Alpheratz

Alpheratz
Alpheratz 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates502.785 : 152.898[e]
Spectral classK5V[1][2]
Recharge time196 hours[1][2]
Recharge station(s)Nadir (3067[1] - 3079[2])

The Alpheratz system is home to at least one inhabited world, Alpheratz IV, and at least as recently as 3067, the system was home to a recharge station at the nadir jump point. As of 3145, the Alpheratz system is located in the Raven Alliance.[3][4]

System Description[edit]

Alpheratz is located near the Quatre Belle and Mitchella systems.

System History[edit]

The Alpheratz system was colonized in the late twenty-fourth or early twenty-fifth century.[5]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Alpheratz IV[edit]

Alpheratz IV
Alpheratz Flag.png
Astrophysical
System positionFourth[1][2]
Jump Point distance4.12 days[1][2]
Moons1 (Aisha)[1][2]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.0[1][2]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1][2]
Equatorial temperature30°C (Temperate)[1][2]
Surface water70%[1][2]
Highest native lifeMammal,[1][2] 30%[47]
Landmasses2 (North Continent, South Continent)[48]
History and Culture
Main Religion(s)Islam[49][50]
Population2,159,000 (3025),[47]
3,200,000 (3067),[1]
3,099,000 (3076),[48]
3,099,000 (3079)[2]
Government and Infrastructure
Political LeaderPresident of the Outworlds Alliance
CapitalFamindas (until 3071),[51][52]
Carolinas (3071),[48]
Mackennopolis (from 3090)[53]
HPG ClassB[1][2]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor David Ferguson (3025)[47]

Alpheratz IV, more commonly referred to simply as Alpheratz, is the fourth planet in the Alpheratz system and for the majority of its history has been the capital world of the Outworlds Alliance and the later Raven Alliance. Alpheratz is home to the Alliance Executive Parliament and the largest weapons industry in the Alliance.

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

Alpheratz had been settled as an independent colony only shortly before the arrival of Julius Avellar, a retired Admiral from the Federated Suns navy who was seeking a personal retreat where he could avoid what he viewed as the sickening carnage of the Age of War.[5] Avellar began writing once he arrived on Alpheratz, arguing at great length against military adventurism in the Inner Sphere, and his writings were particularly critical of House Davion and House Kurita. His words resonated among those in the Federated Suns who were weary of both warfare and the military-industrial complex that supported it and many flocked to Alpheratz in pursuit of a lifestyle that wasn't dependent upon the technologies of warfare.[6] The personal philosophical views of Julius Avellar would ultimately lead to the formation of the Outworlds Alliance, with Alpheratz as the capital world.[5] A reluctant Julius found himself first becoming ruler of Alpheratz, then subsequently ruler of the Outworlds Alliance.[6]

Alpheratz became something of an exception among the various worlds of the Outworlds Alliance; it had a relatively large population in comparison to its contemporaries and became the site of the preeminent cities and urban centers within the Alliance as well as the birthplace of the little heavy industry to be found within the borders of the Alliance. Two major cities, Algolmarle and Famindas, grew on Alpheratz's northern continent with scattered farming communities growing within easy reach of the cities by rail or waterborne transport. The southern continent became home to much of the heavy industry on Alpheratz, and Alpheratz was one of very few worlds within the Alliance to actually have such heavy industry. Famindas became the planetary capital, while Algolmarle became home to the national government, the Executive Parliament and the residence of the Alliance President.[1]

Star League[edit]

Alpheratz was the headquarters world for the Eighteenth Army of the Star League Defense Force. One of the Eighteenth's Corps, the XLV Corps, also used Alpheratz as its center of operations.[54]

Clan Invasion Era[edit]

During the 3040s, Famindas became known as a center for scholars and artists, as well as for the thriving networks of Islamic madrassahs that flourished in the western sector of the city. Investment in mining, manufacturing, and high-tech operations on Alpheratz began to take advantage of the changing circumstances in the Alliance from the mid-3040s onward; the combination of a population that was decently educated for the first time in hundreds of years and low cost and wages that existed because of a generally high level of poverty proved attractive, as did the eagerness within the Alliance to see development occurring.[1]

The Long Road project championed by President Mitchell Avellar resulted in the trickle of investment turning into a flood and made Alpheratz wealthy for the first time and much of the money generated was invested back into Alpheratz, building new housing, new schools, and new infrastructure, as well as being spent on cultural projects such as a new Civic Opera House in Albermarle. The investment wasn't limited to the northern continent; the city of Carolinas on the southern continent had a reputation for industrial wealth and the population had a strong desire to also be known for some of the sophistication the northern cities were becoming associated with, leading to the founding of a symphony orchestra and theater complex. The theater complex in Albermarle went on to show a diverse range of productions, with a single season including such events as a number of Japanese kabuki plays, an exhibition of Javanese puppetry and a revival of Desert Symphony, a piece composed by the noted local composer Ali Ibn Masra.[1]

The Jihad[edit]

On 15 November 3071, the capital city Famindas was subject to a devastating terrorist attack when Omniss terrorists detonated a thermonuclear device in the heart of the city. In response to the attack, Clan Snow Raven declared its WarShips to be a safe haven for the Outworlds Alliance leadership.[51][52] The explosion killed a hundred thousand people and wiped out the Alliance Executive Parliament and the central offices of the national administration and every government ministry. The strike was intended to disrupt the Outworlds Alliance by decapitating the national government, but that attempt failed; the terrorists—subsequently known to be cat's paws of the Word of Blake—had intended the strike to be a mortal wound to the fabric of the Alliance, but instead, the people of the Alliance rallied to rebuild Alpheratz and the terrorist attack became a symbol of the resilience and determination of the Outworlds population.[48]

The Snow Ravens became a major partner in the rebuilding on Alpheratz in the five years after the attack; Snow Raven agronomists and ecologists worked to assist in containing the environmental damage inflicted by the detonation and to reverse the long-term effects of the strike. A Snow Raven Mobile Production Site in orbit above Alpheratz produced quantities of construction material needed for rebuilding and despite the large size of the nuclear device used in the attack, the damage was limited by the local geography. The attack rendered Famindas and much of the western coastal plain of Northern Continent uninhabitable, but the Bolliard Mountains limited the amount of fallout that could travel eastward and the vast agricultural regions beyond the Bolliard Mountains were undamaged, although monitoring of the aquifers and soil was needed to detect signs of any secondary or tertiary contamination.[48]

By 3076, those evaluating the damage on North Continent believed that not only was the region salvageable, but that it might be possible to repopulate the region by 3078. The major industries on Alpheratz were affected to varying degrees by the attack; Alliance Defenders Limited lost their production plant at Famindas, which produced the export frames and chassis for a range of BattleMech designs designed for assembly in the Draconis Combine and Federated Suns,[48] although their facility at Heminy Bay on North Continent was still operational.[2] Mountain Wolf BattleMechs was largely unaffected by the strike,[48] as it was located at Altai on South Continent,[2] and by 3076, was in full production once more; Arenthir Electronics managed to escape the attack unscathed, thanks to its location in a high valley in the Bolliard Mountains.[2][48]

Although some expected Alpheratz to become a fortress after the attacks, President Avellar refused to recall any additional forces to garrison the planet; in keeping with the tradition of nonviolent perseverance at the core of the character of the Alliance population, Avellar refused to divert funding needed to ensure the health and safety of the well-being to create what would effectively be a palace guard, nor was he willing to leave other worlds vulnerable by pulling forces away from them to garrison the capital.[48]

More than a hundred personnel from the Scientist and Technician Castes of Clan Snow Raven worked side-by-side with Alliance scientists and technicians in a combined effort to clean up the physical residue of the explosion and undo the ecological damage that had been done, an unprecedented event and a sign of the commitment to the political union between the two nations. The government of the Alliance re-formed in the city of Carolinas on South Continent, appropriating a former community college to serve as the Alliance Executive Parliament complex around which the various ministerial offices and administrative organizations grew, leading to the area acquiring the nickname "Famindas District."[48]

Alliance Defenders Limited was back in full operation by 3077, and had even added an Oro Heavy Tank production line to its plant, but as the Snow Ravens and the Alliance drew closer together, it found itself at risk of being sidelined due to the BattleMech designs it produced being dated. The Snow Ravens had positioned the Potemkin-class cruiser CSR Bonaventure in orbit above Alpheratz by 3079, with the industrial facility contained within the Bonaventure[2]—named Facility 12-C[2]—operating at seventy-five percent of full production.[55]

The planetary militia were based out of Carolinas in 3079, and AGDA Training Facility Alpheratz was still operating, with a number of Snow Raven trainers augmenting the teaching staff. The training staff had brought harsh training methods with them and those methods had delivered mixed results for the various training programs in place.[2]

Alpheratz has been home to a number of news publications over the centuries, including the Alpheratz Daily Beacon,[56][57] Alpheratz Examiner,[58] and the Alpheratz New Freedom Journal.[59] By the thirty-first century, the predominant religion on Alpheratz was Islam.[50]

Military Deployment[edit]

2786[edit]

2821[edit]

  • Alpheratz Guards[63]

3054[edit]

3079[edit]

- The unit was at 85% strength and using 20% Omni equipment.
  • Avellar Guard (Regular/Regular)[65]
- The unit was at 90% strength.

3085[edit]

3145[edit]

Geography[edit]

Alpheratz has two continents named North Continent (sometimes referred to as North Country[1]) and South Continent.[48]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • North Continent
  • Albermarle: city and seat of the Alliance Executive parliament[1]
  • Alliance Executive Parliament
  • Civic Opera House[1]
  • Bolliard Mountains[48]
  • Famindas: the planetary capital city until 3071[48][51][52]
  • Heminy Bay[2]
  • South Continent
  • AGDA Training Facility Alpheratz: one of four Outworlds Alliance AGDA training centers; located at Bambino[2]
  • Altai[2]
  • Carolinas: city[1] and planetary capital from 3071–3090[48]
  • Executive Parliament[48]
  • Mackennopolis: the planetary capital from 3090 onwards[53]
  • University of Alpheratz[68]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Notes[edit]

Famindas is described in Handbook: Major Periphery States as the planetary capital and the city of Algolmarle is described as the center of the national government and the Alliance Executive Parliament. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers recounts the destruction of Famindas destroying the central functions of the Alliance government including the Alliance Executive Parliament, despite those functions being located in Algolmarle, according to Handbook: Major Periphery States. As Masters and Minions: the StarCorps Dossiers is the later publication, it is considered correct by default, and the detail in Handbook: Major Periphery States is either outdated or in error.

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 20 systems (19 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Quatre Belle 21.7 Mitchella 24.5 Jordan Wais 25.1 Banori 30.0
Rudolpho 31.4 Finse 31.9 Vinstra 35.8 Loparri 37.6
Quiberas 40.9 Dralkig 41.9 Sevon 42.3 Coraines 45.6
Calish 45.7 Cerberus 46.2 Praxton 49.4 Halla 52.4
Lushann 54.5 Ramora 55.1 Ictus 55.6 Ki Zoban 60.3

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 Handbook: Major Periphery States, pp. 150–151: "Alpheratz"
  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 2.22 Objectives: The Clans, p. 16: "Alpheratz"
  3. 3.0 3.1 Era Report: 3145, p. 39: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Periphery, p. 22: "Outworlds Alliance"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 15: "Outworlds Alliance"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 147
  8. Handbook: House Davion, p. 48
  9. Historical: Reunification War, p. 106
  10. Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  11. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: Inner Sphere - [2764]
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  13. Field Report 2765: Periphery, p. 36
  14. Field Report 2765: DCMS, p. 25
  15. Historical: Liberation of Terra, p. 98
  16. First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  17. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  18. Handbook: House Davion, p. 54
  19. First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  20. Second Succession War, pp. 18–19
  21. Handbook: House Davion, p. 60
  22. Second Succession War, pp. 78–79
  23. Seal the Deal
  24. The Periphery, p. 156: "The Outworlds Alliance Sector"
  25. Handbook: House Davion, p. 70
  26. Handbook: House Davion, p. 72
  27. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  28. Handbook: House Davion, p. 76
  29. Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  30. Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  31. Objective Raids, p. 46
  32. Era Report: 3062, p. 11
  33. Handbook: House Davion, p. 78
  34. The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 110: "Outworlds Alliance"
  35. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  36. Inner Sphere, p. 98
  37. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 150: "Outworlds Alliance (3067)
  38. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3067]
  39. Handbook: House Davion, p. 82
  40. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64
  41. Field Report: Clans, p. 28
  42. Field Report: DCMS, p. 21
  43. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  44. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  45. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  46. Shattered Fortress, pp. 102–103
  47. 47.0 47.1 47.2 The Periphery, p. 119: "Alpheratz"
  48. 48.00 48.01 48.02 48.03 48.04 48.05 48.06 48.07 48.08 48.09 48.10 48.11 48.12 48.13 48.14 48.15 48.16 48.17 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 165: "Key Worlds of the Outworlds Alliance - Alpheratz"
  49. The Periphery, p. 111: "Religion and Philosophy"
  50. 50.0 50.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 150: "Religion"
  51. 51.0 51.1 51.2 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 20: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  52. 52.0 52.1 52.2 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 50: "The Jihad in Review"
  53. 53.0 53.1 Historical: Wars of the Republic Era, p. 15: "Timeline 3085-3145"
  54. Field Manual: SLDF, pp. 211–212: "Eighteenth Army - XLV Corps"
  55. Objectives: The Clans, p. 16: "State of the Industry at a Glance (Dec 3079)"
  56. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 21: "Who Are We Now?"
  57. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 48: "That Foreign Woman"
  58. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 26: "The Boy King"
  59. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 61: "Resurrection"
  60. 60.0 60.1 60.2 60.3 60.4 60.5 Historical: Reunification War, p. 141: "Outworlds Alliance Front (Jump-off - 2585)"
  61. Field Manual: SLDF, p. ix: Outworlds Alliance Military Region
  62. Field Report 2765: Periphery, p. 17: "Outworlds Alliance - Regimental Status"
  63. 63.0 63.1 First Succession War, p. 140: "Major Periphery States - Outworlds Alliance"
  64. Objective Raids, p. 153: "Defending Units (On Planet)"
  65. 65.0 65.1 Field Report: Clans, p. 24: "Alliance Military Command"
  66. Field Manual: 3085, p. 129: "Deployment Table - 3085"
  67. Field Manual: 3145, p. 174: "Clan Force Deployments - Alliance Militia Corps"
  68. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 140: "Columbia Academy"
  69. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 143: "Alliance Defenders Limited"
  70. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 143: "Arenthir Electronics"
  71. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 144: "Mountain Wolf BattleMechs"
  72. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 145: "New World Media Productions"

Bibliography[edit]