Sarna was first settled in the mid-twenty-second century and quickly established itself as a commercial powerhouse. Within one hundred years, Sarna had become the seat of a mercantile empire - the Sarna Supremacy - that included more than fifteen nearby planets, including the worlds of Kaifeng and Sakhalin. The Supremacy's growing influence soon placed it at odds with the rival Capellan Co-Prosperity Sphere, leading to the Supremacy's unsuccessful invasion and boycott of the fledgling Capellan alliance. Tension between the two powers continued to grow, eventually leading to the Capellan-Supremacy war in the early twenty-fourth century. The short, bitter war ended in a stalemate, and relations remained cold between Capella and Sarna until the threat of a Davion invasion and growing Capellan power led the Sarna Supremacy to join the defensive alliance known as the Capellan Confederation in 2366. For the next several centuries, the worlds of the Sarna Supremacy continued to grow in prosperity. Sarna itself created an impressive industrial base centered on aerospace and 'Mech production facilities. As time wore on, relations between Sarna and Capella grew friendlier, although the former Supremacy worlds still retained a large degree of autonomy within the Capellan Confederation.
During the Fourth Succession War, Sarna, Sakhalin, and Kaifeng all fell under Federated Commonwealth control and became part of the Commonwealth's Sarna March following the cessation of hostilities. Archon Melissa Steiner-Davion ordered the renovation of Sarna's industrial facilities, and the planets of the former Sarna Supremacy - located bewteen the Davion and Lyran halves of the recently formed Federated Commonwealth - began to prosper from the burgeoning trade between Davion and Lyran worlds.
Given Sarna's wealth and strategic location, it is hardly surprising that Sarna was one of the first worlds targeted by Liao forces during the recent Capellan invasion of the former Sarna March. The Kaifeng SMM, the First Battalion from the Sarna Martial Academy, and the Grim Determination mercenary unit defended the planet against an invading force composed of Stapleton's Grenadiers and the veteran mercenary unit Tooth of Ymir. Despite finding his force outnumbered, the Liao commander, Colonel William Asselin, ordered his troops forward. Sarna's defenders quickly established air superiority - thanks to the Academy's aerospace contingent - and soon the defending ground units had forced the Grenadiers back to their DropShips. The Grenadiers, who had suffered substantial losses, then fled Sarna, abandoning several 'Mechs in the process. The Tooth of Ymir troops quickly surrendered when they realized the Grenadiers' withdrawal had left them significantly outnumbered.
With victory secured on Sarna, Planetary Governor Lorete Montog-Chandler promptly proclaimed the rebirth of the Sarna Supremacy and launched the hastily refitted Kaifeng SMM to liberate their homeworld of Kaifeng, which had been captured by a small Liao force. Within three weeks of landing on Kaifeng, the liberators - apparently aided by the planet's populace - had defeated the Capellan force and Kaifeng became part of the reborn Supremacy.
Next, Montog-Chandler turned her sights on the mineral-rich world of Sakhalin, another planet with long historical ties to Sarna. After comandeering the abandoned 'Mechs of the Grenadiers, the new Sarnese government contacted Grim Determination and the newly hired Tooth of Ymir to liberate Sakhalin. The invaders quickly defeated the single battalion of Kingston's Legionnaires that defended the world.
Montog-Chandler then redistributed her troops on the three worlds and moved quickly to consolidate her power. Her task was greatly aided when the Free Worlds League, ComStar, and the Federated Commonwealth extended diplomatic recognition to the newly reborn Sarna Supremacy. Although the resources of the fledgling Supremacy's three worlds theoretically enable the Supremacy to achieve economic self-sufficiency, Sarna still depends heavily on trade with the Federated Commonwealth for most of its manufactured goods.
Sarna itself is a heavily populated industrial world, with aerospace and DropShip manufacturing facilities, several commercial spaceports, and more than a dozen major cities. Approximately 70 percent of the planet's surface is covered by saltwater oceans, and Sarna's seven continents contain a mix of rugged mountain ranges and vast plains. By contrast, Kaifeng and Sakhalin are sparsely populated. Approximately 60 percent of Kaifeng's total land mass is covered by dense jungle, but the remaining land contains some of the most productive agricultural concerns in the entire Sarna March. In fact, Kaifeng supplies almost all of Sarna's food and exports agricultural products to other nearby worlds as well. Sakhalin is a polar world with vast mineral deposits. The world is largely uninhabited, except for several mining settlements along the planet's equator.
Governor Montog-Chandler formed the Sarna Supremacy with important aid from several key officers in the Sarna Martial Academy and the Kaifeng SMM. These officers and the governor are all scions of the aristocratic families that once ruled Sarna, and they saw the Liao invasion as their chance for independence. These leaders began setting the groundwork for their plan shortly after the start of the Clan invasion by modifying the Grim Determination contract, so that their official employer became the planetary government rather than the Federated Commonwealth. The Sarna Supremacy is currently the most stable of the new alliances in the Chaos March, but also faces some of the most serious problems. Virtually surrounded by a hostile Capellan Confederation and tied to the economy of the Federated Commonwealth, many of its citizens consider the Supremacy to exist in name only.
Undaunted by these problems, Governor Montog-Chandler has big dreams for her newborn realm. She has already implemented a deal with the Federated Commonwealth that grants that Successor State most-favored-nation trade status in exchange for 25 percent of the output of the Tengo Aerospace factory on Sarna. The Supremacy has also allowed FedCom troops to use its worlds as staging areas and for shore leave, and agreed to expand its fledgling empire only by taking those planets from the Capellan Confederation that did not change hands to the Commonwealth during the Fourth Succession War. In return for these concessions, the Commonwealth has agreed to help build up the Supremacy's fledgling independent economy.
The Sarna Supremacy needs mercenaries to augment its armed forces and keep its worlds safe from Liao attack. The Supremacy also has dreams of expansion and is building up its troops for the task. Mercenary units employed in the Supremacy report that the government deals fairly with its hired troops, granting them the respect they deserve. The people of the Supremacy love their newfound freedom, even as their economic attachment to the Federated Commonwealth makes them question its reality; they feel that a stronger military can only help them assert their independence.
Governor Chandler plans to expand her realm in the near future, perhaps by the end of the year; as soon as she manages to hire two regiments of additional troops, she plans to invade the Confederation worlds of Sarmaxa and Randar. The Supremacy intends to honor most of its agreements with the Federated Commonwealth, but is willing to push the envelope by heavily raiding such prosperous worlds as Bora and Ulan Bator that have recently changed hands from the Commonwealth to the Capellan Confederation. Assignments in the Supremacy range from defensive duty to objective and recon raids.
Friction is beginning to devlop between the Supremacy's military leaders and Governor Montog-Chandler, who is no longer willing to serve as a mere figurehead. Some observers believe the rising dissention could lead to civil disturbences on Supremacy planets, which would allow either Capellan or Federated Commonwealth troops to intervene.
Unit Name Expernce Homeworld Faction Sarna Martial Academy Regular Sarna Sarna Supremacy (CO: Emperor Baranov) (2 battalions) Grim Determination Regular Sarna Sarna Supremacy (CO: Cikibek Oliver Haarhar) Tooth of Ymir Regular Sakhalin Sarna Supremacy (CO: Colonel Susan Brownell Shadwell) Kaifeng SMM Regular Kaifeng Sarna Supremacy (CO: Leftenant General Cyndi Fallon)
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#include
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Will Day < wd