Brothers of Davion [BOFD]

The Federated Suns - House Davion<br><br>Origins and History<br><br>The Federated Suns has been a military power almost from its inception. War expands its territory, frequently bolsters its economy and binds its otherwise loose-knit people together more than any other element of its society. Unusually for such a militaristic state, the glorification of military exploits coexists with a high degree of personal freedom and democratic local government. This democratic strain, a legacy of the nation's visionary founder, has provided a crucial counterbalance to the military-expansionist mindset at critical points throughout the Federated Suns history.<br>The First Davions<br><br>The first three rulers of the Federated Suns-Lucien, Charles and Reynard Davion-created and shaped the Federated Suns in strikingly different ways. Lucien the dreamer, Charles the schemer and Reynard the soldier between them created a realm in which high ideals and real politick were delicately balanced in the service of a single ultimate object: the continued health of the Federated Suns under the leadership of the Davion family.<br>Dream of a Nation: Lucien Davion<br><br>Lucien Davion founded the Federated Suns in 2317, motivated not by any personal desire to build an empire but simply by fear of losing what he already had. The Terran Alliance had collapsed under the weight of decades of corruption in 2314, to be replaced by the new and vigorous Terran Hegemony under the leadership of Admiral James McKenna. McKenna was determined to bring Terra's former colonies back into the fold, a fate the colonies were equally determined to resist. Lucien Davion created the first political union born of that resistance-the Crucis Pact, which would set the mold for the rise of humanity's other interstellar empires.<br><br>Lucien Davion was a native of New Avalon, the colony world destined to become the capital of the Federated Suns. Settled largely by Western Europeans in the early twenty-third century, New Avalon rebelled against Terran Alliance authority in 2237, when widespread upheaval across human-colonized space prompted Terra to make unreasonable demands on still-loyal colony worlds for food and raw materials. The new quotas prompted an uprising on New Avalon, later known as the Grain Rebellion. Lacking sufficient military support from the embattled Terran Alliance, Governor General Emil Varnay fled the planet, while his Vice Governor surrendered to the mobs. By the time Varnay reached Terra seeking reinforcements, the Expansionist Party that had placed him in power was fighting a losing battle for its life. The Expansionists were in no position to send troops, and so New Avalon slipped free of the Alliance yoke.<br><br>In the heady first years of independence, New Avalon's people attempted an experiment in genuine popular democracy. The entire adult population voted via computer system on every issue, and so power rested with whomever could best persuade the largest majority. The Prime Minister, nominal leader of the fledgling government, could legally serve a single one-year term. Intended to prevent tyranny, this arrangement brought chaos instead. Within the first decade of independence, a handful of industrialists in New Avalon's few manufacturing centers had amassed fortunes so vast that they essentially controlled the popular vote. By 2248, these often-squabbling industrial titans had formed private armies-ostensibly for protection against rivals, but they had other uses as well. As New Avalon's tenth annual elections drew near, the so-called First Families began jockeying for power with every tool at their disposal. After the armed forces of the Jorgensson family routed the small planetary militia, the other First Families made their own grabs for power unchecked by any central authority.<br><br>This corporation was founded in memory of the BattleTech Universe and such classic great games as the early MechWarrior and MechCommander for the PC.