
Modern History
--------------

Modern Tavonni history covers a very short space of time,
encompassing 1111 to 1201. Caradoc LIC, a Ling Standard Products
company, purchased the system in 1117. Menelvagor Ltd,
originally a Sword World company, built the starport. The
background on both companies provided below explains how this
seemingly unlikely fusion came about.

Caradoc LIC

Caradoc began when a retired Fleet Admiral (Count Leto
Khaanraarshuinki) and a retired Army general (Gukushriiken)
created a trading company in the Outrim Void (Egryn subsector,
Trojan Reach). In 1099, the pair teamed up with two ex-scouts
and a merchant. By using their retirement benefits and Leto's
family fortune, they created a subsector-wide interface line by
1101. Trading, a lanthanum strike, and the salvage of missing
frontier cruiser Bright Light built Caradoc's capital to TCr 1
by 1117. When Leto learned of the Strephon's death, he foresaw
trouble in the Outrim Void. Guessing at the probable response of
the ihatei (with knowledge gained from trading), he decided to
abandon their trading bases and retreat to the Marches. While
scouring the sector for a new base, Leto cut a deal with LSP to
become a subsidiary company. This gave Caradoc access to
much-needed contacts within the Marches, and provided a large
capital base to draw upon. When his scouts returned, Leto
decided that Tavonni was the best choice for a base: it provided
land, it was in an under-developed subsector, and it was in a
central location in the Marches.

Menelvagor Ltd

Menelvagor Ltd traded throughout the Marches for nearly ten
years, after being incorporated on Beater/Sword Worlds in 1101.
Growing from a single free trader to a fledgling company, it
received a severe setback when pirates destroyed its flagship
Mithril Wanderer in 1110. The company lost its founder, Beowulf
Heyerdahl, at the same time. Baroness Heidi Maria Heyerdahl took
over the company and steered it through the remainder of the
Fifth Frontier War. Two years later, the shipyards at
Pixie/Regina completed the company's new flagship Bonaventure, a
12,810-ton armed merchant cruiser.

The Tavonni Purchase

Leto travelled to Regina personally to petition Archduke Norris
for the Tavonni system. While attending a function, he met
Heidi, and they discussed the purchase. Heidi realised the
potential of the concept and offered to build the starport.
Together, they approached Norris with a detailed proposal. It
included the establishment of a Scout base and xboat link
between Vilis and Lanth, the creation of a starport, and the
provision of a small planetary defence fleet (partly to be
comprised of surplus Imperial Navy craft). Norris approved the
Tavonni Purchase on 261-1117. An extensive system survey began
as Caradoc's Darrian Aslan company Ftai evacuated its holdings
in the Outrim Void.

Caradoc immediately constructed a basic D-class starport, while
Menelvagor raised a MCr 2,000 loan from Hortalez et Cie and
began building the "real" starport of Beowulf Down. Caradoc also
recruited refugees from the ihatei invasions as colonists. In a
joint refuel/repair deal with Al Morai, Caradoc ensured that the
refugees were transported to Tavonni at a discount rate. In
turn, Al Morai's dead-end route from Regina to Garda-Vilis
turned into a circular route to Lanth, connected via Tavonni.

By the completion of Beowulf Down on 100-1121, Tavonni's
population had reached 117,200. A population boost occurred
later that year, when a lanthanum strike in the Peanuts belt
brought miners flocking to the system. A further boost occurred
when the Domain learned of the AI Virus and forced Tavonni to
destroy all its robots. The government had to re-start colonist
recruiting to replace the lost workforce.

The Sword Worlds Land-Grab and the Abandonment

The Imperial Navy supplied a surplus Kokirrak-class dreadnought
to the Tavonni Planetary Navy (TPN) on extended loan. Together
with the Bright Light and Bonaventure, the Khtai provided the
core of the planetary fleet. The TPN increased in size by
loaning and purchasing numerous smaller ships. The ground forces
grew from Caradoc's original Aslan company through to regiment
size by 1130.

In 1130, the Navy reclaimed most of the ships loaned to the TPN
(including the Khtai). They also nationalised many of the
military ships owned by the TPN. The Navy re-directed all these
vessels to assist the Quarantine. This almost proved the undoing
of Tavonni when the Sword Worlds attempted their land-grab in
1132. The TPN desperately pressed into service every ship it
could find, even using private vessels as couriers where
necessary. The Tavonni forces fought a rear-guard and somewhat
guerilla-like campaign against the invaders. The Sword Worlders
managed to gain a foothold on the surface, but sustained heavy
casualties as the Ashsiimkir-Ftai, now an Imperial-Aslan
planetary regiment equipped to TL 15 standards, inflicted losses
far greater than their numbers would suggest. The Sword World
ground forces could not crack the four tank companies of the
regiment, having to rely on ortillery that was then vulnerable
both to the tanks and to some well-placed deep-site meson guns.
When elements of the 18th Fleet finally relieved Tavonni, they
drove the Sword Worlders out of the system.

After this, the RQS returned a number of ships to the TPN,
including the Khtai, Bright Light, and Bonaventure. The Tavonni
defence forces had their revenge, accompanying the regular
Regency forces when they annexed the Sword Worlds, supported by
the 151st Fleet from Sacnoth/Sword Worlds. Baroness Heidi
personally claimed her homeworld of Tizon in the name of the
Regency.

The Abandonment (1133) was something of a lifesaver for Tavonni.
Deprived of its robotic workforce three years earlier, and
having to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by the Sword World
invasion, the planet needed more people. With a history of
recruiting refugees for resettlement, the Tavonni government had
an edge over other Regency worlds that opened for colonists.
Tavonni was almost able to pick and choose whomever it wanted to
bring, welcoming them into its society while cleverly avoiding
the "Refugee World" tag (some Regency citizens view this label
with distaste). The young Tavonni society thus succeeded in
incorporating the refugees, much as it had the original (and
on-going) colonists for 15 years. However, the citizens of
Tavonni - normally friendly and accepting - voted recently
against allowing Zhodani refugees to settle in the system.
Observers believe that this result derives from the antipathy
shown to all members of the former Outworld Coalition by the
families of Count Leto and Baroness Heidi.

