Location: Outside of the Periphery juncture
of the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League
Number of Worlds: Nine
Current Ruler: H. R. "Little Bob"
McIntyre
Military Strength: 1 Regiment
Technology Level: Poor
Literacy Level: Fair
World Name: Circinus
Star Type: G51V
Position in System: 4
Time to Jump Point: 7.48 days
Recharging Station: None
Political Ruler: C.J. McIntyre
ComStar Facility Class: B
ComStar Representative: Precentor Kim-Han
Alighieri
Percentage and Level of Native Life: 10%,
Reptile
Description:
A dry world rich in crystals, gemstones, and radioactives,
Circinus is the capital of the Circinus Federation. The capital
city, Clayborne Remembered, maintains a population of just under
10,000 people. Rumors abound of secret bases and training
facilities in the northern deserts, where it is said that the
Circinians have collected an abundance of materiel looted from
Steiner and Marik worlds.
After being accused of contract violation against the Free
Worlds League in 2770, the Black Warriors mercenary unit
abandoned Marik space, narrowly escaping capture by the Free
Worlds navy. Vowing eternal vengeance on House Marik for their
outlawed status, the Black Warriors settled on the planet
Circinus and joined the pirates already operating there. Colonel
Zachariah Cirion, leader of the Black Warriors, began to support
his people through a series of sneak attacks against outlying
Marik agricultural worlds. Both the Star League and the Marik
House forces had their hands full with the Amaris Crisis, and so
the Circinus pirates flourished in the absence of reprisals. In
2785, a small convoy of settlers fleeing the destruction in the
Lyran Commonwealth landed on the planet to make a new start.
Warrior and farmer combined their forces to establish a viable
economy and culture.
The Lyran farmers apparently were never fully aware of the
nature of their new allies. The pirates were involved in what
remained "covert operations," but the farmers asked no
questions as long as their allies provided the tools and consumer
goods the farmers needed. The pirates, for their part, welcomed
the farmers for two reasons. First, they provided stability and
the possibility of internal law and order (without the brutal
punishments and intimidation that mark pirate societies
elsewhere), that would keep the band of cutthroats from turning
on one another. Second, they helped the pirates present the
illusion of a respectable, agrarian society to the neighboring
worlds who were their victims.
Despite the fact that the Free Worlds military occupied
Circinus during a lull in the Second Succession War, it is still
the most successful of the Bandit Kingdoms, having long since
adopted a presidential system of government. Piracy is a major
governmental function, with covert "agencies"
responsible both for the raids themselves and for covering them
up. Lyran pundits often note that the Circinian president's chief
duty is to look the other way so that he will not have to
acknowledge the crimes his government is constantly committing.
In recent decades, the inhabitants of Circinus have been
cautiously settling neighboring star systems, claiming eight
planets between 2990 and 3020. From this new empire, President C.
J. "Bob" McIntyre has entered into a series of joint
reconciliation talks with leaders of both Inner Sphere
governments. Through skillful diplomacy and judicious return of
prisoners, and without once admitting to any wrongdoing on the
part of his people, McIntyre has managed to avert a wholesale
counterattack against his Federation while playing on the mutual
suspicions of his Marik and Steiner counterparts.
McIntyre's position has lately improved with the arrival of
numerous mercenary recruits who see him as a Napoleon of the
Periphery. Moreover, by convincing both House Marik and House
Steiner that his support could be invaluable, he has managed to
acquire shipments of badly needed BattleMech spare parts and a
small contingent of AeroSpace Fighters.
Nevertheless, several of McIntyre's lieutenants, yearning for
more wealth and power, have challenged his position. Because of
the continued infighting between McIntyre and his subordinates,
it is uncertain whether the Federation will commit itself to
either House. The chief of the officially nonexistent pirates is
Adam Cirion, a descendant of Zachariah Cirion, founder of the
Federation.
During the Fourth Succession War the Circinian raids grew
increasingly profitable. At this time Circinian raiders could
strike their targets with virtual impunity, as Lyran forces
fought off the Kurita offensives and Marik armies deteriorated.
President McIntyre used much of the profits gained from these
raids to increase the size of the Black Warriors, who remained
the primary Circinian military force. McIntyre bolstered the
Warriors by supplying them with new BattleMechs, personnel,
training and members of several mercenary units left penniless
after the Fourth Succession War. By 3032 the Black Warriors had
added two full rehiments to its numbers and the Circinus
Federation stood poised to embark on a period of interstellar
conquest.
The Black Warriors currently serve as the entire Circinian
military. Never a truly unified force, the Black Warriors
constantly test the loyalties of the various factions within
their ranks. The largest faction, led by Major Fritz Donner,
consists of units loyal to President McIntyre. A faction of
near-equal strength, however, supports company commander Michael
Cirion, heir to the Black Warriors' command. Because of the
fierce rivalry of these two factions, most of the mercenaries
employed in the Circinian military studiously avoid taking sides.
Circinian military leaders have never made any real effort to
regulate or standardize uniforms, and so each Circinian military
unit has its own uniform. This system was established when the
Black Warriors began attracting other units to join them, under
the belief that unique uniforms help each unit maintain a strong
sense of individuality and morale. Detractors of the practice
criticize it as yet another source of division between military
units in the Federation.
However, Circinian military leaders require that all unit
uniforms include the emblem of the Federation - and that all
military personnel wear the emblem somewhere above the waist.
This stipulation was added after the Fighting Shamrocks were
spotted wearing large Federation emblems on their rear ends.
Although all Federation units use the same progression of rank,
rank insignia varies widely among units. Shown below are the most
common insignia, used by the Black Warriors.
As an exclusively BattleMech unit, the Black Warriors
integrate only a few enlisted personnel, and only in support
roles. A stripped-down enlisted rank structure offers sufficient
diversity for this system. Tenure determines promotion, and pay
is directly tied to a soldier's rank.
Private All new recruits to the Black Warriors are issued the rank of
private until they prove themselves worthy of another rank. If
they are MechWarriors, this process is fairly rapid, as any
battlefield or simulator run will prove a soldier's worth as a
MechWarrior. Making progress beyond the rank of private in the
areas of technical support, medicine and ship's crew requires
traveling a long and arduous road, and competition is fierce.
Only the most skilled and persistent soldiers reach the rank of
corporal.
Corporal Unlink the low station this rank affords in larger militaries,
the Circinian corporal acts as a team leader or department head
in the technical support division. Each corporal supervises a
team of techs in support of a company, or a department (such as
engineering) on board a ship.
Sergeant Few corporals ever advance to the rank of sergeant, a post
soldiers hold until death or retirement once they attain it. A
sergeant coordinates the activities of all support personnel
associated with a particular battalion or ship.
The command structure of the Black Warriors follows the
typical model used by most mercenary units in the Inner Sphere.
It is interesting to note, however, that personnel rarely advance
from enlisted to officer ranks in the Black Warriors, mainly
because such a promotion would require a support person to
develop MechWarrior skills and demonstrate competence.
MechWarriorAs the rank name implies, a MechWarrior pilots a BattleMech.
Though considered an officer with all the associated perks and
pay scale, a MechWarrior commands no authority over enlisted
personnel.
LieutenantLieutenants command a lance of four BattleMechs. On board a
ship, a lieutenant acts as the executive officer.
CaptainCaptains are the most important officers in the Black
Warriors. This statement has taken on a deeper truth as the unit
has returned to raiding in recent years. Each captain commands a
company of twelve BattleMechs, plus associated support staff. The
company is the main unit deployed by the Warriors, so each
captain is given a large degree of latitude on the battlefield
and is expected to oeprate independent of higher command
authority. In the smal Circinus navy, captains command DropShips
as well as JumpShips.
MajorIn the Federation military, a major commands a battalion.
ColonelThe position of colonel, the highest rank in the Black
Warriors, is occupied by H. R. "Little Bob" McIntyre,
basically a tactical failure in battle. The original Black
Warriors were commanded by a colonel, and when the Black Warriors
total force reached three regiments, each regiment was commanded
by a colonel. They in turn reported directly to the president.
Though the current Federated consists of a full regiment in
strength, Little Bob apparently prefers the position of president
to the rank of colonel.
For military dress functions, the president's uniform rivals a
colonel's in gaudy flash, each shoulder festooned with gold cords
and ten glittering chrome stars lining each epaulet and collar
(representing the ten worlds of the Federation). As the
Federation grows, the President's uniform may become difficult to
look at without sunglasses.
President C. J. McIntyre's dream of a Circinian empire
received an unforseen setback when the president died of a heart
attack in August of 3032. The president's son, H. R. "Little
Bob" McIntyre assumed the presidency immediately after his
father's death and quickly consolidated his power with the help
of Adam Cirion, commander of the Black Warriors and
"Director of Covert Operations," namely piracy.
After securing his position, the new president announced that
he would carry out his father's dream of making the Circinus
Federation a true interstellar power. As a first step toward
achieving that dream, he planned to conquer the mineral-rich
worlds of the Illyrian Palatinate and ordered Circinian military
leaders to prepare an invasion plan. Within weeks, Circinian
manufacturers were busy producing materiel for the invasion, and
the Circinian military had completed a campaign strategy.
In November 3032, only days before the invasion was scheduled
to commence, a second tragedy delayed the conquest of the
Illyrian Palatinate. Black Warriors commander Adam Cirion died as
the result of injuries he suffered during a tavern brawl on
Circinus. The Black Warriors, which served as the command staff
and core of the Circinian forces, were thrown into disarray. Like
the government of the Circinus federation itself, the Black
Warriors had no system to provide an accepted order of
succession.
Traditionally, the Black Warriors had been led by a member of
the Cirion family, but many military leaders considered the late
commander's only son, Michael Cirion, too young and inexperienced
to lead the Federation's forces. Eager to avoid any infighting
that might threaten morale and unit cohesion and weaken the
Federation military, McIntyre announced that he would assume
command of the Black Warriors until Michael Cirion was able an
old enough to lead. Many individuals in the Black Warriors
questioned McIntyre's ability to command the military, as the
president possessed only marginal skill as a MechWarrior and
virtually no battlefield experience. However, McIntyre pre-empted
these concerns by announcing that the invasion would be postponed
for one year while he trained with the Black Warriors to ensure a
quick victory for the Federation.
During the subsequent months, McIntyre attempted to
consolidate his support within the Circinian military forces and
eliminate any opposition. His efforts proved only partially
successful. Even as the revised invasion date neared, many
members of the Black Warriors viewed McIntyre with suspicion and
hostility for his violation of the traditional, unspoken
agreement between Circinian politicians and military leaders to
refrain from visibly encroaching on one anothers' areas of
influence. In addition, "Little Bob" soon proved
himself incapable of continuing the political balancing act of
hiding the true nature of the Black Warriors from the public.
Though over the years most Circinians had become aware of the
nature of their planet's income, they gladly turned a blind eye
in favor of the Federations's continued prosperity. McIntyre's
ineptitude stood to ruin decades of clever diplomacy in a matter
of months. Michael Cirion emerged as an unofficial leader of this
silent opposition but the Cirion surname continued to elicit
respect and even reverence among the Black Warriors and McIntyre
could do little to counter the rising fortunes of the young
MechWarrior.
In 3034, McIntyre announced to the Circinian people that their
time had come. He vowed that by quickly conquering the
Palatinate, the Circinus Federation would become a respected
Periphery power, immune from Inner Sphere aggression forever.
Shortly after that announcement, McIntyre ordered the invasion to
begin.
Unfortunately, McIntyre's prediction of a quick victory for
the Federation proved wrong. Apparently, the Federation's
ineffective intelligence service failed to detect the military
preparations taken by the Illyrians during the long delays that
plagued the launch of the invasion, and it seems probably that
McIntyre's desire for a quick victory caused him to discount any
reports that did come through. As a result, the invading
Circinian forces were completely surprised when they encountered
seasoned mercenary troops defending the Palatinate worlds. As
Circinian losses quickly began to mount, McIntyre ordered a
full-scale retreat to preserve his forces.
Fearful of the popular disdain the failed invasion might
engender, as well as any advantage his failure might provide his
opponents in the military, McIntyre immediately ordered his loyal
commanders to identify a suitable, vulnerable target for another
invasion. Within days those commanders had indentified a target:
the Lothian world of Dersidatz.
Once the site of a Federation colony, the small agricultural
world had been a protectorate of the Lothian League since 3003,
Dersidatz's complete lack of strategic value and its scant
resources had enabled the planet's population to live free of
outside aggression during the intervening years, and it had
virtually no defensive forces when Circinian forces landed.
Within days the Dersidatzans had surrendered to the Circinian
invaders, who established several small garrisons and settlements
on the planet. Despite the quick victory, pockets of Dersidatzan
resistance fighters remained on the world, but reports of these
fighters were lost in the flood of news accounts of the
Federation's victory and the government's proclamations of a
dawning Circinian empire. Although Dersidatz held no real
strategic or economic value and the victory was not a
particularly impressive military feat, it did improve McIntyre's
popularity and silence his opponents.
In the years following the conquest of Dersidatz, a number of
events ocurred that threatened McIntyre's rule as well as the
future of the Federation itself. First, an uprising on Dersidatz
in 3036 interrupted the president's plan to mount a second
invasion of the Illyrian Palatinate. At the time of the uprising,
the Circinian presence on the planet ahd been reduced to a
single, company, which was easily overwhelmed by a well-armed
rebel strike force. The action enraged McIntyre, who ordered the
rest of the Black Warriors to Dersidatz to crush the rebellion.
However, McIntyre quickly withdrew that order when he received
reports of massive Marik and Steiner troop movements near the
Federation borders. Fearing a war that might spill over into the
Federation, McIntyre ordered that all Circinian worlds along
those borders be garrisoned with troops to counter any
incursions. At the same time, he ordered that Circinian military
forces cease all raiding activities directed against Marik and
Steiner worlds and return to the realm. For several tense months,
Circinian military leaders waited for the attacks they considered
inevitable. When a year had passed without any foreign
aggression, McIntyre canceled the alert and, confident that the
threat had passed, returned his attention to the rebellion on
Dersidatz.
The Dersidatzan rebels spent the passing months digging in and
preparing sturdier defenses. When the Black Warriors returned to
the world, they faced a better-armed and better-prepared
opponent. The reconquest of Dersidatz quickly degenerated into a
guerilla war, in which the Circinian forces were forced to track
small rebel bands through the planet's numerous mountain ranges.
Inevitably, the campaign grew far more costly than the Circinian
planners had anticipated, and though the protracted war provided
further fuel to the simmering discontent within the Circinian
military, McIntyre refused to abandon the planet.
By the end of 3040, the Circinians had subdued most of the
rebels on Dersidatz. Despite continued, scattered guerilla
activity, McIntyre declared victory for the Federation and
withdrew nearly all the Circinian forces from the planet. Then he
began preparations for the delayed second invasion of the
Illyrian Palatinate. Those plans were again interrupted in the
opening days of 3041 when a group of Black Warriors, secretly
backed by Michael Cirion, attempted to seize power in a coup
d'etat. The president escaped the initial attack, and soon the
rebels and troops loyal to McIntyre were embroiled in a fierce,
running battle that lasted a full year and spanned every
Circinian world. Eventually, the loyalist forces prevailed, but
more than two-thirds of the Circinian military was destroyed in
the brutal civil war.
McIntyre immediately instituted a brutal purge to eradicate
any surviving opposition within his military forces. Michael
Cirion was arrested but later found innocen of the charges of
treason. Apparently, Cirion had carefully avoided any discernible
involvement in the rebellion. That fact, along with the prestige
of his family and influence in the Circinian judicial system,
saved him from the executioner's chopping block.
The battered and demoralized Federation received yet another
blow in 3042, when a young Black Warriors company commander on a
deep raiding mission into Lyran space allegedly discovered a Star
League cache on an uncharted Periphery world. Rather than return
with this find to the Federation, Captain Hopper Morrison and his
unit deserted. The Federation made several failed attempts to
hunt down the renegade unit.
Despite all these misfortunes, McIntyre managed to retain the
presidency and hold the Circinus Federation together. Slowly the
realm began to rebuild itself, resorting to its traditional means
of gathering capital -- raiding. The Clans' invasion of the Inner
Sphere in 3050 actually aided this rebuilding effort by drawing
Inner Sphere attention away from the worlds along the Circinian
border.
Unit Name Experience Regiments Homeworld Black Warriors Regular 1 Circinus (CO: H. R. "Little Bob" McIntyre)
Though the Circinian government remains firmly under the reins
held by President McIntyre, opponents of the president's regime
have become increasingly vocal in recent months. Renewed unrest
on Dersidatz, the increasing power of the Marian Hegemony, and
the growing threat of Lyran and Marik military action against the
Federation have provided ample ammunition for critics of the
president.
The MechWarrior followers of Michael Cirion constitute the
most dangerous opposition faction, because without loyal military
backing the president would soon fall. At the present time,
Cirion appears to be waiting for an opportune moment to strike at
McIntyre. Unlike the president's military opposition, his
civilian opponents criticize him publicly. The strongest of these
civilian opposition groups are the Federation's farmers unions,
which criticize McIntyre for doing little to open new channels of
trade for the agricultural surplus of Federation farmers.
In the past few years, McIntyre has begin to deteriorate
physically. He has gained weight and developed high blood
pressure, no doubt from stress associated with the dangers
currently threatening his position and his realm. Not nearly the
fighter he once was, the president increasingly resorts to
cruelty and threats to enforce his will.
ComStar enjoyed good relations with the Federation until the
schism that created the Word of Blake group occurred. The
redefinition of the ComStar mission confused many citizens of the
Federation, and when Word of Blake followers began showing up in
the Periphery shortly afterward, Federation natives made no
objection to their seizing control of the few HPG facilities
ComStar maintained in Circinus space. Blakists maintain control
of interstellar communications in the Federation, though we have
managed to maintain a small ROM presence among their ranks.
Relations between the Circinus Federation and the Federated
Commonwealth and Lyran Alliance remain strained, largely due to
the long history of Circinian raids against Davion and Lyran
worlds. Recent raids against Lyran possessions have left
Circinian-Lyran relations particularly poor at this time, and
many planetary rulers within the Lyran Alliance have called on
the Archon to authorize punitive retaliatory strikes against the
Federation. More than a few observers have speculated that the
Archon may find such actions an attractive means of bolstering
public support for her young Alliance and unity among its
peoples.
The Federation maintains no diplomatic relations with the Free
Worlds League. A history of Circinian raids against Marik worlds
and Marik occupation of the Federation have left the populations
and governments of both realms suspicious of one another. In
recent years, the Free Worlds League has attempted to improve
relations by providing economic assistance to several
impoverished Circinian worlds, but these programs have done
little to alter the deep-seated Circinian hostility toward the
Free Worlds League.
The Circinus Federation's relations with its Periphery
neighbors are mixed. The Illyrian Palatinate, for example,
maintains no diplomatic relations with the Circinians and forbids
Illyrian merchants from trading with Federation worlds. Circinian
relations with the Marian Hegemony, however, have improved in
recemnt months, and trade ties betweem the two realms are
beginning to form. However, many observers speculate taht the
Federation's friendly overtures toward the Hegemony result
entirely from the strategic implications of the Hegemony's
conquest of the Lothian League. Those same observers point out
that Circinian leaders remain suspicious and wary of the Marian
Caesar. Rising factionalism within the Federation has largely
stymied Circinian attempts to improve relations with the
Magistracy of Canopus, and Circinian relations with the Rim
Collection remain strained as well, due to President McIntyre's
reluctance to deal with the still-unstable government of the
recently founded state. McIntyre's reluctance to deal with the
Collection, however, has not prevented Collection merchants from
establishing profitable trade arrangements with their Circinian
counterparts.
Unit Name Experience Regiments Homeworld The Black Warriors (CO: Major Fritz Donner) Sarono's Sting Veteran 0.11 Maximillian (CO: Captain Julio Sarono) Davidson's Dirt Devils Regular 0.11 Thadora's Land (CO: Captain Sarah Davidson) Cirion's Death Machine Veteran 0.11 Circinus (CO: Lord Captain Michael Cirion) McIntyre House Guards (CO: President H. R. McIntyre) 1st Circinus Militia Green 0.11 Zorn's Keep (CO: Captain Jenna Lawrence) The McIntyre Guard Regular 0.11 Circinus (CO: Captain Geraldo Villinus) The Circinus Lancers Green 0.11 Andirion (CO: Captain Jimmy Peterson) The Fighting Shamrocks Regular 0.11 Thadora's Land (CO: Captain Angus O'Leary) (1 company) Reed's Brew Regular 0.07 Clayborne II (CO: Captain Burly Reed) (2 lances) Quint's Olympian Groundpounders Veteran 0.11 Diedre's Den (CO: Captain Herman Quint) (1 company)
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