I've had a couple requests via PM to start a thread with a few of my lists and maps for easy reference look-ups, Barricade's latest request was the final kick in the rear to get me moving. Map of C-Earth Projected Location List of living canon worlds within 50ly of Terra Partial list of LosTech Caches Map of the Helm/New Dallas region Map of the Outworlds Alliance (2750 vs. 3025) Map of Antallos (coloured) Size Diagram of canon Aerodyne and Spheroid Dropships Size Diagram of canon Jumpships/Warships pt. I Size Diagram of canon Jumpships/Warships pt. II Weight listings of Ore Processing Module, Small/Large Factory Modules, Pressurized and Unpressurized Shipyards Updates on January 12, 2010 OTL Canon Listing of Wolrd 50ly Radius of Terra Sarna.Net Reference Link Major Players in the Lyrian Commonwealth / ComStar / Federated Suns MechGround Reference Link GDI GM-Series Stats MadCat/WildCat Frankenmech Stats Wasp Conversion Stats Inner Sphere Cartography Society Post OTL Canon Bio for Antallos Buron Cav Inventory on return to CEarth following the 1st battle of Antallos OTL Canon Timeline of Events (3020-3029) Columbus Expedition Looting List Updates on January 13, 2010 OTL Canon Outworlds Alliance System Listing Updates on January 21, 2010 GDI Port Krin Invasion OoB / GDI Military Alphabet Updates on January 30, 2010 Black Box FTL Communication Information Update on February 08, 2010 A logarithmic view of the Solar System distances, out to Alpha Centauri Update on February 15, 2010 Persons of Interest -=-=-=-=- Map of C-Earth Projected Location -=-=-=-=- List of Surviving BTech Worlds (3025) within 50ly of Terra -=-=-=-=- Partial List of LosTech Caches -=-=-=-=- Map of the Helm/New Dallas Region -=-=-=-=- Map of the Outworlds Alliance (2750 vs. 3025) -=-=-=-=- Map of Antallos (Coloured) -=-=-=-=- Size Diagram of canon Aerodyne and Spheroid Dropships -=-=-=-=- Size Diagram of canon Jumpships/Warships pt. I -=-=-=-=- Size Diagram of canon Jumpships/Warships pt. II -=-=-=-=- Weight Listings of Spaceborn Industrial Modules These weights were deduced by building the official TRO writeup for ie. the Small Factory and assigning the remaining weight to the unknown system such as the factory equipment. Code: Factory Module: Small Factory Module 250.00t Large Factory Module 1,700.00t Repair Facilities: Small Unpressurized (20,000t cap) 500.00t Large Unpressurized (600,000t cap) 15,000t Small Pressurized (10,000t cap) 750.00t Large Pressurized (350,000t cap) 26,250t Mining: Ore Processing Equipment 6,000t -=-=-=-=- Future Post Additions Here
System Name: Rigil Kentarus Coordinates: -2.87, 2.61 Star Type: G8V Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 6.00 days Population: 315,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Rigil Kentarus was a beautiful planet, blessed with a rare inhabitable moon, Riken Minor, when it was discovered in the first days of Terran exploration. One of the first worlds to be settled, both planet and moon were bustling centers of industry and commerce during the days of the Star League. Located near the heart of the Terran Hegemony, both the planet and moon were heavily fortified by the SLDF, with Castles Brian and surface-to-orbit defense stations on each. During the crisis that brought down the Star League, however, Amaris troops captured the Riken complexes in a well-coordinated blitzkrieg and used the orbital weapons to bombard the planet below, where remnants of the SLDF unit posted on the moon had gone to regroup. At such ranges, however, the aim was inaccurate, and missed shots from both the planetary and lunar bases delivered massive damage to the surface of both worlds. In the years after the League's fall, under the banner of the Lyran state, Rigil Kentarus and its moon began to recover from the devastation, despite numerous attacks launched by the Free Worlds League and the Draconis Combine. The twin capitals of West Romaine on the planet's large southern continent of Naskia, and Destina Station on Riken Minor's Lesser Plateau continent, maintain the bulk of each world's commercial and administrative infrastructure. The large spaceport city of Mesopita, located on Worrens, Rigil Kentarus' northern continent, is the planet's principal link to the moon and the stars beyond, and so is also home to a sizeable portion of the planetary militia. System Name: Sirius Coordinates: -2.35, -7.56 Star Type: A1V Position in System: 6 Time to Jump Point: 47.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 9,109,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Plants Description: A rarity in the galaxy, made more so by its ultrahot blue sun, the Sirius system actually features two inhabited worlds for the price of one, though this was not the case when the twin worlds of Sirius VI and its moon, Sirius VI-a, were discovered in the late twenty-second century. Colonization of the moon's surface began before any such efforts on the planet itself, as Sirius VI a featured a breathable, if thin-atmosphere, and water covered almost half its surface. Meanwhile, the seismically unstable, oxygen-poor planet below, identified only as a resource for raw metals, minerals, and gemstones, waited almost fifty years before serious efforts to terraform it began. Oxygen factories and sulfur-hungry algae helped to transform Sirius VI into a more human-friendly environment in the space of a century, though it remained water-poor and cursed by chronic earthquakes and volcanic activity. In the course of this time, the mining colonists of the planet and the farmers who came to inhabit the moon developed a symbiotic relationship, and travel between the two worlds was many times more frequent than any contact with the rest of the galaxy. In addition, two orbital colonies, placed around Sirius VI by the mining corporations - colloquially dubbed "The Projects" - made an interesting waystation between the moon-dwellers and the planet-dwellers. Sirius became an important part of the Hegemony's industrial and economic base during the age of the Star League, but suffered badly during the Amaris coup. The orbital colonies were destroyed by Amaris aerofighters, and the planet was cut off from its moon by a blockade that led to widespread starvation. After the Capellans took the system in the wake of the League's fall, the situation on the planet only grew worse, as oxygen generators began to fail over time and the seismic activity tore open many of the planetary settlements. Fought over by the Capellans, the Free Worlds League, and the Federated Commonwealth, little was done to cure the planet's worsening condition, and by the time of the Commonwealth's demise, Sirius VI had become an almost totally deserted wasteland of broken, shifting land masses and rivers of volcanic lava. Today, Sirius VI's only remaining settlement is the domed city of Calgary, on the south bank of the Sulfur Sea, the planet's only large body of water. By contrast, the moon is broken into two main continents, Bounty and Hinterlands, covered with a patchwork of forests and grasslands, that support the bulk of the population, which lives in sparse farming communities. The capital city, Lost Hope, is located on Bounty's eastern peninsula. System Name: Keid Coordinates: 3.13, -10.17 Star Type: Keid Position in System: 5 Time to Jump Point: 7.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 4,573,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 15% Mammal Description: One of the first worlds colonized during the interstellar Exodus, Keid remained in the hands of the Terran Alliance until the breakup of the Star League in the late 28th century, when Capellan troops occupied the system without incident. Located here are extensive commercial centers. Keid has greatly benefited from reclaimed Star League technology, and today supports many military installations, extensive training facilities, and scientific research complexes. Its pleasant climate has also attracted numerous noble families, who have carved out substantial land holdings through the generations. The planet also boasts extensive commercial ore deposits. In later years the planet also became home to several training centers for Maskirovka covert-operations personnel. After the Federated Commonwealth captured the world during the Forth Succession War, Keid - along with the other worlds of the newly named Sarna March - came under the rule of Archon Melissa Steiner-Davion. The Archon's benevolent rule seems to have fostered strong pro-Lyran loyalties among Keid's populace, loyalties that remain evident today. Despite the Population's pre-Lyran sentiments, Keid's inhabitants never developed strong loyalties to the Federated Commonwealth. Following Melissa Steiner-Davion's death, many Keidans became openly critical of Prince Victor Steiner-Davion. These sentiments apparently laid the groundwork for the short-lived anti-Davion rebellion that occurred following the recent Marik-Liao invasion of the Sarna March. The rebel leader - identified as Roland Carpenter - exploited the population's religious fervor and moral outrage as well in his attacks on Duke Joseph Hunsen. Revelations about the duke's relations with a pair of underaged twins with ties to a known agent of the Draconis Combine led to his ultimate fall from power. Within a week, however, Carpenter mysteriously disappeared, and planetary militia leaders installed the late duke's daughter, Duchess Arice Hunsen, in power. The duchess immediately ordered the execution of several rebel leaders, granted amnesty to rebel fighters and pledged her loyalty to Archon Katrina Steiner-Davion's newly proclaimed Lyran Alliance. The Archon responded by sending the Thirteenth Lyran Guards to garrison the planet. Although the planet seems firmly entrenched in the Lyran camp, Keid remains isolated from the Lyran Alliance. Kuritan peacekeepers on Rigel Kentares, ComStar troops on Terra, and the government of the newly formed Sirian Holds have all announced their intentions to prevent any military vessels from passing through their systems. However, this isolation has not yet prevented the government of Keid from espousing a pro-Lyran military and openly persecuting Davion sympathizers. Roughly three quarters of Keid is covered by saltwater oceans. The planet's landmass is comprised of three mountainous, heavily wooded continents. System Name: Procyon Coordinates: -4.96, -10.43 Star Type: F5V Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 15.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith ComStar Facility Class: A Population: 5,250,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Reptiles Description: The rugged, resource-rich world of Procyon was first settled in 2134 and eventually became a stronghold of the old Terran Alliance. The world became a major naval base for the Star League as a Hegemony planet, but was infamous for being the staging world from which Oliver Marik and his supporters planned the start of the Marik Civil War. After the Star League's collapse, the Free Worlds League seized Procyon and held it for nearly 200 years before the Capellan Confederation captured it in 2370. The Federated Commonwealth became Procyon's next steward after the Fourth Succession War. In early 3059, after two hellish years under the control of a former Blakist renegade named Alisendar Gyn, the Free Worlds League recaptured Procyon. Despite this frequent changing of hands, however, the natives of Procyon have retained a fairly indifferent attitude toward conquerors, clinging to most of the customs handed down from the days of the long-vanished Terran Hegemony. The greatest sign of this planetwide sense of apathy was the long-abandoned Brigadier Corporation 'Mech factory in the virtual ghost city of Cleveburg. Located on the pockmarked and rocky southern continent of Halbiero, this factory and its surrounding city experienced a small revival when Earthwerks finally decided to purchase and restore the decrepit complex in the 3050s. Today, Procyon is a largely agricultural world of sparsely populated farmlands and forests, though the new Earthwerks-Procyon Engineering Vehicles plant produces and exports enough industrial vehicles and 'Mechs to form a secondary planetary industry. The less mountainous supercontinent of Greene, home to the majority of Procyon's small cities and large agro-plexes, is located just north of Halbiero, and extends into the planet's polar regions. The capital city of Guilded Halls, located on Greene, along the Wantu River, also boasts Procyon's largest spaceport and the nearby ruins of a Star League-era Castle Brian that was destroyed during the Amaris Crisis by an orbital bombardment. Aside from Greene and Halbiero, the bulk of Procyon's surface land takes the form of the Unspoiled Isles, a chain of miniature island-continents stretching along the southern hemisphere, east of Halbiero. The Unspoiled Isles are heavily wooded, but dotted with the remains of abandoned cities and destroyed Castles Brian, a nearly forgotten vestige of the days of the Star League. System Name: New Earth Coordinates: -12.52, 3.13 Star Type: G8V Position in System: 4 Time to Jump Point: 6.00 days Recharging Station: None Population: 100,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 60% Mammal Description: New Earth was an unexpected bonus success for the men and women who made the first interstellar voyage. On December 5, 2108, the TAS Pathfinder, the first JumpShip, voyaged to Tau Ceti. Tau Ceti's forth planet was so much like Terra that it was immediately named New Earth. The glowing reports of the TAS Pathfinder's crew convinced many to colonize the planet. In 2110, New Earth became the site of the first manned scientific outside the Sol system; in 2116 it became the site of the Terran Alliance's first offworld colony. New Earth had more than just pretty landscapes and exotic animals. Deep deposits of metals and rare chemicals soon attracted heavy industry. By the time of the Star League, New Earth was a major industrial center. Several major companies had their headquarters there. Five of them, Bergan Industries, Grumman Industries, Newhart Industries, Nicholas Spacecraft, and Ulston Armor, were major contractors for the Hegemony Armed Forces and the SLDF. New Earth was the scene of some of the bitterest fighting in General Kerensky's campaign to recapture the Hegemony. The forces of Stefan Amaris destroyed whatever they could when it became clear that they could not hold the planet. With its grandeur and economic base destroyed, the planet's civilian population suffered greatly in the aftermath and through the Succession Wars. The Lyran Commonwealth dominates the world today. The centuries and the gradual decline in technology have closed many of the planet's industries, but the New Earth Trading Company owns several functioning Star League-era factories, one of which manufactures extremely valuable JumpShip parts. There has been intense activity on the New Earth continent of Conseco, sparking rumors of a huge cache of Star League artifacts. One of the "Golden Ten" universities of the Star League, the New Earth university concentrated on the care and running of commercial spaceships. Because of this, the university was divided into two campuses, A large space station served as the university's Jumpship and Dropship training center, and the second campus was an academic center. Neither school survived the forces of the Rim Worlds Republic. New Earth's southern continent was settled by a loose coalition from among eight of the surviving Amerindian tribes of North America. The people's nation established a federation dedicated to preserving and continuing the ways of life of their ancestors. [3025] New Earth is also home to the St. Rethwin's College for Theological Studies, the largest and most prestigious privately funded seminary in the Lyran Commonwealth. For the past 400 years, this seminary has grown to cover instruction in not one, but 20 different Christian and non-Christian traditions. System Name: Caph Coordinates: 13.04, -0.52 Star Type: G5V Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 7.47 days Recharging Station: None ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 1,150,500,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 20% Insect Description: Caph was one of the first worlds that Human space explorers settled after the Kearny-Fuchida drive made interstellar space travel possible. During the Star League era, Caph was a center for advanced engineering research. Indeed, much of the original theory behind the newly invented BattleMechs was developed at the famed Caph Institute of Technology. Caph was also famous for successful medical research and for the development of important new techniques in the field. With the fall of the Star League, Caph became the center of bitter fighting between the Draconis Combine, the Capellan Confederation, and the Federated Suns. In 2787, the Fifth Battle for Caph became one of the few instances where three realms battled one another on the same planet. The Federated Suns was the eventual victory on Caph, however. What House Davion inherited was a planet full of ruins and radiation zones. Ninety-nine percent of all the world's buildings had been destroyed, and the little remaining arable land had suffered from the effects of combat. Only now is the planet slowly recovering, with a growth in population and the construction of a few small factories. Even more important is that Caph's location makes it the ideal site for offices and warehouses of many Federated Suns trading companies interested in dealing with the rich Lyran Commonwealth. With the recent alliance between the two realms, this planet's usefulness and importance can only grow greater. The capital city of Caph is Aswan. System Name: Denebola Coordinates: -13.04, -1.83 Star Type: K0V Position in System: 5 Time to Jump Point: 5.00 days Population: 1,078,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Denebola V, known to its inhabitants as either Everwood or Lyracropis, is a cool world with untouched woodlands covering almost eighty percent of its equatorial and tropical zones. The three giant landmasses of Neurasia, Zadipos, and Slovakia, which straddle these regions, are home to most of the planetary population, which established its cities along the winding rivers that cut through the forested lands. The northern and southern regions, by comparison, are virtually devoid of life, as polar caps extend well into the temperate zones, retreating ever so slowly at what experts believe is the receding edge of a planetary ice age. When this world was first settled, Denebola's ice caps reached as far as the northern tropical latitudes, and the early colonists considered various means of terraforming the world to open more land up for farming. Time and economics, however, were not conducive to such a venture, as the faltering Terran Alliance attempted to assert its authority over the independent-minded settlers. Denebola V was the first of the early Terran colonies to declare its independence from the Alliance, and successfully repelled that ill-fated government's efforts to bring its population in line. This independence would be short-lived, however. Virtually isolated after securing their freedom, the inhabitants of Denebola soon found themselves forced to rely on loose trading alliances with various local systems for badly needed equipment to survive on their cold world, an ironic result of Terra's sudden shift toward isolationism. Disease and poorly executed agricultural programs added to the planet?s woes, and several early settlements died out completely, resulting in a fractured population as local communications broke down. Two separate colonial groups survived, one on the frosty northern reaches of Zadipos, the eastern continent, and the other on the hilly, river-crossed land of Neurasia in the central equatorial zones. Both colonial settlements presumed the others were lost as central government collapsed on Denebola, until years later, when the ascendance of the Terran Hegemony brought Denebola back into touch with the rest of the galactic community. The arrival of the Hegemony, and the Star League after that, saved the Denebolans from the brink of oblivion, but those who remained were some of the hardiest and most stubborn of the planet?s population, adapted to years of living and forging a living in relative isolation. The trouble came when the Hegemony attempted to help the locals establish a central authority for the planet, as the Zadipos and Neurasian peoples each claimed the right to self-rule. A series of compromises averted what looked like the onset of a brushfire war on Denebola, as the Hegemony brokered the formation of a confederation-style government. Allowing each of the two populations to see to its own affairs, while representatives from each made planetary-level decisions using an as-needed planetary council forum. This loose confederation and dual-government state evolved into a more homogeneous combination and centralized government after the fall of the Star League, as Denebola, lying right on the border of the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League, changed ownership a number of times through the centuries. The resulting influx of off-world immigrants with each change of hands, mixed with the planet's past as a dual-society world, has resulted in a cosmopolitan melting pot. Today, Denebola still maintains capital cities for each of its continents. Zadipos' capital, Fallen Star, is nestled on the western cost and is home to a thriving fishing community and regional defense post, while New Bonn covers the entire northern edge of the large inland Lake Diamond on Neurasia, and maintains several prime logging and farming industries. The official planetary capital, St. Cameron, is located on the eastern Rhyde Peninsula of Slovakia, and is home to Denebola's largest spaceport. System Name: New Home Coordinates: 7.30, -12.78 Star Type: G4IV Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 8.00 days Recharging Station: Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 1,065,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Birds Description: Another early Terran colony world, established during humanity's first tentative steps to the stars, the features that drew many to New Home were the planet's pleasant and temperate climate, mountainous, resource-rich highlands, and many freshwater lakes and rivers. Industries looking to exploit the planet's mineral, chemical, and metal wealth flocked to New Home and set up shop with scores of hopeful young settlers looking to eke out a living on a brave new world. The large, pole-to-pole supercontinent of Spina Planetia, dominated by a central mountain chain called the Great Spine Mountains, drew the majority of the new colonists, who established cities and mining operations along the coastal regions and mountain bases. Many more, however, found the two secondary continents of Goldwynn and Arbergeiht, both located in the southern hemisphere, equally suitable for habitation, and there they set up smaller towns and agricultural communities. Findler, the capital city, was built on the northeastern plains of Spina Planetia, facing the eastern Tomagasso Ocean. Mann, site of the planet's largest spaceport, was established 700 kilometers to the south. When the Terran Hegemony placed New Home under its aegis, the world's strategic location, so close to Terra, necessitated the placement of an elaborate space defense network on the planet and in orbit around it. Much to the SLDF's dismay, this network fell under the control of the Usurper's troops when the Amaris crisis began, and the entire marvel of Star League military engineering had to be destroyed in the campaign to liberate Terra. Ruled by the Capellans after the fall of the League, New Home was frequently raided by the Free Worlds League and the Federated Suns, and ultimately became part of the Federated Commonwealth after the Fourth Succession War. When the Commonwealth fractured in 3057, New Home was left without any direction and fell into anarchy. System Name: Altair Coordinates: 9.39, 14.08 Star Type: F7III Position in System: 5 Time to Jump Point: 10.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: A Population: 3,639,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 20% Reptile Description: Altair is a large, dry planet beneath a very unstable sun. The cause of the sun's frequent solar storms and violent flares is unknown, but such activity shuts down communications, sometimes for two months or more. Unsurprisingly, Altair has been raided often throughout it's history. The planet's underground rivers are the reason that a few areas do support vegetation. Around these green patches cluster the three billion inhabitants of the planet. Mining is a major industry, with five iron ore deposits and one titanium ore deposit presently being mined. The curious water in certain portions of the planet has given rise to the planet's second biggest firm, the Long Life Company. Headquartered in the city of Bonanza, this company grows certain herbs in "Altarian Medicinal Water"(as they call it) so that the herbs may be used in teas. Initially set up some 200 years ago, it now produces sophisticated chemical medications and hospital equipment, but still derives a good profit from its 'Tree of Life', 'Hands of a Loving Mother', and 'Secret of a Bull's System Name: Bryant Coordinates: 13.30, -13.30 Star Type: F5IV Position in System: 4 Time to Jump Point: 15.00 days Recharging Station: Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 63,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 40% Mammal Description: Colonial Resources, the Hegemony department assigned to arrange and coordinate expeditions to new worlds, made the planet seem enticing. It told of chemical and metal resources, fertile soils, and deep seas. Many men and women, lured by the glowing reports, lined up to join expeditions to Bryant. What had gone unmentioned in the accounts was that Bryant had a harsh climate that lashed most of the planet's surface with storms and winds approaching 300 kilometers per hour. For the first two centuries, colonization was confined to the planet's polar regions, where the men and women lived a cold, quiet existence. In 2478, the Terran Hegemony put the first Storm Inhibitor into geosynchronous orbit around Bryant. The Storm Inhibitor is a reflector that is aimed at clouds gathering above a planet's oceans. The concentrated heat on the clouds did not prevent storms but lessened their severity. The change in the weather soon allowed colonists to begin settling the temperate regions of the planet. Once the colonists could begin farming the warmer lands, Bryant became an important agricultural center for the Hegemony. Many of the planet's indigenous lifeforms, such as the Crowley Lizard Cow and the Jewel Bass, became delicacies. Tourism became important to Bryant's economy because of the planet's many beaches. Then came the forces of Stefan Amaris. Republican pilots used the Storm Inhibitors for target practice. The remaining Inhibitors became the final strongholds for the SLDF. The soldiers died like insects beneath a magnifying glass. With the Storm Inhibitors gone, the planet's climate has once again become stormy. Then came the forces of Stefan Amaris. Republican pilots used the Storm Inhibitors for target practice. The remaining Inhibitors became the final strongholds for the SLDF. The soldiers died like insects beneath a magnifying glass. With the Storm Inhibitors gone, the planet's climate has once again become stormy. Since then the planet's population has been moving back towards the poles because of the worsening weather, leaving behind them abandoned cities. [3056] When Liao and Marik forces invaded the Sarna March, they bypassed Bryant for more tempting targets. Taking advantage of the breakdown of what little authority existed, a local warlord calling himself Viscount Dvensky has claimed Bryant as his personal fiefdom. Anticipating a Liao attack, the self-styled Viscount appealed to the Victor Steiner-Davion of the Federated Commonwealth for military support, but none was forthcoming. Dvensky has since declared Bryant independent, and apparently supports his government - such as it is - by sending bands of fighters loyal to him on supply raids against the nearby planets of New Home and Epsilon Indi. These so-called Bryant Regulars has been alarmingly successful, prompting calls for action against them from various quarters. According to rumor, Viscount Dvensky is secretly raising an army to capture Epsilon Indi or New Home, or possibly both. As yet, no one can confirm the truth of these rumors. In the past few months, Bryant has attracted increasing numbers of explorers and treasure hunters searching for Star League relics that may still exist in the numerous abandoned cities across the planet. System Name: Dieron Coordinates: 13.04, 15.39 Star Type: G3V Position in System: 4 Time to Jump Point: 3.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: A Population: 5,284,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 35% Amphibian Description: Settled during the original Exodus of the 22nd century, Dieron was one of the most highly developed worlds, both culturally and industrially, during the Star League. It was an administrative center for the BSLA and capital of the Draconis Combine Military Region. In this function, it was also the headquarters for the Fourteenth Army and a major electronics center for the Regular Army. Though the planet survived the coup by Stefan Amaris intact, it was severely damaged by General Kerensky's campaign to liberate the Hegemony. The Regular Army stripped away the few remaining buildings before leaving the Inner Sphere. Since the collapse of the Star League, Dieron has been the capital of the Dieron Military District in the Draconis Combine. Legend has it that Minoru Kurita chose Dieron to be a provincial capital out of arrogance; he liked the idea of boasting of having one of the crowing glories of the Star League so prominent a part of his own realm. Dieron is a cramped world because of its many large mountain ranges. What space is available exists in countless small valleys, and earthquakes are a frequent problem. With so little to recommend the planet, it is amazing that over five billion people live here. The standard of living on Dieron is surprisingly low for a major industrial world, because Takashi Kurita's policy of restricting travel within the Combine prevents the Dieronese from seeing how much of their productivity is taken from them and how little is imported in return. The cramped cities stuck between towering mountains make the planet a hotbed of resistance to Kurita rule, perhaps, the most discontented Kurita world outside the Rasalhague Military District. To squash budding rebellions, the ISF plays on the Dieron people's obsession with the Star League. An ISF agent will spread rumors of a Star League cache, causing thousands to flood into the mountains prospecting for artifacts, thus defusing any tensions that had existed before. System Name: Carver V Coordinates: -5.48, -20.86 Star Type: K0V Position in System: 5 Time to Jump Point: 4.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 130,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 90% Reptile Description: More than 85% of Carver V's surface is covered by pale blue seas, making it an important source of water for drier Hegemony worlds. The planet's many aquatic lifeforms, the ocean-going reptiles called Crocales being the most spectacular, were soon exploited by colonists. Crocales were hunted for their hides, which made an iridescent green leather much loved by the rich of the Star League. The Hegemony government built fortifications on Carver because it bordered the Capellan Confederation, a realm that was not a trusted neighbor. The nature of the planet made the construction of Castles Brian impractical. In 2402, construction began on the Quantico Marine Fortification around the planet's largest island. The first line of defense in this unusual fortress was an extensive series of weapon towers surrounding the island. Looking like the teeth of some gaping mouth, each tower was topped with at least one weapons turret to shoot down approaching ships or aircraft. Each tower was connected to Quantico by tunnels. The island itself, with its mountains and lush tropical life, had two major spaceports, El Toru and Baku. It also had several fortified naval bases to launch submarines and other vessels. When the Star League was formed, Quantico was chosen to be the administrative and training center of the Star League Marine Corps. Camp Pendleton, just outside Bellacqu, the planet's largest city, became SLMC headquarters. A small island next to Quantico was renamed Parris Island and turned into a massive boot camp. Troops of the Rim Worlds Republic launched one of their most relentless attacks to take Quantico. The tenacious defense by the three CAAN regiments became one of the most stirring stories to come out of the dark days of the Civil War. After destroying Republican forces stationed with them on the island, the Marines fought off repeated assaults by Republican forces. For the next six years, the Amaris forces threw themselves at the Marines, only to be pushed back into the sea. Just when the Marines' parts and supplies were running low, the Third Regimental Combat Team, the Eridani Light Horse, fought through Republican forces to bring the Marines equipment. With new supplies, the Marines held onto Quantico until they were relieved by General Kerensky in 2773. Today, very little remains of the fortification. What was left after the years of fighting was stripped away before the Exodus by General Kerensky?s forces, leaving empty towers jutting out of the water around the island. System Name: Fomalhaut Coordinates: 21.12, 5.48 Star Type: A3V Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 43.00 days Population: 956,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Amphibians Description: The first colonists to Fomalhaut saw a world blessed with an unlimited water supply and lush semitropical forestlands. Only a pair of small landmasses - Oanhu in the southern hemisphere, and Lyria in the equatorial zone - and a few dozen islands rise from the Endless Seas, Fomalhaut's planetwide ocean. Settlers, most descended from the Hawaiian and Filipino cultures of Terra, readily took to this planet, and established themselves on every landmass that could support life before too long. Exploiting the natural beauty, unique three-moon nightscape, and infinite emerald seas, these settlers made Fomalhaut into a resort world. Larger industries failed to take root on the planet, though an orbital ore-refining station was established to take advantage of the metals found on the volcanic inner moon of Scarlet. By the time of the Star League, very little had changed on Fomalhaut, and the planet was a favorite getaway for the Terran Hegemony's idle rich. The lack of heavy industry spared the world much of the damage inflicted by Amaris forces during the final days of the Star League, save for the destruction of the Scarlet refining station and the planetary spaceport of Otaku. Thus, when the Draconis Combine claimed the world after the League's fall, they too benefited from the tranquil beauty of this ocean world, though the centuries of near-constant warfare led to the planet being raided by hostile troops on more than one occasion. The capital city of Lollanda, is situated on Oanhu. [3025] Drearson City is home to the headquarters of O'Keefre Importers-Exporters. This massive import-export firm was once one of the Star League's largest firms, almost single-handedly controlling the flow of public goods in and out of the League. The company's many freighters were a common sight in all parts of the Inner Sphere and Periphery. When the League collapsed, most of the firm's JumpShips and transports were seized by whatever member-state they happened to be traveling through. This left O'Keefre stripped of its ability to make money. The wars, especially the many battles for Fomalhaut, destroyed most of the company's remaining assets, but O'Keefre survived and now has reason to be optimistic. The recent alliance between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth puts O'Keefre in an advantageous position to play a key role in the coming wave of trade between the two realms. System Name: Yorii Coordinates: -8.08, 21.39 Star Type: F6V Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 14.00 days Population: 1,538,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Reptiles Description: A large world of large oceans, diverse wildlife, and a few veins of mineral resources, the biggest obstacles to the colonization of Yorii were the planet's stronger-than-average gravity, its native, territorial wildlife, and the fact that its soils did not support the majority of Terran food crops. None of these factors proved insurmountable to the early colonists, however, who simply learned to adapt and established thriving industrial and mining communities on three of Yorii's four island-continents. Heavy-metal deposits, some very deep below the planetary surface, and most accessible to off-shore drilling platforms, provided the basis of the planetary economy, while the few hybrid food crops that could be grown became the staples of the planet's mostly Asian population. On the continent of Yokohama, where the dominant native life-form, the Yoriian tiger-raptor, was most populous, the colonists built high walls around their settlements and farmlands, and began a hunting initiative that brought the bold reptilian predators under control within a decade. In the days of the Star League, Yorii's capital city, Neo-Tokyo, set on the shore of the planet's largest continent, Shokaku, was a haven for commercial trade between the Draconis Combine and the Terran Hegemony, and a healthy portion of the city's population claimed dual citizenship in both realms. During the Amaris crisis, the Usurper's troops used many of Yorii's larger cities and industrial complexes as battlefields when the SLDF came to liberate the planet, which ravaged the planet's economy and infrastructure, rendering millions homeless and millions more dead. Neo-Tokyo was left totally uninhabitable when the last of Amaris' holdouts deliberately sabotaged the fusion reactor that powered the city in an effort to distract the League troops while they made an escape attempt. The Draconis Combine easily assimilated Yorii after the fall of the League, establishing the planet as a forward base for raids against the Lyran Commonwealth, Capellan Confederation, and Federated Suns. Despite numerous punitive raids and the ravages of the Succession Wars, Yorii gradually managed to reclaim some of its former prosperity. Each of the four populated continents - Shokaku in the south, Yokohama to its northeast, Khesan and Xu-Lai in the north - now support a handful of major cities, with the new capital city of Shenobi on Yokohama. System Name: Alula Australis Coordinates: -24.52, -4.69 Star Type: A7II Position in System: 8 Time to Jump Point: 28.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 3,119,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 10% Amphibian Description: Alula Australis was originally a Steiner world, but was conquered by Geralk Marik in 2458. Steiner forces attempted to retake the world in 2463, but were soon drawn into a stalemate. The introduction of the first Free Worlds League 'Mechs in 2470 turned the tide in favor of the Marik's troops. The independence celebrations lasted for over five weeks, during which more people were arrested for disorderly conduct than had been detained by the military police in the entire seven years of fighting. Perhaps in memory of that conquest, the people of Alula Australis welcomed the opportunity for their world to be the site of the first full-scale BattleMech manufacturing centre in the Free Worlds. Unfortunately, this made them a prime target during all three Succession Wars. Four times the facilities have been destroyed: twice by House Steiner, once by House Liao, and once by House Marik to prevent them from falling into Steiner hands. After the forth destruction in 2947, Captain-General Brock Marik decide to relocate the facilities to Savannah, which is farther from the Steiner border. This caused a considerable depression of Alula Australis's economy for half a century. The planet experienced a revival, however, when veins of rare earths and gemstones were discovered in the mountain ranges outside the planetary capital of New Horizon City in the late 2990s, and today these valuable exports form the basis for a mining and refining industry. The rare earths are being used in the chemistry industry located in the cities of Cirebon, Lengkong, and Mosiro. All three of Alula Australis's major landmasses - Auroria in the northern hemisphere, Hume and Locke in the southern - boast major industrial centers. New Horizon City is located on the southern peninsula of Auroria, while Sturgeon, home to the planet's largest chemical corporation, AA PolyChem Unlimited, dominates the central Hubbes River Valley on Hume. System Name: Thorin Coordinates: -23.73, 8.08 Star Type: G7V Position in System: 5 Time to Jump Point: 6.52 days Recharging Station: Zenith ComStar Facility Class: A Population: 2,159,975,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Avian Description: Thorin and the many other planets in close proximity to Terra, were the first planets colonized during latter part of the 23rd century, known as the Exodus period. Even horror stories, like that of bull-sized predators who devoured the entire colony on Thorin, did not dampen the widespread desire to flee the politics and pollution of Terra. The Hegemony library on Thorin was the largest library ever built. Just outside Ecol City, it was constantly expanded until it filled more than 100 buildings clustered around the huge domed Central Library. The proud people of Thorin boasted that it contained a copy of every published book. Though that claim may not be true, the library was a mind-boggling warehouse of information. During the coup, the Second Amaris Dragoons set it on fire. That single act of wanton violence, consuming every building of the Hegemony Library, set mankind back hundreds of years. The University of Thorin, one of the "Golden Ten" universities of the Star League, was nestled in the dark forests of Thorin's northern continent. The focus was on economics. The university was severely damaged during the Amaris coup and was later abandoned. The forest has since taken over the deserted campus. Ecol City is the capital of Thorin, and is situated on the southern most of the two continents. The Dublin Swamps, which run south and west of Ecol City, are notorious for their difficulty of navigation and as the breeding ground of insects of phenomenal size. The equatorial swamps are nearly two hundred kilometers in diameter, with island-like hills that rise from the shadowy mire. [3062] Founded in 2832, the Flight Academy of Thorin gained a reputation for producing excellent aerospace pilots and DropShip crews. However, the academy sustained heavy damage during the Succession Wars, limiting its enrolment. The resulting repairs were deemed prohibitively expensive, and so the school limped on without them. As a result, even when the demand for naval crews increased in the '40s and '50s, there was never any likelihood of upgrading the Thorin facility. Instead, the LAAF chose to build a new facility at Alarion and slowly downgrade Thorin. The last class entered the academy in summer 3060 and will graduate in June 3063. At that point, the remaining equipment will relocate to Alarion, as will most of the instructors. Those choosing to retire from the LAAF have been offered employment with Christifori Express, a Thorin-based shipping company. System Name: Graham IV Coordinates: -23.73, -10.43 Star Type: G2V Position in System: 4 Time to Jump Point: 9.00 days Recharging Station: Nadir Population: 3,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 40% Mammal Description: A Terra-like world with vast metal deposits, mineral wealth, and fossil fuel resources, Graham IV attracted the attention of several Terran manufacturing corporations looking to expand their facilities off-world. By the time of the Terran Hegemony, no fewer than six major corporations and a host of smaller ones had transformed the untamed wilderness of Graham IV into a sprawling series of heavily industrialized cities and factory complexes. Two of these corporations, Dekirk Aerospace and Mitchell Vehicles, were primary contractors for the SLDF, their products included everything from conventional vehicles and aerospace fighters to BattleMechs and WarShips. The Star League even placed one of its rare orbital flight academies over Graham IV, to take advantage of prototype aerospace fighter designs coming out of the Dekirk Aerospace R&D facility in Dekirk City. For these reasons, unfortunately, Amaris' forces were particularly brutal in their efforts to seize the planet, resorting to widespread nuclear attacks to obliterate any of the factories and cities they could not capture. Today, the surface of Graham IV is a post-nuclear wasteland of radioactive craters and demolished cities. Only a few cities are left, either because they were too small and remote to be worth a nuclear strike, or because they were built after the devastation. These cities, located far from the ruins on the marginally habitable continents of Barvionne and Palothica, are largely maintained by mining interests and small manufacturing operations that continue to exploit the few remaining lodes of Graham IV's resources which can be safely harnessed. The city of Keystone, on the southern reaches of Palothica, features the planet's primary spaceport, a corporate trade center for the surviving planetary companies, and even the garrison command for the planetary militia. A pair of large space habitats, placed around the planet by the Free Worlds League, support a healthy share of the planetary population now. One of these, dubbed New Dekirk City, serves as the planet's official capital in the sky System Name: Asta Coordinates: 4.17, 25.82 Star Type: K2VI Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 5.00 days Population: 1,619,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Bird Description: Asta is a beautiful, temperate, trading world for the Draconis Combine and Free Worlds League. The world is also famed for the curious crystalline rock formations in the desert canyons of its main continent of Balerdo, and The Desert Ice Fields of Balerdo Grande are a popular tourist site. Lacking much in the way of heavy industry, Asta has been primarily an agricultural world, with prime exports limited to foodstuffs, textiles, and civilian commercial vehicles. The planet has two continents; the north-western supercontinent of Balerdo, which houses the planetary capital of Excaliba and one of the planets most popular tourist sites - the Desert Ice Fields of Balerdo Grande. The smaller southern continent of Moolai, is home to the majority of Asta?s textile industries, with farmlands dominating the open plains north and east of the city proper. System Name: Epsilon Eridani Coordinates: 18.52, -21.39 Star Type: K2IV Position in System: 4 Time to Jump Point: 5.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 2,453,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Epsilon Eridani's prime location in the Sarna March made it a valuable crossroads for much of the merchant traffic that flowed through the Terran Corridor. The commercial boom that followed the Forth Succession War made Epsilon E a business and cultural mecca, which in turn made it a prime target for re-conquest by the Capellan Confederation. At the time of the invasion, this planet's garrison consisted of the Epsilon Eridani SMM, a green unit with unclear loyalties. Though nominally loyal to the Federated Commonwealth, the unit's commander, Leftenant General Pierre Benton, owed his first allegiance to his homeworld. Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao's earlier efforts to set up Liaoist cells on Epsilon E largely fell flat, and so he had limited resources to call on once the invasion of the Sarna March began. The few Liaoist rebels, however, caused damage far out of proportion to their numbers. A series of well-planned bombings killed hundreds of civilians and created a serious crisis for the planetary government. A Epsilon's leaders dithered, Leftenant General Benton grew increasingly frustrated with their inaction. Unable to sit and watch his world crumble around him, Benton took matters into his own hands with brutal efficiency. Within three weeks, no Liaoist presence to speak of remained alive on the planet. Instead of praising Benton, Council President Gloria Freeman saw the Leftenant General's actions as a flagrant disregard for the government and ordered him to surrender his unit to government commanders. Benton refused. Calling the Council "a gang of frightened bureaucrats unfit to govern a compost heap," he ordered his militia forces against the capital city of Madison. Cheered on by the local people Benton and his militia seized the capital without bloodshed and arrested the council leaders. Benton then publicly addressed Epsilon E's citizens, telling them he had temporarily suspended the Council and taken charge of the planet until new elections could be held. He further declared Epsilon Eridani independent of any Successor State for as long as he remained in control, "because our rulers from the Great Houses have not done well by us. Therefore, I believe we must do right by ourselves." Benton renamed the militia the Eridani Guards, and handily won a popular election two months after independence. Under Benton's leadership, Epsilon Eridani continues to be a haven for interstellar commerce in the troubled Chaos March, where groups from various worlds can trade and cut deals. The city of Dori on Epsilon E's northern continent has become the planet's largest trading center. Heavy industry also continues to thrive; the new Kressly WarWorks factory on the southern continent, long a minor producer of military vehicles, has just begun production of its first BattleMech model, the Lineholder. Despite its mediocre performance profile, the 'Mech is inexpensive enough to sell extremely well to all the interested parties currently struggling for dominance in the March. Epsilon Eridani has a pleasant, if damp, climate. Few of the world's frequent rainstorms ever become true thunderstorms. The southern continent contains large regions of swamplands, while the northern continent is drier and rockier, as well as containing large areas of hinterlands. The northern continent is also host to infrequent, but spectacular, thunder tempests. System Name: Saffel Coordinates: 25.82, 12.00 Star Type: K3VI Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 5.00 days Population: 1,289,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Birds Description: When first discovered, Saffel was a rather cold world at the onset of a minor ice age. The first colonists were hardy folk from Terra's Siberian, Scandinavian and Canadian regions, who found the cooler temperatures reminiscent of their homelands and planned to build cities on the north polar continent of Dovejin, Saffel's largest landmass. This frigid land, half-covered in a glacial ice cap, was considered an ideal location due to the large metal deposits detected during early surveys. Unfortunately, before these rich veins could be tapped, the so-called Outer Reaches Rebellion broke out, leading to the eventual collapse of the Terran Alliance's dominion over its far-flung worlds. With it went the fledgling settlements' only means of support. Unable to obtain the equipment necessary to turn their new home into an economically viable system and poorly equipped to handle their sudden, unasked-for independence as the harsh Saffel winter set in, many of these first colonists perished. By the time the Terran Hegemony formed nearly 100 years later, the surviving population had migrated to the warmer equatorial zones, particularly the continents of Awonera and Sophrati. Eking out an existence in the rugged, thickly wooded plains of these new lands, the scattered communities didn't know what to make of the arrival of new settlers from the Hegemony, especially when these newcomers claimed the early cities that had been abandoned by their forebears. A brief brushfire conflict broke out between the old and new inhabitants of Saffel before the Hegemony government managed to negotiate a truce. In the heyday of the Star League, Saffel became known as an exporter of valuable metals, as well as home to the Saffel Medical Institute. Located in the city of Radjik on Awonera, the SMI developed a revolutionary instrument, the Eligus Diagnoser, which was capable of rapidly scanning a patient's body, identifying any known ailments and rendering a diagnosis. Although it was withheld briefly to prevent a panic in the medical community, as some suspected the device could put doctors out of work, the eventual unveiling of the Eligus Diagnoser put Saffel on the map, adding valuable medical equipment to the planet's list of exports. After the collapse of the Star League, Davion forces promptly seized Saffel and established the planet as a gathering point for troops in one of the first major campaigns against House Kurita. In response, the Combine launched a devastating attack in 2787 but failed to capture the planet. Over the following centuries, Saffel was raided and invaded several times but remained largely under the Davion sunburst until the Draconis Combine managed to take the planet after the War of 3039. Saffel today is a peaceful world with a modest metal trade and a subsistence-level agricultural sector. The capital city of Iwanji, located on the southern coast of Dovejin, also serves as the largest commercial spaceport. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ withen 2 jumps System Name: Chara Coordinates: -29.47, 6.52 Star Type: G2V Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 9.00 days Population: 4,180,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Legend has it that Chara received the name Pacifica from its first explorer, who was fortunate enough to arrive on a placid day. In fact, this water-rich, Terra-like world soon proved to be anything but tranquil to the colonists who came afterward ? though the name stuck, curiously enough. Thanks to a fast rotation ? fourteen standard hours, compared to Terra's twenty-four ? and the lack of a moon to slow it down, the planet's weather systems are in constant turmoil. Sudden rain - or thunderstorms rage across the temperate coastal regions, while fierce blizzards and punishing downpours of freezing rain frequent the northern and southern latitudes ? most coming from skies that seemed clear just minutes before. But even as the natives came to describe their weather by paraphrasing the favored line of Terra's New England region ? ?if you don't like the weather here, just wait a minute and it'll change? ? the planet soon became an agricultural paradise. Starpad, an agro-commune established soon after the first settlers arrived here, is the largest agriplex on the planet, situated just 150 kilometers south of the planetary capital city of Farhaven on the northern Azula continent. During the Succession Wars, in fact, the output of this single, ninety-kilometer-diameter patch of farmland was so great that its exports to agriculturally poorer neighbors prompted the need for a full battalion of permanent garrison troops. Many raids by House Kurita were launched against this planet, despite the impressive garrison. Perhaps the worst of the fighting occurred between Combine forces as the defending mercenary Kell Hounds regiment on the eve of the Fourth Succession War, when the planet was briefly invaded. In addition to Azula and Verdez, a third continent, Rojia, straddles the planetary equator. Though its location and mountainous coastlines minimize the effects of the planet's worst weather systems, this landmass is the most underpopulated, largely due to the fact that its interior reaches are almost all desert and badlands, thanks to a lack of inland riverways and lakes System Name: Muphrid Coordinates: -27.64, 15.39 Star Type: G8V Position in System: 4 Time to Jump Point: 5.82 days Recharging Station: None ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 737,210,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Fish Description: Muphrid, like many worlds immediately coreward and anti-spinward of Terra, such as Skye and Caledonia, was initially settled largely by Irish and Scottish colonists during the first wave of human expansion into space. A pleasant world of mild seasons, fertile soils, expansive seas, and thick vegetation on its three large temperate-zone continents, Muphrid was quickly established as an agricultural world. Settled only a few months after Thorin, the Muphrid colonial government looked to their neighbor world for a guide and adopted similar zoning laws to contain industrial expansion and maintain the natural beauty of their world. Declaring the northeasternmost continent, Shamrock, as the industrial "zone", and limiting its close western neighbor, Ridgeway, to a mix of mineral mining and agricultural concerns, the colonists defined the southern continent of MacArthur as a low-technology "zone" similar to Thorin's continent of Freda. These zoning laws and their immediate effects shaped the way Muphrid's population developed their world, and even today a distinct difference can be seen between the cities and towns on each of the three continents. Shamrock, the most populous and industrialized, is also home to the planetary capital of New Dublin, and the large primary spaceport of Calenaton. Ridgeway, by comparison, has smaller towns dominated by granite- and ore-mining operations or large agricultural communities and ranches. Meanwhile, the virtually untamed wilderness of MacArthur is home to a few small farming, logging, and fishing communities, but remains dominated by thick jungles untouched by humankind. The few Star League Castles Brian placed during the reign of the Terran Hegemony were destroyed during the Amaris crisis or soon after the fall of the League, but thankfully very little collateral damage was done, preserving much of Muphrid?s native splendor and its people's way of life. However, rumors of a Star League research facility deep in the jungles of MacArthur still send prospectors into the unknown ? many never to return. System Name: Zavijava Coordinates: -32.08, 0.26 Star Type: M3V Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 3.00 days Population: 1,890,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Planet Description: Zavijava is an extremely volcanic world, so much so that high quantities of sulfur gas and other particulate matter blown into the atmosphere by constant eruptions have rendered the air difficult to breathe without filter masks, and prompted an ongoing exodus from the planet. The eruptions began rather suddenly in the twenty-fifth century, long after the first settlers made planetfall on this otherwise unremarkable but heretofore terrestrial world. Since then, the rate of eruptions has risen steadily through the years, to the point where no less than seven active volcanic chains spew lava and ash on a weekly basis. The cause for Zavijava's geological woes has never been adequately explained, and even stymied the Terran Hegemony's experts during the Star League era, but the effects have been dramatic indeed. In almost six hundred years, the worldwide environment changed so radically that most of the native animal species have gone extinct and temperatures worldwide have dropped nearly ten degrees due to the "nuclear winter" effects of so much ash blown into the sky. The planetary population, once numbering almost three billion, has also dropped steadily as the disturbances continue, but enough hearty souls and mining corporations have remained behind to try to make the most of the situation. Adding to the declining state of this world, of course, has been its history during the Succession Wars. As a Lyran-Free Worlds border planet, Zavijava has naturally been the target of countless raids and military campaigns in the centuries since the fall of the Star League. Zavijava has two major continents - Peniah in the north and Velvel in the south. The planetary capital, Tzion, and Zavijava's main spaceport are located on Velvel. System Name: Oliver Coordinates: -32.08, -7.04 Star Type: M5V Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 2.50 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: A Population: 2,329,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 5% Mammals Description: One of the most quickly developed of the early colonies in mankind?s first exodus into space, Oliver?s population grew rapidly as droves of colonists came to exploit its rich, easily tapped resources. Before long, this world became an industrial and military mainstay of the Terran Alliance and its successor, the Terran Hegemony. During the height of the original Star League, in fact, Oliver was home to several major defense contractors, including AeroFighter Unlimited, a major aerospace fighter manufacturer, and BattleMech producer, Brigadier Corporation. The fall of the Star League and the Succession Wars that followed, however, were not so kind to Oliver. Both AeroFighter Unlimited and Brigadier?s Warez plant were both destroyed by repeated raids and invasions from the militaries of Houses Steiner, Liao, and even Kurita. The cycle of destruction and reconstruction stagnated the planetary economy. Its pressing need for heightened defense ? a result of being a favored target throughout the Wars ? led to the inevitable decline of the government into a military dictatorship, and its membership in the Ring Coalition, a loose alliance of other nearby Free Worlds League planets on the Steiner-Liao border. Oliver?s capital city, Fort Jagger, is located on the southern continent of Clausia, along with the planet?s primary spaceport. Brigadier Corporation?s main factory, in the city of Gordon, is located on the northeast continent of Gaineshi. Oliver?s third large landmass, Marania, is a less densely populated region, in part because much of it is a frozen tundra, where rampant strip mining from the early days of planetary development have rendered much of the land scarred and unusable. Only a hearty few settlers remain in the scattered cities and towns on Marania today. System Name: Epsilon Indi Coordinates: 29.47, -15.65 Star Type: F9V Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 11.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 95,430,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Reptiles Description: Like most worlds close to Terra in the dark days leading to the Star League?s fall, the once-thriving planet of Epsilon Indi suffered badly at the hands of Amaris forces during the crisis. Captured early in the coup through a liberal use of neutron weapons and lightning strikes against orbital defense sites, the population was decimated and the world became a gauntlet for SLDF forces to pass through. An entire SLDF fleet and its attached ground forces were obliterated while attempting to liberate the planet early in Kerensky?s campaign, demonstrating the horrific costs of any frontal assault. The eventual assault that broke the hold of Amaris? troops, however, led the Usurper?s men to resort to scorched-earth tactics, razing cities and factories with what remained in their nuclear arsenal. After the League?s collapse, the Capellan Confederation claimed the world but devoted few resources to restoring it. The Federated Commonwealth, who captured the world during the Forth Succession War, designed and funded a few programs to rebuild in the areas not blanketed by radiation. Surveys of the planet?s crust showed rich in mineral deposits, and small mining companies set up shop. Between 3034 and 3049, the planet?s tiny population doubled as the mining made its people fiercely proud of themselves and their world. Epsilon Indi?s increasing viability, however, also made it attractive to Sun-Tzu Liao, who installed Zhanzheng de guang networks on the planet in hopes of destabilizing its government. The Zhanzheng de guang rose up against the FedCom government during the Sarna March invasion of 3057, and captured several towns. Epsilon?s citizens reacted swiftly and violently, forming vigilante groups and working with the regular militia. One spectacular vigilante attack killed most of the Liaoist leaders, effectively ending the revolution as an organized crusade. The Liaoist forces were aided by the Langendorf Lancers, a Marik-backed mercenary unit. The Lancers fought a protracted campaign against the forces of Duke Abraham. Just when Abraham?s forces were about to succumb, the duke called in his own mercenary troops. Deployment of Wolf?s Dragoons and the Tooth of Ymir has restored the status quo. Today, even centuries later, Epsilon Indi is a wasteland of deserts, empty seabeds, and bombed-out cities, whose population now inhabits only the polar regions, which were spared most of the fallout. The rich mineral deposits across the planet?s four main landmasses are now accessible to mining operations based in the polar continents of Boreria in the north, and Kantiles in the south. Kirst, Epsilon Indi?s largest mining settlement, is located on the northern shore of Kantiles, a scant 400 kilometers from the southern edge of the uninhabitable wastes of the Surterra continent. The north-equatorial landmass of Ithicasia, just east of Surterra, suffered just as badly from the damage of the Amaris occupation and liberation, but is nonetheless home to the domed mining colony of Vogelton. The capital of Epsilon Indi is New Rhodes. System Name: Imbros III Coordinates: -2.09, 34.43 Star Type: M5V Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 2.00 days Population: 748,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Plants Description: Imbros III was a part of the Terran Hegemony when Stefan Amaris usurped the Star League throne and sounded the death knell of humanity's Golden Age. An unremarkable, water-poor world of rocky mountains and bone-dry canyons, with little mineral wealth save a few veins of precious metals and an abundance of bauxite, Imbros sparked little to no interest for the Usurper. Instead, he forced House Kurita, using hostages of the Draconis Combine's ruling line as leverage, to garrison this planet in advance of Kerensky's return. These same Combine forces gave way easily to the liberating SLDF, only to return in force after the League's collapse just a few years later. Though never a valuable military or industrial prize, Imbros III did provide strategic value to the Combine as a border world to the Lyran Commonwealth, so the centuries of warfare that followed the fall of the League saw many raids and campaigns either launched against this planet or staged from it. The Federated Commonwealth finally captured Imbros III during the Fourth Succession War, as part of the so-called Lyons Thumb, only to lose it again at the onset of the FedCom Civil War. Trunner, the largest city and planetary capital, sits on the banks of the Youli River on the southern continent of Opilacca. Southeast of Opilacca lie the large twin continents of Barnar and Martego. On Martego, between the Maulan and Wanalahi Rivers, lies the major spaceport city of Larabel. Small towns-most interconnected by a series of winding monorailways that cross expanses of alternating woods and deserts - dot the continents of Opilacca, Barnar, and Martego. Imbros III's fourth continent, the glacial south polar continent of Fryggia, is totally uninhabited. System Name: Northwind Coordinates: 34.43, -2.87 Star Type: G2I Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 12.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 998,268,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Reptiles Description: Northwind was founded in the early years of space exploration by Scots, Irish, and Welsh colonists, who found the temperate, foggy world very much like their homelands on Terra. Clan Stuart, one of the more prominent groups among these colonists, also brought with them a small parade company that descended from the military forces of ancient Scotland. Over time, this company ultimately grew into the famed Northwind Highlanders mercenary regiment, after the Elders of Northwind elected to form a standing defense force, starting with the Kearny Highlanders (named after Kearny, a northern mining settlement). After the collapse of the Star League, Northwind was fought over mostly by the forces of Houses Davion and Liao, both of whom used the world as a bargaining chip in securing the employment of the Highlanders. In 3057, after the breakup of the Federated Commonwealth, Northwind - and its famed Highlanders - finally won its independence from both realms. Today, the people of Northwind still cling to their Scottish, Irish, and Welsh roots, and their world is home to the Northwind Military Academy, on the continent of New Lanark, along with the planetary capital city of Tara. The largest of Northwind's continents, New Lanark is also home to "The Castle," an old Star League-era fortification on the Tilman River. The industrial mining city of Kearny is located on Northwind's second-largest landmass, of the same name, while a third continent, Halidon, surrounded by the Falkirk Sea and the Argyle Islands, is home to a secondary spaceport and an annex of the Northwind Military Academy focused on aerospace combat. System Name: Lipton Coordinates: -34.16, 6.52 Star Type: G5V Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 7.00 days Population: 4,100,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Birds Description: A quiet, terrestrial world of varied landscapes, lush temperate zones, and adequate resources to support a low-level industrial society, Lipton is a curious planet. Prosperous, yet not overly so, Lipton achieved self-sufficiency in short order, and its early settlers, a mix of western European and North American peoples, came to enjoy their frontier life and trade with neighboring worlds. When the Outer Reaches Rebellion broke out, Lipton's populace rebelled through passive resistance, refusing to offer up its people to serve as troops for the decaying Terran Alliance. Self-sufficiency lent the Liptoners a sense of independence that remained with them throughout the Star League era, and during the centuries afterward as part of the Lyran Commonwealth's rebellious Skye region. During the FedCom Civil War, in fact, many of the locals sided with the cause of Free Skye. The defeat of that secessionist movement, however, took the wind out of their own spirit of rebellion. Today, Lipton is once more the quiet, industrious world it once was, though still regarded as something of a backwater. The greatest planetary export, in fact, is textiles, with Redstorm Fashions, Incorporated (a local clothier owned by the planetary governor) among the largest single corporations invested here. Unlike most worlds, the capital of Lipton City is not home to the primary spaceport on planet. Instead, most visitors arrive and depart through the interplanetary/suborbital traffic hub of Brannigan Field, located on Suresta, Lipton's equatorial island-continent, which offers connecting flights to points on the Noresta, Western and Eastern World continents. System Name: Outreach Coordinates: -3.13, -34.95 Star Type: K19V Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 3.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith, Nadir ComStar Facility Class: A Population: 341,220,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Fish Description: Outreach, the so-called Mercenary's World, was first settled during the 22nd century by Terran colonists attracted by the planet's warm climate, large tracts of arable land, and abundant natural resources. During these early years, Outreach became known as an agricultural exporter, but tourism became the mainstay of the planet's economy after the planet began to host the Star League Martial Olympiads in 2704. Following the collapse of the Star League toward the end of the century, however, Outreach's tourism industry quickly died, forcing many inhabitants to emigrate. In 2786 Outreach came under Capellan Control, and its fortunes continued to decline for almost 200 years. During the Forth Succession War, the Federated Commonwealth captured the planet. Following the cessation of hostilities, Prince Hanse Davion granted Outreach to Wolf's Dragoons, the most famous and formidable mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere. That action heralded a renaissance for the world. Determined to create a home for themselves, the Dragoons immediately began to rebuild Harlech, the decaying capital of Outreach. Within a few years, the Dragoons had transformed Outreach into the center of the mercenary trade for the Inner Sphere. Today, Outreach remains one of the few worlds of the Chaos March untouched by the bloody conflict raging in the region. Unwilling to pay the high cost of battling the Dragoons' five regiments for control of the planet, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao proclaimed Outreach as an independent barony of the Capellan Confederation. Generally, business has gone on as usual on Outreach. The renowned Hiring Hall, which is operated under the supervision of the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, continues to attract mercenaries and employers. In fact, the instability in the surrounding systems has caused a surge of activity at the hall, as employers from the embattled worlds of the Chaos March come to the city in search of mercenaries. Just as the mercenary trade has benefited from the tensions in the March, so have Outreach's 'Mech and weapon dealers, as well as numerous other industries that support the mercenary trade. However, the troubles in the March have dampened Outreach's tourist industry somewhat. In addition to Outreach's healthy economy, the competent Dragoon government and the planet's state-of-the-arty defenses have helped make Outreach an oasis of calm in the March. Dragoon commander Jamie Wolf rules the planet with a firm yet fair hand, and the Cyclops I Orbital station enables the Dragoons to closely monitor all incoming DropShips. These two conditions virtually ensure that none of the surrounding unrest will spill onto Outreach. Outreach contains twin continents, named Romulus and Remus. Romulus contains the planet's capital, Harlech, as well as all its major cities and commercial enterprises. A mountain range known as the Ridge bisects Romulus, and outside of the cities, the continent's countryside turns in small farms and lightly forested hills. Remus, also known as the Outback, is the private hold of Wolf's Dragoons. The mercenary unit maintains a headquarters and training facilities on this arid desert continent. The entire planet enjoys a warm, temperate climate all year round. System Name: Zollikofen Coordinates: -29.21, 19.56 Star Type: G3V Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 9.00 days Population: 4,178,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Zollikofen, sometimes nicknamed "treasure planet," is perhaps one of the great oddities of the Inner Sphere. Like many of the better colonies discovered early on in mankind's exodus into space, Zollikofen was blessed with an abundant water supply, fertile soil, and a thriving ecosystem that could easily support a fledgling colony. In addition, the world also boasted as many rich veins of precious metals such as gold, platinum, and silver, as it did common ores like iron and copper. Indeed, such valuable minerals proved so common to Zollikofen miners that the planet's economy was soon based on uranium and germanium deposits, as they were the rarer native metals, and a thriving export industry quickly rose based on handcrafted items of pure gold and silver. The Terran Hegemony managed to stake a claim in Zollikofen before the Lyrans could, keeping this remarkable find in the hands of the House of Cameron for many years under the Star League. This factor also contributed to the establishment of a Star League mint, which produced Lyran currency in Trader's City, one of the larger metropolii on the planet's single supercontinent of Besitzland, as well as the SLDF's Lyran Command headquarters. Miraculously enough, during the Amaris Crisis, the Usurper's troops did not harm the mint in Trader's City, though they did loot many of the press works and spaceport warehouses nearby. Indeed, the mercenaries hired by Amaris to secure this world focused almost exclusively on eliminating the Lyran Command forces instead, and securing several of the larger mines in a much more professional - if still undeniably greedy - strategy. After the fall of the League, Zollikofen came into Lyran hands, but the Star League mint was destroyed soon after, during the outbreak of the First Succession War, when House Kurita troops sacked the planet and resorted to nuclear and orbital bombardment to shatter Lyran resistance. For this reason, more than the gradual depletion of the gold and silver mines over the centuries, much of Zollikofen's wealth and prestige has tarnished since those glory days. Today, in fact, much of the planet's wealth now lies more in industrial metals such as titanium, vanadium, and bauxite, than in precious metals drawn from contaminated or dried-up mines elsewhere. Despite this, the world of Zollikofen still occasionally experiences the odd "gold rush" when new veins are uncovered, but after nearly a millennium of mining and radiation poisoning, most of the really good veins have long since been tapped out or rendered useless. The capital of Zollikofen today is the city of Fulbright, located on the banks of the Platin River. This megalopolis of over two million residents is also home to the planet's primary spaceport and the corporate headquarters of three major local mining concerns - Gershwin Mining Collective, Dahler Valley Resources, and Rosamund Minerals, Unlimited. System Name: Pollux Coordinates: -31.82, -15.65 Time to Jump Point: 0.00 days Description: [3025] Both the Free Worlds League and Lyran Commonwealth government require that all traders entering and leaving their realms submit to a vessel search. Though many agencies of the Marik government (including spaceport civilian security forces, planetary garrison personnel, and Ministry of Inspection tariff inspectors) have the authority to inspect incoming and departing vessels, such inspections are usually carried out rather perfunctorily. Pollux is one the three most popular jump points for traders entering the Commonwealth, which is quickly turning the planet into an economic boom world. System Name: Athenry Coordinates: 17.73, 31.30 Star Type: F8IV Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 12.00 days Population: 1,789,567,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Birds Description: A warm world, with an oppressive atmosphere and active volcanoes in all four of its great island chains, Athenry resembles prehistoric Terra in many ways. Tropical foliage and steep, rocky mountains dominate most of the four island chains that make up the planet's landmass. Too close to its sun for polar ice caps to form, the planet's most habitable regions for the early Terran colonists were the highlands of the large islands in the northern and southern latitudes, where the air is thinner and the heat more bearable. Frequent rains keep the lowlands of Athenry lush, giving rise to exotic flora and thousands of interesting animal species. Many of the planet's native life forms, scientists learned, held great medicinal potential, leading to the founding of the Athenry Institute of Medicine on the primary northern island of Golas, in the Larsen Chain. The AIM was destroyed by a tactical nuke during the First Succession War, however, leaving only a radioactive hulk where the facilities once stood. Athenry's capital city of New Senna is perched in the rocky mountains of Lisbon, the primary mass of the southern polar Espalar Chain. Though cities dot much of the Espalar, Zubeckis and Larsen Chains, only a few towns have been established on the mostly equatorial Wandessa Chain, largely due to the extreme temperatures and humidity of that region. Largest among these settlements is the seaport city of Ricobar, which serves as a port of call for the planet's oceangoing trade System Name: Styx Coordinates: 26.08, 25.82 Star Type: F8IV Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 12.00 days Population: 2,078,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Styx was aptly named by the first settlers to set up colonies on its storm-ravaged surface. Large oceans and the gravitational effects of its three moons are blamed for the violent storms that rage across the Stygian surface, often causing damage from flash floods and mudslides during the planet's rainy seasons. The first colonists, as a result, settled in the open plains of the interior regions of Epimethius, the primary continent, where the storms were least volatile. A few short years after the first towns were established, geologists discovered high quantities of metal and radioactive minerals in the mountain ranges of Epimethius and the smaller, neighboring continent of Perdition. These deposits lured in mining firms, the largest of which was the Styx Mining Company, an interstellar corporation that specialized in mining difficult veins of valuable metals and quality refining processes. Styx came under the sway of the Terran Hegemony more than a century before the birth of the Star League, and its mineral wealth helped bolster the Hegemony's economy and military. Perhaps for this reason, the Draconis Combine came to covet Styx, culminating in the first true battle to use the BattleMech. In 2443, a Combine armored company raided Styx, intending to seize and plunder several metal refineries on Perdition while testing the resolve of the Hegemony. The rain-slicked plains slowed the Kuritan tanks, which gave the Hegemony troops plenty of time to ready their new war machines. On the muddy plains outside the city of Barbados, the two forces clashed: a lance of Hegemony 'Mechs from the 801st Heavy Armored Regiment faced off against a full company of Combine tanks and infantry support. The results were so lopsided that few could argue the Hegemony's new BattleMech would not be the future king of the battlefield. The four 'Mechs easily trampled the entire Kuritan force, leaving only a single tank and some of its supporting infantry to scurry back to their DropShip. Styx's mineral wealth attracted many raiders over the centuries, including a major engagement between Kurita and Davion forces over the Styx Mining Company's Beta facility near the city of Lake Wio. Despite this, Styx remains a major exporter of metals and radioactive minerals today. The Styx Mining Corporation's headquarters are in Memphis, on Epimethius. The planetary capital, Sunder Falls, is located 120 kilometers northwest of Memphis. Aside from Epimethius and Perdition, Styx's third large landmass is the island continent of Gehenna. Far less populous than the other two regions, Gehenna is home to a large spaceport city, Lindon's Folly, which is also home to one of the Styx Mining Company's large refineries. System Name: Devil's Rock Coordinates: -36.51, -15.39 Time to Jump Point: 0.00 days Description: [3025] Since the signing of the Concord of Kapteyn, the Free Worlds League has opened up its trade routes with both the Draconis Combine. Initially this trade was primarily restricted to art and luxury items, such as alcohol, jade, gold and bronze jewelry, and ceremonial weaponry. This traffic has since escalated to include industrial goods and heavy equipment of all kinds, including military hardware. Devil's Rock is one of the worlds within Marik space that this trade is centered on. The starport cities on this world contain magnificent bazaars, teeming with merchant houses, wholesalers, and speculators who can find a profitable market (legal or otherwise) for virtually any commodity. [3057] As part of Operation Guerrero, the Third Free Worlds Guards landed on Devil's Rock expecting to encounter minimal resistance from the planetary garrison. This assumption proved to be false; the Third quickly found itself embroiled in bitter street-to-street fighting in the capital of Forest City. In just four hours, the Guards lost two lances of 'Mechs to Federated Commonwealth missiles; total losses amounted to nineteen 'Mechs before the Marik troops finally crushed the resistance. System Name: Nirasaki Coordinates: 34.69, 19.56 Star Type: F3IV Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 17.00 days Population: 2,108,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Nirasaki was settled by communal idealists who hoped to create a perfect society, in which everyone would live in harmony in the virtual absence of government or a policing force. The experiment was only partially successful, as infighting between settlers and the early colonists' insistence on barter-based trade made it difficult to deal with other worlds for needed goods. Eventually, a basic planetary government, structured as a loose coalition of the various communes on Kalifax and Ouanii, Nirasaki's two largest continents, was established. Based on democratic principles, the Nirasaki government required a simple majority vote for any decisions affecting a planetary region or interplanetary relations and helped create a basic planetary economy based on work credits and a standard for determining the relative values of products and services. Beyond these basic functions, which included an emergency powers clause in case of an external threat, the Nirasaki government had no other authority. Farms, cattle ranches, fishing communities and artistic communes made up the bulk of Nirasaki's population until the rise of the Star League. Though Nirasaki was left to its semi-anarchistic government under the Hegemony, the planet began to draw the attention of entrepreneurs. However, few corporate entities could make headway on Nirasaki, due to lax government practices and the work credits system, until the native Nirasaki Computers Collective was founded in the large Blue Heron Commune. The NCC developed computer systems of astonishing efficiency and quality, including the famous Blue Lotus personal computer line, which was cutting edge in the Star League's day. For this reason, the Hegemony contracted the NCC to develop software for use in the Space Defense Systems throughout its holdings. As it happened, the NCC did its job too well in this regard. When the Amaris coup took place, the brightest minds of the Collective were forcibly relocated to Terra, and their work pitted the liberating SLDF forces against SDS networks that used some of the most sophisticated pseudo-artificial intelligence ever produced. It wasn't until years later, when returning SLDF forces uncovered technical specs hidden away for their benefit in the abandoned NCC headquarters, that their artful programming was defeated and the worlds Amaris had turned into deadly gauntlets were retaken. Though the NCC itself never revived after the fall of the League, its former offices and production facilities were eventually taken over by Blue Heron Computers, today a major producer of the Blue Lotus portable compads and noteputers used throughout the Inner Sphere. Nirasaki's government is more utilitarian now, a result of centuries under the Dragon's rule. It includes a planetary police force and a local militia, both based in the capital city of Elusian on the Kalifax continent. The Blue Heron Commune, one of the many cities that still hold to the traditions of communal existence, is located on the southern peninsula of Ouanii. Nirasaki's third major landmass, Arkatis, is in the planet's south polar region and is home to the Nirasaki Communications Community, a planetwide information and entertainment company based in the city of Arkatis' Unity. Nirasaki is one of the plush resort worlds frequently visited by Combine nobility, and is also one of the official 28 worlds of the Riviera-style gambling ?Circuit? for anyone able to obtain visitors? permits. Nirasaki also hosts the annual Hiyake solar yacht races, the premier event in that sport. System Name: Terra Firma Coordinates: 22.69, -33.90 Star Type: G8V Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 6.00 days Recharging Station: Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 834,134,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Blessed with huge tracts of untamed forests, extensive mineral resources, and mountainous reaches, Terra Firma, in many ways, was considered a twin to the nearby Capolla. Colonized jointly with Capolla by a collection of small corporations and independent homesteaders, trade between both worlds led to a prosperous and semi-symbiotic relationship even before the formation of the Terran Hegemony and the Star League. This relationship worked so well that both worlds supported a strong and diverse economic and social base without the need for major military industries. In a deal brokered at the twin system's entry into the Hegemony, Terra agreed to a limited autonomy for both worlds - a policy that every successive power after the Hegemony assumed as well. In the chaos that erupted following the collapse of the Federated Commonwealth, much of Terra Firma's landscape and many cities were damaged by heavy fighting. The formation of the Terracap Confederation with Capolla helped Terra Firma to recover, but aid from the Word of Blake, in exchange for the right to place military bases and "defensive forces" on the planet, truly brought the planet's ravaged infrastructure back from the brink. Pledging a continued hands - off policy in the tiny alliance's political and business affairs, and their troops to the defense of both worlds, the Blakists earned the support - and, in some cases, fear - of the Terra Firma population. Terra Firma has two main continents - Rusalaia the primary continent, and Reniki, the smaller, equatorial continent to the east. The capital city, Aserlitz, home to the planet's single spaceport, is located on Rusalaia's northern coast. On Reniki, Ballard-Dukempic Foods of Keid maintains a branch office in the city of Nystoll. A recovering industry with a history dating back to the glory days of the Star League, the foodstuffs super-corporation now oversees most of the farming and ranching industries that are once more on the rise in Reniki's open plains. System Name: Dyev Coordinates: 5.74, 41.21 Star Type: K8III Position in System: 1 Time to Jump Point: 3.00 days Population: 1,067,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: A warm, dry world chronically plagued by violent, long-lasting dust storms, Dyev was settled initially by Russian and Slavic entrepreneurs hoping to take advantage of the abundant raw metals found throughout the rugged mountains and dried-out canyons crisscrossing its surface. With the planet's water tied up mostly in two small oceans and a handful of meager lakes and rivers, the early colonists had to rely on ice ships for their freshwater needs. In the latter half of the twenty-fifth century, however, miners digging deep into the Tupik Chasm for a new vanadium vein instead stumbled upon a remarkable find in the form of a vast underground reservoir of fresh water. Other such subterranean lakes and seas were discovered deep below Dyev's surface over the following decades, mostly near the northern hemispheric canyons, and elaborate irrigation systems were devised to bring this water to the people for farming and general use. During the Amaris Crisis, the Usurper's troops attempted to poison these reserves to bring the people of Dyev to heel, and succeeded in irrevocably tainting a third of the underground seas before Kerensky's forces rolled over them during the liberation. When the Draconis Combine claimed Dyev after the League's fall, the Kuritan leadership directed more energies toward restoring the planet's many damaged mining operations than addressing the water shortage, and thus Dyev has relied more and more on ice imports over the centuries that followed. Despite this handicap, however, this world has prospered through the years of war, exporting valuable metal ores such as vanadium, chromium, and even a limited quantity of germanium - all valuable to the production of heavy industrial and military equipment. The capital city of Dyev, Novaya Mensk, is located in the northern hemisphere, on the eastern shore of the Morye Syevir ocean, and serves as the commercial and administrative heart of the planet. Meanwhile, Trogport, a sprawling spaceport city just south of the larger Aleutican Ocean in the southern hemisphere, is the planet's primary connection to interstellar commerce. Trogport also serves as the home for a majority of the local aerospace defense forces, and as home to the headquarters offices of several local mining concerns. System Name: Capolla Coordinates: 8.08, -41.73 Star Type: F6VI Position in System: 6 Time to Jump Point: 14.00 days Recharging Station: None ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 1,764,820,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Birds Description: Capolla is a world covered by vast mountain ranges filled with huge ore deposits and numerous jungles. Most of Capolla's cities lie between the mountain ranges. Several refugee cities have appeared inside old ore mines as well. Many of these mines are connected to one another by underground tunnels large enough to accommodate 'Mechs. System Name: Menkent Coordinates: -38.86, 20.86 Star Type: K0IV Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 5.00 days Population: 3,189,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Reptiles Description: Many of the locals on Menkent refer to their world as the burial site of the Marsden dynasty, thanks to the heroic death of the Lyran Commonwealth?s second Archon, Alistair Marsden, on the Plain of Dust just outside the capital city of Blackstone in 2408. Marsden, who died leading a tank regiment during the Age of War, left behind his widow, Katherine Marsden-Steiner, the woman who would rule the Commonwealth and establish the Great House of Steiner. This simple historical event at once turned the sandy, sun-blasted world of Menkent into a tourist attraction for those willing to brave its closeness to the Draconis Combine border. Lit by a large, orange subgiant, which it orbits just a little too closely, Menkent itself is a warm planet, less than half of which is covered by water, and that is so salty that it requires purifiers to drink. Even inland seas and rivers require treatment before they can be used for drinking and irrigation, making life here difficult, but not impossible. At the time of Marsden?s death, House Kurita had managed to overtake this world, and it would trade hands between Steiner and Kurita many times before and after the days of the original Star League. Effectively little more than a barren wasteland ? its principal exports being limited to common metals and small machines ? Menkent?s local infrastructure was ravaged by the centuries of continuous warfare. The capital city of Blackstone stands at the junction of three rivers on Terrasota, the largest and most populous of the planet?s three continents. The other two continents, Areseppi and Aphirojia, are both equatorial continents, where the arid climate and local dust storms have made habitation more difficult than normal, and thus both are far less densely populated. System Name: Pike IV Coordinates: 20.34, 39.64 Star Type: K9IV Position in System: 4 Time to Jump Point: 3.00 days Population: 1,207,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: High atmospheric pressure and scarce surface water made colonizing Pike IV a difficult prospect, but not one the early settlers were unwilling to tackle. The majority of this mineral-rich world's first cities were founded in the highlands of Erubis and Blight, Pike IV's two northern continents, where the air pressure was more manageable. Unfortunately, the colonists soon learned that Pike's frequent windstorms could do heavy damage at the higher altitudes unless they took precautions against the unpredictable weather. Paramus, a trading post and home to Pike's largest spaceport, became the first of the planet's major cities to be surrounded by a large, heavy wall to counteract the high winds. Meanwhile, the supercontinent of Karasia, just south of Blight and stretching all the way to the planet's southern pole, boasted fewer high-altitude regions and claimed the majority of the planet's landmass, as well as its wealth of metal ores and gemstones. Smaller, sparser settlements grew on Karasia as the result of stubborn efforts to access the bulk of Pike IV's wealth. Many of these were made up of low-slung buildings, sealed against the weather and attached to air-thinning units to make life in the oppressive environment bearable. However, no walls were required around the cities because the windstorms across Karasia were milder. An odd dual society arose from the division between the highlanders of Eribus and Blight and the lowlanders of Karasia. Symbiotic but fraught with political conflict, the populations of the highlands and lowlands often argued over the needs of their respective cities and towns. Matters came to a head during the rule of the Star League and the Terran Hegemony, when SLDF mediators were called in to settle a small brushfire war between highlanders and lowlanders. After the Star League's collapse and the ascendance of the Draconis Combine, raiders enjoyed mixed success trying to use the sociopolitical situation on Pike IV to their advantage. Depending on the political climate at any given time, resistance to invaders ranged from determined and coordinated to bickering and ineffective. During one invasion in 3012, attacking 'Mech forces struck Paramus, meeting resistance from both highlander and lowlander militias. Unfortunately for the defenders, recent political infighting between the two factions tainted their command structure, leading to poor coordination that allowed the attackers to overwhelm the city briefly, at a cost of millions of C-Bills in damage. Unsurprisingly, Pike IV has two capital cities that govern the planet. The lowlander capital, Rolfshire, is located on the west coast of Karasia, while the highlander capital of Stratopolis is located on Erubis, on a plateau three hundred kilometers northwest of Paramus. System Name: Castor Coordinates: -41.47, -17.47 Time to Jump Point: 8.00 days Description: [3025] Castor is one of the major ports of entry for traders entering League space along the Lyran border. The starport cities on this world contain magnificent bazaars, teeming with merchant houses, wholesalers, and speculators who can find a profitable market (legal or otherwise) for virtually any commodity. Both the Free Worlds League and Lyran Commonwealth government require that all traders entering and leaving their realms submit to a vessel search. Though many agencies of the Marik government (including spaceport civilian security forces, planetary garrison personnel, and Ministry of Inspection tariff inspectors) have the authority to inspect incoming and departing vessels, such inspections are usually carried out rather perfunctorily. System Name: Nusakan Coordinates: -39.39, 44.34 Star Type: K0V Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 5.00 days Recharging Station: None Population: 1,670,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: 40% Amphibian Description: High-grade silicon and other minerals valuable to the electronics industry made the dim, cool world of Nusakan a natural center for the computer and electronics trades, despite its low water supply and the inhospitality of its northern and southern tundra. By the time of the Star League, this planet - jointly administered by the Lyran Commonwealth and the Terran Hegemony - was a heavily industrialized world, with such major corporations as Interstellar Business Computers and Pottor Light Computers claiming headquarters in the heart of its sprawling cities. Three Castles Brian were erected on the surface, along with twice as many military bases and spaceports, to secure these important assets against any aggressor. Unfortunately, the SLDF troops stationed on Nusakan during the Amaris Crisis did not reckon on an attack from within, though they fought hard and long, denying the Usurper's troops an easy victory. Two of the major fortifications, at Holden City and the planetary capital of Jobs City, both on the northern Katamoros continent, were destroyed after weeks of underground fighting that shook the nearby cities and towns. The third, however, at Fort Romas, held out for almost a year, becoming a rally point for the surviving SLDF troops as fighting spread across the planet. Though gallant, this resistance ultimately forced Amaris's troops to resort to nuclear assaults to secure Nusakan, destroying not only Fort Romas, but also a large number of the planet's more heavily populated cities and industriplexes. In the Liberation, Nusakan was again pummeled as returning SLDF forces faced a pitched battle in orbit and on the ground. Two WarShips, the SLS Havana and the SLS Dularam, lie in ruins where they crashed on the northern continent, shot down by the planetary defense systems during the fighting. By the time of the Star League's collapse, only twenty thousand or so people still lived on this battle-scarred planet, but since that time - and despite the predations of the Succession Wars - people and businesses have gradually returned to Nusakan. Cities have grown near both shipwrecks, named in honor of each one, and the city of Havana, in fact, is the present-day capital of this recovering world. System Name: Lyons Coordinates: -23.21, 39.12 Star Type: F8V Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 4.00 days Population: 957,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Reptiles Description: Lyons was a modest world when first discovered, with ample resources but few features that truly stood out among the hundreds of worlds being colonized at the time. Warm, with a very terrestrial climate, fertile soil, and a host of common metals within easy reach of mining interests, only the unusually high amount of volcanic activity, particularly along the central mountain ranges of the primary continent of Fedkirk, makes the world distinctive. To avoid the worst of the chronic eruptions and lava flows of the so-called Fedkirk Fire Chain, settlements on Fedkirk were established on the farthest coasts, leaving much of the interior region unspoiled and sparsely populated. Additional cities grew up on the smaller continents of Glastone, Leuben, and Pairse, including the planetary capital of Davids' Point, which occupies the end of Glastone's northernmost peninsula. With mining and manufacturing concerns limited in scope, Lyons developed only a modest commercial industry, but enough to attain self-sufficiency in short order. When the Terran Alliance fell, the people of Lyons hardly felt the loss until the Terran Hegemony rose in its place and annexed the planet with ease. The Lyran Commonwealth, however, took an active interest in Lyons as a potential center for trade, and negotiated with the Hegemony for joint administration during the Star League era. Unfortunately, with the fall of the League, Lyons's prominence seemed to come to an end. In the Succession Wars that followed, the world was raided several times, as might be expected for a Lyran/Draconis border planet, but a dedicated aerospace defense force based on its single moon often discouraged the casual raiding force. After the Succession Wars, Lyons rose in stature again as the lynchpin world of the so-called Lyons Thumb, a region of Lyran-occupied space extending into the Draconis Combine that remained under constant threat from House Kurita for decades. Unfortunately, the rise of the Free Skye movement hindered defensive operations, and some experts say contributed to the planet's eventual fall to the Combine at the onset of the FedCom Civil War. Remarkably, Lyons came through all the collective fighting of the Star League's fall, the Succession Wars, and even the FedCom Civil War with minimal damage. System Name: Sheratan Coordinates: 41.21, -21.65 Star Type: K5V Position in System: 5 Time to Jump Point: 4.00 days Recharging Station: Nadir ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 116,000,000 Description: [3057] A sparsely inhabited, forest-covered world with thick jungles around the equator, Sheratan is one of the most beautiful planets in the Sarna March. The lush forests and jungles spring from fertile soil, ideal for growing fruits and vegetables from throughout the Inner Sphere. Agribusiness's such as Addicks Enterprises bought up acres of it, stripped the land of trees, and turned the bare tracts into huge farms. During the Marik-Liao invasion, it became one of the most bitterly contested. The Sheratan Knights, a single regiment of warriors utterly dedicated to the Federated Commonwealth, defended Sheraton from both invading forces and internal rebellions. The planet had suffered a protracted terrorist campaign by various groups set up and funded by the Capellan secret police since the Forth Succession War, and so the Knights had superior training in dealing with guerrilla-style warfare. When the Capellan Chancellor ordered his agents on Sheratan into action concurrent with the invasion, bombings and mass shootings became commonplace in Sheratan's few large cities. The Sheratan Knights flushed out and destroyed many of the rebel cells, but vast forests and jungles gave the surviving Liao guerrilla plenty of places to hide. The arrival of the Fist of Mokal, mercenaries in the employ of the Free Worlds League, turned the tables in the Liaoists' favor. Seeing that Sheratan was lightly defended, the mercenaries landed in the capital and claimed the world a Capellan possession. The enraged Knights converged on the capital and engaged the Fist in a hit-and-run battle, downing several mercenary 'Mechs. Stunned by the attack, Major William Jeffreys ordered two of his companies to chase the Sheraton Knights into the forests and hunt them down while the third company held the fort in the capital. With the aid of the Liao guerrillas, the Fist MechWarriors found and destroyed a battalion of the Knights. The remaining Knights set the forests ablaze, trapping the mercenaries in a burning hell. Major Jeffreys ordered his unit to charge through the flames, but escaped with only a company intact. The inferno utterly destroyed the remaining Liao forces. The mercenary company in the capital retaliated by slaying thousands of civilians. When word of the brutal killings got out, the Fist of Mokal's contract was declared null and void and the unit itself was proscribed. Before departing Sheratan, the Fist started fires of its own. Soon, vast tracts of land across the planet were burning out of control. Unable to cope with the crisis, the planetary government collapsed. Various minor nobles and other charismatic leaders rose up to fill the power vacuum, and numerous petty kings are constantly contending with each other for control of the world. Meanwhile, the fires continue to burn, kept at bay only near the cities. Most of the resources that could be used to fight the fires are instead spent on small-scale warfare between the various factions. Smoke from the huge blazes makes the days hazy and the nights unnaturally dark. The Sheratan Knights remain the only potential stabilizing force on the planet, but they control only the shattered capital of Gellen's Heights and several square kilometers of surrounding territory. Rebel groups funded by the Capellan Confederation still operate on Sheratan, but the departure of the Marik mercenaries has greatly diminished their power. System Name: Hall Coordinates: -14.08, -44.60 Time to Jump Point: 5.00 days Recharging Station: Zenith ComStar Facility Class: B Description: When the news of the Marik-Liao invasion reached the planet Hall, the defending Forth Republican prepared to fend off an assault that never came. Instead of mounting a direct attack, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao directed his agents to foment a rebellion and so claim the world for the Capellan Confederation, but the Forth ruthlessly crushed the rebel movement. Though the Forth felt no particular loyalty to House Davion to justify its brutal actions, Hall's former status as part of the Tikonov Free Republic meant the unit loved the Capellan Confederation even less. The Clan conflict left many rimward planets defended by green units and troops considered too unreliable for service on the front lines. Its history of vocal anti-Davion sentiment, discipline problems, and the current rumors of the unit recruiting out-of-work mercenaries after conducting only superficial background checks put the Forth firmly into the unreliable category. When Archon Katrina Steiner-Davion invited all Lyran units currently serving in the Sarna March to return to the new Lyran Alliance, the commander of the Forth Republican, Leftenant General William "Bud" Baranov, recognized the message hidden in the Archon's speech: the mighty Federated Commonwealth was breaking apart. After a quick meeting with his officers, Baranov led his troops against the capital city of Harney, casually swatting the poorly organized opposition and crowning himself Emperor of Hall. Though the unit secured only the capital, most of the planet's populace fell in line out of fear of what the unpredictable commander would do next. Only Count McNally, who controlled a sizeable region of land east of the capital, possessed sufficient military strength and economic assets to counter Emperor Baranov. Convinced that Baranov's next move would be against him, Count McNally hired mercenaries from Outreach to augment his own 'Mech forces, then settled in to wait. Emperor Baranov had too much trouble in his own court to worry much about McNally. Several of Baranov's men had rebelled against him, and the two sides skirmished almost daily in Harney's streets. A city untouched by the conflict since the First Succession War, Harney was rapidly falling to ruins. When Baranov finally drove the rebels outside Harney, that faction claimed several southern cities as its territory, and rumor has it that members of that faction have begun fighting amongst themselves. All three sides continue to administer their small portions of Hall, occasionally fighting each other for supplies of territory. Emperor Baranov controls the only interstellar transport on Hall and uses it to conduct pirate raids in an effort to feed his troops and subjects. The Emperor is also attempting to gain sole control over the ComStar compound in Harney so that he can deny his enemies access to interstellar communication. ComStar continues to block these efforts, and so Count McNally regularly sends out messages requesting assistance from various members of the Free Worlds League in ending Emperor Baranov's reign. Hall's annual precipitation is far below the average for Terra, which gives the planet several large deserts. Considered one of the most beautiful worlds in known space, Hall owes this reputation to the strange, compelling rock formations found in each of the planet's deserts. From the air, it can be seen that many of these formations consist of solid walls of rock about five meters thick and sometimes more than two hundred meters long and of varying heights. The most unique feature of these formations is that most of the rock walls run parallel to one another, creating a vast complex of hallways. System Name: Ko Coordinates: -18.26, 44.34 Star Type: G6IV Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 7.00 days Population: 2,518,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Mammals Description: Once a hardy agricultural world in the Terran Hegemony, Ko continued to be a breadbasket for the people of the Draconis Combine's Dieron Military District after the fall of the Star League. Though some desert regions - such as the region surrounding the former capital city of Jarlton, on the equatorial continent of Hyadei - are plagued by the occasional sandstorm, much of the rest of the planet's main landmasses boasts fertile soil, coupled with excellent growing cycles and the ability to support both domestic and imported flora and fauna. As a result, numerous farming, fishing, and ranching industries came to call Ko their home, and before long several shipping lines and food-processing megacorporations were doing the same. By 3025, by far the largest of these was Surinami Processing, a producer of all manner of processed foods from freeze-dried survival rations to its Home Helper line of canned and boxed foods, with a special Happy Life Meals division that also provided foods for every institution from corporate cafeterias to volunteer soup kitchens. Interestingly enough, however, Surinami's most controversial product, the Stomach's Joy line of nutritional supplements, never saw widespread use in the Combine, and was ultimately the cause for the company's shutdown soon after Ko was captured by the Lyran Commonwealth in the Fourth Succession War. After the conquest, when Surinami began marketing Stomach's Joy to select Lyran markets, reports of the food's unusual side effects eventually drew an inquiry into the company's practices and processing standards. What was discovered was that Surinami Processing was indeed mixing a host of organic byproducts from their various other food products into Stomach's Joy as a cost-saving ploy, and blending it with native-grown narcotics in relatively undetectable amounts for added "flavor." Public outrage and the Lyran government's subsequent fines ultimately spelled the end for the Ko food-processing giant. [3062] In mid-July 3062, elements of the Fifteenth Dieron Regulars raided into Skye, prompting outrage. Without consulting his superiors, Colonel Pitcher ordered his 1st Skye Jaegers to stage reprisals, targeting the Dieron Regular's home base on Ko. He was surprised to find the DCMS unit already back in its cantonment, but pressed the attack anyway, inflicting grievous damage before withdrawing. Unfortunately it was this raid - together with allegations of other Lyran action against Combine "peacekeepers" - which led to Theodore Kurita formally annexing the Lyons Thumb for the Draconis Combine. Though privately acknowledging Colonel Pitcher's involvement, the LAAF has dismissed Kuritan claims, including a DCMS denial that the Fifteenth attacked Skye. The LAAF claim the Kuritan Coordinator and First Lord fabricated the evidence to further his own position, but leaked documents revealed the Jaeger's involvement and undermined the Alliance's position. The exact details of what happened in the Lyons Thumb remain shrouded in mystery. During the Lyran assault, the planetary capital city of Jarlton was badly damaged, forcing the Combine to relocate the administrative centers back to the pre-Fourth Succession War capital of Hagitasu, on the southern continent of Kyushu. System Name: Quentin Coordinates: 46.42, 12.52 Star Type: K9IV Position in System: 7 Time to Jump Point: 3.00 days Population: 1,883,673,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Amphibians Description: A world of abundant raw materials, from basic industrial metals to rarer radioactive elements and even naturally-formed crystalline minerals useful in various optical products, the first settlers to Quentin were actually employees of Terran corporations hoping to exploit such valuable resources for their ambitious ventures. During the Age of War, many of these industries turned to military applications, and the planet's economy truly thrived, but with such prosperity came the desire by various neighboring governments to secure Quentin and its industries for themselves. Only the rise of the Star League saved Quentin from the worst ravages of war. The League's dominion, which included Quentin, brought even more wealth to the world when they established a major BattleMech manufacturing plant in the densely industrialized Steel Valley region. This factory ultimately became the centerpiece for Independence Weaponry in the centuries after the League's collapse, and, in its heyday, produced scores of heavy and assault BattleMech designs - including the JagerMech, Victor, and Atlas. Immediately after the collapse of the League, however, forces from the Draconis Combine, Capellan Confederation, and the Federated Suns fought bitterly for control of this important world. The planet still retains the scars of that fighting in the form of its caustic atmosphere - the result of a massive biological-weapon attack, launched against the world by retreating would-be conquerors in the First Succession War. The majority of the planet's population today resides in and around Steel Valley, on the equatorial continent of Morandi, which is also home to the planetary capital of Prosperity Point. The other planetary continents, El Largo in the northern hemisphere, Gladius in the south, and El Minoro in the southern polar region, are far less populous, due to the extreme cold temperatures in those regions, and the gradual decline of these outlying areas during the last few centuries of war. System Name: Talitha Coordinates: -34.43, -34.95 Time to Jump Point: 0.00 days Description: One of the "Golden Ten" universities of the Star League, the College of Talitha speciallized in Design studies. Its students learned how to design everything from personal hygiene devices to JumpShips. There were close ties between this college and Hegemony Research and Development Centers. The Amaris forces were quick to search through its records and secret projects. They left little behind. Today the college stands abandoned. [3067] Founded by FWLM MechWarrior Angus Gilmour in 3023, Gilmour MilTech began as a maintenance contractor for Talitha?s planetary militia, but soon expanded into custom rebuilding and equipment reconditioning, mainly to support mercenary concerns. The company weathered the storms of the FedCom occupation and became a major supplier to the AFFC as well as maintaining links to the FWLM via what were officially mercenary contracts. Returned to League sovereignty after Operation Guerrero, Gilmour built up strategic partnerships with a number of companies, including Hollings-Dupre, Ltd. Subsequently, the company began to manufacture new designs, including the CNS-5M Cronus, an upgrade of the older home-grown CNS-3M model that originally emerged from Gilmour?s lines during the Fourth Succession War. The company has yet to diversify further ? most of its resources remain committed to maintenance contracts and rebuilding battlefield wreckage ? but Angus Gilmour has stated his intent to release a new BattleMech design, possibly as soon as next year. System Name: Deneb Algedi Coordinates: 41.47, 26.34 Star Type: F6VI Position in System: 2 Time to Jump Point: 14.00 days Population: 1,012,000,000 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Birds Description: A fairly dry world, with deserts covering more than two-thirds of its surface land, Deneb Algedi wasn't exactly seen as a paradise when it was discovered in the first century of mankind's ascent to the stars. However, colonists from Terra's African and South American continents, desperate to escape the oppression of the Terran government, eagerly made for the water-poor planet, determined to build a life of their own. Unfortunately, the first surveys of Deneb Algedi, which were conducted by remote drones, did not take into account the planet's dominant life form: the aggressive nayaraptor. This territorial airborne predator, with a wingspan of almost two meters and the strength to snatch up prey weighing as much as 90 kilograms, was dubbed "sky shark" by the locals. The nayaraptor, which hunts singly, pounced upon many of the first settlers, who soon learned their only defense lay in large numbers, preferably armed. As the colonists built the first towns and cities on Deneb Algedi, organized hunts for the nayaraptor gradually changed from a necessity to a sport. Though still a dangerous beast, the nayaraptor is now the focus of a thriving game industry. Travelers looking for a safari still visit this world to hunt the deadly nayaraptor on its home soil, particularly on the island continent of Ombanwe, where the local government has apportioned out several giant hunting ranges. Located in Deneb Algedi's equatorial region, Ombanwe also boasts the largest tracts of open deserts and dried-out river basins, the favored terrain of the nayaraptor, and Hunter's Den, a resort city on the southeastern coast, the continent's only major human settlement. The large, mountainous supercontinent of Librios, located east of Ombanwe and stretching almost from pole to pole, is home to most of Deneb Algedi's main cities and the bulk of the planetary population. The capital city, Nueva Santiago, sits in a lush river valley on the northwestern edge of this landmass, just a few dozen kilometers from San Luerdes, a sprawling commercial city that also boasts the planet's largest DropPort. The remainder of Deneb Algedi's landmass is claimed by the Batambu Chain, a series of six large islands that trace a rough line from Librios' southeast peninsula to Ombanwe's western shores. Few live on the mostly dry and rocky Batambu Chain, but the planetary defense forces maintain several installations, barracks and weapons test ranges there. Credits: •Chris Wheeler, The Czar of Planet Information and Fluff, has been searching through all his sourcebooks and novels to create the planet descriptions. from Inner Sphere Atlas
Hmm, so it's currently 3022 by IS reckoning, correct? lets see that means the undiscovered caches are: 1) Helm - operations already underway 3) Galtor III - not much time, FedSuns territory, and just a depot. probably best to leave this one alone 4) Dark Nebula - Lyran territory, probably too far to try an operation, and that doesn't count the automated defences. 6) Phrecda - short time, and it's on the Lyran/FWL border. probably couldn't get a team there fast enough. 7) Volders - Lyran/Combine border(means garrisoned), Dracs take it in 3025, could be difficult 8) Menke - cache was discovered under a military base, hard to get to unnoticed. 9) Epsilon Eridani - within 1 jump of C* central, might be do-able depending on where the depot is (outer planet? jump to the system's outer fringe rather than use the standard jump-points) 11) Ozawa - not enough confirmed loot to make it worthwhile 12) Outreach - Hard to pack up and remove 'derelict factories' 14) New Dallas - Operations already underway 15) Dixie - LC/FWL borderworld, changes hands in 3025, 16) Odessa system - deep in LC territory, might be worth a mission if only to make sure C* can't recover anything from it. Or tip off Lyran's to it. 18) Antallos - well in hand. 8) 22) Paulinus - no direct military value, periphery North of the (current) Marian Hegemony
Weight Listings of Spaceborn Industrial Modules These weights were deduced by building the official TRO writeup for ie. the Small Factory and assigning the remaining weight to the unknown system such as the factory equipment/module. Code: Factory Module: Small Factory Module 250.00t Large Factory Module 1,700.00t Repair Facilities: Small Unpressurized (20,000t cap) 500.00t Large Unpressurized (600,000t cap) 15,000t Small Pressurized (10,000t cap) 750.00t Large Pressurized (350,000t cap) 26,250t Mining: Ore Processing Equipment 6,000t ----------------------- Sarna is a great source but it doesn't have everything and can be a right pain to pick through when your looking for the more obscure bits of information.
CEarth might want to stay away from Outreach and the derelict factories seeing as how the Dragoons specifically wanted Outreach because of those factories. At the beginning of the Blood of Kerensky Trilogy Jaime Wolf has a conversation with Natasha Kerensky regarding the Dragoons taking of Outreach. Apparently the Dragoons know that there is more to the factories than initially thought. They say that much of the equipment has been stripped out, but there is enough to suit their needs. Those needs include getting Blackwell Corporation going strong and producing the mechs and weapons that the Dragoons will use to help stomp on the Clans and get the rest of the Inner Sphere closer to parity with Clan tech. Characters to be noted: Lyran Commowealth: Katrina Steiner (Archon and Mother of Melissa) Melissa Steiner (Archon-Designate and Daughter of Katrina) Simon Johnson (Head of the LIC [Lyran Intelligence Corps]) Misha Aubrun (BFF of Melissa Steiner and duaghter of Thelos Auburn) Thelos Auburn (Royal Historian and archivist as well as Father of Misha) ComStar: Julian Tiepolo (Primus of Comstar) Myndo Waterly (Precentor Dieron and member of the First Circuit) Ulthar Evertson (Precentor Tharkad and member of the First Circuit) Huthrin Vandel (Precentor New Avalon and member of the First Circuit) Federated Suns: Hanse Davion (First Prince) Quintus Allard (Director of MIIO [Ministry of Inntelligence, Information, and Operations]) Yvonne Davion (Field Marshal and Marshal of the Armies) Ardan Sortek (Prince's Champion and good friend of Hanse) Michael Hasek-Davion (Duke of New Syrtis and March Lord for the Capellan March; Hanse's brother-in-law and chief rival) Aaron Sandoval (March Lord for the Draconis March)
A list of Surviving worlds suggests there were worlds that didn't survive that we may also use, do we have a list for that as well?
A more apt description might be known worlds but I figured by listing them as surviving it might open up a few options for our writers to play with.
caution:: caution :: caution This post is obsolete. The 'true' versions will be up as soon as I get home. Someone asked for the readouts of the GM and LAMs over at the other forums, so here's my take on the thing. The GM-series goes through several refits, the first production versions being little more than mediocre garrison units taking advantage of GDI's extremely refined intelligence-gathering systems. They used the 220 Fusion Engines, same as the LAM refits, with a maximum speed of 64 kph they were rather underpowered for their weight. An update proved necessary, but impossible until they could get a steady supply of more powerful Engines. This would be then the most 'practical' version. Code: [IMG]http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/0081/rgm-79-desert.jpg[/IMG] Mass: 50 tons Tech Base: Inner Sphere Chassis Config: Biped Rules Level: Experimental Tech Era: All Eras (non-canon) Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E Production Year: 0 Cost: 4,600,375 C-Bills Battle Value: 1,462 Chassis: Unknown Endo-Steel Power Plant: Unknown 250 Fusion Engine Walking Speed: 53.75 km/h Maximum Speed: 86.0 km/h Jump Jets: Unknown Jump Capacity: 120 meters Armor: Unknown Standard Armor Armament: 1 Rotary AC/5 2 Medium Lasers 1 Small Laser 1 Anti-Missile System Manufacturer: HINODE Industrial Compact Primary Factory: Sunrise Mechanics Communications System: Unknown Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown ================================================================================ Equipment Type Rating Mass -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 83 points 2.50 Internal Locations: 1 CT, 3 LT, 3 RT, 2 LA, 2 RA, 1 LL, 2 RL Engine: Fusion Engine 250 12.50 Walking MP: 5 Running MP: 8 Jumping MP: 4 (Standard) Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 LL 2.00 Heat Sinks: Single 11 1.00 Heat Sink Locations: 1 RT Gyro: Standard Gyro 3.00 Cockpit: Standard 3.00 Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H Armor: Standard Armor AV - 160 10.00 Internal Armor Structure Factor Head 3 9 Center Torso 16 24 Center Torso (rear) 7 L/R Torso 12 18 L/R Torso (rear) 6 L/R Arm 8 16 L/R Leg 12 20 ================================================================================ Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rotary AC/5 LA 1 6 10.00 Medium Laser RT 3 1 1.00 Medium Laser LT 3 1 1.00 Anti-Missile System LT 1 1 0.50 Small Laser HD 1 1 0.50 @Rotary AC/5 (40) RA - 2 2.00 @Anti-Missile System (12) LT - 1 1.00 Free Critical Slots: 15 BattleForce Statistics MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 5 Points: 15 5/3j 3 3 0 0 2 0 Structure: 4 Special Abilities: AMS, SRCH, EEE, ES, SOA Here I'm using the Rotary AC/5 as a stand-in for the VAC/5 or 10. Note that it uses Endo Steel Construction and the Small Cockpit, because it is for those units deemed Reliable. Like most GDI mechs that use a gun for main armament, it carries an extra ton of ammo. The RGM-X Export version drops the VAC for a Large Laser, one more Medium Laser, and drops half a ton of armor. Unlike the GDI version however, it does not use any nonstandard components, though keeping the Clancy AMS in the head. It is cheaper to construct, stupidly easy to maintain and has no ammunition problems... which suits its role as garrison mechs for the new colonies. It is one of the mechs set to be produced in Antallos' own mech works. This is set slightly after the Tesla Light Institute opens its doors. Also note that although the mech designers I'm using (SSW and The Drawing Board) doesn't seem to allow it, the GM uses the common 240 Engine; meaning its top speed is about 75 kph, but there's an extra ton in there unaccounted for. Incidentally, the 240 is also the same Engine used in the all-new 40-ton VF-1 LAM. 55-ton Command(o) GMs are a refit using the heavier 275 Engine, often stripped out of Shadow Hawks, goes the full 86kph, and carries a PPC with three Medium Lasers. It looks meaner, uses Endo Steel and the Small Cockpit, but is otherwise components-compatible with all others in the series. Be posting the LAMs later.
Slightly modded version of the "Mad Cat"/Wild Cat in that I found a more appropriate item which I then manually editted to give a more appropriate name. Code: Mad Cat X-MBM-1 Mass: 75 tons Tech Base: Inner Sphere Chassis Config: Biped Rules Level: Experimental Tech Era: All Eras (non-canon) Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E Production Year: 0 Cost: 7,345,250 C-Bills Battle Value: 1,280 Chassis: Unknown Standard Power Plant: Unknown 300 Fusion Engine Walking Speed: 43.0 km/h Maximum Speed: 64.5 km/h Jump Jets: None Armor: Unknown Standard Armor w/ CASE Armament: 2 PPCs 2 Medium Lasers 1 Machine Gun 2 Cargo, Standard (0.5 tons)s Manufacturer: Unknown Primary Factory: Unknown Communications System: Unknown Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown Overview: The Mad Cat is the prototype first mech created by the ISOTed Clancy Earth. It's a "frankenmech" made by piecing together parts salvaged from downed Marauders and Catapults. Capabilities: Essentially a Catapult with Marauder arms attached, the armor layout is more or less identical to both mechs appropriate parts. The Mad Cat uses a Marauder's engine and arm weapons. The Catapult's weapons have been entirely stripped out. In their place are paired hard points to which external, disposable missile launchers may be attached. An antipersonnel machine gun stripped from an Apache mount has been attached to the mech's "chin". Sufficient heat sinks have been allocated to handle simultaneous movement and constant fire from the PPCs. Cockpit space has been shrunk by adding a copilot station to it because Earth engineers felt the cockpit wasted far too much space. The copilot generally functions as RTO and indirect fire gunner on GDI mechs. The Mad Cat has since been assigned to the GDI's CO of mech forces on Antallos, resulting in the copilot station becoming a true miniature command center from which the CO can direct his forces. ================================================================================ Code: Equipment Type Rating Mass -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Internal Structure: Standard 114 points 7.50 Engine: Fusion Engine 300 19.00 Walking MP: 4 Running MP: 6 Jumping MP: 0 Heat Sinks: Single 21 11.00 Heat Sink Locations: 2 LT, 3 RT, 2 LL, 2 RL Gyro: Standard Gyro 3.00 Cockpit: Small 2.00 Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA R: SH+UA+LA Armor: Standard Armor AV - 176 11.00 CASE Locations: 1 CT 0.50 Internal Armor Structure Factor Head 3 9 Center Torso 23 24 Center Torso (rear) 9 L/R Torso 16 19 L/R Torso (rear) 8 L/R Arm 12 22 L/R Leg 16 18 ================================================================================ Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PPC RA 10 3 7.00 Medium Laser RA 3 1 1.00 PPC LA 10 3 7.00 Medium Laser LA 3 1 1.00 Cargo, Weapon Hard Point RT 0 1 0.50 Cargo, Weapon Hard Point LT 0 1 0.50 Machine Gun HD 0 1 0.50 Command Console HD - 1 3.00 @MG (1/2) (100) CT - 1 0.50 Free Critical Slots: 27 BattleForce Statistics MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 6 Points: 13 4 3 3 2 0 3 0 Structure: 6 Special Abilities: SRCH, EEE, ES, SOA Sample "cargo weapon" to attach to said hard point. Code: Name Heat Damage Range Ammo Tonnage Crits Hellfire Missile-15 -- 5/missile 2/10/19/29 15 OS 2.5 Cargo Numbered OS in ammo column means that missiles can be fired one at a time, all at once, or somewhere in between. Given the fragility of the launcher, "all at once" is recommended. Armor for HFM launcher: 1 ton of 0.8 grade = 12.8 AP 12.8 AP / 4 sides = 3.2 AP Pod has 3AP What's this mean? The HFM is treated as "cargo", meaning it can sustain 3 damage without being destroyed (4th damage point will destroy it).
Code: [img]http://www.mahq.net/MECHA/macross/sdfmacross/vf-1a-battroid.jpg[/img] WSP-1L Miriya's Wasp LAM Chassis: Unknown Power Plant: Unknown 125 Cruising Speed: 53.75 Maximum Speed: 86 Jump Jets: Unknown Jump Capacity: 150 meters Armor: Unknown Armament: 3 Medium Lasers 1 Small Laser Manufacturer: Unknown Primary Factory: Unknown Communications System: Unknown Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown WSP-1L Miriya's Wasp LAM Technology Base: - Inner Sphere - Level 3 (Land-Air Mech) Equipment Mass Internal Structure: 2.5 Engine: 125 4 Walking MP: 5 Running MP: 8 Jumping MP: 5 Heat Sinks: 12 2 Gyro: 2 Cockpit: - Small 2 Armor Factor: 64 4 Internal Armor Structure Value Head 3 9 Center Torso 8 9 Center Torso(rear) 3 R/L Torso 6 6 R/L Torso(rear) 1 R/L Arm 4 7 R/L Leg 6 8 Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage Medium Laser LA 1 1 Jump Jet LT 1 0.5 Jump Jet LL 1 0.5 Jump Jet RL 1 0.5 Jump Jet RT 1 0.5 Medium Laser RA 1 1 Medium Laser CT 1 1 Jump Jet CT 1 0.5 Small Laser H 1 0.5 Turning the Wasp, the failmech of Battletech into something resembling usefulness required fiddling with the gyro to accept it as a 25-tonner while keeping the same 120 engine. The above readout uses a 125; ignored it, it LIES. This means it's slow as far as scout mechs go, only capable of going 80kph. It does carry four tons of armor now, though. The Gerwalk and Fighter Modes are of course capable of greater speeds going from place to place. With three Medium Lasers and a single rear-facing Small Laser, Miriya can now go raiding with more ferocity and impunity. Tests have proven that it is still far too light for what she needed, and by extension whatever unplanned heavy firefight a fast strike LAM might get pulled into. The Wasp is set to be abandoned entirely, and will be cut up to provide parts for the new VF-1 LAM. It does not count as Dispossession (hah), though she would prefer a Quadleunn Rao*. Sunrise can now refit any existing Wasps into LAMs upon order, though. A potential on-order refit variant, in keeping with the source material, would be a Light AC/5 or Large Laser, with the head-mounted Small Laser. *y halo thar? Is that a LAMified Battlemaster I see? Not without Double Heat Sinks you don't, missy! ** I can just see fistfights coming from LAM pilots being called LAME. They're Marines, aren't they? Gah. Violence is inevitable, specially as the things attempt to shine in two different combat roles.
@Bluepencil - I highly respect you, and the designs, but please... Keep it to the references only. Chat on all mechanical designs (including weaponry/equipment) in the Gun Porn thread. Everything else, wherever they currently are in those other threads. We want minimal discussions here, preferably Zero, as it will make spotting the references easier and faster. No offense to anyone.
At least the GM is for reference as well as the Frankenmech, through I think Earth is going to build a mech based on the Frankenmech.
This is, at least I think, quite important and so it will be posted as many times as needed in the future in order for everyone to understand what is being discussed. One thing I have noticed is that often people have been posting regarding parts of the Inner Sphere and the space surrounding it without realizing where it is that they are referring to and/or where it is in relation to where CEarth is. In order to try and address this issue I am posting the following link. http://iscs.teamspam.net/ This link is to the Inner Sphere Cartography Society Archives. They are a BT fan-group that has compiled an index of nearly every map so far produced of the Inner Sphere, Periphery, Deep Periphery, and Clan Space. They have the maps listed by year and in multiple formats, so there should be no complaints about not being able to access or read the maps. They have maps showing every border at multiple points in the BT timeline. They also have maps showing the Jumpship Paths between the various systems that make up the Inner Sphere, Periphery, Deep Periphery, and Clan Space. The maps are all scaled to the canon specifications for distances between systems and points that make up the Inner Sphere, Periphery, Deep Periphery, and Clan Space. This should help alleviate any difficulties people are having trying to figure out where different systems are, where different states and planetary associations are, and where it all is in relation to where it was determined that CEarth is. Now while there is no map at this site that has CEarth pointed out directly on it, as these are canon maps only, I am also posting a link to the map that does have this position marked on it. This map was posted originally by Mosati over in the Reference Thread at its beginning. It is being reposted here for convenience and to make you all more aware of it. The link to the CEarth marked map is: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v215/Mosati/?action=view¤t=Map-C-EarthProjectedLocation.png And just in case you may have missed it above, the link to the Inner Sphere Cartography Archives is once again posted here: http://iscs.teamspam.net/ I hope this helps us all, especially those who are not as familiar with BT canon as others of us are. Remember, ignorance can be cured by knowledge...but only when knowledge is imparted and not hoarded.
the popular BT drink, the PPC The PPC drink is a BT alcoholic drink named after the famed weapon. It is named after the weapon because of the kick both it and the weapon pack. The trick, as Gray Noton once said, is to get it down before letting the alcohol sit too long in your mouth as it will completely numb your mouth if you do. Noton also remarks that in about thirty minutes after imbibing the drink, that numbness will hit your brain. This is because the PPC drink is made in a brandy snifter from 4 shots of grain alcohol cut by 2 shots of a different alcoholic spirit and garnished with either a fresh sprig of mint, small piece/slice of fruit, or sprig of blue spruce or sprig of a bonsai tree. The official canon variants of the PPC drink are as follows and have been identified by canon novels and by canon authors as: It is noted that Gray Noton prefers the Steiner variant without the traditional garnish.
System Name: Antallos (Port Krin) Coordinates: 467.09, 283.92 Star Type: K4IV Position in System: 3 Time to Jump Point: 4.34 days Recharging Station: None ComStar Facility Class: B Population: 5 Percentage and Level of Native Life: Birds Description: A hot, dry world slightly smaller than Terra, Antallos consists mostly of rough terrain and hard baked deserts. A small patch of jungle runs along the equatorial belt, and the world has two small polar caps. Antallos' surface is a single land mass with no oceans. Several seas dot the surface, only one of which contains any sizable islands. In the late twenty-seventh century a conglomeration of trading companies from the Federated Suns, Draconis Combine, Outworlds Alliance and Terran Hegemony settled the Hegemony's outpost world of Antallos. Though nominally governed by the Hegemony, Antallos functioned as neutral ground and so quickly became a prosperous independent center of interstellar trade in the region. Acknowledging Antallos's growing importance, the Star League government established several bases on the planet to safeguard it against pirate raids - and also to keep an eye on the often troublesome governments of the Combine and Outworlds Alliance. Antallos became a treasure trove of high technology, and this treasure proved its undoing after the Star League's collapse. Repeated raids by the Draconis Combine forces during the First Succession War shattered the planetary government, and Antallos devolved into a collection of squabbling city-states vying for dominance as the Succession Wars raged around them. More than 30 city-states dot Antallos' surface and contain almost all of its population. To remain outside a city is to invite certain death from either the elements or marauders. In the lawless areas between the cities, known as Free Zones, gangs and nomad tribes roam in search of hapless travelers from which to steal the necessities of life. Many areas within the Free Zones are also contaminated with chemicals and other biohazards from the chemical and biological weapons used in the city-states' wars. Over centuries of war and technological backsliding, Antallos has become a hiding place for fugitives and wandering pirate bands. Along with the criminals came occasional traders, adventurers and LosTech prospectors in search of whatever Star League technology might have escaped destruction. By the beginning of the thirty-first century, Antallos possessed a reputation for being a place where anything and anyone could be brought for the right price. The world reclaimed its past prominence as neutral ground for trading, but this time geared toward the underworld and criminal elements. The major center of criminal activity is Port Krin, the largest city-state of the planet. Native to Antallos, the rock gila is a carnivorous, dog-sized lizard that is excellently adapted to the world's arid atmosphere. Many gilas extend their hunting grounds to the scattered cities and other human settlements, where they mostly prey on rats and other vermin weaker than they are. Their choice of prey makes them quite popular among Antallos' human population. Gilas are quite aggressive and dangerous, but they can be trained to hunt rats or to bite opponents. Some traders in Port Krin even sell rock gilas to visitors as pets.
"Current" inventory of the Buron Cav when it comes to combat assets, will be updated as the story goes. Mechs: Warhammer - modified, no machine guns and extra armor/heatsinks Black Knight - standard BL-6-KNT Flashman - standard FLS-7K Marauder - MAD-3R modified into MAD-3D with severe problems with the LL, generally the big problemmaker of all the Mechs Valkyrie - standard VLK-QA, bad maintenance, privately owned by MW Javelin - standard JVN-10N, see Valkyrie for more notes; both will be brought up to spec by the techs left on Antallos (2) Jenner - standard JR7-D - missing components, will be brought into workable condition once the parts factory begins working Armor: (4) Manticore tanks - standard (on way to Antallos) (4) jury-rigged self-propelled (wheeled) Thumpers (going to Earth) (Imagine these, just as slightly larger 8x8 with added armor.) (2) 40-ton armored trucks used as ammo/protection detail transports for the Thumpers (same truck type as the ones modded to carry the guns); also going to Earth Infantry: 2 Company - full strenght 1st company equipped with XM8s, SRM launchers and anti-Mech charges; green to regular experience; motorised (truck) 2nd company equipped with TK Assaults, TK GPMGs, LAWS and anti-Mech charges; veteran experience and combat engineer training; motorised (jeep) Independent sniper (3), SRM (6) and mortar teams (6); motorized (truck) Armory: Handguns, shotguns, granade launchers and AGLs in small quantities. Dropship: (1) Union - The Distant Home, combined-arms config (4 Mechs, enough space for the 6 artillery trucks and the infantry's jeeps, extensive personnel capacity) EDIT: Urgh, that drink sounds horrible.
To the person who compiled all this, I don't have your name but thanks and I hope you don't mind me posting your work. The following is a compilation of canon Battletech events Sorry for the wall of text format as it came from an old txt document Ive had for some time called Battletech, The Complete History. Here's 3020 -3029 (the text file goes from 2571 to 3550) 3020 Kell Hounds sign on with LC and posted to Combine border. They manage to salvage a Kurita DropShip. Hanse Davion recalls all AFFS LAMs and their pilots for reassignment. Crucis Lancers invade Ronel. LC launches attack on Callison. Rare contagious blood disease kills 60% of population on Quantraine. Pinard Protectorates Limited founded in TC. 1st Regulan Hussars fights 17th Skye Rangers at the Battle of Kendrew's Crossing. Tomaso Kinchuhara given regimental command of the 1st Regulan Hussars. Fourth Battle of Harrow's Sun. War College of Buena founded. Colonel Lloyd McGavin forms Night Stalkers. FS raids Yance I. Archon Katrina Steiner of LC issues her Peace Proposal. It is rebuffed by all the IS rulers except Hanse Davion, who opens secret communications with LC. Sandoval family of Robinson rebuilds Battle Academy on Robinson, which was destroyed during First Succession War. Educational Exchange program brings FS teachers to OA. Elias of the Crichells promoted to Star Colonel in command of CJF Turkina Keshik. [spring] Wolf's Dragoons hired by LC and posted to Chukchi III. DC forces raid Dobson. Severen wins Leroux Bloodname. CF ends exploration. [late] Wolf's Dragoons Delta Regiment Colonel Sarah Weisz retires and is replaced by Colonel Kathleen Dumont. Defiance Industries Combat Vehicle Division unveils Rommel/Patton tank. Sumire Hiyama appointed Deputy DES. 3021 [Feb] While on New Wessex for R & R, Waco Rangers face, but don't fight, the Black Widow Company. Captain Abraham Silvereen, commanding Silvereen's Stallions, 5th Sword of Light, is killed in a food riot on Worrell. He is replaced by Lieutenant Daniel Sorenson. Rolling Thunder assigned to parliamentary security duty on Atreus. Redjack Ryan sends Wilson's Hussars to raid Kimball VI. Wilson's Hussars are fired by Ryan and hired by Helmar Valasek. Bomb detonates in Takashi Kurita's DropShip but he manages to escape in an AeroSpace Fighter. Malthus Gambling Unlimited expelled from Commonwealth Stock Market. 5th Galedon Regulars raid New Ivaarsen. Thomas Marik designated heir to FWL Captain-Generalship. Shin Yodama born on Marfik. ASN-101 variant of the Assassin appears in FS Capellan March Militia. 5th Crucis Lancers RCT loses most of its 'Mech regiment in abortive attack against CC. Marten VTOL scout produced by Cal-Boeing of Dorwinion. Star Colonel Elias wins Crichell Bloodname. [14 Sept] Minobu Tetsuhara saves Jaime Wolf's life on Dromini VI. [Oct] Minobu Tetsuhara relieved of command and stripped of his 'Mech. Readings in Psychohistory by Professor Bob Kieffer published by Atreus Press. Philippa Marik and the Peace Initiative by Cynthia Vitali published by Popular Press. Faith in the Inner Sphere by Rev. Dr. Horace DuShane published by Atreus University Press. Crossed Swords by Erna Kochkhou published by Rahne Publishing. DES Heath dies and is succeeded by Sumire Hiyama. Carlyle's Commandos garrison Trell I. 1st Taurian Lancers battle FS troops on Bromhead. Shin Yodama born on Marfik. 3022 Trent, Jez, and Russou born into Mit Lynx sibko on Londerholm. [May] Alliance between LC and FS formalized on Terra. DC Nightstalker battalion stages a secret drop near the Winter Palace on New Avalon. Under contract to FWL, Smithson's Chinese Bandits raid Sian. DC raid on Xhosa VII defeated by Draconis March Militia. AFFS captures Tancredi II, Galatia, Rome, and Galtor III. Last manufacturer of GM 48000 drive system, used in Excalibur-class DropShips, closes. Ramilie's Raiders break with CC and flee to MC. Wolf's Dragoons raid Hoff, which is defended by Eridani Light Horse. Hanse Davion gives Elidere IV to Michael Hasek-Davion. Battle of Rigil Kentaurus. Ran Felsner promoted to Field Marshal and inducted into Order of Davion at end of year. [1 June] FC Document signed. [June] New Syrtis Shipyards sealed off with no explanation. Quintus Allard appointed Minister of MIIO. Survey team from BP-Interstellar, a petroleum and steel company, arrives on Zolfo and discovers major oil and coal deposits in mountain ranges. [late] Gregg Car leaves Wolf's Dragoons and forms Gregg's Long Striders merc unit. Maximilian Liao ends envoys to Takashi Kurita. Subhash Indrahar journeys to Atreus. Haakon Magnusson and Tor Miraborg meet in a DC prison while serving time for inciting riots. McCarron's Armored Cavalry raids FS. Long March begins. Using information supplied by LC, AFFS launches a major offensive against DC. [Sept] Rolling Thunder assigned to the honor guard for the visiting Subhash Indrahar. [early Sept] Subhash Indrahar meet with Janos Marik. Janos Marik travel to Terra to meet with Takashi Kurita and Maximilian Liao. [13 Oct] Concord of Kapteyn signed by Maximilian Liao, Janos Marik, and Takashi Kurita on Terra. [Dec] Rolling Thunder posted to Regulus for security duty. The Mariks: House of Steel, House of Dreams by Genevieve Dalton published by Nonesuch Press. Defectors Past and Present by Erica Brandeis published by Atreus University Press. Haruka and Mia Otanashi born on Kirchbach. Ramilie's Raiders steal JS from CC and flee to Periphery. 3023 CSA Khan Kimball N'Buta forms Epsilon Galaxy. Kell Hounds accept contract with FS. They take part in exercises on Robinson that are precursors of Operation Galahad. MechBuster jet introduced. Defiance Industries of Hesperus II introduces HCT-3F Hatchetman. Charles Seneca awarded lands and money by FWL. Baker Pharmaceuticals loses 300 million credit lawsuit. Tormana Liao commissioned as a Major in Capellan military. First LC cadets enter NAIS. Brevet General Nathan Armstrong becomes commander of the Eridani Light Horse. Waco Rangers quit DC and are hired by LC. Snord's Irregulars posted to Hyde. Hohiro Kurita born. FS Intelligence Marshal Doger dies. He is replaced by Ivan Tevanol. FS liberates Tancredi IV from decades of DC rule. FS stumbles across SL Devastator BattleMech. Corinne Marik born. Bjorn of the Jorgenssens born. [Apr] Battle of Hoff. FS troops include Dahar DMM, 151st Light Horse, and 7th Battalion of Eridani Light Horse; DC forces include 17th Galedon Regulars, Wolf's Dragoons Epsilon Regiment, and Black Widow Company. [13 May] Battle of Hoff ends. [13 June] Wolf's Dragoons hit Quentin IV. [21 June] Independence Weaponry Complex on Quentin IV taken by Wolf's Dragoons Alpha, Gamma, and Delta Regiments. DC and LC forces battle on Ellison IV. Edward Regis appointed General-of-the-Armies and Commander Pro Tem of LCAF. Assassination attempt against Takashi Kurita fails although he is ill for two weeks as a result. Columbus facility discovered by ECV Von Braun. 3024 [winter] Duke Hassid Ricol attacks Trell I. Carlyle's Commandos destroyed. Grayson Death Carlyle goes into hiding. Capt. Griff Storm forms Storm's Metal Thunder. Nashsan Diversified and Defiance Industries form N&D Targeting Computers. Nashsan and Defiance purchase Henderson JumpShips and form N&D Shipyards. Lyran and Combine troops clash on Alexandria. JumpShip Winnetka discovers SL supply dump on uninhabited Periphery world. Helmar Valasek raids DC garrison on Porthos. Gordon's Armored Cavalry mercenaries defect from CC to TC. Longwood's Bluecoats hired by TC. Nashsan Diversified attempts takeover of Baker Pharmaceuticals. Helmar Valasek stages deep raid on Susquehanna. FS adopts LC's Dragon Slayer's Ribbon, replacing Sword of St. George award. Hanse Davion creates first Regional Training Battalion on Conroe. Professor-General Sam Lewis gives commencement address at Sakhara. [summer] Battle of Travis V. Hanse Davion brings Morgan Hasek-Davion to New Avalon as a hostage against his father. [late] 12th Star Guards sign with LC. [Oct] Constance Kurita takes over Keeper of House Honor from her aunt Florimel Kurita. [11 Nov] Wolf's Dragoons Resolution Day. [Dec] Rolling Thunder assigned to counter-insurgency duty on Tiber. LC pushes last DCMS forces off Sevren. [22 Dec] Theodore Kurita assigned to 11th Legion of Vega. Waco Rangers face Wolf's Dragoons but retreat. Stories of Young People for Young People by Alice Seville published by Conestoga Press. Vidnovel Ghost War by Colonel Dwight Short published by Charybdis Publishing, New Olympia. The Course of Our Times by Precentor David Polonia published by CS Press. 3025 [4 Jan] Wolf's Dragoons Beta and Gamma Regiments hit Deshler. Birth of a New Society: The Collected Writings of Nicholas Kerensky published by Strana Mechty Press. Ardan Sortek retakes Stein's Folly. Viscount Robert Moynihan of DC sells Styx Mining Corporation to Wayland Smith. [Mar] FS invades Galtor III. [Apr] Aghama Mechworks on Deshler taken by Wolf's Dragoons Beta Regiment and Zeta Battalion. [18 Apr] Deshler falls to Wolf's Dragoons. Marcus Kurita sabotages Takashi Kurita's BattleMaster, but he survives. Open revolt on Tiber. McCarron's Armored Cavalry ends their Long March through FS space. [May] Rolling Thunder posted to Hong Qiao to suppress guerrilla war. CC's RVN-3L Raven introduced by Hellespont Industries. Cyclops, Incorporated begins production of Drillson Heavy Tank. Rebellion on Verthandi. The First Tide of Resistance by Caroline Drury-Tunis published by Britannica Historian Perspectives Series. Tabitha (Paik) born into CSA. [Aug] 5th Sword of Light posted to FS border in preparation for a massive offensive. [Nov] Rolling Thunder posted to the CC frontier. Snord's Irregulars reaches battalion strength. [18 Dec] 1st Regulan Hussars stationed on Calloway IV. While there, they defeat a raid by McCarron's Armored Cavalry. Eridani Light Horse back on duty. Third Succession War ends. Loren Jaffray born. Federated Commonwealth (3026 - 3049) 3026 Vlad of the Wards born. Kell Hounds sign on with LC and assigned to garrison Pacifica (Chara III). Savannah Master hovercraft built by S.L. Lewis, Inc. DC raid on Elidore IV. Jaime Wolf given Bushido Blade by Takashi Kurita while on Benjamin. MacKenzie Wolf joins Wolf's Dragoons Beta Regiment under the pseudonym Darnell Winningham. In Clan Space, CWf defeat CJF and House Nygren receives genetic material from House Malthus. Rolling Thunder posted to Wallis for garrison duty. Shortly after, a military coup d'état occurs on Wallis. Operations Galahad and Thor first held. LC troops organized into Regimental Combat Teams. New Regional Administrative Center on Tamar operational. Anika Janssen born on Gunzburg. Dorian wins Wirth Bloodname. [late] Dorian Wirth elected saKhan of CSJ. [1 Oct] Minobu Tetsuhara and Wolf's Dragoons Alpha Regiment Colonel Kelly Yukinov injured in skimmer explosion on Barlow's End. Tetsuhara loses an arm and a leg, while Yukinov loses an arm. Walker Roche musters out of Wolf's Dragoons and joins Snord's Irregulars. [Nov] Rumors surface of atrocities on New Mendham in September and are attributed to Black Widow Company. [27 Nov] Major Justin Xiang Allard of the 1st Kittery Training Battalion injured during an ambush on Kittery. [Dec] Takara visits Patrick Kell for the last time. 3027 [early] CSJs attack CSAs. CSAs take Aerospace Plant CM-T72673 on Marshall. [10 Jan] Major Justin Xiang Allard charged with treason and arrested. [20 Jan] Leftenant Andrew Redburn of 1st Kittery Training Battalion awarded Silver Sunburst for saving his troops during the ambush on Kittery. [30 Jan] Justin Allard's treason trial ends. He is stripped of rank and name and exiled to Solaris. [20 Feb] Justin Xiang defeats Billy Wolfson on Solaris. [Mar] Revolt on Wallis suppressed. [20 Mar] Justin Xiang fights and kills Peter Armstrong on Solaris. Takashi Kurita recalls Yorinaga Kurita and places him in charge of the newly formed Genyosha unit. [Apr] Rolling Thunder posted to garrison duty on Regulus. Denied frequent requests for support, Wolf's Dragoons stages unauthorized raid on Udibi in search of supplies. Captain Frank Woomack, MechWarrior Kathy Keegan, and MechWarrior Steven Geiger captured by McKinnon's Raiders. When they are released, they are given a message to give to Colonel Wolf by Quintus Allard, Director of MIIO. [20 Apr] Justin Xiang fights and kills Billy Wolfson on Solaris. [26 Apr] Monopole Silver Eagle leaves Tharkad. [5 May] Justin Xiang kills Gray Noton on Solaris. [19 May] Black Widows and the mysterious Bounty Hunter forced to work together to get off Benet III. [21 May] Silver Eagle hijacked by agents of Heimdall and taken to Styx in DC. [22 May] Myndo Waterly, Precentor Dieron, informs ISF of Silver Eagle's presence at Styx and passenger list. [25 May] ISF and Genyosha raid Styx to capture Melissa Steiner, who was a passenger on the Silver Eagle. Kurita units raid Pacifica to destroy Kell Hounds, who are stationed there. Kell Hounds jump out of system to Styx, where they rescue Melissa Steiner. Patrick Kell killed in battle with Yorinaga Kurita. [26 May] Justin Xiang fights and kills Philip Capet on Solaris. Cameron St. Jamais born. [June] Morgan Hasek-Davion hosts Prince's Humanitarian Awards and Charity Ball on New Avalon. [5 June] Kell Hounds receive Dragonslayer's Ribbon. [10 June] Justin Xiang recruited by Maskirovka. Second Operations Galahad and Thor held. Charles Seneca recruited by CS from SAFE. Ryan Steiner exchanges his commission as a pilot in LCAF for a position in the government. [28 Aug] Jaime Wolf meets with Takashi Kurita on Luthien. [Oct] Rolling Thunder posted to LC frontier. [10 Oct] Hanse Davion informs Michael Hasek-Davion of his impending wedding. [15 Oct] Maximilian Liao receives the announcement of Hanse Davion's impending wedding. [22 Oct] Captain Daniel Allard of Kell Hounds arrives on Zaniah III and informs Morgan Kell of his brother's death. Morgan comes out of retirement. Morgan Hasek-Davion announced as Hanse Davion's best man. [20 Nov] Maskirovka raid on Kittery fails to accomplish mission of killing Leftenant Andrew Redburn. Earthwerks, Ltd. begins Kuan Ti research project, but because of the war it is put on hold shortly after. Trent Arian enrolls at Sandhurst. Edelle Kearny born on Krimari in MC. Lucian wins Carns Bloodname. 3028 Bayle (Campbell) born into CBS. [2 Jan] ISF commandos, pretending to be terrorists, occupy Wolf's Dragoons Hephaestus Station. [3 Jan] Wolf's Dragoons implement Hegira. Seventh Kommando raids CS HPG station on An Ting. Hephaestus Station destroyed by occupying forces. [6 Jan] 1st Regulan Hussars raid Poulsbo. [14 Jan] Wolf's Dragoons begin to pull off An Ting to head for Misery. Gray Death Legion discovers an SL library memory core on Helm. Duke Hassid Ricol of DC meets with Grayson Death Carlyle on Helm and receives a copy of the library core. [Feb] FWL launches Operation Dagger against FS. [3 Mar] Kell Hounds return to regimental strength. Captain Daniel Allard given prototype WLF-1 Wolfhound. [13 Mar] FWL invades Loric with the 1st and 5th Regulan Hussars, 2nd Free Worlds Guards, three armored regiments, and a large group of AeroSpace fighters. [27 Mar] FWL forces retreat from Lyran reinforcements. Cosiron Kerensky cast out of CWf for unknown reasons. [11 Apr] Wolf's Dragoons dependents arrive on Cassias. [22 Apr] At midnight, as their contract with DC expires, Wolf's Dragoons on Misery attack Combine troops. [May] 1st Regulan Hussars raid Ford. [20 May] Fighting ends on Misery with Wolf's Dragoons winning a Pyrrhic victory. [27 May] Minobu Tetsuhara commits seppuku. War College of Tamar graduates its first class. [June] Third Operations Galahad and Thor held. Constance Kurita deposes Abbot of the Order of Five Pillars for treason. [17 Aug] On Terra, Jaime Wolf confronts Takashi Kurita and declares a feud between the Dragoons and DC. [18 Aug] Akira Brahe, Yorinaga Kurita, Jaime Wolf, and Morgan Kell learn that CS has been hoarding 'Mechs on Terra. [19 Aug] Assassination attempt against Quintus Allard on Terra. [20 Aug] Wedding of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner. FS invades CC, initiating Fourth Succession War. St. Andre hit by Davion Light Guards. [24 Aug] LC forces invade Marfik. Shin Yodama orphaned. Cochus captured. [12 Sept] 8th Galedon Regulars hit Harrow's Sun. [17 Sept] 12th Galedon Regulars and 3rd Proserpina Hussars hit Wapakoneta. [18 Sept] 5th Galedon Regulars hit Glenmora. [1 Oct] Operation Dagger begins. [Nov] Northwind Highlanders and the Clan Elders of Northwind begin negotiations with FS. LC hits DC world of Kirchbach as part of Operation Götterdämmerung. FS raids Tikonov. 1st Canopian Fusiliers battle MH forces on Astrokaszy. LC invades Marfik. Shin Yodama orphaned and adopted into yakuza. [8 Nov] Cranston Snord discovers an abandoned SLDF base on Volders. [13 Dec] Northwind Agreement signed. [21 Dec] Operation Riposte hatched. Theodore Kurita receives the Katana Cluster. Omi Kurita born. Ranna of the Kerenskys born into a sibko on Stanici. 3029 [12 Jan] Northwind Highlanders arrive on Northwind. [14 Jan] Algot hit by CC troops. [2 Feb] Maskirovka assassination attempt against Colonel Pavel Ridzik on Elgin fails due to MIIO intervention. [14 Feb] Michael Hasek-Davion killed on Sian by Justin Xiang. Leo Showers elected Khan of CSJs. Rumors of LC-FS union spark new debate on IS invasion among Clan Grand Council. CWf Khan Ulric Kerensky manages to forestall a new vote. Leaders of Rasalhague resistance movement meet on Tamar. [9 Apr] Justin Xiang and 4th Tau Ceti Rangers raid Bethel, defended by Davion Light Guards, 1st Regiment, Delta Company. [1 May] Snord's Irregulars steal the Amaris Throne on Bordon. [May] Wolf's Dragoons Beta and Delta Regiments lift off Wapakoneta. [15 May] ISF troops raid Lyons and destroy New Freedom settlement. Only two adults and thirty children survive. Kell Hounds drive the raiders off. [20 May] Justin Xiang awarded Baton of Illustrious Service by Maximilian Liao. [28 May] FS troops land on Sarna. [May] CS informs Theodore Kurita of the impending interdict against FS. [1 June] CS interdicts FS. [20 June] Skye soldiers impersonating FS troops infiltrate Tharkad to assassinate Katrina Steiner but fail. Jeana Clay killed. [21 July] Colonel Pavel Ridzik assassinated by Maskirovka. Donna Jean Connor born. Charles Antonescu joins Eridani Light Horse. [4 Aug] Nekegami strike teams hits Dromini VI and kill LC command there. [19 Aug] Primus Julian Tiepolo suffers a coronary. [29 Aug] 1st Kathil Uhlans formed. [4th Sept] 5th, 8th, 12th, and 16th Galedon Regulars land on Crossing. [7 Sept] Liao Death Commandos and 4th Tau Ceti Rangers hit Kathil but defeated by 1st Kathil Uhlans. [10 Sept] CS troops, disguised as Liao Death Commandos, raid New Avalon. [15 Sept] Duke Frederick Steiner captured by Theodore Kurita at Dromini VI and shot. [28 Sept] DC troops on Wapakoneta make first attack against Wolf's Dragoons positions. [3 Oct] Second assault by DC troops against Wolf's Dragoons positions. [9 Oct] Third assault by DC troops against Wolf's Dragoons positions. [19 Oct] Alexi Malenkov of Maskirovka arrested for treason. [20 Oct] DEST company lands on Crossing. Wolf's Dragoons Beta Regiment Colonel Andrei Shostokovitch killed. 10th Deneb Light Cavalry arrives to support Wolf's Dragoons. As the battle turns against Dragoons, Zeta Battalion appears and saves the day. [23 Oct] Duke Aldo Lestrade assassinated by Clovis Holstein. [24 Oct] Kell Hounds battle 5th Sword of Light on Nusakan. Morgan Kell battles Yorinaga Kurita. Yorinaga Kurita commits seppuku. Akira Brahe joins Kell Hounds. 1st Kathil Uhlans raid Sian and rescue Justin Xiang, Alexi Malenkov, and Candace Liao. [16 Nov] Justin Allard awarded Medal Excalibur. Major Andrew Redburn awarded Medal Excalibur, made a Knight of the Realm, and awarded lands on Firgrove. Alex Mallory awarded Diamond Sunburst. Katrina Steiner signs Intention of Free Rasalhague Peoples and recognizes Tyr movement as the legitimate government of any future Rasalhague state. Hanse-Off movement founded in LC. Primus Julian Tiepolo dies. Myndo Waterly, Precentor Dieron, elected Primus. Hanse Davion agrees to allow CS Guards to garrison HPG stations within FS in exchange for CS's lifting of its interdiction. SIC declares independence from CC. [Dec] CS lifts its interdiction of FS. [31 Dec] Justin Allard and Morgan Hasek-Davion inducted into Order of Davion.
Could someone post the conversion factors that have been decided on for this story? Specifically how much is a ground hex, but any others that have been decided on ('How many MW a 40 rating fusion reactor produces' forex.) would also be nice.
Well there's the Drakon which was last seen patroling the system, prospecting for mineral rich asteroids, and being used to train Dropship crews. I rather imagine that Earth hang on to at least a few Unions and maybe Leopards for the lift capacity.
Earth replaced the leopards they took to Antallos with better cargo haulers on the trip back, so they can have rotated them back to Sol to build up an orbital industry.
The Japanese also have Skull Squadron's DropShip Daedalus, which is setting up an EndoSteel orbital facility. They actually make small quantities of EndoSteel onboard, about a half a ton a month. In case anyone wants to know, CEarth may have about eleven tons of EndoSteel, only eight inside Hakone and the rest in other research labs.
Current List of Take from the Columbus Expedition. Note: While this list is current, it is not complete- as I've yet to figure out what to fit in the remaining tonnage of space. 1x cubic ton: SDFL Era Bootleg Porn (1 ton) 1x cubic ton: SLDF Era video/audio media (1 ton) 4x Saber ASF Squadron (400 tons) 1x Fleet Yard Database Core (Construction/Maintenance) (less then 1 ton) 1x HPG A Ground Mobile Class (60 tons) 1x HPG A Class Installation Unit (500 tons) 120x Cryostasis Pods (144 Tons) 12x Manatee class Dropship (22,800 tons full, 8400 tons empty) 2x K1 Dropshuttles (400 tons) 5x S-7A Bus shuttles (500 tons) 50x 2ton Fusion plant (100 tons) 4000x MediPacks (1.6 tons) 6x Burke Tanks (900 tons) 2x MASH trucks (40 tons) 4x Croyle Cortex, Series N (255 tons) 1x Mobile Tunnel Miner (200 tons) 2x Squadrons Swift Fighters (300 tons) 1x Gotha Squadron (300 Tons) 1x Rapier Squadron (510 Tons) 1x SR-71 ASF (75 tons) 1x SR-71 Prototype, partially disassembled (50 tons) 4x Small Factory 10000 tons 4 ( 2500 tons) 2x Large Factory 34000 tons 2 (17000 tons) 4x Small unpressurized Yard 12000 tons 4 ( 3000 tons) 2x Large unpressurized Yard 60000 tons 2 (30000 tons) 20x Knighthawk 'Ghost' Class (PA[L]) Armour (6 tons) 100x Nighthawk Class (PA[L] Armour (25 tons) Miscellanious stuff: 1000 tons Food and Supplies: 2000 tons Science/engineering prototypes, test equipment, and experiments (4000 tons) Knight Medical Augmentation Equipment (500 tons) New Additions P) [3,972.3/85,000 tons] 12x 5'x5' Battleship Grade Armour (480 Tons) 6x 'Manatee class' KF boom rods (2,400 Tons) 4x Tons miscellaneous 'office' equipment (4 Tons) 1x Cloned Sabertooth Tiger, in Cryofreeze (1.3 Tons) 2x Nissan 'Bowl' Ferrocrete Layer Truck (2 Tons) 35x Tons premixed Ferrocrete 'Just add Water' (35 Tons) 300x Three Ton Fusion Reactor (900 Tons) 14x Large Laser (70 Tons) 8x Ten Ton Fusion Cell [Battery] (80 Tons)
