Ascella
Sarna News
(References to Ascella)
| Ascella | |
|---|---|
← 3135 3151 | |
| System Information | |
| X:Y Coordinates | 20.91:74.94[e] |
| Spectral class | A4VI[1] |
| Planet(s) | 5[1] |
Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to Terra at (0, 0)
Template:InfoBoxPlanetStandard
Contents
Owner History
- 2596 - Draconis Combine [2]
- 2750 - Draconis Combine [3]
- 2765 - Draconis Combine [4]
- 3025 - Draconis Combine
- 3030 - Draconis Combine
- 3040 - Draconis Combine
- 3052 - Draconis Combine
- 3057 - Draconis Combine
- 3062 - Draconis Combine
- 3069 - Word of Blake Protectorate (from April)[5]
- 3075 - Word of Blake Protectorate [6][7]
- 3130 - Republic of the Sphere [8]
Planetary History
Ascella was a young planet orbiting a white subdwarf star. Despite the high amounts of carbon dioxide and ammonia in the atmosphere, colonists settled on the world to take advantage of the large amounts of mineral and metal ores near the planet's surface. The native plant life was restricted to algae and a scrub brush, but these plants accelerated the later terraforming efforts. Their presence and the Terran Hegemony's advanced science removed the need for respirators in less than a century.[1]
The world fell under the jurisdiction of the Draconis Combine for most of its history, home to a small industry that produced fusion and electrical plants for civilian and light military vehicles. It also exported large amounts of radioactive materials and heavy metals. Despite this the system was largely overlooked during the Succession Wars.[1]
The Jihad
Ascella was the target of a Word of Blake attack during the first week of April 3069, which soon saw the world incoporated into the Word of Blake Protectorate.[5] It was the third of three worlds to be attacked by forces from Clan Ghost Bear on the 6th of October 3075, shortly after the Ghost Bears had agreed to support Devlin Stone's coalition, and was where there wave of attacks stalled; the inbound Ghost Bear DropShips were attacked by Blakist Pocket WarShips, and half the DropShips were destroyed before they could make planetfall.[6][7]
In December 3075 the Ghost Bears successfully negotiated for support from Clan Snow Raven for the allied coalition; as a result, a second Ghost Bear assault on Ascella began on the 9th of December, this time backed up by support from the Snow Ravens. Allied coalition forces under the command of Devlin Stone also dropped onto Ascella at roughly the same time, but the two groups found themselves fighting very different campaigns; while Stone's Lament managed to capture Ascella's HPG compound and the capital city in only a week, the Ghost Bears spent two weeks securing Ascella's primary industrial complexes and spaceport in the face of a dogged, bitter resistance from Word of Blake Militia forces who used scorched earth tactics liberally from the beginning of the campaign.[9][10]
The contrast between the campaign tactics used by the Ghost Bears and Devlin Stone's forces was marked; the Ghost Bears killed every Blakist they could find, prompting the Word of Blake forces to use every means in their arsenal to resist. Stone's forces worked their way through the strong points around the capital city of Copiosus one at a time, and on the fifth day were in a position to force the surrender of the majority of the surviving Blakists within the city, including many of their leadership. Any Blakist forces still resisting Stone's forces were defeated on the sixth day, and when the Ghost Bears arrived in assault formation to attack Copiosus they found Stone's forces in place and the city in a relatively pristine condition.[11]
The strong implication is that Stone had kept the Ghost Bears unaware of the presence of his forces on Ascella, and presented the capture of Copiosus as a deliberate and pointed commentary on the tactics used by the Ghost Bears. In capturing the most heavily defended city on the planet in a manner which minimised casualties and collateral damage, Stone's forces had won a victory that was far more notable in Clan terms than those won by the Ghost Bears; to the waste-averse Clan forces, Stone had won a superior victory and then slapped the Bears in the face with it. Whatever other response the Ghost Bears had to Stone's victory, the most visible was their rapid departure from Ascella as quickly as possible.[11]
Nearby Planets
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 5, "Ascella World Profile"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 159, "Inner Sphere Map [2596]"
- ↑ Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - 2750"
- ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - 2765"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 46, "The Jihad In Review"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 18, "Timeline of the Jihad"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 54, "The Jihad In Review"
- ↑ Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 19, "Timeline of the Jihad"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 55, "The Jihad In Review"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 16, "Sign Of Things To Come?"