As a part of the Bolan Thumb group of worlds, Kamenez was
expected to be at the forefront of any conflict between the Free Worlds League
and the Lyran Commonwealth. As such, the SLDF already maintained a considerable
presence on it and other worlds in the thumb. In the early 28th Century, SLDF
theatre command chose to increase its level of preparation for what was
ever-increasingly seen as an inevitable conflict.
One stage in that preparation was improving the facilities
that the XXXI Corps of the SLDF Thirteenth Army would be operating from. This
project took on two stages. The first was the upgrading of existing bases
across the worlds of the thumb. The second would be the construction of a covert
facility that the SLDF could operate from without the knowledge of either the
Lyrans or the League.
After an extensive survey of worlds in the Thumb, the SLDF
chose Mount Sokol on Kamanez as the site for the proposed facility. An extinct
volcano, the mountain was chosen for a number of reasons. The first was convenience,
as the Saxony continent of Kamenez was already home to several SLDF facilities.
The second was that the mountain offered an excellent site that could be used
to conceal a large SLDF formation with minimal external changes. Finally, outside
of the SLDF, the rest of the continent was sparsely inhabited, providing a
greater level of security for the project.
The site was given the code-name RED PYRAMID by the SLDF,
with construction to be handled by the Department of Mega Engineering (DoME).
As they had done in other cases (such as the Helm cache), DoME were able to
successfully mask the construction of the facility, leaving no evidence that they
had even gone near Mount Sokol. Neither the FWLM garrison nor LIC observers
ever became aware of exactly what they were doing.
RED PYRAMID itself was built using the extinct volcano as
its base. The now empty core of the mountain was expanded to provide room for
extensive command and maintenance facilities, capable of supporting an SLDF
division. Access to this core was provided through a series of tunnels that
were adapted from existing lava tubes, with concealed entrances placed across
the mountain's surface. Finally, a small drop-port was added, although due to
its concealed nature (built into the mountain with a retractable launch bay) it
was only capable of handing Spheroid ships.
While secrecy was key to RED PYRAMID's operations, the SLDF
also were aware that the facility could be compomised. In order to protect it,
the designers installed numerous turrets across the mountain, of which were
designed to be retractable and concealed until needed. Additionally, secret
tunnels were constructed to link RED PYRAMID to the nearby Fort Sokol to allow
the SLDF forces to covertly move equipment.
For all its preparation, however, RED PYRAMID was never
required to fulfill its operational intent. Rather, the facility was stripped
of most of its personnel following the Amaris coup, as the Thirteenth Army was
redeployed to the Rim Worlds Republic. RED PYRAMID was used as a resupply
station for forces en-route and later as a supply cache, but was never again
home to an active fighting force. Following Amaris' defeat, the forces that had
been previously assigned to the facility never returned, rather remaining to try
and stabilise the rapidly disintegrating Hegemony.
In the preparation for the Exodus, RED PYRAMID was
mothballed by the SLDF. Stripped of most of its supplies, the facility was shut
down and secured in order to prevent it from falling into the FWLM's hands. A
number of its defensive systems were dismantled, while the tunnels linking it
to Fort Sokol were deliberately collapsed and concealed. When the final SLDF
forces left the base, it was entirely dark and undetected.
This operation was clearly successful; when the FWLM
occupied Fort Sokol, they had no idea of what lay near the facility. Similarly,
the DoME's design was proven during the FWLM's retreat from Kamenez and
subsequent nuclear attacks on the Saxony continent. While the other former SLDF
facilities were destroyed, RED PYRAMID remained untouched and stayed that way
for centuries.
At some stage, the facility was rediscovered by the Word of
Blake. When exactly this occurred is unknown; it is possible that like Gabriel,
it was something a section of ComStar knew of for centuries but never saw
active duty. Regardless, during the early 3060s, RED PYRAMID was partially
reactivated for use as a waystation for units travelling between Terra and
Circrinus.
The Word chose only to reactivate portions of the facility;
only a few of the Access tunnels were needed (mostly on the south face of Mount
Sokol), the rest being barricaded to prevent external access. Likewise, only a
few of the turrets were restored to operational condition. RED PYRAMID did,
however, boast extensive supplies of parts and equipment, enough to support a
large, mobile Word of Blake force and allow them to re-arm and re-equip between
operations.
It is believed that the word used RED PYRAMID as a base of operations
during the Jihad to conduct operations into Lyran space. Several different
units seem to have passed through the facility, with the 50th Shadow Division
being among them. At some point after the fall of Terra, the Word abandoned the
facility, apparently in some haste. They made only minimal efforts to secure or
mothball the facility, and left large stockpiles of BattleMech parts behind. As
with many things the Word did in the final days of the Jihad, their motives can
only be guessed at.
Unlike the last time it was abandoned, RED PYRAMID did not
remain idle for very long. During the early 32nd century redevelopment of the
Saxony Continent, the facility was apparently rediscovered by an expedition
backed by then-Margrave Gustav Pelzer. Margrave Pelzer chose to keep the existence
of RED PYRAMID a secret, not only from the Lyran Government, but from most
outside his personal supporters, for reasons that remain unclear. (See attached document for an analysis of the possible
connections between the Pelzer family and the Word of Blake)
The facility sat largely idle
until after the blackout. Faced with escalating tensions and uncertainly across
the Inner Sphere, Landgrave Karl Pelzer began reactivating the base while
stockpiling equipment within it. The recovered Word of Blake supplies were used
as payment to help build up his personal forces. Only those loyal to him were given
access to the facility; few outside of his personal guard and highest ranking
officers were actually allowed to know of RED PYRAMID's existence.
As a result, once Pelzer launched
his coup, he had not only a secure base of operations, but one that very few
knew about the existence of. After the coup, he was able to operate without any
risk of LIC interference. In addition, had REDPYRAMID been discovered, the
facility (even with its depleted defenses) would have likely been able to
withstand anything short of a regimental assault. The Irregulars' attack on the
facility only succeeded due to the massive depletion of Pelzer's forces. The
defection of Carson's Carnivores made the assault possible not only in terms of
providing the location of the base, but removing a large number of experienced,
well-equipped troops from Pelzer's strength.
With the destruction of the
Kamenez Archonette, the LCAF has taken possession of RED PYRAMID. The facility
suffered realtively little damage in the assault, save for its turrets which
could be easily replaced. (The facility lacked adequate defenses against Battle
Armour as a consequence of its origins) RED PYRAMID could potentially give the
LCAF a secure base of operations against the Wolf Empire or FWLM. That very few
know of the facility's existence, let alone its locations, could prove to be
valuable.
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