Muskegon

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

Muskegon
Muskegon 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates164.54 : -99.254[e]

Political Affiliation

Planetary Info

When first settled, Muskegon was described as a harsh, marginally habitable planet on which survival depended on equally harsh measures.[1]

The Michigan Moor, one of the world's continents, is covered by a large swampy area. A large portion of the Kathil Operational Area's petroleum and plastics industry can be found in this swamp due to the oil deposits found there. This concentration of valuable resources and infrastructure merited the posting of a SLDF garrison during the Star League era. Due to the spread out nature of the drilling fields, defending forces had to be very maneuverable to defend any site as well as jumping over the tall Handmaiden Maple trees native to this world.[36]

Planetary History

Colonization

The colonists who settled on Muskegon never planned on settling there; their original destination was the nearby system of McHenry, but soon after their departure from Terra in 2163 their JumpShip malfunctioned in the Muskegon system, leaving them with little choice. The Captain and crew of the colony JumpShip used the fact that they controlled systems vital to the colony's survival to install themselves as the ruling class, with absolute power over the colonists. Stern measures were set in place immediately that ensured that knowledge was retained even if it wasn't of immediate use, and this enabled the colony JumpShip to be repaired in 2177, allowing exploration of the systems around Muskegon, laying the groundwork for further colonies ruled from Muskegon. Within a few generations the society on Muskegon had polarized, with the bulk of the colonists consigned to the Colonist Class of workers, while the descendants of the officers and crew of the JumpShip made up a Crew Class of aristocrats, headed up by an individual with the title of Expedition Commander. The office of Expedition Commander became hereditary, with the individual holding the office known as the Commander of Muskegon and invested with near-dictatorial levels of power.[1] The Achmeed family would rule the Muskegon worlds for centuries through this hereditary office.[37]

Brief Moments of Empire

Despite the inhospitable nature of their world, the population of Muskegon prospered; the colony JumpShip was sent out to look for a more habitable home for the colony, but instead discovered the worlds of Beten Kaitos and Emerson, only marginally more habitable than the Muskegon system but rich in resources. The decision was made to allow a group of volunteer colonists to attempt to settle Beten Kaitos, while a group of criminals and political prisoners were summarily deported to Emerson. Both groups managed to survive and grow, with their colonies ruled directly from Muskegon; the raw materials extracted from both new colonies was then used by the rulers of Muskegon to found colonies on other worlds, allowing the Muskegon Empire to expand to a total of seven planets including Muskegon itself. Each of these planets were ruled by Governors chosen from among the Crew Class, each subject to the absolute rule of the Commander of Muskegon.[1]

When ships from the Chesterton Trade League made contact with the population of Emerson in 2195, Emerson became a member of the Trade League, with the tacit approval of the Governor. Emerson's ties to Muskegon were weak because of the manner in which the world had been settled, but the Commander of Muskegon viewed membership of the Trade League as an opportunity for Emerson to become a port of entry for trade between the Empire and the Trade League, with high tariffs on that trade bringing in enough revenue to make the endeavor worthwhile.[1]

The Federated Suns

Despite the stagnation of the class system and the greed displayed by the ruling class, the various worlds of the Empire prospered, particularly after the Demarcation Declaration saw the Terran Alliance withdraw from most of the colony worlds. After the Terran Hegemony came into being in 2314 Lucien Davion visited Muskegon along with the other worlds of the Crucis Reach as he constructed the Crucis Pact. The current ruler of Muskegon, Commander Jehan Achmeed, opted not to sign the Pact and join the Federated Suns when it formed in 2317 as he had yet to decide if the Pact would dilute his power base or enhance it. However, in 2318 he elected to have the Muskegon Empire join the Federated Suns. In doing so, he set the stage for the first border war between the Federated Suns and the various nations of the Capellan Zone, as years of discontent over the harsh rule of the Commanders led to the two vassal worlds of Emerson and Beten Kaitos refusing to join the Federated Suns and instead petitioning to join the Chesterton Trade Federation.[3][37]

The defection of Beten Kaitos and Emerson to the Chesterton Trade Federation started a three-year border war between the Trade Federation and the Federated Suns, with both worlds changing hands several times and with the Trade Federation the victor in the end. The Commander and his descendants continued to rule over Muskegon until the end of the Davion Civil War; having backed the wrong side during the Civil War, the last Commander found his remaining possessions stripped away by the victors, who comprehensively reorganized the government of Muskegon.[3][37]

Age of War

In the wake of the Davion Civil War, First Prince Alexander Davion reorganized the structure of the Federated Suns and attempted to break down the regional factionalism that had allowed the Civil War to happen. Despite his efforts, provincialism was still a problem, one that reached a peak with the Economic Crisis of 2566. Although the economy of the Federated Suns was continuing to grow, agents from the Free Worlds League had been at work for more than a decade, promoting and encouraging the attitudes that Alexander Davion was attempting to break down and isolating worlds from the trade routes that serviced them. Beginning with Muskegon in 2566, trade within the Federated Suns came to a halt, something that would play a part in causing the Federated Suns eventually joining the Star League.[38]

First Succession War

In May 2787, First Prince John Davion was located on Muskegon at the head of the First Davion Guards when he learned of the massive Draconis Combine invasion steamrolling through the Draconis March. Prince John had been mustering forces for an invasion of the Capellan Confederation at the time, and a number of regiments were located on Muskegon alongside the First Davion Guards, waiting for orders to deploy against the Confederation.[39]

Jihad

On 30 May 3070, Muskegon had raised the First Muskegon Capellan March Militia, a volunteer combined arms regiment raised by the locals, and was preparing it to leave the world for deployment against the Word of Blake elsewhere.

A WoB special operations team lead by Raul Tinker arrived to the planet in order to stop that. The WoB team started to wage a war of terror to tie the militia down. Over the next months they carry out sabotage and terror acts including subway bombings, sabotaging large bridges, cutting the world's third-largest city off by destroying all six of its large traffic bridges and both underwater cable shunts, and destroying aerospace fighters on the ground. Four BattleMechs smuggled to Muskegon add a military dimension to the threat as they are used to execute flase flag attacks in the name of the Capellan Confederation. While this indeed raises security concerns and forces General Hanks to deploy his militia forces for security, ultimately the base of operations for the Word of Blake forces is found out (implicitly with the help of intelligence analyst Francis Lyman on Markesan, who is specifically hunting for Raul Tinker since the events on Bryant) and overrun, ending the threat. The militia subsequently prepares to leave the world and join the battle against the Word of Blake with great fanfare.

With most of his forces destroyed, the WoB resorts to using the nuclear weapons after all, after having previously tried to keep civilian casualties as low as possible for a credible terror campaign. They manage to exchange an ammunition crate aboard a DropShip for one containing a pack-nuke and Adept Kilrain, who volunteered for the suicide mission. At the jump point Kilrain sets off the bomb to devastating effect, reportely killing two thirds of the militia regiment and destroying a JumpShip and several DropShips, though General Hanks survived.

This action stops the deployment of the unit during the Jihad.[40]

Era Specific Data

2293

2317

Military Deployment

2764

2786

2821

3025

3070

Nearby Systems

Closest 52 systems (49 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Beten Kaitos 13.9 Amiga 14.7 Everett 16.8 Emerson 17.8
McHenry 20.9 Tecumseh 25.9 Caria 26.6 Anaea 28.4
Genf 29.7 Reinhardstein 30.1 Goshen 30.2 Farwell 30.9
Scudder 31.8 Smolensk 33.5 Listowel 34.8 Bristol 36.3
Manteno 36.8 Boeotia 37.2 Mytilene 38.8 Acala 39.4
Westphalia 39.5 Axton 39.9 Wroxeter 40.3 Angelsey 41.8
Talcott 43.0 Sanilac 43.8 Paches 44.6 Ulan Batar 45.4
Versailles 45.9 Flushing 46.4 Lacadon 47.6 Kathil 49.8
Tiskilwa 50.0 Tawas 52.1 Valexa 52.2 Ashkum 52.7
Beecher 52.7 Tedibyhr 53.5 Undra 53.7 Goderich 53.7
Marlette 55.6 Perkasie 55.9 Plataea 56.4 Chesterton 56.5
Batavia 57.1 Orbisonia 57.7 Meinhof 58.0 Barstow 58.7
Oli 59.1 Chebanse 60.7 Bell 61.3 Markesan 62.0

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 23, "Muskegon"
  2. Handbook: House Davion, p. 19, "Timeline: New Avalon and Federation"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 24, "Muskegon"
  4. Handbook: House Davion, p. 18, "Federated Suns at their Founding - [2317] Map"
  5. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159, "Inner Sphere - [2596] Map"
  6. Era Report: 2750, p. 37, "Inner Sphere - [2750] Map"
  7. Field Manual: SLDF, "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  8. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [2765] Map"
  9. Field Report 2765: Federated Suns, p. 29, "Federated Suns Armed Forces Deployment Map - [2765]"
  10. First Succession War (Source Book), p. 25, "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  11. Handbook: House Davion, p. 54, "Federated Suns after First Succession War - [2822] Map"
  12. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 122-123, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  13. First Succession War (Source Book), p. 113, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  14. Handbook: House Davion, p. 60, "Federated Suns after Second Succession War - [2864] Map"
  15. House Davion (The Federated Suns), "Federated Suns Map - [3025]"
  16. Handbook: House Davion, p. 70, "Federated Suns after Third Succession War - [3025] Map"
  17. Handbook: House Davion, p. 72, "Federated Suns after Fourth Succession War - [3030] Map"
  18. Handbook: House Davion, p. 76, "Federated Suns after War of [3039] - [3040] Map"
  19. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133, "Inner Sphere - [3040] Map"
  20. Era Report: 3052, p. 11, Inner Sphere - [3050] Map
  21. Era Report: 3052, p. 23, Inner Sphere - [3052] Map
  22. Era Report: 3062, p. 11, Inner Sphere - [3057] Map
  23. Handbook: House Davion, p. 78, "Federated Suns after Operation Guerrero [3058]"
  24. The Periphery, 2nd Edition, p. 111, "Taurian Concordat and Tortuga Dominions"
  25. Era Report: 3062, p. 29, Inner Sphere - [3063] Map
  26. Handbook: House Davion, p. 82, "Federated Suns after FedCom Civil War - [3067] Map"
  27. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 43, "Inner Sphere - [3067] Map"
  28. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64, "Inner Sphere - [3075] Map"
  29. Field Report: AFFS, p. 21, "Federated Suns Armed Forces Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  30. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63, "Inner Sphere - [3081] Map"
  31. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  32. Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  33. Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere - [3135] Map"
  34. Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  35. Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, "Inner Sphere - [3145] Map"
  36. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 53, "148TH Jump Infantry Division"
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 Handbook: House Davion, p. 19, "Muskegon and Chesterton"
  38. Handbook: House Davion, p. 41-42, "Joining The League"
  39. First Succession War, p. 40, "Rout"
  40. 40.0 40.1 Desperate Measures
  41. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 24, "the Tyrant of Muskegon"
  42. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 252, "SLDF - Federated Suns Military Command Map"
  43. 43.0 43.1 43.2 First Succession War (Source Book), p. 135, "First Succession War Deployment Table - AFFS"
  44. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 135 - "Unit Deployment Table"
  45. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 13, "Operation RAT"

Bibliography