Editing The Five

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{{Update Needed|[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]|[[First Succession War (sourcebook)]]|[[Ghosts of Obeedah]]}}
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{{Update Needed|[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]], [[First Succession War (sourcebook)]], [[Ghosts of Obeedah]]}}
 
{{Refimprove}}
 
{{Refimprove}}
 
'''''The Five''''', also occasionally called '''''The Hidden''''', are five secret worlds or holdings. Originally controlled by [[ComStar]], they played a key role in the [[Jihad]] as [[Word of Blake]] bases.
 
'''''The Five''''', also occasionally called '''''The Hidden''''', are five secret worlds or holdings. Originally controlled by [[ComStar]], they played a key role in the [[Jihad]] as [[Word of Blake]] bases.
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The known Five Hidden Worlds are
 
The known Five Hidden Worlds are
 
*The '''[[Ruins of Gabriel]]''' ([[Lyran Commonwealth]] space) turned out to be a shipyard complex hidden in the Lyran system of [[Odessa]]. Gabriel was found and attacked (initially unsuccessfully) by a coalition battle fleet. It was then scuttled.
 
*The '''[[Ruins of Gabriel]]''' ([[Lyran Commonwealth]] space) turned out to be a shipyard complex hidden in the Lyran system of [[Odessa]]. Gabriel was found and attacked (initially unsuccessfully) by a coalition battle fleet. It was then scuttled.
*'''[[Jardine]]''' ([[Free Worlds League]] space), previously also known as Herakleion in a shell game to cover up its identity, was a center for cybernetics and the apparent homeworld of Precentor [[Apollyon]] and the [[Manei Domini]] cyborgs. [[Thomas Marik]] had been brought here in [[3035]] to be treated for the injuries sustained in the bombing that killed his father. His double ([[Thomas Halas]]) was trained on Jardine. [[Brooklyn Stevens]] found Jardine during the Jihad while tracing another ill-fated expedition that had found the world shortly before, but her team was hunted down and terminated. Later, an expedition sent by Thomas Halas found that the planet had succumbed to a natural disaster known as a traps volcano, and had become totally uninhabitable. (The traps volcano event in turn had been caused by the Word of Blake's ''[[Erinyes (Individual WarShip)|Erinyes]]'' planetkiller [[WarShip]].)
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*'''[[Jardine]]''' ([[Free Worlds League]] space), previously also known as Herakleion in a shell game to cover up its identity, was a center for cybernetics and the apparent homeworld of Precentor [[Apollyon]] and the [[Manei Domini]] cyborgs. [[Thomas Marik]] had been brought here in [[3035]] to be treated for the injuries sustained in the bombing that killed his father. His double ([[Thomas Halas]]) was trained on Jardine. [[Brooklyn Stevens]] found Jardine during the Jihad while tracing another ill-fated expedition that had found the world shortly before, but her team was hunted down and terminated. Later, an expedition sent by Thomas Halas found that the planet had succumbed to a natural disaster known as a traps volcano, and had become totally uninhabitable. (The traps volcano event in turn had been caused by the Word of Blake's ''[[Erinyes (WarShip)|Erinyes]]'' planetkiller [[WarShip]].)
 
*'''[[Mayadi]]''' ([[Draconis Combine]] space) was later discovered to be the long-dead world of [[Tangerz]], depopulated by a bioweapon outbreak in the 2900s that was speculated to have been caused by bioweapons research conducted there.
 
*'''[[Mayadi]]''' ([[Draconis Combine]] space) was later discovered to be the long-dead world of [[Tangerz]], depopulated by a bioweapon outbreak in the 2900s that was speculated to have been caused by bioweapons research conducted there.
 
*'''[[Taussen]]''' (thought to lie in [[Federated Suns]] space) was a [[BattleMech]] manufacturing center and staging point.
 
*'''[[Taussen]]''' (thought to lie in [[Federated Suns]] space) was a [[BattleMech]] manufacturing center and staging point.
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The Five were reportedly defended by descendants of the [[Clinton's Cutthroats]] mercenary unit, hired in secret by Karpov after the accidental discovery of one of the worlds on 15 October [[2869]] (which was covered up by killing the unlucky JumpShip crew) and permanently settled on The Five.<ref name=TBD-114>''The Blake Documents'', p. 114 "Karpov's Legacy"</ref>
 
The Five were reportedly defended by descendants of the [[Clinton's Cutthroats]] mercenary unit, hired in secret by Karpov after the accidental discovery of one of the worlds on 15 October [[2869]] (which was covered up by killing the unlucky JumpShip crew) and permanently settled on The Five.<ref name=TBD-114>''The Blake Documents'', p. 114 "Karpov's Legacy"</ref>
  
In any case, the existence of The Five was known only to very few high-ranking ComStar officials; [[Myndo Waterly]] was the last [[Primus of ComStar|Primus]] privy to that knowledge.<ref name=JFR-129>''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', pp. 129-134 "Legacies of the Word - The ''Hidden Five''</ref>
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In any case, the existence of The Five was known only to very few high-ranking ComStar officials; [[Myndo Waterly]] was the last [[Primus (ComStar)|Primus]] privy to that knowledge.<ref name=JFR-129>''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', pp. 129-134 "Legacies of the Word - The ''Hidden Five''</ref>
  
 
Originally set up as fallback worlds for the order around the time of ComStar's inception in case the Great Houses wouldn't respect the Order's neutrality, The Five became centers of weapons research and construction. When the [[Clan Invasion]] struck, they were turned into secret fortress worlds from which to wage war on the [[Clans]], but they had no standing army that could have been deployed as early as the [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Battle of Tukayyid]] in [[3052]]. They only began to build a vast army following [[the Master]]'s decision that the Clans had to be destroyed, and this would become the army that ended up fighting the Word of Blake's Jihad against the entire [[Inner Sphere]] instead of the Clans in the end.<ref name=Herb>According to responses from [[Herbert A. Beas II]] in a [http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=46146.0 thread] on the [[BattleTech forum]] explaining the background and course of the Jihad; mind that while he had been the [[BattleTech Line Developer]] throughout the Jihad era, he was not the Line Developer anymore when he published this background information, nor was it posted in an official section of the forum, so it does not technically constitute canon.</ref>
 
Originally set up as fallback worlds for the order around the time of ComStar's inception in case the Great Houses wouldn't respect the Order's neutrality, The Five became centers of weapons research and construction. When the [[Clan Invasion]] struck, they were turned into secret fortress worlds from which to wage war on the [[Clans]], but they had no standing army that could have been deployed as early as the [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Battle of Tukayyid]] in [[3052]]. They only began to build a vast army following [[the Master]]'s decision that the Clans had to be destroyed, and this would become the army that ended up fighting the Word of Blake's Jihad against the entire [[Inner Sphere]] instead of the Clans in the end.<ref name=Herb>According to responses from [[Herbert A. Beas II]] in a [http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=46146.0 thread] on the [[BattleTech forum]] explaining the background and course of the Jihad; mind that while he had been the [[BattleTech Line Developer]] throughout the Jihad era, he was not the Line Developer anymore when he published this background information, nor was it posted in an official section of the forum, so it does not technically constitute canon.</ref>
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==Other hidden worlds==
 
==Other hidden worlds==
Besides The Five, numerous other hidden worlds exist; some were lost colonies rediscovered by the ComStar [[Explorer Corps (ComStar)|Explorer Corps]] (such as [[Alfirk]] or [[Haddings]]), others were colonies that had been set up by the Order (such as [[Roxborough]]) and yet others had previously been secret facilities of the collapsed [[Star League]] that fell under [[Jerome Blake]]'s, and thus later ComStar's, control (such as [[Luyten 68-28]] and [[Ross 248]]).
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Besides The Five, numerous other hidden worlds exist; some were lost colonies rediscovered by the ComStar [[Explorer Corps]] (such as [[Alfirk]] or [[Haddings]]), others were colonies that had been set up by the Order (such as [[Roxborough]]) and yet others had previously been secret facilities of the collapsed [[Star League]] that fell under [[Jerome Blake]]'s, and thus later ComStar's, control (such as [[Luyten 68-28]] and [[Ross 248]]).
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
 
*While the existence of the Five is [[Canon]], significant portions of the background about them originates from unreliable in-character testimony and from so-called [[Canon Rumor]] sources which complicates and clouds their true history, at least until later sources are released to corroborate or dispute them.
 
*While the existence of the Five is [[Canon]], significant portions of the background about them originates from unreliable in-character testimony and from so-called [[Canon Rumor]] sources which complicates and clouds their true history, at least until later sources are released to corroborate or dispute them.
*On 29 November 2013, in a [[:File:Hidden Worlds-HABeas2 Comment.png|BattleTech forum post]], [[Herbert A. Beas II]] revealed The Five as Odessa (Ruins of Gabriel), Herakleion (Jardine), Sharpe (Obeedah), Versailles (Taussen), and Tangerz (Mayadi). However, he also pointed out his role as BattleTech Line Developer was no longer effective, and that this therefore was not an official (canonical) ruling or verdict; new leadership might change the list in future published material.
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*On 29 November 2013, in a [http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=35214.msg822252#msg822252 BattleTech forum post], [[Herbert A. Beas II]] revealed The Five as Odessa (Ruins of Gabriel), Herakleion (Jardine), Sharpe (Obeedah), Versailles (Taussen), and Tangerz (Mayadi). However, he also pointed out his role as BattleTech Line Developer was no longer effective, and that this therefore was not an official (canonical) ruling or verdict; new leadership might change the list in future published material.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

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