TOP SECRET – EYES ONLY

To: Prince Hohiro Kurita

From: Victor Steiner-Davion, Precentor Martial, Comstar

Subject: Motivations and Recent Movements of the USR

Hohiro,

I wish that the circumstances of this communication were better, but it appears we are condemned to live in interesting times. In only a short time, our entire reality has again been overturned by the emergence of yet another periphery-based power that rivals any Great House. Given the recent actions by this alleged 'Republic,' and its location, I felt that you should have this intelligence document that ROM compiled for me. Certain pieces of information have been edited out, of course, as I'm sure you will understand. However, I have seen to it that what has been removed is only to protect our operatives in the field.

In addition, I will also give you now my first impression of the representative that this Republic sent to the First Circuit and the data he gave us. Although wary of us, he was forthcoming with any information he was allowed to give, and he was polite in the face of the barbs from a certain someone. I met with this man afterwards, and looked him in the eyes. I can say, without a doubt, that the look I saw in his eyes is the same I have seen in every serious warrior, present company included, of course. Frankly, I will admit to being intimidated a bit, so forceful he was in speaking of his homeland. You know me, so you can appreciate my words most effectively.

As for the data, you know that I am no analyst. Still, if what is presented is even half true – and I dare say that all of it may be true – then what we have in the Republic may be an indomitable ally… Or an implacable foe. They have already fended off a full-scale Clan invasion of their own, and their sparring against the Snow Ravens shows them to be tenacious. I recommend caution and restraint when dealing with them.

As for now, I give you this report, compiled from various other reports. I have taken the liberty of placing some of my thoughts here and there to provide a warrior's view on things; something you will no doubt find agreeable.

-Victor.

United Systems' Republic: Intentions and Motivations

History

The political entity we know as the Republic today was created in the wake of Kerensky's Exodus. From all accounts, dissent against Kerensky's decision and total lack of information over his ultimate goal caused many to question his orders and motivation.

Thus, some units in the SLDF, although agreeing with Kerensky's goal of leaving the Inner Sphere but feeling the complete and total removal from the Sphere's affairs was a mistake, began making other plans. Lead by a mere Major, this group nevertheless grew to include the crew of a warship, several jumpships, and an entire battlemech division. However, they did not challenge Kerensky openly, but instead made alternative plans. Thus, when the Exodus Fleet made the last jump out of the Periphery nation of the Outworlds Alliance, the ships of this conspiracy made a separate jump in the opposite direction.

Initially angered over the defection, Kerensky decided that to go back and bring the mutinous ships into the fold again would be too costly. Thus, he pressed on and the Exodus Fleet continued with its date with destiny. However, it may be noted that this little-known event may have inspired the uncharacteristically harsh measure Kerensky used during the Prinz Eugen revolt later on during the Exodus.

This new, small force, led by its sole WarShip, the SLS Invincible, ventured out and spinward from the Inner Sphere, rather than following Kerensky in his coreward route. This proved to be beneficial, since the area this force moved into contained several verdant worlds. Picking a central one with an eye for later expansion, the small force settled on a planet that their leader – who grew up on Terra's North America continent – Washington, while the system itself was named New America.

The early years of this colony proved to be trying, as they were not the only group to discover the hidden bounty available beyond settled space. Other colonies sprung up nearby as refugees from the First Succession War vacated the Inner Sphere en masse, and behind them came bands of outlaws and disgraced military units, who turned to piracy.

However, this adversity only strengthened the fledgling Washington colony, as its defense force was equipped with the best the Star League had to offer, and unlike their pirate opponents, weren't driven away from the Inner Sphere without preparation. Thus, the Washington forces continued to annihilate pirate bands, and soon began patrols to defend the other planets in the area. Grateful for this defense, the better off worlds began to reciprocate with supplies that the Washington colony lacked, as the soldiers from that planet were often out fighting rather than farming.

These informal trades soon grew to signed pacts of defense and aid. Then, the elected President of the Washington colony suggested that the several worlds unite to become one government. Initially wary, the other colonies eventually accepted, and the United Systems' Republic was born.

This, however, occurred right as the Second Succession War began, and this new government found itself tested with another wave of refugees and piracy. However, with the former SLDF units at its core, and making use of local militias and flexibility, the United Systems' Armed Forces fought off pirates and helped new colonies to be settled on more planets.

By the dawn of the Thirtieth Century, the Republic had grown immensely, and its economy was driven by constant expansion, as the federalist government provided the flexibility for settlements to grow without red tape or harsh taxes. The core worlds, now past the sustenance level of development, received a near-constant influx of immigrants as a mass exodus from the Inner Sphere still continued. Republic ships actually went out and actively sought these refugees, encouraging them to settle in the Republic's relatively empty worlds. In this way, the Republic grew by leaps and bounds, eventually gaining enough resources to begin secret operations in the Inner Sphere.

At this point, a few notes must be made. Firstly, much has been made of Kerensky's Exodus taking the vast majority of the SLDF outside of the Human Sphere. However, few historians or other learned persons have questioned the other arms of the massive bureaucracy, including the feared Star League Intelligence Service. Once the ultimate word in covert operations and information gathering, this formidable service mysteriously disappeared following Kerensky's Exodus. Initially, no one cared much, as the beginning of the First Succession War and the rampant barbarity that followed naturally proved far more pressing. However, later periods of peace saw historians and researchers dismiss the SLIS as either overblown or simply absorbed into the Exodus Fleet, or even into Comstar. (Let it be noted that ROM never once engaged in any dialogue with anyone claiming to be from the SLIS, and that ROM has never once engaged any such force during its existence.)
The truth, as always, has proven more interesting and far more frightening than any fiction. The SLIS, operating on directives stemming from its surviving command structure – which had joined the fledgling Republic – began a systematic infiltration of all House intelligence agencies. This was soon followed up by the infiltration of Comstar even as it formed. As a result, Comstar has always been a compromised organization. No matter how effective ROM, no matter how tight the control over the HPG net, the Republic had a direct pipeline into the heart of every capitol planet in the Inner Sphere.

Then, the net went dormant. The only activity SLIS/Republic agents undertook was to secure replacements for them when they began to grow old and die. No significant data was sent anywhere, though the occasional report did get transmitted as the Republic sought to keep tabs on their erstwhile brethren in Comstar and the Great Houses.

That is no joke, Hohiro. The information comes straight from Republic school textbooks ROM has purchased on Terra. That the Republic is even admitting to such security breeches is foreboding. Are they so smug and confident that they feel they should not fear for reprisal? Or are they implying that no matter what, we cannot hurt them? Either way, ROM is working on this, and I think your father's ISF should too. –Victor

As potentially cancerous as this intelligence network could have been, the Republic only used it, initially, to make contact with refugees and to direct them spinward. However, events that took place in the middle of the twenty-ninth century may have been some cause for this quiescence.

In 2823, a Trial of Annihilation was staged by the Clans against one of their own; Clan Wolverine. Initially thought utterly destroyed, recent investigations over the past several years have shown that warriors and civilians from that clan did indeed survive, and even traveled back to the Inner Sphere as the Minnesota Tribe. Striking nearly a dozen worlds, the Tribe vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Now, we know why.

Intelligence agents of the Republic had quickly identified the Minnesota Tribe as belonging to the SLDF, due largely to their relatively pristine equipment and their characteristic insignia and tactics. Working on pure initiative, an agent in the DCMS managed to move his military unit into the line of the advancing Tribe and engaged them just long enough to separate himself from his unit. Believing their commander dead, this unnamed unit retreated back to lick their wounds and regroup.

The unknown officer almost was killed by the Minnesota Tribe, as angered and distrustful they had been. However, one of the Minnesota officers recognized an old Recognition Signal used by the SLIS to contact certain persons within the SLDF. Quickly gaining an audience with the Minnesota Tribe commander, one Janice MacLeon, this agent quickly pointed the rogue military unit towards where a branch of the Exodus Fleet had gone on their own.

Thus, the Minnesota Tribe disappeared from the Inner Sphere, and traveled spinward to look for their brethren that had not been corrupted by Nicholas Kerensky's Clans. However, the SLIS operative, still unawares of just what form the government that he now served had taken, couldn't inform the former clansmen of how to make contact. Reportedly, all he had said was, "just go far enough, and they will find you."

Contact was indeed made. Deciding to land on a planet that was the location of an obviously recently settled colony, the Minnesota Tribe deployed to take supplies of medicine they needed for their sick and wounded.

However, when they approached the settlement, they found not an anticipated weak militia force, but an entire mixed-formation regiment of tanks, 'mechs, and infantry. Clashes erupted between the two sides briefly before the Minnesota Tribe fell back to reassess their situation.

It was then that MacLeon recognized the tanks and 'mechs as being Star League designs. Taking a risk, she marched her battered Ostsol slowly up to the enemy formation and opened a channel, asking an innocuous question: "Where's the beef?"

This code phrase, derived from the depths of human history, was a code signal given by agents to any military unit heading for solace in the Republic. The commander of the opposing force – Richard Fitzgerald of the Republic's 1st Armored Regiment – stood his troops down.

The result of this series of events led the Republic's intelligence gathering apparati to not only know where the rest of the SLDF had ended up, but also let them know of the potential danger of the Clans. Thus while the Clans became infatuated with their petty feuds, the Republic worked its tendrils through the newly formed "Dark Caste" and into Clan society, taking advantage of former SLIS agents who had decided to stay with Kerensky and then regretted it.

Therefore, when it is said that while the Inner Sphere was experiencing new levels of barbarity and the Clans were developing their fearsome fighting arsenal, the Republic had built itself into a preeminent superpower, one should not scoff.

Knowing about the Clans and observing – but not interfering in – Comstar's manipulations of the Inner Sphere, the Republic began to arm itself. Using its connections within the Clans' scientist caste, the USAF was constantly upgraded with newer and newer technology, even as the republic's massive industrial base was turned to building up the largest military seen since the SLDF had been disbanded. This industrial powerhouse, fueled by raw materials from worlds newly settled and from the immigrants from the Inner Sphere, ensured a strong, consistent economy. This therefore supplied the necessary amount of monetary liquidity for the Republic's population to thrive in living standards as high as that on Terra during the Star League's golden age even as Spheroids found themselves forced into new serfdom, while clan citizens found their lives turned into cogs for the clan war machine.

Even with so much wealth, the USAF continued to hunger for more armaments. Of particular interest for the Federal Navy were the numerous WarShips known to have escaped total destruction. Many such ships dotted the Inner Sphere, and the Navy soon proposed plans to retrieve these lost ships. Initially skeptical that recovery teams could remain undetected, the General Staff of the USAF eventually relented.

The Athena program, as the recovery effort was soon named, was an unqualified success. Dozens of WarShips from across the Inner Sphere were located, refurbished, and absconded with from under the eyes of all the Successor states, and even Comstar. So successful was this program, that a second phase, Athena II, was authorized. However, Athena II, despite netting some of the Fleet's best WarShips, recovered a much smaller amount, and so the program stopped, leaving many ships still floating in space.

Nevertheless, the Athena programs, plus the constant construction of new WarShips, DropShips, JumpShips, fighters, and all sorts of military equipment, proceeded at a leisurely pace. That is, until the dawn of the 31st century.

Through its agents in the Clans, the Republic knew of the growing discontent within their organization. The so-called "Crusader" movement was recognized immediately as trouble, and the Republic agents began their first attempts toe influence another power by working against the Crusaders. Unfortunately, the thirst for war is too strong when one's life is harsh, and the Clans' harsh homeworlds and society only pushed them further and further towards war.

The USAF General Staff thus began to quietly prepare its forces for a potential engagement with the Clans. Whether because the Clans may detect the republic and strike it first, or simply because of the nation's potential willingness to help the Inner Sphere remains in question. In either case, the effect was the same: The knowledge of the Clans and their intentions to return to the Inner Sphere started to become common knowledge within the Republic citizenry at the same time that the information about the General Staff's plans came out.

These dual revelations caused a growing uncertainty within the Republic, an uncertainty that eventually reached a head during the 3020s. With the news of the alliance between Houses Steiner and Davion, the counter alliance between Liao, Marik, and Kurita, many people began to see likenesses from the Cold War of the 20th Century. However, when this news hit the Clans, it created a firestorm, a firestorm that grew to immense proportions with the results of the Fourth Succession War.

At this point, it was leaked to the press that the General Staff and begun hasty plans for a defense against a deep strike by House Davion, and rumors of the Clans gathering their forces gave people the illusion that somehow, the Republic had been found out and targeted. For several months in 3028 and '29, the economy of the Republic ground into its first recession in over a century, and this only served to unnerve the population more.

To combat this, the federal government ordered up a program to update their armaments. While the Republic as a whole had benefited from Clan and homegrown technology, the Military had become a hodge-podge of upgraded or obsolete units. Thus, while the Invasion Scare of 3028 was unfounded, it opened the eyes of military planners. The government re-armament plan thus came at just the right time, and soon, the Republic was moving forward again, this time refitting obsolescent WarShips and replacing outdated military equipment in ground units.

It is at this point, interestingly enough, that many conspiracy theories began to circulate within the Republic, theories that remain to this day. Tall tales to be sure, though some of the more interesting consist of either genetic experimentation on animal breeds to turn them into a race of slave-soldiers (Unlikely, to say the least. All cultural analyses of the Republic and its government indicate that such activities are considered atrocious and would not be condoned) to the creation of so-called "Omega Depots" where weapons of mass destruction are kept alongside the obsolete hardware that the Republic replaced in their military divisions. This latter theory may yet hold water, as no public record of the replaced military hardware has fully accounted for all of it.

Following the Fourth Succession War and then the War of 3039, the Republic, like the Inner Sphere, breathed a sigh of relief, hoping against hope that peace would finally have a chance to reign. However, this was not to be, for as histories show, the ECS Outbound Light jumped to Huntress, becoming the pebble that started a landslide.

The 'go vote' for Operation Revival was quickly relayed to the Republic's government, and they soon began to gird themselves for war, just in case the Clans made a last-minute discovery of the USR and chose them as a more worthy target instead. The Clan advance into the coreward Periphery in 3049 and the subsequent onslaught into the Federated Commonwealth and Draconis Combine in 3050 brought a brief sigh of relief to the USAF. But only a brief one, as several front-line units were quietly moved outside of the Republic to monitor the conflict. Rumors contend that the 351st Battlemech Regiment – the descendents of the Minnesota Tribe/Clan Wolverine – even went so far as to raid Clan supply lines in a black operation codenamed Gadfly. To this day, the government denies that such an operation took place, but records from the time show increased supply consumption from the 351st and the ships and fighters attached to it.

Whether or not Gadfly existed, the Clans were indeed harassed, thus slowing down their logistics. This is cited as one of the reasons the Clan juggernaut was even defeated, and so if the Republic is behind the increased raiding on Clanner supply lines during this time, then they are responsible, in part, for bringing the Clans to heel as much as the Com Guards were, as the Clans would no doubt have ignored Anastasias Focht's parley with ilKhan Kerensky had they not felt the pressure on their figurative throats.

I have to agree with this assessment. There was no compelling reason for the Clans to accept the challenge by Focht. Only the most progressive amongst the Clans could see that they were being worn down, but nary a one was a Crusader Khan. The more I look at it, the more likely it seems that, along with guerilla activities on captured worlds, the Clans were beginning to feel the crunch of long and possibly harassed supply lines. I've spoken with Phelan on this, and he agrees that, save for Clan Wolf, all the other clans received heavy raiding on their shipping. It makes you wonder. –Victor

Regardless, the Republic went relatively quiescent again; simply operating in neutral while they absorbed the few refugees that fled the Inner Sphere at this time. Indeed, it wasn't until 3058, when the Word of Blake seized Terra that the Republic began to prepare for war again.

However, this time, the Republic wasn't preparing for an invader, but preparing as an invader. The Republic traces its democratic heritage and the lineage of its founders straight to Terra, and the idea that the homeworld of Humanity in the hands of religious zealots was, apparently, too much. Not that I blame them. If it wasn't for the clans, Comstar could've asked for my help to retake Terra and I'd have agreed in a heartbeat. –Victor Calls went out from all sectors, and thousands and thousands of young men and women began volunteering for Federal Service (this includes the military. Please see the report on Republic Government, Culture, and Society for details).

Preparations were made, and soon the Republic began to move men and material into the Inner Sphere. Staging from planets that were never colonized due to their inhospitable nature, or from dead moons of ignored gas giants, or even from bases constructed in the middle of the Successor States' territories, the Republic began the slow preparation for retaking Terra. Wishing only to inflict the bare minimum of damage on The Homeworld, the general Staff knew that only overwhelming force moving at a relentless speed could hope to achieve this goal. Thus, the Republic bided its time, training new legions of troops and crews for reactivated ships, and waited for a ripe time.

However, events within the Inner Sphere and Clans gave the Republic pause as the General Staff waited to see how they would affect their plans and, indeed, how their plans unleashed may influence events. Deciding to be patient as always, the USAF simply built up, trained, and waited through the torrid bush wars of the late 3050s, the Star League reformation, and Operations Bulldog and Serpent. The latter was especially watched, as the task force's path took it dangerously close to several Republic staging bases and even colonized worlds under the Republic's aegis.

Then came the St. Ives Conflict, the FedCom Civil War, the Ghost Bear-Combine War, and the Jade Falcon Incursion. This massive conflagration looked to be the Republic's chance to sneak in and take Terra whilst all parties were engaged, but the sudden roaming of Clan Snow Raven's Alpha Galaxy and Blakest movements made the General Staff edgy, and so plans were forced to wait again.

Finally, however, after twelve years of preparation, Operation Tellus Libertas (Latin for "Earth Liberty") and its companion, Operation Loki, were authorized. Fully three quarters of the USAF traveled to staging bases made well prepared over a decade of work, and then moved to their jump off points. All forces were ready by the end of August 3067, and a date was set: September 11th, 3067; a date etched into the minds of the Republic citizenry for the atrocity committed against its spiritual and cultural ancestor, the United States of America.

On that day, nearly three hundred jump-capable craft jumped into the Terran system, concentrated at the zenith jump point. A full eighty of these ships were WarShips, while the remainder was evenly divided between militarized JumpShips and standard transports. All carried a full load of assault, carrier, and transport DropShips.

Moving in at a leisurely standard gee of thrust, this armada headed inexorably towards Terra. All transport jumpships activated lithium-fusion batteries and jumped back out, while their militarized cousins either remained at the zenith jump point, or made an intrasystem jump to the nadir to interdict normal merchant traffic to and from Terra.

The Word of Blake was caught flat-footed. So prepared they had been for the upcoming Star League conference and their now-infamous assault on Outreach and plans for the Inner Sphere, that they hadn't even began to think that anyone could slip past their intelligence-gathering network with such a massive force. To compound their surprise, communications and power grids began to fail across Terra and Mars, as previously inserted special operations teams – code name "Spartans" – struck with lightning speed. Then the Spartan teams began to assassinate top Blakest commanders, often leaving their heads on pikes in front of their units' headquarters. It's true; I've seen them firsthand when I was allowed to visit right after the end of major combat operations. St. Jamais had such a terrified look on his face that I almost pitied him. Almost. – Victor

The outrage over the sudden appearance of the armada and of sabotage, combined with the destruction of comm nets and leaders who could have kept the zealots in control, broke what remaining command the Blakest leaders had over their armies as units and ships went out piecemeal to engage the enemy armada, and then the army when it landed. Apparently, the Blakests' inculcation of their forces was too effective. Their soldiers, so wrapped up in righteous fury, forgot everything but the blind anger that only a religious zealot can have. –Victor

The armada thus was relatively unaccosted as it traveled through Terran space. Some Blakest DropShip and Fighter commanders did try to organize and launch themselves en masse at the invading force, but the sheer weight of the Republic ships' fire annihilated them before they could even approach the fleet. Attempted suicide rammings also failed, as ships with massive Naval PPCs fired over and over, evaporating the suicide ships and dispersing their matter too wide for it to become anything more than a mild hazard to escorting fightercraft.

A real battle, however, awaited them in the Terra-Luna system. Moving into orbital insertion vectors, the Republic fleet was surprised when Blakest WarShips – including the stolen Yggdrasil – jumped in behind them at the L2 point between Terra and Luna, while a small fleet of twelve WarShips and hundreds, if not thousands of fighters burned at them from Terran orbit.

The Battle of Luna-L2, this fight has been called. It saw the heavy damage – but not destruction of – many WarShips in the Republic fleet, though several DropShips were lost, however.

Nevertheless, the Republic fleet battered aside the Blakests with superior technology, numbers, and pure tactics. Advanced neutrino sensors, far more effective than anything created in the Inner Sphere or Clans, located the telltale signatures of atomic weaponry, and those ships armed with such warheads were marked for destruction early on. Thus, the Blakests could not use their nuclear weapons in what some in the Republic have called their "board kickers;" a reference to knocking over a game board, which is considered the sign of a poor loser. Furthermore, Republic ships are very well defended against fighter attacks, compared to many Star League, Clan, and Inner Sphere ships. Indeed, the anti-fighter armament in a single WarShip alone may exceed that of most assault DropShips.

As a result, the Blakest fleet was left in tatters, with barely five squadrons and three DropShips surviving the battle to land on Terra. The Yggdrasil and the WBS Usurper's Bane – a previously undocumented Riga-class corvette – were captured, albeit heavily damaged, while all other Blakest WarShips were destroyed. One, the WBS Blake's Wrath, spectacularly self-destructed as the battle ended in Terran orbit, the Texas-class battleship taking a nose dive into the atmosphere over North America before a malfunction triggered her jump drive on the way down. The ship ripped itself apart spectacularly, spreading a massive shower of debris over three continents. And spreading rumors of 'temporal vortices' in some sort of triangle there, as well. All scandalvid fiction of course, but I'm just warning you against such rumors. –Victor

Following the conclusion of the naval battle, over twenty regiments' worth of battlemechs and battle armor made a massive combat drop over every inhabited continent, with Antarctica being ignored temporarily as the Army and moved to seize key supply depots, Castles Brian, and in general interpose themselves between Blakest military units and the nearest large urban center. The latter was especially insightful, as the Blakests tried to make high-speed runs to take up positions in cities so as to make the battle for Terra a costly one. However, the Republic moved in first and intercepted the Blakests in the outskirts of urban centers, limiting the collateral damage and forestalling any costly lengthening of the campaign. It is a testament to the skill and dedication of the Federal Army that not a single Blakest battlemech made it from their wilderness and suburban bases to any city proper.

For further reflections and lessons of Tellus Libertas and its companion, Loki, one should read the previous briefing document made available on the USR. I'll see about getting you that one, as well. –Victor However, it should be noted that Dragoon survivors of the Blakest-instigated attack on Outreach made contact with Republic forces and brought back the first information that Terra had been invaded via their HPGs. The Republic and Wolf's Dragoons reached an arrangement, and the Dragoons were 'hired' by the Republic to help out a beleaguered 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment finish clearing the continent Australia of Blakest forces.

Following Tellus Libertas, the Republic used Terra's position as center of the HPG network to send out a so-called 'all points bulletin,' advising the Inner Sphere of the Blakests' plans and calling for the arrest and execution of "the traitors of Mankind." They furthermore uploaded vast, detailed files that showed even to many laymen the intricate web of treachery and deceit that the Blakests – most especially their radical 6th of June movement – had woven. Included amongst these were hundreds of thousands of sleeper agents spread from Shiloh in the Free Worlds League as part of the adoption program that had supposedly "saved" a large number of children from the harsh, technologically-backwards cult of the Exituri. Instead, the cult had been subverted by the Word of Blake and had sent its many children deliberately into exile so as to strike at the heart of what they called "the corrupt technology users."

Upon hearing this, many of the adoptees went into rages, trying to kill as many people as they could, many even trying to destroy vital life support equipment on space stations, or agrodomes on harsh worlds. Following this spat of violence, the Republic sent a task force to Shiloh and dropped a single, strategic-sized nuclear warhead into one of the vast tracts of unusable wasteland that cover the planet, though they picked one close enough so that most of the world's major population centers could see it. Following that, the Republic ship (now identified as one of their LST series of ships, obviously converted to bomb-dropping duty) left Shiloh and the Free Worlds League via Scout-class JumpShip.

Following Tellus Libertas and Loki, the Republic established relations with the battered Allied Mercenary Command, and together the two forces established a protectorate over the Chaos March worlds that had not yet been swallowed up by the Great Houses. This protectorate eventually has become an all-Republic affair, with the AMC disbanding when Wolf's Dragoons had learned enough of their new allies to trust them.

Since those tumultuous times, when half the Inner Sphere was still fighting the unsupported Blakest elements not destroyed by the Republic, the USR had become quiescent again. Systematic patrols of unpopulated systems are conducted, and convoys move between the Terran Protectorate and the Republic's home systems, but for a while, a quiet reigned over the Inner Sphere, as everyone paused to reflect on the sudden change in the universe. On one hand, a new faction had appeared from out of nowhere to erupt with cold fury over worlds at the center of human civilization, while on the other hand, the revelations of Blakest plotting and the realization of how close they had come to fulfilling their nefarious plans shook everyone to the core. Even the clans became quiet as they absorbed the happenings and conducted – like everyone else – intelligence sweeps and purges throughout their own society to rid themselves of Blakest taint.

Eighteen months passed, and things appeared to settle down into a new equilibrium. The Republic bastion in the center of the Inner Sphere was opening itself up again to commerce and travel, each House and Clan worried more over its own internal instabilities and renegade groups than over their neighbors, and even Clan Diamond Shark moving into the trading network of the Inner Sphere seemed tame.

For the Republic, however, the end of these eighteen months proved stunning.

In mid 3069, two coreward worlds of the United Systems' Republic were invaded by troops from Clan Star Adder. The Adders, apparently, had learned of the Republic just in advance of Tellus Libertas. From what the Republic has learned – and released – Clan Burrock, absorbed because of dealings with the Dark Caste, had apparently maintained some of those contacts, despite their protests to the contrary during the vote over their Trial of Absorption. The Star Adders, in an amazing show of subtlety for a Clan, bided their time until they could apprehend one of the higher-up Dark Caste leaders. A leader who had had dealings with Republic agents.

Angered over Republic infiltration and possible manipulation, the Adders began preparations for an assault. Then the Republic lashed out at Terra, and the sheer scope and size of the operation made the Adders pause.

Unfortunately for the Republic, however, the story of their origins – released freely to foster understanding – angered all of the Clans, who considered the Republic traitors to Kerensky's vision, the Star Adders amongst them. Thus, the Adders mobilized six Galaxies – four front-line, two second-line – and set off with the majority of their fleet. Arriving at a predetermined jump off point, the massive task force readied itself for the upcoming invasion.

Fate would intervene, however, as a Republic ship, the USS Nevada – a recovered Farragut-class battleship – jumped right into the Adder task force during a patrol sweep.

Realizing the threat the Adders posed so close to a Republic that had not seen its entire military strength returned in the wake of Tellus Libertas, the commander of the Nevada, Captain Danielle Arini, made the fateful decision to not jump out again using her ship's lithium-fusion batteries. Instead, she had an HPG message sent out to every Republic world within range (the Republic has apparently made a breakthrough in HPG technology, allowing multiple destinations for one burst) and then proceeded to engage the Adder task force.

Accounts over this battle are not clear, as the Nevada and her two accompanying assault DropShips did not survive the fight. However, from data recorders recovered by the Republic after the battle, and from reports leaking from the surviving Adders tell that the Nevada made a headlong charge straight for the Adder transport JumpShips, ignoring the surrounding WarShips and DropShips. She apparently shrugged off salvo after salvos from clanner weaponry, replying only with whatever weapons she couldn't immediately bring to bear on any transport. Instead, Captain Arini focused her crew and resources on destroying the Adders' ability to move their forces.

Reports of the Nevada's final moments are the most muddied. Some recordings indicate a massive explosion as her reactor destabilized when a Killer Whale missile blasted its control circuits. Others indicate that she deliberately rammed the Nightlord-class Absolute Truth when her weapons failed. Whatever the cause, however, the result was the same: The valiant, self-sacrificing actions of the Nevada's crew ensured that the Adders would only hit two planets, instead of six, as they had planned. In addition, many Adder ships were stranded at their staging point as they waited for the transports to come back for them, thus forcing the Clan to commit its troops piecemeal.

This stranding became far worse for the Star Adders, however, when Republic Naval assets moved in to engage the enemy. Realizing that they still lacked enough force to directly confront the Adders' main force of WarShips, Coreward Fleet Command located on New Port Richey ordered two corvette task groups, consisting of Vigilant and Bonaventure-class ships reactivated to guard the Republic from pirates, to move in and eliminate the Adders' forces.

Clan Star Adder, like most clans, was and is geared towards a ground mindset. They, like many others throughout history, have underestimated the power of a navy to amplify the capabilities and defenses of an army. As a result, only a single Adder WarShip, the Essex-class Tuhantepec, remained behind to guard the transports. This old Star League-era ship was no match for the modernized corvettes attacking en masse, and the Tuhantepec and its charges fell one after the other, until none was left. The Republic corvettes then recovered as many data flight recorders and bodies from the Nevada as they could, and then jumped out to join the 6th Fleet as it moved coreward from its position over Warsaw.

Thus, when the Adders sent their jumpships back to bring in more troops, their leaders were stunned to find that two galaxies of troops had been erased, with not a single trace of their attackers left behind.

This kind of hit-and-run tactic style was key to fighting the Clans during their initial invasion, and it was effective then. Now, its used by a force that had trained to repel just such an invasion, against an enemy that had not learned from its brethren in the Inner Sphere. As a result, the Adders became bogged down in the two systems they had targeted; Arrakis, a dry world rich in many minerals, including germanium, and the Solomons system, renowned for its highly improbable four habitable worlds. Both were relatively underdeveloped by Clan and Republic standards, and the Adder Khans had thought their smaller populations to be more easily cowed.

They were wrong. The Republic has, through its open, fair, and democratic lifestyle, produced a citizenry as tenacious, combative, and completely determined as any in history. In addition to National Guard and Militia units that engaged the enemy on the fields of battle, numerous groups of armed citizens formed partisan groups that harassed the Adders whenever they could. Whole cities evacuated into the countryside, and when the Adders arrived into the ghost towns, they frequently found them booby-trapped. Many points of elementals and light 'mechs were eaten up by these irregular tactics alone, and the Adders suddenly found themselves bogged down. Furthermore, in the Solomons system, the USS Rodger Young, a heavily-refitted Vincent Mk50 corvette in-system when the Adders had arrived, made the Clanners' lives tough, as the skillful crew and commander, Captain Edward Takuro, made high-speed passes and strikes, often delivering a well-aimed orbital strike without even entering orbit at all, as they made extremely-close fly-bys. Other times, the Young seemed to appear out of nowhere, apparently using the system's unique magnetic instabilities caused by its star to mask their approach. These times, the Rodger Young attacked enemy transports and fighter carriers, but always, the ship avoided direct confrontation with Adder WarShips as they bid their time.

However, the Young's luck didn't hold out. The Adders managed to spot her during one of her trademark approaches, and in a furious firefight, the Rodger Young was destroyed. Though not before she eliminated another two assault DropShips and a star of fighters.

Soon after, however, the Republic struck back. Already in the process of returning three fleets and two thirds of its invasion force to their normal stations, the Republic quickly marshaled its armed forces and proceeded to counter-strike the Adder forces. Battered and attacked from every angle, the Adder commanders – Khan N'Buta, leader of the invasion, had been killed by a Spartan team deployed to Arrakis – pulled what troops they could from the embattled worlds, and then attempted to escape. It is a testament to Republic naval strength that, of the sixteen WarShips the Clan had taken with them, only five made it through the various battles to return to the Kerensky Cluster.

The Republic, however, didn't stop there. The 6th Fleet, consisting of the newly commissioned battleship USS Wisconsin, in addition to the USS Resolution, Invincible, Pensacola, Galveston, Marblehead, Olendorf, Robert E. Lee, and Wile E. Coyote, plus assorted DropShips and jumpships in support, followed the clan force back to their homeworlds.

Arriving over the Star Adder-controlled world of Sheridan, the 6th Fleet landed several platoons of Mobile Infantry marines, which then ran rampant through industrial areas, blasting anything they could find and avoiding enemy forces, until they were extracted. The Sixth Fleet then moved to Stranya Mechty and broadcast this message, as recorded by our ambassadors there:

"Your attention, please. This is Vice Admiral Basil Wright of the Sixth Fleet of the United Systems' Republic. Clan Star Adder has engaged in an unlawful and unprovoked war of aggression with the Republic. They have been resoundingly defeated, as will be proven with the data we will be sending following this broadcast. They have lost five galaxies' worth of troops, and eleven WarShips. We leave you to comprehend the results of this act. Goodbye, and never, ever, attack us without expecting the same consequences."

The results of this message and the data downloaded soon became apparent. Not only did the Republic prove itself the equal of any Clan, but it also showed the Adders to have been weakened, thus prompting many, many more trials against them by their enemies. As a direct consequence, the Adders have been far too busy fighting off challenges in their homeworlds to rebuild quickly, or even to think of attempting to extract revenge on the Republic.

This brings us to the present day, where the Republic is still settling down after mass mobilizations of its National Guard formations. Concentrating more on undoing the effects of Blakest propaganda on Terra and other worlds, and fighting off the sporadic raid by surviving Blakest units, the Republic stands as a monolith to all of its potential enemies, and an enigma to everyone else.

Motivations

Formed on the principles of democracy, social responsibility, and self-determination, the United Systems' Republic is a bastion of 20th and 21st century thinking brought forth into the modern day. While this period of history has profoundly affected the fate of all humanity dramatically and dictated the course of events since the dawn of the Terran Exodus, no where else has it taken such a firm rooting.

The citizenry of the Republic is largely descended from those who fled the ravages of the Succession Wars, but one would never know it by walking down a street in busy city like bustling Port Tampa, dynamic Neo Tokyo, or the awe-inspiring Washington City. Here, immigrants or their descendents from one state may live next to the great grandchildren of one of their nation's mortal enemies, and either not know, or more likely, not care. Children are brought up with the view that all people stand equal to each other, no matter race, creed, or heritage. This, combined with the not insignificant shock of the Succession Wars and the great compassion of the Republic's already assimilated citizenry have produced the effect that, within two generations, an immigrant family is fully and completely integrated into Republic society.

As a result of these effects, the Republic population is remarkably homogenized when it comes to societal mores and concepts. Although one may find the usual sort of discontent and lawless elements that exist within any healthy society, such groups are usually marginalized, as the vast majority of Republic citizens are quite happy with their lot in life.

This contentedness, however, comes at a cost. The Republic, like many democracies before it, has taken the step of creating an unusual 'poll tax' that someone must pay to vote. However, this 'tax' is not so much monetary in nature, but rather, is based only upon whether a person has done Federal Service.

Federal Service is a general term, covering as it does everything from the military, to labor battalions working on terraforming planets, to groups working on public works projects, and anything and everything in between. Basically, anything the Federal Government needs a simple, high school educated person to do unskilled or mildly skilled labor is included along with the military in the Federal Service. In order to receive the right to vote, a citizen has to enroll in the Federal Service, and then serve out his or her term to the satisfaction of the Federal Government. However, it is noted that the last truly free decision a citizen makes before he or she is discharged is whether or not to join the service. Once the oath is taken, the person must do whatever he or she is told to do, save for anything that would violate their basic rights. Failure to do so results in an 'unsatisfactory service' discharge. The results of this are not immediately bad, as this means that the discharged person simply is no longer in the Federal Service. However, this person cannot vote, and will never get another chance to work for that vote. Any person, even in the military, may choose to suddenly quit the service at any time, save during emergency or combat situations. Again, the only result is the person is removed from federal service and never gets another chance to prove him- or herself as someone 'worthy' of the voting power.

All of this is to instill within the voting population the actual value of a vote. Previous so-called 'unrestrictive' democracies, it has been noted, tend to become unstable and bloated as voters apathetically used their power, uncaring as to the greater social consequence. However, the idea behind the Republic system – interestingly enough, first postulated by a 20th century science-fiction author whose name is emblazoned on Library halls throughout Republic space – is that, once a person has to work, to sacrifice for the chance to vote, then they take that voting seriously, no matter what else their qualities or beliefs.

The result of this is to ultimately produce a voting culture that values its power, and tends to use it wisely for the good of all peoples within the Republic. There are exceptions, but these are not the rule by any real or imagined standard.

The motivations of the Republic, its Government, and Military can thus be summed up thus:

Moral – People in the Republic have worked long and hard to create a stable, free, and peaceful society. Part of this effort and society are the rules of conduct most correctly called morals. Wrong acts ranging from driving while intoxicated all the way up to murder and treason are frowned upon by all but a very sparse few. Thus, whenever someone does commit a wrongful act, they are quickly caught and punished. The People of the Republic expect this in their day-to-day lives, and they expect their leaders to uphold these standards when challenged by other powers. This is a very potent unifying force, one that stopped the Star Adders in their tracks.

Economic – The citizenry of the republic, and especially its businesses, all know that their lives run more smoothly with a well-oiled economy. Disruptions of the economy in the past have resulted in the removal of a President in the next election, while any attacks on economic interests usually garners military action. Piracy and raiding against the Republic is risky at best, suicidal at worst.

Political – Though an amalgamation of economic and moral concerns, the political motivations of the Republic warrant its own look. Often, politicians must make decisions not only based on these concerns, but also on what sort of political backlash that will result. Most of the time, these ramifications are ignored, as Republic citizenry usually care for efficient governing, not political showboating. However, direct contact with the Inner Sphere has given politics more importance in the Republic, as people become aware that the Great Houses and other powers generally require a more delicate touch than the brusque and direct manner of internal political affairs.

Nevertheless, officeholders in the Republic know who elects them, pays their bills, and generally lets them live. Thus, whenever politics demand action, action will be taken without wrangling or political sidetracking.

Military – The United Systems' Armed Forces represent more than just the arm of the Republic. Indeed, the fact that the majority of voters were once in the military, and even those who haven't done service often have friends or family who have has made the military the heart and soul of the Republic's self-image. Stemming from the Republic's early years, when the USAF went out and beat back the predations of pirates and rogues, almost the entire population identifies with and loves their citizen-soldiers. Pride in their military and its heritage of defending the weak ensures that any military action seen as just will be supported to the end, no matter what the cost.

Conclusion

We may thus infer from the history and current motivations of the Republic that it is now, and shall remain for the foreseeable future, a powerful political entity with the backing of its population. Believers in justice, a fair society, and the principles of democracy and self-determination, the United Systems' Republic is a potential juggernaut that could rival the Clans as the greatest threat the Inner Sphere could face. However, given the Republic's views and morals, it is unlikely that they will engage in any aggressive war, save those fought 'preemptively' to remove a threat they see on the horizon. Thus, so long as no power directly confronts, engages, or threatens the Republic, it is likely that they will remain quiet and semi-isolationist, content to leave the affairs of other states to their own peoples.

One caveat that must be placed here, however, is based upon the Republic's moral character. Part of their extreme reaction towards the Word of Blake and their plans is due to the holocaust-like nature of the zealots' plans. If any such event should be precipitated by any power, it is likely that the Republic may very well interpose itself into such a situation to stop atrocities and restore civility.

I really don't have anything to add to that last section, save to mention that this fits in with what I've observed on Terra and from the Republic's representatives. They all seek to undo injustices, whether it is someone cutting in line to get relief from the effects of a battle, or whether it's berating a certain Precentor for his complacency during the recent Civil War.

Given the information in the previous sections, I think the following report that I received only days ago should be presented in the appropriate light. Frankly, I'm a bit worried, given that we haven't found all of the Blakests that fled the Chaos March or Free Worlds League. Which is why I've forwarded this to you, so you may be able to prepare for anything. A tall order, I know, given the recent Snow Raven move and the way they don't like your realm. However, if our reports are correct and not a result of counter-intelligence games, then something big is about to happen. Or has happened.

Either way, I wish you luck, my friend.

-Victor

Recent Movements Within the United Systems' Republic

The last year and a half has seen a calming in the Republic that has made ROM's investigations easier, given the free-flowing information within the Republic's borders. We have thus been able to monitor fleet movements through innocuous news channel reports and periodical articles. Therefore, when a small fleet goes missing from the far side of the Republic, it garners attention.

To wit, several ships of the Republic Navy, along with a decently-sized task force, have disappeared from their stations on or over the vitally important world of New Honshu; a source of the miracle material, HarJel. According to news reports, the task force consisted of a brand new WarShip design not a year in commission yet, another, new and massive carrier dropship of the well-known Independence-class, several assault DropShips, and finally, a reinforced battalion consisting of mixed elements from the Army and National Guard unit on New Honshu, in addition to the Mobile Infantry platoon embarked upon the Republic WarShip.

The reasons for this sudden mobilization are unclear. Prior to these movements, the aforementioned WarShip appeared in-system six weeks before its scheduled return to Port Kure, the massive space station and naval base located in the Lagrange point between New Honshu and its moon, Kyushu. Upon arrival, the ship immediately docked with Port Kure and, according to a released statement by the local National Guard commander, transferred a "critically wounded soldier" first to the station before said person was sent via medical shuttle to the famous Katsuhiro Otomo Memorial Hospital complex.

Following this, another shuttle soon departed from Port Kure, carrying several personnel not dressed in military uniforms, according to an inside source that a local scandalvid quoted. The vid went on to claim that several of the people that had been picked up by the WarShip – named USS Rodger Young after a corvette that was destroyed fighting the Star Adders – were "not human, possibly alien." Normally, our operative would not have bothered to forward such information, save that the report mentioned military escort for the people off of those two shuttles, and for the disturbing fact that more reports, this time from more reliable sources, began to circulate about non-human anthropomorphs sighted on the military reservation north of Neo Tokyo and within the city itself. These creatures were always described to have a thick military escort of Mobile Infantry from the Rodger Young; an unusual happenstance on a planet with a thick a garrison as New Honshu. In addition, reports eventually leaked from KOM that one of the so-called 'aliens' was treated there for "severe wounds."

All of this preceded a buildup of military forces, including WarShips, transport JumpShips, and combat DropShips moving through the New Honshu system towards an unspecified destination, and the arrival of two battalions of the 5th Marauder Regiment (Desert Thunder).

Then, following the departure of the initial task force, Clan Snow Raven began to probe the Republic's anti-spinward defenses. Put on full alert, the USAF stopped moving troops through New Honshu and started to prepare for another invasion.

Recent reports, however, indicate that the Snow Ravens were resoundingly defeated in a naval action; an event that has wounded their pride and challenged their belief in their own superiority. They are likely not going to engage the Republic any time soon, at least, not until their move into the Outworlds Alliance is completed.

Following the news of the Snow Ravens' defeat, the USAF began to again move troops through New Honshu towards the still unknown destination. In addition, the First Fleet of the Navy took on the entire First Division at Washington, and then disappeared from public view.

It is our opinion at this time that a significant military threat has appeared in the borderlands spinward of the Republic. However, as the Republic willingly halted its actions in this matter to focus on a possible invasion, leading us to believe that this new threat may not be of great caliber.

Nevertheless, the sudden influx of top-notch equipment and elite soldiers indicates a matter of grave importance to the Republic's motivations, if not its specific survival. The reports of nonhuman sentient life forms brings up the disturbing possibility of invasion by another species, though one that is so underdeveloped that the Republic finds it easy enough to defeat. However, the descriptions of the aliens (see appendix B) lends credence to another, more disturbing theory. Namely, that one of the Word of Blakes' "dirty little secrets" has reared its ugly head. Given the alterations done to the Bloody Hand operatives of the 6th of June faction, it is not out of the question for the Word of Blake to have begun engineering their own army out of censored and censored, increasing their intelligence just enough to make them effective.

No matter what the circumstances, however, we recommend careful watching of this situation and an increased readiness in Com Guards and Explorer Corps detachments operating in the spinward theater.

-ROM analyst team Epsilon-5

My apologies for these last, gratuitous edits and the lack of an appendices, but the descriptions of these alleged non-humans are from secondhand accounts, and they are specific enough that the Republic's CIA may be able to use them to track down our operative on New Honshu. Given their admitted penetration into our security organs, I am loath to risk the agent's life on this, especially as this may yet still be a hoax.

In any case, Hohiro, a lot of military hardware is moving around for reasons not understood. The First Circuit and I are having ROM keep an eye on it, and I hope you will too.

For now, let us hope that this is only a temporary affair.

-Victor

END COMMUNICATION