Organizations in the LFR

[Xeno Alliance]

The LFR is home to a vast assortment of individuals, each of whom agree upon a common platform for the future but never the finer details. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that a multitude of small and even substantially sized associations exist within the umbrella of the Free Republic. These groups can be summarized, in no particular order, as follows:

The Steel Circle:
Militant. Rigid. Hard-nosed. Fort Ramsey, while a pockmarked but planetoid scale rock on the outside, is home to a metropolitan city on its interior. The sheer scale of the population permanently settled here is rivaled only by fully fledged colonies. As such, the administration quickly recognized the importance of a well trained and highly obedient militia to ensure stability and “directed” progress. Ramsey’s culture is brutal, to put it simplest, with weapons training beginning when one is old enough to hold a gun. Service to the cause is seen as everything; individual life that exists purely for self gratification is meaningless. The Steel Circle is itself organized into a series of military chiefs, at least ostensibly. These figureheads govern a district of the Fortress City each, and in total there are 10 such districts. Collectively, these 10 “chiefs” comprise what is commonly known as the Fortress Council that governs all matters of base affairs.

The Steel Circle’s borderline autocratic regime has ensured, at least in part, internal stability and relative self sufficiency. Ramsey itself is home to the Xeno Assembly and Fabrication workshops. This in turn means that all major industrial output is concentrated under the Fortress Council’s control. They often leverage this against other groups to ensure cooperation, among other things. Their influence in recent years has skyrocketed despite attempts by groups such as the Northern Alliance and Xeno Alliance to stifle their political capital and prevent the emergence of hegemony. Due to the Circle’s uncompromising nature it has no official partnerships with any other branch of the Xeno movement, acting largely on its own outside of exceptional circumstances.

Ramsey’s squadrons under direct command of the Steel Circle include the Dusk Bandits and the Vanquishers. Both are noteworthy for their respective participation in the occupation of Handayan and the assault on Hesperia.

The Northern Alliance:
In its day, before Ramsey was even a glint in the eyes of its founders, the Northern Alliance of Ouray and Nome was the most populous collection of Xenos. Their influence is still felt to this day, with the majority of popular combat legends involving pilots from this section of the LFR.

In contrast to the Steel Circle, the Northern Alliance has no centralized leadership; it is merely a voluntary association of squadrons that act in common interest. These squadrons include the 2nd Ouray Defense Wing and the Raging Fangs. Both are notable for their respective participation in the sacking of Rochester and the assault on Hesperia.

The loss of Nome due to Kepler’s worsening storm has put the Northern Alliance on worse footing than it would have otherwise hoped for, vulnerable to pressure from the Steel Circle to be more compliant with its agendas. To this end, one of the Northern Alliance’s most prominent figures, Cassandra Bancroft, has positioned the Liberty Rose in Ramsey’s immediate vicinity. And while she cites “cooperation” as the reason for this continued deployment, the warship’s presence is effectively a loaded gun aimed at the Steel Circle’s head.

The Northern Alliance maintains partnerships with the Milford Cooperatives, McKenna’s Raiders, who are in nominal control of the distant Barrow Base, and its sister movement at least in terms of namesake - the Xeno Alliance.

The Milford Cooperatives:
Better known as the “co-op” for short, are considered a longstanding anomaly when compared to other elements pledging allegiance to the LFR. The co-op is dedicated almost entirely to the maintenance and organic development of an isolationist frontier territory, focused around the systems of Pennsylvania and Kansas. Their methods are perhaps what set them apart from the others, choosing to forego rampant commercial raiding to instead focus on the unbridled mess that is logistics within the Xeno movement. And if not that, enthusiastic deterrence of the local Junkers who present a wrench in the development of such a state.

The co-op, essentially being a collection of syndicates, has no established leadership. Decision-making and the formulation of new policies occurs on the basis of consensus, which itself is not enforced. Typically convoy leaders occupy positions of relative authority and have over the years become the primary source for the various other Xeno groups to reach out to.

The co-op, while not operating under any specific agreements with the other Xeno groups, are typically open to cooperate whenever approached with reasonable terms.

While understandably seen as meek, the co-op should not be mistaken as unwilling to fight. The sole squadron operating under the auspices of the nebulous free state is known as the Wendigos, immediately identifiable by their camouflage paint livery. Even the Steel Circle abandons its otherwise imperious tone when in dialogue with the co-op, though the reasons for this are not truly known.

McKenna’s Raiders:
The LFR was born on Barrow out of a tumultuous series of debates regarding what to do after the destruction of a Planetform vessel in the Hudson system. While this fact is overlooked in the present day, it has not been forgotten by the vigilantes of Barrow who were founded by Sebastian McKenna.

Recognized as idealists, hopelessly so in the case of the Steel Circle, the Raiders are often the most unpredictable to interact with. Usually proving unwilling to participate in activities they would consider unsavory, but at the same time completely complicit with assaults on Rheinland commerce, and, most notably, vicious attacks on Planetform.

Self-styled as a minuteman-esque militia, McKenna’s Raiders also happens to be the namesake of the only squadron that operates here. They are led by a “Marshal” that is periodically elected ever since the “murder” of their founder.

McKenna’s Raiders honor agreements with the Northern Alliance and the Milford Cooperatives, but are known to shun the Steel Circle. The bad blood between these groups stems from a brief internal conflict fought many solar cycles ago, wherein members of the Steel Circle fired upon the founder of the Raiders. The factual authenticity of events has never been truly confirmed, but ultimately McKenna was indeed killed by members of the Steel Circle.

The Xeno Alliance:
Holds the novel achievement of being the group that has the most tumultuous history within the LFR, having been on the brink of dissolution not more than a decade ago. The Xeno Alliance, not to be mistaken with the Northern Alliance, was the product of an experiment that began centuries ago: the hope to somehow unite the disparate enclaves of Xenos across Liberty under one banner. While this lofty goal has no doubt failed horribly, the Xeno Alliance is the only group to boast the ability to operate across every front the Xeno movement is known to engage in.

Styled as a “functioning Democracy,” the Alliance holds regular elections for the post of its head office - the Alliance Commander. Some criticism exists due to the fact that, while term limits do exist under this democratic framework, no rule prevents a candidate from running for such a posting as many times as he wishes. The only limiting factor being public approval and, of course, votes.

The group strikes something of a balance between all the ideals represented in the highly disparate wider movement, maintaining a standing militia, as well as participating in commercial raiding and black marketeering. Alongside McKenna’s Raiders and the Northern Alliance, they are complicit in trying to control or outright usurp the Cardamine trade in Liberty.

Commanding the largest number of ships, a fact that the group is quite proud of, has meant that the group has occupied a position of relative prominence and involvement in almost all major events in recent history. The ships operated by the Alliance’s militia are broken up into wings rather than squadrons, namely Serpentis, Arachnid, Scorpio, and the Phantoms.

The currently serving Alliance Commander is Damien Morreti, a figure that holds equal amounts of controversies and accolades. Damien's competence, somewhat ironically, outstrips his ability to secure the loyalty of his peers in the LFR Assembly, who find him unnerving and erratic in spite of considerable personal charm. However, the results he gets have earned him both considerable political clout and significant command credibility.

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