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The Human Sphere is a BattleTech universe set in 3100. The Jihad has come and gone, leaving in its wake dozens of small realms in a perpetual cycle of raids and small wars. Will you seek money or defend your nation? Or both? You decide.
"The Holy Roman Empire is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire." - Voltaire
Robinson Republic
History
Stretching from Kentares IV to Pascagoula to Altdorf, the Robinson Republic is one of more stable governments in the Human Sphere. A strong part of the old Federated Suns and the Federated Commonwealth over the centuries, the old Robinson March was dominated by anti-Kuritan fever. During the Civil War, Tancred Sandoval took over the March and used it to support Victor Steiner-Davion against his sister Katherine. The Robinson Rangers fought proudly in the war, both against the Combine and against Katherine.
But the Word of Blake Jihad was another matter. At first held in line to support New Avalon by Tancred, many in the March wondered why they should be bleeding for the Davions. Again. After all, the Word of Blake was only attacking those who sided with the Houses. And the Blakists were correct when they said it was the Houses that brought down the Star League with their bickering and ended the dream of that once great nation.
All so the Houses could fight over who controlled its remnants. And then of course there was the Civil War. What everybody in the March remembered most of all. Why should they fight and die to protect those spoiled brats on the throne? Again? It just didn’t make sense. They did fight at Tancred’s orders though. He was their Duke after all. Until the Word of Blake decimated the Edgeward Combat Theater, Kentares PDZ, and forced the Addicks PDZ to leave the March in 3068.
All the people saw was their brave men and women dying to protect a family that had done nothing but bring them grief for decades. A family that had refused to give them the resources they needed to fight the real enemy, instead of the distant Capellans who were no real threat to Robinson and the March. A family that had failed miserably to protect Robinson in the distant past, and failed to destroy the Dragon in the recent past. And once again, they were dying to protect that family. When the Word of Blake fleet arrived at Robinson, it was the final straw.
Marshal Katheryn Sandoval-Ito, sister to the previous Duke of Robinson, and Tancred’s aunt, had seen enough of sending her people to die. And so she walked into the palace, declared herself Duchess of Robinson, and announced that the Robinson March would no longer be involved in the war. The Word of Blake fleet, content that it could return to destroy the fledgling March after it had dealt with the remnants of the Crucis March, left. After all, at least until the real threats were dealt with, the Word of Blake had to look like it was honoring its offers. Nobody would accept them if the Word of Blake didn’t.
Leaving House Davion to its own wars, the new Robinson Republic began to prey on the Draconis Combine again, the real enemy of the old Draconis March. Unable to fight both them and the Word of Blake, the Dragon lost many systems to the Republic before the Jihad ended, but it stretched the already weakened Republic military to the breaking point. They simply didn’t have enough to finish off their enemy after centuries of sending their men and women to fight in other theaters.
The Republic spent the next decade rebuilding and preparing for the next war against their larger enemy. When the Nova Cat War exploded, they knew it was time, but they still didn’t have enough of a military to really hammer the Combine. They hired several battalions of Federated Suns Mercenary Corps BattleMechs and a full squadron of WarShips to hit the Combine in conjunction with the Robinson assets in the area. By the time the war was over and the wounded Dragon could reestablish its defenses, the Matsuida and Kaznejov Prefectures were effectively shattered. New Samarkand had to take over the defenses of what remained of those Prefectures and the reorganization alone took the Dragon nearly a decade. It was a great victory for the Republic.
Having a general agreement with the Federated Suns, they do not claim any worlds in the old Crucis March, relegating their territory to old Draconis March systems and any systems they are able to “acquire” from the Dragon. Johnsondale and Layover are exceptions to this rule, but only because to this day the Robinson Republic does not technically claim them as theirs. Both of those systems, seeing themselves as targets for the next Word of Blake fleet that flew through, looked across the border to the Republic that was no longer being hammered. They didn’t like the idea of being hammered when safety was so close. So they told the Word of Blake they were leaving the Federated Suns, and asked to become a part of the Republic.
The last twenty thirty years have shown those two systems in a delicate balance between the Republic and the Federated Suns. House Davion will not relinquish its claim on the systems, but does not have the money it would require to enforce said claim. As a part of the delicate balance, Johnsondale and Layover are protected by the Republic military, and sell their goods to both the Republic and the Federated Suns. So far at least, the Federation seems willing to pragmatically accept the situation as it stands. As long as neither the Republic nor those two systems flaunt their position. Many historians believe there will be a conflict over Johnsondale and Layover when the Federated Suns completes their rebuilding program. Other historians believe they never will complete their rebuilding program and that looking ahead so far is simple folly.
Whatever the years hold in store for the delicate balance of general peace, outside the industrial raids that are common throughout the Human Sphere, between the Federation and the Republic, most citizens of each nation see the Combine as a greater threat than their not-so-long lost brothers. The Republic has eyes only for the Combine, creating an odd tunnel vision that has allowed other threats to its existence to grow. The odd Proserpina Syndicate, holding some worlds that were in the Draconis March, has never been properly “handled” for instance. And the Republic has done little to combat the growth of the enigmatic Raven Alliance.
Only time will tell if the Republic will survive these possible mistakes. But for the time being, their relations with the two polities seem to be generally positive. They do not recognize the Syndicate, but that is normal. Most governments don’t after all. And they buy many aerospace assets from the Raven Alliance, including fighters, some DropShips, and even the rare small WarShip, along with Raven technical support programs, from time to time. For now at least, the borders of the Republic look secure.
Military
The Republic military of the present is dominated by Griffins and Wolverines built on Marduk, as well as Sentries, Watchmen, Sagittaire, and Argus OmniMechs from Robinson. Not a very heavy BattleMech force, outside of the Sagittaire companies in the Argus-dominated assault regiments, the Republic makes up for their lack of mass by using their speed and formations to work in teams. Nowhere near as good as the Federated Suns military when working in formation, they are still better than the samurai of the Draconis Combine. But they have no chance if caught in one-on-one combat against such a warrior. They also have a small WarShip fleet made up old Fox-1 and Fox-2 destroyers, as well as any other small WarShips they can get their hands on. Sufficient to patrol their borders, the fleet is not adequate for an offensive campaign.
Factories
Marduk – Norse BattleMech Works – Griffin and Wolverine
Robinson – Robinson Standard BattleWorks – Sentry, Watchman, and Sagittaire BattleMechs. Argus OmniMech.
Protectorate Factories
Johnsondale – Valiant Vehicles – Striker and Pilum
Layover – Salvatore Incorporated – Seeker
– Quikscell Company – APC, Scorpion, Vedette, LRM Carrier, and SRM Carrier.
Systems
No information at this time.