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The standard insignia of the CSFR |
The successor state to the Terran Stellar League, the Core Systems Free Republic was founded in the aftermath of the Human-Skaald War. It consists of Earth and the worlds which maintained their loyalty to Earth when many League worlds seceded with the Spartan Brigade, the Penitent Brotherhood, or any of twenty other smaller regional powers.
History
Pre-Skaald War
see main article at Terran Stellar League
The worlds closest to Earth offered the least strategic importance, which led to a great deal of dependence on Sol System to provide for their survival. It wasn't until areas like the rimward Dragon Sector were charted that truly habitable planets were charted. It allowed distant worlds like New Sparta in the Van Ryan Nebula and Benevolence in Dragon Sector to become centers of regional importance, which in turn led to their future influence.
The Human-Skaald War
see main article at Human-Skaald War
The war's outbreak in 2291 saw little importance to Earth and most of League space - it was a regional war, one that held little importance beyond excitement at discovering we were not alone in the universe and frustration that first contact had been mishandled. It took the divulgence of the Skaald's intent - that they saw human worlds as tainted, and purged them of all life - to bring the League proper into the war. To this day, historians dispute whether the adoption of Skaald methods - the orbital shelling or atomic assault of their planets - was necessary or appropriate. None can dispute that it was effective, and the final blow saw an errant scientist named Tag Behrwell use a theoretical advancement of Skaald planet-killer technology to create a star-killer. Behrwell piloted the fusion-quenching field generator into the Skaald's home system - their last stronghold - with a minimal escort to hold off the alien ships while he set up the reaction. The result - the Skaald home sun was snuffed out like a candle, and all ships - Behrwell, the field generator, and all knowledge of how to construct another one included - were catastrophically destroyed in 2441.
The Fallout
The use of the star-killer was not agreed upon by all League representatives, and factions began to form - primarily around the Earth delegation and the delegation from New Sparta - in opposition to or in support of the use of the star-killer. In the end, the events transpiring during what began as a routine referendum on League business turned into a galaxy-shaping event.
A proposal came before the committee on 28 December 2450 (Earth Standard reckoning) regarding the status of war-era space fortresses in the Van Ryan Nebula, and the cost versus benefit discussion of dismantling them. The Spartan delegation vehemently opposed the proposal, and had enough clout with other committee members to prevent the matter from coming to a vote. The meeting went on for some three days, and it was at some point in hour seventy of the discussion that a stressed League dignitary made a rather undignified comment maligning the Spartans' mothers. That comment met its retort in gunshots, as the Spartans took up their 'ceremonial' arms and opened fire in the Presidium.
After the bodies were carried out (seventeen Earthers and the three Spartans), the League voted to oust the worlds of the Spartan Brigade from the political body - a controversial vote, and one where several League member-states withdrew their membership and seceded from Earth.
Faced with the collapse of human space in the violent aftermath of the Spartan Brigade's secession in 2451, the worlds loyal to Earth dissolved the loose diplomatic ties of the League and adopted a representative government - each member world sending a chosen representative to Earth (or the nearest sector capital) to represent their planet in affairs of regional or national import.
Relationships with their former countrymen were understandably strained for many years after the 2451 breakup, and ultimately led to open war with the Spartan Brigade in 2462 over the worlds of the Bahwas Corridor in the CS-dominated Manticore Sector.
The CS-Spartan War
see main article at Core Systems-Spartan War
The initial strike was swift and efficient - Spartan vessels crossing the border from their installation in Lethe System and attacking the CSRN vessels on standby, moving on to secure the planet, and moving on from there. The war went back and forth - sometimes as close to breaking into CS space as the Rhine system, sometimes as pressed back against the nebula as the Strymon system, but neither side could gain a decisive victory over the other. After over 30 years of fighting, the Spartan Brigade pushed the CSRN back to the old border - and both sides agreed to a ceasefire in 2495.
Political Structure
The Core Systems Free Republic government functions by way of two separate constructs - the first, the Board of Regents, is chosen from each of the sectoral congresses to represent that sector's interests on Earth, and governs day-to-day business of the Republic; the second, the Presidium of Worlds, requires representatives from all systems to come directly to Earth and cast their vote on matters of nationwide importance - declaration of war, official alliances, et cetera. In all other matters, the Sectoral Congresses on all sector capitals oversee taxation, tariffs, legal decisions and such.
On that subject, the courts of the Core Systems are by and large devoted to violent crime rather than regulation or civil cases - so large a domain cannot effectively be overseen without some variation in local enforcement - and so the member worlds set their own policies as far as illegal possessions and acts go. A thief is likely to be prosecuted by the planet that catches him, barring extradition concerns; a murderer is nearly always tried by the CSFR Department of Justice courts directly.
Economic Strength
The Republic holds six sectors' (Titan, Dragon, Scylla, Phoenix, Hydra and Manticore) worth of planets, and all the resources therein - its economic power is unparalleled by any of the smaller powers, even the Spartan Brigade. What enables the smaller nations to compete is efficiency - with so many planets and so much product, it's difficult for Core Systems firms to effectively transport everything to where it needs to go in a timely manner. As such, many corporations are contracting; breaking off their sectoral branches into individiual entities, they are able to compete in the local scale without needing to provide distant worlds with exotic supplies from halfway across Republic space.
Military Strength
Ground Forces
see main article at Core Systems Republic Army
The Republic Army is a relatively new organization. While their counterparts, the Republic Navy and the Republic Marines, got their start in the Terran Stellar League Navy and the Terran Star Marine Corps, respectively, the need for a dedicated ground-combat force was not well codified during the Human-Skaald War, where planets all too readily died with all their occupants by planet-killers from either side. In the days of the CS-Spartan War, though, it became clear that the need for ground troops was critical - and so a legion of Republic Marines specializing in planetary assault was reassigned to train and grow the new Republic Army. Many units of the CSRA served with distinction, holding facilities and taking ground, and an impressive number of servicemen were decorated with high orders of distinction, including the Republic Aegis and the Presidium Order of Merit.
Naval Forces
see main article at Core Systems Republic Navy
Changing little in the days following the Spartan breakaway, the CSRN inherited the lion's share of the old League Navy warships, and supplemented their already-impressive armada with a series of new and improved combat vessels. Today, the Republic Navy is the most formidable standing fleet in all of human space, with thirty battlecruisers, one hundred medium cruisers, three hundred escort cruisers, over one thousand combat and support frigates of various designations, and something on the order of two thousand jump-capable gunships.
Marines
see main article at Core Systems Republic Marine Corps
The Republic Marines saw their start as the Navy Shipborne Defense Corps, serving as anti-boarder soldiers fighting off Skaald marines. After a few horrifying attempts, the SDC never attempted to board Skaald vessels, choosing instead to set up directional limpets, seal off the corridor, and blow the attach point clear of the ship. Once the League armed forces got a better idea of how to fight Skaald on their own terms, the SDC was reorganized into its own armed forces, the Terran Star Marine Corps, and led assaults into Skaald assault ships in powered armor and carrying heavy weapons. In the days of the CS-Spartan War, the Republic Marines still used their powered armor in boarding actions, but they were also trained to attack hard targets planetside, and a number of regiments gained reputations as elite units for doing the impossible.
Intelligence
see main article at Core Systems Intelligence Agency
The myriad intelligence agencies of the Terran Stellar League were disbanded along with the old system of governance and the Core Systems Intelligence Agency rose in their place. The reorganization process was carefully designed to leave local agencies and operatives intact, so they could continue to leverage their contacts, while giving everyone access to centralized databases of information and implementing agency-wide operational security and clearance grades. With the secession of the Spartan Brigade and twenty other states from the League, the CSIA had no end to their work. Early June 2462, the CSIA greatly expanded their Signals Intelligence Division, Psychological Operations Division, and added a Wartime Intelligence Liaison Officer position.