Talitha

Talitha
Talitha 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates−34.132 : −34.688[e]

The Talitha system was home to at least one habitable world and as of June 3152 was located in the Augustine Alliance province of the Free Worlds League.[1]

System Description[edit]

There are four stars in the system.[citation needed]

Additional names for the Talitha system are Iota, Ursae, Majoris, and Dnoces.[citation needed]

Primary star: A7IV (1.7 solar masses, 9x Terran luminosity) Closest M1V companion orbits at 5-6 AU every 4028 days. More distant M1V companions at 132 AU every 39.7 years. Distant companions also orbit each other at about 10 AU, interchanging places.

Political Affiliation[edit]


Talitha[edit]

Talitha
Government and Infrastructure
CapitalCharity Heights[31]

Planetary History[edit]

Star League Era[edit]

During the Star League era, Talitha became the headquarters of the Star League Defense Force's Eighth Army.[32][33] It also was the administrative headquarters of the first region of the Free Worlds League and a series of training bases, many of them major. It was also the site of one of the Star League mints and a major security exchange.[8] With the eruption of the Periphery Uprising in 2766, the Eighth Army found itself responsible for the entire Free Worlds League, and even though the Eighth Army received some reinforcements drawn from the First Army,[33] this greater astrographical area of responsibility naturally led to the Eighth Army being stretched thin.[8]

Amaris Coup[edit]

When Stefan Amaris launched his coup on 27 December 2766 on Terra, his forces also swung into action on all other worlds within the Terran Hegemony and a number of jointly administered worlds, which included Talitha.[34] Despite the Eighth Army being deployed across the Free Worlds League, there were still a large number of personnel from the Eighth Army on Talitha, as well as a substantial number of SLDF personnel within the support and training organizations. These people, primarily administrative, support, and logistics personnel, posed a risk to the Rim Worlds Republic forces, which had already managed to occupy at least one Castle Brian on Talitha prior to the coup's beginning.[8]

The Republican forces hadn't been able to establish a foothold within any of the training facilities or the Military Region administrative headquarters, and as a result, when they launched their campaign to take control of Talitha, they bombarded the Castle Brian with multiple nuclear weapons while also hitting various training bases with a combination of nuclear and biological attacks. While these attacks were largely effective, the Republicans didn't manage to hit every training base, nor were they able to track down and hit every location where SLDF equipment was stored; they also failed to capture or destroy all of the war materiel stored across Talitha awaiting shipping to the Periphery front. Talitha subsequently became a hotbed for resistance against the Republican forces and Stefan Amaris, as the SLDF personnel who survived the initial attacks made use of the remaining equipment to form and lead resistance groups across the planet.[8]

Operation CHIEFTAIN[edit]

Prior to the SLDF invasion of the Hegemony, Amaris-held Talitha would be the site of an ill-fated reconnaissance raid by the Eridani Light Horse's Nineteenth Striker Regiment, as part of Operation INTRUDER in May of 2771. Thanks to an Amaris agent secretly operating within the Light Horse, the Nineteenth Striker dropped onto the city of Amity and right into the teeth of three Republican regiments. Within two hours, the Nineteenth Striker were killed to the last man.[35]

In 2772, Talitha was the first target for XXIV Corps as part of Operation CHIEFTAIN in the opening drive to retake the Terran Hegemony. In addition to its Star League exchange and mint, the world was an important regional military center protected by three Castles Brian and two brigades of Amaris forces. Efforts to subjugate the world had only encouraged the formation of a strong resistance, made even more powerful by the presence of so many SLDF retirees. So while the Amaris defenders used WMD liberally against XXIV Corps and civilian targets, resistance groups were able to quickly locate their agents and strongholds which allowed the SLDF to secure Talitha by the end of the year. Much of the world had been battered but retained the industrial capability to support the logistical needs of the military, and by mid-2773, the system was once again serving the SLDF as a regional headquarters and supply depot.[36]

Succession Wars Era[edit]

Following the SLDF Exodus, Talitha fell to the Free Worlds League in 2785, prior to the First Succession War.[37][38]

During the Third Succession War, the planetary government of Talitha was one of the many League worlds to oppose contributing troops to Captain-General Thaddeus Marik's Operation Killing Stroke in 2950. Unfortunately, before it was able to invoke the Home Defense Act, the imperious and rash Captain-General sent in Marik Militia units under the pretext of quelling domestic insurgency to remove and replace the planet's local government with a military dictatorship willing to back Killing Stroke. Talitha would remain a military dictatorship until at least the conclusion of the Third Succession War.[39][40]

During the Fourth Succession War, Talitha would be captured by the Fourth Republican Guards regiment of Pavel Ridzik's newly formed Tikonov Free Republic. Accompanied by two armor regiments and two infantry regiments, the Fourth Republican easily outnumbered and outmatched Talitha's defending planetary militia.[41] After Ridzik's death, Talitha would become part of the Federated Commonwealth's newly formed Sarna March after the absorption of the Tikonov Free Republic into the Lyran Commonwealth in 3031. With that act, Talitha ultimately becomes part the newly formed Federated Commonwealth,[42] in their Sarna March, Terra Firma Operational Area.[43]

Operation GUERRERO[edit]

Talitha was invaded in the Free Worlds League's first wave of Operation Guerrero by the Sixth Marik Militia, Atrean Hussars, and the Iron Guard. The defending First Republican Guards BattleMech regiment lost control of the planet.[44]

The Jihad[edit]

On 8 December 3069, Talitha was raided by the Thirteenth Stalking Horse, one of the few surviving members of the Allied Mercenary Command. The AMC force attacked the planet's Word of Blake controlled hyperpulse generator station but were repulsed by Talitha's defenders.[45][46][47]

By 3072, the Word of Blake would bring Talitha into administration of the Word of Blake Protectorate.[48] The planet's noted small BattleMech manufacturer, Gilmour MilTech, would become the favored supplier of the Blakists' military needs.[49]

By 3075, two divisions of Protectorate Militia, the First and Second Talitha Protectorate Militia Divisions, would be raised from that world's populous to aid in garrisoning of the planet.[50]

Talitha was liberated by forces from the Free Worlds League front in a brief campaign in May 3077. Backed up by the Clan Nova Cat Aegis-class WarShip CNC Blade, Group IV of the Free Worlds League task force rolled over the defenders; with Beta Galaxy of Clan Wolf in Exile working closely with the Third Lyran Guards and the Marlette Crucis March Militia on the ground, Group IV quickly achieved dominance in the air before crushing the Blakist ground forces.[24]

In October 3077, the Free Worlds League task force responsible for the initial assault on Chara retreated after the disastrous battle there, falling back to Talitha to rebuild and await additional support.[51]

Republic Era[edit]

In 3122, a kidnapping hoax ended bloodily. The Gilmore family, owners of a timber company, staged a kidnapping of heiress Pennilyn Gilmore to boost business. When the family requested that the military not intervene, a group of forestry workers took matters into their own hands, modifying their Crosscuts and going to battle. They were effective against the hired "kidnappers," but Pennilyn died, and in the aftermath, the family found itself in legal trouble.[52]

IlClan Era[edit]

By October 3151, Talitha had become a mustering hub for ex-RAF troops after the Republic's downfall, with the League barely tolerating them. On June, after receiving news of the RAF's dissolution, a regiment dissolved, with factions fighting others and some defecting to join a mercenary unit.[53][54]

Military Deployment[edit]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Amity: a city[35]
  • Charity Heights: Talitha is governed by a military dictatorship from the capital city.[31]
  • College of Talitha: One of the Golden Ten Universities of the Terran Hegemony, the College of Talitha specialized in design studies of a wide range of civilian and military products, maintaining close ties with the Hegemony Research and Development Centers. This saw the College quickly ransacked and stripped during the Amaris Coup, with nothing left behind, the virtually empty college was abandoned.[65]
  • Darciford[28]
  • Monetary Gain: Established in 2621 on Talitha, Monetary Gain was one of the Star League's commerce cities, intended to help bond together the economies of the Star League's six member states. One of the three such commerce cities and mints to print Star League Dollars for the Free Worlds League, like all such cities, Monetary Gain was also located close by a major SLDF base to ensure its protection. Monetary Gain did not survive the Amaris Coup.[66]
  • Tagus Metropolis: site of the planet's main HPG compound[67][68]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 84 systems (82 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Tabit 6.4 Van Diemen 7.1 Castor 19.1 Pollux 19.3
Hechnar 19.3 Devil's Rock 19.5 Connaught 20.9 Hall 22.3
New Dallas 22.8 Acubens 24.2 Wasat 24.5 Irian 25.0
Graham 26.5 Oliver 27.8 Bordon 29.0 Zosma 29.1
Outreach 31.0 Marcus 31.3 Xi Ursae Majoris 31.6 Carver 31.9
Blue Sava 32.1 Mandal 33.1 Denebola 33.3 Pliska 34.0
Zavijava 34.5 Callison 34.6 Alphard 35.7 Afleir 36.1
Miaplacidus 36.1 Nathan 36.1 Procyon 37.5 Chisholm 39.2
Remulac 39.3 Brownsville 40.9 Dubhe 40.9 Lipton 41.1
Chara 41.4 Sirius 41.4 Berenson 41.8 Dieudonné 42.0
Wyatt 42.3 Capolla 42.7 Augustine 43.2 Tau Ceti 43.5
Thorin 43.9 Hsien 44.4 Keid 44.6 Chertan 44.9
Hamilton 46.6 New Home 46.8 Savannah 47.0 Tall Trees 47.4
Wing 47.5 Elbing 47.7 Milton 48.2 Rigil Kentarus 48.6
Sol 48.7 Menkalinan 49.6 Alchiba 49.6 Haddings 49.6
Muphrid 50.3 Saiph 51.1 Bryant 51.9 Phecda 52.2
Alhena 52.4 Avellaneda 53.1 Epsilon Eridani 54.2 Zollikofen 54.3
Alioth 54.6 Aquileia 54.7 Kristiandsund 54.9 Killbourn 55.9
Myrvoll 56.4 Belluevue 56.6 Terra Firma 56.6 Catroxx 56.7
New Canton 57.1 Cor Caroli 57.5 Menkent 57.8 Caph 58.1
Mizar 59.0 Nanking 59.4 Marik 61.0 Zurich 61.3

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Empire Alone, p. 78, "The Free Worlds League June 3152" (Map)
  2. Handbook: House Marik, p. 16
  3. Handbook: House Liao, p. 17
  4. Handbook: House Liao, p. 25
  5. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  6. Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  7. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, pp. 84–85
  9. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 104
  10. 10.0 10.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 138
  11. 11.0 11.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 118
  12. First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  13. Handbook: House Marik, p. 34
  14. First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  15. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), foldout: "Free Worlds League - Map"
  16. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 81
  17. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 94
  18. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  19. Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  20. Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  21. Era Report: 3062, p. 11
  22. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  23. 23.0 23.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 159: "Free Worlds League Deployment Table"
  24. 24.0 24.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 45–46: "Talitha, Berenson Capitulate"
  25. Field Manual: 3085, p. 105
  26. Era Report: 3145, pp. 38–39, 57
  27. Inner Sphere - 3145
  28. 28.0 28.1 Shrapnel Issue 2, p. 163
  29. Shattered Fortress, p. 103
  30. Empire Alone, p. 8
  31. 31.0 31.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, pp. 78–79: "Living Dead Men"
  32. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 105: "Eighth Army"
  33. 33.0 33.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 43: "8th Army"
  34. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 80: "Cometh Hell's Legions"
  35. 35.0 35.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra, p. 117: "Never Give Up"
  36. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 131: "Fifth and Twenty-Fourth Army Groups"
  37. The Star League, p. 179: "Atlas of the Terran Hegemony - Other Hegemony Worlds"
  38. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 118: "Aftermath - Digesting the Hegemony"
  39. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 42: "History - The Third Succession War - Operation Killing Stroke"
  40. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 42: "Sociopolitical Structure - Provincial Governments - Military Dictatorship"
  41. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 80: "Free Worlds League Front - Republican Offensive"
  42. FedCom Civil War, p. 12: Civil War Timeline - 3031 - Tikonov Free Republic is absorbed by the FedCom's Lyran state
  43. Era Report: 3052, pp. 10–11: Inner Sphere Map 3050 - Talitha is now part of the Federated Commonwealth in the Sarna March, Terra Firma Operational Area as of 3050
  44. Shattered Sphere, p. 74: Third FWLM regiment and FedCom defending unit not named in source.
  45. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 48: "The Jihad in Review"
  46. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, pp. 78–79: Living Dead Men - AMC Mercenary forces raid planet. Scenario shows its goal was to attack the Word of Blake HPG. Also 3rd Dismal Disinherited and the Burton’s Brigade were originally noted as the attackers
  47. Jihad Hot Spots: 3072, p. 21: Jihad Timeline December 8th - 13th Stalking Horse officially noted as attackers of the Blakist controlled HPG
  48. Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 13: Inner Sphere Map 3072
  49. Jihad Secrets: Blake Documents, pp. 47, 65: Inner Sphere Map 3075, Sharing the Love - Map of IS in 3075 shows the planet within the Protectorate's borders. Talitha acceptance into the WoB Protectorate is noted in a canon/fluff Journal of Mercenary Affairs
  50. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 103: Word of Blake Protectorate - Protectorate Militia Deployment notes the 2 Divisions of Militia are formed on Talitha
  51. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 48–49: "Chara Operational Report"
  52. Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 28: "Crosscut LoggerMech MOD"
  53. Empire Alone, p. 44: "Threat Assessment: Silver Hawks"
  54. Hard Choices
  55. First Succession War, p. 138: "First Succession War Deployment Table - FWLM"
  56. Historical: War of 3039, p. 138: "Deployment Table - Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Tikonov Republican Guard"
  57. 20 Year Update, p. 24: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  58. Objective Raids, p. 18: "FedCom Deployment Table"
  59. 20 Year Update, p. 71: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  60. ComStar, p. 85: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  61. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 110: "Free Worlds League Deployment Table"
  62. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 106: Protectorate Militia Division deployment table shows Talitha having two divisions of Protectorate Militia forces on planet
  63. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 45–46: Talitha, Berenson Capitulate - Talitha is taken by Free Worlds League Group IV and rolled over its defending Militia
  64. Field Manual: 3085, pp. 184–185: Republic Standing Guard - Talitha, being part of the ROTS, has a designated Republic Standing Guard force. Not individual information available
  65. The Star League, p. 167: "Society - Education - Golden Ten Universities"
  66. The Star League, p. 160: "Socioeconomics - Star League Economy - Currency - Exchanges and Mints"
  67. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, pp. 78–79: Living Dead Men - city of Tagus Metropolis named as location of Allied Mercenary Coalition's attack on HPG station in town
  68. 68.0 68.1 Shrapnel Issue 2, p. 165
  69. Handbook: House Marik, p. 130: "Gilmour MilTech (GMil)"

Bibliography[edit]