Difference between revisions of "Alrakis"

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Unwilling to cause the collateral damage that a direct assault, artillery strikes and aerial bombardment would cause, Olivares instead worked on a plan to neutralize the defending forces and embarrass the Lyran commanders. He had forces arranged in small squads infiltrate the city and place demolition charges at key points, and on the 23rd of July, he marched his forces close to the city and called on the Arcturan Guards to surrender; when General Fincher refused, Olivares had the charges detonated, collapsing the Lyran command headquarters into the sewers, burying many of the senior officers in rubble and cutting them off completely from their forces. The Alshain Regulars and the Legion of Vega then advanced rapidly into the city, attempting to cut the Lyran troops off from the spaceport and any chance of retreat off-world.<ref name="H:3039p70+"/>
 
Unwilling to cause the collateral damage that a direct assault, artillery strikes and aerial bombardment would cause, Olivares instead worked on a plan to neutralize the defending forces and embarrass the Lyran commanders. He had forces arranged in small squads infiltrate the city and place demolition charges at key points, and on the 23rd of July, he marched his forces close to the city and called on the Arcturan Guards to surrender; when General Fincher refused, Olivares had the charges detonated, collapsing the Lyran command headquarters into the sewers, burying many of the senior officers in rubble and cutting them off completely from their forces. The Alshain Regulars and the Legion of Vega then advanced rapidly into the city, attempting to cut the Lyran troops off from the spaceport and any chance of retreat off-world.<ref name="H:3039p70+"/>
  
The senior Lyran officer after the destruction of the headquarters was [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Nadine Killson]], commander of Able Battalion of the 23rd Arcturan Guards. Taking on the immense responsibility of co-ordinating the defense, Killson realised that the Lyran forces were in danger of being cut off and arranged her troops to try and block the DCMS attack. The result was a brutal close-quarters fight on the fringes of the spaceport; fighting against the Alshain Regulars on one front and the Legion of Vega on the other, Killson's [['Mechs]] were outnumbered three to one, and Killson had to use conventional forces, and the Arcturan [[infantry]] and [[armor]] made daring attacks and staged point-blank ambushes against the Combine 'Mechs, even though many of the actions would prove to be futile.<ref name="H:3039p70+"/>
+
The senior Lyran officer after the destruction of the headquarters was [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Nadine Killson]], commander of Able Battalion of the 23rd Arcturan Guards. Taking on the immense responsibility of co-ordinating the defense, Killson realised that the Lyran forces were in danger of being cut off and arranged her troops to try and block the DCMS attack. The result was a brutal close-quarters fight on the fringes of the spaceport; fighting against the Alshain Regulars on one front and the Legion of Vega on the other, Killson's [['Mechs]] were outnumbered three to one, and Killson had to use conventional forces, and the Arcturan [[infantry]] and [[Combat Vehicle|armor]] made daring attacks and staged point-blank ambushes against the Combine 'Mechs, even though many of the actions would prove to be futile.<ref name="H:3039p70+"/>
  
 
Killson held her defensive positions, losing half her forces overnight but destroying a portion of the Legion of Vega. Olivares was content to continue to press the attack, as he had reinforcements and supplies available; Killson knew that her extended position was untenable, and chose to retreat into the spaceport, fortifying it as a beachhead from which the Lyran forces could stage a counterattack if reinforced, but ceding control of Sigmundrac to the Combine. The Arcturan Guards held the spaceport until the 13th of August, launching raids and spoiling attacks while fending off probing attacks from the Combine forces; on the 13th, orders were received to retreat, and the 23rd Arcturan Guards boarded their DropShips and left. In the meantime, General Fincher and a number of other senior officers were dug out of the remains of the command center and would be interned to the Combine for months before eventually being repatriated.<ref name="H:3039p70+"/>
 
Killson held her defensive positions, losing half her forces overnight but destroying a portion of the Legion of Vega. Olivares was content to continue to press the attack, as he had reinforcements and supplies available; Killson knew that her extended position was untenable, and chose to retreat into the spaceport, fortifying it as a beachhead from which the Lyran forces could stage a counterattack if reinforced, but ceding control of Sigmundrac to the Combine. The Arcturan Guards held the spaceport until the 13th of August, launching raids and spoiling attacks while fending off probing attacks from the Combine forces; on the 13th, orders were received to retreat, and the 23rd Arcturan Guards boarded their DropShips and left. In the meantime, General Fincher and a number of other senior officers were dug out of the remains of the command center and would be interned to the Combine for months before eventually being repatriated.<ref name="H:3039p70+"/>

Revision as of 23:53, 8 February 2014

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(References to Alrakis)

Alrakis
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-19.90:81.89[e]
Spectral classK0V[1]
Planet(s)3[1]

Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to Terra at (0, 0)

Template:InfoBoxPlanetStandard

Owner History

Planetary Garrison

3039

3040

  • Eleventh Legion of Vega[25]

3050

  • Eleventh Legion of Vega[27]

3079

- At this point in time the 5th Sung Zhang Academy Cadre were deployed across, Kessel and Alrakis. The 5th was at 45% of full strength, with 70% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

Planetary Info

Alrakis is a world rich in metal ores that are easily exploited by industrial processes. As a result, the planet has been a bone of contention between the Lyran Commonwealth and Draconis Combine ever since it was discovered. The preponderance of ores in both Alrakis' mountains and its three moons triggered many raids and conflicts between the two Successor States. Though a pleasant enough world in most respects, it wasn't been settled to the extent of other worlds because of its high gravity and a fearsome native predator: The Alrakis Tigerfalcon. This avian is the size of a human male, and in addition to black-striped, fur-like feathers, a serrated beak, and four clawed feet, it was far stronger than any Terran bird of prey. During the first Star League hunting the tigerfalcon was not only a tourist attraction, but necessary for the colonization of the planet. The tigerfalcon was eventually pushed into a smaller area, allowing the colonists to expand around the metal rich mountains of the Skopje continent and the inland seas.[29]

Alrakis was a target in the first wave of the Federated Commonwealth attacks on the Lyran front of the War of 3039. In mid-April, the first of two major units assigned to attack the world, the 23rd Arcturan Guards RCT dropped onto the planet. Landing on the 16th of April under the command of Leutnant-General Jacqueline Fincher, the intention in taking Alrakis was two-fold; firstly, it would act as a stepping stone to worlds further into the Combine interior, and secondly, it presented the opportunity for a moral victory over the 11th Legion of Vega, a unit personally associated with Theodore Kurita.[26]

The decisive, aggressive drop by the 23rd caught the 11th Legion by surprise, quickly forcing them out of their barracks and onto the back foot. Even as the advance contingent of the 23rd was pushing the more numerous Legion back, a second contingent landed on the shores of Lake Carantha and seized Sigmundrac, the planetary capital. The 11th Legion didn't take long to regroup; the commanding officer of the Legion, Tai-sa Esau Olivares, was well-known for his resourcefulness and determination, and had fought alongside the Kanrei during the Fourth Succession War in the fighting on Marduk. Olivares counterattacked in an attempt to gain an the initiative, forcing the 23rd into a bloody series of battles. Sensing that Olivares was striking from a weak position, Fincher and the 23rd launched their own offensive, pushing and harrying the Legion back and attempting to pin them up against the Caradhradene Mountains. On Marfick in the previous war, Olivares had personally led the rearguard action that allowed Theodore Kurita to escape; acting with the same insight, Olivares knew that to be trapped against the mountains would result in the destruction of the Legion, and he ordered a retreat to save as many of his troops as possible.[26]

The Legion evacuated Alrakis shortly after, with the last troops leaving the world on the 24th of April; the swift prosecution of the campaign by the 23rd Arcturan prompted the LCAF to cancel the deployment of the second force that had been assigned to the campaign, the 5th Donegal Guards, and the forward observers from the 5th who had already arrived on world left on the 5th of May to rejoin the 5th on Ryde, ready early for the next phase of the war.[26]

The 23rd Arcturan Guards settled into the rhythm of garrisoning Alrakis quickly, and throughout May and June, Alrakis proved a quiet posting, with resistance on the planet consisting of little more than a few isolated sniper attacks, while the remaining militia forces appeared to be co-operative when it came to Alrakis' incorporation into the Federated Commonwealth. Concerns raised that the occupation appeared to be going too well were dismissed, which led to almost complete surprise when the DCMS counterattacked Alrakis in July. A strike force built predominantly around Olivares' 11th Legion of Vega and the 8th Alshain Regulars under Tai-sa Remy Doulton had travelled back to Alrakis in secret via uninhabited worlds near Shionoha and managed to conceal their arrival in the Alrakis system thanks to a collaborator within the planetary Space Control Directorate. The defending Lyran forces had just one day's warning of the impending attack.[30]

Despite that warning, many of the Lyran forces were caught unawares; however, much of the RCT had dispersed to enjoy a local festival when the DCMS forces began landing on the 14th of July, and many were captured by Alrakan militia forced that turned against them. The exception was in and around Sigmundrac, where the Lyran command contingent had maintained strict discipline, and an over-eager attack by the turncoat militia forces was quickly rebuffed, with firefights erupting in the city leading to many of the militia troops being captured. The insurgency managed to prevent the 23rd from contesting the DCMS landing, and Olivares had his combined forces lay siege to the capital city, over-ruling requests for an aggressive attack on the defending forces by Tai-sa Doulton.[30]

Unwilling to cause the collateral damage that a direct assault, artillery strikes and aerial bombardment would cause, Olivares instead worked on a plan to neutralize the defending forces and embarrass the Lyran commanders. He had forces arranged in small squads infiltrate the city and place demolition charges at key points, and on the 23rd of July, he marched his forces close to the city and called on the Arcturan Guards to surrender; when General Fincher refused, Olivares had the charges detonated, collapsing the Lyran command headquarters into the sewers, burying many of the senior officers in rubble and cutting them off completely from their forces. The Alshain Regulars and the Legion of Vega then advanced rapidly into the city, attempting to cut the Lyran troops off from the spaceport and any chance of retreat off-world.[30]

The senior Lyran officer after the destruction of the headquarters was Lieutenant Colonel Nadine Killson, commander of Able Battalion of the 23rd Arcturan Guards. Taking on the immense responsibility of co-ordinating the defense, Killson realised that the Lyran forces were in danger of being cut off and arranged her troops to try and block the DCMS attack. The result was a brutal close-quarters fight on the fringes of the spaceport; fighting against the Alshain Regulars on one front and the Legion of Vega on the other, Killson's 'Mechs were outnumbered three to one, and Killson had to use conventional forces, and the Arcturan infantry and armor made daring attacks and staged point-blank ambushes against the Combine 'Mechs, even though many of the actions would prove to be futile.[30]

Killson held her defensive positions, losing half her forces overnight but destroying a portion of the Legion of Vega. Olivares was content to continue to press the attack, as he had reinforcements and supplies available; Killson knew that her extended position was untenable, and chose to retreat into the spaceport, fortifying it as a beachhead from which the Lyran forces could stage a counterattack if reinforced, but ceding control of Sigmundrac to the Combine. The Arcturan Guards held the spaceport until the 13th of August, launching raids and spoiling attacks while fending off probing attacks from the Combine forces; on the 13th, orders were received to retreat, and the 23rd Arcturan Guards boarded their DropShips and left. In the meantime, General Fincher and a number of other senior officers were dug out of the remains of the command center and would be interned to the Combine for months before eventually being repatriated.[30]

As part of the Republic of the Sphere, Alrakis is a center of heavy industrial material production, including IndustrialMechs. Due to its presence on the Lyran/Combine border, it never developed a large military industrial presence. Apparently companies didn't see the point of developing factories that could assist the enemy if captured.[29]

The planetary capital city, Sigmundrac, is located on Skopje along the northern edge of Lake Carantha. Tarowena, a spaceport city on the southern continent of Strumm, houses the only major armaments facility on the world, Desmond Arms. Desmond Arms specializes in weaponry used by infantry forces, from knives to heavy support lasers. The tigerfalcon has been pushed back to the two jungle laden equatorial continents of Kabast and Ronigawa. With the heavy jungles and ferocious tigerfalcon, these two continents are relatively free of humans.[29]

Nearby Systems

Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years)
Closest systems first:
Kessel 8.6 Konstance 14.7 Balkan 16.3 Dromini VI 16.8
La Blon 20.9 Komephoros 24.3 Kaus Australis 27.2 Kaus Media 29.5
Nai-Stohl 30.9 Sabik 32.0 Kimball II 33.6 Atria 34.1
Ryde 35.3 Eltanin 35.5 Marfik 36.5 Skondia 38.3
Unukalhai 38.5 New Wessex 39.0 Ko 39.8 Vega 41.0
Baxter 42.1 Moore 43.4 Carnwath 43.7 Kaus Borealis 45.8
Lyons 46.3 Lone Star 46.6 Alphecca 46.8 Ascella 48.3
Cebalrai 49.1 Kannon 50.8 Phalan 52.5 Alkalurops 52.7
Nusakan 53.5 Izar 55.6 Alnasi 56.9 Lambrecht 57.6
Corridan IV 57.7 Kuzuu 58.2

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 2, "Alrakis World Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13, "Federation of Skye world within the Lyran Commonwealth befor [2340] and after at their founding in [2341]"
  3. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25, "Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War [2571] Map"
  4. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159, "Inner Sphere Map [2596]"
  5. Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - 2750"
  6. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - 2765"
  7. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36, "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822] Map"
  8. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40, "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2864] Map"
  9. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47, "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025] Map"
  10. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56, "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030] Map"
  11. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59, "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 3039 [3040] Map"
  12. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133, "Inner Sphere - 3040"
  13. Era Report: 3052, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map [3050]"
  14. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61, "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052] Map"
  15. Era Report: 3052, p. 23, "Inner Sphere Map [3052]"
  16. Era Report: 3062, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map [3057]"
  17. Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere Map [3063]"
  18. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65, "Inner Sphere [3075] Map"
  19. Field Report: DCMS, p. 21, "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery Deployment Map - August 3079"
  20. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, "Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]"
  21. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127, "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"
  22. Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  23. Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map - [3135]"
  24. Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere Map - [3145]"
  25. 25.0 25.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 139, "Deployment Table"
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Historical: War of 3039, p. 28-29, "Alrakis"
  27. 20 Year Update, p. 40, "Draconis Combine Deployment Table"
  28. Field Report: DCMS, p. 14, "Sun Zhang Regimental Status"
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DARW2
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 Historical: War of 3039, p. 70, p. 73, "Alrakis (July-August)"

Bibliography