The origins of the Marian Hegemony lie from the demise of the old Alphard Trading Corporation during the Succession Wars. A Periphery native and lostech prospector named Johann Sebastian O'Reilly was searching for reputed lost caches of Star League technology on the planet Alphard rumored to have been left behind by the defunct company when he instead found a treasure trove of germanium worth billions upon billions of C-Bills.
Johann O'Reilly immediately hired some small mercenary units to protect his newly found wealth and established a colony to serve both as a trading hub and a distraction, diverting those who would follow from the location of his find. Despite the financial reserves Johann could draw on his new Hegemony was simply too small, unable to attract the defenders it would need to defend itself against larger states but too small to attract the attention of those states. As such, the Hegemony spent almost a century as little more than a bandit kingdom fashioned after a society that had been dead for millennia.
Founded in 2920.
2930
Ruler: Imperator Johann Sebastian O'Reilly
Total (Inhabited) Systems: 9
So, in 10 years they added 8 systems to Alphard.
Lots of money should make attracting colonists and investment easier than it would normally be.
First up will be getting steady and reliable local food production. That means seed crops, animals and mechanical assistance for what will be, at least initially, a limited population.
You have billions upon billions of C-Bills of germanium to sell. Let’s buy up some older jump ships and drop ships. Merchants and Invaders are plentiful and Mule, Trojan, and Buccaneer drop ships won’t raise to many eyebrows.
You recruit people with skills by paying signing bonuses and move them to your nation. You ship in easy to assemble, pre-fabricated housing, food and other supplies and start building. You concentrate on setting up a local economy and the factories that will make the things that will make the things you eventually want.
Then let’s get started. Vehicle factories to build farm equipment, civilian transport equipment and trailers are a good start. As a few years pass you call in a FWL company to build you an Industrial mech factory for harvester and mining mechs. This gives you food reliability and raw resources on sight along with a gradually increasing population. Schools, not just for education, but for indoctrination start you on the way to a loyal population.
Eventually you want to start building military equipment. Finding disaffected employees with the know how to do what you want and getting them to come to Alphard shouldn’t be that hard(signing bonuses).
With the right population base in place, you invite a FWL company to build you some factories.
Vehicle factory: First build 20-ton heavy APC’s and 25-ton Scorpion tanks. Basic vehicles using a 100 ICE engine. Then upgrade the factory using a 200 ICE engine. Build a 40-ton Praetor tank moving at 5/8 with a SRM 6 and 4 MG in a turret and another SRM 6 in the front with 96 armor points. Follow that with a 50-ton Consul tank moving at 4/6 with an AC 10 and MG in a turret with 144 points of armor.
Finally, once that is up and running add in a hover factory to build your Gladius 40-ton hover tank using a 145 ICE engine. Give it two versions, one with an AC 10 in a turret and the second with a LRM 10, SRM 6 and 4 MG in a turret.
Now on to your prize, Mech and Aerospace factories.
To simplify production let’s use just one engine, the 240 fusion.
But how, you say.
Using a 240 fusion you can build 4 mechs.
30-ton Equite, 8/12, ML x3, SL. A Mongoose clone.
40-ton Velite, 6/9/6, LL, ML x2.
60-ton Principe, 4/6/4, LL, LRM 10, SRM 6, ML x2.
80-ton Legatus, 3/5/3, AC 10, LL x2, MG x2.
You can also build 3 ASF’s.
30-ton Centurion
60-ton Hellcat
80-ton Vulcan
During this time the buying up of equipment from failed merc units and hiring of disaffected techs and pilots along with recruitment of scientists, farmers, workers and anyone that could help the new nation will continue. Even runs of equipment could be purchased. So, grabbing Wasps, Stingers, Fleas or Locusts that are literally built everywhere is possible. Also buying up mechs and vehicles with bad reputations becomes much easier. Blackjacks, Shadow Hawks and stock Banshees were occasionally bought to bolster that ranks of Caesar’s growing legions.
It would not be until 2980 and the discovery of Niops system that the Marrian’s would make their first major move in the periphery. The commitment of all three legions to the assault of Niops allowed them to overwhelm the militia using complete surprise and brutal force. The execution of several leading scientists(carefully chosen to weed out those most likely to lead rebellions) quelled the scientific castes taste for resistance. It also garnered some good will from the oppressed population.
The discovery of many star league era plans for civilian and military equipment caused a second economic windfall. Nighthawk PAL battle armor and other technical plans, sold sphere wide allowed them to mass enough money, resources and good will to finally get production of drop ships started at Niops. The Union and Mule drop ships finally started production in 3005 with plans to build an Invader jump ship facility in the future.
By 3014 the Marrian’s have 13 systems under their control and boast an impressive 6 Legions, 2 of which are always at Niops, guarding the valuable facilities there.
Thoughts?
