Fletcher Industriplex Beta

During the days of the Terran Hegemony, Fletcher had been something of an Industrial Powerhouse. After the fall of the Star Leauge, the ravages the Succession Wars had destroyed almost all of Fletcher’s heavy industry, especially its once-extensive military manufacturing.  By the end of the Jihad, Fletcher was seen as a dismal world with little to offer, its sole industry of note being funerals and internment of the dead.

The Republic’s resettlement programs in the aftermath of the Jihad helped turn the ailing world around, the new additions to its population bringing with them new opportunities. The resettlement of Clan Wolf civilians on Fletcher bought an influx of technology to the battered world, allowing its people a chance to rebuild much of what they had lost. The economic boom that came with the Republic’s Golden Age of peace aided in this rebuilding, helping to again change the face of the world.

While much of this new technology and development went into the civilian sector, some of it was turned towards the redevelopment of Fletcher’s military industries. The facility known as Fletcher Industriplex Beta was built on the site of a long-destroyed StarCorps manufacturing center, one that had once built Highlander BattleMechs among others. The facility was completed in the early 32^nd Century, built through a cooperation of Wolf personnel and Sea Fox supplied Technology.

 The Industriplex was designed to support the not considerable amount of Clan technology weapons, especially BattleMechs, that the Republic Armed Forces possessed. The facility was designed to produce all manner of Clan-spec components, from BattleMech parts to fusion reactors to weapons and ammunition. Its output was distributed to Republic forces across the Prefecture, but a good portion of that was specifically to the Bright Fang and Wolf Trap militia clusters, ensuring that the two Wolf units would have a constant supply of Clan technologies.

After being used to help damaged RAF commands following the Capellan Crusades, the Industriplex’s output began to wane in the 3120s as peace returned to the Republic. With less combat and the slow decay of the RAF’s readiness, full scale production of military technology was needed less and less. There were several plans to redirect some or even all of the facility’s production towards civilian manufacture, something that then-Prefect Kal Radick stepped in to ensure would not happen on several occasions.

His motivations for doing such became clear after the collapse of the HPG network. With the expansion of the two militia Clusters into the Steel Wolves and their shift to an aggressive footing, the Wolves needed military supplies for their planned campaigns of conquest. With Fletcher being well within their sphere of control, the Industriplex became key to supporting their war effort. Production was stepped up to their highest levels since the Crusades, producing weapons and supplies for the Steel Wolf armies.

When the Steel Wolves abandoned Fletcher, control of the facility fell to the Fletcher Planetary Guard, who used its output to try and rebuild some of their diminished strength. Some of its production also went back to the Republic Armed forces, but that ended after the formation of Fortress Republic left Fletcher outside of the Fortress walls. When the world was then peacefully annexed by the Federated Suns, the Industriplex’s production was then redirected towards rearming the AFFS in preparation for what was to come.

While the facility has never been attacked since its formation, the collapse of the Republic has hampered its output. The loss of raw materials and other supplies has been considerable, and limited trade through the Sea Foxes and other sources has only somewhat alleviated this shortfall. None the less, as long as it remains functional, Fletcher Industrplex Beta will be a valuable asset to whomever controls it.