Abaddon ((Náströnd Prison Facility A9-3324)



History

In the early years of Star League, during XXXX rule, the XXXIntelXXX decided that they needed a location in which they could work without fear of monitoring. Agents were sent out to find remote systems in the deep periphery. Preferably places that no one would consider settling and with little value resource wise.

Several candidates were found and using the secret shipyard at Gandvik, the SLS Cousteau, a prototype deep exploration ship, they were each surveyed in detail.

When A9-3324 was charted in 2541, it had been deemed perfect by the XX agents. It's location was immediately deemed classified at the highest level. All records of the agents involved would be purged and the project would only be referred to as Náströnd. It would no longer answer to any in SL Command.

Once Project Blind-Eye was activated, the SLS Cousteau was commandeered. Instead of returning to Gandvik Shipyards, a distress signal was sent, then another XXXX vessel confirmed that it was lost with no survivors. It then moved to rendezvous with a small listening outpost to await instruction.

Quietly and quickly, A9-3324 was turned into a black site. SLDF agents would bring high value targets there for questioning. Soon, it began housing political prisoner, enemy spies, and anyone else the XXXX deemed a target. All under the justification of protecting Star League and the Camerons.

When the Reunification War started, the influx of prisoners increased. Many were interrogated then simply imprisoned. When the different cell blocks would become full, the prisoners would be forced to build more.

The Amaris Civil War saw a dramatic increase in prisoners. Republican prisoners brought here were not only questioned, but tortured, and then summarily executed in the main courtyard. The longer the war went on, the more cruel and obscene the treatment Republican prisoners received.

Fall of Star League

The news of the Throne Room massacre devastated XXX, and to make matters worse, hearing of the dissolution of Star League shook XXXX to it's core. Resentful that the Houses would turn their backs on Star League, they prepared to abduct and kidnap key targets in each House. They fully intended to help General Kerensky seize power and restore order.

They felt extremely betrayed by news of the Exodus. When asked to join, they flatly refused. When the SLS Tamerlane, an Essex class destroyer, came to strip the facility of any Star League tech available, they found unexpected resistance. The Cousteau, had been retooled and constantly upgraded with cutting edge and experimental tech. The SLS Tamerlane came into orbit around Abaddon, and sent personnel down to start removing equipment. Those teams were efficiently dealt with by the highly trained operatives waiting in ambush. When the SLS Tamerlane began to suspect a trap, the newly renamed Takklemaggot came out of hiding and destroyed it in one volley. From that point on, Abaddon was independent. The only ones to know of it's existence would be Comstar and only because of their control of the HPG network.

Overtime, Abaddon would acquire 3 more warships, the Hellion, the Arioch, and the Asmodean, all experimental designs or prototypes. Raiding and destroying secret facilities all across the Inner Sphere seizing the tech they needed in lightning and deadly operations. Each ship being given a designations and named after one of the Angels guarding Hell.

Abaddon managed to take advantage of the chaos of the Succession Wars. Kidnapping and interrogating any technicians or scientists that could improve or advance their technology. As a result, when the Clan Invasion came, they were not caught off guard like the rest of the periphery or the Inner sphere.

Clan Invasion and Jihad

Once the origins of the Clans was established, Abaddon began to target them with the same cold detached hatred reserved for the SLDF forces during the Exodus. Clan ships that that strayed too close to Abaddon's influence were quickly overwhelmed and destroyed.

This pattern would eventually attract the attention of both Comstar and the Clans. Both would send missions to find Abaddon. Only Comstar's ROM agents part of the secret Vafthrudnir cabal were successful. After brief and intense negotiations, an understanding was agreed to. Vafthruthnir would feed information about Clan targets and more in depth intel on the Houses, and Abaddon would hold Comstar prisoners that needed to be kept secret.

The arrangement would hold until Word of Blake prisoners started being held. One in particular would gain influence and manage to sway Abaddon Director XXX into releasing them. The next time Vafthrudnir would appear, Abaddon would allied with the WoB.

When the Jihad broke out, Abaddon would remain staunchly neutral, offering protection to WoB agents. It remains independent of both groups, occasionally reminding them that they are more than capable of defending themselves. However, recently under the leadership of Administrator Manea Lust, Abaddon has begun working much closer with the Word of Blake, interested in helping them with the New Suns Republic.

Planetary Info

A desert of crystalline rocks. There are gentle rolling hills. Huge glittering geodes dot the surface. These are often mined for the rare minerals within by work details from the prison.

Symbiotic bands of creatures of multiple species live and hunt together. Impassable thickets of yellow fungus covers the land. This fungus moves slowly towards heat sources and if that source is biological, secretes an enzyme that paralyzes the subject as it envelopes and dissolves the target

The first is a insect-like creature that hunts in packs of 4-10. They are about the size of large dogs and communicate using a series of clicks and tapping on the rocks. They are extremely fast, but not able to navigate on the surface well and avoid it. They will chase prey to the surface, usually to cave openings that they know lead to thickets of the yellow fungus. When the prey has become paralyzed, they will descend on it and proceed to tear it open, removing it's organs to devour.

The third species in this symbiotic relationship is a small insect that lives in the cave network. They are often found in large colonies numbering in the hundreds of thousands and often find themselves preyed upon by other creatures. As a defense, they have learned to locate the XXX using a specialized radar and will flee towards the nearest pack, tapping the rocks in a similar fashion to how the XX packs communicate.

They use a biological radar to perceive the world around them. In order to keep these species from overrunning facilities, warbots patrol the surface.

The Náströnd Prison Facility (named Abaddon by Star League intel) is a massive complex covering several hundred square kilometers. Most of the facility is dedicated to cell blocks, but the core of it houses it's main systems and command and control. Abaddon is also protected by numerous satellites that hide in the rings that circle the planet and throughout the system.

The air contains pheromones that induce an insatiable hunger. The reason for this has not been fully explored since it was to the benefit of the prison. The air is only breathable without filters for a short period of time before the pheromones take effect. Usually within a few minutes the effects start to begin, however by that time asphyxiation has usually killed the victim since Abaddon's surface has little oxygen. The corrosive nature of the atmosphere would also cause masks to fail over time, allowing "the hunger" to take even those protected. This effect causes the victim over time to become violent and, if left unchecked, cannibalism will occur. This was tested on prisoners by the administrations that controlled the facility post Reunification War.

Other Features

Abbadon currently has in orbit around it's star a unique dreadnaught class ship, the Níðhöggr Prison Barge. This ship slowly makes its way between the Prison facilities and to the Nifhel Science Labs, currently run by the Word of Blake.