Alpha Eridani

Alpha Eridani
Alpha Eridani 3151.svg
Alpha Eridani nearby systems
(Map Legend)
System Information
X:Y Coordinates77.285 : -32.361[e]
Spectral classB3V[1]
Recharge time154 hours
Planet(s)3[1]

The Alpha Eridani system was the location of at least one inhabited world—Alpha Eridani II, more commonly known as Achernar—and as of 3145 was located in the Tikonov Commonality of the Capellan Confederation.[2][3]

System Description[edit]

Alpha Eridani is located near the Basalt and Tigress systems[2][3] and consisted of a class B3V primary orbited by three planets.[1] The system primary causes powerful gravitational fluxes throughout the system. This has the unfortunate effect of making the safer nadir and zenith jump points a long, hundred day transit to Achernar. As a consequence, alternate jump points are well-plotted within the Alpha Eridani system. The most commonly used is a Lagrange point between the planet Achernar and its moon, Ahir al Nahr, which reduces transit time to just 24 hours.[4]

System History[edit]

The Alpha Eridani system was settled at some point during or before the early part of the twenty-fourth century.[5][6]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Alpha Eridani II (Achernar)[edit]

Achernar
Achernar.jpg
Astrophysical
Also known asAlpha Eridani II
System positionSecond[1]
Jump Point distance101 days[1]
Moons1 (Ahir al Nahr)[1]
Geophysical
Surface gravity0.9[1]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1]
Equatorial temperature28°C[1]
Surface water30%[1]
Highest native lifePlants[1]
Landmasses3 (Agnetenar, Eridanus, Zaurak)[1]
History and Culture
Population824,000,000 (3130)[1][50]
Government and Infrastructure
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderLegate Brion Stempres (3133),[1][50] Legate Rudy Maks (3130)[51]
CapitalRiver's End[1]

The second planet of three in the system, Achernar has been inhabited for centuries and is host to a number of industrial facilities belonging to companies such as Achernar IndustrialMechs,[52] Achernar BattleMechs, and Valiant Systems.

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

The settlements on Achernar were founded by the Achernar family. By 2344, Achernar was a possession of the Terran Hegemony.[1] The Hegemony had initiated two "Campaigns of Persuasion" to occupy former Terran Alliance worlds by force, and by 2335 had expanded as far as Nanking.[53] Nanking was the furthest world from Terra to have been occupied by that point, but the Tikonov Grand Union went to war with the Terran Hegemony between 2336 and 2338 over the Chisholm Protectorate, a nation which included Nanking and which had been attacked or conquered by the Hegemony. The Hegemony was ultimately victorious in this conflict, and continually sided with the Free Worlds League and the Federated Suns when it came to settling or influencing any disputes either nation had with any of the various nations of the Capellan Zone.[54]

In 2344, Reynard Davion used two Federated Suns task forces to stage demonstrations of strength around Mirach to keep the attention of the Grand Union and its armed forces focused there; Reynard then used this distraction to use a reserve task force to launch a highly successful attack on Almach, another world that had been contested between the Tikonov Union and the Marlette Association prior to the Association's merge into the Federated Suns. Reynard's reserve task force had been mustered at Achernar, which was on the Capellan border at the time,[5] and was therefore likely to have been mustered with either tacit or open approval from the Terran Hegemony.

The Star League[edit]

During the Star League, the Achernar family established Achernar BattleMechs to produce the Dervish for the Star League Defense Force. After the fall of the Star League, the Achernar noble family immigrated to the Federated Suns, but the cost of the immigration was moving the Achernar BattleMechs factory to New Avalon. The Capellan Confederation took control of the world before the First Succession War. The Fourth Succession War would return Achernar to the noble family that bore its name. After their return, the Achernar family established Achernar IndustrialMechs on Achernar.[1]

Third Succession War[edit]

In 2870, a Star League Engineering Library was discovered in the Aloi Forest on Neswa by the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns.[citation needed]

FedCom Civil War[edit]

During Wave Six the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers fought with the Third NAIS Cadet Cadre against the Achernar SMM, which were loyal to Katrina Steiner, and suffered light losses in the resulting battles with the Militia. The SMM retreated under heavy casualties off world in the face of a regular army unit.[citation needed]

The Jihad[edit]

The Word of Blake attacked and conquered Achernar during September 3069 and incorporated it into the Word of Blake Protectorate.[55] The Word of Blake upgraded the Achernar BattleMechs West Fabrication Facility to enable it to produce BattleMechs in addition to the IndustrialMechs it had produced before; the upgraded facility subsequently produced huge quantities of the Osprey medium BattleMech for the Blakists.[56]

On 18 July 3071, protestors in the cities of Indigo and Royalport planned coordinated demonstrations against the local noblemen responsible for a raise in labor taxes. Both nobles, knowing of these meetings, increased their security, but things escalated when the protesters discovered the arrests of several of their leaders over the lack of permits for those meetings and started to vandalize the noblemen's holding. The private security forces responded with lethal force and after the last PoliceMech in Indigo had responded, eighty-nine people were dead, with three more dying in hospitals during the night. Achernar was placed under martial law for a period of one week while the Duke attempted to sort the mess out.[57]

When allied coalition forces prepared to assault Achernar as a part of the Federated Suns front of Operation SCOUR in June 3077 the planetary governor surrendered immediately to the inbound troops, but the Achernar Protectorate Militia refused to surrender and instead dug in around the West Fabrication Facility. The coalition troops from Group IV were forced to dig the Militia out from the factory complex, and as a result of this combat action the West Fabrication Facility was destroyed.[58] In addition to the unknown number of Blakists killed when the factory was destroyed, two companies of the Iron Guard were confirmed to have been wiped out.[59] Media outlets within the Federated Suns credited Field Marshal Katheryn Sandoval-Ito with leading the assault on Achernar personally from her Devastator and with leading the critical tipping point in the battle for the planet.[60]

Post-Jihad[edit]

As a part of the extensive rebuilding taking place across the worlds of the Republic of the Sphere the destroyed West Fabrication Facility was redeveloped into a factory complex for the vehicle manufacturer Valiant Systems. Highlighted in a news report as an example of the ongoing recovery efforts by Federated Suns reporter Peter Remonde on the 15th of August 3081, Valiant Systems was due to begin production imminently of industrial vehicles as well as the Fox armored car, with plans already in motion to expand production on Achernar to include the Ranger Infantry Fighting Vehicle.[61]

The Dark Age[edit]

During the Dark Age the Bahari Bay region was a popular tourist site, and the large agricultural fields located around the bay and Falconville City were dedicated to supporting the tourism industry. The Husfa Desert was known for a number of annual endurance races held there, while the Tamash Jungle's diverse range of wildlife - both predator and prey - made it a popular destination for adventurous hunters.[citation needed]

The abundant resources on Kal continued to attract interest during this era, and a number of mining companies waged covert property-rights wars over the various resources. A similar hotspot of activity was the Alberton Woods on Ram, the bulk of which had been declared a protected zone by planetary officials; despite the protected status of the woods, the number of rangers employed to protect and patrol it wasn't sufficient and the rangers were vastly outnumbered.[citation needed]

After the Blackout, Achernar was one of the few worlds with a working HPG station making it strategically important.[62] In 3133 the Steel Wolves attempted to capture the HPG complex on Achernar, only to be blocked by a Swordsworn contingent under the command of Erik Sandoval-Groell.[63] In late 3135 the Swordsworn were actively battling with the Republic Armed Forces for control of Achernar.[64]

The planet's HPG station is one of the few working inside the Republic of the Sphere in 3135.[65]

Military Deployment[edit]

3038[edit]

3050[edit]

  • Achernar Sarna March Militia[67]

3054[edit]

  • Achernar Sarna March Militia[68]

3067[edit]

  • Achernar Sarna March Militia[69]
- The unit was operating at 50% strength, with 65% of their equipment featuring Star League technology.

Geography[edit]

Achernar is a temperate world; the XXX continents have vast carpets of lush plant life and are dotted with large patches of thick woods. There are also a number of open plains and deserts to be found on the surface; most of the dry landmasses on the planet lie more than 2,000 meters above sea level.[citation needed]

The continents of Achernar include Acul, Dilma, Eridanus, Kal, Neswa, Ram, South Raviri and North Raviri. Acul lies in the southern hemisphere, north of the Cruel Sea, and is divided almost evenly in half by a range of mountains known as the Akron Mountain Range. The northern regions of Acul are covered in thick forests, the largest of which is the Alberta Forest.[citation needed]

The continent of Dilma is divided into two main regions, the Dilma Jungle and the Akma Desert, while the Eridanus continent features three major rivers, the Brightwater River and the Shaw and North Plateau Rivers.[citation needed]

Kal is the largest continent on the planet and is dominated by the Arair Desert in the southwest, vast open plains across the center of the continent and light forests further north. The southeastern corner of Kal is home to Hash Bay, and the entire continent is rich with natural resources and the Arair Desert is well-known for its oversized snakes similar to Terran sidewinders.[citation needed]

Neswa is a U-shaped continent in the southern hemisphere and is covered by large stretches of hilly terrain, with hills that reach a height of five hundred meters being very common. Neswa is south of the continent of Kal, and the sea separating the two is named the North Sea. Neswa has a number of significant terrain features including Bahari Bay in the northwest, the Husfa Desert - a scorching, boulder-strewn and broken landscape - to the southwest, the Tasma Jungle to the southeast and the Aloi Forest to the northeast. A key feature of the Bahari Bay region are the Grey, Salt and Snake Rivers running through the region.[citation needed]

The continents of North and South Raviri lie in the equatorial regions of Achernar; south of North Raviri is the Raviri Sea, which separates North Raviri from Neswa. Both continents are dominated by thick jungle known as the Adder Jungles, and the eastern edges of both continents feature an annual monsoon season that visits each with a steady stream of torrential downpours. In contrast, the western regions of both continents receive very little rainfall. South Raviri is home to an active volcano known as the Aimwell Volcano.[citation needed]

The continent of Ram lies in the southern hemisphere north of the Cold Ocean, and is mostly covered by a light forest known as the Alberton Woods.[citation needed]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Achernar Military Base: home to the bulk of the Achernar SMM, the military base is located north of Falconville on Neswa.[citation needed]
  • Bahari Bay: a popular tourist location on northwest Neswa, well-known for beaches, deep-water fishing and water sports.[citation needed]
  • Eridanus-24: the main continental highway on Eridanus, connecting all the major cities and towns as well as various small mining and fishing hamlets.[citation needed]
  • Falconville City: located in Bahari Bay, this is the largest city in the Bahari Bay Province on Neswa.[citation needed]
  • Highland Basin: a popular location for hiking and photography on Eridanus.[citation needed]
  • Indigo: one of the planet's cities.[57]
  • Landova City: a remote city on Eridanus.[citation needed]
  • Landova Reservoir: a popular camping location located on the border of the Pathfinder Wildlife Refuge.[citation needed]
  • Landova Spaceport: a small spaceport with a single drop pad and one runway, this spaceport on Eridanus is responsible for connecting Landover City with the rest of the world.[citation needed]
  • Palisades Reservoir: located on Neswa, this reservoir is fed by the Grey, Salt and Snake Rivers and is a key target for the planetary defenders.[citation needed]
  • Pathfinder Wildlife Refuge: a substantial wildlife preserve on Eridanus.[citation needed]
  • River's End: planetary capital city, located at the terminus of the Brightwater River on Eridanus.
  • Royalport: one of the planet's cities.[57]
  • San Marino Spaceport: a major spaceport serving River's End City on Eridanus.[citation needed]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Image gallery[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 76 systems (73 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Tigress 3.8 Basalt 11.6 Yangtze 11.7 Angol 12.4
Hamal 16.7 Tybalt 17.4 Hean 18.0 Rio 18.5
Alrescha 18.5 Nopah 20.2 Bharat 20.6 Ruchbah 22.1
Ankaa 23.2 Deneb Kaitos 23.2 Kawich 23.7 New Florence 24.6
New Hessen 25.7 Tikonov 27.4 Slocum 27.6 Kansu 29.0
New Rhodes 30.0 Azha 30.3 Ingress 30.9 Fletcher 31.7
Mirach 32.0 Addicks 32.2 Mira 32.7 Woodstock 33.4
Mesartim 33.9 Ronel 34.9 Ozawa 35.9 Small World 36.0
Buchlau 37.2 Almach 37.5 Algol 37.5 Sheratan 38.0
Caselton 38.2 Acamar 38.2 Conwy 39.0 Arboris 39.1
Demeter 39.8 Towne 41.1 Ningpo 41.4 Schedar 42.1
Errai 43.6 Halloran 44.9 Helen 46.8 Genoa 47.1
Bex 47.1 Sonnia 47.2 Galatia 48.5 Lockdale 50.9
Epsilon Indi 50.9 Poznan 51.0 Algot 51.1 Mallory's World 51.3
Pokhara 51.4 Northwind 52.3 Murchison 52.3 Pleione 53.9
Chesterton 54.5 Quentin 54.6 Edwards 54.8 Terra Firma 54.8
Elbar 55.0 Tianamon 55.7 Cynthiana 56.2 New Aragon 56.4
Tedibyhr 56.7 Nanking 57.9 Markab 58.8 Gan Singh 59.2
Epsilon Eridani 60.0 Mara 60.6 New Stevens 60.9 Menkar 61.2

References[edit]

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Bibliography[edit]