Apollo (system)

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(References to Apollo)

Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to Terra at (0, 0)

Apollo
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-129.45:435.51[e]


Owner History

Planetary Info

Notable Landmarks

Double Fortress of Stefan Amaris - This pair of Republican-built Fortresses was patterned after the construction methods used to build the Castles Brian of the Star League. Stefan Amaris ordered their construction prior to his Amaris Coup. They have survived through the centuries from the Succession Wars and well on past the later Clan Invasion.[31]

Planetary History

Early History

Apollo was settled on September 8th 2250 and was the former capital world of the Rim Worlds Republic. It was conquered by the Lyran Commonwealth during the 2773-2775 Republic-Commonwealth war.[8]

Reunification War

Efrimal Long

Events on Apollo in the early 2570s became the flashpoint for the Rim Worlds Republic Civil War. The primary instigators of the conflict were the First Consul of the Republic, Gregory Amaris, and an organization known as the Rift Republican Army, formerly an operational military formation but by this point a society similar to a veteran's association through which like-minded individuals could socialize. While the RRA hadn't previously been known to be particularly political or militant in its outlook, in 2573 members of a militant fringe of the RRA whipped the citizens of the city of Eleazor into a frenzy over taxation imposed by Amaris. The result was a riot severe enough that it saw the Eighth Amaris Dragoons deployed to disperse the rioters. While the Eighth was occupied by the rioters, several hundred people in RRA uniforms stormed the Eighth's headquarters at the Efrimal Long barracks, which was co-located alongside a high-security prison within which Amaris had imprisoned dissidents against his regime.[32]

The RRA force quickly captured the headquarters, executing captured personnel including the regimental command staff, and the RRA commander, Colonel Janissa DeCoe, used the Eighth's communications equipment to broadcast their own demands for foreign troops on Republic soil to be withdrawn, for the sovreignty of the Republic to be accepted, and for Amaris to cease imprisoning his political opponents. The RRA then jammed communications planetwide as Amaris reacted in a typically brutal fashion; the Fifth Amaris Fusiliers and the Republican Guards - the latter a part of Amaris' own household troops - were ordered into the city to suppress the RRA forces. The Fusiliers and the Guards expected a quick victory, as both were favoured units well-equipped with BattleMechs; instead, the two units faced stiff resistence from RRA personnel proficient in anti-'Mech tactics who quickly crippled a number of 'Mechs. The resulting setback drove a furious Amaris to order that the Efrimal Long site be bombarded by both artillery and air strikes, flattening the site and killing a third of the RRA personnel; yet more members of the RRA died as they came into contact with the loyalist units encircling the site, and in the wake of the battle Amaris imposed the Universal Act of Loyalty on the Republic, forcing citizens to either swear loyalty to the Amaris family and through them, the Star League.[32]

Civil War

With military action on the part of the Star League against the various Periphery nations looking increasingly likely, Gregory Amaris was able to present the Universal Act of Loyalty to the public as a needed mitigation to continue the Republic's independence; while that was effective for a time, Amaris subsequently followed it with the Manchester Directive in 2575, which outlawed the RRA. This, combined with the various high-handed tax measures and property seizures Amaris had enacted to implement an economic plan intended to elevate the Republic into the position of being a serious competitor to the various Great Houses, was enough to push the Repubic towards civil war. Despite the actions of radicals at Efrimal Long in 2573, the vast majority of the RRA were ex-servicemen, and membership of the RRA was widely considered to be an honor. The declaration that the RRA was an illegal body alienated large segments of the population, and Amaris' use of troops to seize RRA members, suppress RRA groups and seize the property owned by them further inflamed the situation.[33]

Things then became worse still as Amaris continued to favor outside industries and workers over those native to the Republic; on the 23rd of April 2575, the situation became so bad that workers at the Diplass Technologies BattleMech plant on Apollo went on strike, demanding legal reforms to protect the rights and wages of Republican workers ahead of foreigners, directly citing those technical and management staff brought into the plant from outside the Republic.[34]

Amaris' reaction was swift; declaring the strike to be the act of traitors and insurgents at a vital military-industrial facility, he ordered the Fourth Amaris Dragoons to seize the facility immediately. Either the Fourth or Amaris underestimated the strikers, because the small detachment from the Fourth was quickly overwhelmed; worse than that, ordering the military to use force against unarmed workers played directly into the hands of the RRA, who were more than willing to enter into a conflict with Amaris. RRA workers at Diplass declared that Amaris' actions showed he had lost the moral authority to rule, claimed that the government was corrupt, and announced that they would be forming a new government of the people known as the Rim Provisional Government (RPG).[34]

True to past behaviour, Amaris responded by ordering the military into action, dispatching the Seventh Amaris Legionnaires to seize the plant and announcing martial law across Apollo. In this, Amaris had miscalculated for a second time; anticipating a swift military assault that would quickly crush the incipient rebellion, Amaris was unprepared for the Seventh Legionnaires instead siding with the workers, with the Commanding Officer of the regiment, Colonel Catherine Dormax, declaring their support for the RPG. Amaris tried to compensate by ordering the Eighth Amaris Fusiliers to subdue the Legionnaires, only to have the Fusiliers in turn declare their support for the RRA and RPG.[34]

With the unpleasant realisation that fully half of the Rim Worlds Army forces on Apollo had sided with the RPG and with the Fourth Dragoons loyalties unclear, Amaris felt he had no choice but to retreat to his island estates under the protection of the Republican Guard, his personal troops who could be counted on to be loyal to him. Amaris fled, cedeing control of the capital and the spaceport to the RPG, while dispatching a courier to Terra requesting support from the SLDF; he would continue to issue directives and orders, but with the Provisional Government in control of both the capital city and spaceport, Amaris' actual direct influence and control extended little further than the waters around his estate.[34]

While Amaris' courier managed to leave for Terra before RPG forces could seize the spaceport, news of the formation of the RPG was a massive shock to the Republic; as the news rippled out from Apollo, the population of other planets within the Republic - and the local government - as well as the military began to split along partisan lines. Some chose to remain loyal to Amaris as First Consul, others sided with the RPG, some planets declared their independence and some military units fractured internally with soldiers supporting different sides. That the factions would come into conflict was never in question, and by July 2575 a de facto civil war was being waged within the Republic.[34]

Camp Cameron

Since 2573 there had been a small Star League Defense Force presence on Apollo. Located in Camp Cameron in the Rhodes Province, the detachment consisted of some forty MechWarriors and their equipment, and in 2575 the detachment was headed commanded by Major Bruce Langmuir. The detachment included a number of other personnel such as SLDF engineers and represented the largest single 'Mech force on the planet at the time, and Camp Cameron was a fortified base well-stocked with supplies. The SLDF cadre had been making good progress at building a positive relationship with the local community, but when the Civil War erupted Camp Cameron found itself suddenly surrounded by hostile natives. Agitators within the RRA had been at work, and while not directly advocating violence against the SLDF, these agitators had been encouraging people to take a stand against those they considered invaders. The SLDF quickly noticed a cooling in the attitudes of locals who had previously been friendly, but wasn't prepared for outright hostility; however, the fortifications at Camp Cameron were such that the rebel forces were unwilling to attack, even with the population generally on their side.[34]

The result was a siege, where the rebels attempted to starve the SLDF garrison out; initially, water was expected to be the biggest problem for the SLDF cadre, but the engineers attached to the cadre solved the problem by drilling wells to tap into the local water table. Major Langmuir knew that Amaris had sent word to Terra, and that he could expect assistance if his forces held out long enough; while the RRA had the advantage of numbers, the SLDF had supplies, a qualitative technological advantage and a far greater sense of discipline. The RRA and the SLDF both began looking for weaknesses in their opponents that could be exploited, with the RRA repeatedly shelling the compound only to be hit in turn with devastating counter-battery fire from the SLDF troops. The stalemate would continue for almost three years as each tried to gain the upper hand.[34]

The siege was finally broken in April 2578, when RRA commandos used a heavy storm as cover to infiltrate Camp Cameron. The storms were a common occurence on Rhodes, and having infiltrated the compound the commandos were able to cripple the sensor net that was a part of the SLDF security measures. The SLDF began repairs on the sensor net, but while they were working Major Langmuir was assassinated and the RRA launched another attack. Suddenly bereft of leadership and blind, the SLDF cadre was unable to resist the RRA, who overran the camp. Katherine Dormax, as commander of the RRA forces, declared that prisoners should be considered prisoners of war, but the SLDF survivors - twenty-eight MechWarriors in total - were instead executed by RRA extremists, who then went on to mutilate the bodies. Dormax couldn't sanction such an act of brutality within her forces, even though she was a determined supporter of the RPG, and the extremists' actions divided the RPG against itself. The massacre also proved the deciding factor that prompted First Lord Ian Cameron and the SLDF Commanding General to accept that they finally had to act on the civil war, prompting the beginning of Operation MAILED FIST - the SLDF intervention in the Republic Civil War.[34]

Operation MAILED FIST

In 2579 the SLDF assembled Task Force MAILED FIST to help secure Amaris' control over the Rim Worlds Republic. A multinational force headed by the Star League Defense Force, Task Force MAILED FIST was responsible for executing Operation MAILED FIST. The first wave of attacks focused on securing significant worlds near Apollo[35] until a destructive raid on Alarion by the Fourth Amaris Fusiliers in retaliation prompted the SLDF to alter its initial strategy for the campaign, at which point the focus shifted to reducing Rim Worlds Army concentrations throughout the Republic and the capture of key worlds.[36]

In late 2584 the SLDF changed tactics again; a number of major RWA units had been destroyed or captured, and the focus for the campaign shifted to capturing worlds of strategic importance, but the campaign was slowed by the greatly increased resistance offered by the RWA and local civilian populations, prompted by atrocities performed by the Draconis Auxiliary Corps when they captured Nightwish in mid-2584.[37]

Progress for Task Force MAILED FIST continued to slow following the withdrawal of the Draconis Auxiliary Corps in 2592 by the District Warlords of the Draconis Combine in response the debauched and incoherent rule of Leonard Kurita[38] and the Day of Rage on Barcelona that saw an enraged Archon Viola Steiner-Dinesen attack forces under her own command in response to rumors around the abduction of her son and heir, Kevin Dinesen.[39] Missing all of the Draconis Auxiliary Corps and all of the Lyran Auxiliary Corps save for the Fourth Royal Guards, it took Task Force MAILED FIST until mid-2595 to pacify the bulk of the Rim Worlds Republic, neutralize the bulk of the Rim Worlds Army and secure the approach routes to Apollo. It would be 2596 before units from Task Force MAILED FIST actually began landing on Apollo.[40]

General Nathan Isaacson planned the operation to secure Apollo; Isaacson took command of the naval elements of the operation, while operational command of the ground operation was passed to Archon Steiner-Dinesen, who lead the landings and the assault on Terra Prime, whilst Duke Narinder Selaj, commander of the 2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps, was made her second in command and given responsibility for the military strike to secure the island estates within which Gregory Amaris had sheltered for the better part of twenty years.[40]

The Archon's force made slow progress in their assault, landing on the 21st of March 2596, having to deal with conducting an assault in the midst of the monsoon season against the combined forces of the Seventh Amaris Legionnaires and Eighth Amaris Dragoons bolstered by well-prepared defenses that included bunker complexes and gun emplacements. The weather heavily favoured the outnumbered defenders, while the various battles turned the ground outside the city into a quagmire, bogging down the SLDF units and sapping morale. The weather also prevented the SLDF from making use of AeroSpace forces much of the time, and it was only with the addition of those forces commanded by Duke Selaj that real progress began to be made.[40]

Duke Selaj had managed to easily defeat the forces besieging the Amaris' estates, only to find Amaris himself to be unpleasant, hostile, and thoroughly ungrateful for his rescue; Amaris regarded Selaj as a provincial minor lordling from the Free Worlds League, despite the far greater wealth and and population of the Principality of Regulus, and bitterly resented the time taken to rescue him and the poor conditions he considered himself to have lived in... conditions far more opulent than most of his citizens or the soldiers of the Task Force had endured. Despite the difficulties in dealing with Amaris, Duke Selaj was able to send his troops and liberated Amaris loyalists to join the forces outside Terra Prime.[40]

On the 24th of March the Archon initiated a plan to draw the RRA defenders out; making sure that she was highly visible, she led the Fourth Royal Guards on a sweep around the city, in the hope that she would prove a signficant enough target to tempt the defenders into an attack. The plan was that when the RRA attacked, the Free Worlds, Amaris Loyalist and SLDF units nearby would arrive to reinforce the Fourth, trapping the defenders in a three-jawed trap. The Seventh Legionnaires and Eighth Fusiliers responded as hoped, moving out to attack the Archon's forces, but a communications glitch meant that the other units didn't receive the signal to spring into action, leaving the Fourth in locked combat with both rebel units.[40]

SLDF units did eventually arrive and drove off the rebel forces, but by that point the Fourth Royal Guards had been mauled; the Archon's 'Mech was one of those destroyed in the fighting, and while the Archon survived the battle, she had suffered mortal injuries and was swiftly repatriated to Tharkad, where she died on the 28th of April.[40]

General Isaacson wasn't entirely surprised to learn of the Archon's injuries; he perceived the Archon's behaviour since the Day of Rage on Barcelona to have been reckless to the point of nihilism, and her actions had given him cause for concern. With the Archon no longer able to command the ground forces, General Isaacson took direct command of the ground forces for the remainder of the operation. Gregory Amaris remained true to his nature, demanding that Isaacson end the conflict by bombing the RPG forces into submission; Isaacson refused, and conducted a more cautious campaign, intended to reduce the loss of life on both parts as much as possible. Isaacson's strategy was proven effective, and the siege of Terra Prime finally ended on the 3rd of September when the RPG surrendered, ending the civil war.[40]

Clan Invasion of 3050

During the Clan Invasion of Inner Sphere, Apollo was targeted by Clan Jade Falcon with keen interest during the Second Wave. This was due to its former status as capital of the old Rim World Republic, and thus its conquest would mark the beginning of rebuilding the Star League to the Falcons. The invasion began in May of 3050, when Turkina Keshik arrived with Gamma Galaxy in escort. The planet was defended by the 2nd Regiment of the Grave Walkers and the Apollo Militia.[41]

Initial landings on the planet were hampered by the bad weather of the monsoon season. The Grave Walkers and Militia Troops put up a heavy resistance to the Falcon's invasion, but ultimately had to fall back to the planet's ancient fortifications. Built by Stefan Amaris himself, they were modeled after the Star League's Castle Brian fortresses. Several Stars of Elemental Battle Armor managed to overrun one of the forts by using ancient plans found in their Star League-era files of Apollo to discover secret entrances. However the second fort could not be overcome the same way and the 2nd Grave Walkers' resistance to the Falcon's efforts was incredibly frustrating. In response, Khans Timur Maltus & Elias Crichell ordered the 305th Assault Cluster to re-configure their OmniMechs to fire Arrow IV Homing Missiles into the remaining fortification. Using the homing-rounds had the added benefit of keeping the Falcon's bombardment from destroying villages that were next to the Walker's position. The bombardment finally opened up a number of spots in the fort's defenses to allow Falcon 'Mechs and Elementals entry. Shortly after the Grave Walkers surrendered, ending the battle for Apollo.[41]

Clan Ice Hellion Invasion

In July 3071, Clan Ice Hellion invaded Clan Jade Falcon's Occupational Zone. Apollo was invaded by elements of the Hellion's Beta Galaxy in September. Hellion's WarShip CIH Cold Hunter is damaged in course of the battle in orbit with Jade Falcon WarShips CJF Blue Talon & Falcon's Nest.[21] In November, the Ice Hellion forces were forced to withdraw from Apollo, as elements of Clan Hell's Horses forces took the planet for their Clan.[22][23]

Manufacturing Centers

Planetary Garrison

2573

2581

3028

  • Second Grave Walkers[45]

3038

  • Second Grave Walkers[46]

3040

  • Second Grave Walkers[46]

3050

  • Second Grave Walkers[47]

3079

3085

3145

Planetary Locations

Nearby Systems

Planets within 2 jumps (60 light-years)
Closest planets first:
Planet Distance (LY) Jumps 2750 3025 3030 3040 3052 3057 3062 3067
Bensinger 12.28 1 RWR LC LC FC CJF CSV CJF CJF
Toland 13.86 1 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Here 24.33 1 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Steelton 26.06 1 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Wotan 27.42 1 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Somerset 31.00 2 RWR LC LC FC FC LA LA CJF
Winfield 32.77 2 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Persistence 35.28 2 RWR LC LC FC CJF CSV CJF CJF
Derf 38.10 2 LC LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Anywhere 38.25 2 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Lackhove 38.90 2 RWR P P P CJF CJF CJF CJF
Butte Hold 41.87 2 N P P P CW CW CW CW
Golandrinas 44.28 2 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Oberon VI 45.07 2 RWR P P P CW CW CW CW
Star's End 46.68 2 RWR P P P CW CW CW CW
Trell I 48.49 2 LC LC LC FC CJF CSV CJF CJF
Icar 50.07 2 RWR LC LC FC CW CW CW CW
Sigurd 54.26 2 RWR P P P CW CW CW CW
Last Chance 54.47 2 RWR P P P CJF CJF CJF CJF
Maxie's Planet 54.66 2 LC LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Beta VII 54.83 2 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Bone-Norman 56.84 2 LC LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Malibu 57.28 2 RWR LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Butler 57.74 2 LC LC LC FC CJF CJF CJF CJF
Erewhon 58.45 2 RWR P P P CJF CJF CJF CJF

References

  1. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 18, "Rim Worlds Republic after Age of War [2571]"
  2. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25, "Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War [2571]"
  3. Historical: Reunification War, p. 158, "Inner Sphere Map [2596]"
  4. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 25, "Rim Worlds Republic At the Fall of the Star League [2750]"
  5. Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - 2750"
  6. Field Manual: SLDF,Map: Inner Sphere 2764
  7. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, Map: Inner Sphere 2765
  8. 8.0 8.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 37, "The Republic-Commonwealth War"
  9. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36, "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822]"
  10. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40, "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2822]"
  11. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47, "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025]"
  12. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56, "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030]"
  13. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59, "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 39 [3040]"
  14. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133, "Inner Sphere - 3040"
  15. Era Report: 3052, p. 10, "Inner Sphere Map [3050]"
  16. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61, "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052]"
  17. Era Report: 3052, p. 22, "Inner Sphere Map [3052]"
  18. Era Report: 3062, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map [3057]"
  19. Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere Map [3063]"
  20. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70, "Lyran Commonwealth after FedCom Civil War [3067]"
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 29, "Apollo exchanges hands during the fighting in Ice Hellion invasion".
  22. 22.0 22.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 20, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  23. 23.0 23.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 50, "The Jihad In Review"
  24. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64, "Inner Sphere [3075]"
  25. Field Report: Clans, p. 25, "Clan Hell's Horses Deployment Map"
  26. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 62, "Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]"
  27. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii, "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"
  28. Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  29. Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map - [3135]"
  30. Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere Map - [3145]"
  31. Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 27, "Second Wave: The Falcon Strikes" - Rim Worlds Republican built Fortresses targeted by Jade Falcons in their invasion of Apollo in 3050. These fortress were un-named.
  32. 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 Historical: Reunification War, p. 127, "Descent Into Madness (2571-2580)"
  33. Historical: Reunification War, p. 130, "The Manchester Directive"
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 34.5 34.6 34.7 Historical: Reunification War, p. 130-131, "The Spark"
  35. Historical: Reunification War, p. 132, "Case Apollo"
  36. Historical: Reunification War, p. 133, "Island Hopping (2582 - November 2590)"
  37. Historical: Reunification War, p. 134, "Arlina to Viborg (December 2584 - September 2588)"
  38. Historical: Reunification War, p. 138, "Leonard the Debauched"
  39. Historical: Reunification War, p. 137, "Barcelona: The Day of Rage (19 June 2591)"
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 40.5 40.6 Historical: Reunification War, p. 139, "Bitter Harvests (2591-2596)"
  41. 41.0 41.1 Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 27, 38, "Details of Jade Falcon's invasion of Apollo in 3050".
  42. Historical: Reunification War, p. 205-6, "Hipparch Cavalry Tank"
  43. Technical Readout: 3039, "Vulcan Aerospace Fighter Profile"
  44. 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 Historical: Reunifcation War, p. 128, "Reunification War: Rim Worlds Republic Front Deployments (2581)"
  45. 45.0 45.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p.45, "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"
  46. 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 Historical: War of 3039, p. 140, "Deployment Table"
  47. 47.0 47.1 20 Year Update, p. 25, "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  48. Field Report: Clans, p. 13, "Clan Hell's Horses Deployment Status"
  49. Field Manual: 3085, p. 125, "Deployment Table - 3085"
  50. Field Manual: 3145, p. 168, "Omega Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)"
  51. Field Report 2765: Periphery, p. 8, "Academies and Command Centers"

Bibliography