Alshain

This article is about the planetary system. For the WarShip, see Alshain (Individual Samarkand-class WarShip).


Alshain
Alshain 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates58.344 : 278.846[e]
Spectral classF8IV[1][2][3]
Recharge time179 hours[2][3]
Recharge station(s)Nadir (3025),[1] Zenith (3067)[2][3]
Planet(s)8[4]

The Alshain system is the location of at least one inhabited world, Alshain V, as well as a substantial number of orbital installations above Alshain V and as of 3145 was located in the Alshain Province of the Rasalhague Dominion.[5][6]

System Description[edit]

The Alshain system has at least five planets and by 3067 had recharge stations in place at both the nadir and zenith jump points.[2][3]

System History[edit]

The Alshain system was settled during the Star League era.[7][8]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Alshain V[edit]

Alshain V
Alshain flag.png
Astrophysical
System position5th[1][2][3]
Jump Point distance12.01 days[2][3]
Moons1 (Lemeshko)[2][3]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.02[2][3]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[2][3]
Equatorial temperature32°C (Temperate)[2][3]
Surface water85%[2][3]
Highest native life25% Reptile[1][2][3]
Landmasses4 (Aquilae, Bunjil, Swan, Corvi)[3]
History and Culture
Population2,759,000,000 (3025),[1]
2,879,000,000 (3076–3079),[2]
3,007,000,000 (3150)[4]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerEarl of Alshain
CapitalSilverdale[1][3]
HPG ClassA[1][2][3][4]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Dio LaVohne (3025)[1]

Alshain V, more commonly referred to simply as Alshain, was the fifth planet in the Alshain system and had served as a provincial capital for the Draconis Combine. While the majority of the industry on Alshain was light industry the surface of the planet was home to a number of major manufacturing facilities operated by major defense companies and the orbital space above Alshain had a number of shipyards and facilities in place, particularly from the mid-thirty-first century onward following the conquest of the system by Clan Ghost Bear.[2]

Planetary History[edit]

The Star League[edit]

During the Star League era, the BattleMech factories on Alshain earned the approval of Chancellor Takiro Kurita by producing Panther and Dragon BattleMechs for the regiments of the DCMS; by manufacturing 'Mechs manufactured solely from Draconis Combine resources, the Alshain factories were meeting his desire to free the military industries of the Combine from dependence on external resources.[37]

This large concentration of industrial power earned the planet a garrison of two Divisions of Star League Defense Force troops.[38]

The Succession Wars[edit]

Although the military industries of the Combine took heavy damage in the First Succession War, the major 'Mech factories of Alshain survived, along with the factories on Luthien; these two major industrial sites fared far better than many small 'Mech manufacturing facilities. Luckily, many of the subcontractors to the Alshain factories had also survived.[39]

In or around 2975, the Alshain Weapons plant on Alshain was the subject of a hostile takeover by Gorton, Kingsley, and Thorpe Enterprises; the struggle for control of the company nearly bankrupted both companies, but having completed the takeover Gorton, Kingsley and Thorpe steadily increased Panther production and by 3025 was looking to open three more factories producing Panthers by 3030.[40]

By the end of the Third Succession War Alshain was a world possessed of large pine forests - a legacy of the original settlers, who started the forests - but only capable of supporting light industry beyond the major 'Mech plants on the planet. Silverdale, the capital city of Alshain, was a large city clustered around the planetary spaceport, and was also known for the large ukiyo within the city, complete with red lights and beer halls.[1]

Of more concern to the ISF than the presence of the ukiyo was the growing resistance movement on the planet, headed up by a mysterious individual referred to as the Silver Fox. This underground movement was known as the Alshain People's Movement and was responsible for a number of terrorist attacks, including an attack that killed twenty factory workers at one of the BattleMech plants. The Metsuke had attempted to quell the movement by executing suspected members of the group, but by 3025 this apparently had achieved little.[1]

Clan Invasion[edit]

During the fifth wave of Operation REVIVAL, the Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere, Alshain was attacked by forces of Clan Ghost Bear in December 3051. The fight for the capital of the Alshain Military District was destined to be tough though, as the entire Alpha Galaxy squared off against two experienced DCMS regiments, the Sixth Alshain Regulars joined by the Second Sword of Light under orders from Kanrei Theodore Kurita. Tai-sa Kelly Dok To answered saKhan Aletha Kabrinski's batchall directly, truthfully telling her which units defended Alshain but refusing to disclose their location. In response saKhan Kabrinski decided to split Alpha Galaxy up to pin down as many Kurita troops as quickly as possible, assigning the First Bear Guards to attack the Alshain Regulars while the Third Bear Guards and Fiftieth Striker Cluster attacked the Sword of Light regiment.[41]

The First Bear Guards located the Alshain Regulars in the Ptolomy Mountains, where they had dug in among the majestic peaks to their advantage. During their initial assault on the Alshain positions, repeated aerial attacks failed to even faze the defenders, while the defenders used their height advantage and natural sniper cover to deny the First Bear from gaining any ground. Meanwhile, in the Fareer Canyons, the Third Bear Guards and Fiftieth Striker were mired in an inconclusive struggle with the Second Sword of Light, having been initially lured to the floor of the canyon by a tempting bait of light 'Mechs. When the Ghost Bears pounced, the light 'Mechs used their jump jets to sail up and out of the canyon, just as battalions of Kurita 'Mechs unleashed their fire down on the Third Bear Guards below. Their advantage was short-lived though, as the Clan 'Mechs quickly followed suit by using their own jump jets to escape the trap. In the shooting match that followed, the rocky ground and natural crevices of the canyons provided ideal cover, and neither side was able to achieve air superiority; though individual Kuritan warriors sometimes answered Ghost Bear challenges to honorable single combat, the practice was quickly ended by Tai-sa Dok To's orders when it became clear the Clan warriors always won. Eventually, the Third Bear Guards discovered a steep path leading out of the canyon which would allow them to flank their opponents; having learned from prior experiences of Inner Sphere deception though, Star Colonel Tseng ordered his Elementals to sweep it of booby traps first. The Elementals ended up revealing and defusing enough explosives hidden within the pass to have obliterated the entire Bear Guards. Quickly the Star Colonel and his Bear Guards advanced upwards to flank the Sword of Light regiment, though in the confusion they did not know that the Fiftieth Striker were doing the same from the opposite direction. For a few seconds both mistakenly fired upon each other, allowing the Sword of Light to withdraw and launch a devastating counterattack on the Ghost Bear's weak left flank, an act which destroyed an isolated Trinary.[41][42]

By the time the rest of the Ghost Bear forced turned on them the Sword of Light were in full retreat towards the city of Silverdale, using tactics developed by Kanrei Kurita - staying mobile, hiding when confronted, and combining fire - to inflict massive damage. Convinced that the tide of battle had turned, the saKhan ordered the Fiftieth Striker to the Ptolomy Mountains to assist the First Bear Guard while the Third continued their pursuit. Unfortunately, the Third Bear Guards ran straight into a trap when the Sword of Light brought all four battalions to bear at once on them, forcing a now-desperate Star Colonel Tseng to punch through at any cost. Only by a heavy expenditure of 'Mechs and ammunition were the Third Bear Guards able to extricate themselves, though the Second Sword of Light did not pursue them and instead continued towards Silverdale and their waiting DropShips.[42]

As the Second Sword seemed to make their escape off-world, the Fiftieth Striker had managed to get in behind the Sixth Alshain's defensive position and in a matter of hours swept them down towards the First Bear Guard's waiting guns. Desperate to escape, the Alshain Regulars managed to punch a hole through the Ghost Bear lines, which was immediately closed in behind them. Destruction was averted as the Second Sword of Light made a daring combat drop directly on top of the First Bear Guards, and in the resulting chaos the Sixth Alshain were able to reach their DropShips while the Second Sword made a fighting withdrawal. The assembled Ghost Bear forces attacked en masse, throwing units at the Second Sword from every angle, but failed to break the defenders' lines.[42]

When the remainder of the Third Bear Guards made their own combat drop an hour after the Second's, it was already too late. The planetary militia, held in reserve up to that point, suddenly attacked and provided enough of a distraction to allow the remnants of both regiments to evacuate. Despite the two regiments' escape and the losses they suffered, the Ghost Bears had nevertheless succeeded in taking Alshain and delivering a stunning blow to the Draconis Combine.[42]

Since the Ghost Bears' conquest of the planet and the immigration to the Inner Sphere resulted in the founding of the Ghost Bear Dominion in 3060, Alshain was picked as their new capital.[43]

Civil War Era[edit]

Created from the surviving remnants of the Alshain Regulars, the Alshain Avengers were formed with their sole objective to retake their homeworld and drive the invaders from Combine space. They would eventually stage an unauthorized invasion of Alshain on 18 October 3062, not knowing that the world had become the heavily defended capital of the Ghost Bear Dominion.[44] The result was disastrous; far from being the invulnerable bastion of strength the Avengers believed, the Dragon's Last Tear was easily destroyed by the Nightlord-class battleship CGB Ursa Major, along with a regiment of the Avengers; the surviving two regiments of Avengers made a hasty planetfall to escape the Ursa Major's guns, only to be quickly wiped out by enraged Ghost Bear forces. The effects echoed beyond the destruction of the Dragon's Last Tear and three regiments of rebellious troops, however; it precipitated the First Dominion/Combine War.[45]

The resulting war had impacted half the planets under Clan Nova Cat control. Even though a year later both sides would reach a settlement that would end the war, the Nova Cats were devastated. The war had cost them Omega and Chi Galaxies and twice that in wounded. Worse, the Ghost Bears treated them as an Abjured Clan during the war and never once giving the Nova Cats honorable battles. The other Clans in the Homeworlds had ejected the Cats from Clan space, but it was thought that the Ghost Bears with their strong Warden stance, along with their attempts to fully integrate with the peoples of the former Free Rasalhague Republic, would create a different expectation. The Nova Cats could not accept this and vowed that they would never forget or forgive this perceived transgression.[46]

Resentment against the Ghost Bears would culminate in the Nova Cats learning that the Ghost Bears were constructing a third Leviathan-class WarShip aptly named: "CGB Rasalhague" in the Alshain shipyards. Not only would an attack on Alshain seek retribution for the dishonor the Ghost Bears brought on the Nova Cats, but it also provided a chance to take this new Leviathan II-class ship and badly maul the Ghost Bear's naval fleet in the process.[46] This would result in what was called a Trial of Retribution, a massive naval Trial of Possession conducted against Clan Ghost Bear by Clan Nova Cat in early May of 3067. The battle was devastating for both sides, with half the Ghost Bear fleet destroyed and similar losses on the part of the Nova Cats. While the Ghost Bears were ultimately victorious, the victory was "hollow victory" at best.[47]

The Jihad[edit]

By 3076, the buildings and urban networks on Alshain were markedly different to those on most other worlds. The urban networks are marked by the lack of trees or poles blocking or interfering with the skyline, and the buildings were heavily EMP shielded and grounded because of the flash storms. For similar reasons there were very few power lines, transits or tubes aboveground; those buildings that existed had become works of art, a practice encouraged by the Ghost Bears since their conquest of the planet and its subsequent incorporation into the Ghost Bear Dominion. Many of the architects in the laborer caste had begun to use the local aesthetic as inspiration to build their own Great Works, those Works manifesting as buildings that benefit the local areas around them.[2]

The artistic aesthetic that dominated buildings on the ground was echoed in the new construction undertaken in space; with new space docks and orbital facilities incorporating some minimal artistic flair into their basic construction, and the carefully orchestrated orbits of these facilities as well as the movement of civilian and military traffic formed what had become known as the "Alshain Star Dance", an intricate pattern said to have moved Ghost Bear naval commanders to tears when viewed.[2]

Alshain became a focal point for the Ghost Bears, who held the world up as an example of how the integration of both the Clan and Inner Sphere societies and cultures could work. Industrial production on Alshain had increased dramatically under the Ghost Bears, with ten slips in equatorial orbit, manufacturing and repairing civilian vessels, while three massive WarShip dockyards were in geosynchronous orbit over the planetary north pole,[2] having repaired the damage inflicted during the Trial Of Retribution between the Ghost Bears and Clan Nova Cat. The Tseng Facility, constructed over the southern pole, manufactured prodigious quantities of small craft and aerospace fighters and resembled a giant glass spider; in addition to these new industrial facilities, the long-standing Alshain MechWorks had undergone a dramatic resurgence under the Ghost Bear Merchant Factor, becoming a vocal - even dominant - presence in issues affecting the Labor, Merchant and Technician castes as well as a driving force in the Ghost Bear's attempts to merge the two societies together.[2]

Despite the progress made, Alshain was not free from issues. The Scientist caste were concerned over the amount of atmospheric pollution Alshain was suffering from, a result of the increasing demands for resources and the fact that many of the mining and power facilities on the planet were antiquated by Clan standards. The Warrior Caste placed a higher priority on military production than efforts to refurbish these old production facilities, making it unlikely that anything would be done about the atmospheric contamination.[2]

Another problem was the ongoing resistance from deep cells of protestors and terrorists, a legacy of Alshain's turbulent past; while terrorist attacks were declining, the Watch was having little success digging out the various cells, and the agitators were making use of the new Chatterweb facilities on the planet and various underground newsnets to launch barrages of propaganda on a regular basis. With other problems demanding greater attention from the Watch, this problem was also likely to continue.[2]

Clan Hell's Horses sent a trade envoy to Alshain in the mid 3070s; the first overtures made by the Horses towards the Bears, the result of which was some tenuous agreements that had the potential to make possible a strong economic partnership between the two Clans in the future.[2]

On 31 December 3078, Alshain was subject to a terrorist attack, claimed by the Motstånd group. A massive bomb was detonated, claiming several hundred people from both Clan Ghost Bear and the Rasalhagian population as victims; casualties included several members of the Unity Council and Christian Månsdottir, the former Prince.[48]

Republic Era[edit]

After the Second Combine-Dominion War and with the official naming of the Rasalhague Dominion, Alshain was made the site of the Dominion Council Hall.[34]

Military Deployment[edit]

Geography[edit]

Alshain has four continents named Aquilae, Bunjil, Swan, and Corvi.[3] Two major continents dominate the northern hemisphere of Alshain; the abundant mineral resources of these continents would drive Alshain's development as a heavy manufacturing center. The planet has a heavy crust dotted with deep crevices and thin, sparse forests—the latter a result of the planting efforts of the founding colonists—and much of the water in the planetary seas and oceans is fresh water; there are a number of reservoirs found underground, near rich ore veins and large natural gas pockets. The main continent on the planet features an inland sea known as the Oresund Sea.[2]

Alshain's atmosphere is turbulent, and creates sudden flash storms that are common along the coastal areas. The storms are extremely dangerous, but also beautiful, and have shaped the development of the various settlements on the planet.[2]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Aquilae (continent)
  • Bergan City: site of the Bergan Industrial Complex[57]
  • Cowherd: site of the BA Annex[58]
  • Cowley: site of Oden Manufacturing[3]
  • Silverdale: the planetary capital city[1]
  • Upsilla: site of the JES facility[3][58]
  • Bear's Den Training Field[59]
  • Elizabeth: a rainy, coastal location on Swan; home to the planetary militia[3]
  • Tseng-Jorgensson Nature Reserve: a wildlife preserve where Clan Ghost Bear introduced their totem animal, the Ghost Bear
  • Wooddale: a woodlands location on Bunjil; home to the Jorgensson Combat School[3]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Local Flora and Fauna[edit]

  • Ghost Bear: the species was introduced by Clan Ghost Bear a few years after occupying Alshain[63]

Sports Teams[edit]

Notes[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 40 systems (39 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Sheliak 12.7 Tinaca 13.3 Marawi 14.5 Kaesong 17.9
Oyevaina 25.4 Muswell 25.5 Thessalonika 30.3 Sternwerde 30.7
Kempten 32.0 Halesowen 34.9 Ardoz 35.2 Mualang 40.3
Kiamba 41.0 Radstadt 41.4 Vorarlberg 42.1 Maule 42.8
Setubal 43.7 Corfu 43.7 Skandia 44.9 Lamar 45.3
Kanowit 47.2 Gunzburg 47.3 Soverzene 47.9 Krenice 48.6
Eguilles 50.4 Mannedorf 52.8 Yamarovka 53.5 Utrecht 54.9
Heiligendreuz 55.0 Satalice 55.4 Goito 55.7 Tuat 56.0
Tanh Linh 56.4 Stanzach 57.4 Meilen 59.2 Dumaring 59.5
Toffen 59.5 Nox 59.7 Memmingen 59.8 Shardayne 62.4

References[edit]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 189: "Alshain"
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 110: "Clan Ghost Bear Key Worlds"
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 Objectives: The Clans, pp. 33–34: "Alshain"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Dominions Divided, p. 114: Alshain profile
  5. 5.0 5.1 Era Report: 3145, p. 39: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  6. 6.0 6.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  8. 8.0 8.1 Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  9. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18
  10. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 31
  11. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  13. First Succession War, p. 25
  14. 14.0 14.1 Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43
  15. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  16. First Succession War, p. 113
  17. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), foldout: "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  18. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64
  19. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66
  20. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68
  21. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  22. Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  23. Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  24. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71
  25. Era Report: 3062, p. 11
  26. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  27. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74
  28. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43
  29. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65
  30. Field Report: DCMS, p. 21
  31. Field Report: Clans, p. 25
  32. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  33. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 Dark Age: Touring the Stars (3130), pp. 47–48: "Volume XXIV: Symbiosis—The Rasalhague Dominion Today"
  35. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  36. Shattered Fortress, p. 103
  37. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 51: "Takiro Kurita"
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 256: "SLDF - Draconis Combine Military Command Map"
  39. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 61: "Blown Back to the Stone Age"
  40. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 138: "Weapons Industries"
  41. 41.0 41.1 Invading Clans, p. 27
  42. 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 Invading Clans, p. 28
  43. Field Manual: Updates, p. 10: "Golden Road to Paradise"
  44. Field Manual: Updates, p. 13: "Dragons, Dark and Dangerous"
  45. Era Report: 3062, p. 25: "The Combine-Dominion War"
  46. 46.0 46.1 Trial of Retribution Scenario 4.1: "The Second Naval Battle of Alshain"
  47. Field Manual: Updates, p. 81: "The Second Naval Battle of Alshain"
  48. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 60: "The Jihad in Review"
  49. Field Report 2765: DCMS, p. 16: "Rasalhague Regulars"
  50. First Succession War, p. 137: "First Succession War Deployment Table - DCMS"
  51. 51.0 51.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 138: "Deployment Table"
  52. 20 Year Update, p. 43: "Draconis Combine Deployment Table"
  53. 20 Year Update, p. 71: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  54. 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 54.4 54.5 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 163
  55. 55.0 55.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 127: "Deployment Table - 3085"
  56. 56.0 56.1 56.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. 172: "Clan Force Deployments - Rasalhague Dominion"
  57. Dominions Divided, p. 59
  58. 58.0 58.1 Dominions Divided, p. 60
  59. Roar of Honor, ch. 5
  60. Technical Readout: 3039
  61. Technical Readout: 3145 The Clans, p. 50: "Kodiak II"
  62. Technical Readout: 3145 The Clans, p. 40: "Vulture Mk III"
  63. The Clawing
  64. Dark Age: LinkNet Articles (3136), p. 19: "3135 Inner Sphere Football League Playoffs"

Bibliography[edit]