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Origins and History
Of all the government systems to emerge in the Periphery, the Outworlds Alliance
claims the strangest collection of separatists and anti-social types. Indeed,
many political commentators have referred to the Outworlds Alliance as a
geographic expression of collective political chaos. Unlike the Taurian
Concordat or the Magistracy of Canopus, the Outworlds Alliance was never
intended to be a lasting political entity. Indeed, its existence was due to
accident as much as to design.
The founding father of the Outworlds Alliance was Admiral Julius Santiago
Avellar. As a junior naval officer in the closing years of the 2300s, Avellar
was appalled by the ease with which the states of the Inner Sphere sought to
settle their differences through increasingly destructive wars. Withdrawing to
the world of Alpheratz in 2413, Avellar devoted the rest of his life to literary
denunciations of the warmongers of the major Houses.
Though he may have planned to live out his life in obscurity, Avellar became the
leader of a virtual cult. His compassionate pleas for an end to war created the
Omniss, a new philosophical sect. Advocating the rejection of any technology
that did not contribute to the preservation of life, followers of Omniss flocked
to Avellar's agrarian haven in the Periphery, much to the chagrin of the
hermit-like Avellar.
Before long, people from every social order began to descend on his home on
Alpheratz. As the hundreds quickly became thousands and the thousands became
tens of thousands, Avellar's homestead was quickly overrun with political and
social dissidents. Expanding outward from Alpheratz in all directions, Omniss
farmers and their supporters began to colonize neighboring star systems in a
frenzy, persuaded by Avellar's writings that galactic doomsday was just around
the corner. Faced with the growing problems of managing and caring for the
well-meaning but technologically inept multitudes on his doorstep, Avellar was
forced to do the one thing that he hated most: to create a government able to
provide for the needs of his newfound followers. The result was the Outworlds
Alliance, a union born more of necessity than actual desire.
Since the beginning of the 31st century, the situation in the Outworlds Alliance
has become particularly grim. With the general loss of technology, Alliance
worlds have suffered from declining population and literacy levels. Though
protected by a strong military, many of these planets are unable to feed their
own people. The people feel that their government has betrayed them, and there
have been many riots and demonstrations against the hereditary Avellar regime in
recent years. Although no one has yet seriously challenged the right of House
Avellar to rule the Outworlds, armed rebellion is likely if the deteriorating
situation does not reverse itself.
Sphere of Influence
The Outworlds Alliance is the second largest Periphery state and the weakest of
the major alliances both politically and economically. Lying at the juncture
between the Draconis Combine and the Federated Suns, it consists of 38 inhabited
worlds in a volume of space approximately 55 parsecs in diameter, which is
one-fourth its former size. Its attempts to hold onto these few remaining worlds
have created serious economic and political problems.
The threat of rebellion stems not so much from political dissent as from the
Alliance's inability to feed and care for its multitudes. In recent years,
renegade mercenary bands have staged frequent raids on Alliance worlds,
seriously disrupting commerce and trade. With less than 40 serviceable JumpShips,
the Merchant Marine cannot hope to protect its outermost worlds. Numerous
Planetary Parliaments have criticized the Avellars' commitment to maintain the
Alliance military, particularly the AeroSpace Arm, at the expense of the
industrial base. Barring a major change in the policies of the Executive
Parliament, the military will continue to receive the lion's share of the
Alliance's meager resources.
Sociopolitical
Structure
Ratified in 2417, the Alliance Charter is the basis of government within the
Outworlds Alliance. Its provisions guarantee all citizens of the Alliance
freedom of expression, freedom of religious belief, and the right to pursue any
lifestyle or economic pursuit that does not infringe on the rights of other
citizens. Alliance citizenship is granted at birth, while an individual may be
naturalized after a ten-year residency and demonstrable proof of his
productivity in society.
The Alliance Charter created the framework for a streamlined representative
government. While acknowledging the right of House Avellar to hold executive
power, representatives of the Alliance citizenry must agree unanimously on
legislation before it can become law. Likewise, the charter allows for the
establishment of planetary representative bodies (known as planetary
Parliaments) and judicial courts of appeal, which protect the rights of citizens
from governmental abuse. When the Alliance military was established in the mid
2800s, the Alliance Charter was amended to include a fourth government organ,
the Alliance Military Review Board.
Government Structure
The government of the Outworlds Alliance can be described as democracy at its
best, though few individuals take all the responsibility that they might for
conduct of the state. Legislative action is a lengthy process that, though
democratic, is highly inefficient compared to many systems found in the Inner
Sphere.
Executive Parliament
As described by the Alliance Charter, the Executive Parliament is the chief
governmental organ of the Alliance state. Overseen by the Parliamentary
President (an office reserved for the senior member of the Avellar family), the
Parliament consists of one representative for every ten inhabited planets of the
Alliance. At its largest, the Executive Parliament had 16 members, though this
number has shrunk to four (not including the President). This is largely because
both the Draconis Combine and the Federated Suns annexed Alliance worlds at the
end of the Reunification War. Added to that have been outright planetary
secessions in the last two centuries because of poor relations with the Alliance
central government.
The Executive Parliament is charged with the conduct of all foreign and internal
affairs, subject to a unanimous vote of all members present. This last, rather
awkward requirement reflects the desires of Alliance citizens to prevent any
individual from imposing a dictatorship on the majority. Such a provision makes
it difficult to pass any but the most conservative policy directives.
The Executive Parliament is also responsible for military affairs within the
Outworlds. Traditionally, a four-person executive subcommittee handles such
matters. With the rise of a standing army, however, the Executive Parliament
created the Alliance Military Review Board, which can veto this sub-committee's
operational directives whenever the Board judges such directives to be contrary
to the best interests of the Alliance. The President can override the Board's
decision, but such action is considered politically dangerous.
Planetary Parliaments
Bodies of chosen representatives, known as Planetary Parliaments, govern every
inhabited world within the Outworlds Alliance. Each Planetary Parliament
consists of one representative for every ten thousand inhabitants, elected by
annual popular vote. In addition, Planetary Parliaments select one
representative to the Executive Parliament for a three-year term. With full
authority to pass any legislation needed to govern their worlds, Planetary
Parliaments are subject to the will of the Executive Parliament only in the
broadest sense of the term.
Courts Of Appeal
For every five thousand people, there is a five-member Court of Appeals. The
purpose of the Court of Appeal is twofold: first, to enforce local laws with
powers of prosecution; and second, to review the directives handed down by the
Executive Parliament. It is entirely possible that one or more Courts of Appeal
may decide that an executive directive is unconstitutional, and may subsequently
rule that the directive is null and void within its jurisdiction. Once every
three years, representatives from each Court of Appeal meet on Alpheratz to
confirm or reject nominations to the Executive Parliament and the Military
Review Board for the next session.
Military Review Board
The latest addition to the Alliance political structure is the Military Review
Board. This board consists of four individuals, one selected from each Alliance
provincial capital and subject to approval by the Courts of Appeals'
confirmation committee. Responsible for reviewing the organization and
deployment of Alliance military forces, the Review Board has the power to veto
(except in a state of Alliance-wide emergency) Executive Council decisions
regarding any use of the military. Thus can it safeguard citizens from the
threat of a military dictatorship or the misuse of funds earmarked for military
appropriations.
Political Goals
The primary political objective of the Outworlds Alliance is survival. More than
two centuries of isolationism have left it with little economic and scientific
vitality. Faced with an industrial decline to pre-Star League levels, the
Alliance has recently opened its borders to immigration from the Draconis
Combine and the Federated Suns. Within the last decade, it has also begun to
offer trade agreements permitting outside interests to mine Alliance worlds in
exchange for technological contributions. President Neil Avellar hopes that the
influx of new people and technologies may improve the economy, though many have
argued that the influx of foreign concerns may threaten the Alliance's
independence.
Federated Suns
Relations between the Federated Suns and the Alliance have improved over the
last decade, largely because Neil Avellar has granted House Davion the right to
exploit lucrative mining sites within the Alliance. Begun in 3020, an
Educational Exchange program, bringing in numerous Davion teachers and
educational specialists, has increased overall literacy among the Alliance
population. Although the Federated Suns enjoys a favored nation status with it,
the Alliance has flatly refused offers of military assistance, either offensive
or defensive, and forbids the presence of Davion warships or "military advisors"
within its confines.
There can be no question that the culture and political ideals of the Outworlds
Alliance are more compatible with those of the Federated Suns than with the
Draconis Combine. At any point during the Succession Wars (including the present
time), it would have been infinitely preferable to them for the Davions to
emerge triumphant in their battles with the Kuritans. However, at no point
during the Succession Wars have the Outworlders had the option of joining the
Davions in any form of formal alliance, nor even of helping them covertly, as
Kuritan intelligence is far too efficient for it to be worth the risk. The
Coordinator's agents have made every effort to uncover even the slightest hint
that the Avellar family has violated Outworlds neutrality, which evidence they
could use as an excuse for an invasion. It is for this reason that ComStar
believes that the Kuritans may have more agents on Alpheratz than on either
Tharkad or New Avalon.
Draconis Combine
Relations between the Draconis Combine and the Alliance are cautious and
reserved. Though Draconian merchants have lately been allowed limited trade with
the Alliance, many Outworlders still look upon the Combine as a greedy empire
that would like to snatch up the Outworlds at the first opportunity. Yet, many
Alliance politicians look to the Combine as a source of revenue. They have
recently concluded a treaty with the Combine, which allows the Kuritans to build
several AeroSpace Fighter production facilities in Alliance space, where
production costs are extremely low, while the Alliance gains a hefty bounty and
a percentage of all craft produced.
Taurian Concordat
Though far removed from the Alliance, the Taurian Concordat is on excellent
terms with House Avellar, and citizens have complete freedom of movement between
the two states. Taurian naval elements also have the right to conduct secret
maneuvers within Alliance space, and Taurian military advisors are known to be
present aboard several Alliance naval craft. For their part, the Taurians
receive good training from Alliance AeroSpace fighter pilots, several of whom
serve as advisors within the Taurian military.
ComStar
Though normally suspicious of any non-Periphery peoples, the Alliance has
eagerly welcomed ComStar within its borders since the late 2790s. Of all the
Periphery states, the Alliance is the least resistant to the presence of ComStar
facilities within its domain. In recent years, many Outworlders have joined
ComStar as prospective acolytes. The Executive Parliament hopes that assistance
from ComStar may help stabilize its government and economy.
The average Alliance citizen, however, seems to view ComStar as a brotherhood of
magicians at best, or a grand coven of witches and warlocks at worst. Because
the average Alliance farmer or shepherd lacks even rudimentary education, he
often views with sincere alarm anything that smacks of ComStar.
Strengths and
Weaknesses
Of all the Periphery states, the Outworlds Alliance has the freest and openness
society. This strength is also its greatest weakness, making the people of the
Alliance highly resistant to change. Representative democracy is rather
inefficient, especially when unanimous approval of the Parliament is necessary
to enact legislation.
Religion and
Philosophy
Within the Outworlds Alliance, all religious and philosophical disciplines are
tolerated. Unlike many worlds in the Inner Sphere, where different religious
communities coexist in the same area, Outworlders of various religious
persuasions have settled on different planets. For example, on the capital world
of Alpheratz, the predominant religious faith is Islam, while on the provincial
capital of Ramora, the dominant faith is Taoism.
Of the many philosophical doctrines in the Alliance, the Omniss creed
predominates. Omniss is similar to the cultures of the Mennonite and Amish
religious groups of Terra during the 19th and 20th centuries. Forswearing the
evils of technology in even its simplest forms, the Omniss advocate an agrarian,
close-knit, and decidedly anti-militaristic lifestyle. This last facet of the
Omniss culture has had a major impact on Alliance society. At the height of the
Outworlds Alliance, over two-thirds of its citizenry were members of the Omniss
creed, and thus in a position to prevent the creation of standing Alliance
military. The lack of a military almost proved the Alliance's undoing in the
Reunification War. Though the Omniss are less influential today, their continued
opposition to military appropriations still has an effect on both government and
society.
One of the newest religious groups to emerge are the Gregorians. Named after the
founder of the Order of Dominant Selection, Mathias Gregory, the Gregorians
advocate a lifestyle in which multiple marriages are not only the rule but a
fundamental necessity. As a general decline in population threatens this state's
existence, the creed has gained substantial acceptance in all levels of society.
An estimated 30 percent of all Outworlders belong to, or support, the Gregorian
creed.
Despite the wide diversity of philosophical and religious creeds in the
Alliance, there has been a surprising lack of conflict between these groups. Due
in part to planetary segregation, this tolerance is also due to the basic
philosophy of Outworlders, who feel that religious bigotry is a mental disease
of the Inner Sphere that must never be permitted to infect the Alliance.
Military Forces
The Alliance military is in some ways a contradiction in terms. For most of its
history, there was no standing army except for the local retainers of House
Avellar. With the outbreak of the Reunification War, the Alliance militia began
to evolve as the state's sole defense. These ill-equipped citizen-soldiers did
little to slow the hordes of the Star League. Although the Alliance government
had to accept the military restrictions that the Star League imposed on them
after the war, the Alliance leaders also recognized that the day would come
again when they would have to fight for their freedom. Gradually, the concept of
maintaining a professional military arm became accepted in the Alliance.
In the years since the beginning of the Succession Wars, the Alliance Military
Corps (AMC) has been based on a citizen militia force, albeit one well-trained
and well-equipped. The Alliance has made AeroSpace Fighters its primary
offensive and defensive arm, because Outworlders disdain BattleMechs as a symbol
of Inner Sphere destructiveness and a tool of petty tyrants. Though the Alliance
maintains BattleMech troops, these Warriors have neither the high status nor the
high wages they command in most other armies.
The Alliance military is unique in its total lack of mercenary units. The
Alliance Charter specifically forbids the use of such troops within the
Outworlds.
Uniforms
Because the military is unimportant in the Alliance, uniforms are generally drab
and nondistinct. Alliance militia, MechWarriors, and support forces wear the
same uniform: dark brown fatigues with green piping. Only a red scarf
distinguishes the dress uniform from the standard uniform. Provision for
uniforms and equipment is the responsibility of planetary parliaments, few of
which care to invest large sums of money for special dress when a functional
design will do. As a result, units from different planets have varying
equipment, often relying on what is available. MechWarriors, in particular, use
a wide variety of equipment, much of it salvaged from Kurita and Davion units of
centuries past.
The exception to this rule is the AeroSpace Arm. Because AeroSpace fighter
pilots enjoy a prestige that the ground forces lack, their uniforms are of
better quality. The traditional uniform consists of a white blouse with bright
green piping and sky-blue trousers. In flight operations, pilots wear an
all-white flight suit with a green collar and cuffs, and such personal equipment
as may be available.
The Alliance navy does not exist as a separate combat arm. The few merchant
DropShips in the Outworlds have been refitted to carry weapons, in keeping with
their role as privateers in time of conflicts. Therefore, naval dress is
generally the same as that of the Alliance merchant marine, which is at the
discretion of individual ship captains.
Structure of the AMC
The structure of the Alliance Military Corps allocates many of the normal
functions of military divisions to Planetary Parliaments or the Alliance
Military Review Board. Thus, there are only three distinct branches of the
military.
Alliance AeroSpace Arm
Receiving the lion's share of annual fiscal appropriations, the AeroSpace Arm is
charged with first-line defense of all Alliance homeworlds. It consists of four
fighter regiments, which in turn are composed of three wings each. A wing is
composed of three combat flotillas of three air lances, which consist of two
Fighters. A separate command wing brings the total number of Fighters in each
regiment to 60, for a total of 240 AeroSpace Fighters of various types. Though
many of these craft are the salvaged remnants of previous conflicts, some 40
percent are less than two generations old.
The Aerospace Arm also commands twelve JumpShips and two dozen DropsShips, which
deploy the AMC's Mechanized Corps forces when not engaged in aerospace support.
Alliance Ground
Defense Arm
The Ground Defense Arm is divided into two separate forces: the Planetary
Militia and the Mechanized Corps. The Planetary Militia consists of those
citizen militias and Freicorp battalions designated strictly for home defense.
Its function is not to contest an invasion of the world, but to tie up their
resources and pin the attackers in place until reinforcements arrive. The
Alliance Mechanized Corps consists of two BattleMech regiments, and a regiment
of armor and motorized infantry. Two-thirds of the Alliance BattleMechs are
light, Wasps and Stingers mostly, and the rest is an assortment of medium and
heavy 'Mechs produced on Alpheratz.
Alliance Service Arm
The Alliance Service Arm is a polyglot corps containing all noncombatant
services found in the military. Most of these services are meager, however, due
to a shortage of equipment and of dedicated, long-term service personnel. The
AMC Medical Corps is generally ineffective and relies on local support from
civilian institutions.
Weapons Industries
Although the Outworlds Alliance is nearly devoid of major industry compared with
the production potential of the Successor States, it does maintain a few minor
industrial concerns devoted to weapons production.
Strengths and
Weaknesses
The Outworlds Alliance military is a mixed bag. Its officers emphasize defensive
operations involving AeroSpace Fighters to deter enemy attacks or to inflict
heavy damage once an aggressor has penetrated the Alliance defense perimeter.
The lack of BattleMechs and support craft in any real numbers make offensive
operations outside the Alliance impractical. The Alliance militia can offer only
marginal resistance, though several units, especially those from planets in the
interior, may be of stronger mettle. The Alliance Ground Defense Arm is capable
of putting up a good battle, but its years of isolation from the Inner Sphere
may leave unit commanders at a serious tactical disadvantage.
Culture and Arts
Much of the Outworlds' social structure revolves around its agrarian lifestyle,
which is due mainly to the influence of the Omniss philosophy. In recent years,
however, the Alliance has experienced a shift in social norms, as technicians
and scientists, once regarded as second-class citizens, have begun to win new
respectability as their talents have become more in demand. This
notwithstanding, the average Alliance citizen is only marginally literate and
prone to a number of superstitions. A lack of educational systems beyond the
secondary school level aggravates this condition. Much of the Alliance
educational structure was destroyed during the Reunification War, and the
subsequent isolation of the Alliance has done little to improve the situation.
Only one university exists within the Outworlds, the University of Alpherak, and
this institution has few disciplines devoted to the hard sciences.
Unlike many other Periphery states, the Alliance bestows few titles of nobility.
With the exception of minor appellations (largely hereditary titles reserved for
members of the Avellar family), most people regard the presumption of nobility
as proof of an individual's desire to gain power at the expense of his
neighbors.
The average Alliance citizen is a hard-working, if superstitious, individual who
values personal loyalty and has a strong work ethic. Less than 10 percent of the
Alliance's population can be classified as well-to-do, and even these have very
little in comparison with their Inner Sphere counterparts.
Socioeconomics
The Outworlds Alliance has the weakest economy of all the Periphery states.
During the Reunification War, Star League forces leveled 90 percent of this
state's industrial concerns, and what remained intact was heavily damaged. The
Star League's levying of heavy tax burdens on the Alliance hampered government
efforts to rebuild its broken industries. Such industry as remains in the
Outworlds suffers from a lack of modern technology. Assembly lines are manual,
for example, and little automation exists (even in government-sponsored concerns
such as weaponry production).
Despite recent efforts to encourage foreign industry, the economy of the
Alliance continues to stagnate. The situation is so bad that many worlds have
reverted to the barter system to meet the needs of their populations. The
establishment of a central reserve bank and a planetary stock exchange have
failed, largely because such institutions are regarded as tyrannical inventions
of Star League dictators. Even the introduction of ComStar C-Bills as a means of
exchange has done little to reverse this process. Unless drastic reform takes
place in the next decade, the Alliance could easily suffer total economic
collapse.
3050 Update
[Prepared by Major C.G. Toho, Periphery expert for Wolfnet Military Intelligence
Division. Seventh Kommando]
The Outworlds Alliance, like many of the Periphery independents, has been
seeking greater trade with the Inner Sphere. President Avellar has lately
granted favorable trade terms in return for help against increased pirate
activity.
Neil Avellar, who became president in 3015, ruled his people reluctantly - and
his lack of enthusiasm for the task showed. Low in self-confidence, he consulted
endlessly with his advisors before making each decision. Though he proved
adequate to the job, the Outworlds Alliance failed to grow economically or in
any other way during the early years of his reign. This lack of growth could be
laid directly at the president's feet, for the Outworlds Alliance offered
worthwhile returns to any party willing to invest in extracting its plentiful
natural resources. But because many of its early colonists were against
technology in most of its forms, the Alliance devoted its assets to agricultural
pursuits, never even attempting to take advantage of the planets' mineral
reserves. By the time the nation's leaders recognized that their natural
resources could be the key to economic recovery, they no longer had the assets
necessary to exploit those resources.
In 3034, nineteen unhappy years after he assumed the presidency of the Outworlds
Alliance, Neil Avellar married Rebecca DeSanders, a Federated Suns diplomat with
close ties to the Davion rulers. Though his marriage made him happier in many
ways, not the least of which was the opportunity he now had to father a child to
replace him as president, his choice of partners was an unpopular decision both
within and without his realm. The Draconis Combine objected to the marriage as
an obvious ploy by the Federated Commonwealth to subsume the Periphery realm,
and the Kurita ambassador refused to believe any other explanation of the
partnership. Unfortunately for President Avellar, a certain number of Alliance
citizens felt the same way, afraid that their nation would follow the path taken
by the Tikonov Free Republic several years earlier. What little internal
resistance existed to Avellar's rule polarized around this issue, and the
Outworlds Alliance remained on cool terms with House Kurita for many years.
When Neil and Rebecca's son Mitchell arrived in 3035, he represented a beacon of
hope for all the people of the Outworlds Alliance. Finally, it seemed a better
tomorrow might be possible with a generation, and early evidence that Mitchell
possessed genius-level intelligence - he spoke in complete sentences and
understood basic math skills much earlier than the average infant - gave the
Alliance citizens even more reason to hope for a brighter future. The nation
soon realized, however, that hope was not enough.
3056 Update
[Prepared by Precentor Eliza Phereson, Research Team-chi, ComStar Archives]
Although the Federated Commonwealth had begun operations to extract the
Outworlds Alliance's natural resources in return for favorable trading terms,
the returns were too modest for them to fully invest in such a course. Every
time Houses Davion and Steiner went to war, their attention would stray from
their Periphery operations, and the Inner Sphere realms sometimes went so far as
to pull the military assets assigned to the Periphery back to their own borders.
Every time the Houses went to war, the bandits returned in force
The daring raids perpetrated against Davion mining and manufacturing operations
in 3037 forced the House lord to choose between repairing and restarting those
facilities, or reserving his nation's assets for the war he planned to begin in
3038. The bandits, but luck or design, managed to cripple and/or destroy many
key facilities, and the Federated Suns neither retaliated nor rebuilt. Lacking
the technology necessary to restart operations on its own, the Alliance lost its
fragile hold on economic growth and unemployment began to grow alarmingly.
The Avellars produced a daughter, Camillo, in 3037, and another girl in 3038,
whom they named Patrice. Though they took great joy in both events, those happy
occasions were insufficient to offset their desperate struggle to keep the
Outworlds Alliance afloat.
ComStar Arrives
As the War of 3039 lurched to an end, President Avellar renewed his efforts to
persuade other nations to invest in the Outworlds Alliance. Disrupted trade and
communications between the Draconis Combine, the Federated Commonwealth, and the
Alliance made these appeals difficult, but Davion did devote new resources to
reopening and rebuilding that realm's existing mining and manufacturing
facilities. It was also at this time that Kurita began negotiations for
subsidizing Alliance aerospace production, though those plans only came to
fruition years later.
In marked contract to the Successor States, ComStar took a genuine, vigorous,
and lasting interest in the Outworlds Alliance. We invested in a strong
relationship with the Alliance government, offering favorable terms on HPG
transmissions and agreeing to use local Alliance physical and human resources to
build and staff new facilities. In return, the Alliance agreed to the
construction of HPG facilities on several worlds and granted the Com Guards use
of massive expanses of land as training grounds. The arrangement was
satisfactory for all sides.
ComStar's presence initially received some negative public reaction. Most likely
because our level of technological achievement reminded the citizens of the Star
League and the privations suffered in their struggle against that force, our
landings often met with demonstrations and protesters. We soon determined,
however, that those who opposed us represented the minority. Most Alliance
citizens welcomed the jobs our presence created and our requirements even gave
rise to one or two cottage industries in each location where we built an HPG.
Our most valuable contribution to Alliance society, however, was the outstanding
work of our education teams, which spread out to all Alliance worlds and taught
young and old alike.
Though recruitment to our ranks was not a primary, or even secondary, goal of
our presence in the Outworlds Alliance, we received an extraordinary number of
requests from that realm's citizenry to join our Order. Part of the attraction,
to be sure, lay in the heavily mystic nature of ComStar at the time - a nature
that appealed to the fundamentally pious background of the citizens' ancestry.
The more likely explanation for this overwhelming response, however, was that
ComStar members enjoyed a significantly higher standard of living than most
members of the Outworlds Alliance. This latter explanation also supports the
current, continuing high level of enrollment from the Alliance even after the
split between ComStar and Word of Blake.
Beginning of the End
Though ComStar's presence offered a ray of hope to the Outworlds Alliance that
conditions might finally improve, the situation would deteriorate further before
things got better. Even before our Order began establishing HPG stations on
Alliance worlds, that realm had begun relying more and more on the barter
system. While exchanging goods and services with their neighbors and with other
communities and planets encouraged the citizens to share their problems,
triumphs, and fears, it also reinforced just how primitive their lifestyles had
become. Their reliance on the barter system also complicated relations with the
Inner Sphere, for Alliance traders insisted on receiving payment for their goods
in gold, only reluctantly accepting C-bills and refusing all House currency.
Increased communication between communities also served to consolidate an
increasingly large faction calling for Neil Avellar's resignation. Though the
Alliance's basically pacifistic outlook prevented this unrest from breaking out
into armed rebellion, the biggest stumbling block to choosing a new president
was a lack of qualified candidates for his replacement. Dissatisfied as they
were with Avellar's performance, the citizens of the Alliance had no desire to
jump from the frying pan to the fire by throwing their existing government into
upheaval merely for the sake of change. Only the most unreasonable factions
refused to admit that the Alliance's deep-seated, long-standing economic woes
could be more accurately blamed on the realm's founders than its current
administration.
The Clan invasion offered only one bright spot for the Outworlds Alliance. As
soon as the Inner Sphere realized the strength of the enemy they faced, the
House Lords immediately diverted all their energy and available resources to
dealing with this threat. The Periphery bandits wasted no time in abandoning
their raids against the poorer Periphery realms and devoting their efforts to
plundering the richer, underdefended planets of the Federated Commonwealth and
Draconis Combine. While the Outworlds Alliance lost even the sketchy economic
support of those two realms, they also found themselves nearly free of the
regular perdition threats of bandits. The Alliance economy did not improve, but
it also did not decline.
The Truce of Tukayyid heralded a return of the bandits to the Periphery, and
renewed hope in the Outworlds Alliance for economic recovery. Unfortunately, the
apparently permanent presence of the Clans in the Inner Sphere continued to
distract Houses Davion and Kurita from resuming their economic initiatives in
the Alliance. President Avellar's popularity sank to an all-time low, and even
the good news that the tiny Outworlds Alliance military was posting victories
against bandit attacks could not redeem him.
Outworlds Alliance
3058 Update
A New Start
In March 3056, President Neil Avellar held a press conference to pass the reins
of government to his son, Mitchell. His voice repeatedly breaking as his
emotions overwhelmed him, Neil Avellar offered a heartfelt apology to his people
for the many years of hardship under his rule and asked their forgiveness. He
walked away from the podium and was never seen in his native realm again. After
being sworn in as the new president the very next day, Mitchell Avellar pledged
to seclude himself with his advisors for as long as it took to devise a workable
plan to revitalize the Outworlds Alliance.
True to his word, President Mitchell Avellar returned to his people two months
later with a series of governmental initiatives and trade packages known as the
Long Road Program. Designed to gradually reverse the nation's economic decline
and breathe new life into its minimal industrial base, the Long Road Program
addressed multiple solutions simultaneously. Building on the increased level of
education and literacy fostered by ComStar's work toward an agreement that would
allow Alliance-owned business groups to rebuild, reopen and/or improve existing
Davion mining and manufacturing enterprises with the goal of creating new jobs
for Alliance citizens, who were now better qualified to perform those roles.
Though each Davion company may work out the specific details of its individual
agreement, the main provision of the settlement between the governments calls
for the Federated Commonwealth companies to provide sufficient capital to
jump-start the operation and to sacrifice a minor percentage of the business's
output. In return, the Alliance partner provides the work force, operating
capital, and delivery to all purchasers.
Determined to give his people a tangible sign of his commitment to raising their
standard of living, Avellar arranged to mint new currency. He declined to uses
his own likeness as the central image, however, choosing instead a picture of
the sun emerging from a cloud to remind the citizens of the realm that there was
hope for their future. Mitchell also pledged a substantial percentage of his
family's personal fortune to funding government-run manufacturing and mining
concerns. He intends for this initiative to create new jobs and foster a
national income, another effort to improve the nation's economy. Several other
factors also currently serve to boost the income of the Alliance: the recently
issued currency named the escudo is gaining wider-spread use; the BattleMech
games on Lushann enjoy growing acceptance as a less expensive but equally
entertaining alternative to the Solaris games; and several spices unique to
Alliance worlds have come into greater demand throughout other Periphery realms
and the Capellan Confederation.
Though President Avellar's business principles are sound and his advisors and
the Executive Parliament agree with his proposed solutions, much of what he is
trying to do has been repeatedly delayed by the Alliance's painfully slow
democratic process. Because the Parliament must approve all internal and foreign
policies by unanimous vote, even the smallest reform requires lengthy
deliberation and debate - and Mitchell Avellar's suggested reforms are
substantial. Presiden Avellar also blames himself for some of the delays,
admitting that his relative youth has caused some to question his credibility
and the wisdom of his plans. His only effective response to such naysayers is to
point out that he was raised practically from the cradle to assume leadership of
the Outworlds Alliance, and there is no one better suited to do so. Though he
hopes that his people will eventually accept his leadership on faith and on his
good record, he recognizes that he might be forced to accept the assistance of
media coaches to establish his credibility outside his realm.
Continuing Opposition
Even though Mitchell Avellar has barely held the office of president long enough
to demonstrate competence or incompetence, he faces strong opposition from a
group known as the Separatists (who also opposed his father's rule), and he must
answer the concerns of several factions that believe the military should receive
a larger share of the available resources.
Led by Barnabas Hyard, chairman of the planet Baliggora, the Separatists believe
that the Alliance can no longer exist as a cohesive state. This group advocates
dissolving the realm and allowing the settled worlds to succeed or fail on their
own, obviously trusting that individual planets will conduct their own affairs
more efficiently than a central government. Though this organization boasts a
devoted following of the disaffected, Huard himself lacks the charisma and
leadership skills necessary to forge the Separatists into an effective political
force. Until such a leader rises to the fore, this group will remain nothing
more than a very vocal club of dissatisfied citizens.
In marked contrast to their traditional views, a growing number of Alliance
worlds currently believe that President Avellar's reformation policies do too
little for the Alliance Military Corps. Probably as a result of their exposure
to our Order's philosophies regarding the deterrent value of a strong defensive
force, these worlds are calling for a rapid military build-up and for immediate
acquisition of Star League technology. Though counseling the wisdom of
establishing a solid economic base before investing in a stronger military,
Avellar's words seem to be falling on deaf ears.
Interstellar Relations
Though the Clan invasion did not touch the planets of the Outworlds Alliance,
the realm felt the impact of that conflict. The small financial investment the
Federated Commonwealth made years ago in the Alliance by building minor
industrial bases on certain planets gave the Alliance economy a significant, if
short-lived boost. But when the Federated Commonwealth turned its attention to
battling the invaders, those manufacturing plants were the first to lose
financial and military resources. The increase in economic support hoped for by
President Neil Avellar simply failed to materialize, though the troops guarding
Davion assets remained. President Avellar's negotiations with Prince Victor seem
far more likely to establish lasting economic improvement.
Because the Outworlds Alliance never gave much effort to maintaining
communications with Inner Sphere powers other than those directly on its
doorstep, Katherine Steiner-Davion's move to separate the newly christened Lyran
Alliance from the Federated Commonwealth has had very little effect on the
Periphery state. If not for Victor Steiner-Davion's willingness to authorize
others in his administration to conduct negotiations with the Periphery realms,
however, this internal problem could have seriously delayed President Avellar's
recovery plans.
Offering another major boost to the Outworlds Alliance's meager industrial base,
the Draconis Combine recently began to subsidize increased production of
aerospace fighters. The one military asset the Alliance continually supported
regardless of the competence of the realm's leader, the aerospace industry
remained in place and ready to implement renewed and expanded production
schedules as soon as opportunity allowed.
Other Periphery Realms
Cordial relations with its nearest neighbors has allowed the Outworlds Alliance
to resume trading for much-needed resources. The Taurian Concordat, always
friendly toward the Alliance, has begun negotiations to trade services - manual
laborers from the Alliance to help with colonization efforts in exchange for
Concordat military advisors and instructors to help improve the effectiveness of
the Alliance ground forces.
Unable to offer much in the way of economic aid at present, the Magistracy of
Canopus nonetheless has pledged to provide such support as soon as possible. In
the meantime, the Magestrix gladly schedules the Canopian pleasure circuses for
regular stops in the Alliance, events which always boost the local economy and
raise the citizen's spirits.
Of the other nearby Periphery worlds, only the tiny Mica Majority possesses what
can kindly be called an organized government, and Alliance merchants regularly
stop at this three-world realm to trade for the precious metals mined on the
asteroids orbiting all three planets.
The nearby world of Antallos, more commonly known as Port Krin, poses a major
problem for the Outworlds Alliance. President Avellar would like nothing more
than to establish diplomatic relations with this pirate haven, for doing so
would eliminate his realm's most constant and damaging enemy. Needless to say,
no single person or band of pirates has been able to gain the upper hand on this
brutal, corrupt world, and so Port Krin continues to serve as a convenient base
from which bandits conduct their devastating raids against the planets of the
Outworlds Alliance. Though the Alliance Military Corps is willing to mount an
attack against Antallos, the probable consequences of their failure to subdue
the entire planet are too terrible to risk.
The populations of Dneiper, Milligan's World, and Prinis Prime, the three
Alliance worlds closest to Antallos, have gradually abandoned their holdings in
the face of repeated bandit raids. The people who stubbornly refuse to give up
their homes and lands are nearly self-sufficient and long ago ceased to feel any
loyalty to the Alliance government.
Pirate attacks continue to represent the greatest source of trouble, both
political and economic, that the Outworlds Alliance faces, and at the moment
they must try to conquer that particular challenge alone.
ComStar and Word of
Blake
As noted previously, ComStar enjoys a particularly strong relationship with the
Outworlds Alliance. Though many Alliance citizens were initially attracted to
our organization by the Order's religious elements, the number of people from
that realm seeking to join ComStar has not declined since the Primus demystified
our technology and knowledge.
Steady enrollment figures and the marked lack of Word of Blake factions in this
Periphery realm may be traced to the same reason - the people of the Periphery
have always been independent thinkers. We have always assumed that a certain
percentage of our members were not true believers in the words said to belong to
Jerome Blake, and though willing to follow the rules of our Order, members who
came to us from the Periphery often fell into that pragmatic percentage. ComStar
personnel stationed in the Periphery were chosen specifically for their ability
and willingness to take initiative when necessary and for their flexibility when
dealing with native populations. Even if they adhered to former ComStar
doctrines to the letter, they were eminently sensible and better able to adapt
to the new direction than other adepts and acolytes.
ComStar's Periphery outposts have taken on new importance since the Draconis
Combine has invested in revitalizing the Explorer Corps. The HPG stations in the
Outworlds Alliance, like similar stations elsewhere in the Periphery, now serve
as launching points for ships in search of Clan homeworlds. This increased
activity, of course, provides new jobs for locals living near the ComStar
stations. |
