Helen

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


Helen
Helen 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates57.454 : 10.034[e]
Spectral classM0V[1]
Planet(s)7[1]

The Helen system was the location of at least one habitable world, Helen V, and as of 3151 was located in the Al Na'ir Prefecture of the Dieron Military District within the Draconis Combine.[2]

System Description[edit]

Helen is located near the Errai and Pokhara systems[3] and consists of a class M0V primary orbited by seven worlds.[1]

System History[edit]

The Helen system was colonized during or shortly after the First Exodus from Terra[4] and was incorporated into or annexed by the Terran Hegemony prior to the beginning of the Age of War.[5]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Helen V[edit]

Helen V
Helen.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionFifth[1]
Jump Point distance3 days[1]
Moons3 (Heracles, Agamemnon, Hector)[1]
Geophysical
Surface gravity0.92[1]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1]
Equatorial temperature33°C[1]
Surface water46%[1]
Highest native lifeFish[1]
Landmasses2 (Joppa, Persephonie)[1]
History and Culture
Population11,834,000 (3130)[1][55]
Government and Infrastructure
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderLegate Patricia Kletchkowski (3130)[1][55]
CapitalKonstance[1]

Helen V, more commonly known simply as Helen, is the fifth planet in the system and has three moons named Heracles, Agamemnon, and Hector.[1]

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

Settled during the early exodus from Terra, by the twenty-fourth century Helen was already a wealthy independent world. Shortly after Helen signed a mutual defense pact with the nearby worlds of Errai and Quentin it was targeted for conquest by Director-General James McKenna of the newly formed Terran Hegemony. Having secured his hold over all of the worlds within the rump state of the Terran Alliance, McKenna began a "Campaign of Persuasion" to bring other former Alliance worlds and independent worlds into the Hegemony through military force, and the three allied worlds of Errai, Helen, and Quentin were his first targets.[4]

McKenna attacked the Helen system with a large fleet of WarShips, and despite knowing that there was little chance of resisting the invasion, the leaders of each of the three allied worlds planned to teach McKenna a lesson; all three worlds converted fleets of cargo and interplanetary courier ships into fighting vessels by adding lasers and missile tubes to battle in space, and all three worlds beefed up their ground forces with large militia forces of trained personnel augmented by volunteers. The colonists on Helen fought a dogged, even fanatical, campaign of resistance against the Hegemony Armed Forces before finally being conquered, and the resistance offered by those on Helen taught the HAF a number of harsh lessons.[4]

Amaris Civil War[edit]

Like the vast majority of the worlds within the Terran Hegemony, Helen was occupied by forces loyal to Stefan Amaris following his coup on 27 December 2766.[56][57] The subsequent occupation was very harsh for the local population; a planet with a huge artistic community, Helen was assigned the Burning Tygers mercenary unit as a part of their garrison. The Burning Tygers proceeded to loot and ransack the artistic community, killing upwards of one hundred thousand innocent civilians during the occupation; with Amaris' government exercising almost complete control over the HPG network and news channels, the desperate cries for help from the population of Helen went unheard as they suffered at the hands of the Tygers.[56]

Helen was targeted for liberation by the Star League Defense Force during Operation CHIEFTAIN, and was one of three worlds assigned to the Ninth Army, operating as a part of the Twenty-first Army Group.[58] Helen was one of Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky's favorite spots to visit, which likely played a part in the urgency with which XXXIV Corps moved to liberate the planet in September 2772, having already liberated Mallory's World. XXXIV Corps arrived to find Helen in ruins, thanks the depredations of the Burning Tygers. The Tygers and the garrison forces they led had massacred any of the relatively small local population who dared to try and protest or resist their systematic looting of the world, including razing entire cities. When XXXIV Corps discovered what had happened, they pursued the Tygers and their allies with no offer of quarter or mercy, hunting them down and wiping them out. XXXIV Corps then remained on Helen into the first half of 2773, offering assistance and relief to the population while laying the groundwork for an attack on Quentin and waiting for the arrival of XLI Corps.[59]

Helen was annexed by the Draconis Combine in 2786, one of two former Hegemony worlds to be annexed that year, and one of the last to be seized before the First Succession War erupted with full force.[15]

The Dark Age[edit]

During the Dark Age the diverse underwater ecology found on Helen formed the basis of Helen's economy, with tourism being the major industry. Many scientific surveys had also taken place on Helen, investigating the aquatic lifeforms.[1]

Military Deployment[edit]

2767[edit]

2772[edit]

  • Burning Tygers (until September)[59]
  • XXXIV Corps (from September)[59]

2773[edit]

2786[edit]

Geography[edit]

Helen has two continents, Joppa and Persephonie, and deep oceans which have a wide variety of undersea life. The most well-known of these is the Great Helenic Whale, a sharklike predator that can grow to four times the size of the Great White Shark on Terra. (Though named a whale, it's not actually a mammal.)[1]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Aquanis: a large floating scientific outpost that sailed Helen's seas performing various studies during the Star League era. During the Succession Wars, Aquanis sank beneath the waves. During the Dark Age the underwater ruins were a popular tourist attraction.[1]
  • Konstance, the planetary capital city[1]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Local Fauna[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 72 systems (72 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Errai 8.2 Pokhara 8.4 Quentin 11.7 Towne 12.0
Addicks 17.6 Small World 18.0 Lockdale 18.7 Murchison 19.8
Al Na'ir 21.4 Deneb Algedi 22.9 Deneb Kaitos 24.1 Nirasaki 24.9
Nashira 25.5 Ankaa 25.9 Northwind 26.7 Ozawa 28.3
Ingress 29.7 Hean 30.0 Biham 30.3 Ancha 31.7
Saffel 31.9 Ruchbah 32.8 Telos 33.1 Galatia 33.5
New Britain 33.6 Sadachbia 34.7 Styx 35.2 Fletcher 35.3
Sheratan 35.6 Fomalhaut 36.8 Epsilon Indi 38.1 New Stevens 38.6
Halstead Station 39.3 Skat 39.6 New Florence 39.6 Kawich 39.7
Basalt 40.0 Ronel 40.2 Markab 42.2 Kervil 42.8
Tigress 43.1 Agador 43.4 Nopah 43.7 Tybalt 44.6
Athenry 45.0 Dieron 45.5 Caph 45.8 Alpha Eridani 46.8
Pike 47.4 Miyazaki 47.9 Woodstock 48.6 Altair 48.8
Shinonoi 49.3 Bryant 50.0 Epsilon Eridani 50.1 Cylene 50.8
Bharat 51.7 Acamar 51.8 New Rhodes 51.8 Hamal 54.0
Mallory's World 54.1 Rio 54.2 Chaville 54.5 New Home 55.1
Asta 55.5 Terra Firma 55.9 Yangtze 56.9 Angol 57.6
Keid 58.0 Sol 58.3 Okaya 58.6 Ashio 59.0

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 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 55: "Helen"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Shattered Fortress, p. 103
  3. 3.0 3.1 Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Star League, p. 16: "Terra's Errant Flock"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18
  6. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25
  7. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 31
  8. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  9. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  10. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  11. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, pp. 88–89: "Empire Building and Bloody Excesses"
  12. 12.0 12.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 138
  13. 13.0 13.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 118: "Digesting the Hegemony"
  14. First Succession War, p. 25
  15. 15.0 15.1 First Succession War, p. 27: "Draconis Combine Gains"
  16. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43
  17. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36
  18. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  19. First Succession War, p. 113
  20. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53
  21. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40
  22. Handbook: House Davion, p. 60
  23. House Davion (The Federated Suns), foldout: "Federated Suns Map - [3025] Map"
  24. Handbook: House Davion, p. 70
  25. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), foldout: "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  26. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64
  27. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47
  28. Handbook: House Davion, p. 71
  29. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56
  30. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66
  31. Handbook: House Davion, p. 76
  32. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56
  33. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68
  34. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  35. Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  36. Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  37. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61
  38. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71
  39. Era Report: 3062, p. 11
  40. Handbook: House Davion, p. 78
  41. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  42. Handbook: House Davion, p. 82
  43. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70
  44. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74
  45. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43
  46. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65
  47. Field Report: DCMS, p. 19
  48. Field Report: Clans, p. 29
  49. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  50. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127
  51. 51.0 51.1 Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 46: "Heavy Lifter CargoMech MOD"
  52. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  53. Era Report: 3145, p. 39
  54. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  55. 55.0 55.1 Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 8: "Prefecture III"
  56. 56.0 56.1 56.2 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 88: "Empire Building and Bloody Excesses"
  57. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 80: "Cometh Hell's Legions"
  58. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 119: "SLDF Order of Battle Operation CHIEFTAIN 14 July 2772"
  59. 59.0 59.1 59.2 59.3 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 136: "Combine Front"
  60. First Succession War, p. 137: "First Succession War Deployment Table - DCMS"
  61. Second Succession War, p. 97: "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery: Deployment Table"
  62. 20 Year Update, p. 19: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  63. Field Report: Clans, p. 21: "Clan Wolf Deployment Status"

Bibliography[edit]