ComStar Historical Archives

When the Exodus fleet of General Aleksandr Kerensky made landfall at the Pentagon worlds, they thought their long journey out of darkness was finally over. Unfortunately, there was an even greater darkness ahead.

During the long journey from the Inner Sphere, General Kerensky came to realize that if his people were to survive once they settled on a planet, many of his soldiers would need to adopt a new lifestyle. Accordingly, all members of the SLDF were tested and ranked and only those who scored highest on the tests remained in the military. All the rest were mustered out and entered other professions, such as teachers, farmers, businessmen and such. However, over time, this forced retirement from their chosen profession did not sit well with the people who had abandoned their homes and everything they knew to follow their General into the unknown.

Tensions within the Exodus society began to increase along national lines, particularly between Liao and Davion settlers on the world of Eden. By 2801, a mere fifteen years after the discovery and settlement of the Pentagon worlds, these tension erupted into riots and small outbreaks of violence between communities. Although Kerensky himself appeared distracted and almost indifferent to the violence, he ordered harsh retaliation against the rebels by the planetary government of Eden. This had the effect, however, of inflaming the crisis even more. After several months of low-level, though bloody, fighting, on 5 May a group of former soldiers of Capellan descent declared their independence from the so-called Star League-in-Exile. They initiated their rebellion by attacking a Brian Cache on Eden's southern continent, hoping to get their hands on more military hardware, including BattleMechs.

Relying once more on his long-time second-in-command, Kerensky dispatched General Aaron DeChevilier to deal with the insurgents. DeChevilier, who had been with Kerensky when they stormed the Imperial Palace of Stefan Amaris and who had been instrumental in planning and executing the journey from the Inner Sphere, led a regiment of infantry to Eden to put down the revolt. DeChevilier and Elizabeth Hazen, his second-in-command and lover, led their detachment into the Pokill jungle of Eden, where they fell victim to a rebel ambush on 14 May. In the first few minutes of the attack, Hazen's Black Knight fell into a hidden oil pit, though she managed to eject before her 'Mech exploded. During her ejection, her neurohelmet was struck by a rebel bullet and she was rendered unconscious.

Upon awakening, Hazen witnessed the final moments of Aaron DeChevilier's life. The General's Atlas had likewise fallen into an oil pit, but he had yet to eject, choosing instead to fire his weapons at the hidden rebel positions while his infantry set up a perimeter around the pit to allow the General time to extricate himself. Then, a flight of hand-held missiles flew from the surrounding jungle and struck DeChevilier's 'Mech, igniting the oil in the pit and incinerating many of the loyalist infantry. At this point, the General, realizing that his BattleMech was lost, decided to eject. However, as Elizabeth Hazen watched, one of the rebel missiles struck DeChevilier's ejection seat, killing him instantly. Though Elizabeth Hazen and the remaining loyalist troops were able to defeat the rebels and save the threatened Brian Cache, the SLDF had lost one of its greatest heroes.

Much as after the failed Prinz Eugen Mutiny, General Kerensky's reaction to the death of his long-time friend was swift and brutal. Citing General Order 137, he summarily executed the surviving rebels without a trial. His retribution did not end there, however. The home villages of the rebels were razed to the ground and their populations dispersed across the planet. Many civilians died during this forced relocation, engendering even more resentment against the General and his government. In all, nearly 20,000 civilians were killed, sparking violent riots on the other four Pentagon worlds. The forces of the SLDF were hard-pressed to control the rebellious populace and every attempt merely exacerbated the problem. Only the harsh frontier worlds of the nearby Kerensky Cluster remained relatively calm. By early June, full-scale war was in effect and Kerensky himself was dead of a heart attack. The Star League-in-Exile disintegrated into a civil war that would last twenty years and ultimately reshape the face of the Inner Sphere.

• Sources Used:
• BattleTech Field Manual: Crusader Clans;
• Invading Clans Sourcebook;
• Jade Falcon Sourcebook;
• The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky;
• Wolf Clan Sourcebook