Somerset

Somerset
Somerset 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-159.482 : 425.693[e]
Spectral classK5V[1]
Recharge time196 hours[1][2]
Recharge station(s)None[1]
Planet(s)1[citation needed]

The Somerset system is the location of one habitable world, Somerset I, and as of 3145 was located in the Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone.[3][4]

System Description[edit]

Somerset is located near the Anywhere and Lackhove systems.[3][4] It was described as a small orange-red K5 (specifically, K5V[1]) star with a single world orbiting around it.[5]

System History[edit]

The Somerset system was colonized in the late 2300s by refugees fleeing conflicts in the Stewart Confederacy and Protectorate of Donegal.[5]

Political Affiliation[edit]


Somerset I[edit]

Somerset I
Astrophysical
System positionFirst[1]
Jump Point distance4.12 days[1]
Moons2 (Bull, Hind)[1]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.08[1]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1]
Equatorial temperature34°C (Temperate)[1]
Surface water70%[1]
Highest native lifeMammals[1]
Landmasses6 (Bridgewater, Bristol, Cheddar, Bath, Wells, Yeovil)[1]
History and Culture
Population750 (2380),[5]
1,000,000 (3050),[43]
238,000,000 (3079)[1]
Government and Infrastructure
CapitalTaunton[1]
HPG RepresentativeA[1]

Somerset I, more commonly known simply as Somerset, is the innermost planet in the system and has two moons named Bull and Hind. Somerset has been home to a small military academy during its history.[1]

Planetary History[edit]

Early History[edit]

Somerset was settled in the late 2370s by refugees of Scots-Irish descent, who had been forced to flee their original colony worlds three times; leaving the war between the Stewart Confederacy and the Free Worlds League behind to settle on York and Lancaster in 2305, the settlers were threatened with invasion or annexation by the Protectorate of Donegal in 2346 and chose to leave both worlds behind. The settlers colonized the world of Loxley, further out towards the Periphery than either York or Lancaster, only to be discovered by the Lyran Commonwealth in 2378 and attacked when they refused to join the forces of Archon Robert Marsden. Only one in ten of the colonists escaped Loxley, a bare 1,500 people, and by the time discovered the single world orbiting an orange-red K5 star they named Somerset, half of those 1,500 people were dead of starvation or sickness.[5]

Rim Worlds Republic[edit]

When First Consul Gregory Amaris implemented his Universal Act of Loyalty requiring all of the citizens of the Rim Worlds Republic to swear loyalty to the Amaris family and, through the Amaris family, the Star League, there was considerable unrest. The fact that those who objected had their civil rights suspended and their property confiscated fanned the flames of protest, and among the most notable dissenters was the population of Somerset. Amaris responded by having the Somerset system interdicted by a naval blockade in 2574 and starved into submission.[44]

Gregory Amaris had appealed to the Star League for support when civil war erupted in the Rim Worlds Republic in 2575. The Rift Republican Army subverted half of the military forces on Apollo and formed a new government, the Rim Provisional Government. The Star League eventually decided to intervene on his behalf and assembled Task Force MAILED FIST, a multinational force headed by the Star League Defense Force, but atrocities such as the one performed by the Draconis Auxiliary Corps when they captured Nightwish in mid-2584 resulted in the Rim Worlders putting aside their differences to focus on the common enemy.[45]

General Nathan Isaacson assigned the Seventeenth Royal Division, one of three divisions within the SLDF VI Corps, to the conquest of Somerset in 2588. Afterward, the Seventeenth remained on Somerset until they were redeployed to the Wotan system in 2591.[46]

Star League Era[edit]

Somerset was conquered by the Lyran Commonwealth during the 2773–2775 Republic-Commonwealth War.[16]

In August 2785, disguised forces from the DCMS conducted a number of false-flag raids on Lyran Commonwealth worlds near the Periphery to gauge the readiness—and worthiness—of the LCAF. One of these raids struck Barcelona and Somerset, where raiders used aerospace forces—some allegedly sporting insignia from the Rim Worlds Army to harass civilian traffic and recharge facilities. This fueled local media reports that remnant Republic forces were preparing to exact vengeance for the Republic-Commonwealth War.[47]

Little Kingdom of Somerset[edit]

During the First Succession War, Archon Richard Steiner had set up a number of Small Kingdoms inside the Commonwealth. One of them was Little Kingdom of Somerset, which was one of the last ten kingdoms to remain by end of the Third Succession War. During this time Gregory Uther, Archonette of the Somerset Little Kingdom, attempted to assassinate returning Duke of Somerset. However, this plot was uncovered and Uther was himself killed by LIC agents on orders from the Archon.[48]

Prior to the start of the Third Succession War, the descendants of Simon Borge-Steiner settled on Somerset.[49]

Clan Invasion[edit]

In May 3050, Somerset was targeted by Clan Jade Falcon during the second wave of conquests in Operation REVIVAL. The spaceport was initially defended by the Somerset Academy Training Battalion which was utterly annihilated by Vau Galaxy's Ninety-fourth Strike Cluster. Surviving FedCom troops that had retreated to the planet, which included the Eighth Arcturan Guards Regimental Combat Team and the Second New Ivaarsen Chasseurs, counterattacked. The FedCom troops and the Falcons fought a 12-hour battle outside the town of Hollyfield. In the end, both FedCom formations were wiped out, leaving the Ninety-fourth the victors.[27]

Somerset was also the site of the second victory of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth over Clan forces.[49] Though forced to leave the world, the information gained by this strike proved invaluable for later strikes against Barcelona and other systems held by the Jade Falcons.[50]

The First Somerset Strikers holovid claimed that the world was depopulated during the Clan invasion, with every inhabitant sent to the Clan Homeworlds. In reality, the Jade Falcons largely ignored the world for twenty years, only reopening the Military Academy as a training facility for their warriors in the later years of the Jihad.[1]

Ice Hellion Invasion[edit]

During June 3071, as part of the wider Ice Hellion invasion, Somerset was invaded by forces from Clan Ice Hellion. The Ice Hellions dispatched a Cluster of troops to claim the world, and resulting Trial of Possession between an Ice Hellion Binary commanded by Star Commander Julius and the defending 452nd Garrison Binary commanded by Star Captain Greta Hazen was fought on the Grady Plateau on the 13th of June 3071.[51] A month after losing the planet, Clan Jade Falcon dispatched its Gamma Galaxy to the world. During the fighting in July, a heavy naval battle between Clan WarShips occurred in which both Clans lost a ship; the Jade Falcons lost the Vincent-class CJF Lightning Strike and the Ice Hellions lost the Aegis-class CIH Taney. Gamma Galaxy's efforts resulted in the Falcons reclaiming Somerset.[34][35][36]

Military Deployment[edit]

Geography[edit]

Somerset has six continents named Bridgewater, Bristol, Cheddar, Bath, Wells, and Yeovil.[1]

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 the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries High Reward Quest "X Marks the Spot," Somerset is depicted as an arid canyon biome with restricted visibility.[57]

Apocryphal Content Ends

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • Haskell: a farming town[58]
  • Hollyfield: a town located close to the main planetary spaceport[59]
  • Military Academy of Somerset: a small war college dedicated to training Lyran MechWarriors and aerospace fighter pilots[60][53]
  • Somerport: site of the Military Academy of Somerset on Wells[1]
  • Somerset Space Port: Located outside the town of Hollyfield, this is the planet's main spaceport for the planet. The port was the site of Clan Jade Falcon's trial of possession against FedCom troops that had retreated to the planet.[59]
  • Taunton: the planetary capital city, located on Bath[1]

Notes[edit]

  • The Periphery indicates that refugees were forced to leave Loxley in 2378 and discovered Somerset in 2376. Given that it's impossible for them to have traveled back in time to discover Somerset, and that Robert Marsden became Archon in 2378, the 2376 date would appear to be incorrect.
    As as sourcebook, The Periphery is known for numerous errors and inaccuracies, and the current line developer stance is to consider it "secondary" to other canon sources that offer conflicting information.[5]
  • Although Somerset was settled by colonists of Irish/Scottish descent, Somerset is a country in the West Country region of England close to Wales. The continents on Somerset are all named for villages, towns and cities within the confines of the county of Somerset.

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 28 systems (28 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Anywhere 12.9 Lackhove 19.7 Here 21.3 Wotan 24.5
Golandrinas 25.3 Renren 25.8 Bone-Norman 25.9 Apollo 30.6
Erewhon 33.2 Bensinger 36.1 Black Earth 38.3 Beta 41.6
Zertarum 42.0 Derf 42.2 Toland 44.1 Götterdämmerung 44.7
Barcelona 47.5 Illium 49.8 Malibu 49.9 Last Chance 51.4
Treeline 52.0 New Ålborg 52.0 Biegga 52.9 Steelton 53.8
Persistence 56.6 Hot Springs 59.0 Blackstone 59.6 Trell 59.8

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 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 Objectives: The Clans, p. 15: "Somerset"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tamar Rising, poster map
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Era Report: 3145, p. 39
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 The Periphery, p. 16
  6. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 18
  7. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25
  8. Historical: Reunification War, p. 158
  9. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 25
  10. Era Report: 2750, p. 36
  11. Field Manual: SLDF, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 10
  13. Field Report 2765: Periphery, p. 38
  14. Field Report 2765: LCAF, p. 25
  15. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 104
  16. 16.0 16.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 37: "The Republic-Commonwealth War"
  17. First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  18. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36
  19. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  20. First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  21. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40
  22. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. vii: "Lyran Commonwealth Map - [3025]"
  23. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47
  24. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56
  25. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59
  26. Historical: War of 3039, p. 132
  27. 27.0 27.1 Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 39: Somerset - May 3050, Jade Falcons conquest of Somerset
  28. Era Report: 3052, p. 22
  29. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61
  30. Objective Raids, p. 31
  31. Era Report: 3062, p. 28
  32. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70
  33. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, pp. 29, 31: Brief details on fight in June-July for Somerset, Post-Ice Hellion Invasion map shows world still a Jade Falcon world
  35. 35.0 35.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 16: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  36. 36.0 36.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 49: "The Jihad In Review"
  37. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64
  38. Field Report: Clans, p. 26
  39. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 62
  40. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  41. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  42. Shattered Fortress, pp. 102–103
  43. 1st Somerset Strikers, p. 47: "Intelligence Secretariat Internal Memo No. 7688 - G
  44. Historical: Reunification War, p. 127: "Efrimal Long"
  45. Historical: Reunification War, p. 134
  46. 46.0 46.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 153: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (2588-2596)"
  47. First Succession War, p. 21: "The Commonwealth Incursions"
  48. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 55: The Little Kingdoms - Somerset Little Kingdom gets a brief description
  49. 49.0 49.1 Era Report: 3052, p. 12: "Of Myths and Reality" sidebar
  50. Era Report: 3052, pp. 13–14
  51. 51.0 51.1 Operation ICE STORM Part One: The Frost Advances, pp. 4–7: "Prologue"
  52. First Succession War, p. 139: "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"
  53. 53.0 53.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 138: "Deployment Table"
  54. 20 Year Update, p. 25: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  55. Field Report: Clans, p. 15: "Clan Jade Falcon Deployment Status"
  56. Field Manual: 3085, p. 126: "Deployment Table - 3085"
  57. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, "X Marks the Spot"
  58. 1st Somerset Strikers, p. 53: Katiara Kylie profile
  59. 59.0 59.1 Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 39: Somerset Space Port site of Falcons' battle to take the planet
  60. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 124: "Military Academy of Somerset"

Bibliography[edit]