Difference between revisions of "Castle Brian"
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{{Update Needed|[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]}}
 
 
First constructed by the [[Terran Hegemony]] in [[2391]], each '''Castle Brian''' was a massive defensive fortress. They were built on numerous worlds during the Hegemony and [[Star League]] eras.
 
First constructed by the [[Terran Hegemony]] in [[2391]], each '''Castle Brian''' was a massive defensive fortress. They were built on numerous worlds during the Hegemony and [[Star League]] eras.
  
  
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==Overview==
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==History==
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Since the first Castle was built on [[Telos IV]] the [[SLDF]] put huge effort behind the build up. Constructed as a thorn in the side of any invader these huge complexes were camouflaged. The landscape of entire regions was shifted to integrate the large underground complexes. The engineer corps were the masters of their kinds.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 201</ref>
+
Named after [[Director-General]] [[Brian Cameron]], Castles Brian were originally constructed during the time of the [[Terran Hegemony]] as a buffer between it and the [[Draconis Combine]], with the first Castle built on [[Telos IV]].  Within thirty years over a hundred more were built, all along the Hegemony's borders and on important internal worlds.  While a tremendously expensive endeavor no one questioned the Director-General's decision to build them, and events during the [[Age of War]] would prove this effort to be prudent.<ref name=SL256>''The Star League'', p. 25-26</ref><ref name=JHST201>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 201</ref>  In the wake of the [[Reunification War]], with the formation of the [[Star League]], the [[SLDF]] took control over these structures and more were built in the [[Periphery]] as a means of controlling the rebellious population.<ref>''The Star League'', p. 64</ref><ref name=JHST201/>  Unfortunately when [[First Lord]] [[Richard Cameron]] withdrew the SLDF from the [[Rim Worlds Republic]] in [[2755]], he gave control over these Outpost Castles to his good friend [[Stefan Amaris]].  Amaris' troops occupied these fortifications and studied them so that, with the onset of the [[Amaris Civil War]], Republican forces had a thorough understanding of the structures and how to defeat them.<ref>''The Star League'', p. 80</ref><ref name=JHST201/>  The total number of Castles Brian constructed has never been found, in part thanks to the skill of the Hegemony in building them right under the noses of friends and allies, and as a result many became lost after the end of the war as [[Alexsandr Kerensky]] took the rest of the [[SLDF]] on his [[Operation Exodus|Exodus]].  Soon the even the method of their construction became [[lostech]], as did many other wonderous technologies like stasis chambers and [[Storm Inhibitor|weather control satellites]]. The over twenty Castles located on [[Terra]] were eventually taken over and used extensively by [[ComStar]], which were in turn taken over by the [[Word of Blake]].<ref name=JHST201>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 201</ref>
  
 
==Description==
 
==Description==
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Each Castle Brian had a minimum of 20 heavily armed turrets carrying an assortment of direct fire and missile weaponry, 50 smaller turrets and 100 smaller antipersonnel bunkers.  These were usually the only visible structures of the fortress, which was usually built deep inside a mountain and safe from all but the heaviest nuclear or orbital bombardment.  An average of ten levels allowed enough space to store two [[brigade]]s, which could quickly emerge from any of five secret exits.  The majority of the Castles Brian were built on the border worlds of the Hegemony, with many worlds having multiple facilities.<ref>''The Star League'', p. 29, "Castle Brian Fortresses"</ref>  
+
The textbook definition of a Castle Brian had a minimum of twenty heavily armed turrets carrying an assortment of direct fire and missile weaponry, fifty smaller turrets and a hundred smaller antipersonnel bunkers.  These were usually the only visible structures of the fortress, which was usually built deep inside a mountain and safe from all but the heaviest nuclear or orbital bombardment.  An average of ten levels allowed enough space to store two [[brigade]]s, which could quickly emerge from any of five secret exits.<ref name=SL29>''The Star League'', p. 29, "Castle Brian Fortresses"</ref> The reality was that no two Castles Brian were alike, and there were several different classifications for these types of fortified structures.<ref name=JHST201/>
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While often mistakenly believed to have been built to prevent invasion or takeover of a planet, the static fortresses were not meant to protect anything other then themselves and the forces contained within.<ref>''The Star League'', p. 29, "Castle Brian Fortresses"</ref> With the limited resources of [[Terran Hegemony]], compared to the nations of the Great Houses, and the later Star League's sheer size preventing blanket defense coverage of most worlds, a Castle Brian was intended to be a hindrance against a blitzkrieg invasion, storing enough weapons, food and men to allow any defenders to hold out and harass the invaders hopefully until reinforcements could arrive.
+
 
 +
While often mistakenly believed to have been built to prevent invasion or takeover of a planet, the static fortresses were not meant to protect anything other then themselves and the forces contained within. With the limited resources of the [[Terran Hegemony]] compared to the nations of the other Great Houses, and the later Star League's sheer size preventing blanket defense coverage of most worlds, a Castle Brian was intended to be a hindrance against a blitzkrieg invasion, storing enough weapons, food and men to allow any defenders to hold out and harass the invaders hopefully until reinforcements could arrive. In effect their very presence acted as a deterrent against invasion for, while an enemy may succeed in capturing a planet, the presence of one or more Castles would prevent them effectively controlling in bar sufficient garrison forces.<ref name=SL29/><ref name=JHST201/>
  
 
The correct plural form is Castles Brian<ref>[http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,44839.0.html Official CBT forum reply] by [[Herbert A. Beas II]]</ref>; the name stems from the first name of [[Brian Cameron]]<ref>[http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,44881.0.html Official CBT forum reply]</ref>.
 
The correct plural form is Castles Brian<ref>[http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,44839.0.html Official CBT forum reply] by [[Herbert A. Beas II]]</ref>; the name stems from the first name of [[Brian Cameron]]<ref>[http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,44881.0.html Official CBT forum reply]</ref>.
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:White Cliffs, New Zealand
 
:White Cliffs, New Zealand
  
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==Kinds of Castles<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 201</ref>==
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==Castle Brian Classifications==
 
The SLDF divided the defense structure in several classes as described below.
 
The SLDF divided the defense structure in several classes as described below.
  
 
*Castles
 
*Castles
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*:The earliest form of a fortified bases. The fortress was often built in mountain regions because they could easily defended and allowed the garrison to set ambushes.  
+
*:The precursor to the modern Castle Brian, Castles were built on important or rebellious worlds, often into the sides of a mountain or beneath meters of concrete. Castles were stockpiled with weapons and honeycombed with tunnels to allow the garrison to set ambushes.<ref name=JHST201/><ref name=SL132>''The Star League'', p. 132</ref>
  
 
*Castles Brian
 
*Castles Brian
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*: As strong-points of the chain of fortresses around the Hegemony, these large bases could hold up to 6 regiments. Every hostile neighbor would think twice before they invaded a Hegemony world.
+
*:The most famous and awesome example of a castle were the Castles Brian, the first ones creating a chain of fortresses around the Hegemony and making its hostile neighbors think twice before invading.  Full-sized Castles Brian could hold up to two brigades and extended for hundreds of kilometers underground, essentially forming its own city.<ref name=JHST201/><ref name=SL132/>
  
 
*Outpost Castles
 
*Outpost Castles
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*:After the Reunification War the SLDF built many bases on hostile worlds. These bases were built around the concept of a normal Castle Brian but on a smaller scale.
+
*:After the Reunification War the SLDF built many Outpost Castles, essentially Castles Brian on a smaller scale, on rebellious worlds in the [[Periphery]]. The [[Rim Worlds Republic]]'s occupation of their Outpost Castles allowed for a thorough understanding of these fortifications and lead to the deaths of many SLDF troopers during the Amaris Civil War.<ref name=JHST201/><ref name=SL132/>
  
 
*Port Castles
 
*Port Castles
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*: This kind of base was a heavily fortified space port. Their only purpose was to allow friendly troops a save haven in hostile environment. Only a few were built, because they were vulnerable to air strikes and invasion by air.
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*:These complex variations on the traditional Castle Brian had a small spaceport built into a highly-protected position, allowing the forces within to more easily be relieved during battle. No matter how well-defended these spaceports were they still represented a serious vulnerability in the fortress' defenses; consequently few Port Castles were built.<ref name=JHST201/><ref name=SL132/>
−
 
 
−
*Mini Castles
 
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*:As as a smaller variant these structures held fewer troops, often 3 battalions or below, and was designed to defend less important but still significant places
 
−
 
 
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==Parts of a Castle Brian==
 
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===Reinforced Weapons Bunker (RWB)===
 
−
 
 
−
These bunkers were constructed to hold key points like bridges against larger invasion formations at battalion level and above. The turrets in the front were supported by conventional artillery assets at the rear of the structure. Often this emplacement was so well built and heavily reinforced that only a space naval scale weapon could break the armor. <ref>Jihad Hot Spots p.205-206</ref> Some variants replaced an artillery turret with naval lasers for capital-scale anti-orbital defense, <ref>Jihad Hot Spots p.205-206</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
{| class="wikitable"
 
−
!  colspan="4" |Reinforced Weapons Bunker (RWB)
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="4" |'''Hex 1'''
 
−
<br />10 Officers Quarters<br />30 Crew Quarters<br /> Field Kitchens<br />3 ER PPC-T<br />3 LB 10-X AC (300)<br />3 LRM 15+(720)<br />1 AC/20(100)<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />1 TAG<br />4 MG (600)<br />4 MPL<br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)<br />3 LB 2-X AC (675)<br />3 LRM 15+(120)
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="2" |'''Hex 2'''<br />10 Officers Quarters<br />30 Crew Quarters<br /> Field Kitchens<br />3 ER PPC-T<br />3 LB 10-X AC (300)<br />3 LRM 15+(720)<br />1 AC/20(100)<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />1 TAG<br />4 MG (600)<br />4 MPL<br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)<br />3 LB 2-X AC (675)<br />3 LRM 15+(120)
 
−
| colspan="2" |'''Hex 4'''<br />10 Officers Quarters<br />60 Crew Quarters<br />2 Infantry Compartments<br />2 M.A.S.H/10 Operating Theatres<br />Field Bases<br />Communication Equipment<br />3 Long Toms - T(300)<br />3 Thumpers - T(300)<br />3 Arrow IV - T(90)<br />3 LRM 15+ (480)<br />2 ERLL<br />4 MPL<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />4 HMG (600) <br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="4" |'''Hex 3'''<br />40 Crew Quarters<br />1 10-ton capacity Level 2 Industrial Elevators
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="2" |'''Hex 5'''<br />5 Officers Quarters<br />40 Crew Quarters<br /> Field Kitchens<br />3 ER PPC-T<br />3 LB 10-X AC (300)<br />3 LRM 15+(720)<br />1 AC/20(100)<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />1 TAG<br />4 MG (600)<br />4 MPL<br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)<br />3 LB 2-X AC (675)<br />3 LRM 15+(120)
 
−
| colspan="2" |'''Hex 7'''<br />1 60 ton capacity Industrial Elevator<br />2 Cruise Missile/120 (60)<br />2 ERLL<br />4 MPL<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />4 HMG (600)<br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="4" |'''Hex 6'''<br />10 Officers Quarters<br />60 Crew Quarters<br /> Communication Equipment<br />2 Infantry Compartments<br />2 M.A.S.H/10 Operating Theatres<br />Field Bases<br />1 10-ton capacity Level 2 Industrial Elevators
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="2" |'''Hex 8'''<br />10 Officers Quarters<br />30 Crew Quarters<br /> Field Kitchens<br />3 ER PPC-T<br />3 LB 10-X AC (300)<br />3 LRM 15+(720)<br />1 AC/20(100)<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />1 TAG<br />4 MG (600)<br />4 MPL<br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)<br />3 LB 2-X AC (675)<br />3 LRM 15+(120)
 
−
 
 
−
| colspan="2" |'''Hex 10'''<br />10 Officers Quarters<br />30 Crew Quarters Hex 10<br /> Field Kitchens<br />3 Long Toms - T(300)<br />3 Thumpers - T(300)<br />3 Arrow IV - T(90)<br />3 LRM 15+ (480)<br />2 ERLL<br />4 MPL<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />4 HMG (600) <br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="4" |'''Hex 9'''<br />40 Crew Quarters<br />3 ER PPC-T<br />3 LB 10-X AC (300)<br />3 LRM 15+(720)<br />1 AC/20(100)<br />3 SRM 6+(450)<br />1 TAG<br />4 MG (600)<br />4 MPL<br />1 Flamer<br />4 AMS (120)<br />3 LB 2-X AC (675)<br />3 LRM 15+(120)
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
===Command and Control Bunker===
 
−
 
 
−
===Anti-Aerospace Bunker ===
 
−
Below is the shematic of a common Anti-Aerospace Bunker of a Castle Brian complex <ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 208 </ref>
 
−
 
 
−
{| class="wikitable"
 
−
! colspan="6" | Anti-Aerospace Bunker
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="2" align:center|'''Hexes 1, 2, 3 (each)'''<br />4 Large Pulse Lasers<br />6 LB 10/X Autocannons (1000)<br />3 LRM 20+ Artemis (360)<br />2 Thumpers (600)<br />6 SRM 6+ Artemis (900)<br /><br />1 TAG<br /><br />6 Machine Guns (1200)<br /><br />6 Medium Pulse Lasers<br /><br />3 Flamers<br /><br />6 Anti-Missile Systems (720)<br />15 officers' quarters and 40 crew quarters<br />1 paramedic equipment
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
===Fortified Brian Wall===
 
−
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
 
−
|-
 
−
|-
 
−
| '''Hex 1''': 4 Machine Guns, 4 Anti-Missile Systems,
 
−
| '''Hex 2''': 4 Machine Guns, 4 Anti-Missile Systems, 1 ten-ton-capacity industrial elevator (level 1)
 
−
| '''Hex 3''': 4 Machine Guns, 4 Anti-Missile Systems, 10 officers' quarters, 25 crew quarters (all double occupancy), 3 tons communications equipment, 1 Field Kitchen, 1 Guardian ECM Suite
 
−
| '''Hex 4''': 4 Machine Guns, 4 Anti-Missile Systems,
 
−
| '''Hex 5''': 4 Machine Guns, 4 Anti-Missile Systems,
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
===Castle Brian Aerospace Hangar ===
 
  
−
===Large Portal (Mobile Structure)===
+
*Mini-Castles
 +
*:Mini-Castles were Castles Brian on a much smaller scale, with fewer entrances and the capacity to hold only one [[regiment]].  Often a Castle Brian would have a ring of Mini-Castles built around it to serve as a first line of defense.<ref name=JHST201/><ref name=SL132/>
  
−
===Castle Brian Weapon Emplacements===
+
==Castle Brian Structures==
 +
*[[Anti-Aerospace Bunker]]
 +
*[[Castle Brian Aerospace Hanger]]
 +
*[[Castle Brian Automated Anti-Personnel Turret]]
 +
*[[Castle Brian Gun Emplacement]]
 +
*[[Command and Control Bunker]]
 +
*[[Fortified Brian Wall]]
 +
*[[Large Portal (Mobile Structure)]]
 +
*[[Reinforced Weapons Bunker]]
  
−
===Brian Caches===
+
==Brian Caches==
 
The term [[Brian Cache]], describing a [[Clan]] equipment store (typically one established during the demobilization process [[Aleksandr Kerensky|Kerensky]] created upon arriving in the [[Pentagon Worlds]]), is derived from the Castle Brian fortresses.
 
The term [[Brian Cache]], describing a [[Clan]] equipment store (typically one established during the demobilization process [[Aleksandr Kerensky|Kerensky]] created upon arriving in the [[Pentagon Worlds]]), is derived from the Castle Brian fortresses.
  
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*''[[The Fall of Terra (scenariobook)]]''
 
*''[[The Fall of Terra (scenariobook)]]''
  
−
[[Category:Miscellaneous|Castle Brian]]
+
[[Category:Castle Brian Structures| Castle Brian]][[Category:Miscellaneous|Castle Brian]]

Revision as of 17:53, 25 June 2013

First constructed by the Terran Hegemony in 2391, each Castle Brian was a massive defensive fortress. They were built on numerous worlds during the Hegemony and Star League eras.


History

Named after Director-General Brian Cameron, Castles Brian were originally constructed during the time of the Terran Hegemony as a buffer between it and the Draconis Combine, with the first Castle built on Telos IV. Within thirty years over a hundred more were built, all along the Hegemony's borders and on important internal worlds. While a tremendously expensive endeavor no one questioned the Director-General's decision to build them, and events during the Age of War would prove this effort to be prudent.[1][2] In the wake of the Reunification War, with the formation of the Star League, the SLDF took control over these structures and more were built in the Periphery as a means of controlling the rebellious population.[3][2] Unfortunately when First Lord Richard Cameron withdrew the SLDF from the Rim Worlds Republic in 2755, he gave control over these Outpost Castles to his good friend Stefan Amaris. Amaris' troops occupied these fortifications and studied them so that, with the onset of the Amaris Civil War, Republican forces had a thorough understanding of the structures and how to defeat them.[4][2] The total number of Castles Brian constructed has never been found, in part thanks to the skill of the Hegemony in building them right under the noses of friends and allies, and as a result many became lost after the end of the war as Alexsandr Kerensky took the rest of the SLDF on his Exodus. Soon the even the method of their construction became lostech, as did many other wonderous technologies like stasis chambers and weather control satellites. The over twenty Castles located on Terra were eventually taken over and used extensively by ComStar, which were in turn taken over by the Word of Blake.[2]

Description

The textbook definition of a Castle Brian had a minimum of twenty heavily armed turrets carrying an assortment of direct fire and missile weaponry, fifty smaller turrets and a hundred smaller antipersonnel bunkers. These were usually the only visible structures of the fortress, which was usually built deep inside a mountain and safe from all but the heaviest nuclear or orbital bombardment. An average of ten levels allowed enough space to store two brigades, which could quickly emerge from any of five secret exits.[5] The reality was that no two Castles Brian were alike, and there were several different classifications for these types of fortified structures.[2]

While often mistakenly believed to have been built to prevent invasion or takeover of a planet, the static fortresses were not meant to protect anything other then themselves and the forces contained within. With the limited resources of the Terran Hegemony compared to the nations of the other Great Houses, and the later Star League's sheer size preventing blanket defense coverage of most worlds, a Castle Brian was intended to be a hindrance against a blitzkrieg invasion, storing enough weapons, food and men to allow any defenders to hold out and harass the invaders hopefully until reinforcements could arrive. In effect their very presence acted as a deterrent against invasion for, while an enemy may succeed in capturing a planet, the presence of one or more Castles would prevent them effectively controlling in bar sufficient garrison forces.[5][2]

The correct plural form is Castles Brian[6]; the name stems from the first name of Brian Cameron[7].

Castles Brian on Terra

The following Castles Brian were on Terra at the start of Operation Odysseus.[8]

The Devils Tower Castle Brian on Terra
North America
Hilton Head, South Carolina
Gunnison, Colorado
Tacoma, Washington
Port Altred, Quebec
South America
Manaus, Brazil (Amazonia Administrative District)
Curitiba, Brazil (Parana Administrative District)
Tinogasta, Argentina
Europe
Sandhurst, British Isles
Bochum, Germany
Sverdlovsk, Russia
Africa
Cairo, Egypt
Magadi, Kenya
Thabana, Lesotho, Azania
Asia
T'ienchen, China (Heibei Administrative District)
Takayama, Japan
Ipoh, Malaysia
Katmandu, Nepal
Columbo, Sri Lanka
Australasia
Glen Valley, Australia
White Cliffs, New Zealand

Castle Brian Classifications

The SLDF divided the defense structure in several classes as described below.

  • Castles
    The precursor to the modern Castle Brian, Castles were built on important or rebellious worlds, often into the sides of a mountain or beneath meters of concrete. Castles were stockpiled with weapons and honeycombed with tunnels to allow the garrison to set ambushes.[2][9]
  • Castles Brian
    The most famous and awesome example of a castle were the Castles Brian, the first ones creating a chain of fortresses around the Hegemony and making its hostile neighbors think twice before invading. Full-sized Castles Brian could hold up to two brigades and extended for hundreds of kilometers underground, essentially forming its own city.[2][9]
  • Outpost Castles
    After the Reunification War the SLDF built many Outpost Castles, essentially Castles Brian on a smaller scale, on rebellious worlds in the Periphery. The Rim Worlds Republic's occupation of their Outpost Castles allowed for a thorough understanding of these fortifications and lead to the deaths of many SLDF troopers during the Amaris Civil War.[2][9]
  • Port Castles
    These complex variations on the traditional Castle Brian had a small spaceport built into a highly-protected position, allowing the forces within to more easily be relieved during battle. No matter how well-defended these spaceports were they still represented a serious vulnerability in the fortress' defenses; consequently few Port Castles were built.[2][9]
  • Mini-Castles
    Mini-Castles were Castles Brian on a much smaller scale, with fewer entrances and the capacity to hold only one regiment. Often a Castle Brian would have a ring of Mini-Castles built around it to serve as a first line of defense.[2][9]

Castle Brian Structures

Brian Caches

The term Brian Cache, describing a Clan equipment store (typically one established during the demobilization process Kerensky created upon arriving in the Pentagon Worlds), is derived from the Castle Brian fortresses.

References

  1. ↑ The Star League, p. 25-26
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 201
  3. ↑ The Star League, p. 64
  4. ↑ The Star League, p. 80
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Star League, p. 29, "Castle Brian Fortresses"
  6. ↑ Official CBT forum reply by Herbert A. Beas II
  7. ↑ Official CBT forum reply
  8. ↑ The Fall of Terra (scenariobook), pp. 7-11
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 The Star League, p. 132


Bibliography

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