Defending Units: Altairian Star Cavalry (6’Mech Regiments)
Attacking Units: 2nd Sword of Light, 5th Benjamin Regulars, 2nd Sun Zhang Academy
Cadre, Tartan Brigade (2 regiments)
Battles: Crescent Ridge, Jameel Hills, Crimson Valley, Basin Flats, Izumi Shipyards

Briefing:

The battle for Altair has been going on for many years now. Since the start of the Amaris Coup the Terran Resistance has fought a non-stop conflict against several would be conquers of their devastated homeworld. For seven long years they engaged in brutal skirmishes with Rim Worlds forces until they suddenly withdrew, only to quickly be replaced by the 5th Benjamin Regulars from the Draconis Combine. Thankfully the SLDF chased the Regulars from Altair soon thereafter and for a short time the planet enjoyed peace.

This state of affairs was not to last. As the SLDF moved away from Altair to finish the Hegemony Campaign and Operation Liberation against the Republicans, the DCMS returned to Altair in force. The 5th Benjamin Regulars were now joined by the elite 2nd Sword of Light and the 2nd Sun Zhang Academy Cadre. These three ‘Mech regiments and their supporting contingents were far too large to be chased off planet as easily as before. While the small Star League garrison on planet did its best to defend Altair from Kurita advances it was hard pressed to hold its ground.
Thankfully major combat did not begin in earnest. Instead both sides engaged in a “reconstruction war” currying favor with the planetary populace by providing aid to their supporters. Initially the DCMS took a lead in winning the public relations war, often by sabotaging Terran efforts by utilizing their superior force to harass relief shipments and intimidate loyal Terra citizens. The status quo changed when the SLDF returned to Altair and established a parity of force with the Dragon. General Kerensky, who was preoccupied with holding the crumbling Star League together, refused to confront House Kurita. This came as a huge surprise and disappointment to those expecting Star League intervention on Altair.

Even today, many Altairians remain angry at Kerensky’s abandonment and that of the SLDF’s. Not only did the SLDF help in critical civilian and military rebuilding projects which included the stockpiling of vital military supplies, but Star League technicians also repaired key sections of the planet’s ground-based infrastructure, including pieces of the Space Defense System (SDS). Still, most citizens of Altair credit Regent Amanda Cameron and Ian Sinclair for ordering the 359th BattleMech Division (Montgomery Division) to take station on Altair shortly before the Exodus. This reshuffling of the planetary garrison gave many residents of Altair a sense of renewed hope and was quickly received with great acclaim. The resulting whirlwind of support for the new Regent and Republic resulted in the 359th’s official designation as the Altairian Star Cavalry. In an effort to match the new Terran deployment, the Combine deployed two additional regiments of the Tartan Brigade. The Tartan Brigade, a rebuilding Rim Worlds unit now in the employ of House Kurita, would dramatically increase its naval presence in system.

This aggressive move by the Dragon only occurred once it became painfully clear that both Kerensky and the SLDF had permanently left the Inner Sphere. Without the stability provided by the SLDF, low level fighting broke out on Altair immediately after the Cameron-Sinclair wedding. Since then, the conflict has slowly begun to intensify, with the DCMS forces slowly pressing Terran positions on-planet. With the help of its naval supremacy in system, the DCMS navy has forced the Terrans to just one third of Altair. This overwhelming show of Draconis force has forced the Terrans to retreat beneath the only portion of the planet immune to the naval assaults, the section of Altair where the remnants of the planetary SDS still function. This new reversal of fortune is in stark contrast to the situation that existed before January 8, 2785, when the planet was split almost evenly between the newly born TRAS and DCMS.

The current Combine push, that has been so successful in thwarting Terran control of the world began at Crescent Ridge, when the 2^nd Sword of Light drove the 5^th Altairian Star Cavalry from their formidable defensive positions through liberal use of orbital bombardment to soften open their hardened emplacements. With the 5^th’s removal from Crescent Ridge, DCMS troops were able to follow up with a successful attack on TRAS positions at Jameel Hills. A key battle in the Dragon’s strategy, Jameel Hills housed an unfinished portion of Altair’s remaining ground based SDS. The Draconis assault on the partially-repaired SDS battery, though costly, resulted in the Star Cavalry’s SDS coverage left only capable of protecting only a little over thirty percent of the total planetary surface.

The destruction of the Jameel Hills SDS Battery also opened a gap in the Terran defenses near the communities of Basin Flats and Smart Alice Springs. Recognizing this new weakness, Draconis forces drove towards the twin cities by way of the Crimson Valley. Again DCMS forces pushed through stiff Terran opposition by using their naval assets to bombard territory ahead of their advance. However, this phenomenal advance came to a halt on the outskirts of Basin Flats when the Terran SDS held DCMS warships from advancing further. Despite several attacks since the Dragon’s first advances into the Basin Flat’s region, the Republic has continued to hold the line against any further Combine advances. With the halt of the DCMS’s advance, the twin cities of Smart Alice Springs and Basin Flats have remained at the center of the fighting. Currently, Smart Alice Springs continues to sit under heavy Kurita occupation while Basin Flats precariously sits in TRAS hands. Unfortunately collateral damage has taken a huge toll on the infrastructure of both metropolises, leaving the trapped inhabitants desperate for an end to hostilities.

In recent months, a Terran SAS unit sent to Altair struck at the enemy-held Izumi Shipyards, disabling the orbital facility before the Draconis Combine could use it against the Terran forces on-planet. However, other than the SAS’s daring raid, Terran forces have avoiding a major offensive. Instead the planet remains contested by both powers. Both sides have achieved a relative parity in numbers, with the Draconis Combine retaining an edge in orbital firepower and the Republic still retaining control of the world’s potent SDS. As a result, House Kurita now controls two-thirds of the planetary surface along with four of the six major Altairian cities.

The current Kurita capital of Hehiro City, situated on the southern Jumanni Delta Vein, has recently witnessed the birth of a new Combine power player with the formation of the Kurita Combine Munitions Corporation (KCMC). The new Kurita Combine Munitions Corporation has pledged to quickly begin military production on planet as soon as possible which would quickly bolster the Draconis troops stationed on world. The new economic incentives created by the KCMC combined with a heavy ISF presence have so far quelled any popular discontent in the region making it difficult for TRAS sabotage efforts to succeed.

The city of Hikoboshi is perhaps the strongest bastion of support for the Dragon on planet thanks in part to the efforts of the 5th Benjamin Regulars. Since its founding during the earliest days of human stellar colonization this community, along with the companion city Orihime on Vega, has been the center of an ancient Japanese Star Festival called Tanabata. The 5th Regulars have had a long historical relationship with the Tanabata Festival and as a result the populace firmly supports their cause.

The small city of Danford near Hehiro City, currently occupied by the DCMS is a constant source of irritation to the Dragon. Home to a collection of massive warehouses full of precious metals and minerals, as well as vital planetary records, is a hotbed of Terran partisans. Despite the presence of a large contingent of Combine troops, a very active Terran Resistance continues to fight the Dragon, despite the whole scale military occupation.
The second largest city on Altair and current seat of Terran operations is Bonanza. Located along the northern Sargasso River Vein this metropolis is the heart of the remaining ground-based SDS making the city a major objective for Combine advances. As a result, Bonanza’s citizenry staunchly supports Regent Amanda Cameron and vows to push the DCMS off their home world.

In addition to fighting each other, both sides are forced to contend with the planet’s arid landscape. Each side has adapted to Altair’s harsh environment as best they can. Whether using coolant trucks, air dropping water, sun shields, or special air jets both groups have deployed a number of creative solutions. Only the ill prepared Tartan Brigade has suffered from a lack of “planetary conditioning” thanks to poor unit chemistry and the Combine’s poor attitude towards mercenaries. The unbearable heat and blowing sands common to Altair made any overland travel a tough experience. Additional dangers from enemy ambushes, made possible by tall sand dunes, have only enhanced the misery of combat units on world.

With the inherent communication problems that plague Altair and the Combine’s marginally lower troop strength have enabled Terran raiders to resupply resistance fighters throughout the whole of the Kuritan Occupation Area with relative ease. Although in comparison, current Terran troop strength on planet combined with their undersized holdings has allowed them to create a nearly impenetrable defensive ring around Basin Flat and Bonanza. Only the ground based SDS located within the defensive ring prevents the obliteration of Terran forces on planet by Draconis warships in orbit. Given the rough equality between the TRAS and the DCMS on planet, in space the Combine has firmly established naval supremacy with a strong group of warships. This naval contingent remains in system at all times and is composed of anywhere between nine and fifteen vessels. Even with the edge in naval superiority, local aerospace superiority within the SDS shell is in constant contention. Both sides have engaged in numerous sorties to no avail.

Despite their precarious position, Terran forces will no doubt continue to harass the Combine until they can break out from beneath the SDS umbrella. The Altairian Star Cavalry has already begun to train a standing militia force for Bonanza and continues to support resistance efforts in Danford. Meanwhile DCMS troops await the order to attack TRAS positions once more in a final attempt to crush their opposition. To aid them, and to counter the threat posed by the Terran SAS, a group of DEST Commandos have been assigned to Altair by order of the Coordinator. Thankfully, both sides appear to value the world enough not to utilize Nuclear, Chemical or Biological weapons on planet. Although a drastic reversal of fortune could send this important status quo to the wayside.