Barlow's Folly

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

Barlow's Folly (Cussar)
← 3135
3151
240px
Barlow's Folly (Cussar) nearby systems
(Map Legend)
System Information
X:Y Coordinates173.18:66.90[e]

Originally known as the Cussar system, the Barlow's Folly system was home to at least one habitable world and as at 3145 was located in the Irurzun Prefecture of the Benjamin Military District within the Draconis Combine.[1][2]

System Description

The Barlow's Folly system is located near the New Mendham and Reisling's Planet systems.[1][2]

System History

Originally named Cussar, the Barlow's Folly system was settled during the First Exodus from Terra.[3]

Political Affiliation

Planetary History

First Succession War

In May 2787 the Draconis Combine launched a massive invasion of the Federated Suns, overrunning a large part of the Draconis March in a matter of weeks. The invasion achieved almost total surprise, and one of the major tactics used by the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery was to target communications systems and JumpShips as a priority, to cause confusion and prevent news of attacks escaping. This worked extremely well - and as Cussar had been a border world between the Combine and the Federated Suns since the Age of War, it was one of the worlds invaded in the first wave of attacks.[13]

The population of Cussar were extremely loyal to the Federated Suns - so much so that the habit of keeping a rifle by the front door and an extra place setting at the dinner table had been adopted by many as a symbolic habit, with the rifle ready for use against any Combine soldiers and the place setting for any AFFS personnel who visited. When the DCMS invasion force landed, the resident AFFS garrison unit was the Thirty-eighth Avalon Hussars, who had only recently rotated onto the planet,[13] replacing the Twenty-sixth Robinson Chevaliers.[48] The commanding officer of the Thirty-eighth was Leftenant General Louis Santonio, and among his officers was Colonel Michael Barlow, a battalion commander and native of Cussar intimately familiar with the mountainous terrain found on the planet and possessed of a deep love for his homeworld.[13]

As an initial invasion target the DCMS dropped two BattleMech regiments and four assorted infantry and armor regiments on the planet, an invasion force more than twice the size of the Thirty-eighth and their supporting forces. With confusion reigning throughout the region because of the speed of the invasion, Santonio's troops were ordered to hold Cussar, and were faced with DCMS units who had been ordered to capture the planet as quickly as possible - orders that resulted in them burning a destructive path across the planet in the pursuit of the defending forces. Under Santonio's command the Thirty-eighth held for two weeks, despite their lack of numbers and the total aerospace superiority enjoyed by the Combine forces, while a steady stream of demoralizing news on the fate of other nearby worlds continued to arrive, listing a litany of AFFS retreats, heavy fighting, and the use of weapons of mass destruction on Federated Suns planets.[13] Confusion reigned everywhere, with inconsistent orders being issued throughout the chain of command; orders were issued for the mercenary unit Tyson's Troublemakers - formerly the SLDF Twenty-third Heavy Assault Regiment - to withdraw from Marduk, whilst the Thirty-eighth Avalon Hussars were ordered to stand firm on Cussar, as were the First Syrtis Hussars on Galtor III.[49]

The final blow for Santonio came when news arrived of the fall of Clovis, capital of the Clovis Combat Region, and the death of Field Marshal Grover Simons, the Commanding Officer of the Region. Anticipating that the AFFS defensive line in the region would collapse, Santonio issued orders for all AFFS units on Cussar to retreat. Baldwin immediately protested the orders and desperately attempted to convince Santonio to keep the Thirty-eight on Cussar and fighting, but was overruled; in response he and the surviving members of his battalion decided to stay and fight, even if the other AFFS forces left.[13]

Looking to use the local terrain to their advantage, Baldwin and his troops retreated into the Trinity Mountains; the Mountains encircled the three major cities on the planet, Angelius, Patrónne, and Solus, and were a heavily wooded, rocky mountain range with persistent snowcaps. Between 2787 and 2790 Barlow and his men kept up a campaign of harassing the DCMS garrison forces, scavenging for parts and supplies to keep their 'Mechs operational while launching hit and run attacks against the occupiers. After three years, the last of their 'Mechs had been rendered inoperable, but Barlow was determiend to continue fighting; resorting to using small arms and vehicles, Barlow's band of determined fighters managed to keep fighting until 2801, when the last of Barlow's original guerilla force was killed by DCMS soldiers. During their fourteen-year campaign Barlow's troops had destroyed tons and tons of DCMS equipment and supplies as well as killing innumerable enemy personnel; their epic struggle, and the bravery and persistence with which Barlow's men had fought worked with the character of the local population to inspire a spirit of resistance that ensured the fight carried on. Using Barlow's name as a talisman, insurgents conducted numerous actions against the local Combine government and forces, creating a spirit of hostility and resistance that would last for centuries, and ultimately leading to both the Combine and the Federated Suns coming to refer to Cussar as "Barlow's Folly" so consistently that the Combine government eventually adopted this name for the planet.[13]

The Jihad

Between the 7th and 14th of August 3068 Barlow's Folly was one of six worlds raided by a combination of small 'Mech units under the employ of the Draconis March of the Federated Suns and teams of Federated Suns commandos. The deep objective raids targetted undefended worlds, allegedly to find and liberate prisoners of war in captivity within the Combine since the FedCom Civil War. The six worlds targeted were Altais, Barlow's Folly, Beta Mensae V, Chichibu, Junction and Misery, and apparently some POWs were discovered.[50]

Military Deployment

2750

2765

2786

  • Twenty-sixth Robinson Chevaliers[48]

2787

2821

Geography

A major terrain feature on Barlow's Folly is the mountain range known as the Trinity Mountains, which encircles the locations of the major population centers on the planet. The mountains are tall, rocky, heavily-forested and feature permanent snowcaps.[13]

Planetary Locations

  • Angelius: one of three major cities on Barlow's Folly.[13]
  • Patrónne: one of three major cities on Barlow's Folly.[13]
  • Solus: one of three major cities on Barlow's Folly.[13]

Nearby Systems

Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years)
Closest systems first:
New Mendham 9.6 Reisling's Planet 13.9 Ludwig 15.0 Matar 15.4
Galtor III 21.8 Hildaman 23.5 Scheat 25.5 Paris 26.9
Tripoli 29.8 Homam 30.8 Aldrecht 30.9 Irurzun 33.6
New Sumatra 33.9 Donenac 34.9 Breed 35.1 Klathandu IV 35.5
Marduk 35.8 Proserpina 35.9 Junction 40.1 Mayadi 42.5
Deshler 42.5 Sadalbari 42.8 Harpster 43.0 Alnadal 49.3
McComb 50.0 Koping Chian 50.0 Dobson 51.1 Arlington 51.4
Tannil 52.1 Xhosa VII 52.5 Fellanin II 53.4 Royal 54.3
Apriki 54.5 Celebes 55.8 David 58.0 Monistrol 58.2
Raman 58.8 Ljugarn 59.0 Le Blanc 59.2

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18, "Draconis Combine Founding - [2319] Map"
  4. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 48, "Federated Suns after Age of War - [2571] Map"
  5. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 31, "Draconis Combine after Age of War - [2571] Map"
  6. ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 159, "Inner Sphere - [2596] Map"
  7. ↑ Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - [2750] Map"
  8. ↑ Field Manual: SLDF, Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  9. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [2765] Map"
  10. ↑ Field Report 2765: Federated Suns, p. 29, "Federated Suns Armed Forces Deployment Map - [2765]"
  11. ↑ Field Report 2765: Draconis Combine, p. 25, "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery Deployment Map - [2765]"
  12. ↑ First Succession War (Source Book), p. 25, "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 First Succession War, p. 38-39, "Barlow's Folly"
  14. ↑ First Succession War, p. 44, "Draconis Combine-Federated Suns Front 2786-2796"
  15. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 55, "Kentares IV" Date last planet was captured
  16. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 58, "Collapse"
  17. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 54, "Federated Suns after First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  18. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43, "Draconis Combine after First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  19. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 122, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  20. ↑ First Succession War (Source Book), p. 113, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  21. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53, "Draconis Combine after Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  22. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 60, "Federated Suns after Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  23. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  24. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64, "Draconis Combine after Third Succession War - [3025] Map"
  25. ↑ House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 209, "Federated Suns - Map"
  26. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 70, "Federated Suns after Third Succession War - [3025] Map"
  27. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66, "Draconis Combine after Fourth Succession War - [3030] Map"
  28. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 72, "Federated Suns after Fourth Succession War - [3030] Map"
  29. ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 133, "Inner Sphere - [3040] Map"
  30. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68, "Draconis Combine after War of 3039 - [3040] Map"
  31. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 76, "Federated Suns after War of [3039] - [3040] Map"
  32. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 11, Inner Sphere - [3050] Map
  33. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 23, Inner Sphere - [3052] Map
  34. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71, "Draconis Combine after Operation REVIVAL - [3052] Map"
  35. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 11, Inner Sphere - [3057] Map
  36. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 78, "Federated Suns after Operation Guerrero - [3058] Map"
  37. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere - [3063] Map"
  38. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74, "Draconis Combine after FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  39. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 82, "Federated Suns After FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  40. ↑ ' Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42, "Inner Sphere - [3067] Map"
  41. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64, "Inner Sphere - [3075] Map"
  42. ↑ Field Report: DCMS, p. 21, "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery Deployment Table - [August 3079]"
  43. ↑ Field Report: AFFS, p. 21, "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  44. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, "Inner Sphere - [3081] Map"
  45. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  46. ↑ Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  47. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3135] Map"
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 First Succession War (Source Book), p. 135, "First Succession War Deployment Table - AFFS"
  49. ↑ First Succession War, p. 38, "The Dragon's Reckoning: The Combine-Suns Front"
  50. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 45, "The Jihad In Review"
  51. ↑ Field Manual: SLDF, p. 252, "SLDF - Federated Suns Military Command Map"
  52. ↑ Field Report 2765: Federated Suns, p. 17, "Regimental Status"
  53. ↑ First Succession War (Source Book), p. 136, "First Succession War Deployment Table - DCMS"

Bibliography

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