Black Earth
Sarna News
(References to Black Earth)
Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to Terra at (0, 0)
X: -180.26 Y: 396.46[e]
Contents
Garrisoning Military Force
2581-2583
- Lyran Auxiliary Corps (from September 2581)[1]
3054
3059
3067-3068
Owner History
- 2349 - Rim Worlds Republic [7]
- 2571 - Rim Worlds Republic [8][9]
- 2596 - Rim Worlds Republic[10]
- 2750 - Rim Worlds Republic [11]
- 2775 - Lyran Commonwealth [12]
- 2822 - Lyran Commonwealth [13]
- 2864 - Lyran Commonwealth [14]
- 3025 - Lyran Commonwealth [15]
- 3030 - Lyran Commonwealth [16]
- 3040 - Federated Commonwealth [17]
- 3052 - Clan Jade Falcon [18]
- 3054 - Clan Jade Falcon [2]
- 3059 - Clan Jade Falcon [3]
- 3062 - Clan Jade Falcon
- 3067 - Lyran Alliance [4][19]
- 3069 - Clan Jade Falcon (from February)[20]
- 3130 - Clan Jade Falcon [21]
Overview
Founding
Black Earth was one of four worlds acquired by the Rim Worlds Republic between 2347 and 2371 as an attempt by Arabella Rowe to expand the capabilities of the Republic armed forces; Black Earth was intended to be a "hedgehog", a giant fortified firebase that Republican forces could use to slow the advance of any invading force.[7]
Rim Worlds Republic Civil War
With the Rim Worlds Republic in a state of civil war from 2575 even as the Reunification War was raging in the other major Periphery states, the Star League eventually found itself forced into deploying forces to secure the Republic and restore the rule of Consul Gregory Amaris. The military operation to secure the Rim Worlds was named Operation MAILED FIST and was expected to be a short campaign; combat operations began in mid-2581, and Black Earth was both the fourth Republic world to be targeted by the Star League Defense Force and the first world targeted that lacked a front-line Republican force as garrison.[22]
While Operation MAILED FIST was a Star League operation, the forces committed to secure Black Earth in September 2581 were all drawn from the Lyran Auxiliary Corps headed up by Archon Viola Steiner. With Black Earth lacking regular army forces it was believed that the planet would be only lightly defended, but the landings by the Fourth Royal Guards Regiment, Twenty-Fifth Skye Rangers and the Tamar Tigers met stiff resistance from Republican AeroSpace Fighters with the Rangers taking heavy damage before making groundfall, although the losses taken weren't sufficient to prevent the conquest of Black Earth.[22]
Star League Era
Black Earth was a part of the Apollo Province of the Rim Worlds Republic and was conquered by the Lyran Commonwealth during the 2773-2775 Republic-Commonwealth war.[12]
The Jihad
In late January 3069 Black Earth was captured for a second time by Clan Jade Falcon.[20] Both regiments of the Blue Star Irregulars were shattered on the ground during the Jade Falcon assault; the survivors attempted to retreat from Black Earth along with a flotilla of civilian refugees, only to be attacked again in space by Jade Falcon forces. The Falcons attacked with a Congress-class frigate and a Vincent-class corvette[5][6] - subsequently identified as the CJF Lightning Strike[6] - destroying JumpShips and DropShips as the Fredasa-class WarShip operated by the Blue Star Irregulars, the Kerensky's Blues, attempted to place itself between the Falcon WarShips and the refugees. The Kerensky's Blues managed to deal with the CJF Lightning Strike,[6] but was unable to prevent the Congress-class ship from butchering almost all of the fleeing Irregulars' forces before destroying the Blues as well. The battle was reported in the media via an INN journalist aboard the Loyal Son, a fleeing Overlord-class DropShip and one of the vessels escaping from Black Earth.[5][6]
Nearby Systems
References
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 152, "Rim Worlds Republic Front (Jump-off - 2587)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Objective Raids, p. 58, "Unit Note"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 153, "Crusader Clans Deployment Table"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mercenaries Supplemental , p. 68, "Mercenary Deployment Table"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Blake Ascending, p. 210, p. 211, "Falling Stars"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 11, "Blue Star Irregulars"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Periphery, 1st Edition, p. 19, "Mishka's Diplomacy"
- ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 18, "Rim Worlds Republic after Age of War [2571]"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25, "Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War [2571]"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 158, "Inner Sphere Map [2596]"
- ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 25, "Rim Worlds Republic At the Fall of the Star League [2750]"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 37, "The Republic-Commonwealth War"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36, "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822]"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40, "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2822]"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47, "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025]"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56, "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030]"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59, "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 39 [3040]"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61, "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052]"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70, "Lyran Commonwealth after FedCom Civil War [3067]"
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 46, "The Jihad In Review"
- ↑ Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 132, "Persistence, Treeline, Star's End and Black Earth (May-December 2581)