Volume IX: Rising Sun – The Dawn of the Federated Suns
The Federated Suns is a self-described bastion of freedom amid a universe of despots, and many of its citizens point to the Six Liberties of their national Constitution as proof of its egalitarian ideals. Critics, however, point to the ranks of armed ’Mech forces on FedSuns’ borders, or the striking inequity between grand palaces on key industrial worlds and the impoverished masses who eke out a living on other, more far-flung planets. Both of these are faces of House Davion’s Federated Suns, but does either face present the whole truth, or set this realm apart as better or worse than its neighbors? Like all such questions, of course, there can be no definitive yes-or-no answers. So instead we explore the history and the culture of today’s Federated Suns. Where did it all begin? What compelled the formation of this realm from the chaos of the early 24th century to become the 434-world power it is today? Like all tales of great nations, the story of the Federated Suns is rooted in war and politics.

What is interesting to note is that the Grain Rebellion itself was an interesting repetition of ancient Terran history, one that even led to the formation of a democratic state that eventually attained global prominence, just as the FedSuns itself eventually would do on an interstellar scale. A collection of angry locals – most of them farmers – raided the local spaceport, where their military-seized produce had been recently gathered for off-world shipment. They then sabotaged the assembled fleet of DropShips, essentially spoiling the efforts by Governor-General [Emil] Varnay to keep New Avalon in line.

In fact, short of dressing up like local bandit raiders and calling the whole affair the “New Avalon Grain Party,” one might be hard pressed to come up with a more obvious link to the historical event that once signified the same fateful rallying cry for colonial independence on ancient Terra.
--Dr. Byron Wolfe, PhD., Here We Go Again, Republican Publications, 3126

While the signing of the Crucis Pact in 2317 was the official formation of the Federated Suns, it was the New Avalon Grain Rebellion 80 years earlier, when the people of New Avalon said “no more” to Terran Alliance work quotas, that signified the birth of this nation. Sweeping aside the heavy-handed military governorship of the Alliance’s strongman, Emil Varnay, the people of New Avalon first tried to rebuild their world in its newfound independence under a democratic rule, much the same way the former European colonists on North America did upon their own successful bid for liberty.

But where the North Americans would one day create a political, industrial, and military powerhouse from those seeds of a representative democracy, the “true democracy” implemented on New Avalon began to fail within its first decade. A handful of local industrialists quickly gained wealth, prestige, and their own private armies, and turned on one another as they jockeyed for planetary control. In their efforts to avoid the tyranny of oppressive rulers, the people of New Avalon soon found themselves ruled by the tyranny of chaos itself.

It was not until the cooperation of militia colonels Adam Davion and Nathan DuVall, who launched a seven-year campaign against the other feuding families on New Avalon, that peace and stability would return to this world, along with a neofeudal system to replace the failed experiment in “true democracy.” The war-weary population readily accepted this change to an oligarchy for the stability and security it promised. But such security lasted only until rumors of a burgeoning Terran Hegemony reached New Avalon.

It’s striking to note that what brought New Avalon to such a position of prominence was the same anti-Terran concerns that led to the creation of the Draconis Combine, its greatest historical enemy. Lucian Davion, eldest son of Colonel [Adam] Davion, and successor to Prime Minister [Nathan] DuVall of New Avalon, perceived the rising Terran Hegemony as a threat to his world’s sovereignty. Though many historians have called him a dreamer, Lucien was probably more pragmatic than most of his fellow New Avalonians, who tended toward isolationism. Fear of a new Terran domination and the need for a defensive alliance prompted him to devise and pitch his Crucis Pact to other world rulers.

Like Shiro Kurita did around the same time, Lucien spent a lot of time gathering political support for a local confederation of mutual defense. Unlike Kurita, however, Lucien stressed politics far more than military force; if a planetary ruler wanted no part of his deal, then he or she was on his or her own – theoretically speaking. This fair but pragmatic diplomatic approach won him a great deal of respect, and even got him elected President of the Federated Suns when that 20-world alliance formed officially in 2317.

But would it have worked out that way had there been no Terran boogeyman to rally against?
--Dr. Lanz Rettig, PhD., Professor of Inner Sphere History, University of Academia, Kessel

Though the Crucis Pact theoretically granted the Federated Suns limited central authority to create an alliance-wide defense force, what existed at the end of Lucien Davion’s reign was little more than an ad-hoc collection of local militias. Disorganized and ineffective, these forces were constantly mired in skirmishes on the Capellan frontier. Charles Davion, Lucien’s youngest brother and successor to the dual titles of New Avalon Prime Minister and FedSuns President, addressed this problem by forming the Federated Peacekeeping Force (FPF). This new standing army, loyal to the alliance as a whole rather than any individual world, became the core of the modern Federated Suns army. Henceforth, military strength would become a signature of House Davion’s political power and resolve.

The prominence of the military in the Federated Suns is a reflection of the ideals espoused by the ruling House Davion line since their original ascent in the 2300s. Even Lucien Davion, the dreamer and politician, hailed from a military background and resorted to the use of force to further his political aims. Though hardly as belligerent and eager to conquer as the Kuritas, the Davions were no less militaristic than their coreward counterparts. Indeed, their belief in military service as a prerequisite to political leadership – spelled out in the FedSuns Constitution – clearly demonstrates the value placed on the business of war.

Shortly after Charles Davion’s death, his successor, Reynard Davion, would use the FPF in the realm’s first true stab (but certainly not its last) at expansion through conquest, flexing the realm’s military muscle against the neighboring Capellan states.

If the FedSuns’ citizenry opposed the military adventurism of its rulers, however, few apparently felt the need to say so. With the clout of the FPF behind them, every Davion to become ruler of the realm was seen as a war hero, and through their military background they grew a powerful political base that would ensure Davion rule from then onward.
--Dr. Lorenzo Torres, PhD., Professor of History, University of Thorin

By the time of Reynard Davion’s death in 2371, the Federated Suns was completely dominated by the Davion family, who enjoyed the support of the military and no small degree of public opinion to effectively create the dynasty that even now continues to rule that nation. In the wake of Reynard’s rule, however, successive Davion Presidents gradually drove the realm into a destructive, downward cycle. Some, such as Reynard’s son, Etien Davion, proved mad or ineffective, while others, like Edward Davion, leaned toward the very despotism the realm was said to stand against.

The ascent of Simon Davion – ironically after willingly submitting to a trial for assassinating his cousin Edward – saved the Federated Suns from its decline toward corruption and collapse. Under Simon Davion, the Federated Suns was reorganized politically. The last vestiges of the Federated Suns’ semidemocratic government hierarchy were swept aside in favor of an interlocking system of nobility – including several government leaders newly elevated to nobility – that would prevent future abuses of power. The March Lordships were created, establishing a secondary tier of national leadership that deemphasized Simon’s personal rule over the Suns, but his fair-handed approach to this political reorganization still won him the title of First Prince, replacing the office of the President once and for all in 2418.

In part two of this series on the Federated Suns, we’ll continue our exploration of the Davion realm. Please join us as we continue our tour of the stars! I’m Bertram Habeas.