Chesterton

This article is about the planetary system. For other uses, see Chesterton (disambiguation).


Chesterton
← 3135
3151
Chesterton 3151.svg
Chesterton nearby systems
(Map Legend)
System Information
X:Y Coordinates115.619 : -71.037[e]
Spectral classG9V[1][2]
Recharge time190 hours[2]
Recharge station(s)Zenith, Nadir[1][2]

The Chesterton system was home to at least one habitable world, Chesterton V, and as of 3151 was the administrative capital of the Chesterton Commonality within the Capellan Confederation.[3]

System Description[edit]

Chesterton is located near the Tedibyhr and Ulan Batar systems[4] and consists of a class G9V primary orbited by at least five planets. During the thirty-first century recharge stations were in place at both of the system jump points.[1][2]

System History[edit]

The Chesterton system was colonized during the First Exodus from Terra.[5] Chesterton was the capital of one of the earliest interstellar states to form in the Inner Sphere, and remained an administrative capital within several larger states at various points in time.[6][7]

Political Affiliation[edit]

Chesterton V[edit]

Chesterton V
Chesterton Flag.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionFifth[1][2]
Jump Point distance5.82 days[2]
Moons5 (Angela, Iannius, Moira, Nochus, Willus)[2]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.13[2]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[2]
Equatorial temperature31° C (Temperate)[2]
Surface water75%[1][2]
Highest native lifeMammals[1][2]
Landmasses9 small continents[2]
History and Culture
Colonized2412[1]
Population1,684,000,000 (3025),[1]
2,607,760,000 (3067)[2]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerDuke of Chesterton
Political LeaderPrefect of Chesterton
HPG ClassA[1][2]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Li Sho Ken (3025)[1]

Chesterton V, more commonly referred to simply as Chesterton, is the fifth planet in the Chesterton system and has five moons named Angela, Iannius, Moira, Nochus and Willus.[2]

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

The Chesterton colony was founded by Welsh explorer and wealthy trading fleet magnate Tristam Chesterton[6]—also known as Ian Tristram Chesterton[2]—owner of one of the largest trading fleets of the era[6] and a man generally considered to have been the last of the great Welsh space explorers.[2] Chesterton occupied a strategic location close to several systems that were already being developed and had abundant water with which to support colonization efforts; this helped the system become a natural trade crossroads,[2] and by 2193 Chesterton was the center of the newly founded Chesterton Trade League,[5] a mutual protection pact that began with the worlds of Chesterton and Demeter and which gained new worlds with every passing year. When the Terran Alliance commissioned the Grand Alliance Survey of Populated Worlds in 2235 it was noted that Chesterton didn't consider itself to be even nominally under the authority of the Terran Alliance.[6] At some point prior to 2243 Chesterton and the remaining worlds of the Chesterton nation - variously referred to as the Chesterton Trade League, Chesterton Trade Federation and Chesterton Trade Worlds - joined their sister nation to become one of three provinces in the Tikonov Union, and later the Tikonov Grand Union. Under the Union and then the Grand Union Chesterton served as the capital world of the Chesterton Province.[7] Despite the existence of the Tikonov Grand Union, the former Chesterton nation continued to exist as an independent or semi-independent nation, using the Chesterton Trade Federation name. It was the Chesterton Trade Federation that fought a war with the Federated Suns over the worlds of Beten Kaitos and Emerson between 2318 and 2321.[9]

By 2357, the Sarna Supremacy had absorbed the Trade Federation, including the former capital world of Chesterton. In July 2357, a large force from the Federated Peacekeeping Forces—the armed forces of the Federated Suns—landed on the former Chesterton world of Bell and claimed it in the name of the Federated Suns, with Prime Minister Reynard Davion also demanding that the Supremacy cede the worlds of Chesterton and Highspire to the Federated Suns.[10][41] The Supremacy had no choice but to comply;[10] Federated Suns troops went on to capture and hold Chesterton in the face of ineffective counterattacks.[11]

Chesterton would remain a Federated Suns world during the era of the Star League, despite a concerted effort by the Capellan Confederation to seize the planet during the border war fought between the two nations from 2760 to 2762. Capellan forces occupied Chesterton, only to find their control of the world hotly contested by the Syrtis Fusiliers; the Capellans were also rejected by the civilian population of the world.[42]

First Succession War[edit]

Given the long history of tensions over its ownership, Chesterton was the site and trigger for numerous conflicts during the brutal Succession Wars.

In 2795, following the appointment of Sandol Quinn as regent to Ilsa Liao, the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces launched an invasion of the Federated Suns intended to capture the politically significant Chesterton system. Planned by Quinn, the operation was intended to take advantage of the AFFS' continuing focus on trying to resist the massive Draconis Combine invasion of the Federated Suns, which stood poised to capture New Avalon itself. Quinn's plan involved encircling Chesterton by taking the systems around it, using mercenary units for the initial invasions—predominantly or exclusively former Star League Defense Force commands that had been recruited by the Confederation—and following up with CCAF line regiments to reinforce the assault and then secure the captured worlds. Whilst launching one or two planetary invasions aimed at systems around Chesterton, Quinn also had the CCAF copy tactics used by the Combine so effectively, leapfrogging over border systems to capture a number of systems further inside the Federated Suns to add pressure to the AFFS. Quinn's strategy worked well for several years; by 2797 the CCAF had occupied Ogilvie, as well the Branzoll, Carmacks, Salem, Sekulmun, and Victoria, creating Capellan "islands" within the borders of the Federated Suns that forced the AFFS to spread its already-stretched border forces even more thinly at a critical time.[43]

By 2799, The CCAF had seized every world within jump distance of Chesterton, isolating the system, in what had been a remarkably cleanly fought campaign for the era. Despite isolating the system, Chesterton remained free; although the CCAF had captured or destroyed all of the local jump-capable ships, it lacked the WarShip resources to blockade the system, and Chesterton was a self-sustaining world. Intelligence gathered by the Maskirovka indicated that the AFFS forces on Chesterton were well-fortified and remarkably well-stocked, having been heavily reinforced by the survivors of other units engaged in the area that had fallen back to Chesterton. Quinn decided to attempt to secure control of the system via diplomacy, sending emissaries to stress how isolated the system was, and the focus the AFFS retained on driving back the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery throughout the Federated Suns, making rescue unlikely, and finally the likely level of slaughter that would be involved if the CCAF was forced to invade the world and breach the planetary defenses.[43]

The AFFS response to Quinn's proposals was emphatic, and blunt. The local senior Commanding Officer, Leftenant General Thomas J. King, informed the emissaries sent by Quinn that he had at his disposal a stockpile of cobalt-jacketed nuclear weapons, and that he was entirely intent on unleashing them as soon as any Capellan units began landing on Chesterton. When the emissaries reacted by questioning King's sanity, his reply was succinct: "I know how much your Chancellor loves surprises." Maskirovka investigations were unable to confirm if King actually had the nuclear weapons at his disposal, but those investigations did confirm that the AFFS forces on Chesterton were fanatical in their intention to hold the world, particularly following the news they had received of the massacre on Kentares IV unleashed by Jinjiro Kurita. In isolating Chesterton and destroying or capturing those vessels that the defenders could have used to escape, Quinn hadn't weakened the AFFS' resolve—he had instead convinced them that they had nothing left to lose, and the defenders were both well-disciplined and heavily dug-in. Faced with the certain knowledge that any campaign to capture the world by force would force his own troops to resort to weapons of mass destruction in turn, Quinn ordered his forces around Chesterton to instead maintain a defensive posture while he attempted to come up with an alternative plan of action.[43]

As the First Succession War had dragged on for two decades with the Confederation's military neared exhaustion, Chancellor Ilsa Liao extended a public peace proposal to First Prince Paul Davion, making the startling offer to renounce her claim to First Lordship of the Star League and back him for the position in return for the Federated Suns ceding all claim to Chesterton and the other Chesterton Commonality worlds to the Confederation. With the title of First Lord all but meaningless by this point and embittered by Confederation having profited from the Federated Suns weakness at the start of the war, the First Prince instead immediately and angrily responded by sending the Third and Fifth Crucis Lancers, among the most rabidly anti-Capellan units in the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, to strike the Confederation, retaking those Chesterton worlds the Capellans had won in the past decade.[44][45]

Unable to acquire Chesterton via diplomatic means, Ilsa sent a top secret strike force consisting of four of the CCAF's best regiments to regain the lost Commonality capital in 2811. Unfortunately a MIIO mole in the Maskirovka leaked word of the plan to the AFFS and instead of surprising the Davion troop, the Capellan units were ambushed shortly after landing. While emboldened by fighting on Chesterton's near sacred soil, the outnumbered Capellan troops suffered extremely heavy losses before they reluctantly withdrew, barely two battalions' worth of survivors reaching their DropShips to flee. The debacle on Chesterton would be the last major conflict fought by Confederation before the First Succession War finally drew to an inconclusive close in 2821.[44][45]

Interwar Period: Third Battle of Chesterton[edit]

In June of 2828, Chesterton was the primary objective of the CCAF's Operation CELT, in an attempt to regain control of the Chesterton-Demeter Salient. Chesteron was a heavily defended world under the command of General Jessica Bassner who had at her disposal the Fourth Crucis Lancers, Third Deneb Light Cavalry, and two line regiments of the Chesterton Capellan March Militia (most likely a regiment of BattleMechs and Armor each[46]) with military bases on planet and the outer moon of Wilus that were used to launch harassing raids on Liao traffic[47].

Late on June 18th, the Seventh and Eighth Tikonov Lancers, under the command of Colonel Fa Zheng Li, landed on Chesterton with little resistance from Davion forces with the support of the Capellan Confederation's two of the Capellan Confederation Navy's remaining WarShips, CCS Poznan and CCS Prominence, allowing the Capellans to establish local domination of near orbit. The Seventh Tikonov Lancers landed 100 kilometers west of Chesteron City came under aerial attack from the Crucis Lancers almost immediately after disembarking from their DropShips, followed shortly thereafter by a ground attack. The determination and ferocity gave Capellan commanders pause, even thought the counterattack was neither a surprise nor a devastating blow like as the 2nd Battle of Chesterton in 2812, leading Colonel Fa Zheng Li to authorize the use of chemical weapons, forcing the withdrawal of conventional forces, though Davion 'Mechs continued to harass the landing zones[48].

The Eighth Tikonov Lancers landed south of Tristam faced off against the Chesterton CMM, driving them back to the city, and broke through the city's defenses on June 20th. The Eighth's rush to crush the Chesterton CMM allowed the Third Deneb Light Cavalry to drop into their rear area, having timed their suborbital hop to avoid the Capellan WarShips, smashing the Eighth against the anvil of the Chesterton CMM still entrenched in the city of Tristam. Most of the Eighth was able to extricate itself from the city only through valorous efforts of two Liao companies that engaged in a deadly rearguard action[48].

The CCAF units decided to withdrawal, with the news of the Chancellor's death on Orbisonia, the Seventh Tikonov Lancers stalemated at their landing zones, and the Eighth Tikonov Lancers in retreat attempting to disengage from two pursuing Davion divisions. While the Capellans attempted to withdraw, the FSS Nathan DuVall and FSS Pleiades arrived in-system engaging the Capellan WarShips. Almost a third of the Capellan troops that escaped Chesterton were killed and both the CCS Poznan and CCS Prominence were destroyed in the battle, which crippled the FSS Nathan DuVall[49].

Third Succession War[edit]

McCarron's Armored Cavalry was raised by Lord Gamala McCarron on Chesterton in 2930.

In 3005, elements of the Blackwind Lancers and Marion's Highlanders, based on Halloran, raided Chesterton. This attack, as well as others, would trigger the Federated Suns to attack the Lancers and Highlanders base of operations on Halloran with Wolf's Dragoons.[50]

The near constant attempts by the Capellan Confederation to reclaim the world damaged the planet's infrastructure and made it difficult for the citizens to live there. During the 3030s and 3040s however the peaceful climate in the Inner Sphere and the technology boom made possible by the Helm Memory Core allowed Chesterton to rebuild much of its infrastructure and industrial capacity. By 3067 the mining and pharmaceutical industries on the world had recovered, as had the ranches that produced meat animals.[2]

Jihad[edit]

During the Jihad, Chesterton was attacked yet again; invaded on 20 May 3071, the attackers this time were a group of cybernetically augmented Thuggee fanatics, operating under the name "Warrior House Rakshasa." The cybernetic enhancements led to speculation that there was a link between Kali Liao and the Manei Domini, and Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao later denied authorizing an attack on Chesterton. Warrior House Rakshasa then left Chesterton as unexpectedly as they'd arrived, lifting off on the 17th of June.[51]

The Dark Age[edit]

In December of 3144, Operation CELESTIAL REWARD saw the capture of Chesterton by the Fifth McCarron's Armored Cavalry and Second Tikonov Guards from the Federated Suns. The defending Twelfth Vegan Rangers retreated to Ulan Batar rather than face destruction.[52] The capture of Chesterton and surrounding worlds has resulted in the re-formation of the Chesterton Commonality and the reinstatement of the Hargreaves Family as hereditary rulers.[53]

Military Deployment[edit]

2764[edit]

2765[edit]

2786[edit]

  • Chesterton CMM[56]
  • Eighth Syrtis Fusiliers[57]

2821[edit]

3050[edit]

3061[edit]

3067[edit]

3145[edit]

- The unit was operating at 80% of full strength.
- The unit was operating at 65% of full strength.

Planetary Locations[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 64 systems (63 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Ulan Batar 11.5 Tedibyhr 11.9 Valexa 15.9 Almach 17.6
Angelsey 19.2 Mesartim 20.8 Tianamon 21.2 Mira 22.6
Demeter 24.2 Tawas 25.2 Farwell 26.4 Jonathan 26.7
Sonnia 30.2 Ashkum 30.3 Goshen 30.3 Tikonov 31.5
Algot 32.0 Menkar 32.6 Sanilac 33.9 Westphalia 34.1
New Hessen 34.5 Listowel 34.7 Goderich 36.1 Foochow 37.6
Alrescha 37.9 Conwy 38.0 Caselton 38.4 Everett 39.7
Bell 40.5 Tecumseh 41.4 Edwards 42.0 Angol 42.5
Halloran 43.1 Axton 43.8 Foot Fall 44.2 Logandale 44.6
Mirach 44.6 Undra 45.1 Buchlau 45.6 Rio 46.9
Marlette 47.1 Yangtze 48.4 New Aragon 49.2 Kansu 49.2
Schedar 49.8 Highspire 50.5 Algol 50.8 Hunan 50.9
Amiga 51.4 Anaea 51.4 Plataea 51.5 Wroxeter 52.3
Shipka 53.2 Poznan 54.0 Alpha Eridani 54.5 Waycross 54.6
Acala 56.4 Muskegon 56.5 Tybalt 56.7 New Rhodes 56.8
Hamal 57.7 St. Andre 58.1 Tigress 58.3 Slocum 60.5

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 152: "Chesterton"
  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 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 Handbook: House Davion, p. 87: "Chesterton Planet Profile"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shattered Fortress, p. 103: "Inner Sphere - 3151" (Map)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Era Report: 2750, p. 37: "Inner Sphere - 2750"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Handbook: House Liao, p. 12: "Timeline: Capellan Zone"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 9: "Liao and Its Neighbors"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 20: "The Tikonov Connection"
  8. ↑ House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 10: "The Other Shoe"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Handbook: House Davion, p. 19: "Muskegon and Chesterton"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Handbook: House Davion, p. 22: "Pushing Towards Confederation"
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Handbook: House Liao, p. 13: "Timeline: Capellan Zone"
  12. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 48: "Federated Suns after Age of War [2571] Map"
  13. ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 159: "Inner Sphere - 2596"
  14. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - 2765"
  15. ↑ Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 29: "Federated Suns Armed Forces Deployment Map - [2765]"
  16. ↑ Field Report 2765: CCAF, p. 23: "Capellan Confederation Armed Forces Deployment Map - [2765]"
  17. ↑ First Succession War, p. 25: "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  18. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 54: "Federated Suns after First Succession War [2822] Map"
  19. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123: "Inner Sphere - 2822"
  20. ↑ First Succession War, p. 113: "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  21. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 60: "Federated Suns after Second Succession War [2864] Map"
  22. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 70: "Federated Suns after Third Succession War [2864] Map"
  23. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 72: "Federated Suns after Fourth Succession War [2864] Map"
  24. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 76: "Federated Suns after War of [3039] Map"
  25. ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 133: "Inner Sphere - 3040"
  26. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 11: "Inner Sphere - 3050"
  27. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 23: "Inner Sphere - 3052"
  28. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 11: "Inner Sphere Map [3057]"
  29. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 78: "Federated Suns after Operation Guerrero [3058] Map"
  30. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 29: "Inner Sphere Map [3063]"
  31. ↑ Handbook: House Davion, p. 82: "Federated Suns after FedCom Civil War [3067] Map"
  32. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3067]"
  33. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64: "Inner Sphere - 3075"
  34. ↑ Field Report: AFFS, p. 21: "Federated Suns Region Deployment Map [3079]"
  35. ↑ Field Report: CCAF, p. 21: "Capellan Confederation Region Deployment Map [3079]"
  36. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63: "Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]"
  37. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. vi: "Inner Sphere - October 3085"
  38. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 11: "Inner Sphere Map - [3135]"
  39. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 39: "Inner Sphere Map - [3145]"
  40. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  41. ↑ House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 27: "The War Leader"
  42. ↑ Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 3: "Fractures Revealed"
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 First Succession War, pp. 81–82: "Quinn's War: The Confederation-Suns Front"
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Handbook: House Liao, p. 28: "Sandol Quinn - Ilsa the Peacemaker - Debacle at Chesterton"
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 47: "History - The Succession Wars - Sandol Quinn Recoups - A Proffered Hand - Second Succession War"
  46. ↑ Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 22: "Regimental Status"
  47. ↑ Second Succession War, p. 25
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Second Succession War, p. 26
  49. ↑ Second Succession War, p. 27
  50. ↑ Wolf's Dragoons, pp. 7–8
  51. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 16: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  52. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 32: "Fifth McCarron's Armored Cavalry"
  53. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 42: "Fourth St. Ives Sentinels"
  54. ↑ Field Manual: SLDF, p. 252: "SLDF - Federated Suns Military Command Map"
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 29: "Armed Forces Federated Suns Deployment Map 2765"
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 56.3 First Succession War, p. 134: "First Succession War Deployment Table - AFFS"
  57. ↑ First Succession War, p. 135: "First Succession War Deployment Table - AFFS"
  58. ↑ 20 Year Update, p. 70: "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  59. ↑ Shattered Sphere, p. 30: "FedCom Deployment Table"
  60. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 67: "Mercenary Deployment Table"
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 44: "Capellan Confederation Deployment Table - 3145"

Bibliography[edit]

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