Union of Border Worlds

The Union of Border Worlds (Border Worlds Union) is a faction that exists in the Wing Commander universe. Its first appearance is in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom.

History

The Union of Border Worlds is a human nation that has existed almost as long as its neighbor, the Terran Confederation. As its name implies, the Union is made up of a large assortment of star systems located on the frontier of the much larger Confederation. All of its systems are located within the borders of the Epsilon, Enigma, Vega, and Landreich Sectors. The two nations have been allies for centuries, as the Border Worlds were initially settled by Confed citizens. However, the Union never signed the Articles of Confederation, so the fact that it was essentially under the rule of the Confederation government for so many years was a subject of much debate.

During the 35-year Terran-Kilrathi War, the Union was a staunch ally of Confed and generally accepted Confed rule for that time period. However, the Union suffered heavily for its strategically-vital location between the Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire, and was often neglected by Confed itself. It has been said that the planets of the Union were often where the Confed authorities dumped their prisoners of war and toxic wastes. This mistreatment only further fueled the Union's resentment for their Confed allies. The Border Worlds' saw significant action during the war, including the actions at the Dakota System, the Battle of Repleetah, the invasion of Kurasawa, the fall of the Deneb Quadrant, and the destruction of Loki VI in 2669. Despite the tremendous amount of fighting seen in the Border Worlds, Confed and the Union continued their battle to survive, and together were able to protect most of Border Worlds colonies from falling to the Kilrathi.

During the year 2668, the Confed government agreed to a temporary truce with the Kilrathi, resulting in the now-infamous 2668 Armistace. Alongside Firekka, the Free Republic of the Landreich and the Grovsner Colonies, the Border Worlds protested the authorization of this truce. They all feared that the Kilrathi were deceiving their human enemies into laying down their weapons so that their attacks on human sectors could proceed unopposed. Their suspicions proved correct when the Kilrathi attacked Earth in the disastrous Battle of Earth. Despite the fact that it was a human victory, the Confed Navy was devastated and over 2 billion humans died in the prior battle at Sirius, leaving Confed on the brink of defeat and with it, the Border Worlds.

During the year 2669, Confed launched the TCS Behemoth to destroy Kilrah in a final attempt to win the war, and it was test-fired in the Union-controlled Loki System. There, the Behemoth successfully destroyed Loki VI, which was then controlled by the Kilrathi. However, the Behemoth was destroyed mere hours afterwards, resulting in a massive defeat for humanity. Around that time, the Kilrathi also invaded the Torgo System. Fortunately, defeat turned to victory when Colonel Christopher Blair of the TCS Victory launched the Temblor Bomb on Kilrah, destroying the planet and finally ending the war. Had Confed not succeeded in this operation, the Border Worlds would also have fallen.

The Fight for Independence

After the Kilrathi War ended in 2669, the Union of Border Worlds sought full independence from the Terran Confederation. This decision earned a mix of praise and outrage all across the galaxy from billions of Confed citizens. Border Worlds supporters argued that since the Union never signed the Articles of Confederation, they were entitled to independence. Those who opposed this decision argued that since the Border Worlds were originally settled by Confed citizens, they too were Confed colonies. The Border Worlds received the majority of their goods from the Confederation and millions of citizens, including Colonel Blair himself, held commissions in the Confed Navy. Despite the protests, the Union carried out with their plans to establish themselves as an independent nation, but without the recognition of the Confed government.

The 2673 Black Lance Conspiracy

The conflict between Confed and its Border Worlds allies came to a breaking point during the year 2673. During that year, unmarked ships of an unknown faction began harassing Confed vessels traveling along the Union's borders. These attacks often focused on cargo vessels and never left any survivors. The few witnesses to these attacks saw ships known to be of Border Worlds origin, as well as fighters that were clearly not of Confed's design. These ships were also assumed to be Border Worlds. Furthermore, Confed ships were seen attacking Border Worlds vessels. These mysterious attacks caused both sides to accuse each other of warmongering, pushing both factions to the brink of war. In response to this worsening crisis, the Great Assembly assigned Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn of the Strategic Readiness Agency (SRA) to investigate the matter within a two-week period. If the Border Worlds turned out to be the culprit, the Assembly would vote on possible war with the Border Worlds.

Fearing the possibility of war, both the Confed and Union navies mobilized to defend their worlds and convoys from enemy attack. However, the Union Navy was small and made up of a large assortment of obsolete Confed vessels, giving Confed the upper hand. Confed was convinced that the Border Worlds were the enemy, but others knew better. Captain William Eisen of the TCS Lexington defected to the Border Worlds alongside Colonel Blair and several of his comrades from the TCS Victory, his previous vessel. He revealed to them that he had evidence that a secret force within Confed was instigating war between the two human nations for unknown reasons. Eisen worked behind Confed lines to find the true culprits while Colonel Blair and Vice Admiral Eugene Wilford of the Border Worlds worked to defend the colonies alongside the BWS Intrepid. Blair and his forces succeeded in destroying many of these mysterious attackers and protected several Border Worlds colonies while suppling what existed of the Border Worlds military. It was becoming increasingly clear that neither Confed or the Union were responsible for the attacks, but the Confed government remained oblivious.

Days before the war declaration on Earth, the human colony in the Telamon System sent a distress call to the Intrepid, saying that they were being exterminated by unmarked ships. By the time Blair and his men arrived to save the colony, almost everybody was dead. It was discovered that several unmarked ships deployed a biological weapon that exterminated humans whose DNA did not match a predetermined set of standards set within the weapon's programming. 90% of the colonists died, rendering Telamon unsafe for further settlement. Fortunately, Blair tracked down these ships to a starbase in the Axius System, where he identified the mysterious Confed faction as the Black Lance, an illegally-formed special forces division...formed by Admiral Tolwyn. Tolwyn had reactivated the Genetic Enhancement Program to turn his soldiers into genetically-superior supersoldiers, and they were instigating war to remilitarize Confed to prepare for future wars. They also were exterminating "genetically-inferior" citizens in order to "purify" humanity with the Gen-Select Bioweapon, the same weapon used on Telamon. Their unmarked ships were Dragon Heavy Fighters, illegally-commissioned superfighters. Shocked by this discovery, Blair raced to Earth on the Intrepid to warn the Great Assembly about the true scenario.

Tolwyn and his forces attempted to stop Blair from reaching Earth by pursuing the Intrepid on the TCS Vesuvius, but were stopped by Captain Eisen on the hijacked TCS Mount St. Helens. Using a captured Dragon, Blair destroyed the Vesuvius and the remaining Black Lance forces. He then barged in on the Assembly and revealed Tolwyn's lies to the senators. Tolwyn slips up during this argument when he says that waging war is the only logical means to protect humanity from future threats. Appalled by this and Tolwyn's genocidal crimes, the Assembly voted overwhelming against war with the Border Worlds, with 130 votes against war and a mere 22 votes for war. Tolwyn was then tried and convicted and the Black Lance were disbanded. The Union of Border Worlds was saved.

Recognition of Independence

After the end of the Black Lance Conspiracy, Confed finally recognized the full independence of the Union of Border Worlds. The two sides began to cooperate as allies once again, except the Union was treated on equal terms with Confed rather than as a subsidiary. The Border Worlds returned several ships they commandeered from Confed, began independent production and reorganized the military. They also formed an alliance with the Free Republic of the Landreich, and as of 2681, the Union remains independent. It can be assumed that they, like Confed, worked to combat the Nephilim invasion during that year.

Notable Citizens

• Christopher Blair - Nephele System
• Eugene Wilford
• Jacob Manley - Mylon System
• Tamara Farnsworth
• Velina Sosa
• Troy "Catscratch" Carter
• Robert Sykes
• John Dekker
• Dr. Clivers

Territories

Vega Sector

• Baird's Star
• Dakota
• Tartarus
• Hellespont
• Kurasawa
• Tyr
• Nephele
• Loki
• Mylon
• Ymir
• Segallion
• Nifelheim
• Elohim

Enigma Sector

• Cabrea
• Telamon
• Racene
• Harrison
• Shelton
• Bradsbury
• Repleetah
• Wetland
• McCaffrey

Epsilon Sector

• Masa
• Ulsima
• Lennox
• Anatic Prime
• Verula
• Silenos
• Deneb
• Torgo
• Perillia
• Canewdon
• Leyton
• Peleus
• Orestes
• Chanel
• Ayers
• Epsilon Prime
• Ross 94G
• Circe
• Granita
• Veronica
• Bistangio
• Antares
• Trafalgar

Landreich Sector

• New Plains

External Links

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