Skondia

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Skondia
← 3135
3151
240px
Skondia nearby systems
(Map Legend)
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-31.80 : 55.53[e]
Spectral classF6V[1]
Planet(s)5[1]

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

Political Affiliation

Planetary Geography

The southeastern continent of Steen is the site of both the planetary capital, Platinum City, and an impressive spaceport less than 5 kilometers north of the capital. The most active shipping hub on Skondia is Passageway, a sprawling megalopolis located on Edel, the northern continent.[1]

Planetary History

Early History

Skondia was settled for its abundant deposits of rare metals and minerals. Within a decade of the first colonists' arrival, the first cities on Skondia were producing nickel-alloy metals, titanium, and steel used in everything from silverware to fusion reactors.[1]

Despite Skondia attracting the attention of the Federation of Skye, the Draconis Combine got to Skondia first, quickly conquering it in one of the first campaigns of conquest launched by the Dragon. After the rise of the Lyran Commonwealth both the Commonwealth and the Combine would fight over control of Skondia repeatedly across the centuries. The Commonwealth managed to seize control of Skondia during the Age of War and kept control of the planet throughout the Star League era.[1]

Skondia was one of the targets of the 2463-2468 Long March Offensive conducted by the Lyran Commonwealth, and was invaded in the first three years of the campaign. The first prime objective of the Long March, Skondia was lightly defended when the Lyrans arrived, a result of the Lyran feint towards St. Ives drawing defending DCMS forces away. The conquest of Skondia was next followed by a Lyran attack on Nox.[6]

First Succession War

In June of 2786, an unmarked freighter entered the Skondia system and passed through the Lyran picket lines unchallenged. Several DropShips then detached from this vessel and began a hi-gee burn toward the planet. Once the ships were in orbit, a regiment of Draconis Combine BattleMechs attacked the planet catching the defenders by surprise. The Commonwealth ground forces focused their might on defending the major industrial centers waiting for an attack. However, the Combine troops began attacking civilians and population centers instead. When the Lyran troops moved to stop these attacks, the quicker Combine forces flanked their opponents, as well as dropping additional BattleMech forces from the still unchallenged DropShips, seized the now undefended factories and destroyed them. The Kuritan troops were then able to withdraw. This defeat was a major embarrassment to the Commonwealth High Command. However, the defeat led to many reforms regarding system security and planetary defense. The quick victory also convinced then-Coordinator Minoru Kurita to focus his efforts against the Federated Suns as it was now seen as more dangerous than the Lyran Commonwealth.[51][52]

In early 2787, the Draconis Combine returned to attack Skondia. This time they brought a major armada with them. After the humiliation of the previous attack, the Lyran Commonwealth had heavily reinforced the Skondia system. This resulted in one of the largest ship-to-ship engagements of the Succession Wars. The Kuritan fleet was able to penetrate the planetary defenses, off load their ground forces, and then re-engage the Lyran fleet. Of the nearly 300 ships and fighters that took part on the Lyran side of the battle, only about a 100 remained after the fighting. On the ground, Steiner forces performed well, but were unable to halt the Combine invasion. After four months of fighting, the system was securely in Combine control.[14]

Second Succession War

During the darkest days of the Second Succession War the Lyran Commonwealth was losing worlds steadily to both the Draconis Combine and the Free Worlds League, and the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces neared the point of collapse, particularly in the 2860s and 2870s. As the 2870s drew to a close the LCAF regained some of its confidence and launched a number of attempts to recapture some of the worlds that had been lost to the Commonwealth's neighbours, but still couldn't keep pace with the rate at which worlds were being captured. The Combine continued to push towards the important world of Skye, and by 2884 Skondia had been recaptured by the Combine forces, who had also seized the worlds of Balkan, Kessel, Port Moseby, Ryde and Vega and the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery was on the verge of being able to threaten Skye directly.[20]

Third Succession War

Skondia was one of the four worlds targeted for liberation by the Lyran Commonwealth in Operation Freedom that began in February 2913. Though the fighting was long, Skondia was successfully retaken from the Draconis Combine.[53]

Fourth Succession War

Skondia was invaded by the Draconis Combine's 14th Legion of Vega in 3029. This was part of Theodore Kurita's counter-assault named Operation Contagion during the last year of the Fourth Succession War. At the time, the planet was lightly defended with only five militia infantry regiments and two battalions of militia BattleMechs made up mostly of Chameleon training Mechs with weapon refits. Most of the Lyran MechWarriors were either retirees or young trainees. For their first engagement, the 14th Legion landed on top of an outpost named Fort Eagle which was defended by two infantry regiments. While fighting bravely, the defending units were no match for their opponents and were nearly wiped out. The Legion then hopped from city to city inflicting a considerable amount of damage while they crushed all resistance. Five weeks into the Legion's campaign, the LCAF's acting commanding officer, Colonel Mitch Freeman, ordered his ill-armed and inexperienced BattleMech battalions to engage the Vegans near the town of Robes. Outnumbered and outgunned, The First and Second Battalions of the Skondia 'Mech Militia charged the Kuritan forces. The surprise attack inflicted heavy damage to two companies of the Vegan's BattleMechs. However, the Vegans quickly recovered, counter attacked and wiped out the two Skondian units to the last 'Mech. With all organized resistance eliminated, the planet was once again taken over by the Draconis Combine.[54]

Jihad

During the Jihad the Word of Blake captured the world and integrated it into the Word of Blake Protectorate. Eventually Clan Ghost Bear and Clan Snow Raven forces[55][56][57] led by the Ghost Bear's Delta Galaxy[58] liberated the planet from the Blakists in September 3076.[55][56][57] Though the Blakists had little hesitation in using weapons of mass destruction to destroy their enemies, for some reason they didn't employ them on Skondia.[1]

The Dark Age

In the years after the Jihad, Chancellor Hohiro Kurita chose to cede Skondia to the expanding Republic of the Sphere, despite the protests of a number of his advisors and generals; to reduce the impact of ceding Skondia, the Chancellor extracted a concession from the Republic in the form of exclusive trade rights for a share of the planetary production.[1]

Military Deployment

2786

2821

3025

3028

  • Barrett's Fusiliers[61]

3050

3067

Nearby Systems

Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years)
Closest systems first:
Alkalurops 14.47 Nusakan 15.21 La Blon 17.33 Atria 19.65 Sabik 20.69
Alphecca 21.45 Dromini VI 21.46 Ko 25.33 Lyons 25.59 Zebebelgenubi 28.43
Unukalhai 28.69 Skye 29.40 Balkan 30.77 Lone Star 32.13 Alrakis 38.26
Komephoros 38.78 Zollikofen 39.03 Menkent 39.07 Summer 42.14 Syrma 42.49
Kochab 43.422 Galatea 43.424 Muphrid 44.72 Rocky 45.86 Moore 46.02
Kessel 46.85 Lambrecht 47.31 Kimball II 48.08 Ryde 49.75 Marfik 50.93
Lipton 51.17 Imbros III 51.18 Chara 51.69 Dyev 52.22 Konstance 52.48
Haddings 53.79 Zavijava 55.83 Thorin 55.84 Baxter 57.64 Mizar 57.65
Chaville 57.67 Seginus 57.79 Yorii 58.16 Carnwath 58.17

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 225, "Skondia World Profile"
  2. ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 16, "Free Worlds League Founding [2271]"
  3. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18, "Draconis Combine Founding" - [2319] Map
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13, "Federation of Skye world within the Lyran Commonwealth befor [2340] and after at their founding in [2341]"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 35, "Battles in the Age of War"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 22, "Long March, Hard March"
  7. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25, "Lyran Commonwealth After Age Of War - [2571] Map"
  8. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 30, "Draconis Combine after Age of War - [2571] Map"
  9. ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 159, "Inner Sphere - [2596] Map"
  10. ↑ Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - [2750] Map"
  11. ↑ Field Manual: SLDF, "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  12. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [2765] Map"
  13. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 53, "Bujitsu"
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 45, "The First Succession War"
  15. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36, "Lyran Commonwealth After First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  16. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43, "Draconis Combine after First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  17. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 122, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  18. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40, "Lyran Commonwealth After Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  19. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53, "Draconis Combine after Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 68, "Hanging On"
  21. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 83, "The Steiner Quagmire"
  22. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), "Lyran Commonwealth Map - [3025]"
  23. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47, "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War - [3025] Map"
  24. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  25. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64, "Draconis Combine after Third Succession War - 3025"
  26. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66, "Draconis Combine after Fourth Succession War - [3030] Map"
  27. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56, "Lyran Commonwealth After First Succession War - [3030] Map"
  28. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68, "Draconis Combine after War of 3039 - [3040] Map"
  29. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59, "Lyran Commonwealth After War Of 3039 - [3040] Map"
  30. ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 133, "Inner Sphere - [3040] Map"
  31. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3050] Map"
  32. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 23, "Inner Sphere - [3052] Map"
  33. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61, "Lyran Commonwealth After Clan Invasion [3052]"
  34. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 23, "Inner Sphere Map - [3052] Map"
  35. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71, "Draconis Combine after Operation REVIVAL - [3052] Map"
  36. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3057] Map"
  37. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere - [3063] Map"
  38. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70, "Lyran Commonwealth After FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  39. ↑ Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74, "Draconis Combine after FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  40. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42, "Inner Sphere Map [October 3067]"
  41. ↑ Starterbook: Wolf and Blake, p. 13, "Word of Blake Protectorate [3072] Map"
  42. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65, "Inner Sphere - [3075] Map"
  43. ↑ Field Report: DCMS, p. 27, "Clan Wolf/Clan Hell's Horses Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  44. ↑ Field Report: LAAF, p. 19, "Lyran Alliance Armed Forces Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  45. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, "Inner Sphere - [3081] Map"
  46. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 127, "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  47. ↑ Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  48. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3135] Map"
  49. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  50. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  51. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 43, "The First Succession War"
  52. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 53, "The First Succession War"
  53. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 76, "The First Succession War"
  54. ↑ NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 78, "Early Successes"
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 84, "Ghost Bears Advance in Protectorate"
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 22, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 56, "The Jihad In Review"
  58. ↑ Field Report: Clans, p. 9, "Delta Galaxy"
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 First Succession War (Source Book), p. 139, "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"
  60. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 117, "Deployment of LCAF Forces"
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p.45, "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"
  62. ↑ 20 Year Update, p. 26, "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  63. ↑ Field Manual: Updates, p. 117, "Draconis Combine Deployment Table"

Bibliography

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