Difference between revisions of "Hesperus"
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{{PlanetOverhaul|phase=2}}
 
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{{Update Needed|[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)]], [[Handbook: House Steiner]], [[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)]],[[Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II]], [[Handbook: House Davion]], [[First Succession War]], and [[Second Succession War (Sourcebook)]]}}
 
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{{InfoBoxSystem
 
{{InfoBoxSystem
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| image              = Hesperus II_Neighbors.png
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| image              = Hesperus_3151.svg
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| caption            = Hesperus' neighboring systems
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| caption            = Hesperus [[#Nearby_Systems|nearby systems]]
 
| name                = Hesperus
 
| name                = Hesperus
 
| coord              = -123.603 : 46.734{{e}}
 
| coord              = -123.603 : 46.734{{e}}
 
| stars              =  
 
| stars              =  
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| class              = F2IV<ref name="O:LAp28">''Objectives: Lyran Alliance'', p. 28, "Hesperus II"</ref>
+
| class              = F2IV<ref name="O:LAp28">''Objectives: Lyran Alliance'', p. 28: "Hesperus II"</ref><ref name=JTPHIIp3>''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 3: "Hesperus II (3067)"</ref>
 
| recharge            = 173 hours<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
 
| recharge            = 173 hours<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
−
| recharge stations  = Zenith/Nadir<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
+
| recharge stations  = Zenith, Nadir<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/>
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| planets            = 5<ref name=TDT>''The Dying Time'', chapter 5 (PDF edition p. 50; page numbering for print edition may differ) - Hesperus V is described as the system's "fifth, outermost planet."</ref>
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| planets            = 5<ref name=TDT>''The Dying Time'', ch. 5 (PDF edition p. 50): Hesperus V is described as the system's "fifth, outermost planet."</ref>
 
}}
 
}}
  
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''Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to [[Terra]] at (0, 0)
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==System Description==
 +
The system is best known for the massive 'Mech factories on '''Hesperus II'''. Other named planets in the system include the barren Hesperus III<ref name="O:LAp28"/> and Hesperus V, which was mentioned to have several large, rocky moons including Hesperus V Gamma.<ref name=TDT/>
  
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The '''Hesperus''' system was mentioned to feature shipyard facilities<ref>''Operation Excalibur'', p. 177 (PDF edition; page numbering for print edition may differ)</ref> and an ''[[Olympus]]''-class recharge station<ref>''Operation Excalibur'', p. 220 (PDF edition; page numbering for print edition may differ)</ref> at the zenith [[jump point]], which may be referring to one and the same.
+
==System History==
 +
The '''Hesperus''' system was mentioned to feature shipyard facilities<ref>''Operation Excalibur'', p. 177 (PDF edition)</ref> and an ''[[Olympus]]''-class recharge station<ref>''Operation Excalibur'', p. 220 (PDF edition)</ref> at the zenith [[jump point]], which may be referring to one and the same.
  
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The system is best known for the massive 'Mech factories on Hesperus II. Other named planets in the system include the barren Hesperus III<ref name="O:LAp28"/> and Hesperus V, which was mentioned to have several large, rocky moons including Hesperus V Gamma.<ref name=TDT/>
+
Because of its immense strategic value, the Hesperus system was the site of many battles over the centuries. (See [[Hesperus#The Battles for Hesperus II|The Battles for Hesperus II]] below).
  
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Because of its immense strategic value, the Hesperus system was the site of many battles over the centuries. (See [[Hesperus#The Battles for Hesperus II|The Battles for Hesperus II]] below).
+
==Political Affiliation==
 +
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
 +
* [[2271]] - Inhabited world<ref name="HB:HMp16">''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 16</ref>
 +
* [[2340]] - [[Federation of Skye]]<ref name=HBHS13>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 13</ref>
 +
* [[2341]] - [[Lyran Commonwealth]]<ref name=HBHS13/>
 +
* [[2571]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp25>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 25</ref>
 +
* [[2596]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name=HRWp158>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 158</ref>
 +
* [[2750]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="ER:2750p37">''Era Report: 2750'', p. 37</ref>
 +
* [[2764]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="FM:SLDFpvii">''Field Manual: SLDF'', p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"</ref>
 +
* [[2765]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="H:LoTV1p11>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 11</ref>
 +
* [[2786]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="FSW(SB)p24-25">''First Succession War'', pp. 24–25</ref>
 +
* [[2822]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp36">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 36</ref><ref name="H:LoTV2p122">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', pp. 122–123</ref><ref name="FSW(SB)p112-113">''First Succession War'', pp. 112–113</ref>
 +
* [[2835]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HKp64">''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 64: "Jinjiro's last years"</ref>
 +
* [[2864]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp40">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 40</ref>
 +
* [[2957]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HKp84">''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 84: "Decline and Fall"</ref>
 +
* [[2990]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name=StD>''Seal the Deal''</ref>
 +
* [[2998]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name=EW>''Endless War''</ref>
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* [[3019]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name=WDp24/>
 +
* [[3025]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp47">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 47</ref>
 +
* [[3030]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp56">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 56</ref>
 +
* [[3040]] - [[Federated Commonwealth]]<ref name="HB:HSp59">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 59</ref><ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 133</ref>
 +
* [[3050]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref name="ER3052p11">''Era Report: 3052'', p. 11</ref>
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* [[3052]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp61">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 61</ref><ref name="ER3052p23">''Era Report: 3052'', p. 23</ref>
 +
* [[3057]] - [[Lyran Alliance]]<ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 11</ref>
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* [[3063]] - Lyran Alliance<ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 29</ref>
 +
* [[3067]] - Lyran Alliance<ref name="HB:HSp70">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 70</ref><ref name="J:FRp43">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 43</ref>
 +
* [[3070]] - [[Word of Blake Protectorate]] (from February)<ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 24</ref><ref name="J:FRp48"/>
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* [[3075]] - Lyran Alliance<ref name="JS:TBDp64>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 64</ref><ref name="JHS3076p55"/><ref name="J:FRp53"/>
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* [[3076]] - Lyran Alliance<ref name=TFoH:GP>''The Fires of Hell'' - ''Gathering Players''</ref>
 +
* [[3079]] - Lyran Alliance<ref>''Field Report: LAAF'', p. 19</ref>
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* [[3081]] - Lyran Alliance<ref>''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 63</ref>
 +
* [[3085]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. vii: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"</ref>
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* [[3135]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="ER:3145p11">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 11</ref>
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* [[3145]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="ER:3145p39">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 39</ref><ref name="FM:3145pVI">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. VI: "Inner Sphere - 3145"</ref>
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{{div col end}}
  
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{{InfoBoxPlanetStandard
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-------------------------------------
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==Hesperus II==
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{{InfoBoxPlanet
 
| image              = Hesperus II Flag.jpg
 
| image              = Hesperus II Flag.jpg
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| caption            = Flag of Hesperus II
 
 
| name                = Hesperus II
 
| name                = Hesperus II
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| position            = 2<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
+
| othernames          =
−
| distance            = 18.75<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
+
| position            = Second<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/>
−
| moons              = 1 (Hesperus II-Alpha)<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=HBS88-89>''Handbook: House Steiner'', pp. 88-89, "Planet Profile"</ref>
+
| distance            = 18.75<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/>
−
| day                =
+
| moons              = 1 (Hesperus II-Alpha)<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/><ref name=HBS88-89>''Handbook: House Steiner'', pp. 88–89: "Hesperus II"</ref>
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| gravity            = 1.01<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=HBS88-89/>
+
| gravity            = 1.01<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/><ref name=HBS88-89/>
−
| pressure            = Standard (Breathable)<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=HBS88-89/>
+
| pressure            = Standard (Breathable)<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=HBS88-89/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/>
−
| temperature        = 85°C (Jungle)<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=HBS88-89/>
+
| temperature        = 85°C (Jungle)<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/><ref name=HBS88-89/>
−
| water              = 40%<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=HBS88-89/>
+
| water              = 40%<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/><ref name=HBS88-89/>
−
| life                = "Reptile"<ref name="O:LAp28"/> (see text)
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| life                = "Reptile"<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/> (see text)
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| date                =  
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| continents          = 4 (North Whitman, South Whitman, East Barrens, West Barrens)<ref name=JTP/>
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| ruler              = Duke Greydon Brewer (3025)<ref name=HS170/> <br>Duke Daniel Brewer (3067)<ref name=HBS88-89/>
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| colonized          =
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| capital            = Maria's Elegy<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTP>''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 4</ref><ref name=OE>''Operation Excalibur'', pp. 148-150 (PDF edition; page numbering for print edition may differ)</ref>
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| demonym            =
−
| population          = 55,000 (3025)<ref name=HBS88-89/> <br>345,600 (3079)<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
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| language            =
−
| USIIR              = A-A-A-A-B (3067)<ref name=HBS88-89/> <br>A-A-A-A-B (3079)<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
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| religion            =  
−
| hpg                = A (3079)<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
+
| population          = 55,000 (3067–3068),<ref name=HBS88-89/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/><br>345,600 (3079)<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
 +
| ruler              = [[Duke of Hesperus II]]
 +
| political          =
 +
| commander          =
 +
| capital            = Maria's Elegy<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTP>''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 4</ref><ref name=OE>''Operation Excalibur'', pp. 148–150 (PDF edition)</ref>
 +
| hpg                = A (3067),<ref name=JTPHIIp3/><br>A (3079)<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
 +
| hpgrep              = [[Precentor]] [[Hjalmer Curtis]] (3025)
 
}}
 
}}
 +
===Planetary History===
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====Age of War====
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During the mid-[[twenty-third century]], Hesperus II was briefly home to a Pope of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], who ruled from the planet's archiepiscopal palace during a Papal schism<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 76</ref>
 +
 +
By the [[twenty-fifth century|mid-twenty-fifth century]] Hesperus II was jointly held by the [[Terran Hegemony]] and the [[Lyran Commonwealth]]. Although the Hegemony had set up a manufacturing facility on-planet for its [[BattleMech|new war-changing weapon]], the Lyrans were unable to acquire the schematics or other technology related to the ''[[Mackie]]''. The [[Lyran Intelligence Corps]] did, however, manage to infiltrate one agent who acquired maps and pictures of the assembly lines.<ref name=PB>''Prometheus Unbound''</ref>
 +
 +
This intelligence, meager though it was, enabled Colonel [[Simon Kelswa]] to acquire the ''Mackie''&#39;s blueprints through more direct means. On 7 February [[2455]], Kelswa and his team of twenty-five commandos launched [[Operation Prometheus]], fighting their way into the Hesperus factory and making off with enough information for [[House Steiner]] to become the second of the [[Great House|Great Houses]] to field BattleMechs.<ref name=PB />
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 +
====Star League Era====
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During the [[Star League era]] Hesperus II was perhaps best known for the BattleMech factory owned and operated on the planet by [[Witten Industries]], a Star League manufacturer. This was far from the only industrial concern on the planet, however; in addition to the Witten Industries plant, Defiance Industries had a well-established mining operation on the planet.<ref name="FM2765:LCp12"/>
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 +
====The Battles for Hesperus II====
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With the [[Lostech|technological decline]] that resulted from the Star League's collapse and the [[Succession Wars]], Hesperus II's Star League-era factories became an important asset for the Lyran Commonwealth (now sole owner of the planet following the Hegemony's collapse). Consequently Hesperus II witnessed numerous attacks by foreign powers over the next three and a half centuries.
 +
 +
=====First battle=====
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The first attack came in [[2787]], when House Kurita launched [[Operation BROKEN BLADE]], a massive attack that destroyed the orbiting shipyards but failed to overcome ground defenses. The attackers withdrew in January, having suffered more casualties than they had dealt out.<ref name=HBS50>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 48: "Attacks on Hesperus II"</ref><ref>''Broken Blade''</ref>
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 +
=====Second battle=====
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In April [[2788]], under the codename of [[Operation BRASS RING]], light and fast forces from the [[Federated Suns]] under the command of [[Rear Admiral]] [[Milton Hayes]] attempted to rush the factories, raid them for supplies and destroy as much as they could. They were spotted in time for the defenders to repulse them.<ref name=HBS50/>
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=====Third battle=====
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{{Main|Third Battle of Hesperus II}}
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 +
In March [[2789]], the Free Worlds League attempted an attack with [[WarShip]]s, using an unusual approach vector. However, the Lyrans had reinforced the planetary garrison with two cruisers, the [[Granite (Individual Aegis-class WarShip)|LCS ''Granite'']] and [[Endeavor (Individual Aegis-class WarShip)|LCS ''Endeavor'']], just days before. A naval battle evolved where the heavily damaged ''Granite'' wound up ramming the [[Devastator (Individual Soyal-class WarShip)|FWLS ''Devastator'']], causing both ships to crash on the planet. The remaining League fleet, including the cruiser [[Skulker (Individual Soyal-class WarShip)|FWLS ''Skulker'']], withdrew.<ref name=HBS50/>
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===== Fourth battle =====
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Between 2831 and 2836, House Kurita attempted an attack against the 'Mech factories on Hesperus II under the command of ''[[Tai-sho (rank)|Tai-sho]]'' [[Satoshi Anderson]], but was easily repulsed by the defenders.<ref name=HBS58>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 58</ref><ref name=HKp57>''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 57: "Military Realities"</ref><ref name=SSWp45>''Second Succession War'', p. 45: "In the Manner of a Fantasy"</ref>
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===== Fifth battle =====
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In [[2837]], House Kurita attacked Hesperus II yet again, while its veteran defenders had been replaced with inexperienced units due to an upcoming offensive against House Marik. The Kurita attackers easily pushed the defenders back to the 'Mech factories, but could not overcome the fortified defensive positions and pillboxes there. After two weeks, the Steiner defenders broke the siege with 'Mech reinforcements fresh off the production lines and forced the Kurita invaders off-world.<ref name=HBS58>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 58</ref>
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 +
===== Sixth, Seventh and Eighth battles =====
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{{Main|Siege of Hesperus II (2853)}}
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The Draconis Combine laid siege to Hesperus II and attempted to destroy the Defiance 'Mech factories in [[2853]]<ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', pp. 62–64</ref> in what is often regarded as a revenge for the death of Coordinator [[Yoguchi Kurita]] at the hands of a Steiner assassin; however others point out that the massive and intricately planned operation must have been prepared long before.
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 +
The first part of the offensive saw Hesperus II blockaded by a massive fleet of [[WarShip]]s, heavily armed [[DropShip]]s and [[aerospace fighter]]s that encircled the planet and blocked main [[jump point]]s, preventing supplies or reinforcements from being shipped in.
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 +
Five months later they launched a ground offensive that aimed at wearing down the cut-off defenders in a war of attrition. House Steiner managed to break the blockade by reactivating the [[Tharkad (WarShip class)#Named Vessels|LCS ''Invincible'']] from [[Tharkad]]. An unexpected battalion called "The Force of Last Resort" raised from barely trained recruits in 'Mechs fresh from the production lines stalled the Kurita advance on the factory site and set them up for orbital bombardment from the ''Invincible'', vanquishing the Kurita attack force.
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 +
The entire campaign became known as the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Battles for Hesperus II. House Kurita lost more than half of their ground units, fighters and DropShips and all of their blockading WarShips. House Steiner suffered massive losses, too: The [[Tenth Skye Rangers]] and the [[Ninth Arcturan Guards]] regiments were permanently disbanded and the LCS ''Invincible'' was lost to a misjump when it tried to return to Tharkad. One 'Mech assembly line had been destroyed, but it was back to working order within a year.
 +
 +
=====Ninth battle=====
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In [[2957]], units from two Kurita regiments dropped directly on top of the 'Mech production facilities, bypassing most of the defending forces. Although more than half of the dropping 'Mechs were destroyed on mountain slopes and most were scattered in the mountainous terrain, a sufficient number of attackers landed within the industrial complex to cause considerable damage and slash production capacity by half. Those who died in the raid were posthumously awarded the [[Glory of the Fallen Samurai]] banners. The damage would take 20 years to repair. This caused a severe lack of spare parts and hampered the [[LCAF]] considerably for years.<ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 75</ref><ref name="HKp84">''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 84: "Decline and Fall"</ref>
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 +
=====Tenth battle=====
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In [[2997]], Marik forces raided an isolated supply depot on the planet, but were repulsed by the [[Fifteenth Lyran Guards]] under the command of then [[Colonel]] [[Katrina Steiner]].<ref name=HB:HSp78>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 78</ref> This attack was [[Janos Marik]]'s first military adventure, conceived to test the strength of the reinvigorated FWLM against the Lyrans. Although the attack was repulsed, the FWLM was noted for markedly improved overall performance.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 9</ref>
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 +
=====Eleventh battle=====
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Relying on the Tenth Battle for Hesperus II indicating that no other attack was to be expected soon, the Commonwealth drew three defending regiments from Hesperus II for an attack on [[Kalidasa]] which got bogged down. The Free Worlds League seized the opportunity to launch another attack on Hesperus II with four 'Mech regiments. They were (narrowly) repulsed by the [[Eridani Light Horse]], but only after the Light Horse's Twenty-first Striker Regiment purposely disobeyed orders from their incompetent ranking Commonwealth officer.<ref name=HB:HSp78/>
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 +
The near-loss, combined with the unsuccessful and bogged-down offensive against Kalidasa, was a political disaster for Archon [[Alessandro Steiner]] and set him up for being ousted by his niece Katrina.
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=====Twelfth battle=====
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In early 3000, House Kurita stepped up its efforts again and dropped three 'Mech regiments and support on Hesperus II. It fell to the First Support Company of the Eridani Light Horse to hold open a spaceport so that Steiner reinforcements could be deployed.<ref name=HB:HSp78/>
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 +
Although the attack was repulsed, the Eridani Light Horse felt they had finally suffered enough from incompetent Lyran officers. When their contract ran out later that year, they went to work for the [[Federated Suns]] instead.<ref name = hhsp79>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 79</ref>
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 +
=====Thirteenth battle=====
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In [[3019]], House Marik sent [[Wolf's Dragoons]] on a deep penetration raid that eventually aimed for Hesperus II. Lyran intelligence learned of the plan through a traitor, and reinforcements were rushed to Hesperus, including the veteran [[Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards]], the [[Third Royal Guards]], and the [[Hsien's Hotheads]] and [[Hansen's Roughriders]] mercenary commands.
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 +
Initially, the Lyran troops tried to separate [[Wolf's Dragoons]]. When [[Colonel]] [[Jaime Wolf]] ordered his orbital reserves into action, the Lyrans consolidated their forces along the Erewhon River. Despite several attacks (including a night attack), the Dragoons could not break the strong positions of the Steiner defenses and were thrown back every time. However, [[Natasha Kerensky]] of the Dragoons' [[Black Widow Company]] discovered a weak point in the Steiner defenses. She advanced along a seasonal river ford, Tanda's Crossing, which was guarded only by a single lance of 'Mechs. Their path was blocked just in sight of the [[Defiance Industries]] '[[Mech]] factories by Hansen's Roughriders. Even the arriving reinforcements of the Dragoons' Delta and Gamma regiments failed to dislodge the Roughriders' heavy 'Mechs.
  
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==Geography==
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[[Wolf's Dragoons]] and the defending Steiner forces suffered tremendous losses during the campaign. The Dragoons were forced to make yet another supply run. However, due to their professionalism during the campaign and their fierce determination, their reputation grew further, convincing [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]] [[Katrina Steiner]] to negotiate a contract with the Dragoons.
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Hesperus II has four major continents and innumerable small island chains and archipelagos in its shallow oceans. The landmasses offer extreme conditions, either untamed jungle or blasted wastelands noted as being extremely mountainous and crisscrossed with canyons. Only the North Whitman and South Whitman continents on the northern hemisphere offer tolerable living conditions, particularly at an altitude of 3000 or more meters where the atmospheric pressure is closer to 1 bar (as opposed to 3 bars and more in the jungles) and the ambient temperature is around 30 degrees Celsius (as opposed to 80 and more in the jungles).<ref name=OE/> The other two continents, situated in the equatorial region, are collectively called the Barrens, or East Barren and West Barren. They are completely inhospitable, featuring both barren wastelands and jungles too thick to explore to this day.<ref name=JTP/>
 
  
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The planet is home to the [[Defiance Industries]] [[BattleMech]] factory in the Myoo Mountains that dominate the South Whitman continent. This is the largest BattleMech factory in the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], and is in fact the largest remaining BattleMech factory in the entire [[Inner Sphere]]. It has been attacked numerous times by the other Houses and other forces. Though damaged multiple times all but the Word of Blake have failed to actually take over and occupy the facilities. Not only do the attackers have to worry about the planet's defenders, but the terrain is unforgiving as well.
+
The Lyran losses included the Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards, which was almost destroyed during the defense.<ref name=WD>''Wolf's Dragoons Sourcebook''</ref>
 +
 
 +
=====Fourteenth battle=====
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In [[3028]], [[2nd McCarron's Armored Cavalry|Barton's Regiment]] of the [[McCarron's Armored Cavalry]] [[mercenary unit]] staged a quick and narrow objective raid against the [[Kincaid Defiance Industries]] plant on the North Whitman continent of Hesperus II that was successful despite heavy resistance from the [[Blackhearts]] and the [[Twenty-sixth Lyran Guards]], combined with relentless aerospace fighter attacks.<ref name="MAC">''McCarron's Armored Cavalry'', p. 9</ref> The official version was that KDI's owner [[Simon Kincaid]] was a black market dealer who had taken several millions [[C-bill]]s from McCarron's Armored Cavalry but failed to deliver the promised goods, invoking the wrath of the notorious mercenary unit and thus provoking this grudge raid against his firm.<ref name="MAC" /> The truth, which is not publicly known, is that Kincaid's firm was secretly building prototype [[Double Heat Sink]]s for the Federated Suns (made possible by the [[FedCom Accords]]). Kincaid had embezzled a significant share of the production and sold it to the Capellans. When the [[Lyran Intelligence Corps]] threatened to uncover his activities, he delayed their investigation long enough to arrange for his safe extraction in a staged raid, providing the Confederation with the blueprints in return. It is implied that Kincaid provided the means by which the attacking DropShips could safely approach the heavily guarded world.<ref>''Proprietary''</ref>
 +
 
 +
=====Operation EXCALIBUR=====
 +
In [[3057]], [[Field Marshal]] [[Brandal Gareth]] enacted a rebellion code named [[Operation EXCALIBUR]] with the intent of creating his own nation state with Hesperus at its heart. The [[Free Star Republic]] would last a mere six days before it was destroyed.{{cn}}
 +
 
 +
=====Fifteenth battle=====
 +
{{Main|Fifteenth Battle of Hesperus II}}
 +
The Fifteenth Battle of Hesperus II was the pivotal battle of the [[Federation of Skye#FedCom Civil War and another Rebellion|Third Skye Rebellion]], during the [[FedCom Civil War]] (in [[3065]]). Representing the Free Skye forces were the [[Twenty-second Skye Rangers]], the [[Fourth Skye Rangers]], the [[WarShip|WarShips]] ''[[Fox (WarShip class)#Named Vessels|LAS Illustrious]]'' and the ''[[Fox (WarShip class)#Named Vessels|FCS Indefatigable]]''. Defending the planet on behalf of the Lyran Alliance were the [[Gray Death Legion]], the [[15th Lyran Guards|Fifteenth]] and [[Thirty-sixth Lyran Guards]], and the [[Defiance Self-Protection Force]], a corporate military unit. In orbit was the WarShip [[Avalon#Named Vessels|FSS ''Simon Davion'']]. Early in the campaign, the ''Illustrious'' was destroyed but the ''Simon Davion'' was captured by the Free Skye forces, giving the invaders a decisive advantage in orbit. After initial skirmishing, the two Skye regiments lifted off, only to drop directly on the target factory, leaving the divided defenders in a desperate position. Orbital bombardment by the Free Skye forces destroyed an [[Hyperpulse Generator|HPG Station]], killing hundreds of civilians, and dealt tremendous damage to the Fifteenth Lyran Guards. When the [[Thirty-second Lyran Guards]] joined the attack in support of Free Skye, the campaign appeared lost for the loyalists. The Gray Death Legion spent itself holding off the Rangers, losing most of its troops and its commander, Colonel [[Lori Kalmar|Lori Kalmar Carlyle]]. The Thirty-second Lyran Guards had lost their own commander, however, and were now plagued by dissent. The Twenty-second Rangers were shattered, while the Fourth and Seventeenth Rangers were mauled. The pro-Skye [[Fourteenth Lyran Guards]] arrived with Maria Esteban in command, inflicting heavy losses on the Thirty-second Guards. Despite all of this, the loyalists still held the massive Defiance Industries factory while the rebels had been ravaged, demoralized and had lost the element of surprise. The Fourth Skye Rangers abandoned the battle, returning to Skye. Esteban made one last push for the factory, neutralizing much of the Defiance SPF and reaching the gates of the legendary facility. Loyalist [[battle armor]] units, however, managed to regain control of the situation, and the Free Skye forces, facing a suddenly resurgent SPF and Fifteenth Lyran Guards, were forced to retreat. When General [[Caesar Steiner]] arrived with the pro-Lyran [[Second Donegal Guards]], Esteban and her forces surrendered.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 146–147, 163–164, 177–178</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 68</ref><ref>''The Dying Time''</ref>
 +
 
 +
=====Sixteenth Battle=====
 +
======Word of Blake Invasion======
 +
{{Main|Operation STEEL HAMMER}}
 +
From March [[3068]] until early [[3070]], the [[Word of Blake]] ran [[Operation STEEL HAMMER]], a series of heavy raids against the planet's defenders. The first raid fell between the 14th and 17th of March [[3068]], coinciding with raids on [[Coventry]] and [[Donegal]]; the three raids all featured support from Blakist [[WarShip]]s or [[Pocket WarShip]]s.<ref name="J:FRp45">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 45: "The Jihad In Review"</ref>
 +
 
 +
In the first phase, the [[16th Division (Word of Blake)|Sixteenth]] and [[22nd Division (Word of Blake)|Twenty-second Divisions]] conducted extensive raiding against the planet's defenders which began in [[3068]].  Over the course of approximately two years, elements of the [[Light of Mankind]] were inserted on the planet, using the raids as a cover.
  
−
South Whitman features the Melrose Valley complex, stretching across nearly a thousand kilometers of the Sulden Uplands (with [[Doering Electronics]]), and the heavily terraced mountain slopes of Maria's Elegy, the capital largest city on Hesperus II and also the location of the spaceport, and the [[HPG]] station at the spaceport. These are the only regions with fertile soil suitable for cultivation, but more arable land is not needed considering the planet's tiny population. The city of Maldon is also nearby (although it was described as "on the far side of the planet"<ref>''The Dying Time'', chapter 5 (PDF edition p. 45; page numbering for print edition may differ)</ref>).
+
In [[3070]], a Blakist invasion force arrived in the form of the [[38th Division (Word of Blake)|Thirty-eighth Division]] and the [[Fortieth Shadow Division]].  This force was escorted by the ''[[Lola III]]'' Class Destroyer, [[End of Wisdom|WoBS ''End of Wisdom'']], and a reinforced [[Level II]] of [[Pocket WarShip|Pocket WarShips]]. The invasion's escort fleet overwhelmed and destroyed the Lyran ''[[Fox (WarShip class)|Fox]]''-class corvette [[Melissa Steiner (Individual Fox-class WarShip)|LAS ''Melissa Steiner'']], effectively blockading the planet.  The two divisions landed on Maria's Elegy and the Defiance Industries factory complexes. At the same time, the Light of Mankind teams enacted their long-awaited mission objectives, sabotaging defensive systems and assassinating key personnel. The Fifteenth Lyran Guards, who had also been infiltrated, failed to mount a strong defense and suffered horrendous casualties. The unit was forced to withdraw under heavy fire toward the factory's interior, with [[Gina Ciampa]], the Fifteenth’s commander, leading the last-ditch effort to barricade the South Gate. Though she tried to destroy her own 'Mech to close the entrance, Tau infantry was able to stop her and promptly executed her, seizing the gate. With only fourteen days of fight, Hesperus II was first conquered by an outside power.
  
−
The only notable site that is not located on South Whitman is the [[Kincaid Defiance Industries]] complex on North Whitman.<ref name=JTP/> A miniature fortress, Kincaid Defiance Industries is an ammunition and parts manufacturer of minor importance; the facility was briefly used as a manufacturing site for prototype [[Double Heat Sink]]s in conjunction with the [[NAIS]] in the late 3020s, until the Fourteenth Battle of Hesperus II in which the facility was attacked.<ref>''Proprietary'' (short story)</ref>
+
During the Word of Blake occupation, the Word brought in Terran technician that upgraded and improved factory production on Hesperus II, and used the planet as a resupply/refit stronghold and a base for forces conducting strikes into their the Lyran Theaters of operations.<ref name=JTPHIIp5/>
  
−
Fusion plant works are mentioned out on the Tatyana Archipelago.<ref>''Operation Excalibur'', p. 155 (PDF edition; page numbering for print edition may differ)</ref>
+
======Coalition Assault======
 +
{{Main|Sixteenth Battle of Hesperus II - Coalition Assault}}
  
−
In the 29th century an expedition into the Hesperan swamps set out north from Point Vallejo, never to return.<ref name=OE/> It is unclear if 'Point Vallejo' is a minor town or just a landmark.
+
In the first two weeks of November [[3074]], Coalition forces led by [[Devlin Stone]] launched an assault against the defending Word of Blake forces, determined to recapture the planet after the successful defense of [[Skye]] earlier in the year. The coalition forces, which included elements from Skye, [[ComStar]] and [[Clan Wolf]], took on three Word of Blake Divisions; the battle for Hesperus II lasted for weeks, with the last Blakist fortifications around Maria's Elegy finally being shattered on the 20th of December.<ref name="JHS3076p55">''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 55: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp53">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 53: "The Jihad In Review"</ref> Badly mauled, these units withdrew from the planet.  It is speculated that survivors of the Fortieth Shadow may have gone to ground to conduct sabotage efforts against the planet's controllers. However, the Word of Blake rendered many of their improvements to the factories unusable through sabotage before leaving.<ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', pp. 103–104: "40th Shadow Division unit profile".</ref><ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 24: "Operation: Steel Hammer" - History of Hesperus occupation up to 3074.</ref><ref name="J:FRp48">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 48: "The Jihad In Review"</ref><ref name=JTPHIIp5>''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 5: "The Battle for Hesperus II"</ref>
  
−
The population of the planet has always been small, mainly the employees working in either factory.<ref name=HS170>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 170, "Planet Guide"</ref> It has been noted that this planet's population is mainly because of centuries of paranoid security and travel restrictions.<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
+
====Post-Jihad and Dark Age Era====
 +
Despite the damage inflicted on Hesperus II by the Blakists during the final battle for control over the planet, the Defiance Industries plant remained the largest single military producer for the Alliance in the years immediately after the Jihad.<ref name="J:FRp85A">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 85: "Bolan Province"</ref><ref name="J:FRp85B">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 85: "Coventry Province"</ref> The Lyran government was keen to rebuild the industrial capacity of the plants as the Jihad closed, and opened up Hesperus II by encouraging what may be the first population boom via immigration in the history of the world. While this was still accompanied by tight security controls, the restrictions were nothing like the paranoid security measures and travel restrictions that had served for most of Hesperus II's history.<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
  
−
A clear sky on Hesperus II was said to be patches of violet sky showing here and there through roil of blue, purple, white and yellow clouds, and the sun is a dazzling pinpoint of diamond blue-white light. Hesperus II has a slower rotation than Earth. Local time has twenty-five hours divided into eighty minutes.<ref name=OE/>
+
=====3145 Battle=====
 +
{{Main|Battle of Hesperus II (3145)}}
 +
The latest battle for Hesperus II began on 3 January [[3145]] when a joint [[Clan Jade Falcon|Jade Falcon]]–[[Clan Hell's Horses|Hell's Horses]] force led by Khan [[Malvina Hazen]] landed on the planet. Archon [[Trillian Steiner]] had received word of the impending attack from [[Loki (Intelligence agency)|Loki]] agents but the weakened [[LCAF]] lacked the means to repulse the invasion themselves. Instead, Archon Steiner implemented a different stratagem: she ordered Loki to leak word of the invasion to Khan [[Alaric Ward]], correctly guessing that he'd react by mounting a counterinvasion of his own.
  
−
==Life==
+
A day after Hazen's force landed, warriors from the [[Wolf Empire]] reached Hesperus. The LCAF had withdrawn most of its garrison by this point and the remaining Commonwealth troops evacuated after putting up minimal resistance, leaving the [[Eridani Light Horse]] and several smaller mercenary commands to face Malvina's wrath. Many mercenaries reacted to this revelation by attempting to surrender to the Clanners, only to be slaughtered, while the Light Horse's attempt to escape was foiled by the [[Raptor Keshik]]. The few surviving Light Horse escaped into the mountains, only to be hunted down to the last soldier by the sadistic Falcons.
−
In the 26th century, terraformers had introduced genetically modified plants, animals and microbes to the planet but were only partially successful.<ref name=OE/>
 
  
−
In the equatorial region, native sulphur-metabolizing life has adapted to living at over eighty degrees Celsius and atmospheric pressure exceeding three bar. Xenobiologists arbitrarily classified the highest (known) native life forms as "reptilian" because of certain recognizable features—scaly hides, claws, flat heads with toothy jaws and questing, air-tasting tongues.<ref name=OE/>
+
The subsequent Wolf assault upon Hazen's forces resulted in nearly two months of stalemate. An impatient Malvina finally mounted a last-ditch attempt to seize the factory on 23 February, ordering that her [[Nuclear Weapons|nuclear weapons]] be ready for use in case of failure. Then Khan [[Beckett Malthus]] made an assassination attempt on Malvina, putting her into a coma and throwing the entire force into confusion as orders for retreat were broadcast. It was then that the LCAF's counterblow landed. While the Clans had been bogged down, Archon Steiner gathered a liberation force at nearby [[Canonbie]]. The fresh LCAF units dropped onto enemies already tired and demoralized, and within a week had routed both Clan forces.<ref name="ER:3145p28-29">''Era Report: 3145'', pp. 28–29: "Archon's Trial"</ref>
  
−
Due to the extreme conditions which are intolerable for humans, the jungles and swamps can only be accessed in special exploration vehicles such as ExplorerMechs, though fewer than thirty percent of those venturing there ever returned. The expedition that had set out from Point Vallejo in the 29th century was described as the last one (as of [[3057]]). Consequentially, the biosphere in the deep valley, equatorial region and oceans remains largely unexplored.<ref name=OE/>
+
Politically, the aftermath proved significant to both Trillian Steiner and Malvina Hazen. The LCAF victory over two infamous Clan foes aided Steiner in strengthening her shaky hold on the throne. Alaric Ward shrugged off his defeat and even congratulated Steiner on her victory; his main objective, it would seem, was simply to keep Malvina from taking the planet's factories. As for the Chinggis Khan herself, she remained in a coma for months before emerging to brutally repay Malthus for his treachery in a [[Trial of Grievance]], and learned that her Hell's Horses allies were using the defeat as a chance to extract themselves from her brutal rule.
  
−
==Era Specific Data==
+
The cowardly abandonment of the Eridanis by the Lyrans in the battle made small mercenary units unwilling to sign contracts with the Commonwealth, as doing so was seen as suicide.<ref>''Field Manual: 3145'', pp. 176 </ref>
−
===3025===
 
−
* Political Leader: Representative Dena of Hesperus II
 
−
* [[ComStar]] Representative: Precentor Hjalmer Curtis
 
  
−
== Military Deployment ==
+
===Military Deployment===
−
=== 2755 ===
+
{{columns-start|num=3}}
 +
====2755====
 
* [[Ninth Tamar Marines]] (as the [[Ninth Hesperus Guards]])<ref name="FM2765:LCp12"/>
 
* [[Ninth Tamar Marines]] (as the [[Ninth Hesperus Guards]])<ref name="FM2765:LCp12"/>
  
−
=== 2786 ===
+
====2786====
−
* [[Eleventh Hesperus Guards]]<ref name="FSWp139">''First Succession War (Source Book)'', p. 139, "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"</ref>
+
* [[Eleventh Hesperus Guards]]<ref name="FSWp139">''First Succession War'', p. 139: "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"</ref>
  
−
=== 2821 ===
+
====2821====
 
* [[Fourth Hesperus Guards]]<ref name="FSWp139"/>
 
* [[Fourth Hesperus Guards]]<ref name="FSWp139"/>
 
* [[Sixth Hesperus Guards]]<ref name="FSWp139"/>
 
* [[Sixth Hesperus Guards]]<ref name="FSWp139"/>
Line 85: Line 203:
 
* Eleventh Hesperus Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>
 
* Eleventh Hesperus Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>
  
−
===3025===
+
====3000====
−
* [[Sixth Lyran Guards]]<ref name=HS119>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 119, "Unit Deployment Table"</ref><ref name="NAIS4SWp44">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p.44, "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"</ref>
+
* [[Eridani Light Horse]]<ref name=HB:HSp78/><ref name = hhsp79/>
−
* [[Fifteenth Lyran Guards]]<ref name=HS119>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 119, "Unit Deployment Table"</ref><ref name="NAIS4SWp44"/>
+
 
 +
====3019====
 +
* [[Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards]]<ref name=WDp24>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 24: "Blood And Iron"</ref>
 +
* [[Third Royal Guards]]<ref name=WDp24/>
 +
* [[Hsien's Hotheads]]<ref name=WDp24/>
 +
* [[Hansen's Roughriders]]<ref name=WDp24/>
 +
* [[Fifteenth Lyran Guards]]<ref name=WDp24/>
 +
* [[Sixth Lyran Guards]]<ref name=WDp24/>
 +
 
 +
====3025====
 +
* [[Sixth Lyran Guards]]<ref name=HS119>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 119: "Unit Deployment Table"</ref><ref name="NAIS4SWp44">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 44: "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"</ref>
 +
* [[Fifteenth Lyran Guards]]<ref name=HS119>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 119: "Unit Deployment Table"</ref><ref name="NAIS4SWp44"/>
 
* [[Defiance Self-Protection Force]]
 
* [[Defiance Self-Protection Force]]
  
−
===3028===
+
====3028====
 
* Sixth Lyran Guards<ref name="NAIS4SWp44"/>
 
* Sixth Lyran Guards<ref name="NAIS4SWp44"/>
 
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards<ref name="NAIS4SWp44"/>
 
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards<ref name="NAIS4SWp44"/>
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
−
 
+
{{column}}
−
===3038===
+
====3038====
−
* [[Third Davion Guards]] [[RCT]]<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 136, "Deployment Table"</ref>
+
* [[Third Davion Guards]] [[RCT]]<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 136: "Deployment Table"</ref>
−
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 137, "Deployment Table"</ref>
+
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 137: "Deployment Table"</ref>
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
  
−
===3050===
+
====3050====
−
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=20YU27>''20 Year Update'', p. 27, "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"</ref>
+
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=20YU27>''20 Year Update'', p. 27: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"</ref>
 
* Third Davion Guards RCT<ref name=20YU27/>
 
* Third Davion Guards RCT<ref name=20YU27/>
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
  
−
===3054===
+
====3054====
−
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=OR19>''Objective Raids'', p. 19, "FedCom Deployment Table"</ref>
+
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=OR19>''Objective Raids'', p. 19: "FedCom Deployment Table"</ref>
 
* Third Davion Guards RCT<ref name=OR19/>
 
* Third Davion Guards RCT<ref name=OR19/>
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
 
* Defiance Self-Protection Force
  
−
===3061===
+
====3061====
−
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=SS48>''Shattered Sphere'', p. 48, "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"</ref>
+
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=SS48>''Shattered Sphere'', p. 48: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"</ref>
 
* [[Thirty-sixth Lyran Guards]] RCT<ref name=SS48/>
 
* [[Thirty-sixth Lyran Guards]] RCT<ref name=SS48/>
−
* [[Hersperus Militia]]
+
* [[Hesperus Militia]]
  
−
===3067===
+
====3067====
−
* [[Second Donegal Guards]] RCT<ref name=FMU177>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 177, "Lyran Alliance Deploment Table"</ref>
+
* [[Second Donegal Guards]] RCT<ref name=FMU177>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 177: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"</ref>
 
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=FMU177/>
 
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=FMU177/>
 
* Thirty-sixth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=FMU177/>
 
* Thirty-sixth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=FMU177/>
  
−
===3079===
+
====3068–3070====
−
* [[Fifth Lyran Guards]] RCT<ref>''Field Report: LAAF'', p. 12, "Regimental Status"</ref>
+
* Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=JTPHIIp7>''Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II'', p. 7: "Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT [Lyran Alliance] (March 3068–February 3070)"</ref>
−
:- At this point in time the Fifth operating at 60% of full strength, with 75% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.
+
* Defiance Self-Protection Force<ref name=JTPHIIp7/>
−
* Hesperus Militia<ref name="O:LAp29">''Objectives: Lyran Alliance'', p. 29, "Hesperus II"</ref>
+
* Hersperus Militia<ref name=JTPHIIp7/>
−
:- Given the capture of Hesperus II by the Blakists during the Jihad and the many close calls that the various industries have had throughout history, the local defending LCAF forces and the [[Defiance Self-Protection Force]] on Hesperus II are augmented by elements of the militia from Hesperus III. Based out of the Melrose Valley on South Whitman, the militia contingent from Hesperus III is deployed on a rotating basis; the inhospitable environment makes it difficult to deploy infantry in anything other than battle armor or heavy exo-suits, and as result the militia forces serving in each rotation are invariably vehicle-based. This places the militia close to the [[Doering Engineering]] plant.<ref name="O:LAp29"/>
+
{{column}}
 +
====3079====
 +
* [[Fifth Lyran Guards]] RCT<ref>''Field Report: LAAF'', p. 12: "Regimental Status"</ref>
 +
:- The unit was operating at 60% strength, with 75% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.
 +
* Hesperus Militia<ref name="O:LAp29">''Objectives: Lyran Alliance'', p. 29: "Hesperus II"</ref>{{ref label|militia|More Info}}
  
−
===3085===
+
====3085====
−
* Fifth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=FM:3085p107>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 107, "Deployment Table - 3085"</ref>
+
* Fifth Lyran Guards RCT<ref name=FM:3085p107>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 107: "Deployment Table - 3085"</ref>
 
* [[First Skye Jaegers]]<ref name=FM:3085p107/>
 
* [[First Skye Jaegers]]<ref name=FM:3085p107/>
  
−
===3145===
+
====3144====
−
* [[Schachtebich Jägers]]<ref name="TRO:3145LCp40">''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 40 "GTD-20S Götterdämmerung"</ref>
+
* Hersperus Militia<ref name="ER:3145p28-29"/>
−
* [[Fourth Royal Guards]] RCT<ref name=FM:3145p133>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 133, "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Donegal Province"</ref>
+
* Third Royal Guards (one company)<ref name="ER:3145p28-29"/>
 +
* [[Eridani Light Horse]]<ref name="ER:3145p28-29"/>
 +
* Several small mercenary units<ref name="ER:3145p28-29"/>
 +
 
 +
====3145====
 +
* [[Schachtebich Jägers]]<ref name="TRO:3145LCp40">''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 40: "GTD-20S Götterdämmerung"</ref>
 +
* [[Fourth Royal Guards]] RCT<ref name=FM:3145p133>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 133: "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Donegal Province"</ref>
 
* [[Twenty-third Arcturan Guards]] RCT<ref name=FM:3145p133/>
 
* [[Twenty-third Arcturan Guards]] RCT<ref name=FM:3145p133/>
 +
{{columns-end}}
  
−
== Planetary Locations ==  
+
===Geography===
−
{{scrollbox|  
+
[[File:Hesperus II Planetary Map.png|right|450px|thumb|Planetary Map of Hesperus II]]
−
* South Whittman (continent)
+
The planet is formed by four continents, North and South Whitman, and East and West Barrens, with numerous islands and archipelagos that dot the world's shallow oceans resemble a blasted wasteland or untamed jungle. The Barrens are completely inhospitable to human life, overrun by badlands, jungles too thick to explore, and creatures that have never been cataloged.<ref name=JTP/>
−
** Maria's Elegy: Capital city.
 
−
** Mount Defiance
 
−
** Morningstar Spaceport
 
−
** Myoo Highlands
 
−
** Myoo Mountains
 
  
−
* Sulden Uplands
+
Hesperus II has four major continents and innumerable small island chains and archipelagos in its shallow oceans. The landmasses offer extreme conditions, either untamed jungle or blasted wastelands noted as being extremely mountainous and crisscrossed with canyons. Only the North Whitman and South Whitman continents on the northern hemisphere offer tolerable living conditions, particularly at an altitude of 3000 or more meters where the atmospheric pressure is closer to 1 bar (as opposed to 3 bars and more in the jungles) and the ambient temperature is around 30° Celsius (as opposed to 80 and more in the jungles).<ref name=OE/> The other two continents, situated in the equatorial region, are collectively called the Barrens, or East Barren and West Barren. They are completely inhospitable, featuring both barren wastelands and jungles too thick to explore to this day.<ref name=JTP/>
−
** Melrose Valley
 
−
* Point Vallejo
 
−
}}
 
  
−
== Industrial Centers ==
+
The planet is home to the [[Defiance Industries]] [[BattleMech]] factory in the Myoo Mountains that dominate the South Whitman continent. This is the largest BattleMech factory in the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], and is in fact the largest remaining BattleMech factory in the entire [[Inner Sphere]]. It has been attacked numerous times by the other Houses and other forces. Though damaged multiple times all but the Word of Blake have failed to actually take over and occupy the facilities. Not only do the attackers have to worry about the planet's defenders, but the terrain is unforgiving as well.
−
* [[Defiance Industries]]<ref name="FM2765:LCp12"/>
 
−
* [[Doering Electronics]]{{cn}}
 
−
* [[Witten Industries]]<ref name="FM2765:LCp12">''Field Report: Lyran Commonwealth 2765'', p. 12, "Hesperus Guards"</ref>
 
  
−
== Planetary History ==
+
South Whitman features the Melrose Valley complex, stretching across nearly 1,000 km of the Sulden Uplands (with [[Doering Electronics]]), and the heavily terraced mountain slopes of Maria's Elegy, the capital largest city on Hesperus II and also the location of the spaceport, and the [[HPG]] station at the spaceport. These are the only regions with fertile soil suitable for cultivation, but more arable land is not needed considering the planet's tiny population. The city of Maldon is also nearby (although it was described as "on the far side of the planet").<ref>''The Dying Time'', ch. 5 (PDF edition p. 45)</ref>
−
===Age of War===
 
−
*(7 Feb 2455) [[Operation Prometheus]] - After six years of repeated attempts to infiltrate Defiance Industries, the [[Lyran Intelligence Corps]] is able to get one agent on the inside. This agent acquired maps and pictures of the assembly lines, though failed to acquire ''[[Mackie]]'' schematics. Colonel Simon Kelswa uses the maps and pictures to lead 25 Lyran commandos to specifically steal the Mackie plans. The mission is a success, allowing the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] to be the first [[Great House|House]] outside of the [[House Cameron|Cameron]]s to have [[BattleMech]] technology. <ref>Prometheus Unbound</ref>
 
  
−
=== Star League Era ===
+
The only notable site that is not located on South Whitman is the [[Kincaid Defiance Industries]] complex on North Whitman.<ref name=JTP/> A miniature fortress, Kincaid Defiance Industries is an ammunition and parts manufacturer of minor importance; the facility was briefly used as a manufacturing site for prototype [[Double Heat Sink]]s in conjunction with the [[NAIS]] in the late 3020s, until the Fourteenth Battle of Hesperus II in which the facility was attacked.<ref>''Proprietary'' (short story)</ref>
−
During the [[Star League era]] Hesperus II was perhaps best known for the BattleMech factory owned and operated on the planet by [[Witten Industries]], a Star League manufacturer. This was far from the only industrial concern on the planet, however; in addition to the Witten Industries plant, Defiance Industries had a well-established mining operation on the planet.<ref name="FM2765:LCp12"/>
 
  
−
===The Battles for Hesperus II===
+
Fusion plant works are mentioned out on the Tatyana Archipelago.<ref>''Operation Excalibur'', p. 155 (PDF edition)</ref>
−
Renowned as an essentially unassailable fortress, the factories of Hesperus II have seen numerous famous battles:
 
  
−
====First battle====
+
In the [[twenty-ninth century]], an expedition into the Hesperan swamps set out north from Point Vallejo, never to return.<ref name=OE/> It is unclear if 'Point Vallejo' is a minor town or just a landmark.
−
The first attack came in [[2787]], when House Kurita launched [[Operation BROKEN BLADE]], a massive attack that destroyed the orbiting shipyards but failed to overcome ground defenses. The attackers withdrew in January, having suffered more casualties than they had dealt out.<ref name=HBS50>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 48, "Attacks on Hesperus II"</ref><ref>''Broken Blade''</ref>
 
  
−
====Second battle====
+
The population of the planet has always been small, mainly the employees working in either factory.<ref name=HS168>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 168 (PDF p. 170): "A Brief Atlas" – Hesperus II entry</ref> It has been noted that this planet's population is small mainly because of centuries of paranoid security and travel restrictions.<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
−
In April [[2788]], under the codename of [[Operation BRASS RING]], light and fast forces from the [[Federated Suns]] attempted to rush the factories, raid them for supplies and destroy as much as they could. They were spotted in time for the defenders to repulse them.<ref name=HBS50/>
 
  
−
====Third battle====
+
A clear sky on Hesperus II was said to be patches of violet sky showing here and there through roil of blue, purple, white and yellow clouds, and the sun is a dazzling pinpoint of diamond blue-white light. Hesperus II has a slower rotation than Earth. Local time has twenty-five hours divided into eighty minutes.<ref name=OE/>
−
In March [[2789]] the Free Worlds League attempted an attack with [[WarShip]]s, using an unusual approach vector. However, the Lyrans had reinforced the planetary garrison with two cruisers, the [[Granite|LCS ''Granite'']] and [[Endeavor (Individual WarShip)|LCS ''Endeavor'']], just days before. A naval battle evolved where the heavily damaged ''Granite'' wound up ramming the [[Devastator (Individual WarShip)|FWLS ''Devastator'']], causing both ships to crash on the planet. The remaining League fleet, including the cruiser [[Skulker (Individual WarShip)|FWLS ''Skulker'']], withdrew.<ref name=HBS50/>
 
  
−
====Fourth battle====
+
===Planetary Locations===
−
Between 2831 and 2836, House Kurita attempted an attack against the 'Mech factories on Hesperus II that was easily repulsed by the defenders.<ref name=HBS58>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 58</ref><ref name=HKp57>''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 57. "Military Realities"</ref>
+
* South Whittman (continent)
 +
:* Erewhon River<ref name=WDsp24>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 24: "River of Swords"</ref>
 +
::* Tanda's Crossing: a narrow ford over the Erewhon River<ref name=WDsp25>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 25: "River of Swords"</ref>
 +
:* Maria's Elegy: capital city, located in Melrose Valley<ref name=JTP/>
 +
::* Fort Defiance<ref name=TFoH:GP/>
 +
:* Maldon<ref name=JTP/>
 +
:* Mount Defiance
 +
:* Morningstar Spaceport
 +
:* Myoo Highlands
 +
:* Myoo Mountains
 +
:* Tallowrand: a city<ref name=EW/>
 +
* Sulden Uplands
 +
:* Melrose Valley<ref name=H:HSp136>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 136: "Doering Electronics (DoEl)"</ref>
 +
* Point Vallejo
  
−
====Fifth battle====
+
===Companies and Industries===
−
In [[2837]] House Kurita attacked Hesperus II yet again, while its veteran defenders had been replaced with inexperienced units due to an upcoming offensive against House Marik. The Kurita attackers easily pushed the defenders back to the 'Mech factories, but could not overcome the fortified defensive positions and pillboxes there. After two weeks, the Steiner defenders broke the siege with 'Mech reinforcements fresh off the production lines and forced the Kurita invaders off-world.<ref name=HBS58>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 58</ref>
+
* [[Defiance Industries]]<ref name="FM2765:LCp12"/>
 +
* [[Doering Electronics]]<ref name=H:HSp136/>
 +
* [[Witten Industries]]<ref name="FM2765:LCp12">''Field Report 2765: LCAF'', p. 12: "Hesperus Guards"</ref>
  
−
====Sixth, seventh and eighth battle====
+
===Local Flora and Fauna===
−
The Draconis Combine laid siege to Hesperus II and attempted to destroy the Defiance 'Mech factories in [[2853]]<ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', pp. 62-64</ref> in what is often regarded as a revenge for the death of Coordinator [[Yoguchi Kurita]] at the hands of a Steiner assassin; however others point out that the massive and intricately planned operation must have been prepared long before.
+
In the [[twenty-sixth century]], terraformers had introduced genetically modified plants, animals, and microbes to the planet but were only partially successful.<ref name=OE/>
  
−
The first part of the offensive saw Hesperus II blockaded by a massive fleet of [[WarShip]]s, heavily armed [[DropShip]]s and [[aerospace fighter]]s that encircled the planet and blocked main [[jump point]]s, preventing supplies or reinforcements from being shipped in.
+
In the equatorial region, native sulfur-metabolizing life has adapted to living at over 80° Celsius and atmospheric pressure exceeding three bar. Xenobiologists arbitrarily classified the highest (known) native life forms as "reptilian" because of certain recognizable features—scaly hides, claws, flat heads with toothy jaws and questing, air-tasting tongues.<ref name=OE/>
  
−
Five months later they launched a ground offensive that aimed at wearing down the cut-off defenders in a war of attrition. House Steiner managed to break the blockade by re-activating the [[Tharkad_(WarShip)#Named_Vessels|LCS ''Invincible'']] from [[Tharkad]]. An unexpected battalion called "The Force of Last Resort" raised from barely-trained recruits in 'Mechs fresh from the production lines stalled the Kurita advance on the factory site and set them up for orbital bombardment from the ''Invincible'', vanquishing the Kurita attack force.
+
Due to the extreme conditions which are intolerable for humans, the jungles and swamps can only be accessed in special exploration vehicles such as ExplorerMechs, though fewer than thirty percent of those venturing there ever returned. The expedition that had set out from Point Vallejo in the twenty-ninth century was described as the last one (as of [[3057]]). Consequentially, the biosphere in the deep valley, equatorial region and oceans remains largely unexplored.<ref name=OE/>
  
−
The entire campaign became known as the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Battle for Hesperus II. House Kurita lost more than half of their ground units, fighters and DropShips and all of their blockading WarShips. House Steiner suffered massive losses, too: The [[Tenth Skye Rangers]] and the [[Ninth Arcturan Guards]] regiments were permanently disbanded and the LCS ''Invincible'' was lost to a misjump when it tried to return to Tharkad. One 'Mech assembly line had been destroyed, but it was back to working order within a year.
+
-------------------------------------
 +
==Hesperus III==
 +
{{InfoBoxPlanet
 +
| image              =
 +
| name                = Hesperus III
 +
| othernames          =
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| position            = Third<ref name="O:LAp28"/><ref name=JTPHIIp3/>
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}}
 +
===Military Deployment===
 +
====3079====
 +
* [[Hesperus Militia]]<ref name="O:LAp29"/>
  
−
====Ninth battle====
+
===Geography===
−
In [[2957]], units from two Kurita regiments dropped directly on top of the 'Mech production facilities, bypassing most of the defending forces. Although more than half of the dropping 'Mechs were destroyed on mountain slopes and most were scattered in the mountainous terrain, a sufficient number of attackers landed within the industrial complex to cause considerable damage and slash production capacity by half. Those who died in the raid were posthumously awarded the [[Glory of the Fallen Samurai]] banners. The damage would take 20 years to repair. This caused a severe lack of spare parts and hampered the [[LCAF]] considerably for years.<ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 75</ref><ref name="HKp84">''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 84, "Decline and Fall"</ref>
+
The planet is a barren world with a very hot climate.<ref name="O:LAp29"/> The planet's environment is considered inhospitable, and this makes difficult to deploy infantry in anything other than battle armor or heavy exosuits, has forced to rely as result on [[combat vehicle]]s.<ref name="O:LAp29"/>
  
−
====Tenth battle====
+
==Image gallery==
−
In [[2997]] Marik forces raided an isolated supply depot on the planet, but were repulsed by the [[15th Lyran Guards]] under the command of then-[[Colonel]] [[Katrina Steiner]].<ref name=HBS78>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 78</ref> This attack was [[Janos Marik]]'s first military adventure, conceived to test the strength of the reinvigorated FWLM against the Lyrans. Although the attack was repulsed, the FWLM was noted for markedly improved overall performance.<ref>''[[Brush Wars]]'', p. 9</ref>
+
<gallery>
 +
Hesperus II Planetary Map.png|Planetary Map of Hesperus II
 +
Hesperus II Flag.jpg|Planetary flag of Hesperus II
 +
</gallery>
  
−
====Eleventh battle====
+
==Notes==
−
Relying on the Tenth Battle for Hesperus II indicating that no other attack was to be expected soon, House Steiner drew three defending regiments from Hesperus II for an attack on [[Kalidasa]] which got bogged down. House Marik seized the opportunity to launch another attack on Hesperus II with four 'Mech regiments. They were (narrowly) repulsed by the [[Eridani Light Horse]], but only after the Light Horse's 21st Striker Regiment purposely disobeyed orders from their incompetent ranking Commonwealth officer.<ref name=HBS78/>
+
* {{note|militia}} Given the capture of Hesperus II by the Blakists during the Jihad and the many close calls that the various industries have had throughout history, the local defending LCAF forces and the [[Defiance Self-Protection Force]] on Hesperus II are augmented by elements of the militia from Hesperus III. Based out of the Melrose Valley on South Whitman, the militia contingent from Hesperus III is deployed on a rotating basis; the inhospitable environment makes it difficult to deploy infantry in anything other than battle armor or heavy exosuits, and as result the militia forces serving in each rotation are invariably vehicle based. This places the militia close to the [[Doering Electronics]] plant.<ref name="O:LAp29"/>
  
−
The near-loss, combined with the unsuccessful and bogged-down offensive against Kalidasa, was a political disaster for Archon [[Alessandro Steiner]] and set him up for being ousted by his niece Katrina.
+
* In ''[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)|Wolf's Dragoons sourcebook]]'', Hesperus is referenced as having two moons. This was later overridden by newer information.<ref name=WDsp25a>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 25: "On the Verge of Victory"</ref>
  
−
====Twelfth battle====
+
==Map Gallery==
−
In early 3000, House Kurita stepped up its efforts again and dropped three 'Mech regiments and support on Hesperus II. It fell to the 1st Support Company of the Eridani Light Horse to hold open a space port so that Steiner reinforcements could be deployed.<ref name=HBS78/>
+
<div class="system-map-gallery"></div>
  
−
Although the attack was repulsed, the Eridani Light Horse felt they had finally suffered enough from incompetent Lyran officers. When their contract ran out later that year, they went to work for the [[Federated Suns]] instead.<ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 79</ref>
+
==Nearby Systems==
−
 
+
<!-- NOTE: This table is automatically generated by BattleTechWiki:Project_Planets/Mapping, and any edits to this section may be overwritten at any time by a bot -->
−
====Thirteenth battle====
+
{|class="wikitable nearby-systems" style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 1px solid black;"
−
In [[3019]], House Marik sent [[Wolf's Dragoons]] on a deep penetration raid that eventually aimed for Hesperus II. Lyran intelligence learned of the plan through a traitor, and reinforcements were rushed to Hesperus, including the then-veteran [[24th Lyran Guards]], the 3rd Royal Guards, and the [[Hsien's Hotheads]] and [[Hansen's Roughriders]] mercenary commands.
+
! colspan="8" | Closest 36 systems (35 within 60 light-years)<br>Distance in light years, closest systems first:
−
Initially, the Lyran troops tried to separate [[Wolf's Dragoons]]. When [[Colonel]] [[Jaime Wolf]] ordered his orbital reserves into action, the Lyrans consolidated their forces along a river line. Despite several attacks (including a night attack), the Dragoons could not break the strong positions of the Steiner defenses and were thrown back every time. However, [[Natasha Kerensky]] of the Dragoon's [[Black Widow Company]] discovered a weak point in the Steiner defenses. She advanced along a seasonal river, which was guarded only by a single lance of 'Mechs. Their path was blocked just in sight of the [[Defiance Industries]] '[[Mech]]-factories by Hansen's Roughriders. Even the arriving reinforcements of the Dragoon's Delta and Gamma regiments failed to dislodge the Roughriders' heavy 'Mechs.
 
−
 
 
−
[[Wolf's Dragoons]] and the defending Steiner forces suffered tremendous losses during the campaign. The Dragoons were forced to make yet another supply run. However, due to their professionalism during the campaign and their fierce determination, their reputation grew further, convincing [[Archon]] [[Katrina Steiner]] to negotiate a contract with the Dragoons.
 
−
 
 
−
The Lyran losses included the [[24th Lyran Guards]], which was almost destroyed during the defense.
 
−
<ref>''[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)]]''{{cn}}</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
====Fourteenth battle====
 
−
In [[3027]], [[2nd McCarron's Armored Cavalry|Barton's Regiment]] of the [[McCarron's Armored Cavalry]] [[mercenary unit]] staged a quick and narrow objective raid against the [[Kincaid Defiance Industries]] plant on the North Whitman continent of Hesperus II that was successful despite heavy resistance from the [[Blackhearts]] and the [[26th Lyran Guards]], combined with relentless aerospace fighter attacks.<ref name="MAC">''McCarron's Armored Cavalry (scenario pack)'', p. 9</ref> The official version was that KDI's owner [[Simon Kincaid]] was a black market dealer who had taken several millions [[C-Bill]]s from McCarron's Armored Cavalry but failed to deliver the promised goods, invoking the wrath of the notorious mercenary unit and thus provoking this grudge raid against his firm.<ref name="MAC" /> The truth, which is not publicly known, is that Kincaid's firm (KDI) was secretly building prototype [[Double Heat Sink]]s for the Federated Suns (made possible by the [[FedCom Accords]]). Kincaid had embezzled a significant share of the production and sold it to the Capellans. When the [[Lyran Intelligence Corps]] threatened to uncover his activities, he delayed their investigation long enough to arrange for his safe extraction in a staged raid, providing the Confederation with the blueprints in return. It is implied that Kincaid provided the means by which the attacking DropShips could safely approach the heavily guarded world.<ref>[[BattleCorps]] short story ''[[Proprietary]]''</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
====Operation EXCALIBUR====
 
−
In [[3057]] [[Field Marshal]] [[Brandal Gareth]] enacted a rebellion code named [[Operation EXCALIBUR]] with the intent of creating his own nation state with Hesperus at its heart. The [[Free Star Republic]] would last a mere six days before it was destroyed.{{cn}}
 
−
 
 
−
====Fifteenth battle====
 
−
The Fifteenth Battle of Hesperus II was the pivotal battle of the [[Federation of Skye#FedCom Civil War and another Rebellion|Third Skye Rebellion]], during the [[FedCom Civil War]]. Representing the Free Skye forces were the [[22nd Skye Rangers]], the [[4th Skye Rangers]], the [[Warship|Warships]] ''[[Fox (WarShip)#Named Vessels|LAS Illustrious]]'' and the ''[[Fox (WarShip)#Named Vessels|FCS Indefatigable]]''. Defending the planet on behalf of the Lyran Alliance were the [[Gray Death Legion]], the [[15th Lyran Guards|15th]] and the [[36th Lyran Guards]], and the [[Defiance Self-Protection Force]], a corporate military unit. In orbit was the Warship ''[[Avalon#Named Vessels|FSS Simon Davion]]''. Early in the campaign, the ''Illustrious'' was destroyed but the ''Simon Davion'' was captured by the Free Skye forces, giving the invaders a decisive advantage in orbit. After initial skirmishing, the two Skye regiments lifted off the planet, only to drop directly on the target factory, leaving the divided defenders in a desperate position. Orbital bombardment by the Free Skye forces destroyed an [[Hyperpulse Generator|HPG Station]], killing hundreds of civilians, and dealt tremendous damage to the 15th Lyran Guards. When the [[32nd Lyran Guards]] joined the attack in support of Free Skye, the campaign appeared lost for the loyalists. The Gray Death Legion spent itself holding off the Rangers, losing most of its troops and its commander, Colonel [[Lori Kalmar|Lori Kalmar Carlyle]]. The 32nd Lyran Guards had lost their own commander, however, and were now plagued by dissent. The 22nd Rangers were shattered, while the 4th and 17th Rangers were mauled. The pro-Skye [[14th Lyran Guards]] arrived with Maria Esteban in command, inflicting heavy losses on the 32nd Guards. Despite all of this, the loyalists still held the massive Defiance Industries factory while the rebels had been ravaged, demoralized and had lost the element of surprise. The 4th Skye Rangers abandoned the battle, returning to Skye. Esteban made one last push for the factory, neutralizing much of the Defiance SPF and reaching the gates of the legendary facility. Loyalist [[Battle Armor]] units, however, managed to regain control of the situation, and the Free Skye forces, facing a suddenly resurgent SDF and 15th Lyran Guards, were forced to retreat. When General [[Caesar Steiner]] arrived with the pro-Lyran [[2nd Donegal Guards]], Esteban and her forces surrendered. <ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 146-147, 163-164, 177-178</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'' p. 68</ref><ref>''The Dying Time (novel)''</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
====Sixteenth Battle====
 
−
From March [[3068]] until early [[3070]] the [[Word of Blake]] ran [[Operation STEEL HAMMER]], a series of heavy raids against the planet's defenders. The first raid fell between the 14th and 17th of March [[3068]], coinciding with raids on [[Coventry]] and [[Donegal]]; the three raids all featured support from Blakist [[WarShip]]s or [[Pocket WarShip]]s.<ref name="J:FRp45">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 45, "The Jihad In Review"</ref> Unknown to the defending Lyran forces, commando forces were seeded onto Hesperus II during each of these raids from the beginning. In early 3070, Hesperus II fell into enemy hands for the first time in its long history to a Word of Blake invasion force. <ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 24, "Operation: Steel Hammer" - History of Hesperus occupation up to 3074.</ref><ref name="J:FRp48">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 48, "The Jihad In Review"</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
During the Word of Blake occupation, the Word upgraded and improved factory production on Hesperus II, and used the planet as a resupply/refit stronghold and a base for forces conducting strikes into their the Lyran Theaters of operations. In the first two weeks of November [[3074]] Coalition forces lead by [[Devlin Stone]] launched an assault against the defending Word of Blake forces, determined to recapture the planet after the successful defense of [[Skye]] earlier in the year. The coalition forces, which included elements from Skye, [[ComStar]] and [[Clan Wolf]], took on three Word of Blake Divisions; the battle for Hesperus II lasted for weeks, with the last Blakist fortifications around Maria's Elegy finally being shattered on the 20th of December.<ref name="JHS3076p55">''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 55, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp53">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 53, "The Jihad In Review"</ref> However, the Word of Blake rendered many of their improvements to the factories unusable through sabotage before leaving.
 
−
 
 
−
===Post-Jihad and Dark Age Eras===
 
−
Despite the damage inflicted on Hesperus II by the Blakists during the final battle for control over the planet, the Defiance Industries plant remained the largest single military producer for the Alliance in the years immediately after the Jihad.<ref name="J:FRp85A">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 85, "Bolan Province"</ref><ref name="J:FRp85B">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 85, "Coventry Province"</ref> The Lyran government was keen to rebuild the industrial capacity of the plants as the Jihad closed, and opened up Hesperus II by encouraging what may be the first population boom via immigration in the history of the world. While this was still accompanied by tight security controls, the restrictions were nothing like the paranoid security measures and travel restrictions that had served for most of Hesperus II's history.<ref name="O:LAp28"/>
 
−
 
 
−
====Seventeenth Battle====
 
−
The latest battle for Hesperus II began on 3 January [[3145]] when a joint [[Jade Falcon]] / [[Clan Hell's Horses|Hell's Horses]] force led by Khan [[Malvina Hazen]] landed on the planet. [[Archon]] [[Trillian Steiner]] had received word of the impending attack from [[Loki]] agents but the weakened [[LCAF]] lacked the means to repulse the invasion themselves. Instead, Archon Steiner implemented a different stratagem: she ordered Loki to leak word of the invasion to Khan [[Alaric Ward]], correctly guessing that he'd react by mounting a counter-invasion of his own.
 
−
 
 
−
A day after Hazen's force landed, warriors from the [[Wolf Empire]] reached Hesperus. The LCAF had withdrawn most of its garrison by this point and the remaining Commonwealth troops evacuated after putting up minimal resistance, leaving the [[Eridani Light Horse]] and several smaller mercenary commands to face Malvina's wrath. Many mercenaries reacted to this revelation by attempting to surrender to the Clanners, only to be slaughtered, while the Light Horses' attempt to escape was foiled by the [[Raptor Keshik]]. The few surviving Light Horse escaped into the mountains, only to be hunted down to the last soldier by the sadistic Falcons.
 
−
 
 
−
The subsequent Wolf assault upon Hazen's forces resulted in nearly two months of stalemate. An impatient Malvina finally mounted a last-ditch attempt to seize the factory on 23 February, ordering that her [[Nuclear Weapons|nuclear weapons]] be ready for use in case of failure. Then Khan [[Beckett Malthus]] made an assassination attempt on Malvina, putting her into a coma and throwing the entire force into confusion as orders for retreat were broadcast. It was then that the LCAF's counterblow landed. While the Clans had been bogged down, Archon Steiner gathered a liberation force at nearby [[Canonbie]]. The fresh LCAF units dropped onto enemies already tired and demoralized, and within a week had routed both Clan forces.<ref name="ER:3145p28-29">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 28-29, "Archon's Trial"</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
Politically, the aftermath proved significant to both Trillian Steiner and Malvina Hazen. The LCAF victory over two infamous Clan foes aided Steiner in strengthening her shaky hold on the throne. Alaric Ward shrugged off his defeat and even congratulated Steiner on her victory; his main objective, it would seem, was simply to keep Malvina from taking the planet's factories. As for the Chiggis Khan herself, she remained in a coma for months before emerging to brutally repay Malthus for his treachery in a [[Trial of Grievance]], and learned that her Hell's Horses allies were using the defeat as a chance to extract themselves from her brutal rule.
 
−
 
 
−
== Political Affiliation ==
 
−
* [[2271]] - Inhabited world <ref name="HB:HMp16">''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 16, "Free Worlds League Founding [2271]"</ref>
 
−
* [[2340]] - [[Federation of Skye]] <ref name=HBHS13>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 13, "Federation of Skye world within the Lyran Commonwealth befor [2340] and after at their founding in [2341]"</ref>
 
−
* [[2341]] - [[Lyran Commonwealth]] <ref name=HBHS13/>
 
−
* [[2571]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="HB:HSp25>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 25, "Lyran Commonwealth after Age of War [2571]"</ref>
 
−
* [[2596]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name=HRWp158>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 158, "Inner Sphere Map [2596]"</ref>
 
−
* [[2750]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="ER:2750p37">''Era Report: 2750'', p. 37, "Inner Sphere - 2750"</ref>
 
−
* [[2764]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="FM:SLDFpvii">''Field Manual: SLDF'', p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"</ref>
 
−
* [[2765]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="H:LoTV1p11>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 11, "Inner Sphere - 2765"</ref>
 
−
* [[2786]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="FSW(SB)p24-25">''First Succession War (Source Book)'', pp. 24-25, "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"</ref>
 
−
* [[2822]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="HB:HSp36">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 36, "Lyran Commonwealth after First Succession War [2822]"</ref><ref name="H:LoTV2p122">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 122-123, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"</ref><ref name="FSW(SB)p112-113">''First Succession War (Source Book)'', pp. 112-113, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"</ref>
 
−
* [[2835]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="HKp64">''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 64, "Jinjiro's last years"</ref>
 
−
* [[2864]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="HB:HSp40">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 40, "Lyran Commonwealth after Second Succession War [2822]"</ref>
 
−
* [[2957]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="HKp84">''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 84, "Decline and Fall"</ref>
 
−
* [[3025]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="HB:HSp47">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 47, "Lyran Commonwealth after Third Succession War [3025]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3030]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="HB:HSp56">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 56, "Lyran Commonwealth after Fourth Succession War [3030]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3040]] - [[Federated Commonwealth]] <ref name="HB:HSp59">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 59, "Lyran Commonwealth after War of 39 [3040]"</ref><ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 133, "Inner Sphere - 3040"</ref>
 
−
* [[3050]] - Federated Commonwealth <ref name="ER3052p11">''Era Report: 3052'', p. 11, "Inner Sphere - 3050"</ref>
 
−
* [[3052]] - Federated Commonwealth <ref name="HB:HSp61">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 61, "Lyran Commonwealth after Clan Invasion [3052]"</ref><ref name="ER3052p23">''Era Report: 3052'', p. 23, "Inner Sphere - 3052"</ref>
 
−
* [[3057]] - [[Lyran Alliance]] <ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map [3057]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3063]] - Lyran Alliance <ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 29, "Inner Sphere Map [3063]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3067]] - Lyran Alliance <ref name="HB:HSp70">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 70, "Lyran Commonwealth after FedCom Civil War [3067]"</ref><ref name="J:FRp43">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 43, "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3067]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3070]] - [[Word of Blake Protectorate]] (from February)<ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 24, "Operation: Steel Hammer" - Blake Occupation from 3070 to November 3074.</ref><ref name="J:FRp48"/>
 
−
* [[3075]] - Lyran Alliance <ref name="JS:TBDp64>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 64, "Inner Sphere [3075]"</ref><ref name="JHS3076p55"/><ref name="J:FRp53"/>
 
−
* [[3079]] - Lyran Alliance <ref>''Field Report: LAAF'', p. 19, "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table [3079]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3081]] - Lyran Alliance <ref>''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 63, "Inner Sphere Map - [March 3081]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3085]] - Lyran Alliance <ref>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. vii, "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"</ref>
 
−
* [[3130]] - Lyran Commonwealth <ref name="MotIS3130">''Map of the Inner Sphere 3130''</ref>
 
−
* [[3135]] - Lyran Alliance <ref name="ER:3145p11">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 11, "Inner Sphere - 3135"</ref>
 
−
* [[3145]] - Lyran Alliance <ref name="ER:3145p39">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 39, "Inner Sphere - 3145"</ref><ref name="FM:3145pVI">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. VI, "Inner Sphere - 3145"</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
==Nearby Planets==
 
−
{|class="wikitable" width='800' style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 2px solid black;"
 
−
! colspan="10" | Planets within 2 jumps (60 light-years) <br />Closest planets first:
 
−
|-
 
−
! Planet
 
−
! Distance (LY)
 
−
! Jumps
 
−
! 2750
 
−
! 3025
 
−
! 3030
 
−
! 3040
 
−
! 3052
 
−
! 3057
 
−
! 3062
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Caledonia]]
 
−
| 9.99
 
−
| 1
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Trent (system)|Trent]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Caledonia]]
−
| 14.20
+
| class="lessthan30" | 9.9
−
| 1
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Trent (system)|Trent]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | 14.0
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Lamon]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | 16.0
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Canonbie]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | 20.5
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Furillo]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Laiaka]]
−
| 15.17
+
| class="lessthan30" | 24.2
−
| 1
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Carsphairn]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | 28.5
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Alkaid]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | 29.5
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | [[Sarpsborg]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="lessthan30" | 29.8
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Lamon]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Vindemiatrix]]
−
| 16.20
+
| class="over30" | 30.9
−
| 1
+
| class="over30" | [[Fianna]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 31.6
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Eidsfoss]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 32.3
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Arganda]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | 33.0
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Canonbie]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Algorab]]
−
| 20.67
+
| class="over30" | 34.1
−
| 1
+
| class="over30" | [[Furillo]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 34.4
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[New Kyoto]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 35.0
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Gladius (system)|Gladius]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | 37.4
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Laiaka]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Ciotat]]
−
| 24.41
+
| class="over30" | 41.6
−
| 1
+
| class="over30" | [[Rahne]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 41.7
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Clinton]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 42.9
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Seginus]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | 44.2
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Carsphairn]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Zaniah]]
−
| 28.72
+
| class="over30" | 44.3
−
| 1
+
| class="over30" | [[Chaffee (LC)|Chaffee]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 45.5
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Bjornlunda]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 49.3
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Laurieston]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | 49.8
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Alkaid]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Halmyre Deans]]
−
| 29.73
+
| class="over30" | 51.5
−
| 1
+
| class="over30" | [[Gacrux]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 51.7
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Alcor]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 52.0
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Solaris]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | 53.8
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Sarpsborg]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Jaumegarde]]
−
| 30.12
+
| class="over30" | 54.2
−
| 2
+
| class="over30" | [[Glengarry]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 55.7
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Kochab]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 57.6
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Nekkar]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over30" | 58.0
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Vindemiatrix]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Pardeau]]
−
| 31.28
+
| class="over30" | 58.1
−
| 2
+
| class="over30" | [[Enkoping]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 58.4
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Hyde]]
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
+
| class="over30" | 58.8
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over60" | [[Mariefred]]
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
+
| class="over60" | 60.4
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Fianna]]
 
−
| 31.90
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Eidsfoss]]
 
−
| 32.65
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Arganda]]
 
−
| 33.32
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Algorab]]
 
−
| 33.49
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[New Kyoto]]
 
−
| 34.44
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Gladius (system)|Gladius]]
 
−
| 37.66
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Ciotat]]
 
−
| 41.94
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Rahne]]
 
−
| 42.10
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Clinton]]
 
−
| 43.39
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Zaniah]]
 
−
| 44.22
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Seginus]]
 
−
| 45.04
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Chaffee]]
 
−
| 45.87
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Bjornlunda]]
 
−
| 49.71
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Laurieston]]
 
−
| 50.25
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Halmyre Deans]]
 
−
| 51.95
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Gacrux]]
 
−
| 52.39
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Alcor]]
 
−
| 52.47
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Solaris]]
 
−
| 54.26
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Jaumegarde]]
 
−
| 54.68
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Glengarry]]
 
−
| 56.21
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Kochab]]
 
−
| 58.03
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Nekkar]]
 
−
| 58.51
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Chertan]]
 
−
| 58.52
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Free Worlds League | FWL]]
 
−
| [[Free Worlds League | FWL]]
 
−
| [[Free Worlds League | FWL]]
 
−
| [[Free Worlds League | FWL]]
 
−
| [[Free Worlds League | FWL]]
 
−
| [[Free Worlds League | FWL]]
 
−
| [[Free Worlds League | FWL]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Enkoping]]
 
−
| 58.90
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Hyde]]
 
−
| 59.32
 
−
| 2
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Commonwealth | LC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Federated Commonwealth | FC]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
−
| [[Lyran Alliance | LA]]
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
== References ==
+
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />
  
−
== Bibliography ==
+
==Bibliography==
 +
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
 
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
 
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
 
* ''[[Broken Blade]]''
 
* ''[[Broken Blade]]''
 +
* ''[[The Dying Time]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 3052]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 3052]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
−
* ''[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)]]''
+
* ''[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)|FedCom Civil War]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
Line 688: Line 478:
 
* ''[[Field Report: LAAF]]''
 
* ''[[Field Report: LAAF]]''
 
* ''[[Field Report 2765: LCAF]]''
 
* ''[[Field Report 2765: LCAF]]''
−
* ''[[First Succession War (Source Book)|First Succession War]]''
+
* ''[[The Fires of Hell]]'' (in: ''[[A Time of War]]'')
 +
* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)]]''
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]''
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]''
Line 701: Line 492:
 
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]''
 
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]''
 
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II]]''
 
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II]]''
−
* ''[http://home.ifi.uio.no/~oysteint/btech/maps/IS_3130.pdf Map of the Inner Sphere 3130]''
+
* ''[[McCarron's Armored Cavalry (scenario pack)|McCarron's Armored Cavalry]]''
−
* ''[[McCarron's Armored Cavalry (scenario pack)]]''
 
 
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]''
 
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]''
 
* ''[[Objective Raids]]''
 
* ''[[Objective Raids]]''
 
* ''[[Prometheus Unbound]]''
 
* ''[[Prometheus Unbound]]''
 
* ''[[Proprietary]]''
 
* ''[[Proprietary]]''
 +
* ''[[Second Succession War (sourcebook)|Second Succession War]]''
 
* ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
 
* ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
−
* ''[[The Dying Time]]''
+
* ''[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)|Wolf's Dragoons]]''
 +
{{div col end}}
  
−
[[Category:Planets|Hesperus II]]
+
[[Category:Systems|Hesperus]]
−
[[Category: Federated Commonwealth Planets]]
+
[[Category: Federated Commonwealth Systems]]
−
[[Category: Federation of Skye Planets]]
+
[[Category: Federation of Skye Systems]]
−
[[Category: Independent Planets]]
+
[[Category: Independent Systems]]
−
[[Category: Lyran Alliance Planets]]
+
[[Category: Lyran Alliance Systems]]
−
[[Category: Lyran Commonwealth Planets]]
+
[[Category: Lyran Commonwealth Systems]]
−
[[Category: Word of Blake Planets]]
+
[[Category: Word of Blake Systems]]

Latest revision as of 08:28, 23 April 2024

Hesperus
← 3135
3151
Hesperus 3151.svg
Hesperus nearby systems
(Map Legend)
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-123.603 : 46.734[e]
Spectral classF2IV[1][2]
Recharge time173 hours[1]
Recharge station(s)Zenith, Nadir[1][2]
Planet(s)5[3]

System Description[edit]

The system is best known for the massive 'Mech factories on Hesperus II. Other named planets in the system include the barren Hesperus III[1] and Hesperus V, which was mentioned to have several large, rocky moons including Hesperus V Gamma.[3]

System History[edit]

The Hesperus system was mentioned to feature shipyard facilities[4] and an Olympus-class recharge station[5] at the zenith jump point, which may be referring to one and the same.

Because of its immense strategic value, the Hesperus system was the site of many battles over the centuries. (See The Battles for Hesperus II below).

Political Affiliation[edit]

Hesperus II[edit]

Hesperus II
Hesperus II Flag.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionSecond[1][2]
Jump Point distance18.75[1][2]
Moons1 (Hesperus II-Alpha)[1][2][46]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.01[1][2][46]
Atmospheric pressureStandard (Breathable)[1][46][2]
Equatorial temperature85°C (Jungle)[1][2][46]
Surface water40%[1][2][46]
Highest native life"Reptile"[1][2] (see text)
Landmasses4 (North Whitman, South Whitman, East Barrens, West Barrens)[47]
History and Culture
Population55,000 (3067–3068),[46][2]
345,600 (3079)[1]
Government and Infrastructure
Noble RulerDuke of Hesperus II
CapitalMaria's Elegy[1][47][48]
HPG ClassA (3067),[2]
A (3079)[1]
HPG RepresentativePrecentor Hjalmer Curtis (3025)

Planetary History[edit]

Age of War[edit]

During the mid-twenty-third century, Hesperus II was briefly home to a Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, who ruled from the planet's archiepiscopal palace during a Papal schism[49]

By the mid-twenty-fifth century Hesperus II was jointly held by the Terran Hegemony and the Lyran Commonwealth. Although the Hegemony had set up a manufacturing facility on-planet for its new war-changing weapon, the Lyrans were unable to acquire the schematics or other technology related to the Mackie. The Lyran Intelligence Corps did, however, manage to infiltrate one agent who acquired maps and pictures of the assembly lines.[50]

This intelligence, meager though it was, enabled Colonel Simon Kelswa to acquire the Mackie's blueprints through more direct means. On 7 February 2455, Kelswa and his team of twenty-five commandos launched Operation Prometheus, fighting their way into the Hesperus factory and making off with enough information for House Steiner to become the second of the Great Houses to field BattleMechs.[50]

Star League Era[edit]

During the Star League era Hesperus II was perhaps best known for the BattleMech factory owned and operated on the planet by Witten Industries, a Star League manufacturer. This was far from the only industrial concern on the planet, however; in addition to the Witten Industries plant, Defiance Industries had a well-established mining operation on the planet.[51]

The Battles for Hesperus II[edit]

With the technological decline that resulted from the Star League's collapse and the Succession Wars, Hesperus II's Star League-era factories became an important asset for the Lyran Commonwealth (now sole owner of the planet following the Hegemony's collapse). Consequently Hesperus II witnessed numerous attacks by foreign powers over the next three and a half centuries.

First battle[edit]

The first attack came in 2787, when House Kurita launched Operation BROKEN BLADE, a massive attack that destroyed the orbiting shipyards but failed to overcome ground defenses. The attackers withdrew in January, having suffered more casualties than they had dealt out.[52][53]

Second battle[edit]

In April 2788, under the codename of Operation BRASS RING, light and fast forces from the Federated Suns under the command of Rear Admiral Milton Hayes attempted to rush the factories, raid them for supplies and destroy as much as they could. They were spotted in time for the defenders to repulse them.[52]

Third battle[edit]
Main article: Third Battle of Hesperus II

In March 2789, the Free Worlds League attempted an attack with WarShips, using an unusual approach vector. However, the Lyrans had reinforced the planetary garrison with two cruisers, the LCS Granite and LCS Endeavor, just days before. A naval battle evolved where the heavily damaged Granite wound up ramming the FWLS Devastator, causing both ships to crash on the planet. The remaining League fleet, including the cruiser FWLS Skulker, withdrew.[52]

Fourth battle[edit]

Between 2831 and 2836, House Kurita attempted an attack against the 'Mech factories on Hesperus II under the command of Tai-sho Satoshi Anderson, but was easily repulsed by the defenders.[54][55][56]

Fifth battle[edit]

In 2837, House Kurita attacked Hesperus II yet again, while its veteran defenders had been replaced with inexperienced units due to an upcoming offensive against House Marik. The Kurita attackers easily pushed the defenders back to the 'Mech factories, but could not overcome the fortified defensive positions and pillboxes there. After two weeks, the Steiner defenders broke the siege with 'Mech reinforcements fresh off the production lines and forced the Kurita invaders off-world.[54]

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth battles[edit]
Main article: Siege of Hesperus II (2853)

The Draconis Combine laid siege to Hesperus II and attempted to destroy the Defiance 'Mech factories in 2853[57] in what is often regarded as a revenge for the death of Coordinator Yoguchi Kurita at the hands of a Steiner assassin; however others point out that the massive and intricately planned operation must have been prepared long before.

The first part of the offensive saw Hesperus II blockaded by a massive fleet of WarShips, heavily armed DropShips and aerospace fighters that encircled the planet and blocked main jump points, preventing supplies or reinforcements from being shipped in.

Five months later they launched a ground offensive that aimed at wearing down the cut-off defenders in a war of attrition. House Steiner managed to break the blockade by reactivating the LCS Invincible from Tharkad. An unexpected battalion called "The Force of Last Resort" raised from barely trained recruits in 'Mechs fresh from the production lines stalled the Kurita advance on the factory site and set them up for orbital bombardment from the Invincible, vanquishing the Kurita attack force.

The entire campaign became known as the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Battles for Hesperus II. House Kurita lost more than half of their ground units, fighters and DropShips and all of their blockading WarShips. House Steiner suffered massive losses, too: The Tenth Skye Rangers and the Ninth Arcturan Guards regiments were permanently disbanded and the LCS Invincible was lost to a misjump when it tried to return to Tharkad. One 'Mech assembly line had been destroyed, but it was back to working order within a year.

Ninth battle[edit]

In 2957, units from two Kurita regiments dropped directly on top of the 'Mech production facilities, bypassing most of the defending forces. Although more than half of the dropping 'Mechs were destroyed on mountain slopes and most were scattered in the mountainous terrain, a sufficient number of attackers landed within the industrial complex to cause considerable damage and slash production capacity by half. Those who died in the raid were posthumously awarded the Glory of the Fallen Samurai banners. The damage would take 20 years to repair. This caused a severe lack of spare parts and hampered the LCAF considerably for years.[58][19]

Tenth battle[edit]

In 2997, Marik forces raided an isolated supply depot on the planet, but were repulsed by the Fifteenth Lyran Guards under the command of then Colonel Katrina Steiner.[59] This attack was Janos Marik's first military adventure, conceived to test the strength of the reinvigorated FWLM against the Lyrans. Although the attack was repulsed, the FWLM was noted for markedly improved overall performance.[60]

Eleventh battle[edit]

Relying on the Tenth Battle for Hesperus II indicating that no other attack was to be expected soon, the Commonwealth drew three defending regiments from Hesperus II for an attack on Kalidasa which got bogged down. The Free Worlds League seized the opportunity to launch another attack on Hesperus II with four 'Mech regiments. They were (narrowly) repulsed by the Eridani Light Horse, but only after the Light Horse's Twenty-first Striker Regiment purposely disobeyed orders from their incompetent ranking Commonwealth officer.[59]

The near-loss, combined with the unsuccessful and bogged-down offensive against Kalidasa, was a political disaster for Archon Alessandro Steiner and set him up for being ousted by his niece Katrina.

Twelfth battle[edit]

In early 3000, House Kurita stepped up its efforts again and dropped three 'Mech regiments and support on Hesperus II. It fell to the First Support Company of the Eridani Light Horse to hold open a spaceport so that Steiner reinforcements could be deployed.[59]

Although the attack was repulsed, the Eridani Light Horse felt they had finally suffered enough from incompetent Lyran officers. When their contract ran out later that year, they went to work for the Federated Suns instead.[61]

Thirteenth battle[edit]

In 3019, House Marik sent Wolf's Dragoons on a deep penetration raid that eventually aimed for Hesperus II. Lyran intelligence learned of the plan through a traitor, and reinforcements were rushed to Hesperus, including the veteran Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards, the Third Royal Guards, and the Hsien's Hotheads and Hansen's Roughriders mercenary commands.

Initially, the Lyran troops tried to separate Wolf's Dragoons. When Colonel Jaime Wolf ordered his orbital reserves into action, the Lyrans consolidated their forces along the Erewhon River. Despite several attacks (including a night attack), the Dragoons could not break the strong positions of the Steiner defenses and were thrown back every time. However, Natasha Kerensky of the Dragoons' Black Widow Company discovered a weak point in the Steiner defenses. She advanced along a seasonal river ford, Tanda's Crossing, which was guarded only by a single lance of 'Mechs. Their path was blocked just in sight of the Defiance Industries 'Mech factories by Hansen's Roughriders. Even the arriving reinforcements of the Dragoons' Delta and Gamma regiments failed to dislodge the Roughriders' heavy 'Mechs.

Wolf's Dragoons and the defending Steiner forces suffered tremendous losses during the campaign. The Dragoons were forced to make yet another supply run. However, due to their professionalism during the campaign and their fierce determination, their reputation grew further, convincing Archon Katrina Steiner to negotiate a contract with the Dragoons.

The Lyran losses included the Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards, which was almost destroyed during the defense.[62]

Fourteenth battle[edit]

In 3028, Barton's Regiment of the McCarron's Armored Cavalry mercenary unit staged a quick and narrow objective raid against the Kincaid Defiance Industries plant on the North Whitman continent of Hesperus II that was successful despite heavy resistance from the Blackhearts and the Twenty-sixth Lyran Guards, combined with relentless aerospace fighter attacks.[63] The official version was that KDI's owner Simon Kincaid was a black market dealer who had taken several millions C-bills from McCarron's Armored Cavalry but failed to deliver the promised goods, invoking the wrath of the notorious mercenary unit and thus provoking this grudge raid against his firm.[63] The truth, which is not publicly known, is that Kincaid's firm was secretly building prototype Double Heat Sinks for the Federated Suns (made possible by the FedCom Accords). Kincaid had embezzled a significant share of the production and sold it to the Capellans. When the Lyran Intelligence Corps threatened to uncover his activities, he delayed their investigation long enough to arrange for his safe extraction in a staged raid, providing the Confederation with the blueprints in return. It is implied that Kincaid provided the means by which the attacking DropShips could safely approach the heavily guarded world.[64]

Operation EXCALIBUR[edit]

In 3057, Field Marshal Brandal Gareth enacted a rebellion code named Operation EXCALIBUR with the intent of creating his own nation state with Hesperus at its heart. The Free Star Republic would last a mere six days before it was destroyed.[citation needed]

Fifteenth battle[edit]
Main article: Fifteenth Battle of Hesperus II

The Fifteenth Battle of Hesperus II was the pivotal battle of the Third Skye Rebellion, during the FedCom Civil War (in 3065). Representing the Free Skye forces were the Twenty-second Skye Rangers, the Fourth Skye Rangers, the WarShips LAS Illustrious and the FCS Indefatigable. Defending the planet on behalf of the Lyran Alliance were the Gray Death Legion, the Fifteenth and Thirty-sixth Lyran Guards, and the Defiance Self-Protection Force, a corporate military unit. In orbit was the WarShip FSS Simon Davion. Early in the campaign, the Illustrious was destroyed but the Simon Davion was captured by the Free Skye forces, giving the invaders a decisive advantage in orbit. After initial skirmishing, the two Skye regiments lifted off, only to drop directly on the target factory, leaving the divided defenders in a desperate position. Orbital bombardment by the Free Skye forces destroyed an HPG Station, killing hundreds of civilians, and dealt tremendous damage to the Fifteenth Lyran Guards. When the Thirty-second Lyran Guards joined the attack in support of Free Skye, the campaign appeared lost for the loyalists. The Gray Death Legion spent itself holding off the Rangers, losing most of its troops and its commander, Colonel Lori Kalmar Carlyle. The Thirty-second Lyran Guards had lost their own commander, however, and were now plagued by dissent. The Twenty-second Rangers were shattered, while the Fourth and Seventeenth Rangers were mauled. The pro-Skye Fourteenth Lyran Guards arrived with Maria Esteban in command, inflicting heavy losses on the Thirty-second Guards. Despite all of this, the loyalists still held the massive Defiance Industries factory while the rebels had been ravaged, demoralized and had lost the element of surprise. The Fourth Skye Rangers abandoned the battle, returning to Skye. Esteban made one last push for the factory, neutralizing much of the Defiance SPF and reaching the gates of the legendary facility. Loyalist battle armor units, however, managed to regain control of the situation, and the Free Skye forces, facing a suddenly resurgent SPF and Fifteenth Lyran Guards, were forced to retreat. When General Caesar Steiner arrived with the pro-Lyran Second Donegal Guards, Esteban and her forces surrendered.[65][66][67]

Sixteenth Battle[edit]
Word of Blake Invasion[edit]
Main article: Operation STEEL HAMMER

From March 3068 until early 3070, the Word of Blake ran Operation STEEL HAMMER, a series of heavy raids against the planet's defenders. The first raid fell between the 14th and 17th of March 3068, coinciding with raids on Coventry and Donegal; the three raids all featured support from Blakist WarShips or Pocket WarShips.[68]

In the first phase, the Sixteenth and Twenty-second Divisions conducted extensive raiding against the planet's defenders which began in 3068. Over the course of approximately two years, elements of the Light of Mankind were inserted on the planet, using the raids as a cover.

In 3070, a Blakist invasion force arrived in the form of the Thirty-eighth Division and the Fortieth Shadow Division. This force was escorted by the Lola III Class Destroyer, WoBS End of Wisdom, and a reinforced Level II of Pocket WarShips. The invasion's escort fleet overwhelmed and destroyed the Lyran Fox-class corvette LAS Melissa Steiner, effectively blockading the planet. The two divisions landed on Maria's Elegy and the Defiance Industries factory complexes. At the same time, the Light of Mankind teams enacted their long-awaited mission objectives, sabotaging defensive systems and assassinating key personnel. The Fifteenth Lyran Guards, who had also been infiltrated, failed to mount a strong defense and suffered horrendous casualties. The unit was forced to withdraw under heavy fire toward the factory's interior, with Gina Ciampa, the Fifteenth’s commander, leading the last-ditch effort to barricade the South Gate. Though she tried to destroy her own 'Mech to close the entrance, Tau infantry was able to stop her and promptly executed her, seizing the gate. With only fourteen days of fight, Hesperus II was first conquered by an outside power.

During the Word of Blake occupation, the Word brought in Terran technician that upgraded and improved factory production on Hesperus II, and used the planet as a resupply/refit stronghold and a base for forces conducting strikes into their the Lyran Theaters of operations.[69]

Coalition Assault[edit]
Main article: Sixteenth Battle of Hesperus II - Coalition Assault

In the first two weeks of November 3074, Coalition forces led by Devlin Stone launched an assault against the defending Word of Blake forces, determined to recapture the planet after the successful defense of Skye earlier in the year. The coalition forces, which included elements from Skye, ComStar and Clan Wolf, took on three Word of Blake Divisions; the battle for Hesperus II lasted for weeks, with the last Blakist fortifications around Maria's Elegy finally being shattered on the 20th of December.[37][38] Badly mauled, these units withdrew from the planet. It is speculated that survivors of the Fortieth Shadow may have gone to ground to conduct sabotage efforts against the planet's controllers. However, the Word of Blake rendered many of their improvements to the factories unusable through sabotage before leaving.[70][71][35][69]

Post-Jihad and Dark Age Era[edit]

Despite the damage inflicted on Hesperus II by the Blakists during the final battle for control over the planet, the Defiance Industries plant remained the largest single military producer for the Alliance in the years immediately after the Jihad.[72][73] The Lyran government was keen to rebuild the industrial capacity of the plants as the Jihad closed, and opened up Hesperus II by encouraging what may be the first population boom via immigration in the history of the world. While this was still accompanied by tight security controls, the restrictions were nothing like the paranoid security measures and travel restrictions that had served for most of Hesperus II's history.[1]

3145 Battle[edit]
Main article: Battle of Hesperus II (3145)

The latest battle for Hesperus II began on 3 January 3145 when a joint Jade Falcon–Hell's Horses force led by Khan Malvina Hazen landed on the planet. Archon Trillian Steiner had received word of the impending attack from Loki agents but the weakened LCAF lacked the means to repulse the invasion themselves. Instead, Archon Steiner implemented a different stratagem: she ordered Loki to leak word of the invasion to Khan Alaric Ward, correctly guessing that he'd react by mounting a counterinvasion of his own.

A day after Hazen's force landed, warriors from the Wolf Empire reached Hesperus. The LCAF had withdrawn most of its garrison by this point and the remaining Commonwealth troops evacuated after putting up minimal resistance, leaving the Eridani Light Horse and several smaller mercenary commands to face Malvina's wrath. Many mercenaries reacted to this revelation by attempting to surrender to the Clanners, only to be slaughtered, while the Light Horse's attempt to escape was foiled by the Raptor Keshik. The few surviving Light Horse escaped into the mountains, only to be hunted down to the last soldier by the sadistic Falcons.

The subsequent Wolf assault upon Hazen's forces resulted in nearly two months of stalemate. An impatient Malvina finally mounted a last-ditch attempt to seize the factory on 23 February, ordering that her nuclear weapons be ready for use in case of failure. Then Khan Beckett Malthus made an assassination attempt on Malvina, putting her into a coma and throwing the entire force into confusion as orders for retreat were broadcast. It was then that the LCAF's counterblow landed. While the Clans had been bogged down, Archon Steiner gathered a liberation force at nearby Canonbie. The fresh LCAF units dropped onto enemies already tired and demoralized, and within a week had routed both Clan forces.[74]

Politically, the aftermath proved significant to both Trillian Steiner and Malvina Hazen. The LCAF victory over two infamous Clan foes aided Steiner in strengthening her shaky hold on the throne. Alaric Ward shrugged off his defeat and even congratulated Steiner on her victory; his main objective, it would seem, was simply to keep Malvina from taking the planet's factories. As for the Chinggis Khan herself, she remained in a coma for months before emerging to brutally repay Malthus for his treachery in a Trial of Grievance, and learned that her Hell's Horses allies were using the defeat as a chance to extract themselves from her brutal rule.

The cowardly abandonment of the Eridanis by the Lyrans in the battle made small mercenary units unwilling to sign contracts with the Commonwealth, as doing so was seen as suicide.[75]

Military Deployment[edit]

2755[edit]

2786[edit]

2821[edit]

3000[edit]

3019[edit]

3025[edit]

3028[edit]

  • Sixth Lyran Guards[78]
  • Fifteenth Lyran Guards[78]
  • Defiance Self-Protection Force

3038[edit]

3050[edit]

  • Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT[81]
  • Third Davion Guards RCT[81]
  • Defiance Self-Protection Force

3054[edit]

  • Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT[82]
  • Third Davion Guards RCT[82]
  • Defiance Self-Protection Force

3061[edit]

3067[edit]

3068–3070[edit]

  • Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT[85]
  • Defiance Self-Protection Force[85]
  • Hersperus Militia[85]

3079[edit]

- The unit was operating at 60% strength, with 75% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

3085[edit]

3144[edit]

3145[edit]

Geography[edit]

Planetary Map of Hesperus II

The planet is formed by four continents, North and South Whitman, and East and West Barrens, with numerous islands and archipelagos that dot the world's shallow oceans resemble a blasted wasteland or untamed jungle. The Barrens are completely inhospitable to human life, overrun by badlands, jungles too thick to explore, and creatures that have never been cataloged.[47]

Hesperus II has four major continents and innumerable small island chains and archipelagos in its shallow oceans. The landmasses offer extreme conditions, either untamed jungle or blasted wastelands noted as being extremely mountainous and crisscrossed with canyons. Only the North Whitman and South Whitman continents on the northern hemisphere offer tolerable living conditions, particularly at an altitude of 3000 or more meters where the atmospheric pressure is closer to 1 bar (as opposed to 3 bars and more in the jungles) and the ambient temperature is around 30° Celsius (as opposed to 80 and more in the jungles).[48] The other two continents, situated in the equatorial region, are collectively called the Barrens, or East Barren and West Barren. They are completely inhospitable, featuring both barren wastelands and jungles too thick to explore to this day.[47]

The planet is home to the Defiance Industries BattleMech factory in the Myoo Mountains that dominate the South Whitman continent. This is the largest BattleMech factory in the Lyran Commonwealth, and is in fact the largest remaining BattleMech factory in the entire Inner Sphere. It has been attacked numerous times by the other Houses and other forces. Though damaged multiple times all but the Word of Blake have failed to actually take over and occupy the facilities. Not only do the attackers have to worry about the planet's defenders, but the terrain is unforgiving as well.

South Whitman features the Melrose Valley complex, stretching across nearly 1,000 km of the Sulden Uplands (with Doering Electronics), and the heavily terraced mountain slopes of Maria's Elegy, the capital largest city on Hesperus II and also the location of the spaceport, and the HPG station at the spaceport. These are the only regions with fertile soil suitable for cultivation, but more arable land is not needed considering the planet's tiny population. The city of Maldon is also nearby (although it was described as "on the far side of the planet").[91]

The only notable site that is not located on South Whitman is the Kincaid Defiance Industries complex on North Whitman.[47] A miniature fortress, Kincaid Defiance Industries is an ammunition and parts manufacturer of minor importance; the facility was briefly used as a manufacturing site for prototype Double Heat Sinks in conjunction with the NAIS in the late 3020s, until the Fourteenth Battle of Hesperus II in which the facility was attacked.[92]

Fusion plant works are mentioned out on the Tatyana Archipelago.[93]

In the twenty-ninth century, an expedition into the Hesperan swamps set out north from Point Vallejo, never to return.[48] It is unclear if 'Point Vallejo' is a minor town or just a landmark.

The population of the planet has always been small, mainly the employees working in either factory.[94] It has been noted that this planet's population is small mainly because of centuries of paranoid security and travel restrictions.[1]

A clear sky on Hesperus II was said to be patches of violet sky showing here and there through roil of blue, purple, white and yellow clouds, and the sun is a dazzling pinpoint of diamond blue-white light. Hesperus II has a slower rotation than Earth. Local time has twenty-five hours divided into eighty minutes.[48]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • South Whittman (continent)
  • Tanda's Crossing: a narrow ford over the Erewhon River[96]
  • Maria's Elegy: capital city, located in Melrose Valley[47]
  • Maldon[47]
  • Mount Defiance
  • Morningstar Spaceport
  • Myoo Highlands
  • Myoo Mountains
  • Tallowrand: a city[21]
  • Sulden Uplands
  • Point Vallejo

Companies and Industries[edit]

Local Flora and Fauna[edit]

In the twenty-sixth century, terraformers had introduced genetically modified plants, animals, and microbes to the planet but were only partially successful.[48]

In the equatorial region, native sulfur-metabolizing life has adapted to living at over 80° Celsius and atmospheric pressure exceeding three bar. Xenobiologists arbitrarily classified the highest (known) native life forms as "reptilian" because of certain recognizable features—scaly hides, claws, flat heads with toothy jaws and questing, air-tasting tongues.[48]

Due to the extreme conditions which are intolerable for humans, the jungles and swamps can only be accessed in special exploration vehicles such as ExplorerMechs, though fewer than thirty percent of those venturing there ever returned. The expedition that had set out from Point Vallejo in the twenty-ninth century was described as the last one (as of 3057). Consequentially, the biosphere in the deep valley, equatorial region and oceans remains largely unexplored.[48]

Hesperus III[edit]

Hesperus III
Astrophysical
System positionThird[1][2]

Military Deployment[edit]

3079[edit]

Geography[edit]

The planet is a barren world with a very hot climate.[87] The planet's environment is considered inhospitable, and this makes difficult to deploy infantry in anything other than battle armor or heavy exosuits, has forced to rely as result on combat vehicles.[87]

Image gallery[edit]

  • Planetary Map of Hesperus II

  • Planetary flag of Hesperus II

Notes[edit]

  • ^ Given the capture of Hesperus II by the Blakists during the Jihad and the many close calls that the various industries have had throughout history, the local defending LCAF forces and the Defiance Self-Protection Force on Hesperus II are augmented by elements of the militia from Hesperus III. Based out of the Melrose Valley on South Whitman, the militia contingent from Hesperus III is deployed on a rotating basis; the inhospitable environment makes it difficult to deploy infantry in anything other than battle armor or heavy exosuits, and as result the militia forces serving in each rotation are invariably vehicle based. This places the militia close to the Doering Electronics plant.[87]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 36 systems (35 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Caledonia 9.9 Trent 14.0 Lamon 16.0 Canonbie 20.5
Laiaka 24.2 Carsphairn 28.5 Alkaid 29.5 Sarpsborg 29.8
Vindemiatrix 30.9 Fianna 31.6 Eidsfoss 32.3 Arganda 33.0
Algorab 34.1 Furillo 34.4 New Kyoto 35.0 Gladius 37.4
Ciotat 41.6 Rahne 41.7 Clinton 42.9 Seginus 44.2
Zaniah 44.3 Chaffee 45.5 Bjornlunda 49.3 Laurieston 49.8
Halmyre Deans 51.5 Gacrux 51.7 Alcor 52.0 Solaris 53.8
Jaumegarde 54.2 Glengarry 55.7 Kochab 57.6 Nekkar 58.0
Pardeau 58.1 Enkoping 58.4 Hyde 58.8 Mariefred 60.4

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 Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 28: "Hesperus II"
  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 Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 3: "Hesperus II (3067)"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Dying Time, ch. 5 (PDF edition p. 50): Hesperus V is described as the system's "fifth, outermost planet."
  4. ↑ Operation Excalibur, p. 177 (PDF edition)
  5. ↑ Operation Excalibur, p. 220 (PDF edition)
  6. ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 16
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 13
  8. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 25
  9. ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 158
  10. ↑ Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  11. ↑ Field Manual: SLDF, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  12. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  13. ↑ First Succession War, pp. 24–25
  14. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 36
  15. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, pp. 122–123
  16. ↑ First Succession War, pp. 112–113
  17. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 64: "Jinjiro's last years"
  18. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 40
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 84: "Decline and Fall"
  20. ↑ Seal the Deal
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Endless War
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Wolf's Dragoons, p. 24: "Blood And Iron"
  23. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 47
  24. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 56
  25. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 59
  26. ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  27. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  28. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 61
  29. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  30. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 11
  31. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  32. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 70
  33. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43
  34. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 24
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 48: "The Jihad In Review"
  36. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 55: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 53: "The Jihad In Review"
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 The Fires of Hell - Gathering Players
  40. ↑ Field Report: LAAF, p. 19
  41. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  42. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. vii: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"
  43. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  44. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 39
  45. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. VI: "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 46.4 46.5 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 88–89: "Hesperus II"
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 47.4 47.5 47.6 Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 4
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 48.4 48.5 48.6 Operation Excalibur, pp. 148–150 (PDF edition)
  49. ↑ House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 76
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Prometheus Unbound
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 Field Report 2765: LCAF, p. 12: "Hesperus Guards"
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 48: "Attacks on Hesperus II"
  53. ↑ Broken Blade
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 58
  55. ↑ House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 57: "Military Realities"
  56. ↑ Second Succession War, p. 45: "In the Manner of a Fantasy"
  57. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 62–64
  58. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 75
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 59.3 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 78
  60. ↑ Historical: Brush Wars, p. 9
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 79
  62. ↑ Wolf's Dragoons Sourcebook
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 McCarron's Armored Cavalry, p. 9
  64. ↑ Proprietary
  65. ↑ FedCom Civil War, pp. 146–147, 163–164, 177–178
  66. ↑ Handbook: House Steiner, p. 68
  67. ↑ The Dying Time
  68. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 45: "The Jihad In Review"
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 5: "The Battle for Hesperus II"
  70. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, pp. 103–104: "40th Shadow Division unit profile".
  71. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 24: "Operation: Steel Hammer" - History of Hesperus occupation up to 3074.
  72. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 85: "Bolan Province"
  73. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 85: "Coventry Province"
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 74.2 74.3 74.4 Era Report: 3145, pp. 28–29: "Archon's Trial"
  75. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, pp. 176
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 76.2 76.3 76.4 First Succession War, p. 139: "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"
  77. ↑ 77.0 77.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 119: "Unit Deployment Table"
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 78.2 78.3 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 44: "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"
  79. ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 136: "Deployment Table"
  80. ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 137: "Deployment Table"
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 20 Year Update, p. 27: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 Objective Raids, p. 19: "FedCom Deployment Table"
  83. ↑ 83.0 83.1 Shattered Sphere, p. 48: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"
  84. ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 Field Manual: Updates, p. 177: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"
  85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 85.2 Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 7: "Fifteenth Lyran Guards RCT [Lyran Alliance] (March 3068–February 3070)"
  86. ↑ Field Report: LAAF, p. 12: "Regimental Status"
  87. ↑ 87.0 87.1 87.2 87.3 87.4 Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 29: "Hesperus II"
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 107: "Deployment Table - 3085"
  89. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 40: "GTD-20S Götterdämmerung"
  90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 133: "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Donegal Province"
  91. ↑ The Dying Time, ch. 5 (PDF edition p. 45)
  92. ↑ Proprietary (short story)
  93. ↑ Operation Excalibur, p. 155 (PDF edition)
  94. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 168 (PDF p. 170): "A Brief Atlas" – Hesperus II entry
  95. ↑ Wolf's Dragoons, p. 24: "River of Swords"
  96. ↑ Wolf's Dragoons, p. 25: "River of Swords"
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 136: "Doering Electronics (DoEl)"
  98. ↑ Wolf's Dragoons, p. 25: "On the Verge of Victory"

Bibliography[edit]

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