OBT Forum

For a really odd ball, but plausible ~ if in only the sense of politics making strange bedfellows ~ the Terran Hegemony under a string of democratically elected Rulers could actually forge an alliance with Taurian's.

Specifically a military alliance.  Heavily Naval in form as well.

The prime driver for this would the FedSuns, and as a side matter the Cappies.  From the TH perspective the TC is in a number of ways an ideal ally against the FedSuns.

The TC is nowhere near the TH, yet both states border the FS. 
Apart from having the second highest GDP per person, the TC is also a literate, technically skilled state.  Selective aid via second hand Military Technology, can be implemented out of the TC's own budget without threatening TH technological dominance. 
Not to mention the TC is perhaps the only Naval force to match the TH in skill.

Forcing the FS to deal with two distinct Naval threats at the complete opposite ends of its borders at the same time, is an ideal state of affairs for both the TH, & TC Naval operations. 

One that leads the FS Navy to either disperse to deal with the two separate threats and face defeat in detail, or bottle up the fleet having them protect core systems of FS and unable to give either the TH or TC Navy`s battle.

This of course relies on the both the TC and TH swallowing their prides for Military Advantages.


On that note here`s an AU thought I had @ work.

Ian Cameron early on his process of forming the Star League, perhaps even before he becomes Director General, meets the Protector of the TC and oddly enough strikes up a friendship.

In attempt to draw the TC into his vision of humanity united, Ian is actually forced to address the core concerns aka economic / political / military needs of the TC,  & perhaps even more importantly address and expand the difficulties in pushing forward Colonization of new systems.

Like oh say FTL communications, and sharing advancements in Terraforming and other critical bits of infrastructure.  Or extensive military aid in further the TC's Navy.

Not to mention the free and open trade with other states, which is a very good thing for TC Industrial concerns at this point in time. 

Whatever the incentive, from the 3rd Andurien War onward, Ian Cameron aided by Michael Calderon's suddenly even more deadly navy (Hello Battleships!),  box the FedSun's into either accepting entry into the Star League from a somewhat weak position or accepting entry into the Star League after it's Navy gets it's ass-whooped by the TC.

A few friendly visits by Taurian Battleship squadrons leads the OWA Alliance and MoC to a very reluctant entry into the Star League.  Without the TC a war of resistance is even more futile.

So we get a Star League overrun by bandits, mercs, and masses of unemployment in InnerSphere states.  The Star League Army isn't a vastly admired and respected fighting force forged out of bloody war, but constant bandit raiding.  Severe economic disruptions occur as Tariffs get removed, trade opens up and competition gets real nasty.

The only two states who really came out on top of the deal are the TH and TC, while several other states got the short end of the stick.




 

That is quite an awesome idea actually, I approve!! (please disregard the Taurian fanboy that I am)

Let's take that back a bit.

Between 2418 and 2422 the Taurian Concordat fought it's first major war against another state: the Rim War against the Capellan Confederation. The war was notable in that the Ares Conventions, still a relatively new innovation, were not applied. It's not implausible that the Terran Hegemony might have acted as a mediator, putting the newly elected Richard Cameron into contact with the then young Amanda Calderon.

A decade later, Richard clashed with the Federated Suns over the jointly-administered world of Cartago, ultimately beating off an AFFS invasion and invading Kentares in turn. It would be perfectly natural under those circumstances for him to look for allies and if he is on good terms with the Taurians, they're well placed to posture along their border and deter the Capellan March from supporting the Terran March. Once BattleMechs begin proliferating in the mid25th century, it's hardly impossible that the Taurians might be able to draw on Terran support - in canon they had battlemech technology earlier than the Combine.

Given that the Camerons had couple of rather unpopular leaders at the time, the Taurians might even have been able to lure the disenchanted to their own worlds, strengthening themselves. By the late 25th century the Terran Hegemony was in trouble - relations with the FWL were going downhill and they still hadn't found a strong Director General. What they did have was excellent relations with the Rim Worlds Republic, where House Amaris was newly established. Add in the Taurians and those two states become excellent ways to draw off pressure from other states against the the Hegemony, so long as they are given support.

Then throw in Deborah Cameron's 'Aggressive Peacemaking'. It's not impossible that with a stronger position, some kind of pre-Star League could have followed from the Second Andurien War - Mica Liao was in a poor bargaining position and could have been led towards that rather than face the hefty indemnity that she paid in canon and Albert Marik was already Captain-General. If the Taurians and Rim Worlders were more inclined to see the Terrans as allies, this would have been a formidable five-nations bloc. The Draconis Combine was still recovering from the ouster of the Von Rohrs and the Davions were still waging a three-sided civil war, so only the Lyran Commonwealth was really in a strong position - the Canopians barely exist, the United Hindu Collective is tiny and the Outworlds Alliance is... the Outworlds Alliance, 'nuf said.

One scenario here would be for the Davion Civil War to spark conflict: the advantages to any of the three (later four) claimants of joining the Star League are obvious. If Cassandra Varnay or Dimitri Rostov elects to sign up with the Star League when the Ares Conventions have already been effectively discarded in the Civil War then matters will get very nasty: Alexander pretty much had Laura Davion on the ropes but it's hard to see him compromising when faced with Star League support for either of the others. While Siriwan Kurita would probably be too canny to pick sides immediately, I could see her supporting the AFFS under the table since doing so draws efforts away from menacing her. Craig Steiner could go in either direction but the prospect of the SLDF cutting its teeth against a Davion-Kurita military alliance isn't all that far-fetched.

I've created a monster...

Yeah...

Kinda neet to watch though 

Then throw in Deborah Cameron's 'Aggressive Peacemaking'. It's not impossible that with a stronger position, some kind of pre-Star League could have followed from the Second Andurien War - Mica Liao was in a poor bargaining position and could have been led towards that rather than face the hefty indemnity that she paid in canon and Albert Marik was already Captain-General. If the Taurians and Rim Worlders were more inclined to see the Terrans as allies, this would have been a formidable five-nations bloc. The Draconis Combine was still recovering from the ouster of the Von Rohrs and the Davions were still waging a three-sided civil war, so only the Lyran Commonwealth was really in a strong position - the Canopians barely exist, the United Hindu Collective is tiny and the Outworlds Alliance is... the Outworlds Alliance, 'nuf said.

You also have to consider the military changes this would cause - by traditionally forming closer ties with the outlying nations instead of the immediate neighbours, the HAF would not feel so threatened by the diplomats. This might butterfly away the more radical military cabals and there's no Henry Green around to take up arms against the Director-General.
With Joseph "not the brightest of Deborah's children" Cameron in power, the whole formation process might take decades instead of years, which might prevent a lot of the economic trouble the "fast" League faced. Ian Cameron could still follow his dreams of a united humanity, just he stays in his role as ambassador, far enough away from the real power.

If Cassandra Varnay or Dimitri Rostov elects to sign up with the Star League when the Ares Conventions have already been effectively discarded in the Civil War then matters will get very nasty:

Just a nitpick: the Conventions deliberatly do not apply to civil wars.

I just love how these threads evolve.  We have gone from discussing an elcetion result to the intracicies of the Areas conventions as applied to a Civil War.

I'm going to agree with Dirk here.

The Ares Conventions were signed by nation-parties, governing aggressive contact between each other. The Conventions says nothing about the internal affairs of said states. (Probably deliberate in the same token as the later Star League Accords.) Interference in internal matters is one door I find any attempt to open highly unlikely.

As such, I'm fairly certain, like most Civil Wars, was extremely bloody and persecuted relentlessly as the situation demanded...civilians be damned.