Cinnabar
Sarna News
 | Apocryphal This article's subject is only mentioned in apocryphal sources, i.e. official BattleTech products which are not clearly Non-canon but do not meet the current Canon criteria either. For more information, check the Canonicity section. |
| Cinnabar | |
|---|---|
| System Information | |
| Star names | 1 |
Canonicity[edit]
Cinnabar is at the center of the Arms of the Destroyer short story, and not mentioned anywhere else in canon. While this story technically meets all criteria for canon, it hinges on anachronisms (namely, the casual appearance of active WarShips roughly a century after the last known WarShip was lost) that cannot be reconciled with established canon otherwise because of anachronisms. This problem was acknowledged by the Line Developer, and the story which is the only source of information about Cinnabar is thus considered apocryphal at this time.
System Description[edit]
The system holding the planet Cinnabar (which, by conjecture, is assumed to be the name of the system as well) is located in the coreward Periphery, four jumps (i.e. up to ca. 120 lightyears) from Somerset[1] and close to the Draconian Drift.[2]
The system's (single) sun was described as small and red, when seen from the planet.[3]
System History[edit]
The Draconis Combine claimed the system in 2940, citing three deep-space mining facilities on outlying asteroids.[4] As far as can be established, the system was never colonized by any faction. The Draconis Combine claim in 2940 was dubious and appeared to be made only to claim salvage; it was also immediately disputed by Lyran Commonwealth forces in the system.
Political Affiliation[edit]
- 2940 - Draconis Combine (disputed)[4]
Cinnabar II[edit]
| Cinnabar II | |
|---|---|
| Astrophysical | |
| System position | Second[5] |
| Geophysical | |
| Surface gravity | 1.2 |
| Atmospheric pressure | Thin |
| Highest native life | (yes) |
No survey record on the planet Cinnabar existed as of 2940. It was a toxic world rich in metals, with mercury "everywhere" including local flora, air, water, and rock. The thin[6] atmosphere was primarily composed of carbon dioxide, argon, and nitrogen.[7] Utterly unsuitable for human habitation, Cinnabar was never colonized and in fact mostly ignored, to the point of the system not appearing on contemporary star maps; no record survey existed.[8]
Two small, potato-shaped moons were mentioned.[5]
On the surface, the predominant colors are red, scarlet, and ocher, including the color palette of the native alien vegetation.
This vegetation was described as brush-analogue but hard and tough as wire cables. It reached around waist high on a Cyclops BattleMech, i.e. around six meters high. Visually, this vegetation resembled pulsating sacs and pods, "like a mass of lungs and kidneys on gnarled, wiry stalks" in various shades of reds and ocher.[9]
Other vegetation was a red moss with black tendrils like branching fingers and blooming with bizarre structures.[10]
Planetary History[edit]
At some point around 2838, the Soyal-class WarShip Kali ended up on the planetary surface, sparking a salvage operation when it was found on Cinnabar in or just prior to 2940.
Nearby Systems[edit]
Unknown.
References[edit]
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 115
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 112: actually spelled "Draconian Rift" in the story, but it is clear from the context that this must refer to the nearby Draconian Drift and can refer to neither the Draconis Rift nor the Draconis Reach.
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 128
- ↑ a b The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 130
- ↑ a b The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 129
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 137
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 119
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 114
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 109
- ↑ The Arms of the Destroyer, p. 110
Bibliography[edit]
- Arms of the Destroyer (short story)