Tegaea Alcori
Back to Square One
Name: Sanctuary Base
Image Source: Here. By Natalia Babiy. Map by me.
Classification: Fortress
Location: Boz Pity, northern region.
Affiliation: Silver Sanctum Coalition
Population: Around 15,000 troops garrison the citadel and forts. This is broken down into:
- 2 divisions; 1 infantry and 1 armoured.
- Each fort is garrisoned by 1 battalion of infantry (~500 troops) with support. This constitutes one brigade.
- The Citadel is garrisoned by a brigade of infantry.
- 1 armoured division is kept in reserve to assist wherever needed. This is made up of 2 combined arms brigades including armour, walkers, artillery and motorised infantry.
- Several dozen Iron Legionnaire droids, specifically to defend vital internal areas.
Some 10,000 other personnel work in the defence complex. This includes engineers, logistics, gunners and those working in the hangers.
Defenses:
- 3 x Tempest Cannons. These are located on top of Citadel.
- 1 x Ion Cannon. Likewise located on top of the Citadel, a small distance from the Tempests.
- Multiple Aspis Defence Shields.
One ‘Theatre’ shield over the entire zone. - One ‘Building’ shield over each fort.
[*]10 x Keraunos Missile Turrets – Located atop the Citadel.
[*]36 x Ballista Weapon Emplacements – Each fort is equipped with 3 of these, the Citadel has 18 scattered around the edge to fire down onto the plain.
[*]72 x Javelin Weapon Emplacements – Provided in doubles to support the Ballistas.
[*]200+ x MK3 Bolters – These are mounted in bunkers and entrenchments to bombard attacking infantry.
[*]12km of razorwire (2km around each fort).
[*]Mines are scattered in the zones beyond the forts in clusters.
[*]27 X Thunderer SPA. These ring the top of the mesa to fire down onto the plains and anyone trying to approach via land.
[*]9 x Hydra Anti-Air Vehicles (Air defence company, split into sections of 3).
[*]9 x Typhoon Artillery Tanks
[*]27 x Reaver Assault Tank plus 9 x Manticore Support Vehicle (Tank Company, reserve).
[*]4 x Magladroth Heavy and 12 Light Walkers (Walker Company, reserve).
[*]8 x Valora Walkers (Walker Company, individuals used for recon beyond the perimeter).
[*]Many e-web, mortar, missile launchers.
Points of Interest:
Sanctuary Base has several main areas of interest:
- 6 x ‘Forts’ scattered around the mesa in a hexagonal pattern. These use Graphite Reinforced Durasteel as outer plating.
- The Citadel – the top of the mesa and the interior defences. Seismic sensors located beneath the Citadel to detect attempted tunnelling.
- Hanger – built into the mesa and holding 2 squadrons of fighters or gunships. Ammunition and fuel stored in Echani Graphite Containers for added protection. It is also concealed with Thuraen netting. Hanger doors use Graphite Mesh Reinforcement to protect them.
- The reactor – inside the mesa is a significant reactor, fortress and stores to supply the fortification.
Description:
At the heart of everything is a large mesa running north to south surrounded by a large, mostly-flat plain. This mesa and the bedrock below has been hollowed out in order for several large reactors to be installed. These reactors power the shields, power, and heavy weapons of the base.
The mesa also houses a barracks, recreational areas, armoury, prison etc.
Sanctuary Base is designed to be defensible at all levels, from the individual forts to the Citadel itself, and they are designed to support each other where possible.
Firstly the entire region is covered by an Aspis shield which prevents the fortification from being levelled from orbit. It also seriously restricts the movement of aircraft within the envelope, making them easier and more predictable targets. Further, the Forts are each protected by a smaller shield, allowing them to resist artillery and armour bombardments.
The Citadel; the name given to the defences at the top of the southern end of the mesa, is well provided for with defences. Three massive Tempest cannons can fire into orbit, the shield opening in a co-ordinated fashion just like the Rebels on Hoth. Like those Rebels, there is also a large ion cannon to add to the bombardment. By timing these weapons just right, one of these cannons can be firing every fifteen seconds, and they can maintain this rate of fire for half an hour, though it is usual to slow the fire down so each cannon fires every minute.
Due to the height and elevation combined with the shield, getting a shot to land on top of the Citadel is no easy matter. For this reason there are relatively few covered areas atop there, to better allow for artillery to be used.
The six Forts surrounding the mesa are designed so they can support each other. The forts themselves are heavy entrenchments of duracrete and durasteel. Even without their shields they could resist heavy pounding by all but the largest siege weapons…for a while anyway. Ballista and Javelin defences help protect the Forts and infantry with various weapons can cover all directions. The Forts are protected by a deep ditch which is smooth on the outer face but sheer on the inner, making it easy to enter but extremely hard to escape from.
Enemy forces attempting to attack one Fort will usually be in a position to be enfiladed by two other forts, as well as supported by artillery from the Citadel. If the enemy attempts to bypass a fort they will be exposed to very heavy fire to the rear.
A hanger on the northern end of the mesa houses two squadrons of fighters or gunships. These can provide supporting fire or can be let through the shield to patrol and scout an enemy’s approach. This hanger is connected only via a long tunnel from the Citadel. This tunnel has numerous blast doors which can be sealed, meaning even the strongest enemy will take time breaking through door after door, all the time facing resistance from the garrison.
The Sanctuary is not invulnerable though. Though tough, the Forts can be overrun, especially by heavy armour which can move close to the defences and blast away at it. Even with artillery support from the Citadel, the Coalition forces lack very heavy weapons in the Forts for dealing with super-heavy tanks.
Disabling the shields is the key weakness of everything. Though heavily protected, if the shield for each Fort was brought down it could be pounded into submission. If the shield covering the entire area fell it would open the entire fortress to aerial and orbital bombardment, making the Citadel a vulnerable target.
History:
With the acquisition of Boz Pity, the Coalition needed a strong bastion to protect their new frontier. Finally the location chosen was selected and plans were put in place.
In form the fortress is nothing unique, but it adapts previous Firemane and Eldorai defences such as the Aegis Base on Ossus and Fort Kerrigan on Tygara.
Intent: To create a very strong fortress for the Coalition to defend Boz Pity. This fortress is very strong, and designed to resist the assault of a major faction. With a mix of strong defences and weapons it is able to put up a strong fight though it is far from invulnerable.
Links: Dev thread here. 30 relevant posts (all by Tegaea, Siobhan, Audren, Kurayami and Karen).
