Upphämer is a planet that lies on the border of GCPS space, running up to the Forge Father's Star Realm
About
Upphämer exists in a region of space roughly three-quarters of the way towards the eastern edge of the line between the GCPS and the Star Realm. Access to its mines and salt plains has been disputed since it was first located by GCPS probes in 890AE and then immediately claimed by the Forge Fathers. Lord Dagamar Reif-Gurnisson’s claim to ownership of Upphämer is a weak one though, being gained through battle, not by blood. The previous lord of the clan, Elik Gurnisson, was killed in battle with Marauders in 855AE and left no heirs, all his sons having met similar fates in earlier wars.
While Dagamar was the senior Huscarl of clan Gurnisson at the time of Elik’s death, he was not a popular choice to lead the whole clan. Lacking the support then of other more influential clan lords, Reif-Gurnisson has been unable to make his claim to ownership of Upphämer stick. As a result, the surface of the planet is occupied by sizeable Forge Father and corporate armies. There are constant small-scale engagements between both sides for possession of the numerous dig-sites and processor plants dotted across the planet’s surface. Each side hopes to make enough small gains to eventually add them all up to a big win.
One such flashpoint is the small township built around the shipping depot at Smallhaven. In 996AE Sierra Technical Holdings moved most of its forces out of the settlement to defend the ring of Mineral Extraction Works in the nearby hills and plains. STH’s local commander, Captain Sterri Neal, knew there were Forge Fathers somewhere nearby and that they weren’t there for the spectacular views. What he couldn’t be sure of was where the dwarfs would attack. He decided to split his forces. To each MEW he dispatched one or two platoons of marines, with artillery dug in at the elevated entrances to MEW-002 and MEW-005. More troops were held in reserve at an encampment near the Bitterstill River to the north while Neal’s Hornets, based in Smallhaven, ran resupply missions.
The marines were barely in position when Reif-Gurnisson’s dwarfs struck at MEW-009. The Forge Father tactical advisors had determined 009 was relatively exposed and was the site most accessible to their Drakkar transports. Two platoons of Steel Warriors, led by Huscarl Ogrim Fiskr in his Iron Ancestor armour, rumbled towards the site at dawn, under cover of fire from the Hailstorm cannon mounted on a Jotunn weapons platform. A hail of fire quickly overwhelmed the marine pickets and, before noon the dwarfs were at the centre of the site. The marines there put up a good fight - their mortar team reacted quickly and was able to slow the Steel Warriors considerably and a squad of Rangers was even able to cripple the Iron Ancestor. It wasn’t enough though and those who could were forced to flee, abandoning 009 to its new owners.
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