World Name: Caph
Time to Jump Point: 7 days
Recharging Station: None
Recharge Time: 3 days
ComStar Facility Class: B
Noble Ruler: None
Political Leader: None
A center for advanced science and learning during the days of the Star League, much of Caph became a toxic wasteland of nuclear, chemical, and biological fallout during the Succession Wars. The planet began to revive in the 3030s, as industry once again emerged in the more habitable areas and glimmers of prosperity encouraged slow but steady population growth. Some of the smaller cities on the rim of Caph's southerm continent, untouched by the worst of humanity's terrible weapons of war, saw renewed growth and rebuilding during the 3040s. The Liao-Marik invasion, however, has destroyed much of Caph's progress. The planet is once again a wasteland, this time of broken 'Mechs and bodies. Numerous factions battle for survival amid the ruins of cities that once seemed to symbolize the beginning of better times.
The Denebola Skye March Militia and Gustafson's Grenadiers, the home guard of Caph's reigning duchess, were engaged in training exercises against one another on Caph when the invasion began. A third unit, Lindon's Battalion, was taking a brief shore leave on Caph before beginning their newly signed contract with the Draconis Combine. The attack on the Sarna March by Capellan forces sparked several events involving these three units, many of which happened so quickly that no one knows for certain precisely what happened. The following account, however, is reasonably accurate.
Leftenant General Josef Gould, commander of the Denebola SMM and an ardent Steiner loyalist, immediately came into conflict with Duchess Gustafson, who just as ardently supported the Archon Prince. At the start of the invasion, Liao agents on Caph launched a series of attacks as part of a "popular uprising" in the capital of Aswan and in New Derry, Caph's second-largest city. Without informing the duchess of his intentions, Gould crushed the Liaoists in the capital with his own troops. Upon hearing of his actions, Duchess Gustafson ordered Gould to recall his men and allow her Grenadiers to pacify New Derry. In reply, the Leftenant General marched his troops toward that city. The duchess pushed her own troops hard toward New Derry to stop Gould, and she sent a message to the Archon Prince warning him that Gould might try a power grab. The message, delayed by a freak technical foul-up, did not reach Prince Victor until February of 3058.
Meanwhile, Lindon's Battalion had been caught by events in New Derry. Knowing that any action against the terrorists by the unit might look like a Combine attack, Colonel Sarah Lindon had kept her troops out of the fighting. When the Denebola SMM arrived in New Derry, Gould declared martial law and ordered Colonel Lindon to surrender to him. Lindon refused, arguing that as employees of a neutral state, the Battalion should not be treated as an enemy force. Gould then ordered his forces to wipe out Lindon's Battalion. The Battalion escaped, ran straight into Gustafson's Grenadiers, and received a safe-conduct to Aswan to await transport to the Combine.
As the Battalion marched toward Aswan, DropShips full of mercenaries in the employ of the Free Worlds League landed on Caph to assist the Liaoist insurgents. Gustafson's Grenadiers and the Denebola SMM, slugging it out with each other in New Derry, suddenly faced a new threat from two crack mercenary units: the Stealthy Tigers and Always Faithful. The Tigers easily captured Aswan and proclaimed it a Capellan possession. Meanwhile, Always Faithful split in two and marched toward the two large industrial centers of Rehope and Newann's Pass. After pleading in vain for a truce with Gould, Duchess Gustafson retreated from New Derry and raced for Rehope in an attempt to cut off the Always Faithful troops.
Back in New Derry, Gould received orders from Katrina Steiner-Davion to secure the city of Cimmeron, Caph's trading mecca. With Cimmeron in hand and the rest of Caph's reclaimed cities in chaos, Gould stood a good chance of claiming the whole planet for the newborn Lyran Alliance. Gould immediately marched his forces toward Cimmeron.
Repelled from Aswan by the Tigers, Lindon's Battalion was also marching toward Cimmeron, the nearest sizeable city. Upon the Battalion's arrival, Colonel Lindon received an urgent message from the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, requesting the Battalion to keep peace on Caph under the authority of ComStar. Soon afterward, Gould reached the outskirts of Cimmeron and ordered Lindon to abandon the city or face destruction. Lindon informed Gould of her orders and told him that his entry into Cimmeron would be an act of war, but Gould refused to believe her and ordered his 'Mechs forward. Free to fight back, Lindon's Battalion engaged in a fierce battle with Gould's troops, savaging the Lyran 'Mechs and killing Gould. The surviving 'Mechs of the Denebola SMM fled back to New Derry.
Gustafson's Grenadiers, meanwhile, had intercepted Always Faithful's First Battalion near Rehope and forced them to retreat toward Newann's Pass in a brutal pitched battle. Though the fighting reduced her forces to less than two battalions, Duchess Gustafson rallied the surviving troops and marched toward Aswan. Her attempt to liberate the capital failed, but it cost the Stealthy Tigers a significant number of 'Mechs.
Currently, no single force truly controls the planet. The Stealthy Tigers remain in possession of Aswan, skirmishing almost daily with the Grenadiers and the remainder of the Denebola SMM. The Grenadiers and the Denebola SMM also attack each other, though they seem to prefer fighting the Marik-backed mercenaries. All three sides are scrambling to hire mercenaries to augment their dwindling forces. Only Lindon's Battalion has stayed mostly neutral, fighting only when necessary to keep peace in Cimmeron.
News out of Outreach indicates that Thomas Marik has passed on the opportunity to renew the Stealthy Tigers' contract, and that it has been picked up by Sun-Tzu Liao. As well, the Devil's Advocates have arrived on Caph to support Captain Lisa Gould's Denebola SMM.
Unit Name Experience Faction Lindon's Battalion Veteran Draconis Combine (CO: Colonel Sarah Lindon) Gustafson's Grenadiers Regular FedCom (CO: Duchess Gustafson) (2 battalions) Denebola SMM Green Lyran Alliance (CO: Captain Lisa Gould) Devil's Advocates Regular Lyran Alliance (CO: Captain Charlene Cypher) Stealthy Tigers Regular Liao (CO: Colonel Yuri Rauschenbusch) Always Faithful Regular Liao (CO: Colonel James Burrill Riel)