Bollam's World System

## Bollam's World

Map of known space

*For other uses, see Bollam's World.*
**Bollam's World** (**58 Eridani**) was an inhabited star system. It was independent under the Bollam's World Federation until the 8927 Battle of Five Fleets. The weakening of its defenses opened the way for it to be conquered by the Hegemony of Worlds. (*Destiny Lost*, *Set the Galaxy on Fire*, *Know Thy Enemy*)

## History

Bollam's World was settled by a Generational Space Service colony mission that left Sirius aboard the GSS *Yewing* in 3814. The mission became ensnared in the time dilation effect of Kapteyn's Streamer, causing it to arrive in the system in 5123. The Sirian mission conquered some small existing settlements in the system after arrival.

*Katrina believed the Sirians had not in fact been authorized by the GSS to settle the system. It is unknown whether she was correct.*
By the mid-9th millennium, the Bollam's World Federation had become wealthy and powerful by piracy and slavery of ancient ships and their crews who had likewise flown into the Streamer. (*Destiny Lost*, *The Woman Without a World*)

In 8927, ISS *Intrepid* emerged from the Streamer and was damaged by a high-velocity debris collision. While undergoing repairs, the colony ship sent Joseph Evans and Jessica Keller on an exploratory mission into the system. They were arrested by security forces, and *Intrepid* herself entered the system to investigate their distress call, beginning a months-long standoff between the heavily armed but outnumbered Intrepid Space Force and the Bollam's World Space Force over a moon of Kithari, the sixth planet. This confrontation was soon joined by two organized crime groups, the Mark and Padre, and eventually by the 171st Battle Squadron of the A.S.T. Space Force. (*Destiny Lost*, *Know Thy Enemy*)

In October of that year, ISF General Tanis Richards, who had been lost in space in an escape pod during the collision and captured by Padre, returned home aboard *Sabrina* with her rescuer Sera Tomlinson. Earnest Redding was able to combine the 9th millennium's gravity shield technology with the *Intrepid*'s stasis technology to create even more powerful stasis shields, and adapt FGT worldship designs for faster-than-light travel to the colony ship's use. At roughly the same time, Admiral Senya took over command of the BWSF forces, and escalated the confrontation with the *Intrepid*.

On 10.29, fighting broke out between Jessica's squadron of stasis shield-equipped Arc-6 fighters and Padre's ships, kicking off the Battle of Five Fleets. The ISF systematically eliminated the opposing fleets, finally deploying picobombs to destroy the Hegemony squadron, before setting course to the brown dwarf Aurora to refuel. (*Destiny Lost*)

Twelve hours later, the command element of the ASTSF Fifth Fleet, the 66th Battle Squadron, arrived to reinforce BatRon 171, observing its destruction from twelve light-hours away, and began to pursue the *Intrepid* while they worked out what had happened. Realizing she had little chance to defeat the ISF in a head-on fight, Admiral Sini Laaksonen ordered the Fifth Fleet to destroy the graviton generators reducing Aurora's density to manufacture helium-3, hoping the resulting fusion explosion would destroy the ship. The explosion proved to be so large that it collapsed the lower layers of Aurora below its Schwartzchild radius, costing her a sixth of her ships in the ensuing black hole formation, while Bob was able to put the entire *Intrepid* in stasis, weathering a direct hit astern from the black hole's relativistic jet and riding it to a third of the speed of light. The *Intrepid* crew quickly repaired the ship's stasis shields as the Fifth Fleet closed to relativistic missile range and dumped into the dark layer.

Sini dispersed the Fifth Fleet to pursue the *Intrepid*, leaving the dreadnaughts HWS *Agrippa* and *Sitting Bull* under Rear Admiral Lanza to hold Bollam's World. However, the entire system rose up against them, driving the two ships to retreat. When Sini returned, she rendezvoused with Lanza and relieved him of command, then returned the Fifth Fleet to the system to occupy it for the Hegemony. (*Destiny Lost*, *Know Thy Enemy*)

## Astronomy

The Bollam's World system primary was 58 Eridani, located 43 light-years from Sol in the constellation Eridanus. The system had at least twelve planets, including two gas giants, Aurora and Kithari. Aurora was turned into a black hole during the Battle of Five Fleets. (*Destiny Lost*, *The Woman Without a World*)

## External links

* 58 Eridani article at ***Wikipedia***, the free encyclopedia.