New Hessen

New Hessen
New Hessen 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates84.005 : -57.121[e]
Spectral classA9V[1][2]
Recharge time170 hours[2]
Recharge station(s)None[1][2]

System Description[edit]

New Hessen is located near the Alrescha and Demeter systems.

Political Affiliation[edit]


New Hessen VII[edit]

New Hessen VII
New-Hessen-Flag.png
Astrophysical
System position7th[1][2]
Jump Point distance23.75 days[2]
MoonsNone[1][2]
Geophysical
Surface gravity0.90[2]
Atmospheric pressureHigh (Breathable)[2]
Equatorial temperature42°C (Tropical)[2]
Surface water60%[2]
Highest native lifeReptile[1][2]
Landmasses4 (Saxony, Hessia, Baden, Rhine)[2]
History and Culture
Population2,139,000,000 (3025),[1]
2,506,349,000 (3079)[2]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerDiem of New Hessen
CapitalBuchvaal[2][42]
HPG ClassB (3025),[1]
A (3079)[2]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Sirpa Tem (3025)[1]

Planetary History[edit]

Founding[edit]

The colony of New Hessen was founded and named by a European émigré, a businessman named Albrecht von Hesse who purchased the land grant for the small planet from the Tikonov Grand Union and promptly named the world after himself before settling there and founding his own armaments factory. Von Hesse's plan for his world was as foresighted as it was cynical; in addition to selling armaments to the Tikonov Grand Union, the Capellan Hegemony and as far afield as those worlds being settled by the Davion clan, he protected his constant stream of revenue for times of interstellar peace by setting up a new enterprise on New Hessen. Von Hesse rented out areas of New Hessen—not for settlement, but rather to two or more governments who felt the need to settle a dispute by active warfare. The governments who were Von Hesse's clients paid to rent out land of a terrain and climate of their choice, for a small to medium sized engagement that would last for a specific period of time. Von Hesse offered more than just the land: he gave discounts to those wanting to engage in multiple-party, low-level combats, as well as package deals that included fact sheets on the various combat zones, discounts on volume sales of equipment, insurance, low-cost repair and recovery options, and the right for the highest bidder to choose the site of the battle. He also made it clear in his contracts that in the event of no clear victor by combat, he had the final right to arbitrate a final, humane solution by negotiation, limiting the destructiveness of the wars. Von Hesse was the first ruler of New Hessen, and by the time of his death, his gamble on the human propensity for animosity and warfare had made him very, very rich.[1][3]

Early History[edit]

In 2358, Seluk Tucas, a native of St. Andre, was propelled into the office of Prime Minister of the Capellan Commonality following the resignation of Julian Dux as a part of the political fallout from the continued lobbying and interference in Commonality elections from other nations and the invasion of several worlds within the Capellan Zone by the Federated Suns. One of Tucas' first acts was to negotiate a secret treaty with the Tikonov Grand Union, compensating the Grand Union for arbitrating in favor of the Sarna Supremacy when imposing an end to the Grand Union/Supremacy conflict that had begun in 2351. This Treaty was signed on New Hessen, which gave its name to the treaty: the Hessen Conventions.[4]

After Franco Liao declared the formation of the Capellan Confederation in 2367, many members of the established Grand Union nobility felt that Franco's Articles of Confederation would limit their privileges and prerogatives which had been enjoyed since the early days of the Tikonov Union. The nobility—collectively referred to as the Sheng—sought to protect their position by creating private armies, collectively referred to as Noble Trained Bands, many of which were openly hostile to Franco and his government. The tension between the Sheng and Franco Liao came to a head in 2368, when troops raised by Baron TChigorin of New Hessen seized a government munitions depot.[7]

TChigorin claimed that the depot had been seized to better protect it against anticipated Federated Suns attacks; Franco, knowing that TChigorin was one of his most vocal opponents, considered this to be an obvious ruse and responded by ordering selected troops from regiments not affiliated with the Grand Union onto New Hessen. These troops numbered some 3,000 men in total and were under the command of General Anthony LeFarge, and faced a Noble Trained Band of approximately 4,000 men under the command of Baron TChigorin himself. LeFarge publicly ordered TChigorin to disband his forces and surrender the depot, an order that TChigorin refused; LeFarge responded by surrounding the depot and setting fire to the savannah around the installation. The combination of raging fires and the threat of military force caused TChigorin's troops to break and run, with the majority of the fleeing troops running straight into the waiting guns of LeFarge's troops. Many of the remainder including TChigorin himself perished in the fires, which LeFarge's troops then successfully brought under control, saving the depot. The fate of TChigorin and his Band served as a warning to the other members of the Sheng, leading to the majority of the Noble Trained Bands being disbanded over the next three years, with the last three bands being incorporated into the Capellan military.[7]

Succession Wars[edit]

New Hessen saw fighting between the Capellan Confederation and the Federated Suns. During one of the first two Succession Wars, a city called Neuer Wiesbaden, was devastated by orbital bombardment. In 3007, during the Third Succession War, a mercenary unit, Garret's Freebooters had to fight unknown attackers while they scavenged the city.[43]

The Jihad[edit]

During the Jihad, General Pat Hampton and his troops returned to the world to defend it against the Word of Blake. At the same time he encouraged the growth of the local defense industry. The two plants on-world produce several primitive and modern BattleMechs, as well as vehicles that are at a Succession Wars level of technology. The AFFS High Command had no problem with this during the Jihad, but after the war with the Word of Blake ended, the High Command questioned the need for New Hessen to have a militia force three times the average for a world of its importance.[2]

New Hessen's role in the Jihad increased dramatically on 14 May 3076 when General Hampton met with representatives from the allied coalition being assembled by Devlin Stone and agreed that New Hessen could be used by the coalition as a staging base against the Word of Blake Protectorate.[44][45] The Word of Blake deployed Protectorate forces to attack New Hessen on the 15th of August in the form of the Thirty-third Division,[46] landing troops on the ground under the cover of tactical nuclear weapons and fuel-air explosives. Despite having secured landing zones, the Protectorate troops found themselves quickly trapped by the New Hessen defenders.[45][47][48]

In response to the recent raids and assaults on worlds within the Word of Blake Protectorate, the Blakists launched raiding parties against various worlds around the Protectorate border in early September 3076. Making use of weapons of mass destruction to augment the damage inflicted, the raiding parties—few of which were larger than a single Level III—struck at the worlds of Algorab, Alnasi, Amity, Bordon, Connaught, Hunan, Kessel, New Kyoto, Ronel, St. Andre, Styk, Tsitsang, and Wei, with additional forces raiding New Hessen. Of the worlds hit, the Capellan Confederation took the brunt of the fighting. Following the September raid, the Blakist insurgents on New Hessen went silent in late October.[45][47] The Blakists then resurfaced in late November with a daring daylight raid on the New Hessen WorkMechs facility, a raid which saw them successfully appropriate a dozen largely complete 'Mechs.[49][45]

Hampton's response was to redouble his efforts. The Hessens hounded the Blakists without respite and in early December forced them into a last stand inside the Agripole Mining Complex.[46]

Post-Jihad[edit]

In the period after the Jihad as the Republic of the Sphere began to form, General Hampton spoke at some length regarding the future of New Hessen and his opinion on the need for the world to remain capable of defending itself, independent of assistance from other worlds or states. Hampton was forthright in stating that New Hessen should only ally with worlds that respected the right of individual systems to govern themselves. Commentators in the New Hessen media such as Abigail von Patten believed that this indicated that General Hampton was opposed to the incorporation of New Hessen into the Republic of the Sphere, and that his position and standing on New Hessen could well influence the decision on New Hessen's fate. Hampton's perceived opposition to the Republic attracted speculation that either it was a result of the stance Devlin Stone was taking against large irregular military forces, or that it was part of an attempt to secure more power for himself.[42][50]

Military Deployment[edit]

2765[edit]

2786[edit]

  • Seventh Tikonov Lancers[52]

2830[edit]

  • Marshals of Tikonov[53]

3038–3040[edit]

3085[edit]

3145[edit]

- At this point in time, the unit was at 75% of full strength with an "A" equipment rating.

Geography[edit]

New Hessen orbits the system primary at a much greater range than Terra does Sol. This means that even though the star is hotter than Sol, the world should be much cooler than it is. Thanks to the thick atmosphere, however, New Hessen enjoys a tropical climate.

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Buchvaal: planetary capital[2][61]
  • Denton: city[62]
  • Jarman City[63]
  • Josburg Flats[61]
  • Neuer Wiesbaden: razed city[64]
  • Midlake Transfer Station[65]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 76 systems (73 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Alrescha 7.7 Demeter 14.5 Conwy 15.6 Yangtze 15.7
Kansu 16.5 Almach 17.4 Buchlau 18.2 Angol 18.7
Mesartim 19.0 Mira 20.1 Algol 21.9 Halloran 22.8
Hamal 23.5 Tikonov 24.0 Alpha Eridani 25.7 Algot 25.7
Slocum 26.3 Tigress 29.1 Bharat 29.5 Tianamon 30.4
Rio 30.6 Azha 30.8 Ningpo 31.2 Poznan 32.3
Basalt 33.3 New Aragon 34.3 Chesterton 34.5 Menkar 35.6
Nopah 35.7 Tybalt 37.1 Mirach 39.1 Jonathan 39.6
Pleione 39.6 Caselton 39.8 Foochow 40.7 Hunan 40.9
Kawich 40.9 Arboris 41.2 Tedibyhr 41.3 Valexa 42.1
Sonnia 42.4 Ruchbah 43.4 Hean 43.6 Woodstock 44.7
Genoa 45.1 New Rhodes 45.2 Ulan Batar 45.9 New Florence 46.0
Shensi 46.6 St. Andre 47.2 Gan Singh 48.0 Acamar 48.2
Deneb Kaitos 48.2 Ankaa 48.7 Schedar 49.3 Fletcher 50.1
Angelsey 50.8 Cynthiana 51.0 Ingress 51.6 Tawas 51.7
Ashkum 52.1 Bex 52.9 Shipka 53.7 Foot Fall 53.8
Edwards 54.1 Ronel 55.7 Sheratan 56.0 Bell 56.5
Addicks 57.8 Styk 58.2 Small World 59.6 Aldebaran 59.6
Ozawa 59.9 Tsitsang 60.6 Farwell 60.9 Goderich 61.0

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 141: "New Hessen" 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: Federated Suns, p. 8: "New Hessen"
  3. 3.0 3.1 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 11: "Off-The-Shelf War"
  4. 4.0 4.1 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 24: "Tucas Takes Over"
  5. Handbook: House Liao, p. 17
  6. Handbook: House Liao, p. 13: "Timeline: Capellan Zone"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 29: "A Challenge From The Sheng"
  8. Handbook: House Liao, p. 25
  9. Handbook: House Davion, p. 48
  10. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  11. Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  13. First Succession War, p. 25
  14. Handbook: House Liao, p. 31
  15. Handbook: House Davion, p. 54
  16. First Succession War, p. 113
  17. Handbook: House Liao, p. 39
  18. Handbook: House Davion, p. 60
  19. Run, Locust, Run
  20. Handbook: House Liao, p. 40
  21. Handbook: House Davion, p. 70
  22. Handbook: House Liao, p. 49
  23. Handbook: House Davion, p. 72
  24. Handbook: House Davion, p. 76
  25. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  26. Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  27. Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  28. Era Report: 3062, p. 11
  29. Handbook: House Liao, p. 60
  30. Handbook: House Davion, p. 78
  31. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  32. Handbook: House Liao, p. 68
  33. Handbook: House Davion, p. 82
  34. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64
  35. Field Report: CCAF, p. 21
  36. Field Report: AFFS, p. 21
  37. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  38. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  39. Era Report: 3145, p. 24: "Timeline of Events (cont.)"
  40. Era Report: 3145, p. 39
  41. Shattered Fortress, p. 103
  42. 42.0 42.1 Total Chaos, p. 149
  43. Run, Locust, Run
  44. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 21: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 56: "The Jihad In Review"
  46. 46.0 46.1 Total Chaos, pp. 148–149: "New Hessen"
  47. 47.0 47.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 22: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  48. Total Chaos, p. 148
  49. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 23: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  50. Jihad Final Reckoning, p. 32: "Republic, No?"
  51. Field Report 2765: CCAF, p. 15: "Regimental Status"
  52. First Succession War, p. 136: "First Succession War Deployment Table - CCAF"
  53. Second Succession War, p. 95
  54. Historical: War of 3039, p. 141: "Deployment Table"
  55. 20 Year Update, p. 19
  56. Field Report: AFFS, p. 10
  57. Field Report: AFFS, p. 11
  58. Field Report: AFFS, p. 20
  59. Field Manual: 3085, p. 160: "Deployment Table - 3085"
  60. Field Manual: 3145, p. 46: "Capellan Confederation Armed Forces Deployment Table - 3145"
  61. 61.0 61.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 19
  62. Technical Readout: 3085, p. 228
  63. Fortress Republic, ch. 18
  64. Run, Locust, Run
  65. Fortress Republic, ch. 28
  66. Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives, Volume 3, p. 10

Bibliography[edit]