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The Human Sphere is a BattleTech universe set in 3100. The Jihad has come and gone, leaving in its wake dozens of small realms in a perpetual cycle of raids and small wars. Will you seek money or defend your nation? Or both? You decide.
"Either we work together, or you don't work at all." - Jacob Bannson - BattleTech: Dark Age
Federation of Skye
History
One of the oldest governments in the Human Sphere, Ian McQuiston founded the Federation of Skye in 2299. It later became one of three signatures to the Lyran Commonwealth, along with the Protectorate of Donegal and the Tamar Pact, and there began centuries of Skye involvement in the Lyran Commonwealth. Often seething with secessionist fervor, the Federation barely remained in the Commonwealth over the centuries, and did not support the formation of the Federated Commonwealth. During the Civil War, when Katherine Steiner-Davion placed Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner under effective arrest, another wave of secessionist tendencies flared up. Though the action on Hesperus II shattered the rebellion, it left a strain on the fabric of the Lyran Alliance that was difficult to cover up.
They nearly managed it after Peter Steiner-Davion became the Archon, and Duchess Hermione Kelswa-Steiner, Duke Robert’s wife, actually attended a ball on Tharkad in November of 3067. It was at that ball that she nearly lost her life when a bomb exploded next to her suite. Only the presence of Hauptmann-General Barton Hale saved her life, and when evidence came to light that Archon Peter himself ordered the attack, Duke Robert took the opportunity to secede from the Alliance with a groundswell of public support. Later investigations showed it to actually have been the Brotherhood of Cincinnatus that performed the attack and framed the Archon in order to force the “tainted” Archon off the throne, but by the time that information came out the Alliance was a faint memory with little chance left to salvage it..
The remains of the Tamar Pact, along with Arc-Royal and the proud Kell family, seceded with the Federation of Skye, and Duke Robert immediately became the single most powerful enemy of the Lyran Alliance. Military histories show that war was inevitable, with Lyran forces preparing to assault the Federation, when the Word of Blake struck Tharkad, nearly killing Peter Steiner-Davion. The Duke of Skye declined to help the Archon, though evidence suggests that the Kell family were preparing to support the Alliance despite their disagreements when Clan Jade Falcon boiled across the border in January of 3068.
Thinking to find an easy conquest in an Alliance fighting the Word, they instead found stubborn defenders working for the Kell family and the Wolves-In-Exile. By the time Skye forces arrived on the front, coming in response to Kell requests for aid, it was nearing full collapse, even with everything the defenders could do. The Skye forces broke the Falcon’s backs and managed to stem off the worst of the invasion, though when Word of Blake forces hit Solaris they were out of position to help. The Duke made the hard decision to let Solaris live or die by itself and continued sending forces to the Clan border. The Word of Blake in return left the rest of Skye alone. Their target had been the warriors of Solaris, not the Federation of Skye after all.
A Clan Wolf invasion of the weakening Tamar Pact was only a matter of time, and the Duke of Skye knew he didn’t have the power to hold out against both the Falcons and the Wolves, but mere weeks before the assault was expected in December 3070, rumors that Clan Hell’s Horses had arrived in force began circulating. They said the Horses were running from something or someone in the Homeworlds, and they smashed into the core-ward sector of the Clan Wolf Occupation Zone like a hammer. It gave Skye and the Tamar Pact the time and space they needed to weather another Jade Falcon push, though their casualties continued to mount. When word filtered into the Tamar Pact that Khan Vlad Ward had died over Csesztreg against a Hell’s Horses fleet, and that Clan Wolf was on the verge of collapse against Ghost Bear attacks as well, Clan Wolf-In-Exile moved to support their estranged cousins, leaving the Tamar Pact and Skye to defend themselves.
The year 3072, without Wolf-In-Exile helping, nearly spelled disaster for the Tamar Pact as the Falcons began hitting them harder. The Alliance front had completely collapsed after the loss of Melissa, leaving the defenders of Arc-Royal and the Tamar Pact as the only major foil to their plans. The climactic battle of that campaign occurred on Bountiful Harvest, where the Twenty-Second Skye Rangers and the Tamar Cavaliers dug in to the stop the Falcon offensive once and for all. Over seventy percent of the two units died on Morges, but they held the world, and the Falcon offensive, until March of 3073 when the Falcons retreated. The defenders later found out that the Falcons left because of attacks on their occupation zone by the Hell’s Horses and the upstart Clan Snord.
The rest of 3073 found the combined Skye and Tamar forces slowly trying to reclaim worlds fallen to the Falcons but it was slow progress. It also found Skye sending reinforcements to Solaris where the remnants of former Solaris fighters from throughout the Inner Sphere had come to fight under the leadership of Kelley Metz, the last champion of Solaris. By that time the Word of Blake was too weak to counterattack into Skye, its forces strained to the limit at Terra and throughout the parts of the Inner Sphere it still held. Finally pushed off Solaris, and out of the Alliance, in 3074, the Word of Blake retreated to Terra as Clan Wolf, now led by Khan Phelan Kell, joined in the assault on the Jade Falcons, forcing them to roll back all offensive operations against the Inner Sphere.
In 3075, Skye moved the newly rebuilt Tenth Skye Rangers across the border into Combine space to begin absorbing worlds long lost to the Dragon and ravaged by Word of Blake. After building up a defensive ring capable of protecting the Federation from future Dragon assaults, they sent the new Third Skye Rangers to Gacrux to clear out the Brotherhood of Cincinnatus, the source of the bomb that nearly killed Duchess Hermione according to the final findings of an eight year old investigation. After that, they sent their forces to help the fight against the Word of Blake on Terra. They returned home in 3078, exhausted and ready for a refit, and Skye has maintained a neutral stance since, rarely sending their forces outside their space for any reason.
Duke Robert nearly changed that policy in 3088, during the Second Dominion-Combine War. Ready to send troops in to conquer more territory from the fractured Combine, only a sniper’s bullet courtesy of a surviving member of the Brotherhood of Cincinnatus kept the Federation out of the war. Duke Robert never recovered and Duchess Hermione stepped up to take his position as leader of the Federation of Skye. Selvin Kelswa-Steiner, their oldest son and official representative to the Tamar Pact on Arc-Royal, officially seceded from the combined state in response, after citing a lack of Skye support against Clan Jade Falcon in recent years.
The Tamar Pact and the Federation of Skye have maintained friendly relations since then thanks to the efforts of Hermione and Selvin, but have taken pains to show their different cultures. The last decade has been largely peaceful in the Federation, not counting the continuous raids common in the Human Sphere. The Solaris Cooperative is a small thorn in the Federation’s side as well, though no major conflict has come out of that yet.
The most explosive conflict nearly materialized in 3096 when the former Skye world of Wing in the remnants of the Free Worlds League collapsed into anarchy. Duchess Hermione sent a fleet to deal with the issue and bring peace to the world, and the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth did the same, resulting in months of altercations that could have sparked a war. In the end the young Kristen Marik showed the Federation proof that it was elements of their own government that had caused the unrest and Hermione called the fleet back, promising that those responsible would pay. Relations with the Commonwealth have become markedly warmer since then.
Relations with the Tikonov Free Republic and Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Association have been friendly over the last decades as well, with only low-level raids exchanged. The border with the Azami Caliphate is also generally peaceful as well, though relations with the Lyran Commonwealth are not so simple. Archon Adam Steiner, having taken over after Archon Peter Steiner-Davion’s assassination, has not given up Lyran claims on either the Tamar Pact or the Federation of Skye, officially labeling them both as “in rebellion.” Luckily for the Federation and Tamar, the Commonwealth does not at this time have the power to maintain control over many worlds that have no defenses against them, let alone larger powers with their own militaries. Raids are common though, especially on factory worlds where Lyran “collectors” come to take what is “rightfully theirs” from the Federation.
Military
The large number of BattleMechs produced on the heavily-industrialized Skye worlds keep any one or two designs from dominating their military, though Locusts are the most common light designs. Chippewa and Seydlitz aerospace fighters dominated their fighter branches though, used to guard the flanks of the many Avenger and Claymore assault DropShips in their fleets. The Shipil Company yards over Skye also build Fox II destroyers that project Federation fleet power throughout its space, and smaller Snaphaunce and Doune frigates to protect them.
The Pride of Skye
First Skye Guards RCT – The Boys from Skye
Skye Jaegers – The Dragon Hunters
Third Skye Rangers – Freedom’s Ring
Fourth Skye Rangers – Albion
Tenth Skye Rangers – Black Watch
Seventeenth Skye Rangers – Boys of Summer
Twenty-Second Skye Rangers – Falcon Killers
Twenty-Fifth Skye Rangers – Pride of Hesperus
Factories
Edasich – Edasich Motors – various fusion engines
Furillo – Defiance Industries – Locust, Scorpion, Uziel, Wasp and Zeus BattleMechs; BattleArmor
– Defiance Electronics – various electronics
– Defiance WorkMechs of Furillo – Agro, Construction, and Mining ’Mechs
– Lockheed/CBM Corporation – Warrior helicopter
Glengarry – Grey Death Technologies – Grey Death Series BattleArmor and advanced electronics
Hesperus II – Defiance Industries – Archer, Atlas, Banshee, Berserker, Caesar, Fafnir, Flashman, Goliath, Griffin, Salamander, and Zeus BattleMechs; BattleArmor; Fortune, Demolisher II, Hunter, Manticore, Patton and Rommel tanks; Avenger DropShip (produced in association with Shipil Company)
– Doering Electronics – various electronics.
Kessel – Diverse Optics Incorporated – Various laser weapons.
New Earth – New Earth Trading Company – Alacorn, Manticore, Myrmidon and Vedette tanks; Karnov UR Transport
Skye – Shipil Company – Seydlitz AeroSpace Fighter, Aurora, Claymore, and Overlord DropShips, Snaphaunce and Doune frigates, Fox II destroyer.
– Cyclops Incorporated – Drillson, Glaive, Maxim and Saxon APC vehicles.
Wyatt – Bowie Industries – Archer BattleMech, Chippewa aerospace fighter, various civilian air and aerospace craft
Systems
Alchiba – A warm agricultural world, this has been a major center of trade since the days of the Star League. It’s lack of major resources kept it safe from both Amaris and the other Houses during the centuries of war since then, and it continues to act as a major trade port and agricultural world.
Alcor – A nutrient poor world that has difficulty growing its own food, this world’s extreme volcanic tendencies have made it easy to mine metals. Another major trade center, it has suffered numerous raids over the centuries, but rebuilding efforts seem to be making headway in recent years. Advanced atmospheric filters have helped to remove the toxins pumped into the air by the constant volcanic eruptions, making the world friendlier to human life at the expense of the local wildlife which have begun to die off except in reservations set aside for them in areas too difficult or expensive to use.
Alexandria – Long ago this world was known for its great collections of art, but the Succession Wars shattered the world and most of its cities. It was thankfully spared the Jihad because of the Federation’s neutrality, and the last twenty years have seen its government beginning to rebuild its cities and art collections.
Alioth – A beautiful, oxygen-rich planet that is warmer than expected for its distance from the local sun, Alioth was a garden world that produced food for many surrounding systems during the Star League. The fertility of the planet was partially caused by intense solar radiation emitted by its star approximately every century, and the locals have learned how to shield their buildings so as not to be shut down by it. They have also become very good at treating the various cancers caused by the radiation. The Succession Wars were not kind to this world as League and Commonwealth troops marched back and forth across its lands. In recent decades however efforts to repair it have been underway and appear to be taking hold.
Alkaid – Home to Toloy-Daelun Chemicals, this planet is one of the premier sources of various chemicals used throughout the Federation of Skye. Four months by DropShip from the standard Nadir and Zenith jump points, this planet takes fifty-one Terran years to orbit its star and is dominated by sun-dried deserts. Since the Jihad, the Federation of Skye has religiously mapped the various “pirate points” around Alkaid and have built a recharge station at the Lagrange Point between Alkaid and its moon Vishnu. JumpShips traveling to Alkaid are given up-to-date calculations on where to jump, allowing quicker travel to Alkaid on a standard basis than that ever seen before, and tugs are always on ready alert to catch incoming JumpShips in order to maintain their position in the Lagrange Point. Toloy-Daelun Chemicals enjoys the increased profits attributed to this enterprise and supports it fully.
Alkalurops – A warm and oppressive world, it is plagued by frequent hurricanes and tornadoes that are the result of a thick atmosphere, cursed further by greenhouse gases that amplify the heat of its white A-class sun. There is not a single form of surface animal life, though native fish do thrive in the deeper parts of the planet's two large oceans, where they are able to escape the elements. Human settlements mainly center around areas near to pockets of natural gas and metal veins, and are normally buried deep into mountains to avoid the weather. Nearly all buildings are pressurized and outfitted with advanced air filters to make the interior air breathable. This insular style of living has made this world nearly xenophobic of all other peoples, except for those from the Federation of Skye whom they see as friends. Others are not welcome there.
Alphecca – A quiet farming world with no other natural resources, this world’s laid-back attitude has gained the scoffing of many visitors, but has kept it safe from invasions for centuries. Only during a Kuritan drive for Skye was the world occupied, but little damage was done to it before the Kuritans were pushed back off. To this day, it maintains its peaceful life, shipping food to other worlds but little else.
Alrakis – A member of the Federation of Skye when the Lyran Commonwealth was formed, this world was one of many lost during the Third Succession War in a Draconis Combine drive to capture Skye. Though turned back, the Combine held onto this world against Lyran raids until the Jihad. During the Jihad, it was one of many worlds taken by the Federation. It is also home to the dangerous and predatory tigerfalcon, a man-sized avian that thinks humans are tasty treats. This world’s high gravity helps it generate the Federation’s best infantry soldiers.
Atria – Covered almost entirely in water, and wrapped in a thick atmosphere that traps heat and renders only the islands near the equator habitable, this world’s massive amounts of wildlife were quickly found to be incompatible with the human digestive system. Since the Federation of Skye captured the world during the Jihad, work to genetically engineer version of the local animals that are compatible with the human digestive track has been performed with help from the Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Alliance. This work has generated excellent progress and Atria is becoming self-sufficient for the first time in centuries.
Baxter – This world is remarkable in that no humans live on land. In the centuries since humans colonized the planet, its largest moon, T'Laus, has begun following a dangerously erratic orbital path and its tidal forces have caused massive tremors that have nearly ripped the planet apart. No land is considered safe in this day and age, and all humans living there now make their lives on giant floating cities on or under the oceans of the world. These giant habitats were built with the help of nearby Yed Posterior, which follows a mostly similar life. The Baxter water navy is one of the best in the Federation.
Caledonia – A sparsely populated and rustic world, its primary claim to fame is the Citadel, an old Star League fortress that houses massive particle cannons designed to destroy invading ships in orbit. The Citadel has forced Solaris Cooperative raiders to be very careful when approaching the planet.
Carnwath – The Ruins of Carnwath were originally thought to be the last monuments of a long dead alien civilization when settlers first moved here. Though scientists debunked the theory, hundreds of thousands of people visit the ruins every year, partially because of the mysterious “Flying Saucers” that began to be detected during the Jihad and continue to appear from time to time to this day.
Carsphairn – Wracked by storms in all seasons because of the push and pull of her three moons, this world is not a pleasant place to live compared to many other worlds. The locals however say that a clear day on Carsphairn is better than a clear day on any other world in the Human Sphere, though few outsiders are welcome there. Fertile farmland and the meat of the buffalo-like elwriths allows this world good trade capabilities with the rest of the Federation.
Chara – The main colonized world of this system is named Pacifica, because of the large amount of peaceful water that the first explorer of this system discovered. Or so legends say. It might also have been someone simply making a joke. In reality, sudden rain or thunderstorms rage across the temperate coastal regions, and fierce blizzards and punishing downpours of freezing rain frequent the northern and southern latitudes, most coming from skies that seemed clear just minutes before. The natives like to joke with outsiders, saying “If you don't like the weather here, just wait a minute and it'll change.” Those jokes are not false.
Cor Caroli – A mineral-rich system, it is dominated by two stars. The system primary is an unstable white-hot A-class subdwarf, while all the planets orbit the distant, and stable, F0-class star. Unfortunately, the subdwarf makes its presence known by periodically flooding the system with electromagnetic radiation that disrupts all communications and navigation systems, making travel into the system a challenge. Even so, its mineral riches have kept it colonized and mining since its discovery, and it continues to export rare minerals and finished products to the rest of the Federation.
Corridan IV – Home of Water Pure Industries, one of the foremost producers of clean drinking water in the Federation, Corridan declared water a planetary treasure in 3090 and severally cut back on exports to keep their supplies from dipping below what they consider the “nominal” level. The Tal family, knowing this was going to happen for some time, has been pushing other planets even harder than usual to buy its recycling systems since the early 3080s. Between new systems and maintenance contracts, Water Pure is making quite a profit.
Dalkeith – This is a frigid world.
Denebola – One of the earliest colonies, all but two city-states died out when Terra stepped back from the “Outer Reaches”. Those two city-states built their own separate cultures over the years, and maintained separation after the Hegemony and Star League came into being. To this day in fact, through centuries of the Succession Wars and the Jihad, they have maintained their own identity and governments under a loose planetary confederation. The Zadipos continental-polity is famous (on Denebola) for its capital’s fishing industry, while Neurasia’s capital is home to logging and farming. The planetary capital on Slovakia is home to the largest spaceport.
Dromini VI – Surrounded by an impressive ring of ice and dust in place of a moon, this world never had enough resources to make it a target of raids. It was however in a good position to act as a staging area for raids between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine and it changed hands multiple times during the Succession Wars, giving the planet a bit of an identity crisis. It last changed hands during the Jihad, when a Federation assault force hit the Lyon’s Thumb and retook it, using Dromini as a staging area once again. German, Scottish, and Japanese are the three primary languages of this world, depending on which region you are in, though nearly all business-owners have at least a working knowledge of English.
Dyev – Originally colonized by Russian and Slavic entrepreneurs, this world offered abundant raw metals that continue to be mined to this day. Having relied on ice ships, like those of the Ryan Cartel, for much of its existence, first because nobody could find the water buried in canyons deep under its surface and later because Amaris poisoned much of the water to bring the world to heel, circumstances seem to be improving for this world. After the Federation captured this world and the rest of Lyon’s Thumb during Jihad, they put much of their effort into removing the poison from the water supply. Work continues to this day, but much of the poisoned supply has been cleansed and ice ships are a thing of the past.
Edasich – Home of Edasich Motors and the Edasich family, it is a major producer of fusion engines for the Federation.
Fianna – A sparsely populated world barely rating a Federation presence, it is only held because of its proximity to both the Princedom of Gienah and the Solaris Cooperative make it a convenient place to trade with the Federation. In 3017, Redjack Ryan’s troops captured this agricultural world for the Free Worlds League, sacked the cities, enslaved the populace, and destroyed many industries, including a fusion power plant. The destruction of the power plant poisoned half the planet's atmosphere, destroying much of its ability to grow crops and bringing an immediate halt to Ryan's carousing. The world has never recovered, though efforts are underway to repair the damage Ryan caused before running from the Inner Sphere.
Freedom – This world started the Outer Reaches Rebellion that ultimately resulted in the end of the Terran Alliance after the governor passed a marriage tax. It is also the home of a Water Pure Industries factory.
Furillo – Once a personal fiefdom of the Steiner family, after the Word of Blake leveled Tharkad and nearly killed Peter Steiner-Davion, the Federation moved in to “protect” this world. Still loyal to what is left of the Steiner family, Furillo is an unwilling member of the Federation but Skye is even more unwilling to give up the factories on that world. Numerous small rebellions have cropped up over the years, and Skye has found itself in the unenviable role of being the oppressor, at least in Furillo’s eyes. Of course, Skye knows well how to fight authority, having done it for centuries, and the ridiculously inept schemers of Furillo have so far been easily stopped. Their experience seems to be increasing of late though, whether due to Merchant Prince support or to survival of the smartest, and Skye hold on this world may be slipping.
Gacrux – A stronghold of the Brotherhood of Cincinnatus, it was also home to the bomber that nearly killed Duchess Hermione Kelswa-Steiner of Skye in November 3067 and caused Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner to officially pull the remnants of the Tamar Pact and the Federation of Skye from the Lyran Alliance. During the Jihad, Federation investigators tracked the bomber’s past to Gacrux and the Brotherhood, and Federation forces arrived to excise the poison in retribution. The local militia, dominated by the Brotherhood, fought to the death, shattering the capital and forcing the Federation to install martial law in an attempt to rebuild and pacify it. Now a hotbed of secessionist activity thanks to agents from the League, the Solaris Cooperative, and the remnants of the Brotherhood, this world has still not recovered from the damage caused by that fighting and the constant raids that have followed. Poetically perhaps, recent evidence has come to light that suggests the bomber was a Word of Blake plant in the Brotherhood.
Galatea – Once the center of the mercenary trade, its fortunes fell in the 3030s after Outreach rose to prominence. Its entry into the Commission in 3062 brought a return of the heady days that once had been its due, and now this world is the center of the mercenary trade in the. It is also the home of Solaris-like duels that are broadcasted throughout the Federation and more than one Solaris champion has traveled to Galatea to test the local waters to see if the fish are dangerous.
Gladius – A virtual paradise with few metals and soil that “burns out” quickly when used to grow crops, this world has little value to invading armies or other nations. This fact has kept it safe through centuries of war, and has made it a favored vacation spot in the Federation.
Glengarry – Home of Grey Death Industries, a major producer of BattleArmor for the Federation. The bustling capital city of Dunkeld is as large as any capital city in the Human Sphere and is a major focus of trade in the Federation.
Hesperus II – Home to Defiance Industries, the greatest concentration of industrial military might in the Federation, little can grow on this world outside the Melrose Valleys. The important Brewer family, in command of Defiance Industries, has been invited to rejoin the Lyran Commonwealth many times, but have so far declined to the great relief of Duchess Hermione Kelswa-Steiner.
Imbros III – Long a border world between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine, it was captured, along with the rest of the Lyon’s Thumb, during the Fourth Succession War. The Combine re-occupied it during the Civil War, but when the Jihad came their weakened forces were unable to stop advancing Federation forces from taking it back.
Izar – Another independent-minded world in the notoriously independent-minded Federation, this was one of the worlds that joined the Outer Reaches Rebellion. After becoming a part of the Federation of Skye they also began to generate many of the best members of the Free Skye movement. They now produce many of the best soldiers of the Federation Defense Forces.
Kessel – Lost to the Draconis Combine during the Third Succession War in a drive to take Skye, this world suffered from the Yakuza and the massive amounts of pollution the Dragon allowed as long as they produced war machines for him. It also suffered a heavy Word of Blake assault that shattered the Combine defenders and nearly all of its industries. The Federation moved in after the attack to help rebuild the shattered world, but pollution still taints the air and the Yakuza still fight law enforcement. It is not a kind place to live, but the factories that have been rebuilt provide valuable materials for the Federation Defense Forces.
Kimball II – Colonized by the Kimball family of Terra, this system had two habitable worlds. The first and most habitable was rich in metals and farmland and the Kimball family made a fortune. After expanding their business interests, they made an alliance with the Igota family of Thorin to form Ceres Metals, a company that still exists to this day. Captured during the Jihad by a neutral Federation of Skye, it survived with minimal damage.
Ko – A hardy agricultural world, it supplied the Terran Hegemony, Draconis Combine, and the Lyran Commonwealth with food of various kinds over the centuries. After taking it and the other Lyon’s Thumb worlds during Jihad, it has supplied the Federation well.
Kochab – The filming location of the Steinharts holodrama in the ’20s, this backwater world that suffers from earthquakes faded back into obscurity after the show, and its network, were acquired by the Donegal Broadcasting Company. After the Federation split off from the Lyran Alliance though, long-running plans to reintroduce the drama finally began to fall into place. Thumbing their noses at lawsuits from DBC, the drama, along with several of its original actors now playing the family elders, has prospered on Federation sets since 3063. With it, Kochab has seen a growth in its tourism industry as people travel to the world to see their favorite actors. Not surprisingly, the Steinharts is banned from being broadcast in the Lyran Commonwealth, but a sizeable black market for the drama has grown over the years.
Komephoros – A cold world colonized because of its promise of abundant natural resources, its first colonization attempt failed when an asteroid hit the world and flooded the colony out. To this day, no one travels to the “Lake of the Damned” without good cause, and many believe those who died there haunt it. Captured during the Jihad.
Konstance – Another former Skye world captured by the Federation from the Combine during the Jihad, it suffers from an overabundance of carbon dioxide, some generated by humanity, that has resulted in a powerful greenhouse effect. Too hot to live in the middle latitudes, humans live at the poles now and use orbital or submarine transports to move between the poles.
La Blon – A tropical world almost completely covered by water, it and its habitable moon boast abundant natural resources that have made it rich over the centuries. A valued member of the Federation, its people have come to believe that no military attack will ever harm them beyond the mere inconvenience of having their daily routine altered.
Laiaka – Naturally a world that is not friendly to humans, centuries of terraforming collapsed after the Star League fell and the Succession Wars began. After the Jihad ended, efforts began again to terraform it, this time with plants that could survive without human aid. Progress is slow, and most cities are still placed in underground caverns left over from mining its abundant natural resources, but the quality of the atmosphere is improving.
Lambrecht – A rich and beautiful world, only marred by constant earthquakes, this world was a jewel to colonize and became home to one of the Star League’s “Golden Ten” universities, a Star League Mint, and six Castles Brian. All were destroyed during the Fall of the Star League, poisons and radiation stained the lands, and centuries of control by the Draconis Combine did little to help the world. It found itself a part of the Lyon’s Thumb under Commonwealth control after the Fourth Succession War, but fell back into Combine hands during the Civil War. The Federation captured it during the Jihad, and the ruins of the old forts continue to draw many visitors to this day. Heavy cleansers imported from the Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Association have begun to finally clean up the worst of the polluted areas as well.
Lamon – Lamon is a planet of vast ice plains and low, rocky mountains. The capital is aptly named Icebox.
Lipton – One of the oldest colonies, this world actually participated in the Outer Reaches Rebellion by simply refusing to support the decaying Terran Alliance. Self-sufficient by that time, the world has remained so throughout its history, allowing it to remain more insular than many worlds. During the FedCom Civil War, it sided with Free Skye, and when Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner pulled the Federation of Skye from the Lyran Alliance in 3067, it was one of the first worlds to support his call. It is now a loyal, if quiet, member of the Federation mostly known for textile exports, especially the fashions made by Redstorm Fashions, Incorporated.
Lyons – A major center for trade during Star League years, Lyons was a rich world until the Star League fell. Then it became a major target for raids during the Succession Wars, but a major aerospace presence on its moon kept most raiders at arms distance. It fell to the Combine during the FedCom Civil War, but as the Word of Blake ravaged that nation during the Jihad, the Federation of Skye moved in and took the system back. Once again behind the lines, it is a generally safe world to live on.
Marfik – Sporting an atmosphere just thick enough to live in, but too thin to protect the people from harmful radiation, many efforts have been made over the centuries to reinforce the atmosphere. The most successful was made during the Star League times, but as the Succession Wars waged the terraforming and atmospheric purifiers began to break down. In recent decades, the terraforming and purifiers have been worked on again and this world is finding itself in another Golden Age.
Menkent – The burial place of the Marsden dynasty, the heroic death of Alistair Marsden on this barren world in 2408 paved the way for the Steiner dynasty to hold sway in the Lyran Commonwealth. Traded back and forth between the Commonwealth and the Combine over the centuries, it is a devastated world with little industry that even now garners too little interest for Federation monies to be sent to help rebuild it.
Milton – A world with a terrible past, it suffered first when the Terran Alliance fell and later when the Succession Wars smashed it into rubble. Large swaths of the planet are chemical and biological plague zones, though Federation efforts to clean it have begun in the last decade. They currently project that it will be decades before the planet is clean.
Mizar – Baking beneath one of four suns in the system, this world that rarely sees darkness anywhere on its surface has been a tourist spot since it was discovered. Rarely feeling the effect of any war, to this day raiders find themselves unable to hurt anything and most of the time simply enjoy their stay, thanks to the very friendly and welcoming natives, and then leave. This world is not concerned with who rules it or what government claims it and is content to live day-to-day, enjoying life as it comes. It is little surprise that people from throughout the Human Sphere can be found relaxing on its beautiful beaches.
Moore – A resource-rich world, the Terran Hegemony and the Draconis Combine jealously guarded it for centuries. It fell to the Commonwealth only twice, and the Combine took it back each time. During the Jihad, the Federation took advantage of the Dragon’s distraction and captured the world once again, holding it closely ever since.
Muphrid – Muphrid has an equatorial jungle region.
New Earth – The first extra-solar colony humanity founded, New Earth was once a shining jewel to the works of mankind. Shattered by the forces of Amaris as General Kerensky closed in on Terra, it has never recovered its former glory but still supports some heavy industries. It is also the home of St. Rethwin's College for Theological Studies which teaches 20 Christian and non-Christian traditions.
Nusakan – A major producer of computer components for the Star League, three Castles Brian were built to defend the world. All were destroyed during the Amaris Crisis and only 20,000 people survived on the world when the war was over. To this day it is a small and unimportant world of the Federation, though its fortunes are on the rise.
Phalan – A major source of diamonds, needed for the construction of BattleMech armor, this is an important world to Skye.
Phecda – Fifty-two days from a standard jump point, this world that is slowly falling into an ice age has never been a prosperous world. A quiet world that does little but trade minor items with other systems, it is rarely raided by other nations.
Porrima – The personal fiefdom of Duchess Hermione Kelswa-Steiner, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner brought it into the Federation of Skye when he declared independence in November of 3067. Every sixty-two years it has a “wet season” due to the gravitic pull of its inward neighbor in the solar system that includes hurricane-force winds, powerful lightning, and weeks of heavy rains that can literally wash away anything not tied down. Because of that, all settlements are at high altitudes and are well fortified against the elements.
Port Moseby – A crossroads of Rasalhague, Tamar, Skye, Lyran, and Azami shipping and people, Port Moseby is a place where you can find almost any luxury and almost any pleasure. The sprawling cities, major spaceports, and a steady traffic of JumpShips in and out of the system make it a particularly rich one, especially in the generally slower Federation of Skye. Lyran Merchant Princes and Clan Sea Fox traders both have a permanent presence in the system. Oddly, all parties have generally deemed it off limits for any raids and no major government has hit the planet in two decades.
Rigil Kentarus – A beautiful planet blessed with a rare habitable moon, the two worlds were bustling centers of trade and commerce during the Star League. The Amaris Crisis was not kind to them though, as orbital bombardment rained down on them. The centuries since have seen the Lyrans and the Federation doing much to repair the two worlds and they are once again major centers of economic prosperity.
Ryde – This world’s chemical industries produce everything from pharmaceuticals to specialized fuels and industrial-grade explosives. Its seas are poisonous though, full of sulfur and heavy metal, so a Water Pure Industries plant has cleansed water here for centuries.
Sabik – Orbiting twin stars, this inhospitable world has rarely been more than a simple military outpost, even during the heady days of the Star League. Conquered by the Lyran Commonwealth during the Fourth Succession War and lost to the Combine during the FedCom Civil War, the Federation recaptured it during Jihad and now use it as the simple military outpost it has become accustomed to being.
Seginus – A stormy world nearly a month away from the jump points and lacking in any rare materials not able to be found on other, easier to reach worlds, it has rarely been the target of raids.
Skondia – Colonized by European and African colonists looking to mine its rare minerals and industrial-quality metals, this world has been fought over between the Commonwealth and the Combine for centuries. The Federation of Skye and the Commonwealth have held it for most of that time, but during the Fourth Succession War the Combine managed to take it. During the Jihad, the Federation moved in to return it to Skye rule and have guarded it jealously ever since.
Skye – The capital of the Federation, Skye is the emotional heartland of millions of people descended from it, and drives a fanatic patriotism rare in the modern Human Sphere. Over fifty percent of its land mass is unspoiled wilds, but the rest boasts enough factories to make a businessman’s heart proud.
Summer – Orbiting a cool class-M sun, this planet’s decaying ozone layer has increased its average temperature over the centuries of human habitation. In the last decade, scientists from the Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Association have begun testing out new terraforming techniques designed to rebuild the ozone layer. It is too early at this time to tell if their efforts will make any progress.
Syrma – Originally colonized by various anti-technology sects, this world became much more industrialized during the Star League years. During the Amaris Crises, the anti-tech communes were “farmed” for labor in the mines and they have never recovered, now all but lost and relegated to handful of small regions.
Thorin – Home to the largest Hegemony Library ever built, and one of the “Golden Ten” Universities, Thorin was one of the earliest planets colonized when mankind went to the stars. During the Amaris Crises the Library was burned to the ground and so much damaged was done to the University that it was later abandoned. During the FedCom Civil War, Archer Christofori found himself pushed into rebellion after his sister was murdered and her killer released by Katherine’s government. He returned to Thorin after the war and continues to run Christofori Express, a shipping company that moves goods throughout the Federation.
Unukalhai – First colonized by people from the Middle East, they left for another world after finding a biological taint in the atmosphere that could kill humans. A later colonization attempt by Asian and Hawaiian pilgrims stuck though and they decided to find a way to get around the taint. Centuries later, a simple dose of antitoxin allows anybody to breath deeply and eat locally grown crops without problems. Not damaged by the Succession Wars since it had little of importance, this world is peaceful and happy to do this day.
Vindemiatrix – Orbiting a dying yellow star, this world is prone to tidal ripping caused by the sun’s death throes that result in numerous earthquakes and volcanoes. In the centuries of human occupation, fifteen percent of the local animal species have died because of this, and another thirty percent have become endangered. The Vindemiatrix Observatory is devoted to the study of the lifetimes of stars, and it is hoped that the knowledge found here can be used elsewhere. Scientists from the Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Association have recently begun pouring over the information about its sun, looking for ways to lengthen the life cycle of the sun, but have made no progress yet.
Wyatt – A planet of deserts and bizarre rock formations.
Yed Posterior – Only twelve small landmasses are habitable on this world, but all are ravaged by heavy storms that make life there difficult. Many people still live on the surface, but most have gone underground or underwater to avoid the storms. Their water navy is generally considered to be the best in the Federation and most other planets that want a good one come to this world for training and ideas.
Yed Prior – Home of the Mitchellson University of Arts and Crafts, one of the best schools of its kind in the Federation, and the home of a large Shinto movement.
Yorii – Colonized by Asians, this world’s heavy metal deposits made it a rich world despite its poor soil. Amaris troops rendered its capital Neo-Tokyo uninhabitable when they sabotaged its main fusion reactor and the radiation has stuck there for centuries. It fell to the Commonwealth during the Fourth Succession War but returned to Combine control during the FedCom Civil War. The Federation captured it during the Jihad and scientists from the Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Association have been a common sight near Neo-Tokyo in the last three decades, slowly cleaning radiation out of the abandoned city.
Zavijava – Originally a terrestrial world, in the twenty-fifth century a series of massive volcanic eruptions began changing its environment. Average temperatures have dropped 10 degrees because of the “nuclear winter” effects of its seven very active volcanic chains, most of its native animals have gone extinct, and most of its human inhabitants have left. Even Star League scientists were unable to discover a reason for the changes and Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Association scientists have been unable to improve upon that old research.
Zebebelgenubi – A harsh world filled with massive mountain ranges, it became the crowning achievement of Star League electronics and robotics after precious gems and high-grade silicon was found in the mountains. Shattered by the Amaris occupation and the Succession Wars, it is a world in decline now; something even nearby Skye can do little to help.
Zebeneschamali – Founded by two different groups of Middle Eastern colonists, one from the failed expedition to Unukalhai, this would has been safely ensconced in the Federation of Skye for centuries. To this day however it has two capitals, one for each colonized continent.
Zollikofen – Often nicknamed a “treasure planet”, the colonists of this world found great supplies of water, fertile soil, and easily accessible precious and common metal ores. The Star League placed a Mint on it as well, and many historians are surprised at how little this world suffered under Amaris rule. The mercenaries on planet definitely tried to make all the money they could, and took over many factories and mines, but they didn’t destroy for the fun of it like troops on other worlds did. Instead, the world survived the Amaris Crisis generally unmolested, only to be nuked by the Draconis Combine. Centuries later, most of the precious metals are tapped out or in contaminated areas of the planet, though scientists from the Ozawa-Addicks Mercantile Association have been recently scrubbing parts of it clear to open up old mines for a percentage of the metals unearthed.