Kore

Kore
System Information
X:Y Coordinates

Kore is a "backwater" Periphery mining planet, situated some 10 parsecs (ca. 32.6 lightyears) from the rim of the Lyran Commonwealth (later Lyran Alliance) and on the edge of the Clan Invasion corridor, is owned by the Alfin Mining Corporation and not technically under Lyran jurisdiction.

Kore

Kore
Geophysical
Atmospheric pressure	(Breathable)
Equatorial temperature	(Cold)
Government and Infrastructure
Capital	Niffelheim

Planetary History

During the Star League era, it appears someone colonized the planet, as part of the life forms, most notably the Winter Wolf are clearly imported from other worlds. It is unknown who colonized the world or how many time lasted the colony, but it disappeared, and very few clues about his presence were later found. During the Clan Invasion, Clan Steel Viper forces shattered the local defenders and killed its commander, Jenna Kintaro. Their frontline troops then move on, leaving only a small second-line garrison force. The Steel Vipers constructed a secret supply cache on the world, but then their weak garrison was wiped out by an unexpected counterattack from the Storm Riders, a mercenary unit working for the Alfin Corporation, and the planet was recaptured. The cache is "lost to history". A local legend henceforth tells of the "Ghost of Winter", the ghost of the last Steel Viper warrior who still roams the world, bent on repelling the invaders. When the Union-class DropShip Tammuz arrived at Kore, in 11 of April of 3060, to ostensibly deliver supplies and ship out refined ores, it launched a sneak attack instead and deployed four 'Mechs with Clan Jade Falcon insignia: a Mad Cat, a Fenris, a Puma and an Uller. The lance of Storm Riders defending the planet is destroyed, and only two MechWarrior survive: Lon Volker, who surrenders to the invaders, and Sturm Kintaro, the son of Jenna Kintaro who escaped, but had to eject after his mech was destroyed, and is left for dead.

The attackers turn out to be Ryan's Rebels, led by the infamous pirate queen Susie "One-Eye" Morgraine-Ryan. They brutally capture the only settlement on Kore, Niffelheim and subdue any resistance with their superior firepower. The remaining defending infantry is imprisoned and the population rounded up. Lon Volker, captured after his [Panther] is disabled, offers to cooperate with the pirates in hopes to save his life.

Two days later, the Uller pilot Karl Yaeger is ambushed while on a survey mission to the Jotun Mountains. He can report being attacked by a Goshawk with Steel Viper insignia, but he is killed and his 'Mech is destroyed before reinforcements arrive from Niffelheim. On the following day, a similar attack is carried out on the pirate Puma by a Hellhound with similar markings. This time, Susie Ryan had support nearby, making the attacker retreat without destroying the Puma. She begins to suspect that Sturm Kintaro may be behind the attacks, and questions Volker about his fellow MechWarrior while seducing him.

One day later, Kintaro lures the Fenris and Puma on a wild goose chase into the mountains. In their absence, he attacks the Kore Lancers Command Center outside Niffelheim in the Goshawk and rescues the Storm Raider's captive soldiers. During the firefight, Volker joins the breakout and saves Krenner's life by shooting a pirate who was about to shoot Krenner. Kintaro leads two Winterhawk hover APCs carrying the escapees to Shangri-La, the hidden facility he discovered, where he explains that he only managed to bypass the security systems on two of the five 'Mechs there. Volker tries to raise an issue about command rights, pointing out that he is the senior officer, but Master Sergeant Krenner convinces him to accept Kintaro as being in command.

During the night, Storm Riders tech and former ComStar acolyte Tom Flannery finds a hyperpulse generator in the facility and notes that it activated several days ago to send an automated message into the Clan Occupation Zone, presumably a warning that was triggered when Kintaro broke into the facility. Steel Viper forces might arrive within days—if they choose to respond at all. Not trusting Susie Ryan, who was obviously after the BattleMechs stored here, the defenders agree they cannot strike a deal with her. Instead, they decide that the two qualified MechWarriors (Kintaro and Volker) must train others using the simulators also found in the base, so that all five 'Mechs from the depot can be used against the pirates.

Susie Ryan broadcasts a recorded message four days later where she demands Sturm Kintaro to surrender himself, the Kore Lancers and the 'Mechs from the depot to her or she will kill his father who is shown captive. To demonstrate that she is not making idle threats, she shoots Derek Nordstrom, the Alfin-appointed governor, in cold blood in front of the camera. This prompts Kintaro to leave the base that night in his Goshawk. Fully aware that he might be walking into a trap, he approaches the base through a hidden crevasse and parks his 'Mech there, then proceeds on foot during a snowstorm. Inside the weakly guarded base he reaches his father in the brig, but is subsequently caught and imprisoned with his father by pirate troops who had been waiting for him. Some time later the timed bombs explode that Kintaro had planted on his way inside, sowing chaos while he escapes with his father.

Meanwhile back at Shangri-La, Volker tries to convince Krenner that they should negotiate with Ryan. When Krenner refuses, Volker shoots him, hides the body and signals to the pirates before assuming command of the defenders, claiming that both Kintaro and Krenner left. Then he leads the defending troops into an untenable situation and Susie Ryan demands their surrender. When Volker admits to having switched sides, Trainee MechWarrior Laura Metz, Volker's former girlfriend, opens fire on him with her Vixen and a battle between Volker (piloting the Hellhound) and the remainder of the Kore Lancers ensues. The pirates hardly intervene as they are under orders not to damage the valuable 'Mechs.

In the end, Kintaro joins the fight and shoots open a magma pocket that floods the valley, ending the battle. Susie Ryan disengages and withdraws, taking the badly burnt Volker with her back to Star's End; she plans to turn him into a rage-driven weapon against Kintaro. In the aftermath of the incident, Colonel Gerald Quinn, the commanding officer of the Storm Riders, arrives on Kore aboard the DropShip Inanna. Sturm Kintaro is promoted to Lieutenant and receives command over the "Winter Ghosts" lance formed from his ad hoc team. Colonel Quinn also informs Kintaro that Shangri-La's HPG unit received a message from the Steel Vipers indicating that they will not reclaim the cache's contents.

Geography

Kore was a rocky planet, smaller than Terra, but with a roughly similar gravitation because of the high concentration of metals and heavy minerals in the planet's core and crust. The planet was highly volcanically active at some point, leading to the formation of extensive geological phenomena like the mountain ranges, with magma pockets under the rock. Kore was an ice planet; no seas or temperate climate areas are known on him.

Planetary Locations

• Niffelheim: only known settlement in Kore.
• Kore Lancers Command base: military base located a few kilometers outside Niffelheim.
• Jotun Mountains: range of mountains near Niffelheim.
• Shangri-La: Secret supply cache of the Steel Vipers, located in Jotun Mountains.

Nearby Systems

Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years) Closest systems first:

Bibliography

• Ghost of Winter (novel)