Askalaphus

The rock is dark, even at close range. Preliminary bombardments have revealed little weakness: the Neila are masters of fortification. So it falls to us to cleanse the asteroid, hall by hall.

— 1891.2, Standard Bearer

4946 Askalaphus is a Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 52 kilometers (32 miles) in diameter. As one of the 1,000 largest asteroids in that group, it was targeted for reclaiming by the Dominion of Man early in the second phase of the Solar War. Notably, it was also the first campaign of the unusually long-lived standard bearer 1891.2, whose records on his experiences were discovered shortly after his death.

Natural Resources

At first, Askalaphus, along with its larger cousins, was designed to be a central processing center and outpost to process raw materials mined from smaller asteroids. However, it too contains significant mineral wealth, including large amounts of water ice for fuel purposes and significant organic materials refined into fertilizer for artificial farms established on the surface of the planet.

History

Low albedo asteroids have always been promising targets for bases due to their dark nature obscuring sensor readouts. In this, Askalaphus is no exception, although the ferocity with which it has been contested is unusual.

— Comments of the Martian Historical Archives on 4946 Askalaphus

As a standard D-type asteroid, Askalaphus is composed of organic-rich silicates, carbon, anhydrous silicates, and significant quantities of water ice. Although it was not one of the original rocks targeted for mining or exploitation due to its low metal content, its large size meant that it was not long before a preliminary mission arrived to mine the rock. By the 2700s, full utilization of all of the asteroid's natural resources was achieved. After this, a research and military base was established in the hollowed-out rock.
In the initial phases of the Solar War, Askalaphus fell during the initial loss of the Jupiter Trojans, infiltrated by significant forces from the Neila Confederation. However, due to its large size, it was one of the last bastions to fall. Later in the first phase of the war, significant harrassing waves and kinetic bombardment struck its surface, but no significant attempt was made to reclaim the station for man.
Less than five years after the establishment of the united Dominion of Man, Askalaphus was cleared by a division of RSCs and reclaimed for humanity. The grievous casualties endured by many of the advance strike teams would become typical for the reclaiming of any significantly-sized asteroids, due to the time the Neila had to strategically fortify their worlds.

Type

Asteroid

Location under

Solar System

Owning Organization

Dominion of Man

Contested By

• Neila Confederation