The Duchy of Grand Fenwick

[JA Baker]

Star Type: G2V
Position in System: 3 (of 12)
Time to Jump Point: 9.12 days
Number of Moons: 1 (Mountjoy)
Surface Water: 70%
Atm. Pressure: Standard (Breathable)
Surface Gravity: 1.01
Equatorial Temp: 38°C
Highest Native Life: Mammals
Recharging Station: None
HPG Class: None
Population (3060): 1,450,000,000
Planetary Capital: Fenwick City
Noble Ruler (3060): Grand Duchess Gloriana XII
Prime Minister (3060): Count Rupert of Mountjoy
Senior Military Commander (3060): Field Marshal Tully Bascombe
Official Language: Star League Standard English
Official Curacy: Fenwickian Shilling

Located in a seldom visited area of space, the Duchy of Grand Fenwick is a rather unusual case. While first settled during the early days of the diaspora and original named Carthage, its location several jumps 'above' the the galactic plane meant that it saw little passing traffic, and soon fell from all most the most local of maps. This change in 2593, with the arrival of a Star League Defense Force general named Sir Roger Fenwick, who, in his own words, fell in love with the place and moved in. While officially tasked with ensuring that the locals adhered to Star League rule and law, Sir Roger was pretty much left to his own devices. He proved highly popular with the locals, mainly because he oversaw the introduction of new technology and knowledge , but for the most part left the people alone to get on wit their lives as they had done for generations.

In 2598, Sir Rodger married a local woman and they soon produced a son, William, who would go on to succeed his father as Governor. It was during Williams rule that the Star League court officially declared the planet a duchy under the Fenwick's, and the local population responded by voting to change the planets name to Grand Fenwick. Duke William I, as he was now officially known, was said to be rather embarrassed by the outcome of the vote, and did his best to talk them out of it. But he people had spoken, and would not be told otherwise. The people of  Grand Fenwick continued to enjoy the fruits of the Star League, while for the most part being forgotten about by the rest of the galaxy. Their only real export was a local wine called Pinot Grand Fenwick, which proved to be quite popular on Terra, and it was often only the yearly export that brought any news to or from the rest of human space.

The Amaris uprising and subsequent Star League Civil War effectively cut Grand Fenwick off, but it appears that they had been totally overlooked by the Usurper and his minions, as they were the only planet in the Terran Hegemony that was not invaded and placed under martial law. Duchess Stephanie II, planetary ruler at the time, officially declared Amaris a traitor and called for his removal, but did nothing to draw his attention: years of peace had left Grand Fenwick almost completely defenceless. Their only standing military, the Ducal Guard, was a purely ceremonial unit made up of light infantry, with only a handful of antiquated, obsolete BattleMech's and combat vehicles for support. With this in mind the people of Grand Fenwick decided to “sit things out and hope for the best”, hoping to ride out the storm, protected by their obscurity. The plan worked, some might say too well; completely ignored by Amaris, they were also bypassed by the returning General Kerensky and his Star League Defense Force as they advanced on nearby Terra. A few ships carrying refuges found themselves in the Fenwick system, and passed on news of the war, which only strengthen the peoples decision to stay out of it as best they could. Finding a planet that was untouched by war, and with a friendly, welcoming populous, the refuges decided to stay rather than risk the chaos that was already engulfing the Terran Hegemony.

So isolated were they, that they did not learn of the dissolution of the Star League, and the departure of General Kerensky and the forces loyal to him, until almost ten years after the fact. Finding themselves in an area of space claimed by all sides, and surrounded by the brutal savagery of the First Succession War, the Fenwickians did the only sensible thing; they hid. Cutting the few remaining ties they had with the rest of the Inner Sphere, they set about making themselves as self-sufficient as they could. While they had not suffered the ravages of war, they had little in the way of heavy industry and manufacturing, being a predominantly agrarian world. This led to a gradual reduction in technology, but it was slower and not as far as many worlds. They managed to retain in-system travel, with a small fleet of DropShips used to support orbital infrastructure and limited asteroid mining. Most of the JumpShip's that had brought refuges were stripped down and used as the bases for a number of space stations, with the only exceptions being the Merchant class Lady Jane and the Scout class Camden Lock, which were mothballed e in case they ever needed to visit another system.

Grand Fenwick remained in isolation until the arrival of a ComStar expedition in 2802. Expecting to find the remains of a colony destroyed either during the Star League Civil War or the insanity that had followed, they were more than a little surprised to discover instead a small but prosperous world that had little interest in the rest of the universe. ComStar made several attempts to bring Grand Fenwick under their sphere of influence, but their every attempt was turned down, politely, by Grand Duke William IV. In the end a peaceful agreement was made; ComStar would keep the existence of the Duchy a secret, and in return the Fenwickians would keep what little advanced technology they had to themselves. Thus, Grand Fenwick was able to sit out the Succession Wars, remaining happily isolated. This remained the status quo until the schism that lead to the formation of the Word of Blake. Grand Fenwick's position near Terra made it a prime location for a Blakist outpost, and ComStar attempted to counter the risk by setting up their own base in the system. They arrived the same time as a small  Blakist task force, and for a few tense hours it looked like war was finally going to come to Grand Fenwick.

It was at that point that the people of Grand Fenwick unveiled their trump card; an arsenal of thermonuclear weaponry more than capable of destroying the two fleets, or rendering the entire planet uninhabitable. When asked why she was willing to put her people in such danger, Grand Duchess Gloriana XII explained that, should either side gain dominance, it would only be a matter of time before the other counter-attacked, and Grand Fenwick would suffer terribly. By taking the third option, they cold ensure their continued independence and survival. Finding themselves looking down the barrel of a very large gun, both ComStar and the Word of Blake backed down, and left Grand Fenwick in peace.

Today, Grand Fenwick remains a curiosity of little strategic importance outside of its proximity to Terra, and the continued existence of their nuclear arsenal ensure that remains the case. Given the unique situation on the ground, ComStar and Word of Blake make use of Grand Fenwick as a neutral ground on the occasions they have to meet face-to-face, something the Fenwickians are more than happy to take advantage of.

The Ducal Guard
1st Company
Scout Lance:
HBK-4G Hunchback
WSP-1A Wasp
NTK-2Q Night Hawk
THE-N Thorn
Command Lance:
BL-6-KNT Black Knight
WHM-6R Warhammer
ARC-2R Archer
ARC-2R Archer
Support Lance:
BLR-1G Battlemaster
GHR-5H Grasshopper
CRD-3R Crusader
EXT-4D Exterminator

2nd Company
Scout Lance:
GAL-100 Galleon light tank
Gabriel light tank
Rotunda scout car
Swift Wind scout car
Command Lance:
Bulldog main battle tank
Turhan urban combat vehicle
Lightning hover tank
Maxim hover transport
Transport Lance:
Cobra Transport VTOL
Cobra Transport VTOL
Cobra Transport VTOL
Cobra Transport VTOL

3rd Company
1st Platoon:
Motorized Rifle Squad
Motorized Rifle Squad
Motorized Laser Rifle Squad
Motorized Machine Gun Squad
2nd Platoon:
Motorized Rifle Squad
Motorized Rifle Squad
Motorized Laser Rifle Squad
Motorized SRM Squad
3rd Platoon:
Motorized Rifle Squad
Motorized Rifle Squad
Motorized Laser Rifle Squad
Motorized Mortar Squad