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Origins and History
The Marian Hegemony is a recent addition to the Periphery. Centered on the trade
world of Alphard, the Hegemony consists of the remains of the Alphard Trading
Corporation (ATC). In 2920, Johann Sebastian O'Reilly arrived on the desolate
and uninhabited planet Alphard. Though the world seemed like a wasteland, he
chanced upon a hidden storehouse of germanium worth at least 50,000,000,000
C-Bills. With this newfound wealth, O'Reilly hired 'Mech units and established a
colony on Alphard. Johann formed his new Marian Hegemony along the disciplined
lines of the ancient Terran Roman Empire during its republican days. The arrival
of war refugees helped to expand the Hegemony, whose people began to settle
other star systems in the vicinity.
Under the leadership of Johann's grandson, Marius O'Reilly, the Marian Hegemony
views expansion as the key to survival. In the last decade, the Marian navy and
ground forces (estimated at roughly three small battalions of assorted
BattleMechs) have clashed repeatedly with their neighbors over possession of
border worlds. The Hegemony welcomes the presence of ComStar, but only at the
price of an annual tribute to the Imperial Treasury.
After the Fourth Succession War, Imperator Marius used the proceeds of the raids
to strengthen and expand his nation on several fronts. The Marian government
founded schools and military academies, funded the development of new
industries, and raised soldiers' pay, among other benefits. Literacy levels
rose, along with the general standard of living. Among the young Marian citizens
entering the new Collegium Bellorum Imperium for MechWarrior training was the
Imperator's own son Sean, who began attending the military academy in 3032 as a
member of its first class. Upon Sean's graduation in 3035, he was given a lance
command in one of the Hegemony's three BattleMech battalions.
The hopes of some observers that the Imperator's civic improvements indicated a
desire to make the Hegemony a more respectable realm were dashed later that same
year, when the Imperator narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. Captured and
beaten by the Imperator's personal guard, the assassin claimed to have been
hired by a Free Worlds League agent operating on the independent planet of
Astrokazy. Outraged, Marius swore to avenge himself against his attackers. He
did not dare move militarily against the powerful Successor State, but spread
the word among the Hegemony's privateers that raids against the Free Worlds
League planets would buy them favor in his eyes. He also sent the First Marian
legion to smash Astrokazy.
Astrokazy's tiny, disorganized 'Mech forces swiftly fell to the Marian assault.
The Imperator proclaimed Astrokazy a Hegemony possession, but before his forces
could solidify their control, reinforcements began arriving from surrounding
Periphery realms at the request of Astrokazy's various city-states. In the face
of potentially stiff opposition, Marius O'Reilly gave up his claim to the
planet.
Rise of Caesar Sean
Between 3035 and 3040, Sean O'Reilly distinguished himself in military service.
Scattered rumors reached the Imperator of his son's gambling, numerous
dalliances with women and frequent involvement in duels, but Marius passed off
these incidents as a typical sowing of wild oats. When Sean informed Marius that
he would be a grandfather before the end of 3040, the Imperator decided it was a
fine time to steady his wild son by giving him greater responsibility. A few
days after the birth of his grandson Julius, Marius O'Reilly announced plans to
expand the Hegemony through colonization. He placed Sean in charge of the
operation, a challenge the young man eagerly accepted.
Sean spent the next two years organizing the necessary equipment and personnel
to colonize three nearby worlds. Unknown to the Imperator, Sean was also
siphoning off a portion of the colonization funds for his own personal use.
During his five years of military service, Sean had run up quite a string of
gambling debts, and was also supporting several mistresses on various Hegemony
worlds.
In 3046, the Imperator stumbled across evidence of his son's illegal activities.
Furious at Sean's duplicity, Marius summoned him to Alphard and demanded
immediate restitution of the stolen funds. When Sean refused, Marius threatened
to bar him from succession in favor of six-year-old Julius. Almost immediately
Sean backed down, promising to mend his ways and repay the Imperial Treasury as
best he could from his limited personal income. As proof of his good faith, he
immediately ended relations with the two most expensive of his mistresses, sold
the properties he had given them, and signed the money over to the treasury.
Grudgingly, Marius relented, and at the end of the year publicly reaffirmed
Sean's status as his heir. Underneath their civil facades, however, both men
remained suspicious of one another. The Imperator's continuing coolness toward
him convinced Sean that his father secretly intended to pass the leadership of
the Marian Hegemony to Julius. Determined to keep this from happening, Sean
began to build a power base within the First Marian Legion.
The Clan Invasion
The Clan invasion of the Periphery and Inner Sphere left the Marian Hegemony
untouched, and the rumors of war on distant planets provoked little concern
among Hegemony citizens. Most agreed with their Caesar that the Inner Sphere was
only getting what it deserved - and as for the Clans' conquests in the
Periphery, the realms swallowed up were comfortingly far from the Hegemony's
borders. When a delegation from the Magistracy of Canopus arrived on Alphard in
3051 and offered the Caesar a chance to join a Periphery-wide alliance against
"invasion by Inner Sphere or other forces." Sean scoffed at the proposal. Hoping
to cause trouble for Magestrix Emma Centrella, with whom his political and
personal relations had always been strained, Sean made the Canopian proposal
public to the Inner Sphere. No Successor State responded with so much as a
rebuke; the Successor Lords, busy battling for their lives against the Clan war
machine, had no time for the pronouncements of a petty Periphery dictator.
Dismissing the Clans as no particular threat to the Hegemony, Caesar Sean spent
3051 and most of 3052 planning the conquest of the Lothian League. The League's
seven planets, resource-rich and poorly defended, presented a tempting target
for the Hegemony's newly enlarged armies. Knowing that the Marian Legions would
not be up to the full fighting strength he wanted until 3053 at the earliest,
the Caesar embarked on a two-part strategy. Throughout 3052 and 3053, Marian
privateers and small military units raided Lothian planets, gradually wearing
down the mercenary units defending them. The attacks increased in frequency and
ferocity as the months wore on, followed by a full-scale assault by the Marian
Legions on 3054.
Conquering the Lothian
League
The Lothian League proved a tougher adversary than the Caesar had expected,
holding out for more than a year against the Marian assault. Dame Lorelei Logan
dipped deeply into the Lothian treasury to hire additional mercenary units, and
her daughter Liesel led a small Home Guard BattleMech unit against the invaders
with astonishing success. By early 3055, however, the Legions' superior
firepower began to overwhelm the Lothian League's defenders. Dame Logan made a
desperate appeal to the Taurian Concordat for any troops it could spare, but
Protector Thomas Calderon refused to send help, citing the need to keep his
troops on alert against the danger of an imminent Federated Commonwealth attack.
The Caesar himself led the assault on Lordinax, the last League planet to fall.
He destroyed the Home Guard, killing Liesel Logan. Upon his triumphal landing on
Lothario, the League's former capital world, the Caesar ordered Dame Lorelei and
her surviving family taken into custody. The Logans had disappeared, however,
and presumably remain in hiding.
The Marian Hegemony faces continued active and passive resistance from Lothian
citizens who refuse to accept the Marian domination. The Caesar has installed
two-thirds of his Second Marian Legion across the seven League planets to deal
with the insurgents, but the Legion forces are barely holding their own against
their guerrilla opponents. Further, government officials installed to enact the
Caesar's policies must repeatedly deal with blatant disregard for their imposed
authority. ROM reports indicate that Lothian freedom fighters are receiving
covert assistance from the Magistracy of Canopus, which hopes to keep the Caesar
and his Legions too busy for further conquests. The resisters may also be
receiving small amounts of money and supplies from the Illyrian Palatinate, the
Caesar's next likely target.
Marian Hegemony 3058
Update
In 3056, Julius O'Reilly entered the Collegium Bellorum Imperium. Intelligent
and studious, the young man soon distinguished himself as a tactician and a
'Mech pilot. His talents brought him to the notice of General Ambrose Kelly, the
Collegium's premier lecturer on military strategy. The general, a former
privateer turned MechWarrior, was the mastermind behind many of the Hegemony's
most brilliant and successful raids during the 3030s, and turned to teaching
rather than retire completely from military service. General Kelly found Julius
to be a promising student, not only of tactics but also of military and
political philosophy. The two began spending occasional time together outside of
class, and the general wrote glowing reports to the Caesar of his son's progress
in his studies.
Though neither teacher nor student expected it, General Kelly became the
catalyst for the first real conflict between the Caesar and his heir. During a
class lecture, a question by one of the students led the general to a broad
discussion of the proper uses of military power, in the course of which he made
some injudicious statements about the dangers of too great an imbalance between
military and civilian authority. The Caesar, hearing of the lecture and
remembering General Kelly's close association with Imperator Marius, ordered him
arrested and executed for treason. Julius interceded on his mentor's behalf,
arguing eloquently and forcefully that no treason had been intended. The general
had made no specific criticism of the Caesar's government, and had proven his
loyalty to the Hegemony through long service to the nation. The Caesar responded
by offering to spare the general as a gift for Julius's upcoming seventeenth
birthday. Three days later, General Kelly was set at liberty, but stripped of
his rank and banished from the Collegium.
In the year since this incident, Julius has treated the Caesar with cool
civility. For his own part, the Caesar has begun to keep close tabs on his
eldest son's activities and associates. Though neither shows the other any open
distrust, the strain between father and son is apparent. Remembering his stormy
relationship with his own father, the Caesar may find it all too easy to believe
that his her intends him harm - particularly if the rumors about Sean's hand in
the Imperator's death are true.
According to what our agents have been able to learn, the danger Julius poses so
far exists largely in the Caesar's imagination. However, Julius does appear to
be making an effort to distance himself from his father's excesses. A few
individuals and groups known to oppose the Caesar are also keeping close watch
on Julius, possibly hoping he will begin to actively work against his father
within the next few years.
Sociopolitical
Structure
The idea of a Roman empire in the barbaric Periphery conjures a variety of
images, few of them encouraging. A closer look at the republican ideal as
implemented in the Hegemony, however, reveals that the structure is not too far
removed from the feudal system in place throughout much of the Inner Sphere and
parts of the Periphery. Most Marian citizens accept the system without
complaint, acknowledging that it beats the harsh dictatorships suffered by most
of their neighbors.
People
All people in the Hegemony can be divided into three distinct social classes.
The patricians, or upper class, the plebs, or lower class, and slaves. At first,
the patricians were simply defined as those who owned land, with all other
citizens falling into the pleb class. Early on, wealthy plebs began buying land
and titles, becoming patricians themselves. Patrician status is now hereditary,
a nobility that differs little from the systems across the Inner Sphere. Since
land ownership generally passed from parent to child anyway, few complained
about the new order.
Only patricians may vote or hold political office, attain high military rank, or
own real estate. In effect, they represent the Hegemony's legally perpetuated
upper class. This system remains viable because the majority of patricians
realize that they retain their position only on the sufferance of the plebs, and
treat their slaves and employees fairly. Under the increasingly harsh leadership
of Caesar Sean and his supporters, however, the possibility of rebellion becomes
more real with each passing day.
Slavery is not uncommon in the Periphery, though the Hegemony is one of the
largest states to condone it. Because it is illegal to buy or sell a citizen of
the Hegemony, slaves are most often prisoners of war. Given enough time and a
generous owner, a slave may eventually petition the Senate for citizenship,
though such requests are rarely made and even more rarely granted. In order to
win his freedom, a slave must prove his worth to the Hegemony and his ability to
sustain himself and his family - in both cases, this usually amounts to a large
bribe to the proper senatorial council.
The Senate
The ruling body of the Marian Hegemony is the Senate. Each senator is elected by
the patricians of his senatorial district, a geographical subdivision roughly
equal to a small continent or large island. Depending on a planet's landmass and
population, each planet supports between ten and twenty senators. Though they
are re-elected annually, most senators retain their positions for life. In
addition, the generals of each legion possess the rank of senator and wield
power equal to those senators elected by the citizenry.
A full meeting of the Senate occurs twice a year, in which senators discuss
matters affecting the entire Hegemony and cast an official vote on those
matters. The senators devote the remainder of their working year to various
councils, each responsible for specific governmental functions. The head of each
council is nominated by the Caesar and ratified by the full senate. This leader
then chooses the other members of his council. The only exception to this system
is the Military Council, which is always led by the Caesar himself.
The various Senate councils possess the authority to create and manage lesser
governmental departments, in effect creating a form of local government. These
officials may be drawn form the ranks of both patricians and plebs, and can
wield considerable power within their own sphere of influence. For example, all
military officers are chosen by the Military Council, while magistrates and
police commanders are chosen by the Law Enforcement Council. The judicious
assignment of these high-paying jobs serves as an important way for senators to
maintain their power base.
The Caesar
Until the rise to power of Sean O'Reilly, the Marian Hegemony was ruled by an
Imperator. The title of Imperator was a hereditary position passed to the
current ruler's eldest son. The Imperator commanded the Hegemony military and
presided over the Senate, where he could cast a tie-breaking vote as well as
veto decisions he felt were not in the best interest of the state. The
Imperator's real power came in the form of his ability to make "declarations."
The Imperator could present an issue to the law. This ability was a strange
compromise between a republic and a monarchy, apparently designed by the
Hegemony's founder as a way to maintain a king's power while giving the founder
as a way to maintain a king's power while giving the impression of self-rule to
the people. So far, it has worked.
Because Sean O'Reilly made no declaration changing the power of his position
when he altered the name of the position, it must be assumed that the Caesar
commands the same power as the Imperators before him. Sean claims he made this
symbolic change to represent the Hegemony's growth into a true interstellar
power, though some among the Senate believe that the Caesar intends for the
title change to be more than cosmetic and that he will eventually try to
exercise power beyond the current parameters of his station.
Interstellar Relations
Sean O'Reilly has made few friends for his realm, though the recent conquest of
the Lothian League may open up markets for such Lothian products as copper and
iron ores. Political relations with most Periphery states are poor to
nonexistent and trade is minimal. The Caesar may do better both economically and
politically with the Successor States, whose need for germanium has grown with
their increasing production of JumpShips. The nations of the Inner Sphere are
also less inclined than Periphery nations to fear a Hegemony attack, as the
Caesar is far more likely to attempt conquest of his smaller and less powerful
Periphery neighbors.
Successor States
The Free Worlds League and the Capellan Confederation are the only two Successor
States that have any formal relations with the Marian Hegemony. In the past,
Marian raids on Free Worlds League border planets kept relations between them
chilly. The recent Taurian-Canopian alliance, however, has prompted Thomas Marik
toward friendlier ties with the Hegemony as a possible counter to aggressive
moves by the Magistracy of Canopus. Trade between the two states remains as
healthy as it has always been; Marik merchants eagerly buy germanium from the
Hegemony, and sell any number of League-made goods to Hegemony customers. It is
frequently said in the Hegemony that Marik merchants own the bazaars on the
world of Seutonius.
Following Thomas Marik's lead, the Capellan Confederation has also strengthened
its ties to the Marian state. The Taurian-Canopian alliance represents a
potential threat to Capellan as well as to League worlds; in addition,
Chancellor Sun-Tzu may find the Marian Legions useful allies should he decide to
strike at the Concordat or the Magistracy. With so many of his own troops bogged
down in the Chaos March, the Marian Legions could prove necessary to any such
scheme of conquest - provided Sun-Tzu can talk the Caesar out of trying to keep
the captured worlds for his own realm.
In the interests of beefing up his war machine, Sun-Tzu Liao has recently begun
buying large quantities of Marian germanium. Marian miners discovered another
rich vein of the element in 3057, and the mine has just begun working at full
capacity. Current rumors abound that the Capellan Confederation has expressed
interest in constructing a BattleMech factory on the Marian world of Pompey in
exchange for germanium supplies at a somewhat reduced price.
ComStar and the Word
of Blake
ComStar has historically had little influence in the Marian state, not least
because of the Marian government's insistence on charging a hefty fee for our
operations. We have retained tenuous control over the HPG facility on Alphard,
but the Caesar has begun to make noises about taking the HPG under direct
Imperial control. He has made no overt moves so far, and the situation remains
in an uneasy stalemate. Given the necessity of deploying all the Com Guards
elsewhere - plus the risk of provoking a confrontation by bringing even a small
detachment into Hegemony space - we may need to consider alternative methods of
keeping an eye on developments in Marian space.
In another troubling development, Word of Blake ROM agents appear to be frequent
visitors to the Imperial residence, and we have reason to believe that the
Caesar is negotiating with them to build HPG stations on other Marian worlds. If
this is the case, the Word of Blake will certainly use those facilities to
further their own plans.
Periphery Nations
The Magistracy of Canopus and the Taurian Concordat are the Hegemony's main
antagonists in the Periphery, particularly since their recent alliance. Marian
pirates have made a practice of raiding Canopian worlds almost since the
Hegemony's inception, and the Caesar's increased military strength clearly makes
Magestrix Emma Centrella concerned for Canopian border planets. The Hegemony's
ruthless war against the Lothian League outraged the Protector of the Taurian
Concordat, and Jeffrey Calderon has joined the Magestrix in publicly condemning
the Marian Hegemony as "a pariah state ruled by a conscienceless criminal, whose
actions threaten the stability of the entire Periphery." The Magestrix has
warned Caesar O'Reilly that any move against the Magistracy or its ally will
have "grave consequences" for the Hegemony, and Protector Calderon fully
supports Emma Centralla's declaration.
The Illyrian Palatinate, fearing that it may become the Marian Hegemony's next
target, is taking steps to increase its armed forces by hiring mercenary units
to defend its four worlds. Palatinate Administrator Ernest Wick has publicly
declared that his people will fight for every inch of soil, making any attempt
to take the Palatinate extremely costly and ultimately worthless. Even if a
military victory was achieved, the conquerors would be left with nothing but
devastated cities and a rebellious population.
Of all the Periphery states, only the Circinus Federation has any real ties to
the Marian Hegemony, but even these are strained. Both realms maintain trade
relations with the other, but President H. R. McIntyre of the Federation has yet
to hear any response to his proposal for a joint invasion and equal division of
the Palatinate. According to the rumor mill on Alphard, local bookies are taking
bets on whether the Caesar will invade the Illyrian Palatinate or Circinus
Federation first. Odds on the Palatinate are running considerably lower than
those on the Federation, but a substantial number of Hegemony citizens seem to
think that an invasion of the Circinus Federation is likely.
Marian Hegemony
Military
Though the Marian Legions suffered some losses in the final battle for the
Lothian League, they have nearly rebuilt to their former strength. Because of
Caesar O'Reilly's reorganization of the armed forces, precise equivalents are
not possible, but current Marian military strength amounts to roughly three
BattleMech regiments, with nearly three times that number in conventional
forces. Competent and aggressive, the Legions are a fearsome, potent force. Most
of the legionnaires are solidly loyal to the Caesar, as the military owes much
of its current power and prestige to him.
The Caesar recently commissioned the building of another military academy,
primarily intended to train aerospace pilots. The Flight Academy of Alphard is
expected to open its doors in 3059, and boasts three former Outworlds Alliance
pilots among its staff. By training cadres of aerospace pilots, Caesar O'Reilly
hopes to bridge the Marian Legions' only remaining weakness.
Force Composition and
Tactics
Originally, the First Marian Legion was organized in the same fashion as
standard Inner Sphere BattleMech units. After Caesar O'Reilly expanded the
military, he reorganized the Legions along the lines of the armies of the
ancient Roman Empire that once dominated Terra. The basic unit is the maniple,
which consists of five BattleMechs or vehicles. Two maniples make a century, and
five centuries make up a cohort. Legions consist of two or more cohorts, along
with associated support staff and equipment. Each legion also contains combined
vehicle and infantry cohorts numbering two to three times its BattleMech forces.
Non-BattleMech units have similar organization, though with a few significant
differences. Infantry maniples consist of fifty troops, which are further broken
down into five squads of ten. Aerospace craft operate in two-fighter teams. Five
of these teams comprise an air maniple, and two air maniples make a wing. Five
wings combine into a squadron, though a formation of fighters this large is
rarely seen due to the Marian Legions' meager aerospace assets.
Despite its name, the Marian Legions operate most often in cohort-sized units.
Each unit is stationed separately from others in its legion and function
completely independently, in much the same way as a mercenary battalion.
A typical cohort is a highly flexible unit consisting of two light centuries
made up of fast-moving light and medium 'Mechs, two medium centuries containing
medium and heavy 'Mechs of moderate speed, and a single heavy century of slower
heavy and assault 'Mechs.
On the attack, standard cohort tactics call for the medium centuries to stay
together as the main force in fairly tight formation, with the heavy century
following close behind. The light centuries flank the main body of the force on
either side, ranging forward to scout out hidden units but never engaging the
enemy directly. Once the medium centuries have engaged, the light centuries come
around the flanks in a classic "horns of the bull" maneuver. This is intended to
pin the enemy force in place until the heavy century arrives to deliver the coup
de grace. Then the heavy units hold the position until infantry arrives, while
the main force moves on.
Uniforms
The basic Marian duty uniform consists of a tunic and trousers of a gray
bullet-resistant fabric. Various equipment belts adorn the uniform, as well as a
heavy piece of armor emblazoned with the soldier's rank insignia and worn on the
left soldier. The uniforms of each different service branch also contain small
unique variations.
Marian dress uniforms are cut along similar lines, although they are fashioned
of lighter materials and feature purple sashes in place of the equipment belts.
Officer Ranks
The unusual Roman-like organization of the Marian Legions creates an equally
unusual hierarchy of rank. Almost unique among Inner Sphere militaries is the
complete lack of enlisted ranks. All non-officer troops are ranked as
legionnaires, though this classification encompasses many different positions,
including technicians, MechWarriors, infantry, tank crews, and so on. Each of
these groups holds a certain level of prestige in the Legion but officially
holds the simple rank of legionnaire. Troops receive assignments to these
various positions based on skill, seniority, and social status. Plebs rarely
become MechWarriors or officers, and those who do never gain the clout to
advance beyond centurion in rank. |
