by Darren Moffett
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System Primary: Truane's Star
Spectral Type: G7
Color: Orange-Yellow
Habitable Planets: Pale, New Pale
Moons: Dan (Colonized industrial/mining)
Joe (Military Base)
Distance from Star:175,597,870km
Climate Range: Low humidity temperature frozen cold at the poles to warm at the equator.
Atmosphere: 60% nitrogen 24% oxygen 16% Carbon dioxide
Gravity: 0.91
Colonists: 2 Billion Sentient (Human 65%) Core Four and immigrants from Rim and Volturnus
Diameter: 11,004 kilometers
Length of Day (hours): 50
Average Surface Temp: 15 C
Native Life: No sentient native life. Primitive plant life: lichens, mosses, and algae. Some ferns near the equatorial regions.
Pale started as a mining colony but soon grew into an industrial center. With very little usable life on the planet; heavy industry has been allowed to flourish almost unimpeded by environmental regulation and factories of various types now dot the landscape. Clean water and air, however, are must haves for the health of the entire population as healthy workers are productive workers.
Though there are numerous population centers on the planet, the most notable is the capital City of Point True where Streel Corporation Headquarters dominates the skyline with a 500 story triple tower mega skyscraper complex.
Moons: Sven, a dead lifeless rock with a communications outpost and separate military observation/listening post.
Distance from Star: 149,597,870km
Climate Range: Moderate humidity with temperatures ranging from frozen cold at the poles to tropical at the equator.
Atmosphere: 60% nitrogen 24% oxygen 16% Carbon dioxide
Gravity: 1.4
Colonists: 23 million sentient – 79% Human, 20% Mix of others (Core Four). 1% Rim races
Diameter: 15,000 kilometers
Length of Day (hours): 23.94
Average Surface Temp: 30 C
Native Life: No sentient native life but home to a great variety of flora and fauna in a variety of species.
New Pale is considered one of the most fertile farming colonies in the Frontier, producing a seasonal bounty that provides a vast amount of exportable foods for sale throughout the Frontier and use on Pale; ranging from grains to various types of cattle.
More than half of the farming output is shipped off planet in system ships owned by Streel Corporation for use on Pale where various farming companies, corporations, and grange associations must compete for market share in the agricultural commodities market. Remaining stores are exported fresh or frozen for trade throughout the Frontier. The high profit margin on these exports provides the people of New Pale with a thriving economy.
The surface is covered in vast oceans and 5 large continents - water covers 72% of the planet’s surface.
Environmental laws and regulations are considered to be very important on New Pale. Clean farm production is the key to the survival of both planets in Truane’s Star
The Truane’s Star system has a system wide Republic governing both planets.
After the invasion during the Sathar War, the populations of both planets decided that corporate government could not guarantee the safety of the colonies. Corporate security forces were no match for a Sathar invasion force, and fell quickly to the Sathar onslaught. A de facto people’s militia was formed and fought on as partisans. On the other hand the people did not want any form of dictatorship or monarchy, they had already lived under the corporate dictates of the Streel Corporation. Democracy was not considered strong enough and too liable to become a tyranny of the majority. So the people of Truane’s Star decided on a republic with divided powers and a solid set of laws to be their government. They have three official branches of government: a legislative body composed of 2 houses, an executive with two Consuls and a high court.
Wealthy landowners are allowed to fill the upper house called The Senate. There are 50 senate seats (25 from each planet) elected every 6 years. To add a candidate to the ballot costs one million credits, paid to the government treasury and the fee must be put forth by a private citizen landowner, not a corporation (Although the CEO of Streel is a wealthy landowner). After the vote, the candidates who take the most votes from 1st to 51st are elected. Any number of candidates may take part in this senate race.
The second house is the Plebiscites. These are voted on by district and they serve for 3 years. There are 221 districts between both planets. Population level was not a consideration when these districts were formed. The citizens of the planets vote on the Senators and the Plebes. Any citizen can run for Plebe in his/her own district, the price of putting yourself on this ballot is 1000 credits.
The executive branch is composed of the Consuls. There are 2 of these Consuls and they must make joint decisions on everything. If a law is sent through legislation it must be passed by both Consuls.
The third branch is the Court of the People. The court’s composition varies based on the Judges chosen by the Senate and Plebiscites and approved by the Consuls. Usually the 5 to 9 judges are chosen for 10 years. Besides seeing that the law is correct, the Judges choose the Consuls, one from the Senate and one from the Plebes. In times of emergency a dictator is chosen from the military for a period of six months. The dictator is allowed to prosecute a war or handle a natural disaster only. If a dictator exceeds his bounds or granted powers during his/her tenure, he or she can be tried for high crimes after the emergency has past.
Above Pale orbits Fortress Pale, a UPF space fortress and Class I construction and resupply center for fleet use only. (Sometimes the Pale militia contracts for use of building/repair space).This fortress is used as a forward operating base in the case the Sathar come back. Spacefleet command suspects they will come through the Zebulon system first, giving an early warning that way. The recent Battle of Volturnus (SF2 Starspawn of Volturnus) seems to confirm this theory. Spacefleet is known to keep a light cruiser and her escorts near this system in case of such an emergency. Strike Force NOVA also visits on an irregular schedule.
A trading station named Pale Point Station is the major mercantile station in the System . Almost anything can be bought here, if the price is right.
Truane’s Shipyard is the third station that orbits Pale. It is a Class III construction and docking facility. Originally owned by Streel Corporation, it was sold off to a small private company after the Sathar invasion. As a Class III shipyard it is still profitable due to the large amount of system ships in Truane’s Star that need repair and refuel.
Granger Point Station is an Armed Space Station orbiting New Pale. It is usually the first stop for agricultural products coming from New Pale to all points. There is a lot of freighter traffic here.
In conjunction with Sorru Suub Shipbuilding and CFM, Streel is currently building a Class I shipbuilding center orbiting New Pale. The station has yet to be named. The mega corporations have decided to let the citizens vote on the name. The most popular name for the new station so far is Lyllianna Trent Construction Facility after a hero of the resistance during the Sathar invasion Lyllianna Trent.
Pale was settled as a mining colony by Streel about 200PF and New Pale was settled as an Agricultural support colony. This was a more convenient way to grow food for the mining colony than putting in an agriculture station around it. This would shorten shipping time from already populated worlds for food needed to sustain the miners, and later factory workers. With strike after strike finding valuable minerals, the Pale colony grew very quickly with new immigration daily. New Pale was a challenge to farm on as the gravity was so heavy, but a few generations had both colonies well established. Streel and its security force ruled with an iron hand. Soon, a labor movement was founded. It was organized labor, in conjunction with free landowners, that would give the most in the resistance to the Sathar invasion.
Corporate security was not prepared for an invasion. Rather they were more a police force and union breaking thug organization. When the Sathar landed thousands of combat troops around the City of Point True and the sky was filled with the streaks of fire from crashing spacecraft, corporate security was quickly overwhelmed.
It was Jamie Cerval, a retired Captain of the Clarion Royal Marines, who organized the resistance. He had settled on Pale hoping to strike it rich with a copper mine, which panned out well. With that money he started many small businesses and sent a call to friends also retiring from the CRM such as Master Chief Allen Mako. These fifty or so old buddies built a lot of small factories and mines. When the Sathar came threatening to undo all that hard work…. ”Well, once a marine always a marine.”
It was this group that contacted union boss Jack Bolt and started to organize the two groups into an effective guerilla fighting force. It took more than 5 months to take back the City of Point True and eliminate the Sathar invaders. Once that was done they took the fight to New Pale using a star freighter that had come with a relief force from Streel Corporation. By this time the battles at Cassidine and Prenglar were long over with.
Meanwhile on New Pale, Lyllianna Trent, leader of an independent farming coalition, organized another force of partisans who waged a 6 month long guerilla campaign to “exterminate the alien infestation”. It was these three forces that fought the Sathar at the Battle of MaCombs Farm, completely eliminating the enemy force. The battle was long and bloody. The Sathar had no place to retreat to as the fleet had long been destroyed and dispersed at the battles around Cassidine and Prenglar. The Sathar fought to the death.
After the Invasion the peoples of the two planets were not going to allow corporate dictatorship by any corporation. A constitution was written and the Pale Republic was formed. The First Consuls of the new Republic were Jamie Cerval and Lyllianna Trent. It was Jamie who organized a new army for the republic.
Headquartered on the moon Joe at the MaCombs base is the Combined Pale Fleet (CPF)
Currently the CPF has one frigate, CPFS The City of Point True, and three Assault Scouts: CPFS Cerval, CPFS Mako, and CPFS Bolt [Author’s Note: Those names were taken from SFMan #11 page 9]. There is also a new experimental Corvette, CPFS Battleaxe, currently on its trial runs. Two more Assault Scouts are currently on order: CPFS Arrow and CPFS Bullet.
There are two squadrons of fighters at MaCombs base for a total of 12 fighters, and two HS 2 reconnaissance ships. Number 1 Squadron, known as Lylly’s Hammers, is a space superiority squadron of interceptors armed with the newest Pod Lasers. Number 2 Squadron, Mako’s Marauders, is a squadron armed with the normal compliment or Assault Rockets used for anti-shipping.
The moon Joe is armed with six planetary defense Laser Batteries. Since this moon has no atmosphere the batteries can reach a full ninety thousand kilometers in range. (Unlike planet based batteries hindered by atmosphere – see page 95 Knight Hawks remastered rules). There is also a roving missile battalion carrying 20 torpedoes with them and 2 reloads for each vehicle. Range 40,000 Kilometers. (Standard KH torpedo with a larger rocket booster to account for escaping the moon’s gravity). MaCombs base is surrounded by several ICM launcher sites.
There are five major Army Commands called Legions. Legions are commanded by a Major General with a Brigadier as his assistant commander. All the Legions together are commanded by the Field Marshall there is only one of those. Each legion is made of 10 Cohorts and several support battalions.
First and Second Legions are stationed on Pale and New Pale as maneuver units. First through 4th Cohorts are Mechanized Infantry and armed with infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) and powered armor for the dismounted infantryman. Numbering around 500 soldiers called Legionaries, a Cohort is divided into companies, and below that platoons, and then Squads. A squad consists of 1 IFV and 6 to 10 dismounts. 5th thru 7th Cohorts are Heavy Armor utilizing the best hovertank technology available. A platoon consists of 5 hovertanks. 8th Cohort consists of a recon group, the eyes and ears of the legion, usually lightly armed with fast hovercycles to get around on. Their job is to reconnoiter the enemy. 9th and 10th Cohorts are the Artillery. They provide heavy firepower for the Legion. They are armed with 185mm self-propelled cannons on tracks. Nobody has made a hover vehicle that can absorb that much recoil yet. Every Legion has several Support Battalions which deal with logistics issues: food, ammo, fuel, SEU, spare parts replacement, as well as Maintenance and a field hospital for each battalion.
Third and Fourth Legion are Air Combat and Combat Support. They consist of armed aircars and rotary wing (helicopter) assets. Third Legion supports First as they slug it out on the ground and Fourth supports the Second Legion. Third is On Pale while Fourth is on New Pale.
Fifth Legion is the Air and Space Defense Legion. They are stationed at various anti-ship energy batteries around each planet along with missile silos used to launch torpedoes or ICMs into space. These Legionaries also man the Space Station Defenses around the planets and moons.
Most of the laws of the Pale Republic are just plain common sense and follow basic moral principles: no murder, no theft, no prostitution, no controlled drugs. After the Sathar Invasion firearms and lasers are encouraged and some small towns require citizens to carry a blaster of one type or another in the open. You don’t need to conceal it; we want you to have it. Further it is illegal to conceal a ranged weapon. The only exception is convicted felons; they can’t carry anything bigger than a vibro-knife.
These are the KH board game statistics for the Experimental Corvette CPFS Battleaxe:
HS: 4 HP: 32
DCR: 64 ADF: 4 MR: 4
Weapons: LB x4 ARx5
Defenses: RH MSx2
Crew: 20
The Battleaxe is a new ship being tested by Combined Pale Fleet. They don’t see the Assault Scout as a good warship. However, they wanted a starship that could use the assault rocket’s firepower and have a lot of versatility after the fact. But not being able to afford another frigate at the moment, they came up with something bigger than a scout but not as powerful as a frigate. After watching the slaughter of their fellow colonists at the hands of the Sathar, the people of Pale and New Pale are willing to pay high taxes for defenses to prevent it ever happening again. If this ship design works out as well as hoped, they will demand more of them. Shakedown cruises are happening now.
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Gopruto |
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Distance from star |
40,078,898km |
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Radius |
2,038km |
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Pacinice |
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Distance from star |
59,298,399km |
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Radius |
4,934km |
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Asteroid Belt |
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Distance from star |
222,898,078km |
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Many of the asteroids are large enough to land on |
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Larras |
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Distance from star |
826,840,962km |
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Radius |
52,371km |
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Gas Giant. Has four small satellites. |
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Hammilwort |
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Distance from star |
3,470,338,706km |
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Radius |
172,920km |
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Gas Giant. Has 3 planet-sized satellites around it, left intentionally not described for referee use. |
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Tiberon |
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Distance from star |
7,624,487,995km |
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Radius |
121,000km |
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Gas Giant |
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