System: Taurus

Settled in 2253, Taurus was named after Samantha Calderon's second husband, Victor Taurens, who had perished during the initial penetration of the Hyades Cluster. Taurus quickly proved to be rich in natural resources, including a soil that quickly adapted to the introduction of Terran crops.

Taurus itself is surrounded by a thick natural barrier of asteroids, seeded with mines and laser cannon emplacements, and host to elements of the Taurian Guard, the elite battalion of the Taurian Defense Force. Taurus is also home to a variety of industries, many of which produce 'Mechs and spare parts. As the nexus of the Concordat social system, Taurus is one of the few cultural centers in the Periphery and presently supports a population of over 2 billion inhabitants.

[3025] Alone of all the Periphery states, the Taurian Concordat maintains large military training academies. At present, there is one academy for each major combat branch: the Army, Navy, and AeroSpace Arms. The army training academy is the École Militaire, located on Taurus. The Taurian Naval Institute and the Concordat AeroSpace Flight School are located on New Vandenberg and Samantha, respectively. Each has a well-developed training program for both NCOs and officers and can accommodate upward of five hundred personnel.

The Concordat has also retained the highest literacy rate in the Periphery. Indeed, the Taurian educational system has served as a model for other states, including those of the Inner Sphere. Despite losing many educational institutions during the Reunification War, the Taurians have rebuilt their schools to pre-Star League levels, since regaining their independence. They can now boast no fewer than six universities. Located on Taurus, Samantha, Pinard, New Vandenberg, MacLeod's Land, and Euschelus, these universities graduate an average of over forty thousand students annually.