"The lies of Focht's ComStar have gone unanswered long enough. The time
has come to drive the heretics from the cradle of humanity. Then the purifying
light of Blake's True Vision will shine again on Terra, the gleaming gem set at
the heart of the Inner Sphere. Then all will know that the true ComStar, the
Word of Blake, has returned to guide them through the darkness of ignorance."
--From an address to the Word of Blake Militia by Precentor Demona Aziz
Our most recent
intelligence regarding the activities of the reactionary element known as the
Word of Blake is provided here. Though smaller in number than our brotherhood,
the Word of Blake must not be taken lightly. Despite ComStar's massive losses of
personnel and equipment on Tukayyid, the Word of Blake still fields impressive
military strength, numbering just over four divisions in size. Their military
might and close ties to former Precentor Thomas Marik, currently Captain-General
of the Free Worlds League, gives them considerable power in the Inner Sphere's
political arena. The Word of Blake currently operates in the Free Worlds League;
these reactionaries bear careful watching lest their influence spread out of
control. Detailed reports on each section are available through ROM officers
with Alpha Level Security Clearance.
ComStar defeated
the Clans on Tukayyid, but the victory was bittersweet. ComStar had negotiated
for an end to all offensive action aimed at striking further through the Inner
Sphere toward Terra for fifteen years if the Clans lost, offering Terra's
subjugation to the Clans if the Clans won. However, this agreement only bound
the Clans to cease advancing toward Terra; they considered the rest of the Inner
Sphere fair game. As long as it lay "spinward" from Terra, the Clans could
assault any world within their reach, honing their tactics and wearing down the
Successor States little by little. ComStar had gained a brief breathing space
for the Inner Sphere; in less than two decades, mortal battle would once more be
joined.
The action on
Tukayyid and events following spelled the downfall of the old ComStar. When
Precentor Martial Focht returned to Terra after Tukayyid, he confronted Primus
Waterly about Operation Scorpion, her futile effort to take over the Inner
Sphere by staging revolts to sabotage the Clans' administration of conquered
worlds and placing all Inner Sphere HPGs under Interdiction. Though the details
of the meeting remain unknown, Precentor Focht convinced Myndo Waterly to
abdicate the primacy. One week later, the First Circuit elected Sharilar Mori,
Precentor Dieron, as Primus. Together, Primus Mori and Precentor Martial Focht
embarked on a series of far-reaching reforms.
Demona Aziz,
Precentor of Atreus and a member of the First Circuit during Operation Scorpion,
held strictly to the rigid, conservative interpretation of the works of Jerome
Blake, and blindly followed Primus Waterly. Precentor Aziz wrongly assumed that
Primus Mori's accession and her internal reforms resulted from an illegal coup
d'etat by the Precentor Martial. Though the other First Circuit members saw the
wisdom of Precentor Martial Focht's actions, Precentor Aziz took her staff and
bolted from Terra, traveling to Atreus to meet with Captain-General Thomas
Marik. Upon arriving, she informed the Captain-General that the ComStar he once
served was under attack from within. Demona Aziz petitioned Thomas Marik for
sanctuary within the Free Worlds League for herself and any other members of
ComStar who might share her fears and follow her. Captain-General Marik granted
her request.
Ignorant of the
full scope of the Reformation, Precentor Aziz failed to reveal the true nature
and extent of the changes in ComStar to Captain-General Marik, and the eventual
depth of response to his offer of sanctuary astounded him. When Aziz fled,
Primus Mori had yet to initiate most of the Reformation Acts; ComStar's internal
struggle had not yet spread beyond the First Circuit. Judging Primus Mori and
Precentor Focht by her own narrow standards of conduct, Aziz mistook the rebirth
of ComStar for no more than another round of petty political maneuvering.
Using ROM agents
loyal to her, Precentor Aziz sent messages to every HPG station across the Inner
Sphere, inviting all ComStar members who rejected the new ways in favor of the
old to join her in exile. As Precentor Aziz's call went out, Primus Mori passed
the first of the Reformation Acts and began to uproot some of the Order's
underlying misconceptions. The situation could easily have erupted into violent
internal conflict, but Aziz's rebellion provided an easy way out for those
unwilling to accept change. Primus Mori wisely showed great patience by allowing
the conservative members of the Order to make their choice and leave unopposed,
keeping turmoil to a minimum in the divided brotherhood.
Within months,
Aziz's initial handful of followers became a flood of more than two thousand
refugees, most arriving in the Free Worlds League with only the robes on their
backs. Some of the most fanatical members of the Com Guards managed to smuggle
out their BattleMechs, or carried their personal tools and weapons with them.
The defectors formed a loose organization, still led unofficially by Precentor
Aziz, and adopted the name Word of Blake.
The Word of Blake
accepted as members all those who subscribed to ComStar's traditional operating
procedure and faith, wrongly believed to be the teachings, writings, and
methodologies of the sainted Jerome Blake. While the Reformation Acts unfolded
within ComStar, changing almost every aspect of the old Order, members of the
Word of Blake held true to the monolithic, repressive ComStar they had always
known.
Some remaining
traditions are superficial. For example, unlike the new ComStar, Word of Blake
followers still wear the white robes of the old Order. More seriously, they
continue to recrite prayers to the technological devices under their control,
praising them for their continued, smooth operation. The reformed ComStar no
longer retains this unnecessary and superstitious practice. To an untrained
outsiders, acts of techno-worship performed by Word of Blake members appear to
be nothing more than harmless, quasireligious changing. The danger lies in the
Word of Blake's sincere but ignorant belief that without prayers, the machinery
will not function. They claim that operating an HPG merges technology and
mankind, and their prayers both thank and supplicate the machines. By their
example, they teach others to emulate superstitious flummery, arming them
against any efforts to teach independent thought.
Caught off guard
by the sheer numbers of ComStar followers switching their allegiance to the Word
of Blake, Captain-General Marik arranged to meet with several of the defecting
Precentors that he knew personally to determine the best course of action.
Already, each Precentor represented an individual faction of refugees seeking
sanctuary within the Free Worlds League borders. Precentor Blane of Gibson, a
long-time friend and ally of the Captain-General, led the delegation. Blane
offered a more moderate, less overtly reactionary style of leadership, providing
a marked contrast to the often-combative Aziz. Thomas Marik's open support for
Precentor Blane as the ad hoc leader among the Precentors enfuriated Demona
Aziz, and still provokes controversy within the Word of Blake administration.
Believing that her former rank on the First Circuit entitled her to prominence
among the renegades, Precentor Aziz resented her fall in status from founder to
leader of a minority faction in the group she helped to forge. She could do
little about it, however, except seethe inwardly under a barely civil exterior
and bide her time.
The meeting
yielded two accords. Thomas Marik agreed to relocate the arriving members of the
newly created Word of Blake to the planet Gibson, granting them a landhold
there. In return, the Word of Blake signed a contract to service the HPGs the
League had gained in the aftermath of Operation Scorpion. Precentor Blane and
the other gathered leaders willingly drafted the contract, aware that they would
need the resulting income to support the ever-growing number of ComStar
refugees.
The HPG service
contract between the Free Worlds League and the Word of Blake benefited both
parties equally. It provided the Word of Blake with a substantial, steady source
of income that their new Order desperately needed. It also placed a formidable
political and military tool in Thomas Marik's hands. Knowing that Marik
supported their cause, the Word of Blake in return pledged him their aid should
the need arise. Should House Marik's upcoming marital alliance with House Liao
prove shaky, the Captain-General may use his newfound allies to shore it up. In
the meantime, the Word of Blake's trained MechWarriors and skilled, ruthless ROM
operatives add considerably to Thomas Marik's personal power. Time alone will
show what use he plans to make of them, and how large a threat they pose to
ComStar.
Fortunately, even
as ComStar struggles through changes, the Word of Blake is also suffering
upheaval. Where the ComStar Reformation has the advantage of a clear vision and
a strong leader, the Word of Blake has yet to define its true direction and
goals. As yet, only blind rejection of Primus Mori's reforms binds them
together. Each subgroup within the Word of Blake proposes a different direction
for their organization to take, and the sect's leaders lack sufficient control
over their members to prevent each faction from acting on its own.
All factions
agree on a few points. They decry our blessed Order and its members as heretics
for defying the ancient doctrines falsely claimed to be the writings of Jerome
Blake. They denounce as forgeries the recently discovered, true writings of our
blessed founder on which Primus Mori and Precentor Martial Focht have based the
Reformation. They mourn ComStar as lost, destroyed from inside, and claim that
salvation is possible only by fleeing from our Order's so-called corrupted
vision and joining the Word of Blake. Beyond such narrow-minded hatred, they
hold little in common.
Precentor Aziz
recently deepened the tension between ComStar and the Word of Blake by unveiling
her logo for the growing organization. Wisely declining to widen the schism with
a show of anger, neither Primus Mori nor Precentor Martial Focht have publicly
commented on the logo. However, Precentor Aziz's act of petty defiance can only
dim hopes for an eventual reconciliation.
The logo of the
Word of Blake consists of a massive broadsword thrust downward, its hilt
decorated with the ComStar insignia surrounded by six concentric rings.
According to Aziz, the sword represents the Word of Blake's iron determination
to establish what they call the true faith, and their willingness to use force
to fulfill their version of Jerome Blake's prophecies and visions. The six
concentric rings surrounding the ComStar insignia represent the original seats
of the First Circuit during Blake's time. By invoking the Order's earliest days,
Precentor Aziz seeks to legitimize centuries of creeping revisionism and false
doctrine as the gospel of Jerome Blake.
Currently,
ComStar has more pressing concerns than these empty gestures. Former Primus
Waterly's influence remains straing within the ranks of the Word of Blake, and
some factions call for the death of "the heretic Primus," Sharilar Mori. Most
factions also consider the Primus and Precentor Martial to be evil demons who
destroyed ComStar and betrayed Blake's work. Their hysterical rhetoric might
seem comic, were its potential consequences not so grave. The Order has taken
steps to provide protection for the Primus and Precentor Martial. Though the
murder of either leader would create temporary chaos, ComStar would survive such
a trauma. Destroying our leaders will not destroy our faith or our work. The
Word of Blake's most fanatical members pose a danger beyond their threat to
ComStar, however. Those who call Myndo Waterly a saint point accusing fingers at
the Federated Commonwealth, calling it evil and advocating its destruction.
Allied with the Free Worlds League, the Word of Blake may poison relations
between these two states beyond repair, possibly even touching off another Inner
Sphere-wide war.
If guerrilla
warfare is defined as perpetrating clandestine attacks on the opposition in
order to wear them down, in "monkey" warfare, both sides wage a conflict of
escalating, annoying pranks that, though expensive and time-consuming, cost no
lives. Petty harassment of ComStar by Word of Blake members of the Free Worlds
League and the Federated Commonwealth has forced our Order to retaliate in an
ongoing war of one-upmanship.
As a gesture of
respect for their misguided brethren, ComStar allows the Word of Blake to use
the ComStar HPG network, requiring no modifications for alternate methods of
transmission or additional security measures. Because ComStar hold a one-year
service contract with the Free Worlds League, we also transmit through the HPG
stations held by the Word of Blake. However, ComStar has only minimal control
over those stations as its personnel are gradually replaced by Word of Blake
technicians (as agreed in that contract), and therefore cannot guarantee that
the messages sent through them will arrive at their destination unmolested.
Mounting evidence suggests that Word of Blake technicians frequently tamper with
ComStar message packets sent through their Class A HPGs.
Word of Blake
technicians also delight in adding entire, unrelated messages to transmissions.
Frequently, they insert recruitment information into private communiques.
ComStar internal documents bear the brunt of this abuse, often appearing at
their destination padded by pages of ranting commentary from the Word of Blake
renegades. Though this tampering has a fleeting impact, ComStar loses time and
money when forced to re-transmit messages, sometimes several times, to ensure
that at least one copy makes it through unaltered.
A more serious
interception involved former Primus Myndo Waterly's body, which disappeared from
Terra prior to its scheduled cremation. Primus Mori declared the theft a
"morbid, callous, and heinous act against the dead." Precentor Martial Focht
privately fears that the body of the former Primus may be used as a symbol of
worship to enshrine Waterly as a martyr. As of this writing, no group claims
responsibility for the theft, but evidence points strongly to the Word of
Blake's role in the desecration.
The Word of Blake
retains much of the organizational structure used by ComStar prior to the
Reformation. The three-tiered ranking of acolyte, adept, and Precentor remains
the same, and each division's function uses the standard Greek-letter
classifications. The Word of Blake has kept the Omicron designation, which
represents ROM's internal security and doctrinal purity function.
Repudiating the
First Circuit as a corrupt body, the Precentors leading the Word of Blake
rejected that portion of ComStar's command structure; yet each are leery of
relinquishing personal power and so they formed a loose tribunal, currently led
by Precentor Blane of Gibson. One Precentor represents each faction of the Word
of Blake, with Blane arbitrating all disputes. As of this writing, no one
faction controls the tribunal, and the Word of Blake remains in constant flux.
Part of the
reason no one faction can gain control of the tribunal lies in the widely
diverse interpretations of the writings and will of Jerome Blake held by the
various factions. Though outwardly committed to a single "true vision" they
claim to possess, few within the Word of Blake agree on even the smallest
doctrinal point. Each faction boasts a certain number of supporters, often
centered around a specific person, geographic area, or unique view of Blake's
vision. These factions often break down into smaller splinter groups, each of
which endorses yet another specific viewpoint or ideology. Precentor Demona Aziz
leads the most radical faction, a group known as the Toyama, named for Primus
Conrad Toyama, who first turned ComStar from humanity's guardians to humanity's
oppressors. The Toyama group militantly follows their namesake's gospel,
convinced it is Blake's philosophy, and believes that the Word of Blake should
build a large enough army to seize Terra from our Order and reimpose the
suffocating religion of the old ComStar throughout the Inner Sphere. The Toyama
have made several assassination attempts against our Primus and Precentor
Martial, and have launched several terrorist attacks against ComStar HPGs in the
Federated Commonwealth.
Even within the
Toyama, more extreme splinter groups call for the assassination of all the
Successor State House Lords. Though these murderous reactionaries represent only
a small fraction of the total group, the lack of centralized control within the
Word of Blake makes it impossible to check the movements of each faction or
individual. Still other minor contingents lobby for attacks against the Wolf
Pack, formerly Wolf's Dragoons, in retaliation for their decades-old ties to the
Clans. We of ComStar must not be misled by their small size into underestimating
the danger these groups pose. As history has demonstrated time and again, the
act of a single zealot can plunge worlds into the flames of chaos.
Precentor Blane
leads the moderate True Believers faction, who resort to violence only when
diplomacy fails. Precentor Blane considers reconciliation between ComStar and
the Word of Blake possible, but only at the cost of extreme sacrifice on both
sides. Given the recalcitrance of Blane's fellow Precentors, reunification seems
unlikely. In accordance with his hopes, however slim, Blane plays the role of
middleman in the struggle within the Word of Blake, balancing the violent
factions against those who view ComStar strictly as a religious calling.
The
Counter-Reformists, led by Precentor Willima Willis, maintain that the Word of
Blake should review the writings and teachings of Jerome Blake and revise them
where necessary. Though they disagree with the reforms enacted by Primus Mori
and Precentor Focht, they admit that Blake's philosophy may have been tainted
since ComStar's founding. They believe that the only proper response to past
treachery is to use the past as a building block for the future, reevaluating
the existing interpretations of Blake's vision to discover where ComStar went
wrong and to avoid making those same mistakes. Predictably, this faction has
already been branded heretical by the majority of the Word of Blake. Though its
hot-tempered Precentor boasts a number of followers, this faction also lacks a
definitive direction or plan.
Reconciliation,
if it occurs, will probably come from within the Counter-Reformists or the True
Believers. Some minor splinter groups under Precentor Blane see reconciliation
as the only way to deal with ComStar, and advocate extending diplomatic ties to
our Order as a way to begin healing the breach between the two groups.
The Shunners
faction has not splintered, and in fact, seems to be growing in power. Shunners
believe that Jerome Blake's prophesied destruction of the Inner Sphere draws
near, and that the Word of Blake's only hope for survival is to isolate itself
and weather the coming storm. They consider the current contract with the Free
Worlds League a mistake, a blatant disregard of Blake's warnings about allying
with one of the Successor States. In their own way, the Shunners are as radical
as the Toyama group. Though they disagree about how to act on their theology,
they will fight for their right to exist. Precentor Curtis Byrd, former
Precentor of Florida in the Federated Commonwealth, currently leads the
Shunners, the least vocal of but most steadfast of the current factions.
Further splinter
groups may exist of which we remain ignorant, making our analysis of the balance
of power within the Word of Blake precarious, at best.
The Word of Blake
retained the name of ROM for its internal security organization. They consider
themselves to be the true ComStar, and aside from jettisoning the First Circuit,
have made a point of retaining the Order's outward trappings, including the
Greek-letter function identification for all military and other rank structures.
Along with its structure, the Word of Blake ROM also retained its traditional
watchdog role. ROM agents infiltrate every level of the Word of Blake, seeking
out ComStar agents and punishing any converts tempted to rethink their
loyalties. Most of ROM defected to the Word of Blake in the early days of the
Reformation, bringing with them considerable skill in espionage as well as rigid
conservative influences. Lacking control by a central authority, they frequently
overstep the bounds of their position and of common decency.
ROM agents
associated with the Toyama faction recently attempted to bomb Hilton Head
Island. One of the few ComStar ROM agents to successfully infiltrate the Word of
Blake ROM sent a warning which foiled the attack. If successful, the attack
would have killed the Primus, the First Circuit, and the Precentor Martial at
one stroke. Instead, the incident only served to further escalate the tensions
between our blessed Order and the renegade Word of Blake.
Thankfully, only
sixteen altercations between the ROM forces of ComStar and the Word of Blake
have degenerated into fatal violence, mainly in the Federated Commonwealth,
where the more bloodthirsty factions attempted to punish those individuals who
defied Primus Waterly's orders during Operation Scorpion. Givem the scope of
changes going on elsewhere, our Order views these distressing incidents as minor
by comparison.
The ComStar News
Bureau lost several key reporters in the early stages of the Reformation. Those
who chose to join the ranks of the Word of Blake have set up a rival news
service.
Callin their
creation the Blake News, these reporters originated a series of programs
purportedly illuminating the teachings of Jerome Blake. As with their parent,
the Word of Blake, the Blake News cannot agree on one way to interpret the work
of ComStar's founder; that they managed to produce this program at all is
astonishing. As might be expected, the final version sparked immediate
controversy. Mirroring the internal struggle taking place within the larger
organization, fights sometimes break out during live broadcasts between rival
factions and splinter groups. The actual reporting of news unfortunately
receives short shrift.
Of the thousands
of ComStar members who fled to the Free Worlds League, one of the most notable
and potentially dangerous refugees is Precentor Trent Arian of the Com Guards.
During the battle of Tukayyid, he fought against Clan Diamond Shark, earning
several commendations for his bravery and leadership, including the Precentor's
Sword. Upon returning to Terra with his unit for refit, he learned of Primus
Mori's Reformation Acts. He promptly took more than thirty MechWarriors and
their equipment back off-planet and headed for the Free Worlds League.
Precentor Arian
met with Precentor Blane on Gibson and pledged his loyalty to the Word of Blake.
Precentor Blane, realizing that the number of refugees coming from the ranks of
the Com Guards made a Precentor Martial necessary for the organization,
appointed Precentor Arian to that position.
Precentor Martial
Arian faced the challenge of forging viable military units from the hodgepodge
of BattleMechs and personnel that left ComStar to join the Word of Blake.
Captain-General Marik provided the assistance of the Free Worlds League Ministry
of Defense, and with their help Arian shaped his army around the traditional Com
Guard unit structure. The Free Worlds League advisors suggested establishing two
primary military bases on Gibson, and remained there as technical consultants.
Their true function may be to act as Thomas Marik's eyes and ears, attempting to
ensure that the Word of Blake military acts in accordance with Marik's designs
and goals.
Despite their
philosophical differences, all Word of Blake factions agree that to ensure their
survival, they must directly control military assets. The tribunal allocated
funding to Precentor Martial Arian with instructions to replenish and increase
his forces with new BattleMechs and equipment. He issued an immediate appeal to
all ComStar refugees, calling for engineers to design a new generation of 'Mechs
for his troops, variously known as the Blake Guard or the Word of Blake Militia.
To his delight, many ComStar engineers had joined the Word of Blake and eagerly
tackled this new assignment.
Once the
engineers had several designs underway, Arian negotiated a production contract
with the Free Worlds Defense Industries' Gibson BattleMech factory. The Word of
Blake underwrote the loan needed to expand the facility and fund the development
of the new BattleMechs, using the proceeds of their HPG service contract with
the Free Worlds League. By the spring of 3055, the Blake Guard received its
first fresh-off-the-line shipments of Grand Crusader and Pit Viper 'Mechs.
Precentor Martial Arian gave several of these 'Mechs to the Free Worlds League
to express his appreciation for Captain-General Marik's support. Our ROM agents
in the Capellan Confederation report that Sun-Tzu Liao also received at least
one Grand Crusader for his technicians to study, possibly from Marik as a
wedding gift. If so, Thomas Marik may one day regred that act of dubious
generosity.
The Blake Guards
currently field slightly more than four divisions of troops, roughly equivalent
to three and a half BattleMech regiments. Though slow to arrive, the new
BattleMechs have already bolstered the renegade forces. All units use the
standard Com Guard numbering and configuration, and are currently stationed on
Gibson. Precentor Martial Arian so far has refused to commit his troops to any
action until the Word of Blake agrees on a unified theology and a firm direction
for its future. Given the reactionaries' fragmented state, Precentor Martial
Focht expects no belligerence from them for some time. As of this writing, our
Com Guards may turn all their attention to preparing for the coming battle with
the Clans with no concerns for an attack from this quarter.
The various
factions of the Word of Blake have so far been able to agree on only one point:
that the blessed Order of ComStar has been taken over by "heretics." Nearly
every faction believes that the tainted writings that masqueraded as the
philosophy of Jerome Blake prior to the Reformation remain valid and offer a
clear direction for their organization. They also believe that the dark age
Blake predicted approaches, and that his believers must save knowledge and lead
humanity out of its benighted era. In truth, our blessed Order has not forsaken
our belief in the need to save technology in order to preserve civilization. We
have come to realize, however, that we can best save knowledge by sharing it,
not by denying it to others. The new dark age that Blake predicted began in the
misguided actions of the old ComStar. Unless the Inner Sphere stands together
against them, the Clans will make that dark age permanent.
The original
version of The Word of Blake, written and published by Primus Conrad Toyama, is
required reading for all True Believers. Depending on their factional
affiliation, some members must also be familiar with Primus Rusenstein's Blessed
Destiny. Though ComStar no longer publishes either work, the Word of Blake still
produces them through several presses operating on Gibson. When and if the
organization reaches theological consensus, their pretender Primus may simply
add a chapter containing these interpretations to The Word of Blake.
The Word of Blake
believes that ComStar's corruption grew like a cancer for centuries, ultimately
manifesting itself in Precentor Martial Focht and Primus Mori, who they claim
conspired against Blake's teachings and killed Myndo Waterly. They insist that
her death allowed Operation Scorpion to fail, a conclusion they reach only by
ignoring the fact that Waterly still held power when the Clans fought off the
takeover attempts, and that Precentor Martial Focht graciously allowed her to
retire in peace despite her crimes against Blake's vision. Precentor Aziz has
successfully managed to gloss over ComStar's initial support for the Clans,
revising history to show their support as a ploy to lull the Clans into
complacency.
Other skewed
versions of events have begun to surface. Because neither Jerome Blake nor his
successors foresaw the role that the survivors of Kerensky's Exodus would play
in the drama of life in the Inner Sphere, the Word of Blake continues to
consider the Successor Lords a greater threat to the Inner Sphere than the
Clans. Despite the Clans' and ComStar's common background, the dissenters view
the Clans as misguided and barbaric. Following the pattern of many religions,
the Word of Blake has rewritten their own history, calling their one-time hero
Aleksandr Kerensky "the greatest betrayer of mankind" for his "single-handed,
self-centered blow to the Star League."
With his moderate
views, Precentor Blane clearly enjoys the support of much of the Word of Blake's
rank and file, and seeks compromise from the extremists. Precentor Blane's call
to develop a unified theology that all members can support encouraged many
members to suggest that he assume the primacy.
Having received
ComStar training and served as a Precentor before he was recalled to lead the
Free Worlds League when Janos Marik suffered his stroke in 3031, Thomas Marik
easily won the hearts and loyalties of ComStar adepts. When the Reformation
turned their ordered world upside down, he offered those same adepts shelter,
support, and acceptance for their unwavering faith. Because they also trust
Precentor Blane, who fully backs Captain-General Thomas Marik, Marik's eventual
election as Primus for the Word of Blake seems a foregone conclusion.
The Word of Blake
appears to solidly support Marik for leadership, but some express doubts about
his fitness for the primacy because he has so far refused to push for a unified
theology. Publicly, he maintains that his current role as benefactor to all
factions prevents him from offering an opinion on the direction the movement's
theology should take. We believe that Marik is simply biding his time, waiting
to gain the formal title of Primus before turning the Word of Blake to his
purposes.
Thomas Marik's
political position as Primus-in-exile affords him an obvious opportunity to use
the Word of Blake as a buffer against his future son-in-law, Sun-Tzu Liao.
Regardless of Chancellor Liao's true intentions in marrying Isis Marik, second
in the Free Worlds line of succession to rule, the additional military force and
fanatical devotion the Word of Blake offers to Marik will serve to keep Sun-Tzu
in check. Rumors of several new Free Worlds League 'Mech bases being built
within the turbulent Duchy of Andurien indicate that Thomas Marik may plan to
shift the Word of Blake Militia to the Duchy, both to better keep Andurien under
his control and to position the Blake Guards on the doorstep of the Capellan
Confederation. This is, of course, only speculation on our part, but these
conclusions are logical based on the evidence at hand.
Chancellor Liao
has not acknowledged the Word of Blake other than to send relief supplies and
foodstuffs to Gibson. This single gesture is apparently intended to demonstrate
the Chancellor's good will toward the Captain-General, but other signs indicate
that Sun-Tzu may be playing a far more devious game. In what may be an effort to
try and buy their loyalty away from Thomas Marik, Sun-Tzu has dropped hints that
he is willing to provide military equipment and spare parts to the Word of
Blake. Continuing the complex political dance between Liao and Marik, Sun-Tzu
has reportedly asked the Word of Blake to bid on a service contract for his own
HPGs, as his agreement with our Blessed Order expires next year.
Recruitment for
the Word of Blake has surpassed that of our blessed Order. During the Clan war,
enormous numbers of refugees fled from the path of the advancing enemy. Though
in the past, refugees gladly joined ComStar, Myndo Waterly's Operation Scorpion
debaucle has tainted the Order's image among civilians. Despite ComStar's
sincere desire to aid humankind and make reparation for past mistakes, we have
yet to overcome the widespread mistrust caused by those mistakes. By contrast,
the Word of Blake's rigid religious trappings and righteous mentality attract
those driven from their homeworlds. Desperate for certainty in the midst of
chaos, many refugees have joined the Word of Blake to find refuge from hardship
and responsibility. The number of new recruits joining the Word of Blake has
risen even as ComStar's recruitment declines.
(Deployment as of 3054)
Unit Name Experience Regiments Homeworld 1st Division Elite 1 Gibson (CO: Precentor Suzanne Mulvanery) 2nd Division Regular 1 Gibson (CO: Precentor Daphine Chrysler) 3rd Division Veteran 1 Gibson (CO: Precentor Randolph Kanni) 4th Division Veteran 1 Gibson (CO: Precentor Jake Rule) 5th Division Regular 0.16 Gibson (CO: Precentor Trenton Endicott)
The Liao-Marik
invasion brought Word of Blake loyalists to the Sarna March in droves, either
following in the wake of invading troops or taking advantage of insurrections to
overthrow ComStar administration of HPG stations on disputed worlds. On worlds
conquered by Marik forces, Word of Blake acolytes immediately displaced ComStar
personnel at all HPG facilities. Those ComStar personnel who did not escape the
Word of Blake have been forcibly relocated somewhere deep within the League,
possibly on the Word of Blake's stronghold on Gibson. The fate of ComStar
personnel on Liao-controlled worlds is in question, though the Word of Blake
does not seem to be moving onto those worlds en masse.
Of the newly
formed minor powers within the March, only the Terracap Confederation has
allowed the Word of Blake to take control of its HPG stations. As far as can be
confirmed, ComStar retains its ownership of the HPG stations in the Sarna
Supremacy, the Styk Commonality, and the Saiph Triumvirate. At this point, no
one knows for certain who controls the HPG facilities within the Sirian Holds.
On several of
the Chaos March's independent worlds, ComStar and the Word of Blake are engaged
in running conflicts, with forces from one side or the other taking a facility
one week and then losing it to their opponents the next. This low-level warfare
has severely disrupted offworld communications on these planets, further
isolating them from outside influences. Offworld communications from these
disrupted worlds, when such communication exists at all, functions through a
"pony express" system in which a JumpShip collects messages and then jumps to
the nearest star system with a stable HPG facility. This facility then transmits
the messages to their destinations.
Of particular
interest to mercenary commanders looking for a berth, reliable rumor has stated
the Brion's Legion recently left ComStar's employ on Terra to accept a rather
lucrative contract on the planet Pleione and become one of the key units in the
Tikonov Reaches. Of all these events occurring in the late 3050s, this was the
one which led most directly to the Word of Blake conquest of Terra.
After skirmishing
with the Second FedCom Regimental Combat Team on Hsien, the 21st Centauri
Lancers seemed to need a chance to rest and recover from that bloody battle.
After recruiting new personnel to fill their losses and arriving on Terra, the
Lancers drilled with ComStar's Terran Defense Force. Impressing Precentor Lisa
Koenigs-Cober, charged with the defense of Terra, as being more skilled than the
new recruits would have suggested, the stage was set for the Word of Blake's
conquest as the new recruits proved to be Word of Blake agents.
On February 28,
3058, the Word of Blake struck. The day was a rather symbolic one, being the
276th anniversary of Jerome Blake being given control of Terra and what would
become ComStar. It was also the 38th month since the official naming of Sharilar
Mori, and Jerome Blake had a 38-year reign, a terribly complicated matter and
bound up in the malignant theology of the Word of Blake terrorists. The Word of
Blake and 21st Centauri Lancer forces attacked and destroyed Hilton Head and the
Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, inflicting considerable losses on the ComGuard
201st Division. As the attack continued, Precentor Koenigs-Cober destroyed
eveything of value which could not be taken and retreated offworld with Primus
Mori, the First Circuit, and remaining ComGuard forces.
As the news
reached Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht as he was on his way to a strategy
session with the St. Ives Compact, Federated Commonwealth, and Draconis Combine
on Tukayyid, it was decided not to contest the Word of Blake conquest at that
time, leaving them the trouble of defending Terra should the Clans break the
truce. With three Word of Blake regiments burning in to bolster their forces on
Terra, the decision seemed a wise one, especially in light of rumors that the
Word of Blake is in the process of hiring mercenaries to further strengthen
their garrison force. With this conquest of Terra, ComStar has moved its base of
operations to the Free Rasalhague Republic world of Tukayyid, where it prepares
to once again defend the Inner Sphere when the Clans continue their invasion.
While ComStar
continues to defend the Inner Sphere, the Word of Blake further entrenches its
forces, waiting for the ComStar counterattack that could very well never come.
With the Word of Blake in control of the cradle of humanity, the entire Inner
Sphere has cause to worry, as the old ComStar is back and its name is the Word
of Blake. With the Blakist terrorists in control of Terra, the Successor States
can once again expect the frequency of terrorist bombings, assassinations, and
technological thefts common in the old days of ComStar to increase, as the Word
of Blake concentrates on its own twisted view of the writings of the blessed
Jerome Blake instead of the greater threat known as the Clan invasion.