Deep Periphery "kingdom" located several hundred light years beyond the Oberon Confederation. Grew out of a mercantile alliance in the Deep Periphery from mid 29th century onwards, in no small part driven by the influence of Commonwealth refugees fleeing the reign of Archon Elizabeth. They brought with them a number of jumpships and dropships, plus the mercantile acumen the Commonwealth is known for. Settling on several nearby words, they immediately began trading with each other, boosting the economy of every involved world to levels not seen before.

Formally created 2891, the Hanseatic League (the name is thought to be a pun, since many of the worlds of the region have names resembling those of the ancient Terran Hanseatic League) has grown to include 29 member systems, with mercantile ties to many more. The League professes to promote free trade, but is really a monopolist entity, working to exclude other traders. It cannot, however, be denied that the League has done a lot to promote commerce in the Deep Periphery, bettering the lives of millions of people on a hundred worlds. Still, the League is also not above some good old extortion, dabbles in slavery, and has been involved in starting more than one war between petty Periphery kingdoms.

The League's main goal is to eliminate piracy, not because they are altruistic, but because pirates are bad for business - and a challenge to the might of the League. The League is also currently seeking to establish trade ties with IS nations (Commonwealth and Combine both), and destabilize other Periphery powers in "their" sphere of influence. The Oberon Confederation and its growing number of vassals, dependents and allies are of particular concern.

The League's capital is Bremen, with places like Bergen, Köln and Lübeck always vying for power at the expense of the other second tier systems. The League is ruled over by a council of merchants, which is a rather unique form of governance. The Hanseatic Security Force (HSF) represents the military might of the Hanse. It is thought to be very small and poorly equipped.

Natalia Chesterton has connections in the League, and on several occasions League ships have trasported Lancer units.

A military dropship has a very small crew, but are designed to accommodate a great many passengers. The crew living space is largely separate from the passenger accommodations, and is generally more specious (crews spend all their time aboard, so require more creaure comforts)

As a rule of thumb, for each mech/ASF cubicle, there is room for 2 pilots (usually in 2-man rooms, although dropships with room for company+ sized units will have single rooms for officers at the company level and above). For each mech/ASF there is room for 4 techs (usually in 4-man rooms, but for larger dropships senior techs could have double - or more rarely - single rooms).

There is also room for security troops, about a platoon of regular infantry for a Union-sized dropship. Leopards can take a squad, maybe two. Overlords have the space to take a full company. Security troopers will have secondary (and often tertiary) duties as well; they serve as medics, cooks, cleaners, astechs, help with readying mechs, and a million other things. Troopers are bunked 4 a rooms, with senior NCOs/junior officers enjoying double rooms, and officers at the company level and above single rooms.

Finally dropships can be manned with auxiliary staff, such as doctors, dedicated cooks and pursers, anything to make the journey safer and more pleasant. Small ships like the Leopard might have only a few such aux staff, but a Union class will typically have a ship's doctor, a nurse, a chief cook, a morale officer/equivalent, and a small logistics cell (extra labor provided by troopers). Larger dropships, like the Overlords, has room for a larger, semi-permanent support staff.

So a Union-class could have a permanent crew of only 14, room for 24 mechwarriors and 4 ASF pilots, up to 56 techs and astechs, a security platoon of about 36-40 people (who also have many other duties aboard), and usually no more than 10 aux staff. If fully loaded, a Union could carry as many as 140 people, plus 12 mechs, 2 ASF, ammo and other combat consumables, spare parts and replacement armor plating, general supplies for long trips, some light vehicles, and whatever else can be crammed inside (if you didn't bring it, chances are you must do without for the duration). By comparison the much smaller Leopard is hard pressed to accommodate 60 people, while the massive Overlord can carry half a thousand men between the stars.

Typically a Union won't carry as many as 28 pilots, which frees up some of the more desirable accommodations. In this day and age it's also rare to have enough qualified techs to fill all the berths - some merc companies make do with less than half as many (but that largely precludes any heavy maintenance while en route). It's also common to skimp on security, because who actually tries to attack grounded dropships? A typical Union might have about a 100 people on board, maybe a little more (120 is usually the "ceiling" most commanders won't exceed). Less crew means lower operating costs and more mileage out of supplies - and a much more pleasant travel experience. It's really exhausting to spend weeks, months even, aboard a fully loaded dropship.

Anastasia is a tall, blond (possibly natural) Caucasian woman in her late 30s or early 40s (although with Terran medtech it's hard to say a woman's age for certain). She is a ComStar official, with the rank of Precentor (she's not related to THE Blake). She seems to have close ties to the military, so she is possible a Precentor Martial, but she could also be a Precentor ROM.

Precentor Blake was the facilitator for the secret Combine-Lancer talks that ended with Takashi Kurtia being returned to his family (after which a grateful Coordinator gifted the Lancers with a Star Lord and 3 Overlords). She even offered the use of her own private, very modest, Swiss mountainside home (well, maybe not THAT modest - it did include a VTOL platform and rooms for nearly 50 people).

On the losing end of some form of interal ComStar power struggle. Currently living in disguise as a mechwarrior with the Katanas (her appearance has been cleaver altered by Dr. Jacobs, making her look very different from her true self). Captain Winters (Snow White) seems to be an ally/friend/whatever. The same applies to the matronly Demi-Precentor "Nani" Dell of Waldorff, and Colonel Carson Holmes Esq., commanding officer 2nd ComGuards/Sandhurst Academy.

Hendrik I Grimm, King of Oberon: Deserted from the LCAF and fled into the Periphery with the remnants of his own 6th and the 5th Lyran Regulars. Eventually made himself pirate king of the Oberon Confederacy. Was finally tracked down and forced to battle at Crater (Henry's Star) Lyran Guards Colonel Melissa Musgrave. The ageing Grimm defeated the Lyrans, but paid the ultimate price. The crown passed to his son, Hendirk.

Hendrik II Grim, King of Oberon: After spending years solidifying his grip on the realm (a typical problem for dictatorships) and expanding his influence to nearby systems, the second Grimm started raiding nearby realms. After the disaster at Somerset, he ceased raiding well defended regions, and instead took to statesmanship. He gained an alliance through marriage with the Greater Valkyrate (between his son, Hendrik III Grimm, Morgraine, the Pirate Queen of the Valkyrate), and subjugated the Elysian Fields (a largely non-piratical kingdom) and several indep systems. Killed by his own bannerman, Graf Tyros the Elder, and his head given over to the Wolves.

Hendrik Grim the Younger, Crown Prince of Oberon: Said to be an able military commander and mechwarrior. Married to Morgraine, the Valkyrian Queen to secure her allegiance. He has one daughter by her (and many bastards by loose women of all levels of society - if the rumors be true). Killed by his own father's guards in 3002, in what was a failed attempt to keep the (Black) Wolves at bay.

Tallia I Grimm, Queen of Oberon: The late king's oldest living child (Hendrik the Younger is her little brother). She had an expensive IS education and spent years at court, both in the Combine and the Commonwealth. Passed over for succession. Forbidden to marry by her father (probably to avoid complicating the succession).

Graf Tyros the Elder: One of King Henrik II's oldest and most loyal captains. Was turned to Queen Tallia I's cause, and delivered the King's head to his enemies. He was later made the Duke of Trellwan and moved there with his household his followers, and his (short) company of mechs.

Precentor Victor Ohm: Master of the Oberon VI Class B HPG facility. Implicated in the plot by the Combine/King Grimm to seize the ComStar jumpship and steal the SLDF computer core. Arrested by Anastasia Blake, pending an investigation.

Henri V Ricol, the "Red Duke" of Ricol: The head of an ancient clan of samurai. An important noble in the Rasalhague District and a respected mech commander. One of his ancestors earned the nickname the "Red Duke" after a particularly violent reign (even by Combine standards), many years ago.

Hassid Ricol: The Duke's son. A mechwarrior.

Formerly of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces, 10th Lyran Guards, Schwarzkopf got tired of the general incompetence of the Steiner brass and the extreme favoritism shown to those with the money and proper connections (Adolf's family is only tenuously nobility - but more importantly, not very rich). As with so many young officers, he felt he was smarter, more handsome, and a better mechwarrior than those who got promoted instead of him.

Against the wishes of his father, Adolf brought his family mech (a Blackjack) to Solaris, where he ended up in the same stable as Takari. He enjoyed a 2 to 1 win-loss ratio, which was rather good, but hardly good enough to propel him to fame and fortune. He was recruited alongside the original Lancers, but didn't go through the interview process (since he was known to Takari).

He was given a place in the Katanas' command lance after Roq was murdered by DEST on St. John. He was upgraded to the Grasshopper named "Lindorm" in Puppy's honor, since it was felt his Blackjack was too light and slow. He's currently waiting for the Guillotine to finish refitting.

His callsign was originally "Black Adolf", from his old unit, where there were four Normans – but only one of them a Negroid. His mech was painted with a black head, mostly as a joke, and called “Schwarzkopf”. In the Katanas he's only called “Schwarzkopf” (mech still has a black head).

Mirage is a slight redhead in her mid-twenties (that was back in 2997 - she's soon to become permanently 29). She’s rather attractive, save for the disheveled hair, vicious facial scar, the broken nose and the permanent scowl marring her face (expertly fixed - save the scowl - by Dr. Jacobs).

Mirage hails from "the Periphery", more specifically the Oberon Confederation (out beyond the Commonwealth/Combine border). The daughter of a minor “Lord” on the planet Ferris II, she spent her youth training as a mechwarrior and mechtech. Later she joined her father’s band of piratical mercenaries and raided Periphery worlds for slaves and tech supplies (she's pretty much failed to mention this part, having always portrayed herself more as a victim than a "pirate princess").

During one raid against a world on the Commonwealth border (Somerset to be more specific), they were unfortunate enough to run into a Steiner peacekeeping force, a full battalion of medium and heavy mechs. The pirates were decimated and the survivors arrested, but Mirage managed to pass off as a slave and thus escaped execution. She made her way to Solaris in the hopes of finding employment, but it was difficult to find anyone willing to take her on without a mech to her name or any form of credentials.

She was one of the original Lancer recruits, picked up on Solaris, alongside Puppy, Jimmy and Catnip. Takari gave her the break she needed, and she will never forget that leap of faith. From her first hours in a company Stinger, Mirage has come very far. She now pilots the Hatchetman prototype that's part of the Katanas' command lance, and she's got more wealth than she ever had as a Periphery "nobility". Not bad for a girl who nearly ended her life on the end of a rope.

Life hasn't been all kind to her though. She was very close to Puppy, and still mourns her. She also had a thing for the boss man, but what girl doesn't? She had a fling with Drivethrough, but that's over (apparently it was quite hot, for a time, until it crashed and burned). She seems very pleased with Tooms and Ogre having been accidented. She's not so happy about Fishbait being large and in charge. They don't really mix well. Oil and water and all that.

Her callsign comes from her uncanny ability to move unseen, appear from nowhere to unleash hell, then fade away before the enemy can mount an effective response. She’s at her best in fast, agile mechs. The Hatchetman is a little on the slow side for her, but it does suit her temperament and fighting style in some ways.

The 152 kiloton Invader is – by far – the most common jumpship in the Inner Sphere. An estimated 46% of all civilian and military jumpships are Invaders (of these about half are military, about one third are owned by big business, while the remaining ships are privately owned – by smaller firms, merc companies, and whatnot). The Invader is almost as common in the Periphery, but competes with the smaller Merchant for the top spot here (about one third each).

Invaders are very lightly armored, and most carry only a token armament of two lasers, mostly for dealing with meteorites that could threaten the ship – or more commonly – the gigantic solar sail. Military invaders are sometimes fitted with additional weapons (replace lasers with PPCs, maybe add a few missile racks), and AMS systems, but it’s largely pointless as jumpships are no longer considered legal military targets (if you ever attack a jumpship, for whatever reason, prepare to be charged with piracy).

The Invader has the same elongated shape as all jumpships. At the front is the main crew section, comprised of a zero-G command deck (bridge) at the very front. “Below” this section is the rotating crew quarters, where spin provides a non-weightless (0.5G is the norm) environment that enables crews to live in space for prolonged periods of time. Quarters for passengers are separated from the crew quarters by several decks worth of machinery and utilities.

Further down are the small craft bays and some cargo holds (mostly used for provisions and spares for the ship itself), as well as the spin machinery. Adjacent to this are the two rotating hydroponics pods. They provide oxygen and fresh food for crew and passengers, as well as counter-rotation for the crew quarters rotation (otherwise the jumpship would start spinning, which isn’t ideal).

Below this is the long spindle of the jump drive (which essentially is like huge battery), wrapped in a thick protective outer shell. The space between the jump drive proper and the outer hull is taken up by jump drive engineering section (forward), plus additional storage tanks and cargo holds (aft).

This section also has the docking collars. The Invader has 8 such collars arranged along the spine, with provisions for taking large/double dropships. The docking collars also work as airlocks, providing access to the interior of the jumpship. As a security measure the jumpship command crew has full control over access to the ship – you can’t just decide to enter without permission.

Beneath the spindle lies the ship’s main fusion core, a powerful fusion reactor that is used to recharge the ships jump drive (two auxiliary reactors, one fore and one aft, provide power for other operations). Speaking of recharging: The main source of power isn’t the reactor, but the vast solar array that’s deployed to collect the rays of the starts and channel it into the jump drive. When not in use the sail is stored in the aft section of the ship.

The final piece is the ships main thrusters and the massive fuel tanks that serve them. Although weak in terms of max thrust, they are sufficiently powerful to keep a ship on station even with the sail folded (the sail is normally used to prevent a ship from falling into the star –solar wind pressure is sufficient to balance out gravity) or to slowly move this ship around inside a system (it would take weeks, months even, to reach a planet).

The Invader has a permanent crew of only 24. Since the crew stay so long in space, they have relatively spacious quarters. The officers have single rooms, while two crewmen share rooms (but typically these crewmembers are on opposite shifts, so they don’t get into each other’s way).

Recreational space is also provided, with a mess, a lounge, library and a gym – enough space so the crew can have some privacy (compared to dropship quarters the space provided is huge – but if you spend years in space at a time it doesn’t feel that big).

Originally the Invader was designed for crews to rotate every 3 to 6 months, but today most crews stay on far longer – some crewmen, especially officers, stay onboard for years before taking leave – some don’t ever go planetside (Campaign Notes: Captain Winter/Snow White is one such person).

The Invader can also accommodate passengers. The standards vary a bit from ship to ship (on some ships the passenger quarters have been turned into additional space for the crew, others have a suite or two for important guests), but the Invader was originally designed to hold no more than 40 passengers, divided between eight 4-man rooms and four 2-man rooms. Some recreational space is provided, but not nearly as much as for the crew.

Most passengers arrive by dropship – and stay aboard their ship for the duration – so the quarters on board are used only for transit passengers (those who come in on one dropship, transfer to the jumpship and then ride it wherever before disembarking on another dropship) or passengers that arrive by drop shuttle (they don’t have usually have the accommodations for long trips).

Crew (24): 1 commander, 1 executive officer, 1 navigator (typically also the 2^nd officer), 4 bridge officers (these guys basically operate the ship’s many systems, including armament, sensors, comms, and so forth), 5 system engineers (1 astrobotanist, 1 ship’s electrician, 1 ship’s mechanic, 1 computer specialist, 1 environmental engineer), 4 drive engineers (2 are typically jumpdrive specialists, the other 2 power specialists), 1 ship's physician, 1 loadmaster, 1 steward, 1 steward's assistant. 4 crewmen (these fulfill a variety of tasks, including both maintenance/operations, and more mundane tasks like cleaning, preparing food, ship security and more).

Catnip is the Katanas' second in command, Takari's right hand man, and a very loyal samurai.

He is a former DCMS mechwarrior (he had 2 confirmed kills in his Panther before joining the BWL) of the 9th Dieron Regulars. He was dispossessed at Tamar when the 2nd Sword of Light pulled out and left the remaining Combine forces to. He was never a samurai in Combine service, and therefore not a true ronin. After receiving the daisho from his master, Takari, Lord Chesterton, he does consider himself to be samurai and to hell with the Combine.

Catnip is of mixed Asian-African ancestry (think Japanese mixed with Sub-Saharan African). He considers himself God's gift to all women (not that Takari bothers with these things, but he can't avoid having noticed that Catnip is no longer his amorous self - he's in some form of not-quite-secret relationship with Valkyrie).

Catnip is one of the original Lancers. He was recruited on Solaris, alongside such notables as Puppy, Jimmy and Mirage. He quickly worked his way into the Katanas. He originally piloted an old gladiator's Panther called "Quilt", then moved on to a modified PH, an d then took over Takari's old "Kamikaze". He now pilots a lostech "Royal" Black Knight by the name "Katanacat". As of the ladning on Oberon VI he has 23 kills to his name, making him a company level multi-ace.

“Catnip” is named after the plant that’s so appealing to most cats. It started when someone (one of his mechtechs probably) called him “A catnip to women” and the term stuck. Kwan isn’t sure if he likes it or not, but he doesn’t hate the callsign. It’s not like he has a choice in the matter anyway.

Space mines are not floating bombs that lie around waiting for ships to strike them. Instead they are automated weapon platforms, equipped with powerful one-use engines (since they are unmanned they can achieve accelerations that would kill humans), a fuel tank (they burn without though of deceleration or recovery), and some form of offensive weapon. Mines are linked together in vast grids (or minefields if you like) using powerful comms and advanced computer systems.

Upon detecting an enemy ship, a number of mines will be "released" by the grid and start accelerating against the intruder. When they achieve optimum weapon range they will start their attack runs and continue shooting until destroyed, run out of ammo, or sail off into the darkness of space.

Some mines are indeed "explosive", so-called "contact mines. These mine carry powerful thermonuclear warheads and will completely obliterate any target they hit or detonate close to. Being nuclear these mines are no longer in use. Other mines have powerful PPCs, autocannon (gauss in the SL era) or missile packs.

A typical mine will hang dormant in space, either zipping around in orbit around a planet, parked in a pirate jump point (where gravity balances out, thus removing the need for using thrust to keep station), or at a standard jump point (where they use solar sails to keep in position, much like a recharging jumpship).

The risk of "striking" a mine depends on how many there are per volume of space. Low orbit around a planet is "small" and here the risk can be very great. Some smaller pirate points near important worlds have also been heavily mined (Luthien's L4 point, for example). Mining a standard jump point is possible, but required thousands of mines even for a very sparse coverage.

Mines are little used at the dawn of the new millennium. While cheaper than spaceships, they still eat premium industrial capacity, and do not last forever (they need servicing and eventual replacement). But mostly it's a question of lost computer technology and less powerful weapon systems. Without SLDF computer tech the mine grids aren't what they used to be. And without nuclear power the mines are nowhere near as potent as they used to be. On the other hand, there are no warships anymore, so it kind of balances out.

Part of Takari's command lance. Pilots the modified (Computers, Ultra AC/20 and combat blade) Victor called Huntress. She's also the Katana's Chief of Intelligence and (more recently) Chief of Security. Catinp may be the boss' right hand man, but Fishbait is the the left hook you never see coming.

Part Polynesian, dark of skin and hair and eyes. Quite attractive, but she rarely bothers to play up her good looks. She's either in her mechwarrior outfit or in the work uniform of a Lancer officer. She looks more like a stern school mistress than sultry stripper (some of the old hands still talk about the good old times, when Fishbait was the hottest piece on the block and men dared each other to make a pass on her).

Fishbait is MIIO (she's never explicitly stated this, but it's a fact), trained to be a sleeper agent from a young age. As part of her "education" she received extensive SpecOps training, technical training, and mechwarrior training. Ah, the wonders a good clandestine indoctrination program can do for young minds and pliable flesh.

She originally posed as a native from a naturalist clan living in an oasis in the deep southern deserts of Galatea (conveniently impossible to run a background check). She had supposedly broken with her people, and was trying to eke out a living in Galaport. As a bar maid and a stripper in the merc district - and a mech astech. She secretly dreamed of becoming a mechwarrior, and spent her disposable income taking piloting lessons from passing merc companies. Everything designed to maximize her ability to gather intel on passing merc companies - and join one if activated (it's not clear if she was activated - or simply chose to join the Lancer on her own initiative).

Takari knows she's been passing on intel to MIIO, but has chosen to accept it as a necessary evil. Besides, MIIO sometimes feeds vital intel right back at the lancers through her, so it's mutually beneficial. Her unique skill set makes her a valuable asset too. More importantly, she's always shown a great deal to personal loyalty to her commander.

Her callsign is derived from her looks and behavior when she cam aboard at Galatea. She seemed so very young... and was so very tempting...