With the deep blue of its seas and the lush green of its forests, Tarraco is a striking sight from orbit. The planet is resource-rich as well as being beautiful, a vital part of the TOG war effort in Shannedam County. The Denil molybdenum-titanium mines near Efrrilm are among the largest in Shannedam County. There are another two dozen mines on AbCar'ek, all producing trocobalt.
Tarraco has no seasonal changes because it has no axial tilt. This permits year-round farming and helps the world support itself.
The oceans of Tarraco teem with fish and other sea life. Indeed, some of its whales are so large and predatory that they attack sea vessels and low-flying grav vehicles. The only other remarkable animals on Tarraco are its two-meter-long tree spiders, which spin large webs among the pine trees. The web is coated with a sticky residue that renders most mammals (including Humans, Naram, and KessRith, but excluding Baufrin) semi-conscious upon contact. The spider then spins a cocoon around its victim, which it will slowly devour over a period of several weeks. Because of the terror these fabled animals evoke, many TOG prisons use them for punishment.
Early History[]
Early Human expeditions to this lush world found a primitive Baufrin population. Numbering about a million they were several thousand years behind in technology. The Commonwealth forbade interference with the native culture of the world, but did permit observation posts. For almost 200 years that was all they did, until the Baufrin suddenly began to die. After five months, the handful remaining were severly brain-damaged. The official Commonwealth investigation indicated that the Baufrin had died from poison in their food. Several Human corporations that had been unable to gain an economic foothold on Tarraco were suspected, but no solid evidence ever emerged from the investigation.
With the native population gone, outsiders had a clear path to colonization and industrialization of the world. Human colonies tended to settle on AbCar'ek, while Naram and Baufrin settled on LeDava and Denil. For several centuries the planet prospered, as there were riches enough for everyone. Then the Snow Plague arrived, followed by the KessRith invasion.
Having detected substantial sources of vital minerals on Tarracco, the KessRith immediately enslaved the civilian population. The occupation lasted until 6569, when a resurgent Humanity, backed by the Baufrin, began to make strong advances against Tarraco. Ships from the Terran Republic trapped the KessRith fleet in orbit around Candlestick and its three moons. The battle for Candlestick lasted three days and destroyed the KessRith navy in the Revenaugh system. The damaged ships were sent into Hacker and can still be seen there today.
The ground fighting was gruesome, with both sides taking massive losses. The final battle came when a local garrison regiment, the 1034th, dug in across the Pasgin Isthmus. Only 500 men and women would survive, but they held out until the KessRith army, numbering 3,500 strong, were driven back by Baufrin reinforcements.
At the time of the 6584 peace treaty signed with the KessRith, Tarraco was in a severe state of deterioration. The war had leveled most of its cities, and KessRith sappers had destroyed the mining operations, setting back production for several decades. Still, the survivors welcomed independence. The newly elected Parliament was sworn in at Horilmil, the new planetary capital. Everyone rejoiced that peace had finally come to Tarraco.
Recent Events[]
Because of Tarraco's importance, the Commonwealth invested heavily in its defense. The CAF built a string of bunkers and underground fortifications, connected by tunnels, across AbCar'ek. Similar fortifications were constructed in the mountains as a base of operations for the grav legions. With the With the rise of the Terran Overlord Government, the Commonwealth was destined to become the target of a TOG offensive.
As the TOG offensive pushed its way through Keserdal County, the Royal Navy deployed several large battleship squadrons near Tarraco, along with the Renegade 9901st Interceptor Wing. On the ground the CAF stationed the Commonwealth's 875th Infantry Regiment (The Glorious Maniacs) and the legendary 354th Renegade Legion (The Brave). With the TOG deep strike at Ancona, the Commonwealth pulled some of Tarraco's forces to help defend Shannedam IV. The planet lost two of its three battle squadrons, but other troops stayed in place.
The TOG armies began a series of lightning raids against Tarraco in 6820. Their targets were not the factories, mines, or even military depots, but rather the Revenaugh System's T-dopplers and N-Space sensor arrays. By crippling the system's sensors and cutting off incoming supplies, TOG could cripple the system's defenders. Without replacement parts, the damaged arrays would eventually become worthless space garbage.
Finally, in October 6821, two TOG battleship squadrons raided the system. The first eliminated the last functioning N-space sensor. This allowed the second squadron to attack and cripple the 9901st's naval base, Tarraco Command. Though the 9901st fought valiantly, they were no match for the combined firepower of two TOG battleships. Stripped of its space defenses, Tarraco was wide open to invasion.
The elite 149th Praetorian Guard Strike Legion quickly secured LeDava despite resistance from the civilian militia. From their temporary command center in Horilmil, the 149th Guard crossed over to AbCar'ek and secured Mareshead while two infantry legions landed as garrison and security forces.
The 354th Renegade Legion defended the Pasgin Isthmus while the 875th Infantry Regiment stood firm in their bunker complexes near Cama and Efrrilm. The 149th struck with blistering firepower, bolstered by orbital HELL bombardments, but the tanks and troops in the Pasgin Isthmus held firm. The battle for the isthmus lasted more than three weeks, with the 354th driving the 149th Guards back five times. As the TOG forces massed for one final attack, the 354th secretly pulled out of the isthmus and took up positions near Cama overnight.
The battle at Cama was a nightmare for the armored elements of both sides. Dozens of vehicles were destroyed, and many more damaged. The long weeks of action had also taken their toll on the 354th, which had to pull back or break. While the 875th Regiment held out, the 354th attempted to regroup near Fragarth.
What the TOG commanders did not know was that the CAF High Command was preparing to pull the 354th off Tarraco to preserve it for future engagements. TOG had not yet installed new sensors in the Revenaugh system when the 505th Renegade Legion Carrier Squadron broke out of T-space. Their fresh wing of Interceptors mauled the TOG battleship Admiral Jakobowski. As TOG naval forces pulled back, the 505th pulled the 354th Legion off Tarraco while resupplying the 875th.
The final battles for Tarraco lasted another four months as the 875th continued to spring suddenly from tunnel complexes to ambush TOG ground forces. Eventually, however, TOG held all ground but Efrrilm. Pummeled from space for five months, the city was in shambles, though its precious mines had been carefully spared. In the end, as the last bunker was overrun by the 149th, the mines themselves exploded. If the Commonwealth could not hold them, no one would. On 20 May 6822, Tarraco was officially listed under TOG control.
TOG set its military capital in Cama, based in the fortification complex there. Slave labor has since rebuilt much of the destruction to the city. New branches and extensions are constantly being discovered in the tunnel system that is part of the Cama fortification, even under sections of the new city.
Resistance on Tarraco has faded during the past nine years of TOG occupation. Many civilians still hide weapons and ammunition, but there have been few organized actions against TOG. Rumors that guerrillas still use the tunnel and bunker complex constantly sweep through Tarraco's slave population. Other wild rumors tell of an occupied naval base still hidden in the deep seas, and that one day soon these ships will leap out and level the County Military Capital on Thapsus. Fantasies and rumors are all these stories will remain.
Planetary Timeline[]
4999
Snow Plague hits.
6569
CW conquers world.
6584
Peace treaty ends all fighting.
6820
TOG begins raids on space communications.
6821
TOG attacks world.
6822.05.02
TOG conquers world.
6829
Blood Eagles split into three units. 819th and 988th fighter groups are assigned to defend Tarraco.