TOCR-16

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==The Gothic Empire - The Outer Colonies Region==
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Founding Year: 2414
Capital (City, World): Windsor, Britannia
National Symbol: Three identical gold lions arranged in a column on a red background
Total Systems: 7
Estimated Population (3046): 8,659,750,000
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Ruler: King David VII
Dominant Language(s): Standard English (official)
Dominant Religion(s): Christianity (Anglican)
HPG: B
Technology level: 27th Century
Unit of Currency: Pound (£)
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===Summary===
Another small star-nation, the Gothic Empire has the distinction of being the only Periphery state to negotiate a peaceful, some might say beneficial, entry to the Star League. While most so far from the Inner Sphere attempted to resist the SLDF, the ruling dynasty of the Gothic Empire took note of how quickly other nations had fallen, and how harshly they had been treated afterwards, so decided to actively seek admittance to the Star League as a protectorate. This unexpected course of action surprised the local SLDF commander, and quick thinking imperial diplomats were able to take advantage of this and won several key concessions before signing.
Key to this was the continuation of the existing government under minimal oversight by a Star League governor. Very little changed for the average citizen, aside for a few new lays and a minor increase in tax revenue. The deal also brought in a literal cornucopia of advanced technology that the locals put to good use, including automated mining and manufacturing systems that they had lost the ability to produce a century before. In order to protect local manufactures, the Imperial Government was careful to limit just how much new technology was imported, and made sure that everything could be built locally with easy to acquire resources.
This proved to be wise, as the fall of the Star League cut off almost all outside trade, but their build up of knowledge and skills allowed them to maintain a higher standard of technology then they had before the coming of the Star League. To this day they maintain the ability to build and maintain several light and medium BattleMech designs, all be it at almost twice the nominal cost. As such all BattleMech are assigned to the elite Imperial Guard, while the Imperial Army is made up of infantry and armour formations. The Imperial Navy operates a number of JumpShips and DropShips, but the jewel in their crown is His Majesties Space Station St. George. Originally a Potemkin class troop cruiser that was abandoned by the Star League Defense Force after an internal explosion killed most of the crew and shattered the jump-core. Stripped of almost anything useful, the remaining hulk was sold to the local government for scrap, but it was instead towed into orbit of Britannia and refitted as a space station, and is now home to the Admiralty and the base for the 'Home Fleet'.
The Gothic Empire has several trade agreements with the Outer Colonies, as well as several independent worlds nearby. Their standing army is strong enough to repel all but the most heavily armed or determined pirate raid, but they lack the ability to project any meaningful force outside of their boarders due to a limited number of JumpShips.
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===The Gothic Empire Worlds===
*; Boeshane : 
*; Britannia : 
*; Hibernia : 
*; Londinium : 
*;Shimla : 
*; Stormhold : 
*; Victoria : 
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===The Imperial Army===
Made up of mainly infantry formations with armor support, the Imperial Army is responsibly for most ground side operations, automatically deferring to the Imperial Guard on the rare occasions they operate together. Organization stands at one division per world, each consisting of two infantry and one army brigade and attached units. There are several independent units and branches, such as the engineering, medical and signals corps, but the bulk of their strength is found in the infantry. Highly trained and disciplined, they have been known to stand their ground against even BattleMechs, using their massed fire to inflict damage and buy time while armor units are called up. Soldiers who distinguish themselves are often recruited into the Imperial Guards.
The Imperial Army operate their own conventional aircraft and a number of surface-navy vessels. They also man many of the few strategic defense emplacements.
*; The Imperial Navy : Tasked with protecting Imperial worlds from space, the Imperial Navy possesses a small but growing fleet of JumpShips, DropShips and Aerospace fighters. Their main job is to protect merchant convoys and isolated outposts, but limited numbers means that they are reliant on random patrols rather than standing picket forces. They are also responsible for moving Army units from planet to planet, although most have their own transport DropShips.
*; The Imperial Marines : Once little more than troops trained to fight on or from ships, the Imperial Marines have developed into a commando unit second only to the Imperial Guards themselves. Trained in asymmetrical warfare, counter-terrorism tactics and other clandestine arts, the Marines operate as the equivalent of special-forces and shock troops, often the first to be deployed in a combat zone due to their high state of standing reediness. Despite this, they lack the heavier weapons of the Imperial Army, and seldom conduct large scale assault unaided.
*; The Imperial Guard : The Elite of the Elite, the Imperial Guards are the senior most service in the Gothic Empire, tasked with guarding the Royal Family and other key individuals and locations. They are known to operate several battalion sized Mech formations, and pilot slots are hotly contested; only those who have proven themselves to be the most skilled and most trusted of the Empire are given the honor of piloting one of their few, prized BattleMechs, as well as the knighthood that goes with the position. Many a noble family owes its founding to a MechWarrior, and they are considered quite the catch in the social circles, often being sort after by noble families looking to increase their standing through marriage.MechWarriors aside, the Imperial Guards have the best equipment the Empire can provide, and their presence on the battlefield has been known to steady units on the point of breaking. Many a pirate raid has been turned back by the appearance of an Guards standard, and several of their BattleMechs have been captured from bandits who chose to surrender rather than face certain death before the unwavering ferocity of the Imperial Guards. Those that do chose to surrender rather than fight are often treated with leniency, a fact the Empire does its best to promote, as it encourages opponents surrender peacefully, saving lives and avoiding damage to near irreplaceable BattleMechs.The Guards alone are responsible for manning the surface-to-orbit laser cannons and missile batteries of the Mount Royal Castle Brian, the only true capital-scale weapons the Empire possesses, which stand guard over the city of Windsor. They also have a handful of dedicated JumpShips at their disposal. 
*; The Yeomanry : A citizens militia, the Yeomanry acts as a first line of defence against pirates when regular military units are elsewhere, and has a solid backbone of veterans, often acting as NCO's and training officers. Unfortunately, while they are often highly motivated, they are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to weapons and equipment. Aside from a few occasions, most of their supplies hand-me-down from the Army, often decades out of date, even by local standards. They also lack any heavy armor, often stuck with little more than civilian vehicles with hastily added armor and weapons. Despite, or perhaps because of these limitations, they are known for being highly skilled at the art of improvisation, using what little they have in unexpected ways to make the most out of it. Key individuals are sometimes selected to cross-train with regular forces, passing on what they have developed themselves, while also learning new skills their can adapt to their own situation.But all the pluck and determination in the galaxy can only get you so far, and their losses when they do see combat are often three or four times higher than a regular unit would suffer. The main reasons for this are sub-par training and poor equipment.
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