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[Aaron DeChavilier]

Rise of the Iron Cabal: Corporate history of Eisen Unlimited
Overview:
Long derided as a backwards and bereft territory, the Periphery has seen a resurgence of culture, technology, and wealth not seen since the days prior to the Reunification War. One of the seemingly new start-ups; Eisen Unlimited, provides a textbook case for business. Led by a group of executives named the ‘28^th council,’ EisUn (abbr) has remained a shadowy company at best. Their headquarters and factory are closely guarded secrets. Their bargaining chip against absorption and sabotage is their threat of spoilsport charges in all their facilities. Clark Sherwin, a member of the 28^th Council is quoted as saying to Defiance during tense negotiations:
“Your Lords and Executives have learned well from the ignorance of your ‘Successive’ forebears. However, the actions of groups such as ROM, and your own corporate special ops have suggested you may have forgotten just how painful the loss of technology is. As such, we have returned your agents to you unharmed, but warn that any further actions will cause the complete destruction of our facilities. We have the knowledge to rebuild, you do not.” –Clark Sherwin, 4 March 3025

Only on one occasion has this stipulation been tested, and it resulted in a massive explosion of a EisUn commercial arms dump. All agents who carried out the attempted raid were hung in front of the burning wreckage with the word ‘Usurper’ emblazoned over their bodies.

Since then, EisUn has made a huge market selling Star League era refit paks for existing chassis. Being in the Periphery means they face steeper import tariffs to the Inner Sphere, but they also benefit from not having to pay taxes and suffer audits. No one truly knows the holdings of Eis-Un or if they could rebuild anything at all. So far the Lyran Commonwealth, Federated Suns, and Free Worlds League have played ball, and purchased much of what EisUn has to offer. Alongside military equipment, EisUn civilian markets remain strong in the periphery with the selling of top quality farm equipment, small-scale water purifiers, and cheap reliable telecoms. EisUn’s record of treating fellow Periphery neighbors with respect is legend, as is their dealing with pirates.

The following sections outline the history and composition of this intriguing small periphery power. I do apologize for any grammatical errors, the HPG streams have been out of sync lately corrupting large parts of the texts.

Section One: Sherwin’s Gambit
By the year 3005, the Inner Sphere was in an apocalyptic industrial malaise. Centuries of heavy warfare had reduced the Inner Sphere’s capacity to produce the weapons needed to fight wars. The natural evolution was the resurgence of a salvage culture. During the 2900’s into the early 3000’s the Inner Sphere spent the most time salvaging and hunting for any lost technology they could get their hands on.

The fall of the Star League resulted in a scattering of the SLDF units across the Inner Sphere. Most House-SLDF armies returned home and fought for their respective lords during the Succession Wars. However, the now shattered Terran Hegemony SLDF units were cast adrift. Many joined General Aleksandr Kerensky in his Exodus into unknown space. There were also, those who did not leave. The 3^rd Regimental Combat Team now Eridani Light Horse being the most notable example. However, another generally unknown unit stayed behind as well.

The 28^th regiment, 19^th SLDF Army in the periphery was this unit. Sidelined during the Amaris Civil War, the 28^th regiment spent the war rebuilding on the edge of Lyran Space near the Rims World Republic. Upon completion of Kerensky’s liberation of Terra, the 28^th was moved to Carver 5 for garrison. When Kerensky gave his order of Exodus, then-Regiment Captain Daro Sherwin sent her heartfelt response: “My General, it is with a heavy heart and conscience that I send this message. Your offering of Exodus is on one point appealing, the other disheartening. Though many of the 19^th Periphery Army have chosen to follow you, most of my senior command deems this an egregious case of dereliction of duty. In other words sir, we choose to stay. The Inner Sphere is our home, and we shall gladly lay down our lives in the defense of peace and the ideals of the Star League, may you one day come to realize the grave mistake that you are making.”

Needless to say, Captain Daro was severely rebuked for her seeming insubordinate tone. But in the wake of the Exodus, and the dissolving the Star League Council, no one really seemed to mind. It is also unknown if Kerensky ever read the message, Captain Daro was just one of a sizeable group of SLDF units that chose to stay. In the ensuing chaos of the First Succession War, the 28^th fought hard to defend Carver 5, almost grinding itself to pieces. By the end of the fighting, only half the regiment was left alive. When the Second Succession War began Captain Daro was killed in the opening bombardment. Her second-in-command, Lieutenant Calvin Targ decided to evacuate to the periphery.

The journey through the warring Successor States was harrowing, and the 28^th lost more than its fair share of pilots and battlemechs. Soon they found themselves in the relative quiet of the now defunct Rims World Republic. The irony of fleeing to the land of their enemies to avoid annihilation was not lost on them. During this time, the 28^th demobilized on planet Port Vail. For the next 134 years, the 28^th eked out a modest existence. They intermarried with the local populace, mothballed their war technology and gradually dissolved as a cohesive fighting force. This was a common theme for many SLDF units that fled the fighting.

It wasn’t until 2998 that things changed. Jenna Sherwin, the descendant of the great Captain Daro; discovered the decaying remains of Daro’s field journals in a small cache. Among the personal things Daro wrote about, Jenna found an eerie passage that at the time would have been prescience.
“8 August 2893 Just got back from the officers meeting, we’ve been blown to ****. The last nine years has brought us to the brink of death. I hope wherever Kerensky is he can’t see what a mess they’ve made of the SLDF vision. Refits and resupplies seem to be dwindling, already we’re on our last few Pulse Laser replacements and Artemis warheads. If we are to survive we need to locate a Castle Brian to restock. There are reports that the tech lost in the nuclear firestorms is more devastating than the House Lords let on, we need to leave…”
Though this was written decades before the 28^th’s flight to the periphery, Captain Daro was one of the few who were able to begin seeing the losses brought by the First Succession war. Though in her mind, it was in terms of military tech, many of her confidants could also see the losses in other areas as well.

Thus the reason for the 28^th’s exodus was also explained. It is believed that Daro’s husband held on to her diaries following her death. So in fall 2998, Jenna and a crew of militia who were also descendants of the original 28^th set off to search for Outpost Castle Brians possibly located throughout the ancient Rim Worlds Republic...

Edited by Aaron DeChavilier, 28 August 2012 - 12:24 PM.