Difference between revisions of "Thule"

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===Local Fauna===
 
===Local Fauna===
* [[Thulian Bears]]<ref>''BattleTech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction'', p. 75, "Thule"</ref>
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* [[Thulian Bear]]<ref>''BattleTech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction'', p. 75, "Thule"</ref>
  
 
== Nearby Systems ==
 
== Nearby Systems ==

Revision as of 20:34, 10 October 2020

This article is undergoing revision as part of Project: Planets, a collaborative effort to improve BattleTechWiki's coverage of planets and systems. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can add your name to the list of volunteers.

This article has completed Phase 2 of the Overhaul effort.

Thule
Thule 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates93.055 : 455.16[e]
Spectral classA8V[1][2]
Recharge time169 hours[1][2]
Recharge station(s)Nadir[1][2]

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

Political Affiliation

Thule II

Template:InfoBoxPlanetStandard

Planetary Info

Thule is located on the Coreward Periphery border . The planet has three large continents: the southern Vik, the equatorial Akranes and the northern Husavik. Thule City, planetary capital and site of the world's primary starport, is located in the southern area of Vik. To the north of the city stretches the Freson plains and the rugged Fresdon Desert located within. Here also lies the Great Fresdonian River which has access to the world's oceans. The continent of Akranes is lightly populated and is the mainly devoted to the world's agricultural and vacation needs. Husavik, the northern continent, is mostly a frozen wasteland with several scattered research stations and is the home of the native Thulian bear species.[1]

The planet was valued during the Succession Wars for its water resources.[35]

Planetary History

Following the Second Soviet Civil War, the nations of Scandinavia were burdened with taxes to help rebuilt the Soviet States while also dealing with a million Soviet refugees who were now within their nations. They stoically dealt with these issues, but as soon as the levy was lifted colonists from the Federal Democratic Republics of Finland, Norway and Sweden wanted to emigrate in significant numbers to escape the oppressive government of Terra. Choosing a world far from Terra, the first colonists left in the mid-Twenty-third century and within sixty years had settled Rasalhague and eight other nearby worlds[3] including Thule.[4] In the late Twenty-third century these worlds created a joint government to oversee the development of the worlds, creating the Rasalhague Consortium. Contact with other interstellar nations led to the Consortium evolving into the short-lived Principality of Rasalhague, prior to the Principality being conquered by the Draconis Combine in the early to mid Twenty-fourth century.[3]

Because of its isolation, Thule was not considered a strategic target, and so it avoided most of the major destruction during the Succession Wars and later on the Ronin Wars. Thought it did experience raids. The first time real conflict came to Thule was in 3050 when Clan Ghost Bear captured the planet during the first wave of Clan Invasion of 3050.[1]

Third Succession War

During the 3rd Succession War, Thule's frozen and valuable watery climate was used as bait to trap elements of Helmar Valasek's pirate band led by Roger "The Tiger" Tregarth. House Kurita used the Black Widow Company of Wolf's Dragoons to surprise the pirates and destroy them.[36]

Operation REVIVAL

First Wave

Thule was the first planet outside the Periphery invaded by Clan Ghost Bear as part of Operation REVIVAL in March 3050. In accordance with Ghost Bear tradition, a vote was held to determine which of the Ghost Bear's three participating Galaxies - Alpha, Beta or Delta - would have the honor of being first to conquer the planet. After a week of wasted time debating the matter, saKhan Theresa DelVillar finally decreed all three would participate, with one assigned to each of the planet's continents.[37]

The First Hussars' commanding officer, Överste Joannie Swigard, refused to respond when the Ghost Bears announced their presence with a batchall, instead massing her troops in the Fresdon Desert where they had trained extensively to defend their world. As Ghost Bear ships enter the planet's atmosphere, Khan Karl Bourjon decided that each of the three Galaxies would be represented in the upcoming battle. In the resulting bidding war, three Trinaries, one of which was a Supernova, emerged to face off against the Hussars: one each from the 50th Striker Cluster of Alpha Galaxy, the 304th Assault Cluster of Beta Galaxy, and the 3rd Bear Striker Cluster of Delta Galaxy.[37]

As they landed on the hot plains of the Fresdon Desert, the Clan warriors expected a swift victory. Unfortunately, they had failed to account for the Hussars' greatest advantages: climate and artillery. In the hot climate many Clan OmniMechs suffered from heat overload and were forced to shut down after firing their initial salvo, leaving them vulnerable to Hussar artillery strikes. An entire Trinary's worth of equipment was lost before the warriors could get their machines working again, and in response the Hussars began hit-and-run attacks with their lightweight BattleMechs to try and force them to overheat again.[37]

Star Colonel François Cote was the first to break his initial bid and call in the rest of his 3rd Bear Striker for assistance, against which the Hussars launched AeroSpace Fighters to strafe the approaching Ghost Bear forces. In response to these attacks, Star Colonel Stephan Huntsing of the 50th Striker broke his bid by calling in his aerospace forces to provide overhead support as his forces moved in to surround the Hussars. When the defenders were fully enveloped however the Ghost Bear forces held off their attack, preferring to wait until nightfall and cooler temperatures. Överste Swigard responded by striking at the enemy's northern flank, maneuvering her troops away from the heavier Ghost Bear units and successfully achieving a breakout. By this point, the Ghost Bears had achieved air superiority, but the Hussars' artillery continued to punch huge holes in their rear lines. Star Colonel Paul Vishio of the 304th Assault was the last to break his bid and called in aerospace reinforcements to finally silence the guns.[37]

Now on the run, the Hussars made for the large river which bisected the Fresdon plain, sacrificing an entire company in an effort to successfully rendezvous with their naval assets and flee upriver aboard massive cargo ships. As the defenders made their escape, the Ghost Bear warriors found themselves in in a quandary: should they use their aerospace assets to sink the ships and so finish the Hussars off, or simply have these units track them to their final destination and resume battle when the Hussars disembarked? Concluding that sinking the ships went against Clan honor, aerial units were dispatched to follow them until they landed. With the Hussars largely out of the picture, the planet seemed to accept Ghost Bear rule and the Khans declared it conquered, leaving behind the the 3rd Bear Striker's 312th Assault Trinary to garrison the world and destroy the Hussars when they finally landed.[37]

Second Wave

Disaster occurred in May 3050 when the First Hussar's survivors emerged and managed to wipe out the Clan garrison forces, reasserting Ralashagian control of the world. Seemingly responding out of proportion to the situation, saKhan DelVillar led the entire Alpha Galaxy back to Thule to put an end to its resistance. When they arrived, they discovered the regiment had taken refuge in the planet's frigid southern lands, where they were busy preparing fortifications. The battle was over almost before it began as Elemental forces easily swept through the Hussar's prepared positions, with saKhan DelVillar reported to have stated "How polite of you to spare us the effort of digging your graves." Överste Joannie Swigard was taken as a bondsman during this battle.[38]

Post-Invasion

The Ghost Bears hoped to make Thule an industrial center, and began establishing factories on the world.

A substantial pirate attack was launched against Thule in September 3060. Defending Thule at the time was the Fifty-fourth Provisional Garrison Cluster, a Cluster noted for acting as a training cadre for warriors freshly deployed from Ghost Bear sibkos. A pirate force almost a full regiment in size appeared at a pirate point within the Thule system that the Ghost Bears were unaware of and launched a heavy attack on the Fifty-fourth, threatening to overwhelm the Cluster. Fortunately for the Fifty-fourth, one of the Star Captains within the Cluster noticed that rather than being a cohesive force, the bandit regiment actually appeared to have been formed from numerous smaller bands. some of whom were actively hostile towards other elements of the formation. That Star Captain was able to broadcast antagonistic messages that prompted some of the pirate sub-units to turn on each other, giving the Fifty-fourth a chance to regroup. The attack was rebuffed, but almost two-thirds of the pirate forces managing to escape.[39]

First Combine-Dominion War

At some time during the First Combine-Dominion War, the 14th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre of the DCMS raided Thule in an effort to help stall the Clan Ghost Bear advance. However, upon jumping into the system, the 14th discovered that the Fredasa-class corvette Black Ghost was in orbit for routine maintenance. The Warship was able to destroy a third of the Combine force before being driven off. Due to these losses, the 14th could only destroy a few supply depots before the Fifty-fourth Provisional Garrison Cluster drove them off of Thule.[40]

Jihad

The Pirate Band named Barllow's Boys conducted a raid against the planet in 3070. They encountered a binary of 'Mechs from the Clan Ghost Bear's Hind Paw Sibko. The cadets only having their light-weight Bear Cub training 'Mechs, were still able to defeat their heavier opponents in a hard-fought struggle. The survivors of the cadets hung the survivors of Barllow's Boys when the elements of the 54th Provisional Garrison Cluster arrived on the scene.[41]

In August 3073, Thule was the site of a strange three-way battle between Clans. Initial reports stated that a Clan Star Adder force entered the fray during a Clan Hell's Horses raid against Clan Ghost Bear. However, later reports confirmed that this was a four-way battle with the reborn Clan Burrock forces disguised as Clan Hell's Horses in the initial raid and actual Clan Hell's Horses units cooperating with the Star Adders to destroy the pretenders with Ghost Bear forces standing by to assist if needed.

The Star Adder Watch had discovered the Burrock's plan to stir up trouble between the Hell's Horses and Ghost Bears. They transmitted their discovery to their superiors who informed the Hell's Horses who then told the Ghost Bears. The Horses Khan informed the Ghost Bears that their forces with Star Adder support would take care of the pretenders. Clan Ghost Bear gave the Horses and Adders permission to enter their territory in preparation to destroy the Burrock forces. On August 29th, the Burrocks arrived in the Thule system via a pirate point and proceeded toward Accotink City on the banks of Lake Accotink. The Hell's Horses and Star Adders pursued them while the responding Ghost Bear force was to intervene only if the infrastructure and citizens were put at risk.

The Burrock force, realizing what was happening, quickly moved into the city to escape being destroyed. There they set fires and destroyed a Fire Moth production facility and heavily damaged a DropShip construction yard that was still being built. The Ghost Bear forces moved to intercept and stop the Burrocks, but were destroyed. Meanwhile, the Adders destroyed a part of the raiding force while pursuing the remainder. Those Burrocks that made it through the city boarded two DropShips and tried to escape. One of the DropShips was shot down over Lake Accotink by Ghost Bear Aerospace Fighters and ground fire from the Hell's Horses and Star Adders.

While the Burrocks were driven from Thule, it was during this battle that they planted a genetic virus in the waters of Lake Accotink. As local businesses used this water to export to other worlds, this virus spread throughout the Dominion. This virus lead to the deaths of 285,000 individuals and the near extinction of the Tseng and Snuka bloodlines. Luckily, a vaccine for the virus was found in 3086.[42][43][44]

In October 3080 the Kappa-4 factory complex was destroyed as part of a wave of terrorist attacks known as the Bloody Tricentennial.[45]

Second Combine-Dominion War

During the Second Combine-Dominion War, the 13th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre attacked Thule and initially took the Fourteenth Provisional Garrison Cluster by surprise. A Star of Ghost Bear Viking IIC BattleMechs were instrumental in turning the tide and driving the 13th offworld.[46]

Military Deployment

3050

3054

3060

3061

  • Fifty-fourth Provisional Garrison Cluster[49]

3067

  • Fifty-fourth Provisional Garrison Cluster[50]

3079

3085

3145

Industrial Centers

Planetary Locations

  • Akranes: landmass.[54]
  • Etna: Industrial city on the Vik landmass[55]
  • Fresdon Desert: Site of an important battle during Operation Revival.[56]
  • Great Fresdonian River: major river running across the Vik landmass.[57]
  • Husavik: landmass.[58]
  • The Icebox: Site of an important battle during Operation Revival.[59]
  • New Thule: city with a planetary militia training program for vehicles and infantry on the Vik landmass.[60]
  • Southlands: Cold southern regions of the planet Thule.[61]
  • Thule City: Planetary Capital on the Vik landmass.[62]
  • Vik: landmass.[63]

Local Fauna

Nearby Systems

Closest 20 systems (15 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Glabach 19.8 Damian 20.6 Porthos 20.9 Constance 27.0
Santander 30.1 Pinnacle 32.2 Richmond 37.7 Holmsbu 37.8
Idlewind 40.1 Jarett 41.0 Susquehanna 53.6 Trondheim 53.9
Kiruna 54.4 Skallevoll 59.0 New Ceylon 59.3 Ferranil 61.3
Tovetin 63.1 Rockland 67.3 Last Frontier 68.4 Isfahan 70.4

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction, p. 75, "Thule Planet Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Thule"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 20 Year Update, p. 44, "Origins"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18, "Draconis Combine Founding - [2319] Map"
  5. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 31, "Draconis Combine after Age of War - [2571] Map"
  6. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159, "Inner Sphere - [2596] Map"
  7. Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - [2750] Map"
  8. Field Manual: SLDF, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  9. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [2765] Map"
  10. First Succession War (Source Book), pp. 24-25, "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  11. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 43, "Draconis Combine after First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 122, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  13. First Succession War (Source Book), pp. 112-113, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  14. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 53, "Draconis Combine after Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  15. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. vii, "Draconis Combine Map - [3025]"
  16. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 64, "Draconis Combine after Third Succession War - [3025] Map"
  17. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 66, "Draconis Combine after Fourth Succession War - [3030] Map"
  18. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133, "Inner Sphere - [3040] Map"
  19. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 68, "Draconis Combine after War of 3039 - [3040] Map"
  20. Era Report: 3052, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3050] Map"
  21. Era Report: 3052, p. 23, "Inner Sphere - [3052] Map"
  22. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 71, "Draconis Combine after Operation REVIVAL - [3052] Map"
  23. Era Report: 3062, p. 10, Inner Sphere - [3057] Map
  24. Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere - [3063] Map"
  25. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 74, "Draconis Combine after FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  26. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42, "Inner Sphere - [3067] Map"
  27. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64, "Inner Sphere - [3075] Map"
  28. Field Report: Clans, p. 27, "Ghost Bear Dominion & Kungsarmé Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  29. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, "Inner Sphere - [3081] Map"
  30. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii , "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  31. Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  32. Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3135] Map"
  33. Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  34. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  35. Tales of the Black Widow Company, pp. 22-23 - Pirates lured to planet due to its water resouces.
  36. Tales of the Black Widow Company, pp. 22-23, "The Chill of War"
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 Invading Clans, p. 19-20
  38. Invading Clans, p. 20-21
  39. 39.0 39.1 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 98, "Pi Galaxy"
  40. Field Manual: Updates, p. 112, "14th Sun Zhang Cadre (Obedience)"
  41. Technical Readout: 3075, p. 132 Bear Cub - 'Mech's information includes pirate raid on Thule.
  42. Technical Readout: 3075, p. 122 Corona - Battle Armor's fluff includes fight on Thule during the Jihad.
  43. Objectives: The Clans, p. 32
  44. Wars of Reaving, p. 136-137, "Poking the Bear"
  45. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 113, "Clan Industry"
  46. Technical Readout: 3150, p. 186, "Deployment"
  47. 20 Year Update, p. 51, "KungsArme Deployment Table"
  48. Objective Raids, p. 33, "Pi Galaxy (PGC)"
  49. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 164, "Warden Clans Deployment Table"
  50. Field Manual: Updates, p. 78, "Pi Galaxy"
  51. Field Manual: 3085, p. 127, "Deployment Table - 3085"
  52. Field Manual: 3145, p. 172, "Clan Force Deployments - Rasalhague Dominion"
  53. Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Bergan Industries"
  54. Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Thule"
  55. Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Bergan Industries"
  56. Invading Clans (sourcebook), p. 30, "Thule"
  57. BattleTech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction, p. 75, "Thule"
  58. Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Thule"
  59. Era Report: 3052, p. 5, "Second Chance"
  60. Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Planetary Militia"
  61. Era Report: 3052, p. 5, "Second Chance"
  62. Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Thule"
  63. Objectives: The Clans, p. 39, "Thule"
  64. BattleTech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction, p. 75, "Thule"

Bibliography