Menke

Menke
Menke 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates90.726 : -330.895[e]
Spectral classK7V[1]
Recharge station(s)Zenith[1]

The Menke system was home to at least one habitable world, Menke II, and as of 3151 was located in the Sian Commonality of the Capellan Confederation.[2]

System Description[edit]

Menke is located near the Mazdru and Sindalin systems and is Rimward from Terra. There is a Recharge Station at the Zenith Jump Point.[2][3]

System History[edit]

The Menke system was colonized at some time before 2366.[4]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Menke II[edit]

Menke II
Menke flag.png
Astrophysical
System position2nd[1][37]
Jump Point distance3.70 days[37]
Moons1 (Darbonne)[37]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.13 G [37]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[37]
Equatorial temperature42°C (Very Hot)[37]
Surface water74%[37]
Highest native lifePlant[1][37]
Landmasses3 (Menke Prime, Menke Beta, Menke Omega)[37]
History and Culture
Population4,514,000,000 (3025),[1]
5,500,000,000 (3067),[3]
5,613,000,000 (3079)[37]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerMandrinn of Menke
Political LeaderDiem of Menke
CapitalArchibald[37]
HPG ClassA[1][37]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Eliot MacIntosh[1][37]

Menke has long been the baseworld for McCarron's Armored Cavalry. This world of lush jungles is mostly populated by civilians who support the "Big Mac" in some way. The world also has a great deal of BattleMech repair facilities and one of the highest concentration of Techs in the Confederation. The CCAF also maintains a jungle warfare training facility on the southern continent. Menke is usually protected by at least one regiment from McCarron's Armored Cavalry, and it's not unusual for there to be more than one regiment on the world. Menke is orbited by one moon named Darbonne. Meanwhile, at the planet's L2, or Lagrange Point 2, there is an orbital construction facility owned by StarCorps Industries.[1][37]

Planetary History[edit]

Star League[edit]

Prior to the fall of the Star League, Star League Defense Force garrison forces kept their base of operations far from Menke's settlements to avoid friction with the local population.[38]

Third Succession War[edit]

In response to the McCarron's Armored Cavalry's attack on Wolf's Dragoons forces on New Valencia in 3007, Colonel Jaime Wolf would dispatch elements of the Seventh Kommando to Menke that same year. There they would target the Cavalry's military supplies and equipment. These attacks would enrage the Armored Cavalry and they would ask to attack the Dragoons' forces in return, but they were told to stand down by Chancellor Maximilian Liao.[17]

War of 3039[edit]

Seeking to take advantage of the Federated Suns' preoccupation with invasion of the Draconis Combine during the War of 3039, McCarron's Armored Cavalry launched a series of deep raids into Davion space, leaving the newly formed and untested Sixth McCarron's Armored Cavalry behind to defend Menke.[39]

Upon realizing the MAC were solely responsible for the incursion into FedSuns space, Duke Morgan Hasek-Davion ordered a strike against Menke be included as part of Case JULIET, the AFFS's retaliatory attack for the MAC's raids, selecting the mercenary regiments of the Illician Lancers and elements of the Sirdar Capellan March Militia for the task.[40]

While the defending aerospace fighters of the Sixth fought hard to prevent the Davion taskforce from landing, the FedSun fighters successfully fending off the bulk at the cost of half its fighters, the combined mercenary-CMM force grounding near Johenessburg less than a hundred kilometers from the Big Mac's main base at Fort McCarron. While the drop now left the Sixth with superior aerospace power, the Davion taskforce heavily outnumbered them with regards to BattleMechs, the Sixth's chances were further hampered when Colonel Baxter refused to order the planet's powerful militia to mobilize until after the FedSun troops landed.[40]

Realizing that while the Sixth counted a number of Cavalry veterans, the bulk were green unblooded trainees, the taskforce commander General Panos Fujikawa of the Illician Lancers ordered his troops to strike the defenders hard. As he assumed in the face of the blitzkrieg the Sixth did nothing but give ground, nearly breaking twice, though Baxter narrowly managed to maintain his unit's cohesion and pull his troops back to Fort McCarron. The Sirdar CMM placed the encircled Fort under siege while the Fifty-ninth Strike Regiment promptly captured the facilities of McCarron's Trading Company, sending the Sixth into a frenzy.[40]

Baxter's enraged MechWarriors left Fort McCarron and hit the Fifty-ninth Striker's rear, but the more experienced and agile Illicians brushed off the attack and retaliated, trapping the Sixth between them and the Sirdar CMM. The Sixth were forced to call upon their fighter squadrons to extricate themselves, but not before significant damage was inflicted on MTC's shipping yards and warehouses. The Davion forces instead focused on Fort McCarron, launching two weeks of minor probing raids which the MAC fighters forced back until heavy rain began to blanket the region.[40]

With the enemy fighters now grounded, the Lancers struck in force, effortlessly barreling through the planet's militia forces and smashing Baxter's forces. In those two days of severe weather the FedCom troops utterly destroyed the Sixth MAC and laid waste to Fort McCarron, plundering what supplies they could before CCAF reinforcements in the form of Warrior House LuSann landed on August 23rd, pulling out two days later.[40]

The FedSuns strike on Menke would prove devastating to the planet, MTC and especially the Sixth McCarron's Armored Cavalry. While the mercenaries would retain the Sixth as a provisional battalion on its rolls and even included as part of the MAC's famed assault on Marlette in 3044,[41] the Sixth would never formally receive combat ready status and was ultimately disbanded in 3049.[40]

Military Deployment[edit]

3079–3085[edit]

- The Third was operating at 50% of full strength, with 70% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.
- In 3085, the unit was operating at 20% of full strength.

3085[edit]

- The Fifth was operating at 10% of full strength, with 100% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

3145[edit]

  • Third McCarron's Armored Cavalry[51]
- The unit was at 70% of full strength with an "A" equipment rating.

Geography[edit]

Menke is a very hot jungle-covered world with three continents named Menke Prime, Menke Beta, and Menke Omega.[37]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Archibald: city and planetary capital located on the continent Menke Prime[37]
    • Ceres Metals: military manufacturing plant within the capital city[37]
    • Menke Armor and Armaments: military manufacturing plant within the capital city[37]
    • StarCorps Industries: military manufacturing plant within the capital city[37]
    • Barton Memorial Training Center: a jungle warfare training center on the continent of Menke Omega[3]
  • Wei Memorial: a statue dedicated to a battalion of the Nightriders regiment who perished to reclaim Wei for the Confederation[3]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 68 systems (65 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Mazdru 9.6 Sindalin 16.1 Victoria 17.2 Mitchel 18.3
Lucknow 18.8 Xieng Khouang 19.9 Braum 20.1 Madras 20.9
Columbine 21.8 Jacson 25.3 Gardnaus 28.4 Wantorill 28.5
Vard 29.2 Quimberton 29.5 Verlo 29.5 Kirkvåg 29.8
Yongd 31.4 Alexandria 32.2 Kazu 34.9 Weitinger 36.7
Decatur 37.0 Glentworth 37.5 Shaun 37.6 Krakatau 38.5
Frazer 38.6 Manapire 38.9 Tetschner 39.1 Holloway 39.2
Jonzac 41.4 Valdives 41.5 Hansii 41.5 Bellatrix 41.9
Sirdar 42.3 Zanzibar 44.6 Egress 45.5 Pojos 46.6
Ife 46.9 Belamor 47.0 Lochmantle 47.7 Ikast 48.0
Yuris 48.1 Raphael 48.2 Pentvar 50.6 Nihal 50.9
Kafr Silim 51.2 Bergtatt 51.5 Primus 52.3 Prix 52.5
Muridox 53.6 Immenstadt 53.6 Courcellete 54.8 Weatogue 54.8
Grand Base 55.0 Kurvasa 55.2 Midthun 55.6 Borden 56.0
Daol 56.2 Velhas 56.5 Homestead 57.6 Amu Darya 57.8
Maldive 58.1 Ordino 58.2 Blandou 58.3 Mendham 58.8
Merdal 59.8 Oligar 60.1 Texlos 61.7 Murris 61.9

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 136: "Menke"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Shattered Fortress, pp. 102–103
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Handbook: House Liao, p. 79: "Menke"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Handbook: House Liao, p. 17: "Capellan Confederation Founding - [2366] Map"
  5. Handbook: House Liao, p. 13
  6. Handbook: House Liao, p. 25
  7. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  8. Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  9. Field Manual: SLDF, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  10. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  11. First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  12. Handbook: House Liao, p. 31
  13. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  14. First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  15. Handbook: House Liao, p. 39
  16. House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition), p. 12
  17. 17.0 17.1 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 10: "Attack on New Valencia
  18. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. vii: "Capellan Confederation Map - [3025]"
  19. Handbook: House Liao, p. 40
  20. Handbook: House Liao, p. 49
  21. Historical: War of 3039, p. 132
  22. Era Report: 3052, p. 10
  23. Era Report: 3052, p. 22
  24. Era Report: 3062, p. 10
  25. Handbook: House Liao, p. 60
  26. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  27. Handbook: House Liao, p. 68
  28. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43
  29. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64
  30. Field Report: CCAF, p. 21
  31. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  32. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  33. Historical: Wars of the Republic Era, p. 50: "Menke"
  34. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  35. Era Report: 3145, p. 38
  36. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  37. 37.00 37.01 37.02 37.03 37.04 37.05 37.06 37.07 37.08 37.09 37.10 37.11 37.12 37.13 37.14 37.15 37.16 37.17 37.18 37.19 37.20 37.21 Objectives: Capellan Confederation, p. 17: "Menke"
  38. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 91: "29th Jump Infantry Division"
  39. Historical: War of 3039, p. 123: "Capellan Operations - The Mac Attack"
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 40.5 Historical: War of 3039, pp. 128–129: "Countering the Big Mac - Menke (August-September)"
  41. McCarron's Armored Cavalry, p. 6
  42. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 253: "SLDF - Capellan Confederation Military Command Map"
  43. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 107: "Unit Deployment Table"
  44. 20 Year Update, p. 70: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  45. Objective Raids, p. 144: "Unit Note"
  46. ComStar, p. 85: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  47. Field Manual: ComStar, p. 126: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  48. Field Manual: Updates, p. 98: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  49. Field Report: CCAF, p. 15: "McCarron's Armored Cavalry Regimental Status"
  50. 50.0 50.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 33: "Capellan Confederation Armed Forces Deployment Table - 3085"
  51. Field Manual: 3145, p. 45: "Capellan Confederation Armed Forces Deployment Table - 3145"

Bibliography[edit]