Editing Tharkad

{{Otheruses|the planetary system|the WarShip|Tharkad (WarShip class)}}

{{InfoBoxSystem
| image               = Tharkad_3151.svg
| caption             = Tharkad [[#Nearby_Systems|nearby systems]]
| name                = Tharkad
| coord               = -212.999 : 151.773{{e}}
| stars               = 
| class               = G6V<ref name="O:LAp25">''Objectives: Lyran Alliance'', p. 25: "Tharkad"</ref>
| recharge            = 187 hours<ref name="O:LAp25"/>
| recharge stations   = Zenith, Nadir<ref name="O:LAp25"/>
| planets             = 
}}
The '''Tharkad''' system is the location of at least one habitable world, '''Tharkad V''', and as of June [[3152]] was the national capital of the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], located in the [[Donegal Province]].<ref name=TRp72/>
{{TOC limit|3}}

==System Description==
Tharkad is located near the [[Forkas]] and [[Eutin]] systems.

==Political Affiliation==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[2340]] - [[Protectorate of Donegal]]<ref name=HBHS13>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 13</ref>
* [[2341]] - [[Lyran Commonwealth]]<ref name=HBHS13/>
* [[2571]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp25>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 25</ref>
* [[2596]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name=HRWp158>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 158</ref>
* [[2750]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:MPSp25">''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 25</ref><ref name="ER:2750p36">''Era Report: 2750'', p. 36</ref>
* [[2764]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="FM:SLDFpvii">''Field Manual: SLDF'', p. vii: "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"</ref>
* [[2765]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="H:LoTV1p10">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 10</ref>
* [[2786]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="FSW(SB)p24-25">''First Succession War'', pp. 24–25"</ref>
* [[2822]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp36">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 36</ref><ref name="H:LoTV2p122">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', pp. 122–123</ref><ref name="FSW(SB)p112-113">''First Succession War'', pp. 112–113</ref>
* [[2864]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp40">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 40</ref>
* [[3025]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp47">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 47</ref>
* [[3030]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp56">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 56</ref>
* [[3040]] - [[Federated Commonwealth]]<ref name="HB:HSp59">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 59</ref><ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 132</ref>
* [[3050]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref name="ER3052p11">''Era Report: 3052'', p. 11</ref>
* [[3052]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref name="HB:HSp61">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 61</ref><ref name="ER3052p23">''Era Report: 3052'', p. 23</ref>
* [[3045]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref name=FP>''Foolproof''</ref>
* [[3057]] - [[Lyran Alliance]]<ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 11</ref>
* [[3063]] - Lyran Alliance<ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 29</ref>
* [[3067]] - Lyran Alliance<ref name="HB:HSp70">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 70</ref>
* [[3075]] - Lyran Alliance<ref name="JS:TBDp64>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 64</ref>
* [[3079]] - Lyran Alliance<ref name="FR:LAAFp19">''Field Report: LAAF'', p. 21</ref>
* [[3081]] - Lyran Alliance<ref>''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 63</ref>
* [[3085]] - Lyran Alliance<ref>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. vii: "Inner Sphere Map - [October 3085]"</ref>
* [[3135]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="ER:3145p11">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 11</ref>
* [[3145]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name="ER:3145p39">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 39</ref>
* [[3150]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref>''Shrapnel Issue #3'': "Voices of the Sphere: Star League Day"</ref>
* [[3151]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref>''Shrapnel Issue #4'': "Voices of the Sphere: Cryogenics"</ref>
* [[3152]] - Lyran Commonwealth<ref name=TRpm>''Tamar Rising'', poster map</ref><ref name=TRp72>''Tamar Rising'', p. 72</ref>
{{div col end}}

-------------------------------------
==Tharkad V==
{{InfoBoxPlanet
| image               = Tharkad.jpg
| name                = Tharkad V
| othernames          = 
| position            = Fifth<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 94: "Tharkad"</ref>
| distance            = 7.01 days<ref name="O:LAp25"/>
| moons               = 1 (Marsden)<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94/>
| gravity             = 1.1<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94/>
| pressure            = Standard (Breathable)<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94/>
| temperature         = 20°C (Arctic)<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94/>
| water               = 80%<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94/>
| life                = Reptilian (3075)<ref name=MM94/><br>Mammals (3079)<ref name="O:LAp25"/>
| continents          = 5 (Bremen, Franz, Grolsch, Heidelberg, Sutherland)<ref name="O:LAp25"/>
| colonized           = 
| demonym             = Tharkan<ref name="HS(TLC)p129">''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 129 - Mention of the "Tharkan Boy's Choir"</ref>
| language            = 
| religion            = 
| population          = 7,000,000,000 (3061),<ref name="BT:25Yp167">''BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction'', p. 167: "Tharkad Profile"</ref><br>7,000,000,000 (3067),<ref name=JTPT3-4>''Jihad Turning Points: Tharkad'', pp. 3–4: "Tharkad" (map)</ref><br>6,991,320,000 (3076),<ref name=MM94/><br>6,892,000,000 (3079)<ref name="O:LAp25"/>
| ruler               = [[Duke of Tharkad]]
| political           = 
| commander           = 
| capital             = Tharkad City<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94/>
| hpg                 = A<ref name="O:LAp25"/><ref name=MM94/>
| hpgrep              = 
}}
===Planetary History===
Discovered in [[2310]], Tharkad rapidly came under the control of [[Seth Marsden]]. Marsden imported a number of cold-weather plants and animals from [[Terra]] and elsewhere, making it somewhat similar to Scandinavia on Terra during the twentieth century. It became the capital of the Lyran Commonwealth in September of [[2407]]<ref>''BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction''</ref> and a large space was cleared north of the major city of Olympia to house the governmental buildings, called the Triad. It was here that the [[Star League]] was reconstituted at the [[Whitting Conference]] in [[3058]]. Subsequent Whitting Conferences were held here in [[3061]] and [[3067]] (the [[3064]] conference was held on [[Marik]], due to the [[FedCom Civil War]]).

====Star League====
The Tharkad system served as the homeport for the [[8th Fleet (Star League)|Eighth Fleet]] during the final years of the Star League. This served to remind the Commonwealth of the Star League's protective presence. It also was there to remind the Lyrans of the forces they would have to contest if on the extremely unlikely case the Lyran Commonwealth declaring war on the Star League. The fleet presence also assisted the [[Nagelring]] in training their cadets by having WarShip assets in-system for training on a regular basis.<ref>''Field Manual: SLDF'', p. 114: "Homeport"</ref>

In addition, there was a sizable ground garrison as well with a BattleMech Division stationed on-world.<ref name=FMSLDFp255>''Field Manual: SLDF'', p. 255: "SLDF - Lyran Commonwealth Military Command Map"</ref>

====Post First Succession War====
In response to [[Richard Steiner (29th c.)|Richard Steiner's]] attempt to tax [[ComStar]], [[Primus (ComStar)|Primus]] [[Conrad Toyama]] placed Tharkad under [[Interdiction]] in October [[2823]]. The [[Exclusion of Tharkad|Interdiction of Tharkad]] sorely hampered the Lyran government during the year it was in force, until public pressure forced the Lyran Commonwealth to acquiesce to ComStar's exemption from taxation.<ref>''Second Succession War'', p. 15</ref>

====Second Succession War====
[[Claudius Steiner]] staged a coup on Tharkad against his sister-in-law [[Melissa Nin]] in [[2845]], taking control of the Commonwealth. During his five year reign Claudius used [[Loki (Intelligence agency)|Loki]] to terrorize Tharkad's population, weeding out dissenters and procuring test subjects for his torture sessions using Star League-era medical equipment.<ref name=SSWp60-92>''Second Succession War'', pp. 60, 92</ref>

====Third Succession War====
Tharkad's Government House was the scene of a failed assassination attempt mounted by [[SAFE]] against [[Elizabeth Steiner]] in [[2867]].<ref>''Second Succession War'', p. 86</ref>

====Post Fourth Succession War====
In March [[3032]], [[Colonel]] [[Wayne Waco]] of the [[Waco Rangers]] confronted [[Cranston Snord]] in a small bar demanding to know the relationship between [[Snord's Irregulars]] and Waco's sworn enemies, the [[Wolf's Dragoons]].  Cranston replied that it was none of Waco's business, but he and [[Jaime Wolf]], commander of the Dragoons, were good friends.  This flippant response would drive the Rangers to break their contract with the Lyran Commonwealth and sign up with the [[Free Worlds League]] the next day.<ref name=RIp8>''Rhonda's Irregulars'', p. 8: "Waco's Vengeance"</ref>

====FedCom Civil War====
Being an interior world, Tharkad was spared the ravages of the [[Age of War]] and the Succession Wars. That did not save it from later wars, however. Tharkad was home to one of the final battles of the [[FedCom Civil War]]. As the war drew to a close, supporters of [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] over his sister [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]] realized that they needed to claim the Lyran capital. Grand Duke [[Morgan Kell]] played kingmaker for [[Peter Steiner-Davion]], bringing him out of a self-imposed exile on [[Zaniah]]. When Peter landed on Tharkad and asked Katherine's regent [[Nondi Steiner]] to back him, she flatly refused.

Within a week, Peter's forces entered the Tharkad system and engaged the defenders in a brutal naval battle. The pride of the Lyran fleet, the [[Yggdrasil (Individual Mjolnir-class WarShip)|LAS ''Yggdrasil'']], was captured by [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] forces. Morgan was able to land with a pan-Lyran coalition composed of [[Phelan Kell]] and his [[Fourth Wolf Guards]] Assault Cluster, the [[Twentieth Arcturan Guards]], both regiments of the [[Blue Star Irregulars]], and the First Regiment of the [[Kell Hounds]]. These were joined by the [[Fourth Skye Rangers]] RCT after the Skye secession seemed doomed to failure. Opposing Peter was the [[1st Royal Guards|First]] and [[Second Royal Guards]] RCTs, the [[Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards]] RCT, [[First Alarion Jaegers]], [[Eleventh Arcturan Guards]] RCT, and [[ComStar]]'s [[66th Division (ComStar)|Sixty-sixth Division]].

Peter's experienced forces proved to be more than a match for Nondi's defenders. His supporters were able to claim the Nagelring, then moved on to Tharkad City. In the end, bitter street-to-street fighting damaged the capital city of the [[Lyran Alliance]]. After eight months of battle, Peter killed his great-aunt in a one-on-one duel, ending that Battle of Tharkad.<ref name="Endgame">''Endgame'', p. ??{{cn}}</ref>

====Jihad====
While it was one of the last battles of the [[FedCom Civil War]], the Battle for Tharkad was one of the first in the [[Word of Blake]]'s [[Jihad]]. When the Second [[Star League]] dissolved in [[3067]] on Tharkad, the Word immediately went on the offensive.<ref name="TCp47">''Total Chaos'', pp. 47–49: "Tharkad (sidebar)"</ref> They saw the [[Federated Suns]] and the [[Lyran Alliance]] as the culprits, since they claimed they could no longer afford to support the League with the massive rebuilding they needed to do after the war. The Blakists attempted to cow Lyran [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]] [[Peter Steiner-Davion]] into returning to the League with a show of force in the form of the [[Tharkad (WarShip class)|LCS ''Invincible'']].<ref name="J:FRp44"/> The Word had found and refit the last [[WarShip]] lost during the Succession Wars, and intended to return it to the Lyrans as a gift.<ref name="TCp47"/> With the dissolution of the Star League, however, the interpretation of a prophecy that the dominant faction of the Word believed in was destroyed, which provoked them to violence.

The Alliance Naval Command, as well as Professor [[Blaine Dwyer]] and amateur astronomer [[James Franzaglio]], did detect some manmade objects on space that where not "aligned" with the delegations present on Tharkad, but they were not very worried on this as commented by [[Admiral]] [[Casey Martine]]. Unfortunately they were proven wrong.<ref name=Mystery_Ships>''BattleCorps: INN Newscast (Solaris Broadcasting Co. section), news item published [01/12/3067]: "Mystery Ships Spotted in Tharkad System"''</ref>

When Archon Peter was unshaken by the implied threat of the ''Invincible'', the Blakists rained down fire upon the capital city of the Lyran Alliance. This assault damaged the nuclear reactor under the Triad and caused a meltdown, though confused early reports believed the Blakists had launched a nuclear weapon.<ref name="J:FRp44">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 44: "The Jihad in Review"</ref> The ''Invincible'' and at least three other Blakist WarShips—the ''[[McKenna (WarShip class)|McKenna]]''-class battleship [[Blake's Sword|WoBS ''Blake's Sword'']], the ''[[Sovetskii Soyuz (WarShip class)|Sovetskii Soyuz]]''-class [[Stalwart Defender|WoBS ''Stalwart Defender'']], and the ''[[Essex]]''-class destroyer [[Deliverance|WoBS ''Deliverance'']]—formed a naval blockade that formed the backdrop for a four-year siege of the Lyran capital that was typified by Blakist orbital bombardment clearing space for their ground troops to secure a beachhead, who were then defeated by Lyran troops. Although the ''Blake's Sword'', ''Stalwart Defender'', and ''Deliverance'' were all withdrawn for other tasks in [[3068]], the blockade in place on Tharkad remained highly effective.<ref name="TCp47"/> The [[Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces]] made a major but ultimately unsuccessful effort to breach the Blakist blockade on the 18th of March [[3069]] with an [[aerospace fighter]] and [[DropShip]] task force<ref name="J:FRp46">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 46: "The Jihad in Review"</ref> in an effort mounted from [[Coventry]]. The ''Invincible'' also proved equally destructive when used against any gathering of resistance forces on the surface of Tharkad, bombarding a number of targets and at one point destroying the [[Luftenburg]]-class blue water carrier believed to be transporting the Archon.<ref name="TCp47"/>

The Word's blockade was so successful that the Archon was effectively cut off from his people. A rescue mission sent by General of the Armies [[Adam Steiner]] was only able to get out with a message of hope from Peter, confirmation that he was still alive.

Despite the effectiveness of the Blakist blockade, the resistance remained a constant and active threat, supported by the local population and determined to harry the Blakist occupiers. Using their intimate knowledge of the terrain and climate of Tharkad, the resistance fiercely resisted the occupation, despite facing the [[37th Division (Word of Blake)|Thirty-seventh Militia Division]], [[Fortieth Shadow Division]] and the mercenary unit known as ''[[Lowbräu]]''. Despite the relatively low numbers the resistance was apparently capable of mustering, it managed a degree of success that outstripped its strength; at one point, the resistance, specifically the tank unit ''[[EISENJÄGER]]'',<ref name=Eisen>''Eisenjäger''</ref> successfully ambushed and annihilated [[Precentor]] McKinnsey and his [[Level II]], throwing the Blakist forces into confusion and turmoil until Precentor Kishimoto took command. The resistance continued to fight despite the steady influx of Blakist reinforcements and the lack of any real prospect of ousting the Word from their occupation.<ref name="TCp47"/>

In [[3071]], Peter abdicated so that the Blakists could no longer symbolically control the Archon. In his place, he designated Adam Steiner as his successor. Now-Archon Steiner was able to liberate Tharkad in January [[3072]], complete with the capture of the LCS ''Invincible''. The force Adam led to liberate Tharkad on the 11th of January was primarily a Lyran attack force augmented by elements drawn from a variety of other groups, including [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]], [[Wolf's Dragoons]], the [[Kell Hounds]], the [[Grave Walkers]]<ref name="TCp47"/> and even a token [[Clan Jade Falcon]] formation.<ref name="JHS3076p21">''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 21: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp50">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 50: "The Jihad in Review"</ref><ref>''Total Chaos'', pp. 48, 110–111, 114–115</ref> The liberation had to begin by breaching the naval blockade; Adam Steiner had assembled a considerable DropShip and aerospace force, which was backed up by a trio of WarShips: the ''[[Mjolnir (WarShip class)|Mjolnir]]''-class battlecruisers [[Fylgia|LCS ''Fylgia'']] and LCS ''Yggdrasil'' and the ''[[Fox (WarShip class)|Fox]]''-class corvette [[Ian McQuiston (Individual Fox-class WarShip)|LCS ''Ian McQuiston'']]. The two ''Mjolnirs'' led the attack on the ''Invincible'', their presence masking Adam Steiner's true plan for dealing with the ''Invincible''; with the battlecruisers drawing the Blakists attention, two hundred marines were delivered onto the ''Invincible'' via more than twenty assault shuttles that had concealed themselves among the clouds of fighters surrounding the ''Mjolnirs''. The marines fought a savage deck-by-deck battle that saw more than three-quarters of them killed, but which left them in command of the ''Invincible'', returning her to the Lyran navy for the first time in centuries.<ref name="TCp47"/>

With the blockade breached, the ''Ian McQuiston'' escorted the bulk of the assault force to Tharkad, only to encounter a wave of Blakist [[Pocket WarShip]]s. The ''Ian McQuiston'' was able to easily defeat the individual ''[[Leopard]]'', ''[[Mule]]'', and ''[[Union]]''-class Pocket WarShips, but was destroyed by a swam of nuclear missiles. Adam Steiner had remained on his ''[[Overlord]]''-class DropShip during the assault, in accordance with ancient practices drawn up for assaults, and survived the destruction of the ''Ian McQuiston''; the [[Third Lyran Guards]] were the first formation to land, their orbital drop pointing the regiment down in the outskirts of Tharkad city itself. The Third's drop zone was deliberately chosen to allow them to disrupt the Blakist operations and keep the occupiers attentions on the Third, allowing the remaining units in the task force—the [[1st Royal Guards|First]], [[2nd Royal Guards|Second]], and [[Third Royal Guards]], [[Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards]], [[11th Arcturan Guards|Eleventh]] and [[Twentieth Arcturan Guards]] [[RCT]]s, the [[First Kell Hounds]], the [[13th Wolf Guards (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|Thirteenth Wolf Guards]], [[Wolf's Dragoons]], the [[Grave Walkers]] and the token Jade Falcon Nova—to land.<ref name="TCp47"/>

As the Third Lyran Guards and the Jade Falcon Nova commanded by [[Star Commander]] [[Tara Helmer]] sold themselves dearly against the Blakists the remainder of the Lyran task force launched a brutally efficient attack against the Thirty-seventh Militia Division. The Twentieth Arcturans caused problems for the task force; taking it upon themselves to investigate reports of the location of Peter Steiner-Davion, the Twentieth moved out of their assigned operational area and recovered the former Archon and insisted on escorting him to the allied staging grounds, only returning to the main conflict after threats of court martial. The Thirty-seventh was driven onto the waiting guns of the Thirteenth Wolf Guards by the Third Lyran Guards, and the efforts made by the Blakists to withdraw in order and retreat were constantly hampered by the Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons. By the time of the Blakist defeat at the end of January 3072, less than two [[Level III]]s had managed to retreat off-world.<ref name="TCp47"/>

With Tharkad liberated, Adam Steiner called on all the surviving defenders to gather together at Tharkad City; the combined surviving resistance forces that assembled at Tharkad after four long years of war amounted to just a combined-arms battalion of surviving line-troops, corporate soldiers, mercenaries and local resistance fighters.<ref name="TCp47"/>

Adam gave the Archonship back to Peter following the liberation of Tharkad. With the chaos of the Jihad, Peter decided to decentralize power in archonettes. Following the defeat of the Blakists in [[3081]], Tharkad reclaimed its place as the only Lyran capital.{{cn}}

On 11 December [[3074]], Tharkad was host to an understated wedding ceremony between Archon Adam Steiner and his fiancée, Baroness [[Heather Fyhne]] of [[Arcturus]], followed in days by an announcement that the Baroness was pregnant with their first child.<ref name="JHS3076p55">''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 55: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp53">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 53: "The Jihad in Review"</ref>

By the end of the Jihad there wasn't a major manufacturing facility on Tharkad that had taken less than 75% damage during the course of the conflict. By [[3079]], the most productive plant on Tharkad was the Defiance Motors plant, running at 40% of pre-Jihad capacity.<ref name="O:LAp3">''Objectives: Lyran Alliance'', p. 3: "State of the Industry at a Glance (Dec 3079)"</ref>

====Post-Jihad====
Efforts to rebuild Tharkad were underway by the end of the Jihad, including work on restoring the Triad, irradiated though it was. With Lyran pride on the line, no expense was being spared; while the restoration work was going on, the government was operating out of what had been the summer court in the tropical Tatyana islands. Still operating on Tharkad in 3079 were Defiance Motors, Lockheed/CBM Corp., TharHes Industries, and Tharkad Aerospace Group.<ref name="O:LAp25"/>

The Nagelring was still offering training programs, although the bulk of the planetary militia consisted of the majority of those guerrilla fighters who didn't end up joining the various formations of the [[Royal Guards]]. The rolls of the militia included all those injured either physically or mentally during the fighting against the Blakists on the planet; this allowed those individuals access to jobs, counseling and medical aid, with both the support and blessings of the planetary government. At this point, the Militia was focusing a large part of its time ensuring that during the cleanup and reconstruction work going on around the Triad civilian safety wasn't compromised.<ref name="O:LAp26">''Objectives: Lyran Alliance'', p. 26: "Tharkad"</ref>

===Military Deployment===
{{columns-start|num=3}}
====2764====
* [[142nd BattleMech Division]]<ref name=FMSLDFp255>''Field Manual: SLDF'', p. 255: "SLDF - Lyran Commonwealth Military Command Map"</ref>

====2765====
* [[Tenth Arcturan Guards]]<ref name="FM2765:LCp9">''Field Report 2765: LCAF'', p. 9: "Regimental Status"</ref>
* [[First Royal Guards]]<ref name=FR:2765LCAFp17>''Field Report 2765: LCAF'', p. 17: "Royal Guards" - Regimental Status</ref>
* [[Second Royal Guards]]<ref name=FR:2765LCAFp17/>

====2786====
* Tenth Arcturan Guards<ref name="FSWp139">''First Succession War'', p. 139: "First Succession War Deployment Table - LCAF"</ref>
* [[Tenth Lyran Guards]]<ref name="FSWp139"/>
* First Royal Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>
* Second Royal Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>

====2821====
* Tenth Arcturan Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>
* Tenth Lyran Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>
* First Royal Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>
* Second Royal Guards<ref name="FSWp139"/>

====3025====
* [[Third Lyran Guards]]<ref name="NAIS4SWp44">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 44: "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"</ref>
* First Royal Guards<ref name="NAIS4SWp45">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 45: "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"</ref>
* Second Royal Guards<ref name="NAIS4SWp45"/>
* [[Richard's Panzer Brigade]]<ref name="NAIS4SWp45"/>
{{column}}
====3028====
* Second Royal Guards<ref name="NAIS4SWp45"/>

====3038====
* [[Third Lyran Guards]] [[RCT]]<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 137: "Deployment Table"</ref>
* First Royal Guards RCT<ref name=H:Wo3039>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 138: "Deployment Table"</ref>
* Second Royal Guards RCT<ref name=H:Wo3039/>

====3050====
* First Royal Guards RCT<ref name=20YU29>''20 Year Update'', p. 29: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"</ref>
* Second Royal Guards RCT<ref name=20YU29/>
* [[282nd Division (ComStar)|282nd Division]]<ref name=20YU71>''20 Year Update'', p. 71: "Com Guards Deployment Table"</ref>

====3054====
* First Royal Guards RCT<ref>''Objective Raids'', p. 82: "Unit Note"</ref>

====3055====
* [[66th Division (ComStar)|Sixty-Sixth Division]]<ref name=CS85>''ComStar'', p. 85: "Com Guards Deployment Table"</ref>

====3062====
* Sixty-Sixth Division<ref name=FMCS126>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 126: "Com Guards Deployment Table"</ref>
{{column}}
====3067====
* [[Thorin FTM]]<ref name=FMU178/>
* [[Eleventh Arcturan Guards]] RCT<ref name=FMU178>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 178: "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table"</ref>
* [[Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards]] RCT<ref name=FMU178/>
* First Royal Guards RCT<ref name=FMU178/>
* Second Royal Guards RCT<ref name=FMU178/>

====3079====
* First Royal Guards RCT<ref name="O:LAp25"/>
* Second Royal Guards RCT<ref name="O:LAp25"/>

====3085====
* Second Royal Guards RCT<ref name=FM:3085p108>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 109: "Deployment Table - 3085"</ref>
* [[Third Royal Guards]] RCT<ref name=FM:3085p108/>
* [[Fourth Royal Guards]] RCT<ref name=FM:3085p108/>

====3136====
* [[Rock Brigade]]<ref name="DALNAp55-56">''Dark Age: LinkNet Articles (3136)'', pp. 55–56: "Letters From Home -- Week 09"</ref>
* Second Royal Guards RCT

====3145====
* First Royal Guards RCT<ref name=FM:3145p133>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 133: "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Donegal Province"</ref>
* Second Royal Guards RCT<ref name=FM:3145p133/>
* [[Fifteenth Arcturan Guards]]<ref name=FM:3145p133/>
{{columns-end}}

===Geography===
Tharkad is an icy and rugged planet, similar to the arctic wilderness of [[Terra]]. The planet consists of five major continents and three major island chains. The largest continent is Bremen and is home to Tharkad City, capital of the world and the Lyran Commonwealth, and Olympia, a major city. Asgard, the military command center of the LCAF, lies on the crest of Mount Wotan.<ref name=JTPL-5>''Jihad Turning Points: Tharkad'', p. 5: "Tharkad"</ref> The other four continents are Franz, Grolsch, Heidelberg, and Sutherland.<ref name="O:LAp25"/> Tatyana Islands, one of the island chains, is situated in a tropical zone and was once a major [[Star League]] storage depot.

===Planetary Locations===
[[File:Tharkad Planetary Map.png|right|450px|thumb|Planetary Map of Tharkad]]
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* Aesiria Station (orbital)<ref name=H:HSp147>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 147: "Tharkad Aerospace Group (TAGCorp) - TharHes Industries (TharHes)"</ref>
* Bremen (continent)
:* Alessandro Memorial Auditorium<ref name="DotJp42">''Dawn of the Jihad'', p. 42: "Star League Disbands!"</ref>
:* [[Cold Creek]] (city)
:* Methow Valley
:* Mount Wotan: situated near the Triad
::* Asgard: a Star League–era fortress built into the side of Mt. Wotan<ref name=OEc12>''Operation Excalibur'', ch. 12</ref>
:* [[Nagelring]]
:* [[New Jerusalem]] (city)
:* Olympia
:* [[Otisburg]] (city)
:* [[Tharkad City]] (capital city)
:* [[Tharkad University]]
:* [[Weibetal]] (city)
:* Triad: a sprawling governmental complex that is bounded on three sides by the Royal Palace, the Government House, and the Royal Court. Over 300 buildings make up the complex, which also contains hospitals, churches, and botanical gardens. From [[2529]] onward, BattleMechs stood guard over the Royal Court's throne. See also: [[Royal Guards#Guardian Duty|Guardian Duty]]

* Bremen Ocean
* Dinear Ocean
* Sutherland (continent)
* Franz (continent)
:* [[Tesseraburg]] (city)
:* Tessera Valley
:* [[Wheeler's Limit]] (city)
* Glatte Sea
* Grolsch (continent)
:* [[Gomel]] (city)
:* [[Lancashire]] (city)
* Heidelberg (continent)
:* Mako Valley<ref name=Eisen/>
::* [[Mako City]] (city)
:* [[Marsden (city)|Marsden]] (city)
:* [[Rewland]] (city)
::*[[Rewland College of Fine Arts on Tharkad]]<ref name="HB:HSp118">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 118: "Rewland College of Fine Arts on Tharkad"</ref>
:* [[Stevensville]] (city)
* Marsden Sea
* New Bismark Archipelago
:* Goodman Island
:* Steiner Island
* Tatyana (island chain)
:* Elizabeth Island<ref name=H:HSp141>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 141: "Defiance Industries"</ref>
:* [[Tropicana]] city
{{div col end}}

===Companies and Industries===
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Bauer Enterprises]]<ref name=TRO3050Up244>''Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade'', p. 244: "RPR-100 Rapier"</ref>
* [[Defiance Motors]]<ref name=H:HSp141/>
* [[Investigations Press]]<ref name=WDSp29>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 29: "An Ting Base"</ref>
* [[Lockheed-CBM Corporation]]<ref name=H:HSp144>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 144: "Lockheed/CBM Corporation (LCBMC)"</ref>
* [[Lyran Free Traders Association]]<ref name=H:HSp137>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 137: "Lyran Free Traders Association (LyFrTr)"</ref>
* [[Quo Medical Technologies]]<ref name=SLp164>''The Star League'', p. 164: "Top Ten Hegemony Companies - [Quo Medical Technologies]"</ref>
* [[Semier Data Tron]]<ref name=H:HSp145>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 145: "Semier Data Tron (SeDaTron)"</ref>
* [[SeraVideo Entertainments Incorporated]]<ref>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 142: "Major Commonwealth Industries"</ref>
* [[Taatyana Trans-Oceanic Shipyards]]{{cn}}
* [[TharHes Industries]]<ref name=H:HSp147/>
* [[Tharkad Aerospace Group]]<ref name=H:HSp147/>
* [[Tharkan Media Associates]]<ref name=H:HSp139>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 139: "Tharkan Media Associates (ThaMeS)"</ref>
* [[Ulsop Robotics]]<ref name=SLp163>''The Star League'', p. 163: "Top Ten Hegemony Companies - [Ulsop Robotics]"</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Local Flora and Fauna===
* [[Tharkan Gazelle]]<ref name=HHSp156>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 156: "Creatures"</ref>

===Image gallery===
<gallery>
Tharkad Flag.jpg|Planetary Flag of Tharkad
Tharkad Planetary Map.png|Planetary Map of Tharkad
Tharkad Planetary Map BW.png|Black and white planetary map from ''[[Inner Sphere (sourcebook)|Inner Sphere]]''
</gallery>

==Map Gallery==
<div class="system-map-gallery"></div>

==Nearby Systems==
<!-- NOTE: This table is automatically generated by BattleTechWiki:Project_Planets/Mapping, and any edits to this section may be overwritten at any time by a bot -->
{|class="wikitable nearby-systems" style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 1px solid black;"
! colspan="8" | Closest 28 systems (25 within 60 light-years)<br>Distance in light years, closest systems first:
|-
| class="lessthan30" | [[Forkas]]
| class="lessthan30" | 8.4
| class="lessthan30" | [[Eutin]]
| class="lessthan30" | 10.0
| class="lessthan30" | [[Tetersen]]
| class="lessthan30" | 12.1
| class="lessthan30" | [[Gibbs]]
| class="lessthan30" | 13.4
|-
| class="lessthan30" | [[Greenlaw]]
| class="lessthan30" | 16.4
| class="lessthan30" | [[Westerstede]]
| class="lessthan30" | 19.1
| class="lessthan30" | [[Horneburg]]
| class="lessthan30" | 19.6
| class="lessthan30" | [[Graz]]
| class="lessthan30" | 25.2
|-
| class="over30" | [[Donegal]]
| class="over30" | 31.5
| class="over30" | [[Vorzel]]
| class="over30" | 35.9
| class="over30" | [[Hegel]]
| class="over30" | 37.1
| class="over30" | [[Thuban]]
| class="over30" | 37.9
|-
| class="over30" | [[Upano]]
| class="over30" | 41.0
| class="over30" | [[Minderoo]]
| class="over30" | 42.8
| class="over30" | [[Cameron (LC)|Cameron]]
| class="over30" | 42.9
| class="over30" | [[Lintz]]
| class="over30" | 43.0
|-
| class="over30" | [[Bayis]]
| class="over30" | 43.7
| class="over30" | [[Alma Alta]]
| class="over30" | 45.2
| class="over30" | [[Gallery]]
| class="over30" | 45.9
| class="over30" | [[Warrumbungle]]
| class="over30" | 47.4
|-
| class="over30" | [[Pobeda]]
| class="over30" | 49.1
| class="over30" | [[Duran]]
| class="over30" | 50.7
| class="over30" | [[Dagda (LC)|Dagda]]
| class="over30" | 51.8
| class="over30" | [[Conley's Patch]]
| class="over30" | 54.5
|-
| class="over30" | [[Smolnik]]
| class="over30" | 57.5
| class="over60" | [[Incukalns]]
| class="over60" | 62.3
| class="over60" | [[Tsinan]]
| class="over60" | 62.5
| class="over60" | [[Callisto]]
| class="over60" | 63.0
|-
|}

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* ''[[List of Solaris Broadcasting Co. articles#Mystery Ships Spotted in Tharkad System|BattleCorps Solaris Broadcasting Co., 01/12/3067: "Mystery Ships Spotted in Tharkad System"]]''
* ''[[BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction]]''
* ''[[ComStar (sourcebook)|ComStar]]''
* ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]''
* ''[[Eisenjäger (short story)|Eisenjäger]]'' (in: ''[[Total Warfare]]'')
* ''[[Endgame]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3052]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: SLDF]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Field Report: LAAF]]''
* ''[[Field Report 2765: LCAF]]''
* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)|First Succession War]]''
* ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]''
* ''[[Handbook: Major Periphery States]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''
* ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]''
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
* ''[[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)]]''
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3076]]''
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]''
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Tharkad]]''
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]''
* ''[[Objective Raids]]''
* ''[[Objectives: Lyran Alliance]]''
* ''[[Operation Excalibur]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Rhonda's Irregulars (scenario pack)|Rhonda's Irregulars]]
* ''[[Second Succession War (sourcebook)|Second Succession War]]''
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]''
* ''[[Shrapnel Issue 3]]''
* ''[[Shrapnel Issue 4]]''
* ''[[Tamar Rising]]''
* ''[[Total Chaos]]''
* ''[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)|Wolf's Dragoons]]''
{{div col end}}

[[Category:Systems|Tharkad]]
[[Category: Federated Commonwealth Systems]]
[[Category: Lyran Alliance Systems]]
[[Category: Lyran Commonwealth Systems]]
[[Category: Protectorate of Donegal Systems]]