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The Hanse was a fascinating "old school" battletech realm. (...)
Absolutely. For me it would be one of the major powers as the Periphery is my preferred area. I also like Your timeline. ;)
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It is absolutely clear that the Hanse could not survive an invasion against a high-tech-nation.
But I would have preferred if the Hanse had simply survived because it was not important enough to be conquered.
I like to think this Hansa bears more resemblance to the original Hanse than just a name. It is not an empire ruling lands, it is a well established corporation of indepedent merchants sharing maps, lanes, tech and most importantly - payment and communication procedures. It makes them a different kind of power - one that Clans would not necessarily be able to infiltrate and crush. Because it does not rely on holding specific places.
Also, the destruction of the warship could easily be caused by supplying it with faulty maps, or just using an advantage of knowing where to lead it.
