Kessel


Kessel
Kessel 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-13.136 : 83.708[e]
Spectral classG0V[1][2][3]
Recharge time181 hours[2]
Recharge station(s)Zenith, Nadir[1]
Planet(s)9[3]

System Description[edit]

Kessel is located near the Alrakis and Konstance systems.

Political Affiliation[edit]


Kessel II[edit]

Kessel II
Kessel.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionSecond[1][2][3]
Jump Point distance10.43 days[2][3]
Moons2 (Kiev, Svoboda)[2][3]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.21[2][3]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Tainted)[2][3]
Equatorial temperature42°C (Sauna-Tropical)[2][3]
Surface water81%[2][3]
Highest native lifeMammals,[2][3] 5%[1]
Landmasses3 (Novgorod, Gershtad, Lobopov)[2][3]
History and Culture
Population2,310,000,000 (3025),[1]
1,478,000,000 (3067),[2]
2,013,000,000 (3130)[3][48]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerEarl of Kessel
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderLegate David Schrock (3130)[3][48]
CapitalSverdlovsk[3][49]
HPG ClassB[1][2]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Sandra Sakes (3025)[1]

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

One of a number of worlds within the Federation of Skye well before the founding of the Lyran Commonwealth, Kessel was a world rich in minerals and metals and was already a manufacturing center of some significance when the Federation was incorporated into the Commonwealth in the early twenty-fourth century.[3]

Star League Era[edit]

At the height of the Star League Kessel was home to a wide range of industries related to mining, refining and manufacturing and while there were no factories producing DropShips or BattleMechs on Kessel it was still a highly productive world and one coveted by the nearby Draconis Combine.[3]

Succession Wars[edit]

During the Second Succession War Kessel was one of many planets devastated by the Draconis Combine's search and destroy missions.[17] The Draconis Combine captured Kessel during one of their unsuccessful attempts to capture Skye, and while Kessel's capture had been largely incidental the Combine defense of the world was vigorous enough to retain control of the planet for centuries. Even as the Commonwealth made repeated but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to capture worlds such as Kessel the Combine was busy exploiting the planet, removing or loosening the industrial standards that had been put in place on Kessel by the Federation of Skye or Isle of Skye and opening the planet up to more productive - and much more environmentally damaging - manufacturing and mining processes.[3]

Under Combine governance industries on Kessel turned to questionable practices in pursuit of increased production, practices that included chemical dumping and strip mining; these practices in turn attracted the attention of the Combine criminal class known as the yakuza, who soon spread to Kessel. Whilst industries on the planet were busy poisoning the biosphere the yakuza poisoned society, leading to rampant crime levels and the adoption of a culture where might made right and the only secure areas were those in which the nobility operated—the nobility being able to afford to put in place well-armed and equipped security. The atmosphere became somewhat toxic, with visitors to the planet being cautioned to use respirators when they were outside buildings or vehicles to protect them from contaminants in the air.[3]

As a part of the Combine Kessel became a prefecture capital, and a number of major corporations continued to operate on the planet despite the raids against it by the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. One major corporation attracted to the planet was Diverse Optics, manufacturing everything from military laser technology to home entertainment systems.[3]

In 3022, Kessel was subject to a raid from the Black Widow Company, under contract with the Lyran Commonwealth. At the time, the planet was defended by elements of Smithson's Chinese Bandits.[50]

By 3025, there was still a strong underground movement agitating for freedom from the Draconis Combine. The main underground force was the Kessel Freedom Fighters, who conducted hit-and-run attacks against military targets and the bureaucracy.[51]

War of 3039[edit]

Kessel was among the first worlds attacked as part of Operation WINTERSCHNEE during the War of 3039. The battle for the planet technically began before the official start of the war when, on 15 April, LCAF marines hidden aboard a Lyran transport succeeded in secretly capturing the system's zenith recharge facility Simla Station. The planet's inexperienced garrison force, the Twelfth Sun Zhang Cadre, was therefore given no warning on 16 April when the Second Donegal Guards, Fourth Skye Rangers and Eleventh Lyran Regulars arrived, under the overall command of the Second Donegal's Leutnant-General Caesar Steiner. Making a high-G approach and clashing only briefly with orbital defenses, the Lyrans achieved planetfall on 19 April and began seizing key strategic targets. Clearly out of their depth the Sun Zhang cadets nevertheless dedicated themselves to the defense of the capital Sverdlovsk. Unfortunately on the night of 20 April they allowed themselves to be lured from their fortifications by a feigned retreat by the Skye Rangers, and in the combat which followed lost nearly an entire battalion to the Rangers and Donegal Guards. The surviving cadets made an apparent retreat to their DropShips hidden in the poisonous terrain of the Novgorod continent, from which it seemed they escaped to a waiting JumpShip at a nearby pirate point. Clashes with local militia continued until 27 April, when General Steiner declared himself military governor until a new civilian bureaucracy could be instituted. The general was careful not to declare outright victory though, a fortuitous decision as low-level guerrilla activity continued into May and June.[52]

This activity significantly picked up on 12 July as the local yakuza clan, the Shiroi Tora led by Imasao Müeller, carried out orders from the ISF to start a campaign of bombings and attacks against the Lyran occupiers, killing over a hundred soldiers in just the first twenty-four hours. Simultaneously it was revealed that the Sun Zhang cadets had gone to ground instead of retreating—filling their DropShips with sufficient ballast to make it appear they were onboard when the ships blasted off—and began attacking Lyran positions, particularly at the Diverse Optics facility. Suddenly faced with a full-blown insurgency, General Steiner's plans for the occupation were foiled and he feared more surprises were to come.[53]

Jihad[edit]

The Word of Blake attempted to conquer Kessel in mid-May 3069 using a mixture of Blakist troops and hired mercenaries. In contrast to the other four worlds targeted by the Word of Blake during the two-week campaign, Kessel wasn't conquered, even though the Blakists resorted to using nuclear weapons;[54] in part, Kessel's ability to hold out was due to the arrival of a number of Draconis Combine WarShips who aided the defense of the planet. Although the Blakists were forced to withdraw, the neutron weapons used during their assault killed more than ten thousand civilians on Kessel[3][54] as the Blakists deliberately used the weapons on a number of large cities.[3]

In response to the recent raids and assaults on worlds within the Word of Blake Protectorate, the Blakists launched raiding parties against various worlds around the Protectorate border in early September 3076. Making use of weapons of mass destruction to worsen the damage inflicted, the raiding parties - few of which were larger than a single Level III struck at the worlds of Algorab, Alnasi, Amity, Bordon, Connaught, Hunan, Kessel, New Hessen, New Kyoto, Ronel, St. Andre, Styk, Tsitsang, and Wei. Of the worlds hit, the Capellan Confederation took the brunt of the fighting.[55][56]

Dark Age[edit]

Following the incorporation of Kessel into the Republic of the Sphere, Exarch Devlin Stone made an effort to improve the quality of life for those living on Kessel by implementing a system whereby the landhold grants given to those on Kessel were increased slightly in exchange for guarantees that those awarded such grants would work to improve life on Kessel. Over the course of the following five decades the first signs of an improvement against various environmental indicators were seen, although the air and water remained tainted.[3]

One of the companies attracted to Kessel under Republican rule was AtmoClean Enterprises, who established a prototype air purification plant on Gershtad, which was already home to the planet's largest spaceport. The only continent to still be home to regions of untamed wilderness by this point was Lobopov, although Lobopov was also home to a number of defunct strip-mining operations.[3]

The planet's HPG station is one of the few working inside the Republic of the Sphere in 3135.[57]

Military Deployment[edit]

3025[edit]

3038[edit]

  • Twelfth Sun Zhang Academy Cadre[62]

3040[edit]

  • Twelfth Sun Zhang Academy Cadre[62]

3050[edit]

  • Twelfth Sun Zhang Academy Cadre[63]

3059[edit]

3067[edit]

  • Fortieth Dieron Regulars[65]

3079[edit]

- The unit was deployed across Kessel and Alrakis. The Fifth was at 45% of full strength, with 70% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Figueroa City[67]
  • Kelgars Ridge[68]
  • Sverdlovsk: the planetary capital[3]
    • Plantagenet Theatre: active as of 3136[69]

Industrial Centers[edit]

Image gallery[edit]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 56 systems (56 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Alrakis 7.0 Konstance 14.5 Nai-Stohl 18.5 Kaus Australis 18.8
Dromini 19.2 Eltanin 19.2 Balkan 19.8 Kaus Media 21.2
La Blon 21.6 Komephoros 22.6 Vega 24.8 Sabik 26.6
Moore 27.2 Kaus Borealis 27.6 Kimball 27.7 New Wessex 29.7
Marfik 30.8 Atria 32.2 Ryde 33.2 Skondia 33.8
Baxter 34.2 Lone Star 34.4 Ascella 35.3 Unukalhai 36.0
Cebalrai 36.0 Gamma Sagittarius 36.0 Lambrecht 37.3 Kuzuu 40.0
Alphecca 40.1 Ko 40.1 Kannon 40.8 Alya 41.6
Alkalurops 44.8 Corridan 45.2 Nusakan 45.8 Lyons 46.1
Dyev 46.9 Yed Posterior 47.1 Chaville 47.8 Tsukude 48.8
Izar 48.8 Carnwath 50.0 Imbros 50.8 Phalan 51.1
Shionoha 51.2 Juniper 53.2 Zebebelgenubi 53.3 Skye 54.5
Eaglesham 54.8 Shitara 54.9 Alexandria 55.0 Pike 55.5
Freedom 56.5 Altais 56.7 Kochab 59.0 Rocky 59.1

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 189: "Kessel"
  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 Handbook: House Kurita, pp. 96–97: "Kessel"
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 17: "Kessel"
  4. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18
  5. 5.0 5.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13
  6. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25
  7. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 31
  8. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  9. Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  10. Field Manual: SLDF, p. xi: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  11. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  12. First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  13. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36
  14. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43
  15. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  16. First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  17. 17.0 17.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 64: "Jinjiro's last years"
  18. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53
  19. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40
  20. 20.0 20.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 74: "Is War the Natural State of Man?"
  21. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), foldout: "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  22. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64
  23. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), foldout: "Lyran Commonwealth Map - [3025]"
  24. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47
  25. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66
  26. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56
  27. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68
  28. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56
  29. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  30. Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  31. Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  32. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61
  33. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71
  34. Era Report: 3062, p. 11
  35. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  36. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74
  37. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70
  38. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43
  39. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 65
  40. Field Report: DCMS, p. 21
  41. Field Report: LAAF, p. 19
  42. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  43. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127
  44. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  45. Era Report: 3145, p. 39
  46. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  47. Shattered Fortress, pp. 102–103
  48. 48.0 48.1 Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 6: "Prefecture I"
  49. Historical: War of 3039, p. 30
  50. Tales of the Black Widow Company, pp. 14–15
  51. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 187: "Kessel"
  52. Historical: War of 3039, p. 30
  53. Historical: War of 3039, pp. 74–75
  54. 54.0 54.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 47: "The Jihad In Review"
  55. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 22: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  56. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 56: "The Jihad In Review"
  57. Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 4: "Functional Republic HPGs as of 01 January 3135"
  58. Field Report 2765: LCAF, pp. 18–19: "Skye Rangers" - Regimental Status
  59. 59.0 59.1 First Succession War, p. 139: "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"
  60. Second Succession War, p. 100: "Second Succession War Deployment Table - Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces"
  61. 61.0 61.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 133: "Unit Deployment Table"
  62. 62.0 62.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 139: "Deployment Table"
  63. 20 Year Update, p. 40: "Draconis Combine Deployment Table"
  64. 64.0 64.1 Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 132: "Draconis Combine Deployment Table"
  65. Field Manual: Updates, p. 117: "Draconis Combine Deployment Table"
  66. Field Report: DCMS, p. 14: "Sun Zhang Regimental Status"
  67. Dark Age: 3136 Levin's List, p. 8: "19 July 3136"
  68. Tales of the Black Widow Company, p. 14
  69. Dark Age: LinkNet Articles (3136), p. 52: "Review of Requiem for 3 Planets, Coyote Bay Collective"
  70. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 163: "Lushann Industrials Limited"

Bibliography[edit]