Bolan

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Bolan

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

Bolan
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-277.97 : 5.19[e]
Spectral classG4V[1][2]
Recharge time185 hours[1][2]
Recharge station(s)Zenith[3][1][2]

The Bolan system was home to at least one habitable world, Bolan II, and as at 3145 was located in the Buena Province of the Lyran Commonwealth.[4][5]

System Description

The Bolan system is located near the Finsterwalde and Gypsum systems[6] and consists of a class G4V primary orbited by at least two planets. During the thirty-first century a recharge station was in place at the zenith jump point.[1][2]

System History

The Bolan system was settled at some point during the First Exodus from Terra[1] and was fought over by both the Free Worlds League and the Lyran Commonwealth on a number of occasions.[7]

Bolan II

Template:InfoBoxPlanetStandard Bolan II - more commonly refered to simply as Bolan - is the second planet in the Bolan system and has served as a regional capital for the Free Worlds League, Lyran Alliance and Lyran Commonwealth. Bolan is home to the Melissa Steiner Martial Academy of Bolan.[1]

Planetary History

Early History

A dry mountainous world, Bolan was originally settled by people from the Indian subcontinent on Terra. Fortunately the world had enough natural resources to support a modest population and industrial capability.[1]

The original settlers, once freed from their Terran Alliance oppressors, quickly fell to fighting among themselves. Water, trade routes, and access to natural resources were all subject to conflicts between the numerous city-states that formed the world. These conflicts would continue to be a part of Bolan culture throughout the history of the human inhabitation of the planet.[1]

The Age of War

In 2427 the Lyran Commonwealth launched another campaign against the Free Worlds League, beginning with landing troops on Bolan. The Lyran forces seized Bolan and dug in, while further attacks captured the League worlds of Dixie and Kamenz, leading the Free Worlds League Parliament to disband the War Powers Act and install Terrence Marik as Captain-General in response. Terrence Marik was an intelligent military leader and launched two counter-attacks on Bolan, one in 2427 and one five years later in 2432, but despite destroying a significant number of Lyran units in each assault he was unable to recapture Bolan.[7]

Terrence stepped down in 2441, preferring to let another of the Marik family take the title of Captain-General and with it perhaps see more successes than he had; after a brief internal struggle within the family, his brother Peter Marik II became Captain-General, and successfully recaptured both Bolan and Kamenz that same year.[7]

The Reunification War

In late 2583 a significant portion of the Free Worlds League Military garrison on Bolan had to be redeployed to the Rim Worlds Republic world of Urjala, which had been conquered months before by forces from the 2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps operating as a part of Task Force MAILED FIST, the Star League Defence Force task force created to intervene in the Rim Worlds Republic civil war and restore First Consul Gregory Amaris to power. The three Free Worlds League units responsible for capturing Urjala, the Second Brigade of the Fusiliers of Oriente, the Second Regulan Hussars and the Second Defenders of Andurien, had quickly defeated the local garrison drawn from the Fourth Amaris Fusiliers, but had soon discovered that they lacked the numbers to actually control all the occupied territory. After months of active insurgency that weakened the Star League hold on Urjala the need for reinforcements was clear, and the detachment from the Bolan garrison arrived in late 2583, finally securing the planet.[8]

Star League Era

Bolan's resources and industrial base were further developed during the Star League era, and Bolan housed a SLDF base on the island continent of Sabari;[1] this base, dubbed the Overwatch, was subsequently used as a base by units from the Bolan Defenders after the last SLDF garrison, the 418th Mechanized Infantry Division, left Bolan.[3]

Succession Wars

The Lyran Commonwealth launched an invasion of Bolan in early march 2785. At the time, Bolan's primary defenders were two regiments from the Bolan Defenders brigade, under the overall command of Colonel Salam Tutt of the Sixth Bolan Defenders, supported by a WarShip flotilla consisting of the Aegis-class heavy cruiser FWLS Manaslu and three League-class destroyers, the FWLS Talwar, FWLS Turk and FWLS Tyberium. The invasion began with Lyran forces using a free merchant-flagged JumpShip transporting a converted Mule-class DropShip serving as a fighter carrier to seize the zenith recharge station; while Lyran marines seized the station, the two squadrons of fighters transported by the Mule engaged and destroyed the defending patrol ships, but not before one of the shuttles managed to broadcast a warning to the defenders on Bolan.[3]

With the recharge station secured, the bulk of the invasion force under the command of Leutnant-General Richard Johonson von Eilenburg jumped into the system in two groups; one arrived at the zenith jump point, whilst the other arrived three days out from Bolan via a LaGrange point; each group was escorted by four Mako-class corvettes and a pair of Commonwealth-class cruisers, and the total ground force consisted of at least three 'Mech regiments plus support elements. The first major engagement took place in space, with the Talwar, Turk and Tyberium engaging the Lyran WarShips accompanying the first group, forcing two Makos to withdraw and nearly destroying a third, before the two accompanying Commonwealths and their attendant fighter screen forced the three Leagues to withdraw. The Lyran ships escorted the DropShips to ensure that the ground forces could land, before launching a series of cat-and-mouse engagements with their opponents; this went on until the second Lyran group completed their burn from the zenith jump point to Bolan's orbit. The four Free Worlds League WarShips engaged their Lyran opponents again, destroying two Makos and forcing a Commonwealth to retreat, but at a cost; both the Tyberium and the Manaslu were crippled, leaving Tutt with just the Talwar and Turk.[3]

The League forces held out for two weeks on the ground before the LCAF launched a devastating attack on the city of Calcutta, the largest city on Kashmir. League forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Omar Malak had fortified inside Calcutta, with the 101st intent on making the LCAF pay for every foot of territory gained within the city; in response, Leutnant-General von Eilenburg had Calcutta subjected to heavy air strikes and artillery barrages, levelling the city and killing the defenders. Under the pretext that the Lyrans were a peacekeeping force sent to secure the military supplies secured within the Overwatch - supplies that were enough to support a considerably larger force, before the outbreak of war had forced short-notice redeployments, and which included a substantial nuclear arsenal - and prevent those weapons from being used against the Commonwealth, von Eilenburg called for Colonel Tutt to order his troops to surrender, even as Lyran ground forces closed on the planetary capital city, Mumbai.[3]

Unknown to von Eilenburg, Tutt had already responded to the destruction of Calcutta by ordering the Talwar to bombard the grounded Lyran DropShips from orbit, and the Talwar's initial bombardment began whilst von Eilenburg was communicating with Tutt; in response to von Eilenburg's demands, Tutt issued orders for the Free Worlds League garrison forces to launch scorched earth strikes, determined to deny the Lyrans anything that could be used against the League; Tutt also ordered some of his forces to retreat from Bolan under cover from the Talwar and Turk, and even as the Lyrans destroyed Mumbai Tutt led elements of the Bolan Defenders on a suicidal attack against the Lyran forces there. With the Lyran WarShips bombarding Tutt's troops from orbit, those elements of the Defenders chosen to retreat from Bolan were able to escape, freeing the Talwar and Turk to add to the devastation inflicted by the multiple nuclear weapons launched by the Defenders through further orbital bombardment.[3] As a result, large parts of both Sakete and Kashmir (the northern and southern continents) were still affected by radioactivity as late as the thirty-first century, and the continent of Sabari was still completely uninhabitable.[1]

While Tutt's actions inflicted a toll on the Lyran forces and showcased the fanatical determination of the Defenders as a whole, it also established a precedent that was repeated on many other worlds within the Bolan Thumb, causing devastating loss of life. In some cases, it also led to locals on several planets aiding the LCAF against the Bolan Defenders, viewing the invading Commonwealth forces as the lesser of two evils.[9] Leutnant-General von Eilenburg was promoted for the conquest of Bolan.[10]

The internal conflicts between the various city-states on Bolan continued up until at least as late as the eve of the Jihad, with the last such conflict prior to the Jihad commencing was a conflict fought between the Quetta and Sibi city-states over a mountain pass, a conflict that required the intervention of the First Bolan Jaegers to resolve. Despite these conflicts Bolan continued to serve as a regional headquarters for bot the Lyran Intelligence Corps and the Lyran Alliance and Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces throughout the centuries.[1]

The Jihad

The infamous Word of Blake unit the Fifty-second Shadow Division struck at Bolan on the 17th of February 3074. The Fifty-second razed Bolan City, the planetary capital, and shattered the defending mercenary unit, the 2nd Regiment of Brion's Legion. As a result of the attack the ruling family of Bolan fled, leaving Bolan in political turmoil.[11][12] The Word hit Bolan again a few months later; this time, it was the Fiftieth Shadow Division, who on the 21st of July 3074 took control of the Quetta City State. The Fiftieth remained on Bolan until the 10th of September, at which point they suddenly departed, with thousands of Bolan citizens as prisoners.[13][14]

In 3079 Bolan resumed its duties as a regional headquarters world. The local militia consisted mostly of weekend warriors and dropouts from the MSMA, and so was less capable of combat operations than most units. They did excel in responding to civil emergencies and disaster relief, however.[2]

Political Affiliation

Planetary Rulers

3067

  • Duke Alder Umayr[1]

Military Deployment

2764

2765

2785

  • Sixth Bolan Defenders [3]
  • Unspecified Bolan Defenders regiment[3]
  • Aegis-class heavy cruiser FWLS Manaslu[3]
  • League-class destroyers FWLS Talwar, Turk and Tyberium[3]

2786

2821

3025

3028

3038

3061

3067

  • First Bolan Jaegers[49]

3074

3079

- At this point in time the 10th operating at 60% of full strength, with 80% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

3085

3145

  • Second Bolan Guards[52]

Geography

Bolan has three major continents; the northern continent is named Sakete, and the southern continent is named Kashmir. The third continent is an island named Sabiri, which was rendered uninhabitable by humans during the First Succession War.[1]

Planetary Locations

  • Bolan City: The planetary capital post-Mumbai.[11]
  • Calcutta: Most heavily populated city on Kashmir during the Star League era; destroyed in 2785.[3]
  • Melissa Steiner Martial Academy of Bolan: an LCAF military academy located on Bolan.[1]
  • Mumbai: Planetary capital during the Star League era; located on Kashmir and destroyed in 2785.[3]
  • The Overwatch: Star League-era military headquarters located on Sabiri. Destroyed in 2785.[3]
  • Quetta: capital of one of the city-states on Bolan.[1]
  • Sibi: capital of one of the city-states on Bolan.[1]

Industrial Centers


Nearby Systems

Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years)
Closest systems first:
Finsterwalde 17.3 Gypsum 21.2 Rochers 21.2 Altoona 24.2
Tylarzka 27.5 Kamenz 34.5 Ilion 34.8 Dixie 35.8
Herzberg 35.9 Sierpc 40.1 Drosendorf 40.8 Hornir's Keep 43.5
Zwenkau 44.5 Zdice 45.0 Loburg 47.0 Medzev 47.3
Rosice 47.8 Radostov 49.1 Malazan 49.3 Aigle 49.6
Bella I 52.9 Zvolen 55.8 Ellijay 56.1 Aquavita 57.8
Eilenburg 59.4 Marsalle 59.5

References

  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 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 76, "Bolan Planet Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 11, "Bolan"
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Interstellar Operations, p. 226-229, "Falling Into Fire"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Era Report: 3145, p. 38, "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  6. 6.0 6.1 Era Report: 2750, p. 36, "Inner Sphere - 2750"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 16, "Struggle Between Marik and Parliament"
  8. Historical: Reunification War, p. 134, "Helbrent to Nightwish (July 2582 - November 2584)"
  9. Interstellar Operations, p. 340, "Cutting Losses"
  10. Interstellar Operations, p. 300-303, "Pressure Play"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 48, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  12. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 52, "The Jihad In Review"
  13. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 52, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  14. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 53, "The Jihad In Review"
  15. Handbook: House Marik, p. 13, "Marik Commowwealth world within the Free Worlds League before [2270] and after at their founding in [2271]"
  16. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13,
  17. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25, "Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War [2571]"
  18. Historical: Reunification War, p. 158, "Inner Sphere - 2596"
  19. Field Manual: SLDF, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  20. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 10, "Inner Sphere - 2765"
  21. First Succession War (Source Book), pp. 24-25, "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  22. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36, "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822]"
  23. First Succession War (Source Book), pp. 112-113, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  24. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40, "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2864]"
  25. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47, "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025]"
  26. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56, "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030]"
  27. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59, "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 39 [3040]"
  28. Historical: War of 3039, p. 132, "Inner Sphere - 3040"
  29. Era Report: 3052, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map [3050]"
  30. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61, "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052] Map"
  31. Era Report: 3052, p. 23, "Inner Sphere Map [3052]"
  32. Era Report: 3062, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map [3057]"
  33. Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere Map [3063]"
  34. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70, "Lyran Alliance after FedCom Civil War [3067] Map"
  35. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43, "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3067]"
  36. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65, "Inner Sphere [3075] Map"
  37. Field Report: LAAF, p. 19, "Lyran Commonwealth Deployment Map [3079]"
  38. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, "Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]"
  39. Field Manual: 3085, p. 126, "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"
  40. Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  41. Era Report: 3145, p. 10, "Inner Sphere - 3135"
  42. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 255, "SLDF - Lyran Commonwealth Military Command Map"
  43. 43.0 43.1 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 12, "Regimental Status"
  44. 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 First Succession War (Source Book), p. 139, "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"
  45. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p.45, "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"
  46. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 44, "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"
  47. Historical: War of 3039, p. 140, "Deployment Table"
  48. Shattered Sphere, p. 51, "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"
  49. Field Manual: Updates, p. 179, "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"
  50. Field Report: LAAF, p. 13, "Lyran Regulars Regimental Status"
  51. Field Manual: 3085, p. 107, "Deployment Table - 3085"
  52. Field Manual: 3145, p. 132, "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Buena Province"
  53. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 141, "Other Major Commonwealth Industries"

Bibliography