The Dane Sacellum #1: History

Hello Commander. As you have only recently become aware of the new conflict brewing in the galactic south, this briefing series has been scripted to get you up to speed on the war you're walking into. The Taurians would welcome any assistance you can provide and expect to see your company on the front lines against the Sacellum as soon as you complete your briefing. This first briefing will detail, such as we know it, the history of the Dane Sacellum.

The year is 2569, the location is the Terran Hegemony system of Chisholm. A conglomerate of military contractors for the Hegemony armed forces have come together with a common goal: leaving the Hegemony for brighter pastures. These three companies are Dane Computing, Mallard Robotics, and Jacobson Arms. Between them, they manufactured robotics for industrial purposes, advanced computer systems for business, industry, and military needs, and all sorts of war material for the Hegemony. The leaders of each company saw the writing on the wall with Director-General Ian Cameron’s proposal to bring the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere together into one government and had decided that it was time to leave the Hegemony and make their own future somewhere else. They did not trust Ian Cameron or his great plan and believed their influence would diminish (in retrospect, that assumption would have been proven wrong, but hindsight is 20-20). So, after acquiring various DropShips and JumpShips, and even commandeering several WarShips that Jacobson Arms had been building for the Hegemony navy, they packed up their civilians, employees, technology, and resources, and left the Hegemony. With them came almost 2 million people, mostly families and employees of the companies who agreed with their decision-making but also various colonists and adventuring souls who wanted to make their fortunes. They left in 2571, on the eve of the Star League’s formation, and history quickly forgot the corporations ever existed. As far as history records, they were never heard from again.

In truth, they had quite a history still. They traveled towards the galactic rim, passing through the Hegemony, the Capellan Confederation, and even the Taurian Concordat in search of a place to call their own. After a full year and a half in space and becoming extremely lost, they stumbled upon a cluster of garden worlds to the galactic south of the Concordat, far enough away that they’d never be disturbed. The corporations, tired of the difficult travel, rejoiced in their discovery and settled down. They named the area of space the Sanctuary Worlds and quickly began the long process of building a new civilization out in the black of space. Most systems in the Sanctuary Worlds had multiple inhabitable worlds, giving plenty of space for the colonists to spread out and settle down. Three governments quickly sprang up, one based on each of the three corporations that settled the worlds: the Mallard Republic, the Jacobson Haven, and the Dane Sacellum.  

As it goes though, the governments did not agree with each other on much and quickly fell to squabbling among themselves, leading to an extended period of skirmishes and low-level conflicts. They had brought plenty of weapons technology and knowledge with them, but thanks to some clever diplomacy and social decision-making, they managed to keep conflicts at a low level and eventually ritualized combat to a large degree, preventing them from annihilating themselves in warfare. How the Sanctuary Worlds saved themselves from destruction will be discussed at a later point in this briefing.
 

In the 2850s, the governments were finally unified under House Dane of the Dane Sacellum after centuries of warfare and skilled diplomacy. With their house supreme, House Dane began to reshape the Sanctuary Worlds to their own liking and have formed a strong empire in all-but-name. History changed for the Sacellum in 3046 when a ship of ComStar’s Explorer Corps arrived in a Sacellum system on accident and was swiftly captured. House Dane quickly realized that the Inner Sphere still existed and got a brief version of their history from the captured ComStar personnel. An expedition to the IS was planned and put into motion. Finally, in the year 3063, almost 500 years after they left, a Sacellum expedition returned to known space in the Taurian system of Erod's Escape, where they quickly overwhelmed the limited TDF defenders and established themselves as the new rulers of the system. Taurian defenses were mobilized to deal with the invaders (originally believed to be a Clan offshoot) and a grueling extended war ensued. As of now, the Taurians and Sacellum remain at war over numerous Taurian systems, as well as at least one waypoint system that the Sacellum set up prior to the invasion. The Sanctuary Worlds themselves remain unexplored by the Inner Sphere at this time.

Further briefings on the Sacellum will detail their technology, culture, and warfighting techniques.