Freedom

This article is about the planetary system. For other uses, see Freedom (disambiguation).


Freedom
Freedom 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-64.275 : 107.739[e]
Spectral classM5V[1][2]
Recharge time206 hours[1][2]
Recharge station(s)Nadir[1][2]

The Freedom system was the location of at least one inhabited world, Freedom VI, and as of 3145 was located in the Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone.[3][4]

System Description[edit]

Freedom is located near the Alexandria and Izar systems[3][4] and consists of a class M5V primary orbited by at least six planets.[1][2]

System History[edit]

The Freedom system was colonized by the Terran Alliance at some point during or before the First Exodus from Terra.[5]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Freedom VI[edit]

Freedom VI
Astrophysical
System positionSixth[1][2]
Jump Point distance2.45 days[1][2]
Moons1 (Vigil's Light)[1][2]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.00[1][2]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1]
Equatorial temperature40°C (Mild-Temperate)[1]
Surface water70%[1][2]
Highest native lifeMammals[1][2]
Landmasses2 (Independence, Republic)[1]
History and Culture
Population1,235,000,000 (3067),[1]
1,280,000,000 (3079)[2]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerDuke of Freedom
Political LeaderPresident
CapitalJefferson City[2]
HPG ClassB[1][2]

Freedom VI, more commonly known simply as Freedom, is a hospitable world with a single moon named Vigil's Light. Freedom is famous for its part in the Outer Reaches Rebellion.[1][2]

Planetary History[edit]

Outer Reaches Rebellion[edit]

Freedom was directly involved in the events that led to the eventual collapse of the Terran Alliance in the twenty-third century. Originally a Terran Alliance colony, in January 2236 Freedom declared itself independent from Terran authority. The rebellion was originally peaceful, and was driven by opposition to both high taxes and the social constraints imposed on the planetary population by various high-handed Terran planetary governors and other administrative officials.[50]

Freedom's declaration of independence was swiftly followed by similar declarations from the worlds of Sevren, Morningside, and Summit, and the news of the rebellion provoked an immediate military response from the Alliance Parliament. The Alliance Parliament dispatched a military force—the Second Interstellar Strategic Combined Assault Force under the command of Major General Gunther Stein—to quell the rebellion and bring the worlds back into line.[50]

Stein believed that the resulting military campaign would take a little over four months at most to complete; computer projections, double-checked against every available contingency, agreed with Stein, citing a maximum campaign length of just eighteen weeks.[50] The calculations were wrong, and the resulting military campaign escalated, lasting eighteen months and involve more than a million soldiers.[7]

Composed of several squadrons of strike cruisers, assault carriers and transports, the Second Interstellar Combined Assault Force was planned to be reinforced by troops from other Alliance worlds, and the military campaign was to be partly funded by loans from various financial concerns. Almost immediately the Alliance faced problems on both fronts; the Alliance militia battalions on some worlds, such as Lipton, refused to participate in the campaign, while major financial firms on planets like Kaus Australis refused to float the Alliance government loans to pay for the campaign. Without realizing it, Stein's military campaign was already cut off from many of its anticipated sources of supply before the Second Interstellar Combined Assault Force arrived in the Freedom system.[7]

When the Second arrived in the Freedom system, he discovered that the rebel forces had placed armed merchant ships at the main jump points in the system. None of those involved in planning the campaign had anticipated that the rebels would contest control of the jump points, and while the merchant ships were more lightly armed than the alliance's armed cruisers, they were also more maneuverable. The rebel ships avoided a slugging match with the more powerful Alliance ships, but many of rebel ships launched ramming attacks against the various Alliance transports and supply ships, hoping that their suicide tactics would take as many of the Terran marines with them as possible. More than ten percent of Stein's ground forces had been lost before his troops managed to make groundfall on Freedom.[7]

The Second was attempting to launch campaigns in more than one system at the same time; troops first landed on Izar, only to discover that capital city was deserted, with the population having decamped into the thickly forested hills around the capital, terrain they knew well but which hampered the efforts of the Alliance troopers to deploy their high-tech but cumbersome weaponry. The rebels on Freedom took a different course; anticipating the worst, the city fathers of Jefferson City had spent months preparing a vast array of fortifications before the first Alliance landings in June 2236. Having constructed fortifications capable of withstanding anything short of orbital bombardment, President Tudella Dupont was determined to resist the Terran Alliance, despite having just fifteen hundred men available to defend the entire planet. Vowing to burn the city down before letting it be captured, Dupont responded to the first attack from Stein's forces—an assault against the weak southern gate of the fortifications conducted by the six-thousand-strong Fourth Para-Cavalry Division, led by General Desmond—by leading a sortie out against the attackers. Dupont had predicted the attack against the southern gate and planned accordingly, and his sortie captured several mobile artillery batteries that he quickly pressed into service against the Alliance, forcing Desmond to put a siege in place and call for reinforcements.[7]

According to accounts from individuals on Freedom after the end of the conflict, during the siege the Alliance forces killed anyone found outside the city walls after dark, regardless of age or gender, and Desmond ordered the bodies of the dead - many of which had been horribly mutilated - dropped over the city. In retaliation, insurgents frequently slipped into the Alliance camps after dark to kill Terran soldiers and steal weapons.[51] Alliance reinforcements finally arrived on the 25th of August, in the form of General Seth Van Dome and the Twenty-third Alliance Striker Regiment. Van Dome and the Twenty-third had spent four months engaged in a battle to recapture Summit that was described as a holocaust that killed more than ten thousand civilians, and his freshly blooded forces—equipped with heavy laser cannon—were enough to turn the battle for Freedom in favor of the Alliance.[7]

The Twenty-third bombarded Jefferson City for hours; when three-quarters of the city was on fire, Desmond ordered his assault. The result was a twelve-hour marathon that saw Dupont and the people of Jefferson City fight a brutal, desperate defensive action; men, women and children all fought against the Alliance forces, making Desmond's troops fight for every meter they took; Dupont finally fled the city with just seventy surviving supporters, taking shelter in the hills to the north of the city. Desmond was left with a city in ashes and combat losses totaling more than two thousand Alliance personnel.[7]

In the autumn of 2237, short on supplies and manpower and subject to growing criticism on Terra, the Terran Alliance withdrew the bulk of its forces from Freedom and the other worlds involved in the Outer Reaches Rebellion; while the Alliance never officially declared the conflict over, the Alliance military effectively gave up and went home, effectively ending the Outer Reaches Rebellion.[7] A sea-change in Alliance politics saw the Expansionist Party ousted from power in the Alliance Parliament in 2242, ending more than a century of rule by the Expansionists; that same year, the Liberal Party issued the Demarcation Declaration, removing Alliance control and authority from worlds more than thirty light years from Terra, and leaving worlds like Freedom truly independent.[8]

Succession Wars[edit]

Freedom spent some time under the control of the Draconis Combine, but the arrival of the Third Royal Guards in 2913[23] changed that. After fighting across both continents, the Sixth Sword of Light regiment was destroyed and the world fell into the Lyran Commonwealth's hands.[1] The victory cost Archon Eric Steiner his life, however; during the final attack on the Sixth Sword of Light, his Zeus fell victim to multiple Vibrabombs.[52][24][53]

FedCom Civil War[edit]

While he was First Lord of the Second Star League, Theodore Kurita visited Freedom to dedicate a memorial to the fallen warriors of both realms. At that time he promised that no Kuritans would attack the world again.[1]

The world was a breadbasket for the Freedom Theater of the Lyran Alliance, growing crops that were exported to many of the worlds in the Theater. Industry on Freedom at the time focused on producing parts and filters for the Water Pure Industries plants on Corridan IV.[1]

The Jihad[edit]

In the wake of the Jihad, the planetary government on Freedom passed a law stating that any war matériel manufactured or used by the Word of Blake had to be destroyed by disposal in a stellar body, one of the strictest examples of the anti-salvage laws becoming common within the worlds of the former Word of Blake Protectorate and, to a lesser extent, other worlds. By destroying any such items in this manner, there was no chance that items could reenter the manufacturing chain even as smelted metal and thereby become even the most mundane of items.[54]

A large part of the population of Freedom felt, that despite the efforts made by the leadership of Freedom to coordinate a defense against the Word of Blake as the Blakists encroached into the Lyran Alliance, the world had somehow failed the Alliance. The Lyran government lacked the resources needed to stop the Blakists capturing world after world, and for some reason much of the population of Freedom felt somehow responsible for this, a possible legacy of Freedom's long-term role as a command hub for the outer edges of the Skye Province.[2]

Military Deployment[edit]

3079[edit]

- The unit was operating at 40% strength, with 50% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.
  • Planetary Militia[2]
- The planetary militia's training programs focused on vehicles and unarmored infantry.

Geography[edit]

Freedom has two continents named Independence and Republic.[1]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Horseshoe Valley: site of a major battle during Operation FREEDOM[1]
  • Jefferson City: the planetary capital city, located east of Horseshoe Valley[1] on Republic[2]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 48 systems (46 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Alexandria 10.6 Izar 11.2 Yed Prior 16.4 Eaton 17.4
Zebeneschamali 22.2 Yed Posterior 23.1 Ryde 24.8 Carnwath 25.4
Marfik 25.7 Corridan 29.6 Kimball 29.7 Nekkar 31.4
Glengarry 33.2 Baxter 33.4 Komephoros 34.0 Carstairs 34.0
Auldhouse 34.1 Edasich 34.6 Kirkcaldy 37.5 Balkan 38.8
Chaffee 40.1 Eaglesham 41.0 Breukelen 41.2 Whittington 42.0
Unukalhai 42.0 Laurieston 44.6 Kochab 45.4 Konstance 45.6
Symington 47.6 La Blon 47.7 Apostica 47.8 Gladius 47.9
Seginus 48.5 Alphecca 49.0 Alrakis 51.3 Phalan 51.7
New Wessex 52.2 Leganes 54.2 Veckholm 54.3 Ganshoren 54.6
Kannon 54.9 Kessel 56.5 Skye 56.8 Cebalrai 57.2
Porrima 58.9 Sakhalin 59.6 Dromini 60.1 Vega 60.7

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 1.22 FedCom Civil War, p. 198: "Planet Profile"
  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 Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 30: "Freedom"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Era Report: 3145, p. 39: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 16: "Declaration of Independence"
  6. 6.0 6.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 17: "The Outer Reaches Rebellion"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 The Periphery, pp. 13–14: "Outer Reaches Rebellion"
  8. 8.0 8.1 The Periphery, p. 14: "Beyond the Farthest Star"
  9. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18: "Draconis Combine Founding - [2319] Map"
  10. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13: "Lyran Commonwealth Founding - [2341] Map"
  11. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25: "Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War - [2571] Map"
  12. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159: "Inner Sphere Map - [2596] Map"
  13. Era Report: 2750, p. 37: "Inner Sphere - [2750] Map"
  14. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  15. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - [2765] Map"
  16. First Succession War, pp. 24–25: "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  17. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36: "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  18. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43: "Draconis Combine after First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  19. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123: "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  20. First Succession War, pp. 112–113: "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  21. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40: "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  22. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53: "Draconis Combine after Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 79: "Operation Freedom"
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 48–49
  25. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), foldout: "Lyran Commonwealth Map - [3025]"
  26. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47: "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War - [3025] Map"
  27. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), foldout: "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  28. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64: "Draconis Combine after Third Succession War - [3025] Map"
  29. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56: "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War - [3030] Map"
  30. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66: "Draconis Combine after Fourth Succession War - [3030] Map"
  31. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59: "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 3039 - [3040] Map"
  32. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68: "Draconis Combine after War of 3039 - [3040] Map"
  33. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133: "Inner Sphere - [3040] Map"
  34. Era Report: 3052, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - [3050] Map"
  35. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61: "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion - [3052] Map"
  36. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71: "Draconis Combine after Operation REVIVAL - [3052] Map"
  37. Era Report: 3052, p. 23: "Inner Sphere - [3052] Map"
  38. Era Report: 3062, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - [3057] Map"
  39. Era Report: 3062, p. 29: "Inner Sphere - [3063] Map"
  40. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70: "Lyran Commonwealth after FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  41. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74: "Draconis Combine after FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  42. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43: "Inner Sphere - [3067] Map"
  43. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65: "Inner Sphere - [3075] Map"
  44. Field Report: LAAF, p. 19: "Lyran Alliance Armed Forces Deployment Table - [August 3079]"
  45. Field Report: DCMS, p. 21: "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery Deployment Table - [August 3079]"
  46. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63: "Inner Sphere - [3081] Map"
  47. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127: "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  48. Era Report: 3145, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - [3135] Map"
  49. Shattered Fortress, pp. 102–103: "Inner Sphere - [3151] Map"
  50. 50.0 50.1 50.2 The Periphery, p. 13: "First Exodus"
  51. The Periphery, p. 14: "Siege to the Death"
  52. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 71
  53. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 81
  54. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 36: "Swords To Slag: Anti-Salvage Trend Gains Ground"
  55. Historical: War of 3039, p. 135: "Deployment Table"
  56. Shattered Sphere, p. 47: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"
  57. Field Manual: Updates, p. 177: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"
  58. Field Report: LAAF, p. 17: "Regional Militias Regimental Status"
  59. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 141: "Other Major Commonwealth Industries"

Bibliography[edit]