Draconis Rift

This article is about a region within the Inner Sphere. It should not be confused with the Draconian Drift periphery region, nor with the Draconis Reach theater.

The Draconis Rift is a region of space within the Draconis Combine. A swath of relatively empty space devoid of habitable systems, the Rift inspired Shiro Kurita to name his burgeoning star empire after it, with popular Kurita mythology describing the Rift as the location of the Dragon's heart; guarded in mystery and unreachable by mortal men.[1]

The region would inspire the name of the Kyushu-class WarShip the DCS Draconis Rift.[2]

Overview[edit]

The vast Draconis Rift is a region of the Orion Spur, a dim interstellar "desert" that largely consists of red and orange dwarf stars and featuring few star systems with either habitable planets or spectrally bright stars. This slows movement through the Rift as it takes significantly longer for Kearny-Fuchida Drives to recharge within this region.[3]

As Shiro Kurita expanded his Alliance of Galedon, he secured worlds stretching from the reduced borders of the Terran Alliance towards the partially explored Draconis Rift, culminating in him looking to formalizing his expanding nation with a new identity, the Draconis Combine, in 2319. As Terra returned to the interstellar stage as the Terran Hegemony, the location of the Draconis Rift also shaped the future expansion of Shiro's new realm, the region leaving him only three directions to grow: towards the Federated Suns, towards the regions of held by the Federation of Skye and the Tamar Pact or towards the Principality of Rasalhague.[4]

During the Star League era a number of recharge stations were constructed around the Jump Points of the few inhabited systems within the Rift, with the Star League Defense Force Fifteenth Army,[3] with the XXXV Corps garrisoning the Terran Hegemony-facing rimward edge[5] while the XL Corps was deployed along the Periphery-facing coreward border.[6]

Known systems[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 77 "Touring the Realm"
  2. Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 15, "Aerospace Assets"
  3. 3.0 3.1 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 179 "Fifteenth Army"
  4. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 19 "History of the Nation - Dynasty Rising"
  5. Field Manual: SLDF, pp. 184-185 "Fifteenth Army - XXXV Corps"
  6. Field Manual: SLDF, pp. 186-187 "Fifteenth Army - XL Corps"
  7. Interstellar Expeditions: Interstellar Players 3, p. 9 "Notable Expeditions Of IE And Its Predecessors"

Bibliography[edit]