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Lyran Alliance
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Origins and History
Perhaps the most important event in the years after 3056 was
the death in that year of Joshua Marik, heir to the Free Worlds
League's Captain-General Thomas Marik. For years the young heir
had remained at the Federated Commonwealth's New Avalon Institute
of Science for treatment of his leukemia, an arrangement that
had prevented Thomas Marik from launching any type of military
action against the Federated Commonwealth. When the heir died,
Prince Victor Steiner-Davion inserted a double in the boy's
place. Capellan Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao learned of this deception
the following year, and proposed to Thomas Marik a joint Marik-Liao
invasion of the Sarna March that would simultaneously punish
Steiner-Davion for his treachery and recapture former Marik
and Liao worlds. |
In 3057, Marik and Liao forces invaded the Sarna March. The Liao
invaders quickly captured many former Liao worlds, aided by Marik-backed
mercenaries. Marik forces enjoyed wide success as well, taking several
former Free Worlds League planets. Almost immediately, Katrina Steiner-Davion
announced the formation of the new Lyran Alliance, declared Lyran
neutrality in the invasion, and called for all Lyran military units
to withdraw from Federated Commonwealth possessions in the March.
Marik took advantage of this development to settle for a separate
peace with Katrina.
By this act, Katrina split the Federated Commonwealth physically
as well as politically; the abrupt departure of Lyran troops speeded
the Sarna March's slide into anarchy, and the loss of control over
that region has left the rump of the Federated Commonwealth with
no access to free passage into Lyran Alliance space. Many observers
initially believed Katrina was allying her newborn state with the
Free Worlds League, but so far she has remained neutral.
Victor Steiner-Davion has not relinquished his claim to the worlds
of the Alliance and still considers them part of the Federated Commonwealth.
Archon Katrina appears uninterested in the Davion half of the Commonwealth,
claiming instead the disputed regions of the Chaos March. The Archon
has moved decisively to consolidate her holdings in the Lyran Alliance,
but the loyalties of several regions within it remain in question.
The heavily industrialized region of Skye, true to its secessionist
history, has given Katrina complete support. She also has strong
backing from parts of the Donegal March. Along the Lyran-Free Worlds
border, however, many worlds keenly miss the benefit of Prince Victor's
military experience in dealing with the newly aggressive Free Worlds
League. They do not trust Thomas Marik's promise not to expand his
realm beyond its Fourth Succession War borders, and they could easily
go over to the Archon Prince's side at the first sign of Marik aggression.
Mercenaries consider the Alliance to be an unknown quantity. Archon
Katrina Steiner-Davion remains largely untested as a leader, and
many people see her as power hungry, two reasons that make many
commanders leery of entering the Archon's employ. Many mercs, however,
are delighted that Archon Katrina seems to offer so many fat contracts
with relatively low risk. Most of these units have conveniently
forgotten that the Steiners are businessmen at heart, and thus often
become a mercenary unit's toughest opponent.
Most assignments offered by the Alliance involve garrison or security
duty, because Archon Katrina's public position as a peacemaker allows
her to do little else.
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