Chara

Chara
Chara 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-29.214 : 6.414[e]
Spectral classG2V[1]
Planet(s)10[1]

System Description[edit]

Chara is located near the Lipton and Thorin systems.

Political Affiliation[edit]


Chara III (Pacifica)[edit]

Pacifica
Astrophysical
Also known asChara III
System positionThird[1]
Jump Point distanceNine days[1]
MoonsNone[18][1]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.00[1]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1]
Equatorial temperature37°C[1]
Surface water80%[1]
Highest native lifeMammals[1]
History and Culture
Population4,180,000,000 (3130)[40][1]
Government and Infrastructure
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderLegate Jordain Ariadness (3130)[40][1]
CapitalFarhaven[1]

Chara III, known locally as Pacifica, is among the most contradictory worlds in the Inner Sphere. The planet has highly fertile soil and large bodies of water which makes it something of a paradise among the millions of bare and irradiated rocks that pass for planets in other parts of the galaxy. It is, however, also prone to extreme weather changes, has an unusually fast rotation cycle (14 standard hours) and lacks a moon.[18]

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

Chara III was one of the worlds that remained a part of the Terran Alliance following the Outer Reaches Rebellion and the Demarcation Declaration of 2242,[2] and became one of the worlds within the Alliance Core region of the Terran Hegemony.[6]

Late Succession Wars Era[edit]

During the later years of the Succession Wars, Chara was raided a number of times by the Draconis Combine.

One of the more notable events was during the early half of 3027, when elements of the Second Sword of Light began seeding the planet with guerrillas. The focus of this effort was to destroy the planet's garrison mercenary force, The Kell Hounds. Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Kell, however, had gotten wind of the Combine's ambitions to invade though leaks in the local Kurita's spy network. In March, the reinforced company of the Second Sword landed on planet while FedSuns Colonel Ardan Sortek and Lt. Andrew Redburn were visiting. The two FedSun heroes would join the Hounds in a surprise ambush, blunting the invasion.[41]

By May, the Kurita forces that were left behind had mustered enough strength to again attack the Kell Hound's compound. The Hounds resisted, and managed to get to their 'Mechs to repulse the enemy. However, they would be forced to abandon their post on planet to rescue Heir-Designate Melissa Steiner during the Silver Eagle Incident.[42][43]

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

In 3028, Pacifica was invaded and occupied briefly by House Kurita forces, which invaded the world in search of a Star League cache rumored to be on the planet. The invasion marked the formation of the famed Crescent Hawks unit, under the command of Jason Youngblood. The Hawks fought a guerrilla war against the Kurita occupation forces, called in reinforcements and successfully kept the cache safe until the Lyran relief forces arrived. This subsequently caused the invasion to fail and forced the remaining Kurita forces off planet.[44]

Apocryphal Content Ends

The Jihad Era[edit]

Pacifica was incorporated into the Word of Blake Protectorate during the early years of the Jihad, and the first attempt to liberate the world in September 3077 turned into a bloodbath for the attacking allied coalition forces. Faulty intelligence on the Chara system led to the Clan Wolf-in-Exile forces who made up the bulk of the assault force being savaged, with three allied WarShips included in the losses, victims of the functioning SDS network placed in the Chara system by the Blakists.[32] The plan for attacking Chara was dependent on information from the intelligence operative known as "Damocles", but the information supplied to the allied coalition forces was either lacking or deliberately misleading. The coalition forces arrived in the system to discover that the Word of Blake had not only placed a functioning SDS network in the system, but that the network was equipped with nuclear weapons. The damage inflicted by the SDS was enough to destroy the flagship of Clan Wolf-in-Exile, the McKenna-class battleship CWS Werewolf, as well as the largest WarShip in service with the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces, the Mjolnir-class battlecruiser LAS Fylgia, and a Carrack-class transport,[45] the NCS Perilous Vision,[46] operated by Clan Nova Cat during the initial approach to Chara.[45]

Despite the losses in space, the coalition forces managed to land Beta Galaxy of Clan Wolf-in-Exile on the surface of Chara. However, rather than facing just the anticipated two battalion Militia size[47] units known to be stationed on Chara (elements from the Zosma Protectorate Militia Division and the Chara Protectorate Militia[47]), the Clan forces found themselves also facing three line regiments from the former Free Worlds League - the Fourth Free Worlds Legionnaires, the Thirteenth Marik Militia and the Steel Guard. Beta Galaxy divided their forces in an attempt to fight against the much more numerous Blakist forces; the Sixteenth Wolf Guards engaged the Fourth Legionnaires and the Second Wolf Legion attacked the Steel Guard, while the remaining Clan Wolf-in-Exile forces concentrated on routing the Protectorate Militia forces. Despite inflicting heavy losses on the Blakist units, the Wolf-in-Exile forces simply couldn't hold against the overwhelming numbers, were ground down and forced to retreat. The Clan forces took significant losses, many of whom were not recovered; the highest-ranking casualty was Star Colonel Ranna Kerensky, slain by a hit to the cockpit of her 'Mech. Following the loss of their field commander, Beta Galaxy retreated in some haste, with Alexia Rhyde assuming temporary control of the Galaxy as the task force retreated to Talitha to regroup and await reinforcements.[45]

The heavy losses taken in the attempt to liberate Chara led to widespread questioning of Damocles' loyalty, identity and motivations, with some claiming in public that he was a Blakist double agent, intentionally feeding the coalition false intelligence.[48]

The second allied coalition assault on Pacifica was launched on the 16th of October and led personally by General Belle Lee; even though the Blakists resorted to the use of WMDs to try and prevent the liberation of Chara, the combination of damage taken during the abortive first allied assault and insufficient supply lines led ultimately to the Word of Blake forces surrendering.[49] The fierce resistance put up by the Blakist forces led to General Lee authorizing the use of orbital bombardment, but it wasn't enough to prevent a number of coalition units from being badly mauled; General Lee ended up disbanding a number of allied commands and folding the survivors together into a new unit, which was given the name Stone's Revenants. The damage inflicted on Chara by the combination of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons as well as orbital bombardments left the planetary infrastructure badly damaged and created a significant humanitarian crisis unfolding.[50]

While the bulk of the Word of Blake forces left Chara, a large portion of the Protectorate Militia managed to escape into the wilderness while continuing to contest the advance of the coalition forces into the Myanmar Highlands and maintain control over the Scarlet Sea. Prompted by the Word of Blake ROM, the local Blakist forces used a natural disaster - a large earthquake which struck near the port city of Charon - to create a bastion from which the Protectorate forces could continue to operate. The recently deployed Chaffee Militia dispatched a relief column to Charon, but the Blakists, Grandin's Crusaders in disguise,[51] intercepted and engaged the column, destroying it and the only major bridge connecting the coalition forces to Charon. The Word of Blake then endeared itself to the locals by flying in relief supplies on Karnovs and Planetlifters, securing their base of operations for the near future.[52]

Military Deployment[edit]

2821[edit]

3026–3027[edit]

3077[edit]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Farhaven: capital city[54]
  • Pacifica Training School:[55] which trains MechWarriors and technicians to a more elite level for the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces.
  • Starpad: One of the world's chief agricultural centers.[18] In addition to hosting a residential and commercial districts, it contains the planet's ComStar HPG Generator and facility. The city also hosts a very small BattleMech Arena.
  • "The Prison": a notable facility that warrants a small BattleMech force assigned to it

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 84 systems (81 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Lipton 4.6 Thorin 5.9 Zavijava 7.2 Muphrid 9.0
Denebola 11.8 Xi Ursae Majoris 12.1 Zollikofen 12.9 Oliver 13.7
Haddings 16.6 Tau Ceti 17.1 Graham 17.7 Menkent 18.9
Pollux 22.1 Rocky 22.2 Devil's Rock 22.8 Afleir 24.0
Summer 24.9 Killbourn 25.0 Castor 25.7 Yorii 25.8
Rigil Kentarus 26.6 Zosma 26.8 Mizar 29.0 Procyon 29.8
Sol 29.9 Sirius 30.2 Alioth 30.7 Lyons 32.9
Cor Caroli 34.3 Hechnar 34.8 Tabit 35.0 Milton 35.3
Carver 36.1 Keid 36.3 Marcus 37.0 Galatea 37.0
Nusakan 37.3 Asta 38.4 Imbros 38.8 Altair 38.8
Alchiba 38.8 Ko 39.1 Alkalurops 39.4 Callison 39.7
Wyatt 40.8 New Dallas 41.0 New Home 41.2 Talitha 41.4
Dieron 42.3 Caph 42.7 Syrma 43.5 Phecda 45.9
Bryant 46.7 Dubhe 47.1 Zebebelgenubi 47.1 Atria 47.1
Van Diemen 48.2 Outreach 48.7 Dyev 49.0 Wing 49.2
Skondia 49.2 Fomalhaut 50.2 Lone Star 50.4 Chertan 50.5
Alcor 50.7 Brownsville 50.8 Bordon 52.3 Athenry 52.8
Skye 52.9 Hall 52.9 New Stevens 53.0 Connaught 53.1
Sabik 53.3 Epsilon Eridani 55.0 Saffel 55.1 Dieudonné 56.2
Alhena 57.2 Gacrux 57.5 Alphecca 58.3 Styx 58.3
Pike 59.3 Shiloh 60.0 Dromini 60.3 Capolla 60.6

References[edit]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 180: "Chara World Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Handbook: House Marik, p. 16: "Free Worlds League Founding [2271]"
  3. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18: "Draconis Combine Founding - 2319"
  4. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13: "Lyran Commonwealth Founding [2341]"
  5. Handbook: House Marik, p. 24: "Free Worlds League after Age of War [2571]"
  6. 6.0 6.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 159: "Inner Sphere - 2596"
  7. Era Report: 2750, p. 37: "Inner Sphere - 2750"
  8. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  9. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - 2765"
  10. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 104: "Rim Worlds Republic - [2767] Map"
  11. 11.0 11.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 138: "Operation LIBERATION Wave 1 [July 2772 - December 2774]"
  12. First Succession War, pp. 24–25: "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  13. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36: "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822]"
  14. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123: "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  15. First Succession War, pp. 112–113: "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  16. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40: "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2864] Map"
  17. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47: "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025] Map"
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Warrior: En Garde, ch. 3
  19. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56: "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030] Map"
  20. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47: "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025] Map"
  21. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56: "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030] Map"
  22. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59: "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 3039 [3040] Map"
  23. Historical: War of 3039, p. 132: "Inner Sphere - 3040"
  24. Era Report: 3052, p. 11: "Inner Sphere Map [3050]"
  25. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61: "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052] Map"
  26. Era Report: 3052, p. 23: "Inner Sphere Map [3052]"
  27. Era Report: 3062, p. 11: "Inner Sphere Map [3057]"
  28. Era Report: 3062, p. 29: "Inner Sphere Map [3063]"
  29. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70: "Lyran Alliance after FedCom Civil War [3067] Map"
  30. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3067]"
  31. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65: "Inner Sphere [3075] Map"
  32. 32.0 32.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 57: "The Jihad in Review"
  33. Field Report: LAAF, p. 19: "Lyran Commonwealth Deployment Map [3079]"
  34. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63: "Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]"
  35. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"
  36. Era Report: 3145, p. 11: "Inner Sphere Map - [3135]"
  37. Era Report: 3145, p. 39: "Inner Sphere Map - [3145]"
  38. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  39. Shattered Fortress, p. 103: "Inner Sphere - 3151" (Map)
  40. 40.0 40.1 Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 18: "Prefecture VIII"
  41. Warrior: En Garde, pp. 125–136: "The Kell Hounds' Second Skirmish with Kurita forces invading Chara III"
  42. Warrior: En Garde, pp. 176–180, 247–253, 260–265: "The Kell Hounds' Second Skirmish with Kurita forces invading Chara III"
  43. 43.0 43.1 The Kell Hounds, p. 14
  44. BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Inception and Crescent Hawks mercenary history
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 48–49: "Chara Operational Report"
  46. Field Report: Clans, p. 16: "Fleet Assets"
  47. 47.0 47.1 Total Chaos, pp. 166–167: "CHARA"
  48. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 48: "Chara, Damocles and Trust"
  49. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 58: "The Jihad in Review"
  50. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 60–61: "Chaos Eternal: Charred Victory"
  51. Total Chaos, pp. 176–177: "Bridge to Oblivion"
  52. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 61–62: "Chaos Eternal: Bridge To Oblivion"
  53. First Succession War, p. 139: "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"
  54. Dark Age: 3136 Levin's List, p. 1: "03 February 3136"
  55. Crescent Hawks History

Bibliography[edit]