Ayer's Rock
| Ayer's Rock | |
|---|---|
| File:So2 ayers1.png | |
| Type | Star Base |
| Manufacturer | Mandarians |
| Primary user | Mandarians |
Ayer's Rock was a secret installation located in the Ayer's System of the Epsilon Sector. It was the headquarters for the Society of the Mandarins, a traitor organization within the Terran Confederation that supported the Kilrathi Empire.
Ayer's Rock, as its name implies, is a massive asteroid whereupon a space station was constructed. It is unknown when the station began its regular operations, but it is known that the Mandarins have been active since the 2650s or earlier. The station was built outside of the prying eyes of loyal Confed forces and the Mandarins may have had assistance from the Kilrathi in its construction. It is hidden away in a large asteroid field that nobody approaches. It is an ideal facility for the activities of the treacherous Mandarins.
Ayer's Rock has been active since before the Enigma Sector Campaign of the 2660s, and was the command center for many of the traitor operations taking place within the Confederation Space Navy. In 2667, the existence of the station was finally discovered by the Secret Operations Division by a Terran spy named Scorpion, who successfully infiltrated the Mandarin ranks. Sixteen months after his last transmission, Scorpion reported to Secret Ops Administrator James Taggart the location of the facility. Taggart commissioned his old friend Christopher Blair to assist in the operation to destroy the station. This became especially vital in the wake of the escape of Mandarin agent Major Zachary Colson, who murdered many of his former comrades and was directly responsible for the loss of the TCS Tiger's Claw.
Operating from the TCS Grimalkin, a converted Kilrathi transport, Taggart, Blair and their team of agents hypered into the Ayer's System. With the help of a translator, they managed to secure permission from Ayer's security to enter the station's perimeter, allowing them to conduct the operation. Scorpion then reported that the entire Mandarin staff was being called to Ayer's Rock for an emergency meeting, an action never taken before due to security reasons. If all of the leaders were killed, the Society of the Mandarins would be effectively destroyed.
The Terran team fought its way through Ayer's defenses and prepared for a strike on the station, using two Morningstar Heavy Fighters. Unfortunately, Scorpion's cover was blown and was subsequently executed by the staff on Ayer's Rock. Despite this setback, Colonel Blair and his allies fought the joint Mandarin/Kilrathi forces and Blair eventually succeeded in destroying Ayer's Rock through a series of concentrated fire. He then killed the station's most dangerous operative: Zachary "Jazz" Colson. The death of Colson and all of the Mandarin leaders on the station caused the entire traitor network across the Confederation to collapse.
