Ascella

Ascella (Zeta Sagittarius)
Ascella 3151.svg
Ascella (Zeta Sagittarius) nearby systems
(Map Legend)
System Information
X:Y Coordinates20.928 : 74.397[e]
Spectral classA4VI[1]
Planet(s)5[1]

The Ascella system (formerly known as Zeta Sagittarius)[1] is the location of at least one inhabited world - Ascella II - and as of 3145 was located in the Dieron Prefecture of the Dieron Military District within the Draconis Combine.[2][3]

System Description[edit]

Located close to the Kaus Media and Kuzuu systems,[2][3] the Ascella system consists of a class A4VI primary orbited by five worlds, at least one of which - the second planet in the system - has been inhabited.[1]

System History[edit]

The Ascella system was settled at some point during or before the Reunification War.[4]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Ascella II[edit]

Ascella II
Ascella.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionSecond[1]
Jump Point distance22 days[1]
MoonsNone[1]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.21[1]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1]
Equatorial temperature52°C[1]
Surface water61%[1]
Highest native lifePlants[1]
History and Culture
Population982,000,000 (3130)[1][47]
Government and Infrastructure
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderStephen Bairns, Legate (3130)[1][47]
CapitalCopiosus (3076)[48]
Tarawa (3130)[1]

The second moon in the Ascella system, Ascella II - more commonly known simply as Ascella - is a young, warm planet with no moons or notable industrial facilities.[1]

Planetary History[edit]

Ascella was a young planet orbiting a white subdwarf star. Despite the high amounts of carbon dioxide and ammonia in the atmosphere, colonists settled on the world to take advantage of the large amounts of mineral and metal ores near the planet's surface. The native plant life was restricted to algae and a scrub brush, but these plants accelerated the later terraforming efforts. Their presence and the Terran Hegemony's advanced science removed the need for respirators in less than a century.[1]

The world fell under the jurisdiction of the Draconis Combine for most of its history, home to a small industry that produced fusion and electrical plants for civilian and light military vehicles. It also exported large amounts of radioactive materials and heavy metals. Despite this the system was largely overlooked during the Succession Wars.[1]

Star League[edit]

During the final years of the Star League, Ascella was the host to a Star League Defense Force garrison.[49]

Jihad[edit]

Ascella was the target of a Word of Blake attack during the first week of April 3069, which soon saw the world incorporated into the Word of Blake Protectorate.[39] It was the third of three worlds to be attacked by forces from Clan Ghost Bear on the 6th of October 3075, shortly after the Ghost Bears had agreed to support Devlin Stone's coalition, and was where their wave of attacks stalled; the inbound Ghost Bear DropShips were attacked by Blakist Pocket WarShips, and half the DropShips were destroyed before they could make planetfall.[40][41][50] The Blakist Pocket WarShips were able to inflict such heavy damage because the Ghost Bear WarShips were already committed to supporting the attacks on Kaus Australis, Kaus Borealis and Kaus Media; with almost a full Cluster of troops lost, the Ghost Bears redeployed the Leviathan-class battleship CGB Leviathan to the Ascella system from Kaus Borealis, where it proceeded to hunt down the remaining Blakist Pocket WarShips and aerospace fighters.[50]

In December 3075 the Ghost Bears successfully negotiated for support from Clan Snow Raven for the allied coalition; as a result, a second Ghost Bear assault on Ascella began on the 9th of December, this time backed up by support from the Snow Ravens. Allied coalition forces under the command of Devlin Stone also dropped onto Ascella at roughly the same time, but the two groups found themselves fighting very different campaigns; while Stone's Lament managed to capture Ascella's HPG compound and the capital city in only a week, the Ghost Bears spent two weeks securing Ascella's primary industrial complexes and spaceport in the face of a dogged, bitter resistance from Word of Blake Militia forces who used scorched earth tactics liberally from the beginning of the campaign.[51][52]

The contrast between the campaign tactics used by the Ghost Bears and Devlin Stone's forces was marked; the Ghost Bears killed every Blakist they could find, prompting the Word of Blake forces to use every means in their arsenal to resist. Stone's forces worked their way through the strongpoints around the capital city of Copiosus one at a time, and on the fifth day were in a position to force the surrender of the majority of the surviving Blakists within the city, including many of their leadership. Any Blakist forces still resisting Stone's forces were defeated on the sixth day, and when the Ghost Bears arrived in assault formation to attack Copiosus they found Stone's forces in place and the city in a relatively pristine condition.[48]

The strong implication is that Stone had kept the Ghost Bears unaware of the presence of his forces on Ascella, and presented the capture of Copiosus as a deliberate and pointed commentary on the tactics used by the Ghost Bears. In capturing the most heavily defended city on the planet in a manner which minimized casualties and collateral damage, Stone's forces had won a victory that was far more notable in Clan terms than those won by the Ghost Bears; to the waste-averse Clan forces, Stone had won a superior victory and then slapped the Bears in the face with it. Whatever other response the Ghost Bears had to Stone's victory, the most visible was their rapid departure from Ascella as quickly as possible.[48]

Planetary Rulers[edit]

3130[edit]

  • Planetary Governor: Timothy Erhadt[1]
  • Planetary Legate: Stephen Bairns[1]

Military Deployment[edit]

2764[edit]

2786[edit]

2864[edit]

Geography[edit]

Ascella has six continents named Askahr, Aytagrad, Niejawa, Ogleca, Quarenir and Saufell. Two of these continents, Aytagrad and Ogleca, lie in the equatorial regions of Ascella; Saufell lies at the south pole, while Askahr, Niekawa and Quarenir are in the northern hemisphere.[1]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Copiosus: the planetary capital city prior to the Jihad.[48]
  • Tarawa: the planetary capital city during the Dark Age, located on the Saebeth River in the southern peninsula of Askahr.[1]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 56 systems (55 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Kuzuu 8.0 Kaus Media 14.4 Kaus Australis 17.7 Lambrecht 18.4
Moore 18.4 Nai-Stohl 19.5 Alya 22.9 Kaus Borealis 24.0
Shitara 24.3 Elix 25.0 Chaville 27.7 Kervil 31.3
Eltanin 33.8 Miyazaki 34.9 Lone Star 35.1 Pike 35.2
Kessel 35.3 Dyev 36.9 Sabik 37.8 Altais 39.0
Dabih 40.1 Rukbat 40.4 Vega 40.5 Telos 41.2
Alrakis 41.5 New Britain 42.5 Dromini 42.7 Atria 43.4
Athenry 43.6 Tsukude 45.0 Gamma Sagittarius 45.4 Imbros 46.4
Konstance 46.6 Nashira 48.8 Styx 49.1 Ko 49.5
Algedi 49.6 Albalii 50.3 New Wessex 51.3 Asta 51.7
Deneb Algedi 52.4 La Blon 52.8 Ashio 53.2 Cebalrai 53.6
Agador 53.9 Balkan 54.8 Skondia 56.0 Talisker 56.4
Lyons 56.6 Nirasaki 56.7 Komephoros 57.8 Al Na'ir 58.3
Juniper 58.4 Piedmont 58.6 Kannon 59.9 Dieron 60.1

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 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 8: "Ascella"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Era Report: 3145, p. 39: "Inner Sphere Map - [3145]"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 159: "Inner Sphere Map [2596]"
  5. Handbook: House Marik, p. 16: "Free Worlds League Founding [2271]"
  6. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18: "Draconis Combine Founding" - 2319
  7. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13: "Lyran Commonwealth Founding (2341)"
  8. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 31: "Draconis Combine after Age of War - 2571"
  9. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25: "Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War [2571]"
  10. Era Report: 2750, p. 37: "Inner Sphere - 2750"
  11. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: Inner Sphere - [2764]
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - 2765"
  13. First Succession War, p. 25: "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  14. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43: "Draconis Combine after First Succession War - 2822"
  15. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36: "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822]"
  16. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123: "Inner Sphere - 2822"
  17. First Succession War, p. 113: "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  18. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53: "Draconis Combine after Second Succession War - 2864"
  19. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40: "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2864]"
  20. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 68: "Hanging On"
  21. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), foldout: "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  22. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64: "Draconis Combine after Third Succession War - 3025"
  23. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), foldout: Lyran Commonwealth Map [3025]
  24. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47: "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025] Map"
  25. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66: "Draconis Combine after Fourth Succession War - 3030"
  26. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56: "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030] Map"
  27. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133: "Inner Sphere - 3040"
  28. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68: "Draconis Combine after War of 3039 - 3040"
  29. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59: "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 3039 [3040] Map"
  30. Era Report: 3052, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - 3050"
  31. Era Report: 3052, p. 23: "Inner Sphere - 3052"
  32. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71: "Draconis Combine after Operation REVIVAL - 3052"
  33. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61: "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052] Map"
  34. Era Report: 3062, p. 11: "Inner Sphere Map [3057]"
  35. Era Report: 3062, p. 29: "Inner Sphere Map [3063]"
  36. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74: "Draconis Combine after FedCom Civil War - 3067"
  37. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70: "Lyran Commonwealth after FedCom Civil War [3067] Map"
  38. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3067]
  39. 39.0 39.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 46: "The Jihad in Review"
  40. 40.0 40.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 18: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  41. 41.0 41.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 54: "The Jihad in Review"
  42. Field Report: DCMS, p. 21: "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery Deployment Map - August 3079"
  43. Field Report: LAAF, p. 19: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table [3079]"
  44. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63: "Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]"
  45. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"
  46. Era Report: 3145, p. 11: "Inner Sphere Map - [3135]"
  47. 47.0 47.1 Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 6: "Prefecture I"
  48. 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 16: "Sign of Things to Come?"
  49. 49.0 49.1 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 256: "SLDF - Draconis Combine Military Command Map"
  50. 50.0 50.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 47: "Cebalrai Free, But At What Cost?"
  51. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 19: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  52. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 55: "The Jihad in Review"
  53. First Succession War, p. 137: "First Succession War Deployment Table - DCMS"
  54. Second Succession War, p. 97: "Second Succession War"

Bibliography[edit]