Federation of Skye

The Federation of Skye, sometimes known as the Isle of Skye, the Skye Province and the Skye March during various periods, refers primarily to one of the three founding member-states of the Lyran Commonwealth, which would continue to exist as an influential region for centuries. Note that while the term of Isle of Skye is officially used in regards to the area of the Federation closest to Terra, it is often used to describe the Federation as a whole.

The Federation of Skye
Ian McQuiston was the son of a merchant-ship company owner in Great Britain on Terra, becoming one of the millions to leave humanity's homeworld during the last few decades of the Terran Alliance. He chose to settle on the planet Skye, as the climate was the closest to his native Scotland. He was elected President of Skye in 2282, and by 2296 he had formed the Skye Traders, a powerful conglomerate of merchant fleets, which soon dominated the trading interests of several worlds. By 2299, McQuiston had gained enough power to form an interstellar government known as the Federation of Skye, which would provide military protection and political strength for those worlds under the influence of his company.

When the new Terran Hegemony took the place of the old Terran Alliance, it allowed many of the nascent interstellar colony-states to expand further into space, hemming the Federation in. They were forced to look inward, becoming heavily industrialized. Nevertheless, by 2341, the Federation consisted of 57 worlds spread across many light years. In 2340, Thomas McQuiston, Ian's descendant and head of the Federation, heeded Kevin Tamar's call from Arcturus to unite the Federation of Skye with the Tamar Pact and the Protectorate of Donegal into a single state, with shared resources and mutual protection from other recently formed powers, such as the Draconis Combine. They succeeded in coming to an agreement, and the Lyran Commonwealth was born.

The Age of War
The Lyran Commonwealth experienced considerable growing pains in its first few decades, with political corruption, economic instability and military weakness. Robert Marsden eventually consolidated the power of the central government in 2375, claiming the title Archon and ruthlessly crushing any opposition. The planet Skye was one of the last holdouts, eventually giving in only after facing military invasion by Marsden's military. Such military action might have threatened the future of the Commonwealth, if Archon Marsden had not proven himself capable of forging an effective military in the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. By protecting his people, he earned respect even in the Federation.

The Age of War saw new challenges for the Commonwealth and the Federation of Skye. An invasion by the Draconis Combine threatened not only the capital of Arcturus, but also the cutting off of most of the Federation. Only the entry of Archon Alistair Marsden into the conflict managed to stem the tide. Despite this, there were still rumblings of discontent from the Skye region. This settled somewhat when Archon Katherine Steiner took power in 2408, naming the Duke of Skye to her ruling Commonwealth Council.

Conflict again reeled its ugly head when Archon Alistair Steiner was assassinated in 2467. His son, Michael Steiner, would marry the Duchess of Skye, Regina McQuiston, last of the McQuiston line. When Regina was killed in an earthquake, it helped trigger a series of catastrophes for the Commonwealth that led to a madwoman, Margaret Olsen (supported by backers from Tamar and Skye), as Archon in 2501. Indeed, the Duke of Skye, Connor Gilderoy and his Tamar ally had been manipulating matters for years to improve their own power base, regardless of the long-term price paid by the Commonwealth. Robert Steiner, the illegitimate nephew of Michael Steiner, led a successful military rebellion against his aunt, pursuing her and her supporters to Skye in 2504. Eventually securing his throne as Archon, Robert appointed the Lestrade family to the Dukedom of Skye for their loyalty and support. He also made full reparations to Skye to help them rebuild following the fighting. The brief Lyran Civil War was over.

In 2558, the Commonwealth would sign on to join the Star League. This not only brought military stability, it also represented massive economic growth for the Federation, based upon its industrial might. During this period, Carlo Lestrade, the current Duke of Skye, engaged the Archon in rigorous but peaceful public debate over proposed tax reforms, with the Archon emerging triumphant. Among other achievements in the Federation during this time, the prestigious Sanglamore Military Academy was opened on Skye. Though originally a Star League Defense Force facility, it would produce many soldiers for the Commonwealth (and the Federation in particular) in the centuries to come.

During the Reunification War, the Commonwealth engaged in Operation Mailed Fist, the conquest of the Rim Worlds Republic by the Star League and its member-states, with Archon Viola Steiner-Dinesen leading the Lyran forces. During this operation, the Duke of Skye was implicated in the kidnapping of the Archon's son. Though the duke was eventually cleared, the Archon had gone into a psychotic rage in the field, actively attacking the Skye Ranger troops provided by the Federation of Skye. This resulted in a permanent rift between the Lestrade family and the Archon.

The following centuries represented a golden age for the Federation, the Commonwealth, and much of the Inner Sphere. However, no one could foresee the conflict that would soon engulf all of humanity, following the Star League's collapse.

The Succession Wars
In the days leading up to the Succession Wars, the five member-states of the old League scrambled to gobble up the former Terran Hegemony worlds surrounding Terra. Many important worlds joined the Federation at this point, most notably Summer, Lyons and Thorin. The First Succession War was devastating for the entire Inner Sphere, with the Federation of Skye particularly hit hard. As it bordered both the Draconis Combine and the Free Worlds League, the heavy industry of its worlds made it seem a ripe target. Even among the worlds that had not fallen to the enemy, ten Federation worlds had suffered tremendous damage to their industry, with some never fully recovering. Although the Federation did benefit from the Commonwealth's net gain of ten worlds from the Free Worlds League, it also lost fifteen of its own worlds, mostly to the Draconis Combine.

The Second Succession War would further hamper reconstruction efforts. Most notable was House Kurita's attempt to destroy the Defiance Industries factory on Hesperus II in 2853. The Commonwealth would prove triumphant, though it would cost it its last WarShip.

The Third Succession War saw the birth of a new kind of warfare that considered industrial targets off-limits for destruction. Unfortunately for the Federation, the Lyran military was caught unprepared and many Federation worlds fell to the Combine with minimal resistance. By 2884, the situation was dire. In 2895, the planet Skye itself was attacked. Its defenders, the 17th Skye Rangers, the 8th Donegal Guards and Narhal's Raiders, fought with a viciousness unprecedented in the history of the Lyran military, committing war crimes and using a tactical nuclear device against the Kuritan invaders. Though the battle would last well over a year, the Combine was defeated. In the years that followed, House Kurita chose to focus more of its efforts against the Tamar Pact, finding resistance in the Federation of Skye to be too heavy for its tastes.

In 2913, the Commonwealth launched Operation Freedom, with the goal of the liberation of those planets of the Federation that had been taken by House Kurita. Though it initially had some successes, it soon bogged down when Archon Eric Steiner was killed during the fighting on Freedom. The operation would last an incredible 84 years, during which the Lyran military grew in its ability, recapturing several worlds. Still, by the end of the Third War in 3025, the Federation had lost nearly 20 worlds to the Combine and another 16 to the Free Worlds League.

None of this helped to keep the people of the Federation content. By 3025, Aldo Lestrade IV, Duke of Summer and leader of the Federation, had begun what would become known as the Free Skye movement, fostering separatist sentiment among the people of his province.

The Fourth Succession War
In 3028, Archon Katrina Steiner launched Operation Gotterdammerung, a massive invasion of the entire Draconis Comibine-border, as part of the Fourth Succession War. It was launched in part to distract the Combine from attacking the under-defended Federated Suns' Draconis March, while the AFFS was focused on its own invasion of the Capellan Confederation. Though most of the Combine worlds targeted were in the Rasalhague Military District bordering the Tamar Pact, many others were in the Dieron Military District bordering the Federation.

Despite many successful Lyran attacks, Theodore Kurita, the Combine's heir-designate, managed to rally the Legion of Vega and other Combine troops, successfully, defending Vega and launching counter-attacks against the politically volatile Isle of Skye. These attacks, known as Operation Orochi, won the Combine the worlds of Alphecca and Skondia.

During the war, Duke Aldo Lestrade and his ally, Duke Frederick Steiner, were both implicated in the attempted assassination of the Archon and her daughter, Melissa Steiner-Davion. Lestrade was himself assassinated during the war and Steiner was believed killed on a suicide mission to Dromini VI that halted Theodore Kurita's Orochi attacks. This did not end the Free Skye movement, but it effectively slowed it down for several years.

By the end of the war, the Commonwealth's attacks had won them 13 worlds formerly under Combine control, netting them 11 overall. They unexpectedly took control of nine worlds from the Free Worlds League, due to the failure of Captain-General Janos Marik's military planning.

The Rebellion of 3034
The Lyran Commonwealth was now joined with the Federated Suns in a new super-state called the Federated Commonwealth. Though massive and strengthened by their gains during the Fourth Succession War, they still faced potent opposition. Externally, these threats were Comstar and the resurgent Combine (under Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita). Internally, the separatist movement in the Isle of Skye remained troublesome.

Duke Ryan Steiner, Duke of Porrima, cousin to Archon Katrina Steiner and the former protege of Aldo Lestrade, had taken control of the Free Skye movement, which had become better organized and increasingly powerful as more and more Lyran nobles opposed the alliance. When the Draconis Combine granted the Free Rasalhague Republic its independence, it was seen as a rallying cry to independence in the Federation of Skye. Major demonstrations were launched, officially against Ryan Steiner's orders. Later known as the "Skye Crisis" or "First Skye Rebellion", Prince Davion reacted harshly to the uprisings with major military force, often using AFFS troops. An estimated 200 civilians were killed during these clashes, as well as several soldiers. When Ryan Steiner stepped in and negotiated a successful settlement to a standoff between Davion soldiers and separatists on Skye, it won him tremendous political clout while embarrassing Hanse Davion at the same time.

While not on the same level as Operation ROSEBUD, meetings between Primus of ComStar Myndo Waterly and Ryan Steiner in this period culminated in an agreement whereby Steiner and the Free Skye movement received priority access to all HPG traffic in and out of the region, the movement would provide Waterly the justification for posting the Com Guards within the Lyran realm after an "unsanctioned" Free Skye attack against a ComStar facility in 3041. It was during this time that, seeking to further solidify his political position, Ryan Steiner married Morasha Kelswa, heir to the Tamar Pact.

With the formation of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth, the Federation of Skye was militarily organized into the new Skye March, consisting of the Ryde and Wyatt Theaters.

The Clan Invasion
In 3050, the Isle of Skye was not directly impacted by the Clans' invasion of the Inner Sphere, far as it was from the front lines. However, the political impact was considerable. Tamar, along with much of the old Tamar Pact, fell to the Clans, with Ryan Steiner's father-in-law, Duke Kelswa, dying in defense of his capital city and planet. Many blamed the Davion-dominated AFFC military for these failures, inspiring major discontent, particularly in the Federation of Skye. Indeed, when discussing counter-attack options early on in the invasion, Marshal of the Armies Morgan Hasek-Davion had to concern himself that if he did not attempt to futilely defend all of Tamar's worlds that Skye might revolt. The Federation's historical armed forces also suffered somewhat, as the elite 17th Skye Rangers were destroyed fighting Clan Jade Falcon on Barcelona, Bone-Norman and Black Earth.

The Rebellion of 3056
In the aftermath of Melissa Steiner-Davion's assassination in 3055, the Isle of Skye again erupted in a rebellion orchestrated by Ryan Steiner. During what became known as the "Second Skye Rebellion", the Duke blatantly accused Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion of arranging his mother's murder, and he fostered "anti-Davion" sentiment throughout the region. Among the boldest actions taken by the Free Skye movement was the attempted conquest of Glengarry, home of the famous Gray Death Legion mercenary unit. Sending the newly-formed 4th Skye Guards, commanded by Kommandant-General Wilhelm von Bulow and Hauptmann-General Leonidas Brannock, the Guards found themselves mired in a guerrilla war against the Legion's First Battalion for several months. When Colonel Grayson "Death" Carlyle arrived with the rest of the Legion and elements of the Northwind Highlanders in support in November, the Guards were finally defeated.

Victor Steiner-Davion secretly ordered Ryan Steiner killed on Solaris, using the same assassin that Ryan Steiner and Katherine Steiner-Davion had used to kill Melissa Steiner-Davion the year before.

Afterward, the Skye separatist movement floundered, despite resentment for alleged heavy-handed uses of the military to put down revolts on some worlds. When the Archon-Prince rotated the government to New Avalon, his sister Katherine took over as Regent on Tharkad, and was credited by her supporters with largely resolving the conflict through a humanitarian agenda. Effectively, Katherine had turned the rebellion from a secessionist rebellion to an anti-Davion protest. Overall resentment of the Archon-Prince was only further fueled. It was later found that Katherine had helped support the Free Skye movement in the first place. Robert Kelswa-Steiner, the son of Ryan Steiner, would then assume leadership of the Free Skye movement.

The Lyran Alliance
In 3057, with the revelation of Operation GEMINI and in the wake of Operation GUERRERO, Katherine Steiner-Davion declared herself Archon and seceeded the entire Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth, renaming it the Lyran Alliance. In doing so, she neglected the worlds and people of the Sarna March, nominally under the Lyran Commonwealth State Command, as per her mother's wedding gift.

Though openly supportive of Katherine Steiner-Davion, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner became a concern of Lyran Intelligence, particularly with his formation of the Tamar Cavaliers.

The occupation of the Lyons Thumb by the Draconis Combine in 3057 led to its eventual annexation 3062, supposedly in retaliation for an attack by the Skye Jaegers. This created further discontent in the region.

With the reorganization of the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces, the former Skye March was militarily broken up into various theaters and provinces, with Skye itself central to the Skye Province. This did nothing to squash secessionist sentiment, however.

FedCom Civil War and another Rebellion
When the inevitable FedCom Civil War broke out in 3062, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner saw the perfect opportunity to finally win independence. He began by marrying Duchess Hermione Aten of Skye, cementing his place as nominal leader of the Federation. Then, beginning in 3065, Kelswa-Steiner began to openly defy Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion, leading to his arrest in April of that year. This further inflamed the passions of the region, with several regional militias openly declaring for the Free Skye cause. Led by Kelswa-Steiner's former military advisor, John Claverhouse Dundee, open rebellion broke out, with several frontline regiments declaring their loyalty to the cause. Their most critical move was the attempted conquest of Hesperus II. With the Defiance Industries factory, the Free Skye army would not only have a ready supply of equipment but they would also deny it to the Alliance as well.

There were serious battles, as well, on Freedom and on Skye itself. On Freedom, the Alexandria and Accrington FTMs, in service to Free Skye, assaulted the weakened pro-Katherine 5th Lyran Regulars. Though they suffered serious losses to the more experienced Regulars, the two Militia units were able to cut off their enemies from basic supplies, including food and water. When Maria Esteban arrived with pro-Skye defectors from the 11th Arcturan Guards to take command, events shifted decidedly in Skye's favor. By February 3066, Free Skye had claimed the planet.

On Skye, the pro-Lyran elements of the 11th Arcturan Guard RCT, along with the Alarion Jaegers struck the Skye Jaegers. Only the unexpected arrival of the 4th Skye Rangers and the recall issued by General Nondi Steiner to help defend Tharkad would save the Skye Jaegers.

Most decisive, however, was the Fifteenth Battle of Hesperus II. Representing the Free Skye forces were the 22nd Skye Rangers, the 4th Skye Rangers, and the Warships LAS Illustrious and the FCS Indefatigable. Defending the planet on behalf of the Alliance were the Gray Death Legion, the 15th and the 36th Lyran Guards, and the Defiance Self-Protection Force, a corporate military unit. In orbit was the Warship FSS Simon Davion. Early in the campaign, the Illustrious was destroyed but the Simon Davion was captured by the Free Skye forces, giving the invaders a decisive advantage in orbit. After initial skirmishing, the two Skye regiments lifted off the planet, only to drop directly on the target factory, leaving the divided defenders in a desperate position. Orbital bombardment by the Free Skye forces destroyed an HPG Station, killing hundreds of civilians, and dealt tremendous damage to the 15th Lyran Guards. When the 32nd Lyran Guards joined the attack in support of Free Skye, the campaign appeared lost for the loyalists. The Gray Death Legion spent itself holding off the Rangers, losing most of its troops and its commander, Colonel Lori Kalmar Carlyle. The 32nd Lyran Guards had lost their commander, and were now plagued by dissent. The 22nd Rangers were shattered, while the 4th and 17th Rangers were mauled. The pro-Skye 14th Lyran Guards arrived with Maria Esteban in command, inflicting heavy losses on the 32nd Guards. Despite all of this, the loyalists still held the massive factory while the rebels had been ravaged, demoralized and had lost the element of surprise. The 4th Skye Rangers abandoned the battle, returning to Skye. Esteban made one last push for the factory, neutralizing much of the Defiance SPF and reaching the gates of the legendary facility. Loyalist Battle Armor units, however, managed to regain control of the situation, and the Free Skye forces, facing a suddenly resurgent SDF and 15th Lyran Guards, were forced to retreat. When General Caesar Steiner arrived with the pro-Lyran 2nd Donegal Guards, Esteban and her forces surrendered.

With the loss on Hesperus II, the situation appeared dire for the Free Skye movement. The situation changed when Grand Duke Morgan Kell and the allies freed Kelswa-Steiner from prison on Donegal. Recognizing the situation, Kelswa-Steiner quickly threw his support behind Peter Steiner-Davion in return for "greater autonomy" for the Federation. Peter and his allies - including the 4th Skye Rangers Kelswa-Steiner graciously provided - would triumph in his attack on Tharkad, thus winning the throne of Archon and helping to end the war.

In the months following the war, Robert Kelswa-Steiner continued to rebuild his power base. He sent his wife, Duchess Aten, to blackmail a Hauptmann-General with the Lyran Quartermaster Corps, in order to retain an exclusive contract with the Brigadier Corporation to produce Chimera BattleMechs on the Free Worlds League planet of Oliver. It was implicit that the quartermaster would help steer those 'Mechs to units loyal to Duke Robert and the Free Skye movement.

Jihad
In February 3068, with the entire Inner Sphere reeling from the Blakist Jihad, the planet Skye was bombarded from orbit by the Free Worlds League Warship, FWLS Percival. The attack did massive damage not only to the 4th Skye Rangers but to the civilians of Skye as well. Invaders bearing the colors of the 2nd Sirian Lancers landed, briefly skirmishing with the defenders before reinforcements forced the Free Worlders to retreats. Robert Kelswa-Steiner, acting as Provincial Lord, vowed retribution against the Free Worlds League. It was later determined that the entire debacle was created by the Word of Blake.

In short order, Lyran forces under Steiner-Kelswa's command launched an invasion of the League, an action he called Operation Überschatten. By March, General of the Armies Adam Steiner was describing Kelswa-Steiner's actions as "rogue". At the same time, Captain-General Thomas Marik denied his realm's complicity in the attacks. Despite this, Kelswa-Steiner soon launched a second wave of invasions on the worlds of Colfax, Sheridan, Thermopolis and Pingree. Togwotee and Cascade had already been taken during the first wave. By March 3068, the Bolan Province had joined Kelswa-Steiner's invasion. Meanwhile, Megrez joined the other Marik worlds claimed by the Steiner forces. By May, ten worlds had fallen to the Skye-Bolan invasion. In June, forces under the command of General Jeremy Brett liberated Preston. By October, Brett's forces had reportedly struck deep into Lyran space. In November 3068, Skye forces under the command of Maria Esteban narrowly repulsed an attack by the 1st Atrean Dragoons on Zebebelgenubi. Meanwhile, the 14th Lyran Guards likewise repulsed FWLM invaders on Syrma. In January 3069, Skye media reported successful liberations of Summer, Alcor and Mizar, which had all briefly fallen to Free Worlds forces.

In October 3069, the Word of Blake had began openly attacking Skye worlds, using nuclear weapons against Summer and sacking Glengarry though they were repulsed at Skye and Menkent. At Skye, the LAS Fylgia surprised Blakist attackers, despite the use of nuclear weapons by the Blakists. On Menkent, local aerospace defenders were sufficient to rebuff the attack. Still, the news was not all good for the former worlds of the Federation. Hesperus II and its vaunted Defiance Industries was conquered by the Word of Blake, marking the first time in history an enemy had taken that critical world.

Meanwhile, Operation Überschatten was still technically ongoing, with ten worlds taken from the League held by Alliance forces, with 5 previously Marik-conquered worlds liberated. The Free Worlds League, for its part, had retaken only Preston and still held the Lyran world of Giausar, with attacks continuing on at least 20 other worlds, most of them far from the Skye Province border. By late 3069, the Free Worlds League had reportedly proposed a cease-fire with the Lyran Alliance. By October 3070, that cease-fire still held.

In April 3071, General Dundee, still in service to Skye, proposed shutting down the mercenary business on Galatea. By 3072, many worlds that had been historically tied to the Isle of Skye (and militarily part of the Skye Province) had been taken by the Word of Blake, including Summer, the traditional seat of the Free Skye movement. In September 3073, the 22nd Skye Rangers were wiped out on Caledonia by the Word of Blake's 52nd Shadow Division and elements of the 40th Shadow Division. In December 3073, Robert Kelswa-Steiner agreed to accept support from Devlin Stone and his coalition, as Skye was once under threat of attack. In March 3074, three regiments' worth of Coalition troops arrived on Skye to bolster the defenses. In June 3074, the Blakists launch their assault on Skye. By late July, Devlin Stone's Coalition routed the invaders, most notably the Word's 3rd Division. In November 3074, Skye forces joined with the Coalition in liberating Hesperus II, emerging triumphant by the end of December. In November 3075, Skye forces were still participating in Coalition operations against the Blakists, including the Skye Jaegers joining the campaign to liberate Galatea, thus depriving the Word of much of their mercenary support. They were successful in securing Galatea in January 3076.

By the start of Operation SCOUR, the entire Skye Province was participating in the coalition, and Kelswa-Steiner was a valued supporter of Devlin Stone. By February 3077, Kelswa-Steiner was the task force commander for the entire Lyran-Protectorate front. No later than February 3078, Kelswa-Steiner had led the liberation of Phecda, losing his leg in the process, and he was forced to put his son, Gregory Kelswa-Steiner, in command. Nevertheless, the Coalition successfully freed Terra from Word of Blake control, ending the Jihad.

The end of the Jihad found the Skye Province in a somewhat precarious position. Whereas before the Jihad it had been an industrial powerhouse rivaling the Donegal Province in terms of production, the Jihad had seen many developed worlds lost to the Blakists and others badly damaged. Whilst the major defense industries on Skye had escaped with relatively light damage, those in the Hesperus system, on Edasich and Solaris VII had taken far more damage. The people of Skye remained a divided in opinion, simultaneously desiring more self-governance or independence while also desiring more support and protection from Tharkad.

Republic of the Sphere
With the formation of The Republic of the Sphere, most of the Isle of Skye, along with Robert Kelswa-Steiner, chose to leave the Commonwealth once and for all and join this new government. Archon Adam Steiner provided his reluctant approval. Various key worlds of the Federation however, such as Hesperus II, remained under Lyran control.

Regions
By the end of the Third Succession War, the Federation was broken up into three provinces:

The Isle of Skye
The so-called heart of the Federation, the capital of the Isle is the heavily industrialized predominately Anglo-Irish world of Skye. Among the most insular people of the Commonwealth or Alliance, the Isle is frequently a hotbed of succession and rebellion against Steiner rule.

The Rahnshire
The most heavily industrialized group of planets in the Commonwealth, the province also boasts the largest Oriental population in the Lyran realm. Led from its capital of New Kyoto, the Rahnshire shares the Isle's insular ways but boasts a fanatical streak when its own interests are threatened.

Virginia Shire
Lying in the path of frequent Combine attacks, the Shire is the poorest province of the three, and lacks the inward focus of the others due to the requirement for strength in numbers against the Kurita foe.