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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 crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'" - Ronald Reagan
Rim Collection
History
Once members of the long-dead Rim Worlds Republic, the worlds of the Rim Collection have had a long and troubled past. Some of them the Lyrans captured as the Star League collapsed, while others were left to rot on the vine as it were. In 3048, six of the latter joined together to form the Rim Collection, with the mercenary Able’s Aces becoming their official military. Throughout the 3050s and 3060s they stayed out of the affairs of other states, and when their president was assassinated his friend and political rival won election and did what he had to do to find the killers. That they were people who had agreed with his positions did little to make him happier, and he found himself pushing for federal power as his dead friend had.
The Jihad oddly had little effect on the Collection, beyond the large numbers of refugees that poured into it. The Collection simply refused to take sides, limiting its military to fighting pirates, like the remainder of the Extractors and other smaller pirate forces. As the Jihad raged outside their borders and the ill-fated Lyran Alliance Armed Forces (LAAF) began to fail though, they began to look at the systems near them as useful for possible expansion into. With Lyran control shattered, they moved in 3070 to offer a half-dozen nearby worlds entry into the Rim Collection and promised to protect them against pirates. Even with the Eighth Lyran Regulars defecting to the Collection to avoid being further targeted by the Word of Blake, they didn’t have the power to offer more their protection, but did offer to train militia units for a small fee to other nearby worlds. Those worlds that received these offers gladly accepted them and the size of the Collection nearly doubled overnight.
Since the end of the Jihad and the return of a semblance of order, the worlds of the Rim Collection have continued to maintain friendly relations with nearby worlds and the Alarion Association where they obtain nearly all of their modern weapons of war. Collection military advisors are often seen in systems up to a hundred light-years away from their territory, and Alarion traders have permanent trading facilities on Gillfillan’s Gold and All Dawn. And while Alarion seems happy that the Collection has agreed to help nearby worlds defend themselves, the Association has made it clear that any further expansion into the Lyran Commonwealth could adversely affect their status as a favored trading partner and the available supply of weapons sold to them.
So far the Collection has noted strongly that it has no plans of expanding, but recently orders with Clan Sea Fox convoys have begun to increase and trade deals with the StarCorps Supremacy and Marian Hegemony have been finalized. What exactly this means for the future of the Collection is anybody’s hypothesis, and we look forward to reporting on the actions of the Collection in the future.
Military
Lacking any major factories, the Collection has until recently purchased nearly all of their weapons from the Alarion Association, making Archers, Marauders, Razorbacks, and Starslayers their primary BattleMechs. They also have companies of fast Spectors assembled for pirate-tracking duties where their very advanced systems make them difficult to detect and hit. Vehicle units are mostly based around Scorpion tanks, LRM and SRM carriers, and other simple designs, though the fast Savannah Master hovertank is also used often and to good effect. The navy is built around Speer-class frigates and Chippewa fighters that are used to protect the fifteen worlds of the Collection.
We do predict that as trading contacts with other realms grow though, the makeup of their military forces will begin to alter greatly.
Major Military Formations
Able’s Aces
8th Collection Regulars
Factories
No major factories.
Systems
All Dawn – Bazaars where traders can come to deal in goods throughout the Collection and beyond dot this world’s capital, making it the place to go when you have to find anything.
Caldarium – On the coreward border of the Rim Collection, this system has been the target of pirate raids for centuries. Now guarded by at least one warship and multiple assault dropships at all times, this system has earned a measure of peace in recent years.
Gillfillan's Gold – The only spaceport on Gillfillan's Gold, and the nearest settlement to it, Rectortown are both situated within the bowl of a huge crater. Over three kilometers wide, the crater is encircled by mountains with dangerous passes. Some of these are filled with stagnant pools of water blackened by the industrial waste runoff from centuries past, others are dry and barren of life. About two hours travel from Rectortown is Maroo, the capital of Gillfillan's Gold and the seat of the Rim Collection's Ruling Council. The Collection’s Home Fleet and primary reservoir of warships is based here and rarely leaves the system.
Halifax – Once the headquarters of ComStar’s anti-spinward Explorer Corps, they still maintain a presence and continue to operate numerous offices in this system.
Hinckley – On the rimward border of the Rim Collection and near the capital of Gillfillan’s Gold, it is simultaneously the primary arrival point of traders from the Marian Hegemony, StarCorps Supremacy, and the Free Worlds League, as well as being the sole rimward line of defense short of the capital. Defended at all times by at least three warships, this system as a secure and happy member of the Collection.
Hunter's Paradise – The Rim Collection’s claim to fame, Hunter’s Paradise is the place to go for any who wish to prove themselves big game hunters. Yearly competitions under its blue sky and sweet air to claim the title of Alpha Hunter have netted the collection a fortune in licensing rights and for more mundane matters as providing for the needs of the hunters. Defended by three warships at all times, this system is generally safe from pirate assaults.
Langhorne – On the coreward border of the Collection, this system is guarded by at least one warship at all times to protect it against pirates.
Moroney’s Sacrifice – Further from Terra than any world short of Hunter’s Paradise, this world was named for the Collection’s first president after he was assassinated. The last major system short of Hunter’s Paradise it is tasked with supporting that system with food, spare parts, and lodging for hunters en route. Defended by a warship at all times, it is considered very important to the Collection’s long-term survival.
Ormstown
Otisberg
Roberts’ World – With its recolonization funded by President Roberts himself, this world is often considered a paradise. Only the loss of Star League technology and the adaptation of a local virus forced the original colony to leave this world, but with ComStar support the Collection was able to research an anti-viral regimen that would keep it at bay and the world is once again home to humans. If Hunter’s Paradise is the hunter’s vacation spot of choice, Roberts’ World is the vacation spot of choice for families, with numerous water and thrill parks dotting its magnificent coastal terrain.
Slewis – The ruins of old factories still dot this agricultural world, left to rust when they depleted the metal ores of this world. Now its claim to fame is as the home of the ulteth, an animal that looks like a large Terran dear but has a taste for sweet meats, especially those found on human bones. At least one warship protects this world from pirates at all times.
Timbuktu – Orbiting a weak red sun, this world primary occupation for centuries has been growing enough food for its people to survive. In 3046 however, germanium was found on its hellish Hades continent. The Rim Collection happily offered to protect the world during the Jihad and now sells most of it the germanium mined there to the Alarion Association in return for cut-rate prices on the Association’s products. Recently they have begun looking to others interested in acquiring the product for higher prices, actions that the Association does not approve of.
Waypoint
Wiltshire