace summit Primus Mori held on Terra in
the spring of 3052, Precentor Martial Focht proposed to abandon control. The
Houses agreed to have the Board re-form as a jointly administered committee made
up of representatives from each government, also allowing ComStar to maintain an
active seat on the board, as a legitimate employer of mercenary forces.
Outreach, the home of Wolf's Dragoons, was chosen as the official seat of the
new Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission. This marked the end of ComStar's
centuries-old control over mercenary contracts.
ROM
ComStar knows all. - Anastasius Focht
Jerome Blake formed ROM in 2811 after Chancellor Ilsa Liao attempted to bribe
ComStar technicians to defect, and then sent a terrorist group in an attack
against the HPG station on Nanking. He proposed the immediate creation of a
covert security force to protect ComStar's precious HPG network from both
external and internal threats. According to Blake's proposal, operatives would
work as undercover agents within the ranks of ComStar's technicians, as well as
posing as citizens. This secret intelligence network would locate threats to
ComStar and eliminate them before any damage was done. ROM reported directly to
the Prime Administrator.
Command Structure
Assisting the Precentor ROM are the State Administrators, one for each of the
six Successor States and the four territories currently occupied by the Clans.
Each of these ten administrators oversees operations within his or her
respective jurisdiction and keeps the Precentor informed of foreign agents'
activities within each region. The administrators also enforce official policies
to ensure the continued security of the service in each region, including the
recently enacted mandate that all Word of Blake agents discovered within ROM
suffer immediate execution. Many ComStar members consider this policy
unnecessarily harsh, but most ROM agents believe that only such drastic measures
can ensure the protection of ComStar as a whole.
Each world still containing an operational, ComStar-administered HPG facility
maintains a ROM base, normally located within the HPG facility. Under the
command of an administrator, ROM personnel assigned to these bases protect the
families from enemy agents and carry out all intelligence operations on the
planet. To support these planetary ROM operations, Precentor Parrdeau maintains
a standing core of fast-response groups who, with the aid of a fleet of
JumpShips, can respond immediately to any crisis situation.
Rank Structure
ROM ranks its members according to a system similar to that of the ComGuards,
using classifications based upon the Greek alphabet to identify ROM's various
divisions. Each of the branches listed below also shows its operatives' standard
classification.
ROM Branches
Counterintelligence (mu/delta)
Diplomatic Operations (rho/gamma)
Covert Operations (rho/rho)
Information and Analysis (mu/mu)
Clan Liaison (rho/chi)
Special Services (delta/epsilon, delta/xi)
Security (mu/iota)
The First Circuit
In 2784, three days after Kerensky's legendary exodus, Jerome Blake had
reestablished the Prime, or First Circuit of the former SLCOMNET. The planets of
New Earth, Barnard, Alpha C, Bryant, Procyon, and Dieron became the new First
Circuit.
By the late 2850's, ComStar's efforts to strengthen and expand the vast
communications network had succeeded too well. Increased communications had
dramatically slowed transmission time. To decrease the load, Primus Karpov
increased the First Circuit to ten stations in 2857. The newest members were
Precentors Arcturus, Oriente, Altair, and Capella.
First Circuit Members
Primus Sharilar Mori
Precentor New Earth
Precentor Sirius
Precentor Dieron
Precentor Bryant
Precentor Procyon
Precentor Caph
Precentor Barnard
Precentor Alpha C
The Primus makes all decisions, which can be overridden by a majority vote of
the First Circuit. The Primus can also be removed by a unanimous vote of the
First Circuit. Since the Primus votes in all decisions, removal is very
unlikely. Currently, Sharilar Mori serves as the Primus, with the First Circuit
being composed of Precentors New Earth, Sirius, Bryant, Dieron, Procyon, Caph,
Barnard, and Alpha C.
Precentor Atreus Demona Aziz is still officially a member of the First Circuit,
but due to her involvement in the Toyama sect of the Word of Blake splinter
group, she does not attend meetings or vote on matters.
The ComStar command hierarchy underwent great changes in the Reformation. For
nearly 300 years, under the leadership of the primacy, the First Circuit held
sole responsibility for administrating the ComStar communications network. The
ranking Precentors of the First Circuit maintained ComStar's religious status
among the citizens and turned the writings of Jerome Blake into gospel.
In the new Order, the First Circuit can no longer function simply as the
cloistered leaders of a quasi-religion. The Precentors must often travel far
from the marble halls of Hilton Head to serve as much-needed administrators,
diplomats, and ComStar liaisons.
For centuries, misguided leaders of ComStar used the communications network and
their exclusive control of the technology to manipulate events in the Inner
Sphere to their own ends. A particularly costly abuse of this power occurred
during the Clan war, when Capellan Chancellor Romano Liao used interstellar
communications to send assassins against Justin Allard, husband of the St. Ives
Compact's Duchess Candace Liao. The First Circuit knew the content of her
communications but failed to prevent her instructions from being carried out.
The Inner Sphere lost a valuable life through their inaction.
ComStar's new policy of openness extends to the First Circuit's administration
of all communications. The Free Worlds League has unfortunately chosen not to
benefit from the new democracy in ComStar, and though the First Circuit
maintains the seat of Precentor Atreus, representative of the League, that
Precentor has not appeared at any meetings since Primus Mori took office.
ComStar Law
When Jerome Blake reestablished the First Circuit of HPG's, he also established
a corresponding First Circuit of advisors. Administratively, the First Circuit
was a small group made up of the chief administrators, or Precentors, of the HPG
transmitters on the former Hegemony worlds. Jerome Blake drafted a simple,
two-page set of parliamentary rules and procedures for running the First Circuit
meetings. His document called for a Prime Admistrator, or Primus, to act as
chair and president, but gave the First Circuit the power to veto the primus'
decisions by a majority vote. Blake's short memo eventually would become part of
the Articles of ComStar, the basis of our blessed Order's law.
Primus Karpov formalized some of the organizational structure in the Doctrinal
Edict of 2861. The process of naming a Primus was set down officially, in which
the current Primus would choose his or her successor, who would then be
confirmed by the First Circuit. The only formal organization recognized below
the Primus was the position of Precentor of each world's HPG station. The
Precentor controlled the ranks of the adepts, the working technicians. Finally
at the lowest level of the hierarchy are the acolytes. Though this three-tiered
structure already existed in most of the HPG stations, established during the
time of Blake and Toyama, the Doctrinal Edict made it official.
Additionally, Primus Hartford passed several reforms during his tenure that
permitted the First Circuit to name a successor to the Primus or to remove a
Primus from power on a full vote of all Precentors. The measures also called for
at least three members of the First Circuit to be informed in writing of all
major ROM operations.
In 2988, Primus Takami further revised the First Circuit. Until Takami's reign,
the First Circuit had always been composed of the Precentors of the first
communications circuit of HPG transmitters in the Inner Sphere. Primus Takami
believed that the First Circuit members had become more like politicians than
technocrats, which was no longer faithful to Jerome Blake's original vision.
Primus Takami decided to name four new members to that governing body, one for
each of the capital worlds of the House governments not already represented.
These Advocate-Precentors were to speak for all the ComStar installations within
their given realms. The added positions were Precentor Tharkad for the Lyran
Commonwealth, Precentor Sian for the Capellan Confederation, Precentor Atreus
for the Free Worlds League, and Precentor New Avalon for the Federated Suns.
Precentor Dieron was made the advocate of the Draconis Combine.
Com Guards
You have to understand the code of duty and honor that rules those who pilot
these engines of destruction. Placing such an awesome weapon in the hands of an
individual implies a similar gesture of trust. - Anastasius Focht
During a meeting with the First Circuit in 2933 Primus York proposed the
formation of a standing military for ComStar. This military, to be called the
ComStar Guards and Militia, would be a rapid-deployment, light infantry force
constantly on call for emergencies such as the abduction of prominent ComStar
personnel. ComStar would have the ability to respond quickly with some degree of
military force in times of need. Fifty years later, building from this
foundation, the reigning Primus and First Circuit began an ambitious MechWarrior
training program.
The original proposal called for the creation of eight regiments of full-time
troops, but the Primus settled for five regiments as a compromise with a liberal
faction of the First Circuit. The ComStar Guards and Militia would be based in
the Sol system and would remain under the combined control of the Primus and the
First Circuit. To fund the creation of a standing military, Primus York tapped
the vast resources of ROM, arguing that ROM would have less need for the money
now that ComStar would have a military force.
The core of the Guards and Militia was the former mercenary Bandersnatches.
Their contract was dissolved and they accepted full-time permanent employment
with ComStar. The Guards and Militia would have the best equipment possible,
vintage Star League Defense Forces gear left behind after the Exodus.
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the formation of the ComStar
Guards and Militia was the revitalization of the Sandhurst Royal Military
College in Berkshire, England. The site had originally served as a training
school for ROM. York convinced the First Circuit to relocate the ROM training
center and to approve millions of C-bills for Sandhurst's renovation. The old
military academy was converted into a modern military complex, complete with
BattleMech and aerospace fighter facilities and training grounds.
Primus York knew that the creation of a military force by the neutral ComStar
would stun the leaders of the Inner Sphere. In his messages announcing the
formation of the ComStar Guards and Militia, he told the leaders that these
troops were strictly for the defense of Terra and would train only in defensive
operations.
Current Organization
ComStar suffered many heavy losses in the Clan war, both to Clan weapons and in
defections to the Word of Blake splinter group. In order to preserve the Com
Guard structure as much as possible, the Precentor Martial kept the thirteen
armies but reduced each army to four divisions, down from six prior to Tukayyid,
resulting in 52 divisions, 2 of those belonging to Brion's Legion, a mercenary
group working for our Holy Order.
The basic ComStar military unit is the division, roughly parallel to the
Regimental Combat Team (RCT) common in the Federated Commonwealth.
ComStar has now integrated the
ComGuards into the new SLDF under command of the SLDF Triumvirate Command
Council
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