Free Republic of the Landreich
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The Free Republic of the Landreich is a fictional nation-state in the Wing Commander computer game and novel universe. As of this writing, nearly all references to it have been in the spinoff novels, most specifically Fleet Action, Action Stations, and False Colors. The last, in particular, gives us a detailed description of the lifestyles, government, and military of the Landreich.
[edit] Introduction & Summation
The Free Republic is a human-dominated state in the border territories between the Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire. As such, it has seen a fair amount of the fighting prior to, during, and after the Kilrathi War, and has little liking for either of the superpowers - the Confederation for alternately neglecting them and treating them like recalcitrant children at best and near-traitors at worst, and the Kilrathi for routinely attacking their worlds. A democracy like its estranged parent the Confederation, the Free Republic is thoroughly infused with the independence and rambunctiousness that characterize the stereotypical ideal of "frontier spirit."
[edit] History and Appearances
The Free Republic apparently has existed since before the Kilrathi War; the exact date of its foundation is unclear, but it appears to have been in place long enough to have both become thoroughly independent of the Confederation and contemptuous of it, by the time of Action Stations in 2634. At the time of the War's start, the Free Republic had the Hell Hole, alternately known as Buford's World, as its base of operations, and was presided over by Johann Blucher, an ex-Confed military officer. The beginning of the War saw the Landreich totter on the edge of obliteration for the first of several times, and obliteration was beat back only by a desperate counterattack. Hans Maximillian Kruger, who was later the Free Republic's president, commanded one of the warships in this attack.
Our next look at the Free Republic is in 2668, during Fleet Action. At this time the Landreich is fully militarized and resistant to the apparent peace treaty between the Confederation and the Kilrathi. Also, the capital is apparently now located on Landreich itself, while the Hell Hole remains the main military base. By now, Kruger - most often now known as Max Kruger - is the Free Republic's president, and military commander-in-chief. Throughout the novel, we see him as a hands-on commander, with a decided taste for bold moves and unorthodox strategies. He is also fiercely anti-Confederation, being convinced to lead his fleet to assist Geoffrey Tolwyn at the Battle of Earth only by eloquent and repeated entreaties by Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky.
The most recent, and most detailed, look at the Landreich is in False Colors, which takes place in 2670, right after the end of the Kilrathi War. While the novel's main focus is on Tolwyn, Bondarevsky, and Vance Richards searching out a lost Kilrathi heavy carrier and repairing it for the Landreich, a fair amount of the story is devoted to filling in the blanks about the Free Republic. Here, we learn that the Free Republic consists of eight major worlds and fourteen or more less populous or industrialized colonies. The government has a legislative body similar to the Confederation's Senate, based on Landreich, but Kruger as the president commands a great deal of both influence and popular acclaim - in fact, there seems to be something of a cult of personality surrounding him. He has continued the buildup of the Landreich military, in fact purchasing decommissioned warships from the Confederation, and later proves himself as apt to lead his nation's military in person as he was in Fleet Action. Also, there is a "Guild", apparently of pirates and mercenaries, operating from the Hell Hole, which has been largely abandoned since being subject to a massive nuclear strike during Fleet Action.
The last glimpse we get of the Landreich is a passing remark in Wing Commander IV's novelization. The implications therein are that the Free Republic is an ally of the Union of Border Worlds, but not a member.
