Circinus

Circinus
Circinus 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates−388.555 : −66.824[e]
Spectral classG5IV[1][2]
Recharge time186 hours[2]
Recharge station(s)None[1][2]

The Circinus system was home to at least one habitable world, Circinus IV, and (as of 3067) was the capital of the Circinus Federation.[3] It is located approximately 394 light-years anti-spinward of Terra.

System Description[edit]

Circinus is located near the Khon Kaen and Poulsbo systems[3] and consists of a class G5IV primary orbited by at least four planets.[2]

System History[edit]

The Circinus system was either settled by the Rim Worlds Republic during the Star League era at some point after the Reunification War, or was an already-inhabited system that became significant enough during this era for Inner Sphere nations to begin recording its location.[4][5]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Circinus IV[edit]

Circinus IV
Circinus Flag.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionFourth[1][2]
Jump Point distance7.48 days[1][2]
MoonsTwo (Bronco, Raxx)[2]
Geophysical
Surface gravity0.98[2]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[2]
Equatorial temperature45° C (Savannah)[2]
Surface water50%[2]
Highest native lifeReptile[1][2]
History and Culture
Populationca. 10,000 (3025),[1] 23,070,000 (3076)[2]
Government and Infrastructure
Political LeaderPresident
CapitalClayborne Remembered[1]
HPG ClassB (3025),[1]
A (3076)[2]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Kim-Han Alighieri (3025)[1]

Circinus IV, more commonly referred to simply as Circinus, is the fourth planet in the system and has two moons named Bronco and Raxx. Circinus was the capital world of the Circinus Federation for the duration of that nation's existence.[2]

Planetary History[edit]

Star League Era[edit]

Although Circinus was an uninhabited system during the Star League era, it was a base of operations for pirates. In the 2760s the Lyran Commonwealth conducted Operation HOUND DOG, a mission to hunt down the Circinus-based pirates; the Free Worlds League declined to provide any troops for the operation, referring to the mission as a "snipe hunt," but the Star League Defense Force sent observers to accompany the Second Lyran Guards Division. The Second Lyran Guards Division consisted of the Twenty-first, Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-sixth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Lyran Guards and the Division took relatively few casualties during the course of its hunt, with the various regiments returning to garrison postings inside the Commonwealth by 2765.[46]

Rim Worlds Campaign[edit]

Following the coup launched by Stefan Amaris, Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky, the Commanding Officer of the Star League Defense Force, announced that he intended to occupy the Rim Worlds Republic. General Kerensky established the Fourteenth Army Group as the lead Army Group for the invasion, and elements of the Ninth Army fought in the campaign to occupy the Rim Worlds Republic. General Kerensky divided the invasion forces into two task forces, one headed by himself, and the other by General Aaron DeChavilier, and the Ninth formed a part of DeChavilier's task force.[47]

In September 2677, the Ninth was deployed as part of the third wave of invasions into the Erdvynn Province of the Republic, tasked with capturing Circinus. During the years in which the SLDF had maintained a presence in the Rim Worlds Republic until the withdrawal of the Tenth Army Group the SLDF had built and maintained twenty fortress complexes within the Republic. One of these bases, Camp Amber, was located on Circinus; the base anchored the Republic's rimward defenses and it was considered a threat to SLDF operations. The Ninth initially concentrated on securing industrial sites and civilian population centers, but found themselves being stung by hit-and-fade attacks from an enemy BattleMech force. The attackers were identified as the Twenty-third Amaris Chasseurs, and the SLDF was able to track the Chasseurs back to their base of operations... Camp Amber. This was a little embarrassing for the SLDF, as Camp Amber—buried under the northern Ezo Desert—had been believed to be abandoned, and therefore hadn't been a priority.[48]

The Commanding Officer of the Ninth, General Thierry Dhaif, assigned two complete divisions to capture and secure Camp Amber. These two divisions—the 108th Jump Infantry Division and the 275th BattleMech Division—moved to breach the heavily fortified and concealed entrances to Camp Amber. Initially plagued by snipers and hidden weapon emplacements as they attempted to open the massive blast doors and gain access to the underground complex, the battle to secure Camp Amber would take six weeks, despite the vast disparity in numbers between the SLDF and Rim Worlds Army forces. Camp Amber was a labyrinth, and the Chasseurs were able to withdraw in good order to secondary and tertiary defensive positions within the complex. Despite the efforts made by the Chasseurs, the SLDF numbers made the difference—particularly after one company of Chasseurs made an ill-judged attempt to break out of Camp Amber and ran straight into a regiment of SLDF troops. When the SLDF finally secured Camp Amber on the 25th of October, the occupation of Circinus was complete.[48]

Succession Wars[edit]

By the end of the Third Succession War the planetary capital city of Circinus, Clayborne Remembered, had a population of some ten thousand people. Persistent rumors stated that the northern deserts of the world were home to training bases and secret caches containing the spoils of various raids against Free Worlds League and Lyran Commonwealth worlds.[1]

Marian Hegemony Invasion[edit]

Caesar Julius O'Reilly led an invasion of the Circinus Federation by the Marian Hegemony in 3066. O'Reilly landed on Circinus at the head of I Legio and IV Legio as part of the second wave of the invasion, having already secured the border worlds of Blantleff and Maximillian. Anticipating a Marian Invasion, President H. R. "Little Bob" McIntyre had sought assistance from other nations, successfully enlisting covert aid from the Magistracy of Canopus and the Rim Collection of the Free Worlds League in the form of small mercenary units hired by proxy for the Federation. President McIntyre used these mercenary units to tie up two Marian legions on Illyria and Lothario, preventing them from reinforcing Caesar O'Reilly; he also used those forces to launch hit-and-run attacks against III Legio and VI Legio on Maximillian and Blantleff. After agreeing various concessions with the Word of Blake, McIntyre had the McIntyre House Guard and the Black Warriors re-equipped with new BattleMechs and, disguised as reinforcements from IV Legio, the two units attacked II Legio and VI Legio, preventing them from supporting O'Reilly's forces and robbing the invasion of momentum.[49]

With the McIntyre House Guard present on Circinus, the planetary defenses around the capital slowed the Marian invasion, and McIntyre had the Black Warriors launch an attack on the Marian capital world, Alphard. News of the attack was deliberately sent to the Marian forces, leading O'Reilly to halt the invasion and redeploy his forces, pulling both Legions off Circinus as he secured his own capital and the two worlds already captured, effectively ending the war despite the lack of any formal ceasefire. O'Reilly did send diplomats to Circinus after his forces withdrew, but McIntyre responded by having the diplomats returned to Alphard without their heads.[49]

The Jihad[edit]

Circinus was rendered uninhabitable in the closing battle of the Jihad which began on 2 April 3081. A space-borne fleet from the Principality of Regulus had pursued The Master and his bodyguard from the world of Gibson, subjecting each world to which they tracked him to a systematic orbital and nuclear bombardment. To ensure the destruction of The Master and any remaining senior members of the Word of Blake the Regulan flotilla spent several days subjecting Circinus to a systematic nuclear bombardment, using cobalt-laced weapons to ensure the highest possible level of destruction and ultimately the complete sterilization of Circinus. Every city and military installation on the planet was destroyed, with both The Master and the President of the Circinus Federation, Calvin McIntyre reportedly being killed in the bombardment.[50] The Regulans also destroyed the two Blakist WarShips found in the system, the Vincent Mk. 39-class WoBS Blake's Redemption and the Avalon-class FSS Melissa Davion, captured from the Federated Suns navy years before.[51][52] In addition to destroying the last of the Word of Blake's leadership, the destruction of Circinus also spelled the end of the centuries-old Circinus Federation.[50]

Military Deployment[edit]

Geography[edit]

Circinus is a dry world with rich deposits of minerals, gemstones, and radioactive materials.[1]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Camp Amber: a former SLDF fortress complex buried under the northern Ezo Desert[48]
  • Clayborne Remembered: the planetary capital city[1]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 32 systems (29 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Poulsbo 13.6 Khon Kaen 20.9 Green Stone 21.8 Cerillos 23.6
Iolas 29.4 Madiun 32.3 Dalcour 32.9 Galisteo 33.0
Starshine 33.1 Hardisey's Haven 36.0 Calchedon 36.3 Alorton 39.8
Pencader 40.6 Helbrent 40.8 Stantsiya 44.0 Son Hoa 44.4
Zuhbehr 46.5 Rajkot 47.7 Maxwell 49.1 Sierra 50.3
Himmels 52.0 Schererville 53.3 Merton 55.1 Timbiqui 55.3
Griffith 55.7 Teyvareb 58.5 Thadora's Land 59.4 Penobscot 59.5
Althastan 59.8 Zorn's Keep 61.1 Edmondson 61.6 Cardff 61.8

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 The Periphery, p. 145: "Circinus"
  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 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 237: "Circinus Planet Profile"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42
  4. 4.0 4.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 158
  5. 5.0 5.1 Era Report: 2750, p. 36
  6. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25
  7. Handbook: House Marik, p. 24
  8. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  9. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 10
  10. Field Report 2765: Periphery, p. 38
  11. Field Report 2765: LCAF, p. 25
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 104
  13. First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  14. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36
  15. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  16. Handbook: House Marik, p. 34
  17. First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  18. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40
  19. Handbook: House Marik, p. 38
  20. The Periphery, pp. 156–157
  21. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47
  22. Handbook: House Marik, p. 42
  23. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56
  24. Handbook: House Marik, p. 51
  25. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59
  26. Historical: War of 3039, p. 132
  27. Era Report: 3052, p. 10
  28. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61
  29. Era Report: 3052, p. 22
  30. Era Report: 3062, p. 10
  31. Handbook: House Marik, p. 54
  32. The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 110
  33. Era Report: 3062, p. 28
  34. Inner Sphere, p. 98
  35. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 169
  36. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70
  37. Handbook: House Marik, p. 56
  38. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64
  39. Field Report: LAAF, p. 19
  40. Field Report: FWLM, p. 17
  41. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 62
  42. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  43. Era Report: 3145, p. 10
  44. Era Report: 3145, p. 38
  45. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  46. Field Report 2765: LCAF, p. 12: "Lyran Guards"
  47. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 105: "The Gathering Storm"
  48. 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 106: "Camp Amber"
  49. 49.0 49.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 197: "The Caesar's War"
  50. 50.0 50.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 61: "The Jihad in Review"
  51. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 128: "Original Word of Blake Fleet"
  52. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 128: "Captured Ships"
  53. 53.0 53.1 First Succession War, p. 140: "Major Periphery States - Uncontracted Mercenaries"
  54. Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 65: "Mercenary Deployment Table"

Bibliography[edit]