CLF

Colonial Liberation Front

"A CLF base of operations in a unknown colony"

The Colonial Liberation Front is a paramilitary group primarily located in the Tychon's Rift sector of United Americas space. Their stated goal is to secure the independence of all of the colonies in the Tychon's Rift sector. They are the largest and most active militant group pushing for the independence of the colonies. The United Americas government classifies the CLF as a terrorist organization, with membership in the organization or providing financial or material support for the CLF being prosecutable offenses.

The CLF grew organically from several different groups that formed in the wake of the Slaughter of Xibou in 2164. Prior to the slaughter of Xibou the conflicts between the United Americas government and the colonists of the Tychon's Rift sector had remained mostly non-violent. The sudden increase in tensions after Xibou, combined with the images of slaughtered fighters and civilians alike, greatly increased the willingness of the colonists to take up arms against the United Americas. Several different militant groups formed in the years following the Slaughter, and as they negotiated with one another and found common cause the CLF was formed from their union.

History

File:Guerilla.jpg

"Young CLF member"

The CLF finds it's origins in the poor treatment and economic exploitation of the colonists of Tychon's Rift combined with the increased difficulty that the United Americas has in governing the vast reach of space that it has claimed. Many of the people that traveled to the colonies did so for the promise of finding a better life, but instead found only harsh and inhospitable worlds lacking in many of the amenities that they had come to take for granted. The situation was made worse by piracy and lawlessness, though that was kept in check at first by the Colonial Marshals as well as the United Americas military forces. These issues were greatly exacerbated by the Sol Campaign of 2159 and by the Anti-Colonial Insurgency Act of 2161. The Sol campaign served to draw much if the USCM force tasked with keeping piracy in check out of the Tychon's Rift sector as they were retasked with more urgent assignments. The Anti-Colonial Insurgency Act of 2161 strictly curtailed much of the authority of colonial politicians and limited the number of weapons and supplies sent to colonies in order to prevent stockpiling of equipment. The USCM believed that stockpiling of equipment had played a major role in the Mars Militia's prolonged success, and they wished to deny the Tychon's Rift colonies any chance of developing similar stockpiles. This resulted in under equipped colonists and Colonial Marshals not being able to reliably defend themselves from hostile wildlife and pirates, while also no longer being able to effectively care for those wounded when defending their homes or those who fall sick to illness.

The lack of adequate supplies, growing piracy, and strictly curtailed ability to self govern bred discontent in the Rift, which in turn caused the Free Colonies movement to come into being. The Free Colonies movement is the general term for the idea that the United Americas in unable to effectively govern it's colonies and that the colonies, and that the people of the colonies should resist United Americas governance in order to earn their freedom. These ideas caused a series of protests and civil unrest, which was often met with violence from the Colonial Marshals as well as the Unitad Americas imposing further increased sanctions on the colonies.

The situation in Tychon's Rift took a massive turn in 2164 when a colonist named Atticus Graves called for the independence of Xibou. He was a mining foreman, and his short five page manifesto called for armed uprising and open rebellion against the United Americas government. Graves believed that the colonists who live in the rift could fight off any USCM response due to their determination and their knowledge of their home colonies. He claimed that the colonial militia members have drive to fight for freedom, and that the USCM soldiers had no will to fight and die on the soil of colonies so far from their own homes. Graves believed that determined colonists could win their independence by causing the United Americas to lose the will to fight in the Rift. Graves formed a militia, and his militia overran the government buildings and spaceport on Xibou. Grave's militia also either killed or imprisoned all of the Colonial Marshals on the planet. Graves then took on the mantle of provisional governor of Xibou and proceeded to try to run his planet. His governorship was shortlived however, as USCM forces made planetfall and killed every militia member they could find. Grave's militia numbered at around 1,000 members, but they were supported by many colonists who were swept up in the rebellion and who believed in the Free Colonies movement. When the USCM made planetfall they could not readily identify which colonists were the armed militants and which were non-violent colonists. The USCM simply shot everyone that they suspected of being a militia member, resulting in many civilian casualties. This, the "Slaughter of Xibou", was a polarizing event in the colonies. While some supporters of the Free Colonies movement got cold feet and withdrew from the movement, many more became significantly more militant in their outlook. This event stands as the turning point that radicalized many of the original CLF members.

This increasing militancy led to fewer protests and demonstrations and more acts of sabotage. Cells began to form and negotiate with one another. Many different groups formed in this time period. The CLF name itself stems from a sound bite from United Americas news, which described to the whole of armed resistance as a "front of colonial liberation", and later referenced it again as "... this colonial liberation front ..."

The CLF has continued it's campaign of armed resistance. Recently there have been attempts by the UPP to shape the course of events in the Tychon's Rift sector as well. The UPP has begun to extend offers of material support and training to larger CLF cells in the sector. They have also encouraged some cells to prepare to again try for open armed insurrection similar to what Graves tried on Xibou. While no cells have attempted full insurrection yet, many cells are training many new fighters in preparation. It is only a matter of time before insurrection erupts on some or all of the planets in the Tychon's Rift sector.

Ranks

The CLF has historically been organised into loosely associated and quasi-independent cells. There are two types of CLF cells, ship based cells and ground based cells. The ship based cells are sized according to the crew requirements of their ship, usually between six and twelve members. Ground based cells tend to be similarly sized. In larger cities or when carrying out larger operations ground based cells tend to pull multiple cells together to increase their available manpower. The cells are typically led by a captain, which is usually the captain of the vessel for space based cells. Planet or station based cells usually use the same rank, but without the naval connotations. Individual ranks vary wildly between cells, if there are even ranks at all. The generally accepted term for a standard CLF soldier is a "fighter", and the term "CLF Fighter" is used by both the USCM and the CLF themselves. While individual cells share the same overall goals and ideology, though their methods and tactics differ wildly.

Cells usually form stronger ties with other cells on the same planet or station. Usually one of the cells in such a group of cells will take on more of a leadership role when coordinating with other cells from other worlds. The leadership cells only maintain loose associations with other leadership cells on different worlds, and usually have no association with non-leadership cells outside of their own cell group. The exception to this is any ship based cells, which are more independant. They typically maintain loose associations with other ship based and land based cells but do not tend to group into larger networks. Ship based cells are also usually less likely to link up with other ship based cells in order to pool resources and manpower.

In recent years there has been some reorganization of the CLF cell based structure. Seemingly emboldened by the recent lessening of USCM presence in the sector, some cells have begun to grow larger and to claim territory as their own. Where before cells stayed in the shadows, emerging only to strike targets of opportunity, some cells are now using the lack of USCM presence in Tychon's Rift to operate more openly. These larger cells are growing to a strength of several hundred or sometimes even several thousand members, and are training in concealed camps and bases. These larger CLF organizations also typically maintain armed and armored ground vehicles and sometimes ships that have been refitted for combat duties. CLF facilities on established worlds stay hidden due to actual, willful, or coerced ignorance on behalf of the Colonial Marshals.

Standard

Role	Description
Fighter	The standard soldier in the CLF movement. Primarily recruited from the colony population and consist of various roles such as mere janitors, desk-workers, garbage-haulers, and even miners the front-line forces of the CLF movement severely lack proper military training and are forced to make use of basic instinct and what they have on hand. However, what they lack in combat is fiercely made up for with their hearts for the cause.
Mechanic	The technicians, the CLF trained engineers primarily consist of colonists who have worked as colony generator engineers and minor maintenance technicians. Lacking in most basic equipment compared to most militaries, the engineer trained are forced to utilize creativity to create shoddy weaponry to fight back against the USCM such as outdated rifles, molotovs, and dangerous stun-prods.
Paramedic	The medical personal of the CLF movement. Mainly consisting of colony doctors and nurses, the CLF medics are the triage for the fighters against the USCM tyranny. They are the grease and oil that ensures the fighting machine of the CLF dues not rust and grind.
Gunner	The tactical soldiers of the CLF movement, the specially trained consist primarily of colonial marshals who have turned against their own beliefs and chose to side with the CLF. They possess greater weapons skills then that of a standard soldier in the movement and through intense training have been able to learn and make use of heavy weaponry not available to most standards on the frontline.
Cell Leader	The Local Leader is the brains and strategist of the local CLF cell's movement. Usually the leader is an individual who once served in the position of a colonial government or in a higher rank of a specific department on a colony. Highly looked upon by their followers the local leader coordinates the insurrection against the USCM, outgunned and outmatched they hold their ground believing that colonial freedom is worth every sacrifice.

Relations

Factions	Connections
UPP	The CLF hold an aggressive stance against the UPP as they are openly opposed to any major power that may try to bring them under heel. However, various cells of the CLF maintain secret ties with UPP special forces who engage in smuggling weapons and military training of guerilla forces to fight the USCM.
Weston-Yamada	???
USCM	The CLF is openly engaged in a war of liberation against the USCM in Tychon's Rift Sector. Firmly against the USCM harsh treatment of colonies and the UA's failure to address the worries of the health, safety, and security of the colonies the CLF is dedicated to expelling the marines from the sector and establishing independence.
File:RESS Patch.png RESS	????