Altair

This article is about the star system. For other uses, see Altair (disambiguation).


Altair
Altair 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates8.836 : 13.754[e]
Spectral classF7III[1][2]
Recharge station(s)Zenith, Nadir[1]
Planet(s)5[2]

The Altair system is home to five planets, of which at least one, Altair V, is inhabited, and as of 3151 was located in the Draconis Combine.[2][3]

System Description[edit]

The Altair system has a class F7III star that is known for producing an unusual amount of surface activity. These solar storms and flares leave Altair V without communications for long periods of time, and so it is unsurprising that the Altair system has been subjected to numerous raids throughout its history. During the thirty-first century Altair had working recharge stations at both the nadir and zenith jump points.[1]

System History[edit]

The Altair system was settled during the First Exodus from Terra[4] and was one of the systems abandoned by the Terran Alliance following the Demarcation Declaration.[5]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Altair V[edit]

Altair V
Altair.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionFifth[1][2]
Jump Point distance13 days[2]
Moons1 (Olgar)[2]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.0[2]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Tainted)[2]
Equatorial temperature57°C[2]
Surface water6%[2]
Highest native lifeReptile[1][2]
LandmassesAt least 1 (Taipan)[60]
History and Culture
Population3,639,000,000 (3025),[1]
396,475,000 (3130)[61][2]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerDuke of Altair
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderLegate Oscar Martinez (3130)[61][2]
HPG ClassA[1]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Elba Fuentes (3025)[1]

Altair V, commonly referred to simply as Altair, is the fifth planet[1][2] in the five-planet Altair system.[2] Altair has a single moon named Olgar and is home to a number of significant industrial concerns.[1]

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

Altair was one of the worlds abandoned by the Terran Alliance following the Outer Reaches Rebellion and the Demarcation Declaration of 2240.[5] When Director Shiro Kurita of the Alliance of Galedon conducted a year-long tour of worlds near the Alliance in 2309-2310, he included both independent worlds such as Altair and worlds controlling small states. Director Kurita brought with him evidence purporting to show that one or more of the small states nearby had designs on conquering Altair, and offered to mediate between Altair and its opponents. He also offered to protect Altair by allowing Altair to join the Alliance, thereby allying itself with a stronger power.[62]

Altair accepted this proposal, not realizing that Director Kurita had invented the evidence and deliberately played a number of small states and worlds off against each other to dramatically expand the size of the Alliance.[62] Altair was responsible for Director Kurita's subterfuge coming to light, when in June 2311 a dispute broke out between the ruler of Altair and the ruler of the small state centered on nearby Dieron. Both Altair and Dieron called on their great ally for assistance in the dispute... and discovered that they were both aligned with Director Shiro Kurita and the Alliance of Galedon. Each planetary ruler discovered that they had been promised the same things, and word soon spread to the other planets seduced by Director Kurita's diplomatic campaign.[6]

Altair's membership in the Alliance of Galedon, willing or not, would not last long; when Director-General James McKenna created the Terran Hegemony in 2316 he viewed Altair as still being a member of the Terran Alliance - and incorporated Altair into the Hegemony by military force when it resisted diplomatic efforts to embrace the new realm.[4] Altair became one of the worlds within the Lone Star Province of the Hegemony.[11]

First Succession War[edit]

The Izumi JumpShips shipyards in the Altair system were a casualty of the First Succession War,[63] and the remains would be left derelict for centuries.[64][65]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

Following the successes achieved by the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces during Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, the major Lyran offensive launched in late 3028,[66] a lull settled over the front while the LCAF consolidated its gains, rested and resupplied its troops and fought with counterattacking Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery units. General Jack Sphire, Margrave of the Ryde Theater of the Commonwealth, was responsible for devising a plan to break the deadlock on offensive operations against the combine in the Ryde area of operations. Ryde's plan, dubbed Operation HOLDUR, was designed to seize further systems by deploying all available troops, up to and including planetary militia forces. HOLDUR was risky, but Sphire hoped that by launching quick and forceful attacks using the BattleMech regiments available to him, the DCMS would be left with too little time to make further counterattacks. Archon Katrina Steiner approved the plan and mobilized additional 'Mech regiments to support HOLDUR, deploying regiments that had previously been held in reserve. When assigning these additional forces, the Archon dictated that these forces had to be used at the Terran end of the Ryde area, so that they could respond to any attacks originating from the Free Worlds League. This led Sphire to adjust his plan somewhat, but on the 1st of June 3029 Operation HOLDUR began, with the better part of a hundred assorted regiments deploying from the Federation of Skye to attack eight Combine systems.[28]

For Sphire, Altair was the main prize he intended to capture with HOLDUR. The planet had a population vastly in excess of what would be normal for such an arid planet because of the vast mineral wealth there, and the DCMS had the elite Eighteenth Dieron Regulars on the planet to protect that wealth, backed up by many support units. Sphire deployed two complete formations - the elite Seventeenth Skye Rangers RCT and the Always Faithful mercenary unit to capture the planet, with the Archon personally overruling the objections from Duke Aldo Lestrade, who had managed to keep the Seventeenth, his house troops, out of the Fourth Succession War so far.[67]

The initial landings on the 2nd of June went well, with the Lyran forces capturing the small towns of Smart Alice Springs and Basin Flats, minor settlements near small lakes, as part of their move towards the capital city. The march to Hehiro City began with some minor attacks, predominantly from persistent snipers and the Regulars' aerospace fighters, but the invaders initial confidence was quickly dented by Altair's arid environment. The LCAF units were unprepared for the sand on Altair, which was regularly blown into the components of the vehicles, making servicing and maintenance a nightmare, further complicated by ambushes from lances of Regulars using 'Mechs that could crouch down behind sand dunes. The Regulars had adapted to the climate on Altair, using special coolant, sun shields and air blowers to keep their equipment free of sand, and their attacks bypassed frontline units to attack at vulnerable supply vehicles.[67]

As the Lyran forces approached Hehiro City the Regulars attacked more directly, attempting to prevent the city being encircled and also attempting to prevent the capture of Danford, a small town home to warehouses stocking precious minerals and metals as well as valuable records. While the Regulars were ultimately unsuccessful, it took the Lyran forces until September to finish encircling Hehiro City. The Lyran forces set in for a siege, constructing an airfield and setting up camps, and laid siege to the city until the Second Battalion of the Regulars attempted a breakout on the 8th of November. The breakout nearly succeeded, but the Second Battalion were destroyed by the Lyrans... although the distraction caused by the battle allowed the First and Third Battalions to steamroll over two companies of Lyran armor and vanish into the desert. For two months the Lyrans tried to catch the Regulars, only able to maintain contact via their aerospace forces and faced with constant harassing attacks from the Kuritan troops, who seemed impervious to the heat, sand or apparent lack of water.[67]

With no realistic hope of securing the world or catching the remaining elements of the Eighteenth, and with the combat strength of Always Faithful and the Rangers steadily deteriorating, the LCAF made the decision to recall both regiments - an embarrassing outcome for Duke Lestrade, who had paid to have news reporters accompany the Seventeenth so that he could showcase their military prowess.[67]

War of 3039[edit]

After the War of 3039 the Kurita Combine Munitions Corporation gained state funding from the Draconis Combine to repair and then reactivate the Star League era Izumi JumpShips shipyards; with the yards active again, KCMC began manufacturing a new JumpShip class, the Chimeisho, using the yards.[64][65]

The Jihad[edit]

The Word of Blake attacked Altair between the 19th and 21st of June, with the Blakists using a combination of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons to complete their conquest quickly. The death toll on Altair is believed to be in the hundreds of millions (over 630 million people resided in Smart Alice Springs alone).[60] On Altair at the time of the attack was the Second Battalion of the Third Dieron Regulars, who were shattered by the Blakist offensive.[68]

Altair was then occupied by the Word of Blake and incorporated into the Word of Blake Protectorate.[50] Despite the destruction of the Dieron Regulars in the initial attack, a Strider OmniMech painted blood red from the waist down was observed launching sporadic attacks against the Blakist garrison forces on the planet. Many of these attacks were launched from the irradiated ruins left behind by the initial Blakist attack, and the residual radiation prevented most garrison forces from either performing accurate sweeps of these locations or getting accurate sensor readings to track this mysterious 'Mech. While the identity of the 'Mech and pilot were unconfirmed, almost two dozen Blakist armored infantry and MechWarriors were killed by them. It is possible that the pilot of the mysterious Strider was Chu-i Meagan Fontaine, a noted Strider pilot from the Dieron Regulars, whose OmniMech - named Darkblade - matched the configuration of the Strider that harassed the Blakist forces.[68]

Allied coalition forces operating on the Draconis Combine front of Operation SCOUR liberated Altair against only minor resistance in March 3078, a distinct contrast to the majority of the Protectorate worlds liberated by the coalition in February and March that year.[69][70] The liberation of Altair along with a number of other worlds all within a single jump of Terra prompted questions from news agencies such as the Voice of the Dragon speculating on details of the likely drive for Terra and the resistance expected to be encountered there.[71]

On 13 June 3078, an assassin believed to be operating under the auspices of the Word of Blake launched an attack on senior coalition figures at a reception organized for the leaders of the coalition task force responsible for liberating Altair. The exact target of the assassination attempt is unclear; while it was believed that Devlin Stone or possibly Duke Steiner were the intended targets, the assassin began firing when Colonel Marcel Webb of the Star Seeds mercenary unit, the acting security chief for the coalition, appeared with a special announcement. The assassin ultimately claimed two victims before escaping: he murdered to obtain clothing to attend the function, and killed Pedro, Stone's bodyguard, who deliberately blocked the line of fire.[72]

Dark Age[edit]

Following the Jihad Altair was incorporated into the nascent Republic of the Sphere.[54]

After the Blackout and the establishment of Fortress Republic Altair remained hidden from the wider Inner Sphere for over a decade. When the Wall was dropped in 3149, Altair served as a staging point for the RAF task force carrying out Operation ERUPTIO, and became a target for the Draconis Combine's counterstroke during Operation TIAMAT a year later. In late March 3150 a battalion from the Second Dieron Regulars overwhelmed Altair's conventional militia in an assault which left few Republic survivors.[59]

Military Deployment[edit]

3025[edit]

3029[edit]

  • Eighteenth Dieron Regulars[28]

3038[edit]

  • Eighteenth Dieron Regulars[75]

3040[edit]

  • Eighteenth Dieron Regulars[75]

3050[edit]

  • Eighteenth Dieron Regulars[76]

3059[edit]

3068[edit]

  • Third Dieron Regulars (Second Battalion) (until 3068)[68]

3085[edit]

- The unit was at 70% strength, with 100% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

3145[edit]

Geography[edit]

The northern continent on the planet is called Taipan.[60]

Altair is a large, dry planet beneath a very unstable sun that suffers frequent solar storms and violent flares that shut down communications, sometimes for two months or more.[74]

The planet's underground rivers are the reason that a few areas do support vegetation. Mining is a major industry, with five iron ore deposits and one titanium ore deposit presently being mined.[74]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Basin Flat[60]
  • Bonanza: City where the Long Life Company headquartered are located.[74]
  • Sargasso Forest Preserve[60]
  • Smart Alice Springs: A city leveled by the Blakist weapons of mass destruction attack on 05/07/3068.[60]
  • Tai-Po City: a city in Taipan continent.[60]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Image gallery[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 80 systems (77 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Dieron 3.6 Asta 12.7 Killbourn 13.9 Fomalhaut 14.7
Caph 14.9 Rigil Kentarus 16.2 Sol 16.3 Saffel 16.9
Yorii 18.4 Athenry 19.3 Styx 20.7 Imbros 23.1
Tau Ceti 23.8 New Stevens 24.0 Sirius 24.4 Keid 24.6
Nirasaki 26.1 New Home 26.5 Dyev 27.2 Bryant 27.3
Rocky 27.8 Pike 27.9 Procyon 28.4 Northwind 30.3
New Britain 32.2 Thorin 32.9 Lockdale 33.4 Chaville 34.3
Deneb Algedi 34.5 Epsilon Indi 35.7 Muphrid 36.3 Epsilon Eridani 36.3
Quentin 37.2 Carver 37.3 Xi Ursae Majoris 37.9 Zollikofen 38.2
Chara 38.8 Lone Star 39.1 Graham 40.4 Ko 40.4
Lyons 40.5 Kervil 40.9 Zavijava 43.0 Lipton 43.3
Nashira 43.6 Brownsville 43.6 Telos 44.0 Lambrecht 44.1
Errai 44.9 Atria 45.3 Oliver 45.6 Hechnar 47.4
Sheratan 47.6 Small World 47.6 Menkent 48.0 Sabik 48.4
Helen 48.8 Denebola 49.1 Terra Firma 49.3 Outreach 49.9
Pollux 49.9 Moore 50.4 Ingress 52.1 Nusakan 52.7
Haddings 52.9 Fletcher 53.2 Devil's Rock 53.6 Pokhara 53.6
Al Na'ir 54.2 Summer 54.7 Alkalurops 54.7 Kuzuu 54.7
Capolla 55.2 Castor 57.9 Skondia 58.3 Nai-Stohl 59.1
Tabit 59.4 Dromini 60.2 Acamar 60.7 Towne 60.7

References[edit]

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  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 231: "Altair"
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Bibliography[edit]