Mars Rising: Marian Hegemony IV

[Baldur Mekorig]

What? No, that's not what I was trying to get at. The Commando and the Locust are 100% in production in Marian space by 3085; it's straight-up written on p.134 of FM:3085.

Good find, i totally forgot about that. Now, with that info your proposal have more ground. The excerpt states that a number of retrotech proceded the introduction of the Locust and Commandos for the date the FM: 3085 is set.

My proposal attempts to reconcile manufacturing information for the Marians in a way that makes all printed information work. It's entirely within your right to dislike that it leaves the Marians in an industrial state similar to other newer or younger microfactions, but it's a fact of reality that not all BattleTech (or real) states grow their industrial bases at the same speed.

I have to admit, its a personal dislike. But it is, for me at the least, when you have, as a company, bad coordination between the writers and the creative team. So you ended up with bigger nations struggling to get mechs, and single planets building them easily. It creates a kind of "lore discrepancy". Don't know if i explain myself with that term.

[Colt Ward]

Randis, fortunately/unfortunately depending on view, gets a pass b/c of the influx of Jaguar equipment and even portions of Jaguar units . . . like with techs.  Easy to get things in production if you know it can be done.

[Metallgewitter]

The MH picks up the design specs for the Shilones and Hvy LRM Carriers through some kind of trade deal or purchase of the specs. Not sure which book gives the scant details.

That is in minon and Masters. Hadrian MEchanized first presented plans to the Hegemony leadership how they could build SRM carrirs. After a demonstration Hadrian got the order for the carriers. 5 years later the CEO proposed to license the tech from the Outworld Alliance to build Shilones. And it is stated that Hadrian build SCORES of this fighter. The question would be if those are primitive fightrs or their advanced cousins

[Baldur Mekorig]

Randis, fortunately/unfortunately depending on view, gets a pass b/c of the influx of Jaguar equipment and even portions of Jaguar units . . . like with techs.  Easy to get things in production if you know it can be done.

To better not derail the thread, i suggest we take that to the Brotherhood of Randis thread: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/the-periphery/the-sword-of-the-righteous-fiefdombrotherhood-of-randis/

That is in minon and Masters. Hadrian MEchanized first presented plans to the Hegemony leadership how they could build SRM carrirs. After a demonstration Hadrian got the order for the carriers. 5 years later the CEO proposed to license the tech from the Outworld Alliance to build Shilones. And it is stated that Hadrian build SCORES of this fighter. The question would be if those are primitive fightrs or their advanced cousins

Yeap. M&M mentions that Zaleski took charge of HMI by 3069, and quickly did the SRM Carrier proposal. And about five years later (so, mid-3070´s maybe) he gets a licencing from the OWA for the Shilone, that does not have a primitive version as far as i know. United Outworlders Corporation are the OWA company producing the Shilone, so they are the most likely partner in that transaccion. UOC also have history of making joint-ventures to produce their products, like the cases of Wingman LTD in the TC, and Alliance Aerospace Group in the MoC.

Its also interesting that apparenly HMI got the plans for the Heavy LRM Carrier, and were tunning the last details by 3080.

[Kit deSummersville]

Personally, this would not bother me too much. But at the same time, you have the Brotherhood of Randis (the only faction of wich I could be called a fanboy) producing not one but THREE primitives mechs (Dervish, Firebee and the mixed-tech Hawkwolf) and Meridian Manufacturing in New St. Andrews, producing a “combat” industrymech, the Arbiter, as noted in FM: 3085 and XTRO:Corporations. Heck, in the same Objectives: The Periphery you have the Rim Collection, what could be called a “backwards” small Periphery nation, producing primitive Commandos –1A thanks to “the ruins of a Star League era factory”.

And this is made worse in books like FM:3085, FM: 3145 and the Jihad: Final Reckoning where you have small single-planet nations like Randis and New. St. Andrews  not only abandoning the retrotech craze, but building, at the least “succession wars” tech by the end of the 3080´s, with even the Rim Collection building their own “bugs” by the Dark Age, if not sooner.

So, taking in count this, I can see why some (if not most) Marian Hegemony “fans” are a little irked of seeing the recent Centurion Militiamech as an example of the Marian actual industrial capacities while you have single-planets entities in the middle of no-where building SW Warhammers, bugs, Commandos and Dervishes.

Well, if the rest of the Randis thread hadn't been cut short, they wouldn't be so irked. Randis made out by a change in the narrative.

[Baldur Mekorig]

Well, if the rest of the Randis thread hadn't been cut short, they wouldn't be so irked. Randis made out by a change in the narrative.

Interesting. Would love to know more about this. Can we keep this particular line in the Randis thread?

[Weirdo]

Almost forgot, Happy Ides!

Everyone remember to duck!

[ArkRoyalRavager]

Yeap. M&M mentions that Zaleski took charge of HMI by 3069, and quickly did the SRM Carrier proposal. And about five years later (so, mid-3070´s maybe) he gets a licencing from the OWA for the Shilone, that does not have a primitive version as far as i know. United Outworlders Corporation are the OWA company producing the Shilone, so they are the most likely partner in that transaccion. UOC also have history of making joint-ventures to produce their products, like the cases of Wingman LTD in the TC, and Alliance Aerospace Group in the MoC.

Its also interesting that apparenly HMI got the plans for the Heavy LRM Carrier, and were tunning the last details by 3080.

I think these Jihad-era Marian Shilones are the standard ones from TRO3039 that haven't been upgraded with SL tech.

[Metallgewitter]

Yeap. M&M mentions that Zaleski took charge of HMI by 3069, and quickly did the SRM Carrier proposal. And about five years later (so, mid-3070´s maybe) he gets a licencing from the OWA for the Shilone, that does not have a primitive version as far as i know. United Outworlders Corporation are the OWA company producing the Shilone, so they are the most likely partner in that transaccion. UOC also have history of making joint-ventures to produce their products, like the cases of Wingman LTD in the TC, and Alliance Aerospace Group in the MoC.

Interestingly enough Minion&Masters seems to indicate Hadrian Mechanized seems to build those fighters. The last sentence says that there are issues with the HM build Shilone which Zaleskis dismisses as exagerated. So I would guess HM just buys components of the Shilone and builds them in the Hegemony. Maybe they send some Shilones completly assembled back just like car companies in our time send parts all around the world to save money and then assemble them in their main plant.

[Baldur Mekorig]

Almost forgot, Happy Ides!

Everyone remember to duck!

Remember Julius O'Reilly....i mean, Gaius Julius Cesar!

[Weirdo]

To mark the day, I painted up a Cataphract in VI Legio colors, taking extra care on the aft weapons. :)

[Adacas]

Interestingly enough Minion&Masters seems to indicate Hadrian Mechanized seems to build those fighters. The last sentence says that there are issues with the HM build Shilone which Zaleskis dismisses as exagerated. So I would guess HM just buys components of the Shilone and builds them in the Hegemony. Maybe they send some Shilones completly assembled back just like car companies in our time send parts all around the world to save money and then assemble them in their main plant.

I do not take it that way, it is how complicated in the early stages of production that the HMI has a hard time making the fighters, since it comes from being a factory dedicated to the Armored to take the leap and build a Factory Wing to make Fighters Aerospace a whole technological step, those problems discussed sound more to me like the logical step from manufacturing to Aerospace Fighters

[GreekFire]

Sorry, poor wording on my end. I was talking about the vague references to production of BattleMechs larger than the Locust or Commando.

All good! I misunderstood.  :thumbsup:

I have to admit, its a personal dislike. But it is, for me at the least, when you have, as a company, bad coordination between the writers and the creative team. So you ended up with bigger nations struggling to get mechs, and single planets building them easily. It creates a kind of "lore discrepancy". Don't know if i explain myself with that term.

I get where you're coming from, but it is what it is. But the important thing overall is to offer Marian players—if they choose to play a lore-accurate game—a wide variety of interesting units to field on the table. I think we've done a pretty decent job at that on the MUL.

[Colt Ward]

So fun opinion question . . . on the Ides, if a Caeser is in a war zone do they hunker down that day inside their perimeter?

If you were the rebels/opponents . . . would you plan a Op to try to get to the Caeser on the Ides?

[Baldur Mekorig]

So fun opinion question . . . on the Ides, if a Caeser is in a war zone do they hunker down that day inside their perimeter?

If you were the rebels/opponents . . . would you plan a Op to try to get to the Caeser on the Ides?

Maybe its my upbringing, but if I would be a César, i would have a VERY LOYAL guard around me, everytime, all the time.

[truetanker]

Maybe its my upbringing, but if I would be a César, i would have a VERY LOYAL guard around me, everytime, all the time.

Sorry you'll have a Brutus tank guarding your backdoor?

Pleb joke, really! :))

TT

[Kit deSummersville]

Sorry you'll have a Brutus tank guarding your backdoor?

Pleb joke, really! :))

TT

No joke, look at the two large lasers the Brutus is sporting. Then look at the rear armor of a Caesar....

[Baldur Mekorig]

No joke, look at the two large lasers the Brutus is sporting. Then look at the rear armor of a Caesar....

Better to have a Praetorian Mobile Strategic Command HQ in your back....unless your name is Pertinax.  :laughing_skull:

[Colt Ward]

No joke, look at the two large lasers the Brutus is sporting. Then look at the rear armor of a Caesar....

Lol, I know the Brutus/Caeser armor joke, but I was more looking at do you think the Caesers would be superstitious over the Ides of March.  And do you think it is something enemies might exploit- or even if the Caeser was not suspicious would rebels/Lothians use the day for propaganda.

[Adacas]

Hello last night in a quiet moment I started to review the Dark Age part of the Hegemony, and after that I found a series of data that could infer production or another way of deployment of different Battlemech / Tanks / Aero and Battlearmor equipment.

I have found for example that the Gotha -400 is only used by the Marian Hegemony and Pirates, but for example the Gotha-500 is only used by the Hegemony

My theory in this case is several options

Option One the Hegemony found a Depot SL or WOB lost over there in the Periphery.
Option 2: Somehow the Hegemony makes both the Gotha - 400 and the Version 500

Similar situation occurs with the Stingray F-90 and F-94, while the F-90 is only operated as a state by the Hegemony and next user Mercs, instead the F-94 is used by the Marian Hegemony, Marik's Non-Aligned Worlds and the Regulan Fiefs.

My theory with these two versions of the Stingray is that before the Fall the Regulus Government sold the design to be Manufactured to the Hegemony as a way to destabilize their enemies of Marik origin.

I start with these two designs but there are quite a few more that could be theorized as they reach the Hegemony.

Oh and Colt Ward looking at the MUL the Lyran / Marian Business Relationship is pretty oiled

[Colt Ward]

I never said it did not exist- what I said it was a long trip that IF the Hegemony's government encouraged many/frequent trips that went 'around' the FWL they would be tying up a lot of their shipping that could instead be benefiting the Hegemony and local partners for trade.  Additionally, since the Lyrans were already a proven merc market seller it does not prove the Hegemony were volume direct buyers- reference the Hegemony salvage buying teams.  They would be placed on merc hiring worlds . . . like Galatea, Arc Royal, and Solaris VII; all three local to the Lyran mech market.

For a historical example, consider the British tea trade vs the Triangle trade.  IIRC the tea trade had freighters make the trip down Africa, around the Cape, to India, and back and the journey would take a year until the advent of the clippers.  The Triangle trade, using the colonial molasses example, allowed the ships doing that route a lot more trips in a year- England's manufactured goods, down to the West Indies, and then to the American colonies, and back to England with raw materials.  While the Triangle trade still took a year, ships would turn over their cargo holds multiple times in that year.  Current term for that sort of commercial emphasis is 'velocity of sales'- you do not want to be tied up long term in inventory but to constantly turn it over.  Further, the local trade routes around the Hegemony are going to do more to build the Marian economy (and the supporting economies of client states) than once a year long haul trips to the Lyrans.  ESPECIALLY when you consider a JS would not typically go down a route w/it's collars full from the start of the trade route to the end . . . so a Marian based Invader (which is a 'big' asset for them considering the normal break down) would have one or maybe two collars occupied by the trading mission dropships.  The third collar is likely rented out to take independent traders the next one or two jumps on their own trade routes.  The trade generated by the 'for rent' collar only marginally benefits the Hegemony's economy- the dropship is not moving goods inside the Hegemony so there are no taxes generated, it is not finding/using a market for Hegemony finished goods or raw materials, it is not spreading Hegemony culture to client states, or doing anything else that could benefit the Marian Hegemony like it could operating closer to the Hegemony.

You do not want your jumpships spending most of their time operating in other nations- it benefits them more than it does your nation.

[GreekFire]

Hello last night in a quiet moment I started to review the Dark Age part of the Hegemony, and after that I found a series of data that could infer production or another way of deployment of different Battlemech / Tanks / Aero and Battlearmor equipment.

I have found for example that the Gotha -400 is only used by the Marian Hegemony and Pirates, but for example the Gotha-500 is only used by the Hegemony

My theory in this case is several options

Option One the Hegemony found a Depot SL or WOB lost over there in the Periphery.
Option 2: Somehow the Hegemony makes both the Gotha - 400 and the Version 500

I propose option 3: the Marians have long been users of the Gotha, with its entry in TR:3050 stating that designs seen outside of the League were salvaged or spoils of war, with a few production runs going to foreign nations as well.

While the League/RotS might have used the time between the Jihad and the Dark Age to upgrade their 400/500 models to 500b/600 standards, the Marians might not have due to a lack of access to the technology to do so. And so they remain stuck with the older models, while the Inner Sphere factions have moved on to greener pastures.

[Adacas]

I propose option 3: the Marians have long been users of the Gotha, with its entry in TR:3050 stating that designs seen outside of the League were salvaged or spoils of war, with a few production runs going to foreign nations as well.

While the League/RotS might have used the time between the Jihad and the Dark Age to upgrade their 400/500 models to 500b/600 standards, the Marians might not have due to a lack of access to the technology to do so. And so they remain stuck with the older models, while the Inner Sphere factions have moved on to greener pastures.

III is a good option, but if there is a used market in GOTHa so wide so that the Hegemony maintains its Gotha, shouldn't there be more users of smaller size? It is a doubt nothing more, and in the case of the Stingray?

If it does not bother you later, I will raise other models that I have doubts, Fighters / Mechs / Tanks etc.

[Adacas]

I never said it did not exist- what I said it was a long trip that IF the Hegemony's government encouraged many/frequent trips that went 'around' the FWL they would be tying up a lot of their shipping that could instead be benefiting the Hegemony and local partners for trade.  Additionally, since the Lyrans were already a proven merc market seller it does not prove the Hegemony were volume direct buyers- reference the Hegemony salvage buying teams.  They would be placed on merc hiring worlds . . . like Galatea, Arc Royal, and Solaris VII; all three local to the Lyran mech market.

For a historical example, consider the British tea trade vs the Triangle trade.  IIRC the tea trade had freighters make the trip down Africa, around the Cape, to India, and back and the journey would take a year until the advent of the clippers.  The Triangle trade, using the colonial molasses example, allowed the ships doing that route a lot more trips in a year- England's manufactured goods, down to the West Indies, and then to the American colonies, and back to England with raw materials.  While the Triangle trade still took a year, ships would turn over their cargo holds multiple times in that year.  Current term for that sort of commercial emphasis is 'velocity of sales'- you do not want to be tied up long term in inventory but to constantly turn it over.  Further, the local trade routes around the Hegemony are going to do more to build the Marian economy (and the supporting economies of client states) than once a year long haul trips to the Lyrans.  ESPECIALLY when you consider a JS would not typically go down a route w/it's collars full from the start of the trade route to the end . . . so a Marian based Invader (which is a 'big' asset for them considering the normal break down) would have one or maybe two collars occupied by the trading mission dropships.  The third collar is likely rented out to take independent traders the next one or two jumps on their own trade routes.  The trade generated by the 'for rent' collar only marginally benefits the Hegemony's economy- the dropship is not moving goods inside the Hegemony so there are no taxes generated, it is not finding/using a market for Hegemony finished goods or raw materials, it is not spreading Hegemony culture to client states, or doing anything else that could benefit the Marian Hegemony like it could operating closer to the Hegemony.

You do not want your jumpships spending most of their time operating in other nations- it benefits them more than it does your nation.

The point is that you only consider the Marians ships making the trip, and there may be some factories or part of the Lyran state partially supporting the Trade Route, making the full trip or Dropship transfers.

That would leave other jump ships free to trade with Client States or Client Systems.

[Colt Ward]

Re Stingrays & Gotha . . . at least the Stingray was produced by Andurien and a Andurien subsidiary on Westover.  Westover is 'close' to the Periphery border and was a independent League world until it was reformed and basically coerced into joining the Rim Commonality.

The point is that you only consider the Marians ships making the trip, and there may be some factories or part of the Lyran state partially supporting the Trade Route, making the full trip or Dropship transfers.

That would leave other jump ships free to trade with Client States or Client Systems.

Yeah, I am factoring in mainly Hegemony based JS b/c the lucrative trade for the Lyran based JS is not going to be making the journey out to the Hegemony.  The whole point was Hegemony trading vessels, trying to now claim Lyrans is moving the goal posts.  If the Hegemony is encouraging their merchant JS fleet to make long range trading journeys it is a 'waste' of those JS since their cargo turnover will be less frequent (Tea vs Triangle), nothing in the IS or other Periphery states is going to have the value to mimic the Tea/Spice value (weight to value ratio), and like I keep pointing out the free collars in other nations benefit those nations when they could be promoting the Hegemony.

Drop collars are the rarest, most valuable commodity in the BTU.  Sending yours away for what is in reality a negligible economic benefit is extremely wasteful- at best it is economic dereliction of duty; at worst it is economic treason.

Now to address you added bit about being the destination of long range trading, it is a valid point.  With the way the BTU is set up, they do provide something akin to spice/tea- they are a source for Germanium that is required for cores.  For some reason they are a better source than most other naturally occurring sources, but that is a conceit of the BTU set up.  Only problem with tying that to the Lyrans is . . . they have nowhere producing Jumpships any more.  So Canopians, Leaguers, and Capellans would be their nearest buyers of Germanium.  If you DID have control on a market like BTU says the Hegemony does on Germanium . . . yeah, forcing your buyers to come pick it up would be a really good idea.  Still leaves the Lyrans out post-Jihad.

And still makes merc hiring hall purchasing agents a bigger source for Lyran designs than trade runs to Son Hoa.

[Baldur Mekorig]

My take on the Gotha and Stingray point. By checking the MUL i can only infer what the MUL team was thinking.

The Gotha was made by Allied Technologies of Stewart until they got conquered by the Wolves, and the line was reporpuse for the Goth ASF. The -400 and -500 are in the MH lists, until the DA era when both appeared only in MH (and pirate in the -400 case). Checking more modern variants, they are still avaible among the FWL states. My theory is that both the -400 and -500 were sold in the free market, with the FWL prefering the more modern variants, and the Hegemony using the oldest because of a logistical issue. The thing about the ASF in the free market are supported by the Stingray -94 and Lancer LX-2, both made by the same producer (Gutierrez Aerospace), until the factory (Trellisane) got conquered by the Wolves.

Now, checking the Mechs, and in lesser importance, the combat vehicle, list, there is a notorious predominance of FWL and LC models in the MH list, with the more "new" mechs beign Lyran against the more "clan invasion" models of the FWL origin. Another example is the Marsden MBT II-A (LB-X). There are a number of mechs and tanks that appears in LC, Merc and Marian lists, but no other place.

As you said, dropship collar is the bottleneck of interstellar trade, and i agree that sending a "empty" JS to the LC just to get mechs would be criminal, but the LC was, and still is, a merchant realm, with organizations like the Lyran Free Traders Association having like 200 JS going around the LC, its neighboors and even the Periphery, or Nashan Shipping, to mention some.

And even with their reduced JP production capacity reduced (bye bye Alarion, you will be missed), Germanium, as other minerals as cobalt, or even the Alphard White Marble could be exported back to the LC.

If you check the books, all, even in the dark ages of 3025 trade was still active trough the Inner Sphere and the  Periphery, and even in far places like New Syrtis, people could get Timbiqui Dark.

So, while i usually differ with Adaca about the Marian hegemony´s capacity to produce this or that, i have to support him in the theory that the Marian Hegemony have some kind of trade relation with the Lyran Commonwealth, based in the mechs and vehicles avaible in the MUL.

[Colt Ward]

Never said trade with the Lyrans does not happen, and if that is the reading I am sorry, but rather a very small portion if any of the Marian JS merchant fleet's use.  In fact, I agree that cargos originate from Arc Royal and Solaris VII  (Galatea in the Republic) for the Hegemony in the form of salvage quality arms shipped back to the Hegemony.  But that is likely just cargo dropships hitching along on someone else's jumpships though whether they go through League space or around the Periphery is a valid question.  Honestly for economic competitiveness if I had enough DS for my 'coastal' traffic, having my own DS taking up the 'hitch hiker' collar slot on long journeys would be a good thing since it would decrease 'local' traffic in another realm.  Basically all those reasons why it is bad for my JS to rent collars on a long journey would be a good reason for my DS to sit on someone else's collars.  More than likely Hegemony JS, at least for military, sensitive or tech transfer cargos, meet Lyran or Periphery JS at a halfway point rather than make a long round trip to Lyran space.

The Lyrans would have a large merchant fleet but it is not going to be a significant portion of or the high capacity ships of the Lyran merchant fleet headed to the Hegemony.  By 3150 the Lyrans have even been trading with the JFOZ (based on Rending- LOVE that Lyran merchant/LIC character Baron whatever) and A Call to Arms set right after the Blackout talked about the recent trade agreement with the Lyrans having cargo transship through Archernar.  They have larger markets and bigger clients closer to Lyran space to trade with than the Hegemony.

I do think if the Hegemony has such a stranglehold on the Germanium production that they can make the demands buyers come to Hegemony space to pick it up or that Hegemony DS bring it to you.  One makes JS from other nations come to your region of space which would give you a slight boost to local trade for the jumps between the border and the mining location letting your JS merchant fleet work locally.  The other route demanding MH DS ship the Germanium out takes up at least League collars and could encourage a migration of cargo droppers to Hegemony space to register and work Germanium shipment contracts.

The other thing to consider is that by 3130s and later most of the trade of Lyran war material could be sourced through the Sea Fox Khanates.  The wandering trade convoys could be the source without Lyran JS going to the Hegemony or Hegemony JS or DS appearing in Lyran space.

[Adacas]

If we refer to the mechs of the Coventry Mechworks and Defiance Industries, I agree with the transfer by third parties or even Salvage Merc collects them, but given the high index of Starcorps mechs in the MHAF it gives me the guideline that the Commercial Traffic between Son Hoa and the Marian Hegemony must be intense.

Given that second-line mechs and Omnifighters appear in the MHAF TOE I would not rule out that the Sharks also have their trade route going to and from the Hegemony, perhaps carrying Germanium and other minerals and returning with military equipment, if the route remains it may the commercial link is enlarged and let's see some bigger investment

[Weirdo]

Gah, the stuff that gets posted while trying to type out a long one. Ah well, gonna post anyway, and if I overlap with anyone, then we'll have to agree to agree.

The thing about Battletech is that you have two different classes of merchant ships. In the real world, both the Tea Trade and Triangle Trade routes were undertaken by sail ships. There might have been different classes, but for this kind of discussion they're largely identical. But Battletech has merchant JumpShips AND merchant DropShips.

I have no evidence of this, but my headcanon holds that most JumpShips flagged to a given nation tend to stay fairly close to home(maybe venturing out as far as a couple jumps beyond friendly borders), and run regular Triangle-style routes with predictable stops. These lead to networks of ships throughout a region, where a DropShip merely has to schedule collar space on a ship going in the right direction, or wait until such a collar becomes available. These networks overlap, so a DropShip wanting to travel from Lyran space to a Marik world would transfer to a Marik-flagged JumpShip in a system near the border. JumpShips traveling through wild territory outside any borders or through more hazardous areas(between unclaimed worlds in the Periphery or former Circinian space, for example), ships might make the same stops, but to compensate for the extra risk they might only begin their route when enough DropShips are present to fill their collars. Nations would encourage this practice of staying close to home(possibly through tax breaks or other incentives), because JumpShips that stay close by are easier to commandeer during times of crisis.

DropShips are another matter. I won't say they're expendable, but an individual merchant Dropper is nowhere near as precious to a nation's economy as a JumpShip. They're much easier to repair or replace, they can afford to take greater risks in trade. I see DropShip merchants as the ones more likely to take the long Tea Trade-style journeys in search of the goods and resources that cannot be found in more local markets.

Those non-JumpShip cargo haulers are what I believe carry purchases from Lyran space, or carry Marian agents even further afield.

[Colt Ward]

If we refer to the mechs of the Coventry Mechworks and Defiance Industries, I agree with the transfer by third parties or even Salvage Merc collects them, but given the high index of Starcorps mechs in the MHAF it gives me the guideline that the Commercial Traffic between Son Hoa and the Marian Hegemony must be intense.

It is not intense- for one they lack the economic base to buy the imports- just because they are on the MUL does not mean it is a lot of them.  Additionally, all it would take is one Jumbo load every 5 years . . . you are then talking about 11000+ tons of equipment and munitions.  Just going off the  Sunder, Highlander and Emperor that IIRC they make there it means you could ship 100 of those mechs as cargo and still have room left over to ship their logistical support needs.  But they are not getting that many every five years . . . MAYBE they have 100 of those designs in the MAF total when 3132 brings on the Blackout.

Weirdo- I agree which is why I said the JS are not being sent on trading missions that far afield.