Battipaglia, Lonstra System
| Planet Name | Battipaglia, Lostra System |
|---|---|
| Stellar Classification | Red-Dwarf |
| Habitability Grade | A1 |
| Satellites | 0 |
| Orbital Period | 243 days |
| Rotational Period | 32 Hours |
| Capital | Battipaglia Prime |
| Population | 200,000 (circa 31148); 0 (circa 31149) |
Battipaglia was the last Umbrian colony world to be settled before the arrival of the Ascomanni, and it would play a tragic role in the two species' first encounter. Discovered in the early 31120's, Battipaglia is a large terrestrial world, blanketed in vegetation and interspersed with large inland seas and white peaked mountain ranges. With a thick, well-oxygenated atmosphere and gravity just over Umbrian-standard, Battipaglia looked like an excellent choice for colonization.
Settlement began in the 31130's, and Axios Frontier Solutions, the powerhouse of colonial industry, took a keen interest in the world. Its native arborescent species featured light but strong biomass in aesthetically pleasing natural colors. AFS believed that it could find a strong market for the material, especially for high end finishes and other luxury applications.
As the colony began to grow, the Umbrian presence on the planet was limited to a single settlement, unoriginally named Battipaglia Prime. The timber industry employed much of the planet's population, but the usual cast of supporting professions soon arrived in force to cater to AFS's workforce.
While production was strong, environmental regulations limited the amount of resources that could be harvested in any given year, and the Colonial Affairs Commission maintained tight export controls to protect the still poorly documented local ecosystem.
In 31144, Battipaglia would have the unusual distinction of receiving a Frontier Reaction Force garrison. Led by the well-regarded Prefect Vela Erucia, the garrison was strong compared to the relative importance of the newly established system.
Following a pirate attack on another colony world, Volterra, Erucia would be given permission to recruit a civilian militia to help bolster the world's defenses. This well publicized act would help shore up ebbing financial support and migration flows to the furthest expanses of Umbrian space.
Then, suddenly, Battipaglia would go dark on 12.07.31148, forever changing the future of the Umbrian Republic.
A team was dispatched to evaluate the colony's situation and help get them back on line. A week passed without word, when a garbled message was finally received. An indecipherable voice screamed into the receiver, drowned out by the sounds of gunfire and screams, before the message dissolved into static.
The Reaction Force immediately deployed their crack troopers, their special Rapid Response Teams. What they would find would disturb even those hardened operators. The planet's settlement had been leveled, and the populace was gone without a trace. All that was left were the mutilated remains of the first expedition, found surrounding the planet's destroyed communications relay.
It would get worse. On the way back to their extraction zone, the RF soldiers would be ambushed. Hulking ashy-grey beings would emerge from the rainforest, charging headlong, unarmed, into the Umbrian formation. The retreat quickly became a rout. Of the two thousand soldiers deployed, only thirty seven would survive, including their badly wounded commander.
Over the course of the next several months, the Republic military geared up for a counterattack. They would quickly establish a beachhead, but the battle would drag on for almost a year before the situation grew untenable.
Battipaglia was abandoned to the aliens. The Ascomanni War had begun.