Defending Units: 2nd Talithan Borderers
Rebel Units: Blackstar Dragoons (2 regiments)
Battles: Meander Valley, Mole Creek, Railton

Briefing:

The unfortunate situation on Van Diemen IV may be caused by the single largest failure of Project Phoenix. Long a mining world located along the Free Worlds League border, Van Diemen IV was devastated by the Amaris Coup. During its occupation by Rim World forces Van Diemen IV became the site of a major biological weapons attack by the Usurper. Many horrific tests were performed on the inhabitants of this planet including a particularly barbaric demonstration on the town of Sidderta. Done ostensibly to put down a violent resistance cell, the massacre saw the release of a genetically engineered form of the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, upon the populace. There were no survivors to what quickly became known as the Sidderta Plague. Since its release, subsequent outbreaks of the plague have ravaged the planet and its inhabitants.
Luckily for the people of Van Diemen IV, a vaccine was engineered by the SLDF after Van Diemen’s liberation. Unfortunately, soon after the SLDF’s withdrawal, planetary reconstruction efforts lagged behind more important Terran worlds given the complexity of Van Diemen’s biological hazards. Without proper biological decontamination the virulent Sidderta Plague once again reared its ugly head in 2784. The outbreak brought new tensions to Van Diemen as many denizens wondered if the new Terran Republic was any better then the old Terran Hegemony. The planet’s tipping point came when a Dropship supposedly laden with a new shipment of Sidderta Vaccine instead arrived in-system loaded with BattleMech actuators designated for the 2nd Talithan Borderers. This insult was the final straw for most of the planet’s citizenry, including those soldiers assigned to Van Diemen IV’s SDS. These disgruntled soldiers turned against the Terran nation for the good of their homeworld. Many of these soldiers were veterans of the SLDF and enjoyed widespread planetary support.

Since then, the Blackstar Dragoons and the 2nd Talithan Borderers have engaged in several small skirmishes, though both have avoided anything more than a skirmish. Clearly both sides are reluctant to engage in the killing of their fellow nationals but nonetheless have been drawn to opposing sides. With the troubles on Van Diemen IV spilling over into the military, the rebellious Dragoons have taken to the countryside in an effort to remain mobile leaving the Talithan Borderers stuck defending static positions in fear of foreign invaders. The loyal remnants of Van Diemen IV’s SDS have been folded into the 2nd Borderers, giving them a larger overall force. Nevertheless, the Dragoons still hold a two-to-one advantage in their total number of BattleMechs. The Republic’s CIB has also uncovered evidence that the recent vaccine shipment to Van Diemen IV that has caused the world so much trouble was actually swapped by SAFE to inspire a planetary revolt. Although these allegations have not been proven, House Marik was quick to send humanitarian aid to the world in the form of medical supplies and assistance. It is unclear how much the Free Worlds League is to blame for events on Van Diemen IV but to many of its citizens, House Marik is a more worthy than the new Republic. Still support for the last Cameron remains especially strong in and around the planetary capital of Hobart where distrust for the tyrant Kenyon Marik runs rampant.