The Periphery
A vast number of people fled from the Inner Sphere to the periphery, as early as the mid 3030s, where the actions of the PSDF and Comstar resulted in the general suppression of piracy. That was especially the case as improved production of jumpships led to a partial end to the prohibition on destroying jumpshiops, enabling PSDF forces to immobilize pirates.
Today, both the near and far periphery have seen increased development, with PSDF approved “colony packages” taking advantage of centuries of knowledge to establish effective systems and doctrines to colonies worlds. The PSDF designed “colony support package” is large and expensive, filling up nearly 350,000 tons of cargo space of prefabbed power stations, initial homes, construction equipment and “multi-fac” key tools factory systems, but it can, barring catastrophe, provide the seed around which a growing colony can be established, while Comstars subsidy’s for small HPG stations help ensure that the colonies that have been founded by bright-eyed pioneers are less likely to get lost— unless they want them to be lost, of course.
The numbers speak for themselves— since the 3030s, nearly a thousand worlds and space-based colonies have been founded, ranging from the small religious order (population 300) that landed on Hope, to over 20 million people who sought a new home away from the nuclear tainted New Syrtis on Kayland’s Home.
The most important point to the growth of the Periphery is the 3075 Kyoto Treaty, where all major powers agreed to not attempt to expand their reach into currently independent periphery lands, ceding the right of law enforcement and patrol to the PSDF and allied forces. The underlying warning was that this treaty would only hold true so long as the old scourges of piracy did not once again arise to trouble the Inner Sphere.
Since then, the PSDF and Comstar have followed a “secret” policy that is largely openly known— the goal is to support states that are big enough to be secure, while discouraging the growth of states that are large enough to think about attacking other groups. By and large, the ideal size is whatever provides a polity with access to resources, security, and room for natural growth, but in practice, the largest states have been about ten to 20 worlds strong.
Attempts to get bigger quickly run into issues, ranging from less favorable trade terms to, (for those nations that are thinking about expanding militarily) courtesy visits from PSDF fleet units. Nothing draws a line better than a CVBG, backed up by a division of marines.
Unfortunately, for all that large scale violence isn’t in the offing, plenty of smaller pirate bands run about, ranging from Taurian “resistance” forces to groups hoping to go conquistador on less fortunate worlds. The light and medium cutters of the PSDF are kept busy providing everything from disaster relief to training programs for local militias (while also ensuring those local militias are not a cover for more expansionist goals).
Meanwhile, Exploration Command continues charting worlds far beyond the Inner Sphere. Secretly, the PSDF is not certain that there will never be a repeat of the cataclysmic succession wars, and so, by expanding mankind far enough way that no conceivable war could consume him all,they ensure that while conflict may never cease, it will not be apocalyptic.
Sidebar: Balkanized worlds.
Many worlds have become balkanized— having more than one state on them. Less common than it is in the Inner Sphere, this often proves to be a headache for PSDF peacekeepers, especially if the populations have some previous reason to dislike each other. The issue is only made worse by the fact that those worlds that are most likely to be balkanized are the worlds that are most desirable.
Terraforming Command
The great achievements of the Star League are in the past, and the horrible fates of many terraformed worlds are still very much a warning. The PSDF Terraforming Command, with assistance from Comstar, the Hegemony, and the Clans does not focus on bringing life to Venus style worlds, or bluntly, any world that will need continual effort to remain habitable. One merely has to visit New Dallas or Venus herself to see that is a bad idea. Rather, the command focuses on “edge case” worlds, creating ecosystems that are stable, even if not idea. In the few decades since it has been established, no truly uninhabitable world has been made habitable, but every member of Terraforming Command understands that their missions are not measured in years, but decades and centuries.
