Hsien

Hsien
Hsien 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates5.683 : -54.334[e]
Spectral classG0V[1][2]
Recharge time181 hours[2]
Recharge station(s)Zenith[2]
Planet(s)5[1]

System Description[edit]

Hsien is located near the Chisholm and Capolla systems.

Political Affiliation[edit]


Hsien I[edit]

Hsien I
Astrophysical
System positionFirst[1][2]
Jump Point distance10.43 days[2]
Moons1 (Lin)[1][2]
Geophysical
Surface gravity0.74[1][2]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1][2]
Equatorial temperature48°C (Very Hot)[1][2]
Surface water54%[1][2]
Highest native lifeReptiles[1][2]
Landmasses3 (Chengu, Montong, Dendeez)[2]
History and Culture
Population3,580,000,000 (3079)[2]
478,000,000 (3130)[1]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerBaron of Hsien
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderLegate Lucinda Maxwell[1]
CapitalZhi-Chiang[2]
HPG ClassB[2]

Planetary History[edit]

Colonization[edit]

Settled by colonists predominantly from Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the first human inhabitants of Hsien identified that the large reptiles on the planet were mostly herbivores and had little trouble containing them. The colonists quickly learned that water purification plants would be needed to deal with the microbes and heavy metals already in the water, but the mineral ores found on Hsien supported modest industrial growth and the beginnings of the local noble class, starting with the Montong family. The Montong family were the settlers and stewards of the Montong Chain and the founders of the Montong Mining Consortium, based out of Zhoulin.[1]

Star League Era[edit]

In January 2775, Stefan Amaris redeployed large numbers of Amaris Empire Armed Forces to a dozen worlds, including Hsien. AEAF units had used weapons of mass destruction regularly against Star League Defense Force units throughout the Hegemony Campaign, predominantly to either damage the SLDF units targeted or to strike at civilian targets to prevent the SLDF from obtaining resources and supplies. In this case, Amaris' orders were different: he intended to create scorched wastelands that Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky would have no choice but to try and clear, whilst saddling the SLDF with huge numbers of sick and starving civilians. The AEAF units deployed to Hsien and the other eleven worlds due to be abandoned by Amaris launched large-scale WMD attacks with one purpose: to ravage the worlds, preventing them from sustaining either their human populations or their various industries... to create wastelands.[12]

The AEAF tactic was both brutal and brutally effective. Kerensky deployed twelve corps of SLDF personnel into Amaris Empire space, and each discovered the same horrific situations. Forced to deploy the SLDF reserve into action, by February Kerensky had almost a hundred SLDF divisions either on the twelve ravaged worlds or en route to them, trying to provide aid to the populations and to clear up what damage they could.[12] Hsien fell within the operating area of Task Force Confederation, and the Eighteenth Army Group deployed half of LXIV Corps to try and assist the population, with the other half of LXIV Corps deploying to Brownsville, another of the twelve devastated worlds.[43] The devastation wreaked across Hsien and the other worlds bought Amaris time; for several months Kerensky was unable to resume offensive operations because of a lack of resources, and ultimately the Commanding General had no choice but to call on the Capellan Confederation, Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns to provide relief where they could.[12]

Hsien had prospered during the era of the Star League, but when the Capellan Confederation annexed Hsien after the fall of the League in 2781 they exiled many of the noble families from Hsien, including Duke Roderick Twohy, who had ruled planet and held the heavily industrialized Dendeez Chain as a part of his personal demesne.[1][44]

Third Succession War[edit]

In common with many of the former Terran Hegemony worlds, the Succession Wars saw Hsien change hands a number of times, and being locked into a cycle of repeated raids,[1] including the Raid of 2934 and Raid of 2943.[18]


Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

In the last decade of the Third Succession War, the Black Inferno mercenary unit pillaged sites all around the Inner Sphere, driving people from their lands to unearth lost Star League facilities. One of their stops was in Marik space near the Liao border, creating an international crisis when refugees had no choice but to cross into Liao territory. The local governor on Hsien refused to allow them passage home, prompting Marik to hire a mercenary group to assassinate the governor to teach House Liao a lesson and open up the border.[45]

Apocryphal Content Ends

Fourth Succession War[edit]

Following negotiations between Colonel Pavel Ridzik, chief military advisor to Chancellor Maximilian Liao, and AFFS Lieutenant General Ardan Sortek, conducted in February 3029 Ridzik created a new nation, the Tikonov Free Republic. The Republic was created by incorporating those worlds of the Tikonov Commonality that hadn't already been conquered during the first half of the Fourth Succession War. Ridzik returned to Elgin on 3 March 3029, the new capital of the Tikonov Free Republic, and swiftly began implementing a new government consisting of family members, friends and other appointees loyal to himself, purging dissident elements on the various Republic worlds and taking the opportunity to settle old scores. Hsien was one of the systems incorporated into the Republic.[20] When Hsien was incorporated into the Federated Commonwealth following the absorption of the short-lived Tikonov Free Republic the FedCom government attempted to influence the world by investing heavily in the Montong family, the last of the ancestral noble houses, but instead ended up alienating the underclass that made up most of the population.[1]

Operation GUERRERO[edit]

This resentment saw the population opt to rejoin the Confederation after the Federated Commonwealth began to break up in 3057, after CCAF forces had already shattered the remaining FedCom forces on the planet. Capellan rule over the world didn't go uncontested, however; Baron Luis Montong V waited until the bulk of the invasion forces had departed and then turned on the Capellan government, igniting a civil war across the planet. The three-sided war incorporated Baron Montong's forces, forces from the Dendeez Province, which incorporated the Dendeez Chain, base of most of the planet's heavy industry, and the pro-Capellan citizens of Chengu.[1]

The Jihad[edit]

The Word of Blake took advantage of the civil war on Hsien, first taking control of the local HPG and then by returning a scion of the Twohy family back to Hsien. Colonel Brenn Twohy, the leader of the mercenary unit the Hsien Hotheads, brought his unit with him, and when the Jihad erupted the Blakists allowed him to assume control of Hsien.[1]

The end of the Jihad in 3079 has yet to bring peace to Hsien; already the site of a number of three-way battles between the occupying Word of Blake Militia, forces from the Capellan Confederation and Devlin Stone's Coalition, the tentative ceasefire enacted with the defeat of the Word of Blake was rumored to have been quickly broken by incidents of low-level sparring between Coalition troops and the Fourth McCarron's Armored Cavalry.[2] These would continue the conflict between coalition and Confederation forces on Hsien that began with the arrival of both groups in January 3078, one of several worlds on which the two groups clashed during Operation SCOUR.[34] Footage from the Palos Daily News journalist Kirkland Terhune via a live feed from the surface of Palos on the 4th of January showed the Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers working alongside the Fourth MAC against the Word of Blake Protectorate Militia; both the CCAF and the Blakist Protectorate Militia were seen to be engaged simultaneously by forces from the Twelfth Atrean Dragoons, one of the units assigned to the Free Worlds League front of SCOUR.[46]

Media sources on Hsien reported in early February that the coalition forces from Group II of the Free Worlds League task force had landed on Hsien first; the Seventh Donegal Guards, Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry Cluster, Twelfth Atrean Dragoons and the Devil's Brigade possessed broadly equivalent numbers to the defending First Hsien Protectorate Militia Division and the Hsien Hotheads, and began to steadily push the Blakist forces back until the CCAF forces landed and began attacking both the Word of Blake defenders and the allied coalition forces. The battle for control of Hsien continued as a three-way struggle until the coalition commander persuaded the CCAF commander that they should work together. The two then cooperated until the CCAF forces allegedly ignored attempts by the Blakists to surrender, only to turn on the coalition troops again when they attempted to intervene before being forced to withdraw. Hsien was finally under coalition control, but the various units—including the Clan Hell's Horses Eleventh—had lost almost half their forces, and would pause for rest and refit for some time.[47]

Dark Age[edit]

The liberation of Hsien saw the industriplexes of Chengu and Dendeez badly damaged, but under the Republic of the Sphere Hsien recovered; a large part of this recovery was thanks to the efforts of the rebuilt Montong Consortium. By 3130, the Montong Consortium had established corporate headquarters in both the planetary capital and in Zhi-Chang on the northern Zhoulin coast, site of the main planetary spaceport.[1]

The planet's HPG station is one of the few working inside the Republic of the Sphere in 3135.[48]

Military Deployment[edit]

3025[edit]

3050[edit]

3054[edit]

  • Second FedCom RCT[51]

3058[edit]

3079[edit]

- The unit was operating at 85% strength with 95% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.
- The unit was operating at 60% strength with 75% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

3145[edit]

- The unit was at 80% strength with a "B" equipment rating and was deployed across the Hsien and Nanking systems.

Geography[edit]

The world of Hsien had a thriving ecosystem when first discovered by explorers; mixing both tropical expanses and arid deserts, the ecology of the landmasses strongly resembled that of post-Jurassic Terra.[1]

The major landmasses on Hsien are the Montong and Dendeez Chains, two semi-volcanic mini-continents, and the southern supercontinent of Chengu. Concentrated in the tropical forests of Chengu and Dendeez chains are a number of species of large reptilian creatures, largely herbivorous in nature and bearing a vague resemblance to the ancient dinosaurs that once roamed Terra. While this lush climate would seem to encourage life, the planetary water supplies on Hsien suffer from high concentrations of toxic microbes and heavy metals inimical to human life.[1]

The Chengu inlands contain modest reserves of useful mineral ores, with the heaviest concentrations located in the mountains found on Montong Prime and around the Zhoulin Sea, a landlocked sea on Chengu.[1]

Hsien has enough fresh water to make it a target for water raids in the Succession War era.[58][59]

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

In the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Campaign Mission "Target of Opportunity," Hsien is depicted as an arid canyon biome with reduced visibility.[45]

Apocryphal Content Ends

Planetary Locations[edit]


Hsien IV[edit]

According to MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game, the large moon of the Hsien system's fourth planet is a mining world. (It is actually implied to be the primary inhabited world in the system.) "Tomana" Liao ruled over the planet, a likely misspelling of Tormana (the original spelling used for Tormano Liao) that was repeated in his Twenty Year Update biography.[69][70]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 76 systems (74 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Chisholm 5.3 Capolla 13.1 Tall Trees 13.3 Saiph 13.7
Mandal 14.5 Zurich 16.9 Menkalinan 17.2 Nanking 17.3
New Canton 18.8 Outreach 21.5 Aldebaran 21.6 Hall 22.1
Brownsville 24.6 Wasat 25.6 Berenson 25.7 Belluevue 26.2
Terra Firma 26.7 Bex 27.8 Zion 30.5 Bhaktapur 30.6
Cynthiana 32.0 Kristiandsund 32.8 Genoa 33.8 Carver 35.4
Epsilon Eridani 35.4 Hechnar 36.1 Acamar 37.4 Arboris 37.6
Kyrkbacken 40.0 Van Diemen 40.5 Blue Sava 40.9 Myrvoll 41.5
Manennaia 41.5 New Home 41.6 Bryant 41.8 Woodstock 42.3
Gan Singh 44.0 Keid 44.3 Talitha 44.4 Procyon 44.6
Epsilon Indi 45.4 Tabit 46.7 Sirius 47.2 Asuncion 47.3
Sheratan 48.1 Azha 48.2 Bernardo 48.4 Hamilton 49.4
Snailzar 49.5 Ningpo 50.2 New Stevens 51.1 Fletcher 51.3
Irian 52.3 Pleione 52.3 Slocum 52.5 Graham 52.8
Pollux 53.8 Kawich 54.1 Caph 54.3 Augustine 54.3
Ibstock 54.5 Sol 54.6 Bharat 54.7 Ilmachna 54.9
Pliska 55.2 Nopah 55.4 Styk 56.5 Ingress 56.6
Devil's Rock 57.2 Rigil Kentarus 57.5 Xi Ursae Majoris 58.0 Acubens 58.0
Northwind 58.8 Castor 59.5 Tau Ceti 60.2 Hamal 60.2

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. 130: "Hsien"
  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 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 Objectives: Capellan Confederation, p. 28: "Hsien" planetary data
  3. Handbook: House Marik, p. 16
  4. Handbook: House Liao, p. 13
  5. Handbook: House Liao, p. 25
  6. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  7. Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  8. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  9. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  10. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 104
  11. 11.0 11.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 138
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 33: "Planets on Fire"
  13. First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  14. Handbook: House Liao, p. 31
  15. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  16. First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  17. Handbook: House Liao, p. 39
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 49: "Limits of Success"
  19. Handbook: House Liao, p. 40
  20. 20.0 20.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, pp. 16–17
  21. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 16
  22. Handbook: House Liao, p. 49
  23. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 94
  24. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  25. Era Report: 3052, p. 10
  26. Era Report: 3052, p. 22
  27. Era Report: 3062, p. 10
  28. Handbook: House Liao, p. 60
  29. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  30. Handbook: House Liao, p. 68
  31. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43
  32. 32.0 32.1 Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 69: "Mercenary Deployment Table"
  33. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64
  34. 34.0 34.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 58: "The Jihad In Review"
  35. A Trial Most Acceptable
  36. Field Report: CCAF, p. 21
  37. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  38. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  39. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  40. Map of the Tall Trees Union depicted along with Free Worlds League map as of [3139]
  41. Era Report: 3145, p. 39
  42. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  43. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 40: "Task Force Commonwealth"
  44. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 48: "What Is The Blakist Goal?"
  45. 45.0 45.1 MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, Campaign Mission 6: "Target of Opportunity"
  46. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 75: "Invaders At Hsien"
  47. 47.0 47.1 47.2 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 78–79: "New Year, New Wave"
  48. Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 4: "Functional Republic HPGs as of 01 January 3135"
  49. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 105: "Unit Deployment Table"
  50. 20 Year Update, p. 24: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  51. Objective Raids, p. 18: "FedCom Deployment Table"
  52. 52.0 52.1 52.2 Chaos March, p. 41
  53. Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 65: "Mercenary Deployment Table"
  54. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 110: "Word of Blake Mercenary Deployment"
  55. Field Report: CCAF, p. 15: "McCarron's Armored Cavalry Regimental Status"
  56. Field Report: CCAF, p. 16: "Citizen's Honored Regimental Status"
  57. Field Manual: 3145, p. 47: "Capellan Confederation Armed Forces Deployment Table - 3145"
  58. 58.0 58.1 Technical Readout: 3025, p. 84: "CPLT-C1 Catapult"
  59. 59.0 59.1 Technical Readout: 3025 Revised, p. 80: CPLT-C1 Catapult
  60. Historical: War of 3039, p. 120: "Hsien (July August)"
  61. Chaos March, p. 41: "Hsien"
  62. Technical Readout: Prototypes, p. 52: "Po Heavy Tank (HV)"
  63. A Trial Most Acceptable
  64. Technical Readout: 3145, p. 164: "DLR-O Doloire"
  65. Technical Readout: 3145 Republic of the Sphere, p. 40: "DLR-O Doloire"
  66. Technical Readout: Dark Age, p. 162: "DLR-O Doloire"
  67. Solaris Broadcasting Co. Articles - Private Log Found!
  68. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 72: "Hsien Hotheads"
  69. MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game, p. 119
  70. Twenty Year Update, p. 90: "Tormana Liao"

Bibliography[edit]