Santander

Revision as of 01:14, 12 March 2017 by 104.13.160.112 (talk)
This article is undergoing revision as part of Project: Planets, a collaborative effort to improve BattleTechWiki's coverage of planets and systems. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can add your name to the list of volunteers.

This article has completed Phase 3 of the Overhaul effort.

Santander V
System Information
X:Y Coordinates77.80 : 481.09[e]
Spectral classK4[1]
Recharge station(s)None[1]

Template:InfoBoxPlanetStandard

Political Affiliation

Planetary Info

Santander V is also known as Santander's World. Other than that little is known about the planet's geography and environment. This is probably due to the fact that it was the capital world of a Bandit Kingdom. Helmar Valasek's pirate band discouraged investigation,[1] and the Ghost Bears have apparently maintained this level of isolation.

Planetary History

Clan Invasion

When the Clans initially drew up their invasion plans for Operation Revival, Santander V technically fell within the invasion corridor of Clan Ghost Bear. However, because the Periphery had been declared open to all of the participating Invading Clans, the bid to conquer the world was contested by Clan Smoke Jaguar. The Smoke Jaguar saKhan Sarah Weaver and her Shroud Keshik eventually defeated her opponent, Star Colonel Kellin MacKenzie of the Ghost Bears for that right. Though both had bid down to a Trinary each, saKhan Weaver claimed victory when she removed her own BattleMech from the fight and Star Colonel MacKenzie failed to reciprocate; at the same time because saKhan Weaver had removed her 'Mech from the bidding process, she would coordinate the battle from her command DropShip.[35][36]

The fight for Santander's World would would take place during August and September of 3049 and prove to be the most bloody and hard-fought during the Periphery campaign. When saKhan Weaver made her initial batchall she did not expect the "Inner Sphere barbarians" to respond. To her surprise Helmar Valasek, pirate king of Santander's World and leader of Santander's Killers, responded to the ritual challenge and informed her they would meet on the Gillard Plains, ten kilometers from the site of the pirates' base. With her own 'Mech out of the fight saKhan Weaver ordered Shroud Keshik's nine remaining OmniMechs and a Star of Elementals to drop onto the designated battlefield, where they discovered three grounded DropShips. Shielded from the 'Mechs' scanners the Elementals were ordered in to investigate and boarded the first ship, discovering it stripped of all equipment. Annoyed that the pirates had not shown up at the designated time and place the Shroud Keshik began their march towards their base.[37]

As the Clan unit passed close to the "empty" vessels, the explosives which were secretly lining the ships' hulls detonated, vaporizing the three DropShips and destroying more than half of the OmniMechs in deadly shrapnel. The survivors were then set upon by Helmar Valasek and a company of BattleMechs, the pirate king apologizing for his lateness as he had been eating dinner when the Clan forces landed, and proceed to finish off Shroud Keshik for the loss of four of his own 'Mechs. Furious at this treachery saKhan Weaver claimed the right to break her original bid and personally led the 362nd Assault Cluster to hunt down the pirates. Over the course of a week furious fighting raged across the surface of Santander V, the pirates using their knowledge of local terrain and additional well-laid traps to cripple an entire Trinary's worth of 'Mechs, but they could not overcome the Smoke Jaguars' superior technology and relentless fury. Finally the pirates were forced to make a last stand, during which Helmar's BattleMaster faced off against saKhan Weaver in her Timber Wolf. Though saKhan Weaver was victorious it was later discovered that the pirate king hadn't actually piloted the BattleMaster, and despite their best efforts the Smoke Jaguars never managed to find Helmar Valasek.[38]

The world would be attacked again in July 3052, this time in a Trial of Possession initiated by the Ghost Bears for two reasons: first as a test of their rebuilt fighting strength in the wake of the Battle of Tukayyid and second as revenge for having lost the biding war for the world during the initial phase of the invasion. The 310th Assault Trinary, 117th Battle Trinary, and Supernova Command of the 1st Bear Guards challenged the 7th Provisional Garrison Cluster at a location known as Santander's Jewel. While the Ghost Bears won the fight the Smoke Jaguars charged them with using "contemptible Inner Sphere skullduggery" and demanded ilKhan Ulric Kerensky to rebuke them for their un-Clan-like behavior. The ilKhan's response to the Smoke Jaguars was that if they had a problem with the Ghost Bear's more flexible tactics they had the right to call the appropriate Trials themselves and left the matter at that.[39]

Post-Invasion

The original population of pirates and their families were killed by Clan Smoke Jaguar. The system was later taken by the Ghost Bears. The world was marginal at best, and a drain on Bear resources. After Clan Hell's Horses withdrew from several Periphery systems because of the Ferris Rebellion, the Ghost Bears decided to leave Santandar. The withdrawal was completed, and administration of this world was given to the Inheritors. Those new immigrants joined with the inhabitants of Porthos to form The Havens. The Ghost Bears have withdrawn their military forces, but Dominion Watch agents have been sent to the planet to show the locals how to use monitoring equipment.[30]

Possible Source Conflicts

In Clantroops, a rather detailed account describes how Clan Wolf's 352nd Assault Cluster (led by Star Colonel Erik Kerensky) took the planet. This conflicts with all other known sources. The battle as described - a last stand at Valasek's palace at Vadra - does not match the description provided in Invading Clans.

Military Deployment

3049

3061

3085

Nearby Systems

Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years)
Closest systems first:
Porthos 17.6 Damian 26.6 Thule 41.1 Pinnacle 56.1
Holmsbu 59.2

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Periphery (sourcebook), p. 153, "Santander V"
  2. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 16, "Draconis Combine Founding - [2319] Map"
  3. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 16, "Draconis Combine after Age of War - [2571] Map"
  4. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159, "Inner Sphere - 2596"
  5. Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - [2750] Map"
  6. Field Manual: SLDF, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  7. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [2765] Map"
  8. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p 122 "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  9. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43, "Draconis Combine after First Succesion War - [2822] Map"
  10. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53, "Draconis Combine after Second Succesion War - [2864] Map"
  11. The Periphery (sourcebook), p. vii, "Maps of the Periphery - [3025]"
  12. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. vii, "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  13. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64, "Draconis Combine after Third Succesion War - [3025] Map"
  14. Handbook: Draconis Combine, p. 66, "Draconis Combine after Fourth Succesion War - [3030] Map"
  15. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133, "Inner Sphere - [3040] Map"
  16. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 65, "Draconis Combine after War of 3039 - [3040] Map"
  17. Era Report: 3052, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3050] Map"
  18. Era Report: 3052, p. 23, "Inner Sphere - [3052] Map"
  19. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71, "Draconis Combine after Operation REVIVAL - [3052] Map"
  20. Era Report: 3062, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3057] Map"
  21. The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 112, "Greater Valkyrate, Oberon Confederation & Elysian Fields"
  22. Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere - [3063] Map"
  23. ' Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42, "Inner Sphere - [3067] Map
  24. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74, "Draconis Combine after FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  25. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64, "Inner Sphere - [3075] Map"
  26. Field Report: Clans, p. 25, "Ghost Bear Dominion & Kungsarmé Clan Nova Cat Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  27. Field Report: DCMS, p. 21, "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  28. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, "Inner Sphere - [3081] Map"
  29. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 Interstellar Players 3: Interstellar Expeditions, p. 45
  31. Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  32. Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3135] Map"
  33. Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  34. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  35. Invading Clans, p. 18
  36. Invading Clans, p. 53
  37. Invading Clans, p. 54
  38. Invading Clans, p. 55
  39. Invading Clans, p. 30
  40. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 164, "Warden Clans Deployment Table"

Bibliography