The Second Imperial Civil War was a period of conflict from 2903 to 2955. It saw some of the most brutal fighting in Acheron Rho since the War for Human Prosperity. The reasons for the war were varied, but most are attributable to the actions of the newly crowned Empress Aquila Alejandra Ari, known as the Blood Eagle, and her draconian totalitarian regime that terrorised the sector.
The Gathering Storm[]
The Sixth Empress of Acheron Rho, Aquila Alejandra Ari, was crowned in the year 2901. After many decades of division, the sector was finally united under one leader. However, not all welcomed the outcome of the First Imperial Civil War; House Fornax, in particular, was the most public with their discontent. So sure were they that the new empress was unfit to rule, in fact, that the Senate of House Fornax authorised an attempt to seize control of Imperial Prime.
First Battle of Imperial Prime[]
Hoping to catch the garrison by surprise, the Rain Strike Fleet led by the carrier HFS Drops Of Rain Make A Hole In The Stone and the fighter HFS Not By Violence But By Oft Falling opened fire on the Aquilan fleet over Imperial Prime on the 15th of February 2902. The Aquilan fleet was vastly outnumbered, and found themselves easily routed, most of the ships being destroyed and the rest withdrawing from the system. The Fornax vessels then entered high orbit and began landing troops in their thousands. Still focused on rebuilding the defences from the first civil war, the Aquilan garrison was slow to react to the invasion.
Fornax forces make planetfall upon Imperial Prime, February 2902.
The Legion forces pulled back to what defensive fortifications they had prepared, hoping to withstand the initial assault and hold out until reinforcements could arrive. While the Fornax troops were skilled and outnumbered the Aquilans, the Legions were comprised of hardened veterans from the First Imperial Civil War. Wave after wave of Fornax troops were repulsed by the legion defenders, and the garrison was holding out against seemingly impossible odds.
After weeks of heavy fighting, Aquilan reinforcements entered the system. A battle fleet comprised of several legions, including the venerated Legion I, advanced towards the throneworld. Not wanting to be caught between the planet and the newly arrived Aquilan fleet, the Fornax armada broke orbit and headed to intercept. What followed was a fierce engagement, with both sides determined to fight to the bitter end. As the battle wore on, legion vessels started gaining the upper hand. Fornax ships, damaged from the previous battle, were disabled or destroyed one by one until the HFS Drops Of Rain Make A Hole In The Stone, heavily damaged and leaking atmosphere, offered terms of surrender. As soon as word reached the surface, the Fornax ground forces stood down, knowing that the invasion was doomed without the fleets backing.
The Empress arrived in system to personally confront House Fornax. Supported by several additional legions, she made her way into orbit over Maja. On the Bridge of the ILS Eagle’s Talon, representatives from the Fornax senate were brought before the Empress, she demanded an end to all hostilities and for House Fornax to reaffirm their allegiance to her and the Empire. These demands stand in stark contrast to the actions undertaken during the civil war, and there is still debate on why she offered House Fornax such lenient terms. Some say she couldn’t lose the industry on Maja if her planned campaigns were to be successful. Others say that the Legions did not have the available strength to assault the planet whilst dealing with the other issues across the sector. Whatever the reason, the Senate was left with little choice but to accept her offer.
The Empress left the Imperial Prime system soon after to prepare for her unification campaigns, confident that the Fornax situation had been sufficiently dealt with. However, House Fornax was not so easily humbled. They quickly realised that to deal with the Aquilan Empress, they would need allies.
Formation of the Council of Houses[]
After the disastrous result on Imperial Prime, House Fornax began to reach out to the other noble houses of the Empire. They were looking for those that shared their dissatisfaction with the Empress, those that considered the Empress illegitimate and a threat to the Empire, but most of the other noble houses were content to let the Aquilan Empress rule. The First Imperial Civil War had lasted for one hundred years, and many now looked for stability or saw the Empress as an opportunity for advancement. However, their search bore fruit in the Houses of Cygnus and Lyra, who had long shared similar concerns.
House Fornax saw the Empress as illegitimate, by taking the crown instead of being offered it she had bypassed the noble houses, threatening their authority and place within the great order of society. Their attempt to rectify this ended in disaster, but the Senate was eager for revenge.
House Cygnus saw themselves as tenders of life in the sector and they believed that the Empress did not respect the sanctity of life. They foresaw the reign of the Blood Eagle bringing only death and destruction, an Emperox that solved problems with force rather than compromise. They feared the actions of the crown would lead to the collapse of the Empire, and with it, Humanity.
House Lyra also feared the Empire’s collapse under the reign of the Blood Eagle, or even worse, the consolidation of the Empre under the Empress. The newly founded Conséc was a symbol of this consolidation in their eyes. An organisation designed to be loyal solely to the Empress, and to remove any and all enemies of the Blood Eagle. It threatened the very existence of the noble houses, but in particular it threatened House Lyra’s role as advisors, spies, and shadows behind the throne.
All three recognised that the power of the throne was too great for their individual houses to act against alone. To this end, they formed the Council of Houses; an organisation dedicated to resisting the Empress and delaying her plans until more Houses realised the threat that the Blood Eagle presented to the Empire, with the ultimate goal of deposing the Empress and allowing for the noble houses to choose who best to take the throne.
The Council of Houses became public in 2903, claiming to be a political movement interested in protecting the rights of the the nobility. Both House Cygnus and House Fornax publicly approved of and endorsed the new movement. House Lyra maintained no public ties but supported the movement in secret. While this group irritated the Empress, the Council had yet to do anything to warrant her action. Instead, she ordered Conséc to keep an eye on the movement, hoping to detect any hint of treachery, or catch any conspiracy before it had time to bear results. For now, though, the Empress had her eyes set on a different challenge. The Empire was fractured, worlds that should have been under Imperial control flaunted their independence. She vowed to bring unity to the sector and the Empire.
The Shadow War Begins[]
While the Empress and her Legions planned and prepared for the next phase of their reunification campaign, a new conflict was forming far away from the public eye. The Council wasted no time in seeking out those who shared their views on the Empress or who could be used to further their goals. Agents of the Council found a wealth of potential allies spread throughout the sector and Imperial society, as the tensions and divisions of the first civil war had yet to fully dissipate. These cells, operatives, organisations, and political movements were guided, coaxed or deceived to work towards the interests of the Council. Those goals, for the moment, were to spread far and wide, with great care taken to ensure that the Council’s ties were never truly exposed. At every step along the way, the Empress’ intelligence agency, Conséc, was using all the resource available to them to track down and uncover the ever growing web of sedition and unrest.
Elsewhere in the sector, other political movements, sects, and groups began to grow in prominence. In the Pamita Cha system, the remnants of the Protractors of Lovelace had scattered after a coordinated crackdown by Conséc agents. What hardliners remained free were difficult to track, however the recovered technology and research would prove to be invaluable to the Imperial security force. Tensions within House Serpens had led to the establishment of the militia organisation known as the Fang. This group would prove to be one of the most illusive and dangerous forces Conséc would confront over the next few decades.
The Grip Tightens[]
The Cah-Binn and the Bombing of Cabina[]
More information can be found on Aquilan-Cah Binn Conflict
Empress Alejandra's reconquest began with Cabina, a planet which had served as a prison for the Cah-Binn species since long before the Scream. In the chaos of the post-Scream Empire, the Cah-Binn had expanded beyond their ancestral prison into the neighboring systems of Tsatsos and Helesco. This expansion was seen as an affront to humanity by the Empress and her high command, and a plan to engage the alien menace was quickly devised.
Despite countless projections and estimates to the contrary, the campaign against the Cah-Binn proved costly and grueling. The combination of unique alien physiology and overconfidence by the Aquilan forces led to the Imperial Legions paying a heavy toll. In the end, the Empress was able to push the aliens back to their home on Cabina. There the Blood Eagle enacted a plan that would have the alien fiends pay for every slight against her. For nine months, Aquilan warships bombarded the world of Cabina, intent on ensuring the Cah-Binn would never threaten the Empire or humanity again. This act was to leave a permanent and irreversible wound on the planet’s ecosystem, an unintended consequence that would eventually lead to its complete ecological collapse.
Sedition Spreads[]
In the aftermath of the Cabina campaign, a swathe of unrest erupted across the Empire. Protests broke out about the brutality of the Cabina campaign, and the cost in human lives lost on a now worthless system. Nobles found themselves angered at the new intrusion of SIGNET, and the actions of the newly formed institution, Conséc. Throughout society, anger directed at the regime was bubbling to the surface.
Many of the protests were peaceful, at first, but when the Empress ordered the protests to be broken up, the displays quickly succumbed to violence. Legions were deployed on several worlds to assist Crux forces in arresting and containing the protesters, however, this heavy handed approach only caused even more unrest. The Legions were given no restrictions and were even encouraged to use brutal force against these rebellious civilians. Despite their initial hesitance, House Crux was convinced to utilise similar methods. In the span of a few months, hundreds of thousands had been arrested or killed.
Although successful in breaking the protests, this savage repression led to spreading dissidence. Factions against the Empress and her regime were founded and members across society met to discuss possible action against the Blood Eagle. Unrest fermented in every strata of the Empire and Conséc was directed to root out these factions wherever they were found. The agents of Consèc and the Scharfrichters were given new powers to investigate anyone regardless of their rank or station; as there was no distinction between noble and serf. anyone implicated was arrested. Trials became a mere formality where predetermined punishments were approved, and while most were sent to Gleipnir, the most egregious offenders, however, were never seen again.
Conséc’s search for these traitors was extensive. They were given free reign to investigate any rumour and to use any tactic as long as they got results. People were encouraged to inform on their neighbours and alert the authorities of even the slightest suspicion. In the beginning, Conséc was extremely successful: terrorists and rebels were sent off to Gleipnir in droves. However, others were simply driven underground, and soon found benefactors.
The Council of Houses had been following events carefully, their earlier attempts at spreading sedition now coming to fruition. Quietly, they made contact with several factions, offering them assistance in hiding their operations from Conséc. The Council created a network of sympathetic groups, helping them with funding and communication, all in the effort to frustrate the Empress’s regime. If Conséc was occupied hunting these groups then their attention was not focused on the Council’s movements.
Conséc was not oblivious to the Councils influences, but to move against such a power would not be so easy. For years this shadow war had played out between the agents of Conséc and the Council of Houses, but suddenly the intensity had increased. Whenever a cell was rooted out by Conséc two more would appear. Misinformation was rife and double agents common. The influence and power of the Council was more than a match for what Conséc could muster.
Second Battle of Imperial Prime[]
Nowhere was this new wave of dissent felt more acutely than on Imperial Prime. The Imperial capital had yet to return to a sense of normalcy after the failed incursion by House Fornax over a decade ago. As the shadow war between the Council and the Empress increased in intensity, and the actions of Conséc became more draconian, throngs of people poured into the streets to voice their discontent.
Protests, strikes, sit-ins, and demonstrations went on for weeks. The gradual escalation in suppression and control by the Aquilan security forces, Conséc, and House Crux only emboldened and expanded protest and opposition groups. Many of these groups, like the Siblings of Sorrow, maintained a stance of non-violence, however, the Council of Houses saw an opportunity. Using the unrest as a cover, the Council began supplying a number of more radical groups with weapons and material. Using the support of the Council and their agents, these groups and movements slowly created a vast network across the planet.
On March 15th 2915, the throneworld was rocked by a series of bombings targeting key infrastructure and security checkpoints, as well as offices and compounds used by the Imperial House. The bombings signaled the beginning of the Council’s operation to retake Imperial Prime. Tens of thousands poured into the streets, what had been peaceful demonstrations now turned to chaos as rioting and looting were rampant. The Aquilan response was to be swift and brutal, with Crux assets in lock step. Security forces were deployed to disperse the crowds by any means necessary. They were, however, caught unprepared for the resistance fighters concealed within them. Fierce firefights broke out street by street across the capital. The weight of their numbers pushed the Loyalist forces back, and a defensive line was established around the palace and the scattered garrison fortresses. After regrouping, Crux forces were instructed to disrupt the unity of the resistance fighters and attempt to regain control of key districts while the Aquilan garrisons fortified their positions.
Violent protests, agitated by Council operatives, spread throughout Imperial Prime
For weeks the Aquilan garrisons held the line against repeated pushes by the rioters. Despite their early victories, the lack of heavy equipment and poor coordination made assaulting the Aquilan positions a formidable undertaking; however, the Aquilan garrison was also unable to mount any form of counter-attack, as the various hard-points and fortified positions were spread thin across the capital. While this stalemate persisted, whole sectors of the throneworld burned and anarchy reigned. Outside the fortified positions, the weakened Crux law enforcement presence was completely overwhelmed. In May, a relief force led by the Legion XCIX made planetfall. Their surplus of heavy mechs brought about a quick and bloody end to the insurrection.
In the months following the unrest, teams of Conséc agents tore through Imperial Prime, targeting those responsible for the violent clashes. The Blood Eagle was apoplectic as she ordered the execution of any member of numerous suspected groups. The Leaders of the “Crusaders of Contrition” were discovered on Prime and killed in a firefight involving legion forces. A handful of prominent members of the “Sons of Profligation” were arrested and publicly executed. Their deaths were broadcasted across the sector as a warning for all who would oppose the Empress. Many ordinary citizens who had been caught up in the protests were arrested and deported to Gleipnir, torn from their families and outcasted no matter their level of involvement in the troubles. The Empress was determined to maintain her grip on power, to punish those who stepped out of line, and to ensure the loyalty of those who had wavered.
Suppression of Gleipnir[]
The prison world of Gleipnir had fallen into obscurity as a result of the Scream. Even after contact had been reestablished, its inhabitants had been left to their own devices. As the first civil war ebbed and flowed, official control over the Imperial Penitentiary changed hands on a number of occasions. However, the situation on the ground largely stagnated, the supposed incarcerated population left to fend for themselves. That is, until the rise of the Blood Eagle.
During the Empress’ rise to power, many within Aquilan high command identified Gleipnir as a vital strategic interest. The planet’s natural resources, coupled with the unique labor force, had led to a number of industrial ventures, strip mines, mineral processing facilities, and other production facilities being developed over the many centuries. This production capacity would prove vital to the aspiring Aquilan’s ascension to the Throne. Assisting House Crux in the reclamation of Gleipnir is widely considered to be one of the key events that cultivated their loyalty for the soon-to-be Imperial House.
In the years after the coronation, the development of Gleipnir dramatically increased, as did its shackled population. Forced labor was a favored punishment for those caught or suspected of sedition against the crown. The most tyrannically minded Crux personnel were assigned as wardens, relishing in their mostly unrestricted severity. Gleipnir quickly became a symbol of the Empress’ iron grip on the Empire, and an essential piece in the legion supply chain. For these reasons, the Council sought to instigate a rebellion in the Imperial Penitentiary; however, the prison world was not the ultimate goal, as the Council was still in no position to survive against the Empress in open war. The operation on Gleipnir was to, on a purely strategic layer, be a diversion. To focus the attentions of the Empress and her Legions to one location, and enable the Council’s allies to continue to spread throughout the sector.
For months, Council agents began finding their way onto the surface of Gleipnir by being purposefully caught during one of the many crackdowns or when infiltrating the administrative hierarchy. Establishing networks and cells within the prison's population was no significant obstacle, with complacency rampant among the cold-hearted Crux jailors left in charge. The true challenge was establishing communication lines between these cells without drawing undue attention.
In May 2919, the Council’s plan began to unfold. Riots and revolts sprung up across the world, armed with munitions and explosives, carefully stashed away in the preceeding months, began targeting armories and storage warehouses. In GIF-24-0X12 “Anvil Block”, the rioters drove armoured fighting vehicles straight from the assembly lines through barricades and fortifications, and in GIF-56-3Z02 “The Pit” mining drills were used to bore through the walls of the detention centers. By dawn of the next day, roughly half of the prison complexes were under the complete control of the Council, the rest bitterly contested.
Fearing the loss of the planet in its entirety, Lieutenant General Aquila Ricbert Anton acting warden of the planet after the loss of most Crux command personnel, ordered the deployment of the frigates ILS Sword in the Dark and First Light. These vessels had been acting as system monitors for the past few months. The legion forces on board, coupled with orbital barrages, contained the advance of a revolutionary column on Fort Arbelast. The scattered legion forces slowly pulled back and fortified around the garrison headquarters, and a call for aid was dispatched on board a freighter anchored in high orbit.
The Empress dispatched a task force of four legions to retake the prison world. Comprising of the V, XXIV, XI, and XLIV legions. Operational command was given to General Aquila DeVillepin Leslie of Legion V. Condemned by the Empress for their failure to hold the Imperial Penitentiary, House Crux leadership argued that they had little say in who was assigned to the facility. With a solemn, though some records show forced, promise to refute any notions of incompetency, several prominent Crux warships were sent to bolster General Leslie’s task force, the HCS Vengeance being the most notorious among them.
A combat mech (Dendro Armis by modern classification) of Legio V on station. Gleipnir, 2919
The campaign to retake the prison planet was decisive and swift. Heavy concentrations of mech, armor, and air power were used to obliterate any concentrations of former inmates, and no considerations were made to try and minimise damage to the manufacturing or incarceration facilities. The only objective was to end this insurrection and restore order to Gleipnir. Within four days of planetfall, the task force had retaken or destroyed every major complex, and only scattered pockets of resistance remained.
Although their plan had failed, the Council had been successful in maintaining their secrecy. Conséc still couldn't discover any links to the council's organisation and the leaders of the unrest. The insurrection had also ensured that the garrison at Gleipnir was to be tripled in size, further tying up more resources away from the core of the Empire.
However not every reaction had been predicted. The Empress, furious at the uprising, ordered a new facility created. Under the watchful gaze of Conséc, the Claw Prison Camp was founded on Echo. This camp was to house the most dangerous and high profile prisoners of the Empire. Overseen by Colonel Sala Celestino, the camp was given a wide scope and little limits, and it would be the site of some of the most heinous crimes of the regime. Ranging from brutal torture programs, to invasive and cruel experiments performed on the inmates, the vast majority of these crimes went unknown to the public until the withdrawal of the legions from Echo late in the war. The suppression of Gleipnir and the creation of the Claw Prison Camp were yet more examples of the lengths the Empress and her regime were willing to go to maintain their grip on power. However, the cracks were beginning to form, the council was gaining power and influence, while the Empress was becoming more and more paranoid and cruel.
Tensions within the Legions[]
The Empress had always had her dissenters within the Legions, those who said she was too young to lead House Aquila, too inexperienced, too brash and violent. All were silenced when she was crowned Empress of Acheron Rho. She had managed what few thought possible, not only uniting the warring factions of House Aquila, but, through force and persuasion, uniting the whole Empire behind her. For many years the results spoke for themselves. An Empire united working for one purpose, the Legions pride of place, then the missteps began to mount.
The creation of Conséc as loyal only to the Empress, the disregard for noble rank and position, the lengthy and costly unification campaigns, the brutal repression of civilian populations. All these things gave rise to those old voices, and soon they were joined by new voices. More and more Aquilans realised her faults, realised their new Empress was unfit to lead . The Imperial Legions were pushed to their limit, spread to every Imperial world in an attempt to maintain control and sent on various unification campaigns to the fringe systems. The Empress did not accept failure: She demanded that all the worlds of Acheron Rho would submit to her rule, worlds that had been separated from the Empire since the Scream would be brought back to the fold. Intaglio (then Valua), Leorgioly, Yanaratso, and Pylopid all soon submitted to the Imperial legions. Campaigns were sent to restore order on these planets and exploit the valuable resources for the benefit of the Empire; swift and vicious, these assaults quickly sapped the manpower of the Legions.
The sector had been in constant conflict since before the beginning of the Empress’ campaign for the Throne. Many Legions had not been home to Diomikato since the coronation, stuck on backwater planets in punishment or because there was no one else to send. Resentment ran through the fringe legions. Left to rot by the Empress, rebellion and unrest fermented among these seemingly forgotten soldiers.
During the repression campaigns, prominent voices started publicly broaching their concerns. In an address to the Imperial Aerie, General Aquila Orianne Albus of Legion III Augusta laid out his issues with the brutal tactics displayed by the military against civilians.
“Our legions are being used against the very people we swore to protect. No longer do we look to the ideals of Arhat Lyon. No, now we strike fear in the hearts of the common people. Where once we stood as beacons of honour, now only shame and horrors lie.”
- General Aquila Orianne Albus
The General received no response from the Empress or the Aerie. Instead he was cut out of public society, isolated by those worried about being tarnished in the eyes of the Empress. His rank and family prestige were the only things saving him from being arrested and imprisoned, but others were not so fortunate.
Admiral Aquila Sarkar Divya of the Legion XLIV had been a frequent critic of the actions used in the Empress’ name, but had avoided any formal backlash due to her illustrious service record. That changed after Gleipnir. The Admiral had submitted a lengthy and detailed dissent of the operation in her report to High Command. Following the report, Admiral Sarkar was publicly censured for this action, and the Legion XLIV was recalled to Diomikato to serve as a supplemental force to Legion IV.
There was a concerted effort by the Council of Houses to fan the flames of unrest within the Legions. Lyran spies attempted to infiltrate the inner circle of high ranking Aquilan nobles, posing as advisors and diplomats, searching for those who could be persuaded to defect, all the while collecting intelligence that would be vital for the Council’s ongoing efforts. The legions were being pushed to the breaking point. Soon every legion member would have to choose: loyalty to the Empress or loyalty to the throne. The planet of Thorg would see the beginning of a schism, cracks long in the making were about to break open.
Defection of White Legions[]
The White Legions is the collective name given to the Imperial Legions that defected to the Council of Houses during the Second Imperial Civil War. After years of tensions building up in House Aquila, the events on Thorg would spur to action those that could no longer stand alongside the Empress Aquila Alejandra Ari.
Thorg Campaign[]
Admiral Aquila Napolitano Cortez, of the 70th legion, on the mustering fields prior to the beginning of the Thorg Offensive, 2928
The Thorg Campaign was supposed to be easy: the squelching of a backwater planet where an upstart faction had proclaimed themselves rulers. A battle group containing the venerated Legion I was formed and ordered to retake the planet for the Empire; however, the muster was not a harmonious formation. The honour of command was given not to General Koschei of Legion I but instead to Admiral Napolitano of Legion LXX, who had been a more vocal proponent of the Empress’ activity. The campaign would end in disaster, bogged down and caught in a quagmire, the order was given to abandon the world and. like on Cabina. bombard the planet from orbit. To this day it is unclear why Legion I was ordered to remain on the planet, all that is known is the legion was left behind and suffered grave casualties, and were believed to have been wiped out completely.
Thorg and the destruction of the first legion was the catalyst that set the wheels of full blown rebellion turning within House Aquila. For years the seeds of doubt had been growing, but with every new act of brutality or repression, more and more within the house began to question their empress. The betrayal of one of the most famous and venerated legions was, for many, a step too far as on March 16th 2930, on the homeworld of House Aquila, Diomikato, three legions: the III, IV and XLIV broke ranks and declared themselves for the Council of Houses. Soon they would be joined by more legions, and the civil war was to begin in earnest.
Escape from Diomikato[]
The 3rd, 4th, and 44th legions were ready to break ties with the Blood Eagle, for too long these commanders had watched while the sector had fallen into ruin. Aided by the Council of Houses, they had plotted their escape over many months. The largest obstacle would be getting the three legions away of one of the most heavily defended systems in the sector.
Legion XLIV, being a void based legion, would need to provide covering fire for both the Third and Fourth as they left the surface of Diomikato. Both the Third and Fourth had been stationed on Diomikato for years, and the abrupt evacuation of a legion, let alone two, would not go unnoticed. As soon as the assembly and egress from the surface began, the loyal garrison would likely contest. In order to ensure the transport vessels could make their way into orbit, the defense platforms and batteries in the evacuation sector would have to be dealt with. Using his influence as the ‘Protector of Diomikato’ the commander of Legion IV, General Iñigo Bellicus, moved a number of training and maintenance events to coincide with the planned evacuation. Additionally, he ordered the third legion to be brought in under the guise of a new joint-legion program. Given the unique structure of the fourth legion, not all of it could be vacated from the surface, as such the Fourth’s reserves were to act as the perimeter defence on the ground and protect the evacuation zones. Legion III, having been well versed in legion level movements, could be mobilized and positioned with little delay. Finally, the Forty-fourth would be leveraging its substantial voidcraft to coordinate the transports and cover the evacuations from orbit.
Troop shuttles of Legion IV Lux attempting to leave Diomikato under heavy fire
On the morning of March 16th 2930, everything was in place and the operation began shortly before dawn. The Third had little issue, with the majority of the legion moved into orbit quickly and efficiently. It was only once the larger combat vessels of the fourth legion began to move from their positions in orbit that suspicions were finally raised. It took time for the loyalist commanders to understand the full scope of what was unfolding, and prepare their forces to contest. While the system defence vessels nearest to the evacuation area were quickly dispatched by the assembled might of the Third and Forty-fourth, the loyalist void forces gathered their strength, ready to intercept the traitors on their way out of Aliya. Meanwhile on the ground, General Bellicus lead the evacuation and rearguard action, trying desperately to get as many of his troops off world as possible. The fighting on the ground was fierce, as more and more loyalist assets were brought to bear against the thinly spread fourth legion. General Bellicus was one of the last of the fourth to leave the surface, urging those who would be left to fight to their last breath. Many heeded these words, those who didn’t were rounded up and executed in the weeks after.
With the evacuation complete, the three legions made their way to the edges of the Aliya system. The defecting fleet had successfully outpaced and out maneuvered their few pursuers until the edge of the system, there the rebels would meet their true test. The fledgling defectors were unexpectedly intercepted by Legion XIII, who had recently arrived in system just hours before the evacuation. While the Thirteenth would have not normally threatened the navy of Admiral Sarkar, the legion was not alone, attached to the formation was the ILS Eagle’s Talon, the Empress’ own flagship. Word had reached the Empress of the defection and she had ordered her retinue to intercede, wanting to personally oversee the rebel’s capture. With the Empress’ flagship now threatening their route out of system, and the Aliya defence fleet still in pursuit, Admiral Sarkar was forced to leave a detachment of warships as a rearguard to cover the rebel fleet’s re-maneuver. These vessels fought valiantly, but were outmatched and outgunned. Though none of the rearguard survived, their sacrifice would successfully slow down the Talon and the thirteenth, and allow the remaining rebels a chance to escape.
Worse for ware but successful in their escape from Aliya, over the next few weeks the three rebel legions made contact with other Aquilans who shared their views of the Empress and who were willing to join in the plot to defect. The command staff of the now six assembled legions made their way to a meeting with representatives of the Council of Houses, on-board the Lyran vessel HLS Nyorai. Despite pledging their support for the Council, the rebellious legions were asked to first prove themselves to their new partners, following a plan outlined by Admiral Sarkar the legions mobilised for an offensive.
Operation True Sight[]
The plan crafted by the commander of the Forty-fourth would target the Perithr system, and more specifically on one of the many moons of Akali, a logistics and supply base had been established during the first civil war as part of the Empress’ campaign to take the throne. The target would be well protected, but Admiral Sarkar had learned of several routes through the system that would enable a task force to approach the base without alerting the system defence fleets. The key to this operation's success would be surprise and the speed at which the assault could be launched. To this end, the rebels gathered strike cruisers, frigates, and escorts from across their combined force. Detachments of marines and drop troops were added and given detailed plans of the installations, which had been gathered with the aid of Lyran operatives.
On the 27th October 2930, the coalition force translated into the Perithir system. The route through the system took weeks to navigate. Utilising the element of surprise, the vessels engaged the defenders of Fort Selkie. In the opening salvos, many of the patrol vessels protecting the fort were destroyed. Within thirty minutes of the first shots, the orbital defenses were obliterated. The rebel ships entered orbit and prepared to land their over-sized complements of marines onto the surface. Across the surface, assault landers and drop pods touched down. The marines were veterans of the unification campaigns of the first civil war and made quick work of the garrison, overwhelming the defenders and capturing the fort and supply depot in mere hours.
Vessels of the White Legions engage Loyalist vessels above Akali 25, October 2930
Time was of the essence as the supplies, munitions, and cargo vessels kept there would prove vital to ensuring the rebellious legions could maintain their fight against the Empress. It took five hours, but the rebels had scoured every inch of the facility. The prisoners left alive were to be locked in emergency bunkers and escape pods, while the facility and fortress was to be leveled. By the time the coalition broke orbit, the system defence fleet had only just received the distress calls. They were caught unprepared and out of position, and could only standby and watch as the traitors made their exit from the system.
The first strike of this fledgling Aquilan rebellion was a massive success. The rebels had not only secured supplies necessary to continue their campaign, but also proved themselves to the Council. News of the operation and defection spread to the sector at large, sparking a string of more defections.
Defence of Xandare[]
Many within Aquila had been unwilling or unable to join in the first defectors plot, either due to their position in the sector or skepticism about the parties involved. The public defections on Diomikato, and the success at Fort Selkie emboldened those who had been thus far undecided.
General Xu of Legion LX had been a thorn in the Empress' side since the early days of the unification campaigns. The sixtieth legion had been stationed in the Meneus system, where the Aerie hoped the upstart would be unable to cause any more problems. When news of the rebels reached the Tak 3 space station, the 60th wasted no time in quickly eradicating any and all opposition, and executing all who stood in their way. The legion then translated out of the system, eager to wreak more havoc on the Empress and her forces.
Meanwhile, the 35th and 28th legions were completing a resupply at Du Toit 1, having just finished a suppression campaign on Hong Lu. When word came of what had transpired, the armadas quietly completed their tasks and vacated the system without a word.
Elsewhere, Legion MI had been on patrol in the Solequon system, protecting the translation point from a recent influx of pirate activity. Upon receiving the transmission, Admiral Thalente was reported to have burst into laughter. The legion gathered at the translation point, and any civilian vessels encountered had their cargo liberated for the Admiral’s new cause.
For the next several weeks, these legions moved from system to system, targeting vulnerable or ill-defended outposts and avoiding contact with the loyalist legions left on the fringes who tried to pursue them. Eventually, Admiral Thalente made contact with the other three legions of LX, XXXV, and XXVIII, and convinced them to rendezvous at Bora, in the Xandare system. It was here that the Admiral planned to dig-in and stand firm against the Empress. The rebels would not have long to prepare themselves.
Within weeks of arriving at Bora, the Loyalist legions of XXXIII, LV, LXVI, and CXVII translated into the Xandare system. The loyalist battle group held the advantage over the rebels in pure tonnage, making a pitched engagement a grim prospect. Admiral Thalente proposed attempting to draw out the escorts, splitting the loyalist armada into a number of sections on their approach. These clusters would be harassed and engaged at will, ensuring that the task group could not bring the full might of their forces onto the planet in one fell swoop.
The plan worked, but at great cost. Legion MI had been configured to operate as a convoy escort and screening force, and had a long history against pirates and other raiders; however, these lighter vessels could not hope to outlast the loyalist forces in prolonged engagements. As the fragments of the loyalist battle-group began trickling in, they attempted to form up and prepare to make planet fall. At this point the next phase of the operation began. Using the planet as a shield, the larger warships of the rebel coalition waited, and wasted no time in launching their ambush. The brawl in high orbit was devastating, the loyalists were completely unprepared for the concentration of heavy firepower being delivered in such close ranges. Rebel boarding parties managed to capture a number of vessels and detonate their reactor cores to drive the vessels into the surface of Bora.
The situation on the ground proved even more dire for the loyalist forces. With their orbital support in disarray, the Loyalists were quickly encircled by the rebels. As damaged or sabotaged vessels fell from the sky, rebel kill-teams scoured the wreckage, rooting out any survivors before they could link up with other units to mount any real resistance. Over the next few hours, the situation became clear to the loyalist commanders: to continue this operation would be to ensure the slow and agonizing death of their legions. A general retreat was called, but was by no means a painless undertaking. The rebel legions ensured that every kilometer of space into and out of the system was paid for in blood.
A Legion LX kill-team sweeping the remains of an unidentified cruiser on Bora, March 2931
The rebels were victorious, and had proved themselves against the Empress’ forces in open battle. But the price had been high, all of the commanders could see that there was no hope for them to continue in this manner. The decision was made to try and make contact with those who first broke off from the Empress. It was at a meeting between these new legions and the original defectors, in October of 2931, where the moniker of the White Legions would be decided on.
Council at War[]
Now formally organised under one banner, it was time to begin the fight in earnest. Aboard the H[C]S Truth of the Grave, the coalition took stock of their situation and tried to find their best course of action. In many ways the prospects for this nascent Aquilan rebellion were dire: the Council had no real means of supporting a campaign of open war across the sector, and even if it did, the handful of legions gathered would not be sufficient.
The successes of the early defections showed that the edges of the Empire were the most vulnerable. If the Empress’ forces could be drawn away from the core, the Council would have more opportunities to subvert her rule while the White Legions would be able to engage the less concentrated forces. The assembled commanders also knew there were others within the Legions who would pledge themselves to their cause, if given the right opportunity. If the loyalist forces could be spread thin, then those cracks could be exploited. In order to force Aquilan high command to respond, the rebels would need concentrate into a number of battle groups. These groups would target key transit hubs along the edges of the Empire. Threatening to cut off entire star systems from the Empress’ grasp. The generals of the Third and Fourth were to be given command of the first two of these battle groups. Their targets were the Amedere Orbere and Tavroular systems.
Battle of Amedere Orbere[]
The first test of this new strategy would be in the Amedere Orbere system. General Bellicus managed to seize control of the system with minimal losses. The stationed garrison had little hope of success against the might of rebel battle group. Despite the ease at which the system was captured, the general knew that the Empress’ response would be substantial. Letting this transit route fall into rebel hands would leave Echo, and the bulk of Consec’s operational infrastructure, isolated.
Knowing that a relief fleet was only a few days away, the rebels went into action. A detachment of vessels, similar in structure to raiding fleets used for the past few years, were stationed in high orbit above Teuthem. These would act as the lure, while the bulk of the battlegroup would be scattered within the Oodnadatta Belt. General Bellicus' instincts proved correct, six days after their first translation a Loyalist task force, roughly equal to two legions, completed translation on the edge of the system.
The WLS Silent Predator on alert in the Oodnadatta Belt, 2932
The rebels in orbit, commanded by Commodore Serran of Legion CCXII began an attempted retreat, something the rebels had done countless times in the early months of the war. The loyalist armada pulled forward, attempting to cut off the rebel’s escape route. This determination would prove to be the loyalist’s downfall, as their intercept route took them into the jaws of Bellicus’ ambush.
Rebel ships poured from the asteroid belt and closed upon the loyalists. Caught out, the loyalist fleet broke formation in an attempt to respond to this new threat, but chaos quickly took over as the White Legion force began to surround them on all sides. The fighting lasted for hours, as the rebels tried to capture as many vessels as possible. Soon it became clear that there would be no hope of escape for what remained of the relief armada. What commanding officers were left broadcast terms of their surrender on all channels, and Admiral Boucher of the CCXII accepted. The battle had been a resounding success for the White Legions, capturing eighteen capital ships, and nearly thirty escorts. The losses on the rebels side were below projections, in part due to the planning by General Bellicus. Many of those who surrendered volunteered to join the rebel’s cause, with the rest being sent off to one of the internment camps established by the Council.
Skirmish at Tavroular[]
Elsewhere in the sector, General Orianne Albus split his battlegroup: a task force comprised of lighter escort ships was marshalled under the command of Admiral Thalente of Legio MI and ordered to the Tavroular system. The system was home to a legion supply base, and the task force was to engage the garrison and capture or destroy the supplies stored there. Admiral Thalente had a long career fighting against pirates and raiders on the edges of the Empire before the war, and had become one of the most successful commanders in the early stages of the conflict.
Little was known of the disposition of the garrison, except that it had been part of the restructuring after the events on Gleipnir in 2919. Admiral Thalente knew that most of the defenses would be concentrated in and around the Banff 9 station and planned to draw any system monitors away from the station before launching a surprise assault. This strategy would attempt to minimize losses on the rebel side, and hopefully allow word of their attack to reach Gleipnir. The ultimate aim of the operation was not the stores of supplies, but to draw out the loyalist fleet stationed around prison world.
On March 5th, 2932 Admiral Thalente’s task force translated into the Tavorular system. Much to their surprise, the defence fleet had seemed to be unchanged since the events of Gleipnir. A small patrol was detected on the opposite edge of the system, with a second docked at the station within the Yanaratso sphere. Wasting no time, the task force made their way to the station, hoping to give the distant patrol no choice but to vacate the system.
Banff 9 Station, March 3rd, 2932
Though outnumbered, the loyalists mounted a fierce defense as the station itself supported a vast array of batteries and strike squadrons. What few system monitors remained attempted to screen the rebels advance, enabling the larger guns of the station more time on target. Commodore Royale of the legion Augusta succeeded in leading their destroyer squadron through the screening vessels and managed to launch a torpedo attack on the station, disabling its largest batteries. With their firebase devastated, the loyalist garrison was quickly routed and boarding torpedoes peppered the station. The station’s crew fought valiantly, but were outmatched by the rebel marines. Within three hours the station had been taken and their stores were being loaded. As Thalente had predicted, the patrol caught out on the edge of the system made no effort to join the fray, opting instead to leave the system as quickly as possible.
Ambush at Askirut Sal[]
With the first phase of his plan underway, General Orianne prepared his part. While the task group under Admiral Thalente would act as bait, the bulk of General Orianne’s forces would lie in wait for the relief force from Gleipnir. The ambush location would be the primary translation point in theAskirut Sal system. General Orianne knew the relief force would make a stop there following standard legion protocol, and the system had been all but abandoned after the Gleipnir incident years ago, so their approach would go unnoticed.
Because the exact position the vessels would translate into real space would be unknown, the rebel fleet spread themselves into a wide formation. General Orianne directed his vessels into small task groups, using the larger warships as anchor points. These groupings would pre-sight their batteries in overlapping arcs of fire. Once the enemy began translation, these arcs would coalesce around the fleet. The screen forces would attempt to close in with the loyalist fleet, breaking up any formations and attempting to board or disable as many warships as possible. Destroying the armada would be a significant blow to the Empress, but General Orianne knew that capturing it would prove even more devastating.
Hours turned to days, the White Legion fleet waited, ever vigilant for the Empress’ relief force. On March 29th, the trap was sprung. The loyalist fleet had arrived in almost the exact center of the fire arcs. Orianne’s capital ships wasted no time in finding firing solutions, while the initial torpedo barrages disabled or crippled many of the first wave. Ships entering real space did so into a hellscape of weapons fire, debris, and the drifting corpses of warships.
WLS Thirteen Gun Salute and its escorts, Askirut Sal system, March 2932. The heavy cruiser ILS The Fortune of War can be seen in the background, the vessel was captured by Third legion marines.
With the relief force in chaos, General Orianne ordered his screen forces to close in and begin close action and boarding operations. The goal was to capture as many vessels, especially the larger capital ships, as possible. The fighting on-board these vessels was brutal, bulkhead to bulkhead. The Empress’ forces could not hope to turn the tide, but were determined to make the traitors pay for every inch in blood and bodies. Fifteen hours after the engagement had started, the White Legions achieved a near total victory. The rebels had captured some forty vessels, including the battleship ILS Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures. Colonel Nestor of the Legion LX would earn a name for himself, having led his division in the capture of no less than six capital ships. For the survivors, General Orianne offered them a chance to join their rebellion. Many did, and those that refused were left in system aboard life pods and the hulks of vessels no longer battle worthy, but could still hold an atmosphere. The General ensured that a distress call would make its way back to Gleipnir.
These near simultaneous victories inspired even more Legions to defect from the Blood Eagle, most notably Legion LM, Legion VIII and Legion XXV. These victories were the first major setback for the Empress, and buoyed the morale of the Council of Houses. Members of House Cygnus implored the White Legions to try for an immediate campaign into the core worlds. However many commanders argued this would be premature. Their rebellion still lacked the numbers necessary to assault the Empress’ fortified positions.
With this new influx of military personnel, the White legions expanded their overall strategy. New theaters were opened using these new legions, and the campaigns against the Empress’ logistics network expanded. Still it was not enough, while each victory was damaging, the Empire could adapt and overcome. More needed to be done.
Battle of Andophael[]
Andophael, the seat of the High Exarch and home of the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox, was the second holiest site in the sector behind Imperial Prime and location of the first rebel offensive into the core. To take this system would be a mighty blow to the legitimacy of the Empress. The Council long had plans for the world, and now pushed the White Legions to launch an offensive immediately.
General Bellicus of the Fourth would take command of the campaign and pulled the entirety of the 60th, 8th, 25th, 84th, 212th, as well as his own 4th legion for this offensive. The operation would be far more involved than previous ventures, as this would be the first time the White Legions attempted to push into the Imperial core. The rebels knew the system would be well defended, and could not count on the element of surprise. The plan, code named ‘Gospel’, would require the rebels to destroy or drive off any system defence fleet. Otherwise they risked a repeat of Xandare but with the sides reversed. Intelligence reports suggested that the bulk of the system defense fleet had been reassigned, and an automated long-range sensor system would detect any fleet once it translated into real space. The ground force disposition was equally unknown, but those assembled knew that these troops would be a cut above those they had faced along the edges of the Empire.
The combined rebel battlegroup entered the system on the 5th of February 2934. The reports on the sensor network proved accurate with buoys scattered throughout the Necropolis. General Bellicus ordered his battle fleet forward, hoping to keep the loyalist defence fleet away from the lumbering legion transports as they navigated above the system plane. At 0450 local time on the 15th of February 2934, the WLS Into the Valley of Death spotted a loyalist formation heading for the fleet.
The loyalist fleet was larger than anticipated, however the White Legions still had the advantage in overall tonnage. General Bellicus ordered his ships to divide, aiming to reduce the effectiveness of the loyalist vessels initial barrage. The plan succeeded, with detachments able to close into the loyalist fleet near the dwarf planet of Satira Pala. However, this advantage was short lived, as the general of the fourth was unable to effectively coordinate the two demi-fleets. This enabled the loyalists to respond to the trap before it could complete and retreat to the far side of Sig with minimal losses. Although the rebels had failed to destroy the defence fleet, it would be unable to pose any further threat to the operation without reinforcement.
WLS Death is Not the End disabling the cruiser SOV Crusader's Hope in orbit over Andophael
Despite this early setback, General Bellicus ordered the assault on Andophael and its moon Thale to begin immediately. Several of the assembled commanders advised against the plan, but the General was determined to make up for lost ground, ever-conscious of the limited time available that the operation had to succeed.
Planetfall began on the 19th, but due to the concentration of defences in and around the garrisons, orbital bombardments were limited or avoided entirely. Landing zones were far outside the range of the defenders, forcing the ground troops to cover more territory.
General Aquila Reid Igmar of Legion VIII would be in command on Andophael and General Aquila Xu Asteria of Legion LX on Thale. Despite the uncontested landing zones, progress on both fronts was laborious as the loyalists defensive lines were heavily fortified. The garrison troops were not of the usual calibre the rebels had become accustomed to facing. These loyalists wore the red capes of the Empress’s elite soldiers that had been awarded a mark of distinction for their loyalty and skill in battle.
On Andophael, General Ried’s use of concentrated artillery barrages coupled with armored spearheads proved effective for the outer defences. However as the advance moved closer to Rhapsody, counter-battery fire from loyalist hard-points prevented any assembly or concentration of armored forces. A key position overlooking the city, dubbed ‘The Bishop’s Talon’ by the field commanders, withstood seven separate assaults over a sixteen hour period. The push towards Rhapsody and the Chalice ground to a halt. Though their advance had made considerable progress, a salient had now formed that threatened to cut off the lead elements. Lieutenant General De Furio of Legion XXV led an inspired lorica assault along the northern flank, and managed to cut through and surround large swaths of the defenders, pushing the front line twenty kilometers forward in that sector. The southern approach faced a fierce counterattack by the Empress’ forces. General Ried’s troops managed to hold the line, but at a great cost. Only with the timely arrival of strike craft from the orbiting fleet was the advance finally blunted and disaster avoided.
Lorica of the Twenty-fifth being off-loaded during the initial deployment on Andophael
While on Thale, General Xu battled against both the loyalists, and the environment. The approach to the spaceport and the city of Drepranum was marred with problems and delays. The moon’s atmosphere made coordination and communication all but impossible. Despite this, the advance met little resistance and the rebels were able to establish footholds at both locations. Once inside, the rebels encountered a surprisingly well organized and prepared defence. The Imperial garrison was significantly smaller than that on Andophael, however it was supported by a number of detachments from the High Church’s Crusaders and Guardians. These units proved devastating in the corridor and urban environments. The fighting wore on for hours, as the rebels were unable to utilize their numerical superiority.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, General Bellicus ordered a shuttle prepared, keen to take command of the ground operations on Andopahel himself. His plans were thrown out when the remnants of the Loyalist fleet orbiting Shiva made its move. With the rebel fleet focused on the ground operations, the system defence fleet had emerged within striking distance of the scattered armada having used the alignment of the two stars to conceal their maneuvers and advance. Scrambling to recover from the lack of foresight, the General ordered the fleet to form on the flagship.
With the rebel armada scattered, the battered defence fleet attempted to press their slim advantage in what time remained. The White Legions attempted to keep the engagements at range, hoping to buy time for the rest of their fleet to respond. This proved partially successful, with a significant portion of the fleet being damaged or disabled before the last of the defence fleet could be driven off. The operation had relied on a quick and decisive assault to secure the system. With that blunted and their fleet being slowly worn down there was little hope of withstanding the inevitable counterattack. The commander of the Fourth was left with little choice but to call for a general retreat.
Resigned in his defeat, General Bellicus left the withdrawal in the hands of the commanders of the Eighth and Sixthtieth. He watched from the bridge on the WLS The Charge of the Light Brigade and remained there for the rest of the operation. The retreat took time, the loyalists hounded the withdrawal in both theatres. Once the ground troops were recovered, the fleet vacated the Sig system, fending off several more attacks from the Loyalists on their way. On the 4th of March 2934 while preparing to leave the system the loyalist relief force translated into the system. However it was too late to catch the rebels or remained of the liberation fleet exiting the system over the next several hours.
On return to the Council, prominent members of House Cygnus moved to remove General Bellicus of his command, laying the disaster of the Andophael campaign squarely at his feet. Some proposed a grand shift in organisation, suggesting that the White Legions current council made them too slow to respond to the changing landscape of the conflict. These individuals proposed that a sole supreme commander was needed to mobilize the resistance and push into the Imperial Core. The Council's first choice was General Sarkar, of the 44th, the brazenness of this proposition shocked many legion commanders. Despite this latest setback, the commander of the 44th had a distinguished record both in this conflict and previous, and so Cygnus had their way because the Aquilan commanders did not wish to instigate any internal conflicts, especially amongst their benefactors. General Bellicus was removed from his position within the White Legion command structure, however he was allowed to retain command of his legion.
Operation Bombast[]
Bombala 5, a remote station in the Phalest system, had been re-purposed into a military staging post shortly after the Empress’ ascension. It had long been in the sights of some within the White Legions, but priorities had been elsewhere in the sector. In August of 2934, Lyran operatives informed the Council of a new development. The garrison on the Bombala station, Legion LXV, had long wished to defect but had been prevented by the sizable loyalist contingent reinforcing their garrison. Now, the majority of that force had been redeployed to positions within the core. This left Legion LXV in prime position to change sides, and eliminate a potential strategic rally point for the loyalists.
Legion MI was quickly assembled and tasked with taking the station, being one of the few rebel legions not already on assignment or part of a planned campaign. Lyran agents were dispatched to ensure that the would-be turncoats knew that relief would soon arrive.
The plan, code named ‘Bombast’, would rely heavily on Legion LXV and their alleged intentions. The Sixty-fifth would position themselves as the rearguard at the station, and once the rebels pushed the fighting to their doorstep, would turn their guns on their former allies.
Legion MI translated into the system the last week of August, 2934. On first glance, the Lyran intelligence had proven true. The station defence force was approximately two legions in strength. Admiral Thalente moved her fleet into broad formation, attempting to maximise the effectiveness of the legions lighter tonnage vessels. This tactic proved effective, despite the deficiency in long range firepower, as the rebel armada avoided the opening volleys with ease. As Legion MI began to close in on the screen formation of the Loyalists, they quickly set about isolating and eliminating the loyalist’s vessels. Fully aware of the trap unfolding in front of them, the garrison fleet pulled back to the station, wishing to use it as a firebase and anchor against the more maneuverable rebel force.
Admiral Thalente pursued cautiously, not wishing to tip off the defenders to the surprise that awaited them. The approach onto the station was much the same, attempting to keep the remains of the loyalist fleet between her formation and the station to minimize the effectiveness of the immobile batteries. The approach to the station lasted hours, with both sides attempting to out position and maneuver around the other. Finally, after a council attache aboard Thalente’s flagship received an encrypted message from their counterpart aboard the station, the final assault began.
Vessels of Legion MI approaching the Bombala 5 station, 2934
The Loyalist fleet maintained fixed positions, knowing that the rebel armada lacked long range firepower. However when the station guns opened up, what remained of the system defence fleet could only standby and watch as their plans turned to ash in their hands. The heavy guns of the Bombala station tore through the loyalist formation, the defence fleet was shattered in the first few volleys. What ships remained quickly surrendered, the vessels were turned over to General Cimber of the Sixty-fifth. The station itself was ransacked, anything of value or use stripped and salvaged. What remained of the loyalists were given a simple choice, abandon the Empress and join the cause, or be left to rot on the station.
NG03-7 Incident[]
The incident that occurred near the black hole designated NG03-7 is only known from the report gathered from the few survivors and the recovered black box recordings. In November 2934, Legion XXVIII, led by General Aquila Ventura Rios accidentally translated into the black hole’s gravity transition zone after a navigational malfunction during their transit through metadimensional space; before being sent off course, General Ventura had been tasked with scouting the sector northwest to determine the potential for future military operations in the region. The fleet was stranded immediately upon translation as the energy incursion had disabled many systems.
The first ship to regain its navigation systems was the WLS Clarence’s Mint, a small frigate staffed by a crew of twenty. The Mint’s crew confirmed that communication throughout the fleet had remained in flux but that they had briefly established contact with their general’s ship. It was during this check-in that General Ventura order the Clarence’s Mint to leave and return to the White Legions staging point in order to inform them of the set back. Having received their orders, the WLS Clarence’s Mint proceeded to leave NG03-7 but not before their radar picked up multiple anomalies they believed were caused by residual system glitches. Unable to re-establish communication, the frigate’s crew made the jump. It was their general’s order that would save the lives of those aboard the Mint, but it would be the last time they ever saw their legion again.
The WLS Clarence's Mint making its way out of NG03-7, November 2934.
Record of the attack that occurred soon after has only been recorded from recovered black boxes. Approximately two hours after arrival, and thirty-five minutes after the Clarence’s Mint’s departure, the systems of Legion XXVIII’s command ship, and many other ships, had finally come back online. As the fleet’s radar systems pinged to life, the legion would quickly discover themselves surrounded by an enemy fleet. The initial confusion turned to panic as the enemy fleet identified themselves as the retinue of the Empress herself. Upon the realization, General Ventura transmitted the legion’s surrender but the Empress responded without mercy. When Legion XXVIII never returned, the Council of Houses sent a search team, only to find the entire fleet in wreckage.
With morale low from the defeat at Andophael, the incident at NG03-7 and the loss of an entire legion only served to worsen spirits with some even beginning to question whether the rebellion could ever achieve victory. Concerns over the future had even affected White Legion command staff, however, their hindrance was not on past defeats but was instead focused on the Blood Eagle. The NG03-7 Incident had reminded many that the Empress, though increasingly absent since the defection on Diomikato, still posed the largest threat to the Council of Houses’ rebellion. In response to fear that she could reveal herself at any moment, the Council created a covert joint task force whose mission was to locate and track the Blood Eagle’s whereabouts, and inform the rebellion should she be positioned to potentially interfere with their campaign.
Operation Red River[]
Valua had been under martial law since the swift invasion in 2925, part of the Empress's unification campaigns. Since then the governor had begun a policy of severe rationing, building fortified factories, and overworking the local population in order to manufacture rations and other supplies for the Imperial Legions. Valua's liberation from the clutches of the Loyalists wasn't considered to be reasonably possible, until new intelligence suggested local resistance groups were becoming an issue for the garrison. An opportunity to reduce surplus supplies to Loyalist legions was considered to be an important part of dismantling the Blood Eagle's hold on the sector. If Valua was taken out of the equation, Yakiyah would be the only major source of rations to the loyalists.
Admiral Sarkar and several other White Legion commanders presented a plan to the Council of Houses: Conscious of its distance from the core, there was hesitation from the commanders to commit a sizable force. Instead they planned to insert teams of specialists onto the surface. These teams would link up with resistance cells on the planet and provide them with equipment, training, and aid in organizing a large scale uprising of the local populace. Even if the uprising failed it was predicted that the Empress would have to substantially increase the garrison, tying up even more troops away from the core.
The Council of Houses enthusiastically approved the operation, and beginning on the 14th of April 2935 commandos from the legions XLV, XLIV, and XXV started to arrive on planet. The special forces teams used captured freighters to avoid suspicion. High orbital insertion using newly designed stealth pods, courtesy of House Fornax and even some members of House Triangulum, enabled the teams to make planetfall without detection. The commandos' first task was to find and communicate their intentions to the local resistance.
Suspected White Legion commando, dated January 29th, 2936. Image taken by perimeter security outside a defence militia weapons stockpile
Months after their insertion. in January 2936, the organised guerrilla campaign began. The resistance started targeting everything from production facilities to stockpiles, and after a time the garrison forts themselves. Loyalist security forces attempted to root out the resistance, but in doing so turned even more of the local population against them. Heavy handed tactics and public executions were used to try and deter resistance. Instead they created folk heroes: men and women, like Aran Basam whose resistance cell fought against unimaginable odds for five days before being overwhelmed. Kiro Dimitris, who led an operation on the Peshkahn internment camp, freeing hundreds of imprisoned civilians. Or Sophie Iosava who was captured and escaped a dozen times before finally being executed for resisting. These and countless others were used in propaganda by the resistance, examples of patriots of Valua and role models. All the while more and more equipment and personnel from the White Legions arrived on Valua, fueling the spread of unrest and enabling the resistance to strike back harder.
The violence continued to escalate with more and more loyalist forces arriving on planet. The White Legions operation had been a resounding success, Valua had become a quagmire for the Empress and one she could not give up on lightly.
Devastation on Mona[]
Mona had long been a footnote in the history of the Empire, but the modest population had been used as a recruitment pool for the Aquilan Legions since the crowning of the Empress. A token garrison had been established to provide a basic defence, but more importantly coordinate the recruitment and training of future soldiers. Colonel Aquila Besson Hector had been in overall command for the better part of a decade. His service record had been unremarkable, unlike many of the commanders on the edges of the sector, Colonel Besson showed no signs of antagonism towards the Empress or her supporters. Despite this, on March 2nd, 2936 seemingly overnight, the Colonel and the garrison force had thrown off their ties to the Empress and embraced the rebellion. Unable to evacuate the world themselves, Colonel Besson sent out a call for aid, hopeful that the White Legions would respond quickly.
A quick response would come, but not one the Colonel expected: Four weeks after their defection a battle group of roughly four legions translated onto the edge of the system. Much to the shock of the would be rebels, this task group issued a broadcast on all channels as they made their way into the system.
“Those who have allowed doubt to cloud your mind, know that we have come to deliver illumination.”
- Unknown Loyalist Commander
The call for aid had been received, but by a loyalist battlegroup dispatched to contain the growing insurgency on Valua and prevent it spreading to the rest of the system. The fleet quickly established orbital supremacy, and began making planetfall uncontested. Few records of the battle remain, but the results are undeniable. The loyalists leveled every fortification, position, and structure used by the garrison. Several of the surrounding settlements were also devastated, though the capital and primary spaceport were untouched.
Loyalist Imperial forces making planetfall on Mona, 2936
Casualty figures are unknown, but Imperial records indicate that parts of the loyalist task force arrived in the Aliya system weeks later with no prisoners and a surplus of equipment. Other reports show fighting continued within thePavvis system for many months to come, although much of it would be focused in and around Valua. Though the civilian infrastructure of Mona remained largely intact, the Aquilan installations would be left in ruin for decades to come. Either to serve as a reminder, or simply due to a lack of resources.
The Tsatsos Campaign[]
The time had come to push into the Imperial core once more. The Council insisted that establishing a presence within the core was necessary to embolden factions within the other noble houses to act, and would serve to improve the diminished morale among the rebel soldiers. The commanders of the White Legions for their part knew that this rebellion could not continue as it had forever, as the Empress would endure and grind them to dust if given enough time.
The rebels would not repeat the mistakes made at Andopheal and the like, for they knew a second failure would likely be the last. The process and planning took years, and would require coordination from every aspect of the rebellion. In the last months of 2935, members of House Fornax proposed the target be the Tsatsos system. Yakiyah was the historical breadbasket of the Empire, Demnoph had become a central pillar of the Imperial war machine, and House Serpens was seemingly waiting for the right opportunity to change sides. Much of this was already known, however, the Fornax delegation had brought more news. They had recently made contact with representatives from the A.C.R.E. Corporation. The corporation had supported the Empress during her rise to power, and had profited greatly from her regime, but it now appeared that the bond between the two was not as unflinching as it once seemed. The Directors, always hunting for more profit and new markets eyed Yakiyah. Their lease of the world had been sanctioned by the Empress, however she had put strict limits on how the corporate enterprise could operate on the world. Ever wary of the balance of power in the Empire, the Empress had refused all offers to turn the world completely over to A.C.R.E.. The Fornax delegates saw this as a prime opportunity, a chance to swing the balance of power firmly in their favor. After purportedly a fierce debate, the rest of the council agreed, the White Legions were directed to launch an invasion of the Tsatsos system.
Despite the new political arrangements, the rebel commanders knew that an invasion of Tsatsos and seizing Yakiyah was going to be a bloody and arduous affair. Plans and operations were drawn up to engage the Empress’ forces across the sector, with the aim to draw away and tie up as many of the loyalist legions as possible. These would escalate slowly over months, so as not to reveal the rebels true intention. The Council would support this initiative through use of their covert cells and seditionist movements.
For the invasion force itself, the White Legions would assemble seven entire legions, with detachments and support elements from a further four. Admiral Sarkar of the Fourty-fourth was to be given operational command, however much of the details would not be left to her alone. This would be the largest single assault thus far in the war, and the rebels knew that preparing for all contingencies would be vital.
Intelligence reports provided by House Lyra suggested that the bulk of the void defence was made up by a network of orbital installations. These stations were positioned to cover other void installations or key positions on the ground. Demnoph and Hroa maintained the largest collections of such stations, with the Yakiyah grid still under development. To support this static defensive system, the loyalists maintained a sizable fleet of capital ships, most notably a squadron of heavy battlecruisers. These vessels were distributed evenly between each world, and the screening vessels would maintain patrols along the edges of the system. Exact ground force composition was unknown, however it was surmised to be well-equipped from the forges on Demnoph.
By the end of 2936, the preparations were complete. A wave of unrest and revolts spurred on by the Council as well as raids by the White Legions had spread across the core for months. On January 3rd, 2937 the Seventy-fourth, Twenty-fifth, Eighth, Sixty-fifth, and Forty-fourth legions translated en-masse into the Tsatsos system. Over the next few days, they were joined by the LX and ML legions along with the various detachments and supporting elements. The rebel armada moved as one, and drove towards Yakiyah with all haste. Anything caught in their path was obliterated with little warning.
The rebels spear thrust into the system had been a success, the defence fleet had been caught unprepared and slow to respond. By the time any cohesion had been mustered, the invasion force had already engaged the Yakiyahn defence grid. The battlecruiser task force over the harvest world had no hope of outrunning the rebels, they positioned themselves behind the first line of stations, hoping to screen themselves from the opening volleys and inflict as much damage as they could before being overrun. This hope proved folly, as the volume of coordinated fire from the rebel ships tore through the Yakiyahn defences with ease. The A.C.R.E. The Nutmeg of Consolation was caught out and suffered a reactor detonation within minutes, while the A.C.R.E. The Letter of Marque was bisected by the remains of a nearby station. Within hours the rebels had obliterated the orbital defence network, with boarding actions to secure the remaining stations ongoing. Across Yakiyah drop pods and assault landers of the White Legions made planetfall.
The rebels planned to create beachheads across the planet, hoping to cut off and isolate the defenders before they could mount any meaningful defence. Command of ground operations was divided into various geographical regions. General Orianne, leading various legion detachments and the bulk of the Third legion's ground forces, was to be the vanguard on the offensive to take Tanez. General Reid and Ophir were to sweep the open farmlands and complete an encirclement of the capital. General Xu was tasked with pushing through the mountainous jungles before assaulting the city of Neo-Medellín from what was expected to be the less defended axis. Generals Cimber, Lali, and Suna would launch spearhead assaults on the major metropolitan coastal regions in their drop sectors, before scouring the surrounding fields for remaining resistance. Strike craft and limited orbital barrages would target the most fortified positions and pin the larger garrison elements in place while the rebels made their initial landings.
An armored column of Legion VIII makes planetfall on Yakiyah, January 15th, 2937
General Lali’s advance quickly fell behind schedule, the defenders had mined the major roadways and sabotaged causeways and river crossings. Loyalist forces harried the Twenty-fifth at every turn, utilizing strike teams and skirmish forces to ambush convoys and advance columns at every step. Liberal application of cluster and high explosive ordnance delivered by orbital support ensured that the advance was not completely halted. As the rebels closed in on the city, elements of the fourth legion attached to the task group began setting up heavy artillery along the southern outskirts of the city. These guns would prove invaluable as the advance moved into more urban environments. Fortified hard-points and bunkers were shattered under the withering hail of heavy ordnance.
General Suna’s light infantry elements excelled in the open terrain, however their lightning advance soon ground to a halt as they entered the urban centers. The loyalists had established a network of tunnels throughout the province, and their counterattack threatened to encircle the entire legion, only the deployment of Admiral Sarkar’s orbital drop shock troops prevented disaster.
General Xu’s landing in the undeveloped jungle regions began uneventful, however their advance soon slowed to a crawl. The loyalists had scattered light infantry elements throughout the jungles; constructing hidden fortifications, minefields, and tunnel networks throughout the rugged and hostile terrain. The LX proceed cautiously, attempting to prevent total encirclement. Infantry patrols would proceed on foot through the harsh terrain, locate and identify enemy positions, and coordinate with what few Lorica detachments made the drop or the strike craft support on station. This system proved effective, but time consuming. After a week of fighting, the rebels had advanced to their day 2 targets.
A squad of Legion LX advancing through the jungles of Yakiyah, February 16th, 2937. VTOL support craft seen acting as close air support
General Reid and General Ophir’s drop zones were heavily contested, with reinforced installations scattered throughout the fields surrounding Tanez. Once planetside, the armored forces made short work of these scattered defences, however, orbital scans showed sizable loyalist elements leaving the city. This force threatened to shatter either task group in isolation, thus the encirclement plan was abandoned. Both generals advanced in formation, and the two sides would meet in the rolling hills outside the small town of Ovabuco. The engagement was the largest armored combat recorded thus far in the war. Thousands of armored vehicles and hundreds of Lorica fought across the open fields and rugged highlands in a grinding battle of attrition for weeks. The rebels prevailed, but had suffered immense casualties. The offensive would have to be altered, the VIII and XXV would support General Orianne in their advance on Tanez directly, and act as a mobile reserve.
General Cimber’s landing and advance met almost no resistance, they advanced to their targets ahead of schedule. However the Sixty-fifth was soon beset on all sides by loyalist forces, the garrison had fabricated false fortifications and structures to mislead the rebels. Ambushes were launched across urban areas, cutting off large portions of the legion. Intra-unit coordination was thrown into chaos as the rebel garrison utilized advanced ECM to block or disrupt all but the most localized communication equipment. The chaotic house-to-house fighting lasted days, the rebels were able to solidify their defence, and begin the arduous process of linking up the scattered and isolated units. Some of those, such as the seventh company, fourth battalion, commanded by Major Aquila Bouwer Andrietta, had held out against constant assaults for days with no support or hope of relief. The trap had succeeded, as though the Sixty-fifth had held on and maintained control of their objective, they were in no position to continue the advance.
The ground campaign was moving forward, but the weeks of fighting turned to months. The garrison troops fought for every kilometer with fanatical zeal. The orbital theatre had remained relatively quiet, with the rebels launching occasional probing attacks into the Demnoph and Hroa spheres, looking for any vulnerabilities. Hroa had proved as anticipated, however the defenses over Demnoph far outstripped initial projections. Three unknown battleships had taken up formation near the primary spaceport. Long range imaging showed signs of construction work continuing in sections. It was surmised that the vessels had been under construction in the months leading up to the invasion, and were now being pushed into service.
The rebels resumed their general offensive across Yakiyah in late March. Months of bitter fighting had worn the garrison down. The White Legions, for their part, had paid the price for underestimating their foe and would not be caught off-guard again. Advances were supported by squadrons of strike craft. Naval officers were brought down to improve ground to void coordination. Bunkers, forts, or installations encountered were systematically leveled through liberal application of heavy ordnance. This tactic, though by some measures brutal and resource inefficient, proved devastating. What remained of the garrison force shattered under the overwhelming firepower the rebels laid bare. What units survived were forced to scatter into the wilds of Yakiyah, where they hoped to continue their resistance.
White Legion forces on patrol in the wilds of Yakiyah, March 21st, 2937
With fighting on the surface contained to several small less populated zones, the rebels went to work taking stock of what remained of the invasion force, and what would be necessary to complete their offensive. Their prospects seemed grim. Though Yakiyah had been taken, the losses were above projections. The orbital defence system over Hroa had been the first completed, and was by far the strongest. Additionally, the system defence fleet had been slowly reinforced by assets from elsewhere in the Core. The Council went to work re-establishing contact with A.C.R.E.. Over the next several weeks the rebel armada detected movements above Demnoph suggesting orbital engagements, on April 15th a small task force of vessels were observed to break orbit and make their way to Hroa. Several days later, on April 23rd, contact between the A.C.R.E. Corporation and the invasion force was established. Although the surface of Demnoph was still hotly contested, the Directors of ACRE were preparing to launch a convoy of war materiel previously destined for the Empress’ forces toward Yakiyah. The rebel commanders were relieved, but knew that the invasion of Hroa would take time to prepare.
An Empire Fractured[]
Almost one quarter of the Aquilan Legions had joined under the Council of Houses and White Legion’s banner by end of 2937. Now with a force capable of withstanding the Empress and her loyalists, the White Legions began to focus on the core of the sector. The ultimate aim to finally convince another noble house to defect.
This was no easy task, despite the many victories for the Council of Houses, the Empress still maintained a tight grip on power. She had increased her ties in the remaining noble houses, promoting her allies into prestigious positions and ensuring their power grew. Bound personally to the Empress, their loyalty for now was assured.
While promoting her allies, the Blood Eagle increased her attempts at rooting out traitors before they defected. Focusing at first on the Legions and their commanders, Conséc was given authority to investigate any suspicions. Protests from senior commanders were soon silenced after a series of high profile arrests. Several generals were taken into custody, convicted of treason and quickly executed, this the Empress warned was the consequences those who contemplated defection would face.
The Blood Eagle needed to maintain the loyalty of the general populace: fear and intimidation became a common tactic of the loyalist authorities, a practice no longer contained to just those in open rebellion. Agents of Conséc were given authority to dispense justice without trial. Anyone who was even suspected of harbouring rebellious sympathies were hunted and public executions became a regular occurrence.
Yet despite this, defections still occurred, groups that had been set up by the Council of Houses had thrived, their membership increased rapidly after every injustice. More and more legions joined the Council of Houses, buoyed by victories in recent years and persuaded by the cruel response from the Blood Eagle. The Council’s cause was also bolstered by the High Church as their assistance had been steadily growing as the war progressed. Priests and other Church officials were adept at spreading and passing information throughout the Imperial Core. As of yet the High Exarch could not publicly support the Council and the rebellion, but this would not stop lesser members of the High Church from taking a more active role in the conflict.
The Council of Houses even began hiring mercenaries to aid in their campaigns, the most notable being the newly created Deathless Mercenary Company. Initial negotiations were led by House Fornax, who sent representatives to Kerdava in 2937. War games and demonstrations impressed the Fornax diplomats and the first deal struck would see the mercenary company provide ten thousand void-based marines in exchange for shipments of military supplies and the latest combat mech designs. Future contracts would be dependent on the field performance of this first detachment but already diplomatic messages back to Maja would highlight the similarities in training regimen and unit cohesion between these Deathless forces and various White Legion forces. These professional soldiers would be involved in some of the most critical battles of the war and would be a boost to the forces of the Council of Houses. House Fornax and House Cygnus had also begun increasing their own military forces, and though they kept the majority on their homeworlds, more and more detachments were being sent to join the White Legions as the war progressed.
The Empress's paranoia is said to have increased with each setback. Seeing enemies all around her, she increased her personal security, further isolated herself from the outside world, and only maintained links to her closest advisors. Gone were the days of the charismatic leader, now only a tyrant remained.
Liberation of Hroa[]
The stalemate in the Tsatsos system had gone on for months. The orbital theatre saw strings of brief skirmishes throughout the system, but both sides were unwilling or unable to launch any significant offensive. With Yakiyah secured for the rebels, the ACRE Corporation had pledged their support for the cause, although Demnoph had been embroiled in conflict as a result. The White Legions began sending commando teams to assist the ACRE levies and militia’s in retaking their world. Despite the tumultuous situation on the ground, shipments of supplies began reaching the rebel legions on Yakiyah in an ever growing frequency. The Council also provided what aid it could, though their convoys were far less reliable due to the travel distances.
In June, the battlegroup began making final preparations for the assault on Hroa. The assembled commanders opted to focus the orbital offensive over the city of Lo'raek. The city supported a spaceport of some size, and the orbital defence grid was not as dense as in other sectors. A spearhead assault would minimise the effectiveness of the loyalist’s static defensive system, while maximising the rebel's firepower. But because Hroa’s thick atmosphere would make void-to-ground coordination all but impossible, initial deployments would rely on drop shock units reinforced with Lorica detachments. Once beacheads could be secured, armored task forces would make planetfall and push out in all directions.
The Hroan offensive began on June 10th, Admiral Sarkar maintained operational command and the 44th legion comprised the vanguard of the rebel armada. The Loyalist defence fleet was quick to respond and the skies above Hroa were soon filled with high energy weapons fire. The fighting lasted hours, with the loyalist fleet proving to be far tougher than anticipated but sill in the end, the loyalist forces were forced to pull-back to the other side of Hroa. The rebels had achieved a breakthrough, although the cost had been high. With thirty percent of the armada requiring significant repairs before being deemed combat worthy again. The fleet’s next task was to begin breaking apart the defence network piece by piece. The rebel’s carrier groups would prove vital in this next phase, as strike craft could approach the defensive stations from unexpected angles and deliver devastating bombing runs before the stations could respond. Sergeant Aquila Thomsen Pia of Legion VIII earned several commendations during this phase of the operation, having disabled forty-seven stations and completing two hundred and sixty-one sorties.
In the early hours of June 16th, the invasion of Lo'raek began. Assault troops from the Third, Sixtieth, Sixty-fourth, and Thirty-fifth legions made planetfall across the city. The first wave suffered heavy casualties, as the loyalist troops had been fortifying the world for months. However, with the deployment of drop Lorica, the tide began to turn in favor of the rebels. Within eight hours of the first drops, Lo'raek was securely in the hands of the White Legions, and the heavy landers began pouring onto the surface.
ODSTs of the Third Legion making planetfall on Hroa, June 16th 2937
From there the Fourth legion would be tasked with capturing Aranath, an imposing fortress built into the mountains serving as the headquarters for the loyalist forces. The Sixtieth would push into Ophai, as General Xu’s assault forces expected to be of great use in the twisting corridors of the underground city. At the same time, General Orianne would be joined by General Reid and General Suna in the march to Sero’ak. With General Cimber tasked with rearguard duties in Jun’ii and overseeing the air war.
The Loyalist’s defensive strategy in and around Sero’ak was one of mobility and elasticity. Armored task groups would strike in dozens of locations across the front, attempting to pin the rebel formations in place while supporting units would attempt to outflank and surround. Rebel commanders were forced to match this fluid posturing, or risk being outmaneuvered and wiped out. This back and forth would last for weeks, until the White Legions aerial support could be brought to bear.
The city of Ophai had not received the same surface fortifications as other areas of Hroa had, allowing the 60th legion to advance with little to no resistance. However upon entering the cavernous city, General Xu’s troops learned where the Loyalist’s effort had gone. The twisting corridors had been turned into a labyrinthine fortress with every junction having overlapping kill-zones. The Loyalists intended to make the invaders pay in blood for every meter, however General Xu had learned much during the invasion of Yakiyah. The commanders of the Sixtieth knew they could not avoid the trap before them, so they intended to smash it to pieces. Shaped charges were used to blast new paths through the mountain city, or turn choke points into tombs. Shrapnel and incendiary weapons would force the defenders to abandon their positions or be turned to ash. When frontal assaults could not be avoided, suit Lorica were brought forward to act as a wall of steel, grinding the defenders down under sustained fire. Within a week the city had fallen, though afterward it was little more than a smoldering ruin.
Meanwhile General Bellicus’ march to Aranath was marred with delays: the roads leading to the mountain fortress had been extensively mined, and loyalist artillery had pre-sighted many of the approach vectors. But once rebel air power began operating in full, the advance would resume.
Legion Lux soldiers on patrol, Hroa 2937
The siege of Aranath would stretch into the beginning of August. The 4th legion would take no chances ensuring that every possible bunker, hardpoint, or sally port was leveled under an ever increasing barrage of artillery. The garrison’s counter batteries had been silenced with the support of General Cimber’s bombing campaign. General Bellicus knew that the fortress would not fall easily, and began calling up reserves from Yakiyah in preparation for the assault. In the meantime, the commander of the Fourth would continue to launch probing attacks hoping to keep the defenders occupied. Bellicus, wishing to understand the layout of the fortress more thoroughly, would often place himself near the front during these operations in order to observe with his own eyes. It was during on one of these assaults, that Bellicus’ position came under heavy fire from hidden defensive batteries. Instead of retreating himself to safety, the general began dragging wounded to safety. The imagry of flames and explosive flashes dancing across his armor earned him the moniker ‘Bright Eagle’ from those under his command. A title he would carry on for the rest of his service.
Although total air superiority still eluded the rebels, General Orianne’s advance towards Sero’ak would no longer face any significant delays as VTOL gunships made short work of the loyalist’s rapid response teams. The rebels knew that their spearhead would never be able to surround the mirrored city, but they could still establish a foothold for their reserve forces. The assembled commanders knew that the battle for Sero’ak would be the most difficult thus far in the invasion of Hroa. Not only would the bulk of the Blood Eagles’ forces be dug-in within the city, but they would likely be complemented by house guard and potent psychics of House Serpens.
Both fronts began digging in for protracted sieges, however circumstances, or perhaps fate, had different plans as on August 9th, 2937, at 3:33am local time, an unexpected message was broadcast on all open channels:
“Within and without. The eyes see all. The winds change. Blood must be answered with Blood. The Fangs will find true. The Council has spoken.”
The events of the next few hours are a subject of debate even into the modern era. Documents archived on Diomikato detail eyewitness reports of explosions, fire, and violence erupting across Sero’ak the instant the message ended. Further reports corroborate these signs, and detail other incidents across every front on Hroa seemingly beginning at the same instant. By sunrise, the fighting appeared to have stopped. A procession bearing the mark of House Serpens, and later identified as the sigil of the Fang, exited the city of Sero’ak and moved towards the White Legion battle lines. Carrying no weapons, and moving under the cover of a white flag the envoys was permitted to approach. The High Ministra was brought before the rebel commanders and delivered their message: House Serpens would pledge itself to the Council of Houses. The battle for Hroa was over.
Strike on Alvero[]
Attempting to capitalize on the success in Tsatsos, the Council of Houses targeted the Alvero system for a new offensive. Unlike other operations, House Fornax would be allocating a sizable void-borne detachment, the latest work of the forges of Maja. To reinforce this new fleet would be complements of soldiers from the Deathless. House Fornax had been the most eager of the rebellious houses to utilize these new mercenary assets, and this would be the Deathless’ first official engagement during the war. The White Legion detachment for this operation would be the 212th legion, having just completed a refit and rearmament after their part in the early stages of the Tsatsos campaign.
The Alvero system had not been a frequent target for the Council, however recent intelligence reports pointed to extremist elements within House Eridanus gaining ground. This group, known as the Tax Breakers, had been infiltrating the bureaucratic structures of the Imperial Bank for decades and had recently leaked the latest disposition of Imperial assets to the Council. What had once been seen as an imposing target now appeared vulnerable.
Admiral Aquila Boucher Brigitte would be in overall command, her goal was to gain control of the space over the Tiber and Aomori spheres. This would serve as a beachhead for reserve elements to begin the invasion of Tiber and relieve the Tax Breaker revolt that would be in full swing by that time.
In late August 2938, the battlegroup arrived in system. The 212th and 115th legions would form the vanguard with the Fornax force acting as the reserve. Their first target would be Tiber, hoping to inflict sufficient damage to spur the Tax Breaker cells into action. The operation had been unfolding exactly as expected and the approach to Tiber had been uncontested. Planetary defence forces appeared to have been unprepared for the rebel incursion which allowed for the rebels to advance without delay as they sought to bring this operation to a close ahead of schedule.
When the two forces met, it seemed the final piece had fallen into place for the rebels, however rearguard forces soon detected a massive flotilla on long range sensors. This loyalist force had managed to make their approach undetected by using the other celestial bodies within the system to mask their sensor trace. The bulk of the White Legion fleets were already committed to fighting the defence fleet over Tiber, which left the Fornax fleet to respond. Admiral Boucher tasked the HFS Hammer of Litholm with stopping the loyalist advance until the White Legion fleet could engage on their flanks after the skies over Tiber were secure.
As the two fleets clashed over Tiber, Deathless marines launched a surprise assault on a series of orbital stations that comprised the final line of loyalist defences. The mercenary soldiers had been drifting through the void in assault boats and specialized combat mechs for well over ten hours having been launched long before the fighting had started. Maintaining a wide formation and minimal power consumption enabled the Deathless marines to approach the station virtually undetected. Though this approach method was viewed as suicidal by Admiral Boucher, it added no new risk to the overall operation, or to any Aquilan forces and was thus permitted.
The first wave of Deathless marines began their assaults shortly before the Aquilan fleet reached firing range. Station defenders were caught completely off guard as thousands of boarders appeared to materialize out of void. But despite early setbacks, the Loyalists held firm. The fighting would continue for hours but the mercenaries had achieved their primary goal. With their firebase under direct assault, the Tiber defence fleet quickly fell under the relentless assault of Admiral Boucher. Once the last holdouts of resistance had been dealt with, Deathless forces under the command of Anastasia Van Peij would make planetfall using commandeered shuttlecraft. Once planetbound the mercenaries would link up with, and assist the Tax Breakers in their insurgency.
While the engagement over Tiber had proven successful, the skirmish between the Fornax fleet and the inbound loyalist flotilla had only just begun. In the early hours of the August 26th, the more advanced vessels of House Fornax proceded to dispatch the loyalist screens with relative ease. However the loyalist armada had a significant concentration of heavy warships, and their withering barrages quickly put the rebels on the back foot. The Loyalists closed in on the Fornax fleet, seeking to leverage their superior numbers in a close-range brawl. As the two fleets traded devastating broadsides, Admiral Boucher’s forces had mopped up the orbital garrisons, and was advancing on the flanks of the battle at full speed. The Aquilan admiral hoped to divert fire away from the Fornax fleet while cutting off the loyalist’s line of retreat.
The House Fornax strike cruiser, Hammer of Litholm, suffering heavy damage during the engagement in Alvero
Despite this influx of support, the grinding barrages of the Loyalists continued to wear the rebel armada down. The rebels knew that this could not continue, lest they risk total annihilation. A fighting withdrawal was all but impossible from their position however, as the rebels had no hope of outmaneuvering the Loyalists. In response, Commodore Mach of the Legion CXV proposed a bold solution: A rearguard would be drawn up from the most sluggish vessels, supported by a light screen. In addition, several disabled hulks would be tugged alongside this detachment to act as mobile cover which would force the Loyalists to engage at extremely close range. Once in position, the lighter escorts would quickly vacate the engagement, while the larger rebel vessels would have their reactor cores detonated remotely, taking as many of the Loyalists with them as possible. In order for this plan to work however, each of the fire ships would require a skeleton crew aboard.
On September 7th, Mach’s plan went into action. The initial fleet movements took time to complete, but the loyalist fleet took the bait and closed in on the approaching debris field. The fire ship detonations were devastating, catching the bulk of the loyalist armada in their wake. The gambit had worked and the rebel flotilla was able to complete their withdrawal, though the price had been high. The Fornax fleet had suffered immensely, with forty percent of their ships being destroyed or disabled in the operation, and a further thirty percent requiring extensive repairs. Unable to continue, the fleet would retreat to Maja to undergo repairs and link up with the Fornax home guard. Casualties among the White Legion forces were also high, in part to the noble sacrifices of the fire ships, but both legions were able to return to combat readiness by the end of the year.
Though the offensive into the Alvero system had been halted, the Council had partially succeeded in their plan. The void-borne defences over Tiber had been cleared, and the imposing armada dispatched to trap them had been dealt a significant blow. The mercenaries of the Deathless, though having suffered heavy casualties on the ground, had proven their value to be well above expectations. Their first major engagement of the war was decisive, their tenacity and ferocity in combat against the Blood Eagle’ forces was something unseen outside of the White Legions.
The chaos caused in the wake of the assault served as a catalyst for the Tax Breakers, and their campaign of sedition and sabotage would drag on for man months. Deathless forces would prove invaluable for the fledgling Tiberian rebellion. The Councils’ failure would be the spark that would set Tiber ablaze for years to come.
The Pamita Cha Offensive[]
In 2942, House Triangulum would be the next target on the Council’s list of houses to turn from the Blood Eagles’ side. Representatives of a paramilitary group known as the Itinerant Knights came to the council with their desire to join forces with the Council. This group was comprised of former house guard units who had joined up with other rebellious sects of House Triangulum after various crackdowns by the Empress and her forces during the early years of her reign. These sects had been fighting a shadow war against their house and the Empress for decades and although some within the White Legions voiced skepticism, the promise of advanced technology proved too great for the Council to ignore.
And so the Council began preparations: General Orianne would be given operational command, and he would bring with him the Legions MI and CLIV alongside sizable detachments of the II, XLIV and CCXII legions. House Serpens would dispatch a number of Fang strike teams for this offensive as well, while House Fornax would attach a number of engineering teams, hoping to recover valuable infrastructure and research material. House Cygnus having expanded their contracts with the Deathless, sent several companies worth of soldiers to act as the vanguard during boarding operations.
The rebels knew that Lovelace would not be an easy target as the bulk of the Echo garrison had since relocated to the Pamita Cha system. The orbital installations comprising Habitat One would no doubt be heavily fortified. Combat on these orbital structures would likely be brutal and costly. With almost no intelligence to go on, Orianne planned to crush the system defences in one decisive engagement before systematically capturing or disabling the stations, MCPs and other installations that comprised of House Triangulum’s home. There were concerns among the other legion commanders about the later phases of the offensive, most prominent was the fear that station sections, or even entire installations, would be detonated or sabotaged once boarding operations were under way. These concerns were only partially eased by the House Fornax commanders who suggested risking the mercenary contingents in the first waves, showing little disregard for their lives.
By April 2942, preparations and mobilization had completed and the rebel task force entered the Pamita Cha system on the 8th. The system had indeed been fortified, with void formations equivalent to four Aquilan legions in and around Lovelace. The loyalist flotilla made no attempt to intercept the rebels, and instead took up position on the far end of the shrouded world. The rebel's approach into the system began smoothly, but was quickly halted as the lead elements suffered extensive damage after encountering a web of void mines. The weapons, newly developed by House Triangulum, utilized unique power systems and exterior shielding to minimize the radiated energy signature while targeting approaching vessels by way of their energy and communication emissions. The advance stalled as the rebel commanders attempted to devise some method to identify and contain this new threat.
Using modified sensor probes and buoys, the 212th were able to create rudimentary maps outlining the broad edges of the mined zones. Navigating through the fields took considerable time, and in some cases required clearing using judicious application of ordnance. By the 11th, the rebel battlegroup had managed to reform past the Sian Belt and began making their final approach on Lovelace.
The loyalist defence fleet had initially used the planet as a shield during the rebel approach, but switched tactics to instead advanced at full speed to intercept the oncoming armada. This was seen with some relief by General Orianne, as it suggested the initial concerns of dense fortification in and around Habitat One may be unfounded. In the early hours of April 17th, the first shots were exchanged. Admiral Thalente’s light ship tactics had become well known at this point in the war, and the Loyalists succeeded in breaking up the rebels screen formations. As the main battle lines closed onto each other, the opposing skirmish lines began stretching farther out as each side attempted to outflank the other.
As the capital ships closed into firing range, Admiral Lyons ordered a concentrated torpedo salvo with the plan of splitting the main loyalist formation and create a multi-front engagement. Much to their surprise, the Loyalists continued headlong into the oncoming barrage. The warhead salvo detonated, seemingly instantaneously, once they had crossed within scant kilometers of the opposing armada. The rebels were stunned, short range countermeasures were well known, but whatever technology the Loyalists implemented completely and utterly eclipsed them. General Orianne ordered the rebel forces to close in on the enemy, hoping this mysterious system would be ineffective at close ranges.
This close range brawl lasted for hours, both sides exchanging devastating salvos and broadsides. Boarding torpedoes and assault ships from both sides filled the void between the massive amount of vessels. The detachments from the Second Legion proved especially invaluable for the rebels. The battle soon balanced on a knife edge, with neither side gaining an advantage. It seemed as if both sides would wear the other down to dust. However, as Admiral Thalente succeeded in driving off the loyalist screening forces, the battle flanks traded into the rebel's hands, Thalente’s commanders began closing the noose around the enemy’s main battle lines.
While the battle appeared to have tipped into the rebel’s favor, but the Blood Eagle’s forces had one more trick up their sleeves. The trio of loyalist battleships that comprised the loyalist command cadre began generating strange energy signatures. Within minutes, the three warships began emitting high energy pulses in tandem. With each pulse, communications, targeting, and sensor systems began scrambling and overloading across the rebel armada. Every ship was soon left completely blind. Panic and confusion gripped the rebels for hours as systems were restarted and repaired, trying their best to recover while ever fearful that the Empress’ forces would turn their warships into tombs as they drifted blind.
But the final blow the rebels feared never came. Once some semblance of order had been established the rebels found themselves alone in the void. The bulk of the loyalist fleet had vanished, the only vessels remaining were those too heavily damaged or hotly contested by rebel boarding parties. These stragglers were quickly silenced, with care being taken to capture as many of the Loyalists as possible. The interrogations would take time, but for the moment the rebels initial objectives had been achieved. The way to Habitat One lay open, and the rebels advanced at full pace.
Marines from Legion II in the midst of a boarding action on the ILS Rising Phoenix
The defensive network around Habitat One comprised a number of automated stations slave-linked to a small number of crewed command and control installations. Legion CLIV and Legion II were given the task of commandeering or disabling the network at their discretion while the main Council force dismounted and began establishing control over House Triangulum’s home. The occupation of Habitat One was completed in short order with the house guard of Triangulum offering no resistance after having been persuaded by a delegation from the High Exarch. While this suggested that the noble house would have no issue with joining the Council of Houses, once delegates from both sides met it became clear that House Triangulum had yet to fully commit to the rebellion. Knowing the importance of these negotiations, the representatives of House Cygnus asked General Orianne to represent the White Legions in person. Members of the High Church also offered their services as intermediaries and mediators during these negotiations. General Aquila Wolf Reimann was tasked with overseeing the defence of Habitat One, while Thalente and Agrippa would begin sweeping the star system for the remaining loyalists.
A number of corridors through the void mines had been discovered in the following weeks, and the White Legions began establishing patrols through them and the rest of the star system. However it quickly became apparent that the Blood Eagle’s forces had not withdrawn from Pamita Cha as first thought. Ambushes, raids, and coordinated strikes plagued the rebels at every turn, with the highest concentration of strikes occurring in and around the Sian asteroid belt. This combined with intelligence reports gathered from the wrecks and survivors of the first engagement suggested an elaborate and sophisticated network of bases and installations hidden deep within the belt.
WLS Dawn's Chariot hunting for Loyalist ships in the Sian Belt
The density of the Sian belt prevented the larger vessels at the rebels disposal from taking part. Admiral Thalente and Agrippa devised a general strategy utilizing formations of destroyers, frigates, and corvettes supported by squadrons of strike craft and assault landers. The strike craft would navigate their way through the belt and identify possible loyalist strong points. The detachments would then converge and launch sudden and decisive assaults attempting to surprise the loyalists and prevent them from escaping. Admiral Thalente would oversee the operation, and General Orianne would assign Commodore Royale and their Flying Squadron to assist. The latter's formation would go on to achieve the highest recorded kill tallies among the various strike teams in the year long campaign. The various companies provided by the Deathless proved invaluable as well, as they were frequently deployed as the first wave against the largest and most defended strong points, and at every turn they achieved remarkable results in the face of certain defeat.
Meanwhile negotiations had continued with House Triangulum, what was expected to be a quick confirmation of their defection became a tangled series of meetings. Chief among the concerns within House Triangulum was the likelihood of victory. Triangulum nobles had not been idle during this long conflict, and did not want to declare themselves for the council only to be defeated. General Orianne and the Council representatives, assisted by a few notable members of the High Church, outlined some of the long term projections, as well as detailing the Council's recent victories, hoping that this could persuade enough of the Pythagoras.
Yet still more work was needed, Orianne called for experts from House Fornax to detail the new advancements that the Council of Houses had been making, this would include the first public display of the latest spike drive developments. Members of House Serpens were called on to give information on joining the Council as the most recent member. All the while these negotiators were aided by diplomats from House Lyra, giving advice on how to interact in the meetings as well as what areas to focus on.
Nearly a year after the initial invasion, House Triangulum finally declared their intention to join the Council of Houses. The Council was to provide and maintain a sizable garrison within the Pamita Cha system, and promises were made to work closely on joint scientific endeavours. Now five Noble Houses in their entirety had joined the Council. It is estimated that the Council then had more manpower than the Empress. However most of this manpower resided in non-Aquilan house guard, or in conscripted forces from the various liberated worlds not yet made battle ready. Despite this advantage nothing was assured, the fight was nowhere near over. Both sides were determined to see this through to the bitter end.
Operation Blackbook[]
The second attempt at liberating the Alvero system would be just as arduous, if not more so, than the first. While the first attack spearheaded by the 212th and Admiral Boucher ended in defeat, it did succeed in neutralizing the defensive fleet that was stationed in the system. With the offensive in Pamita Cha entering a new phase, a number of the rebel legions assigned there were ready for new assignments. White Legion scouts had been able to maintain a covert presence within the system since late 2940. With this, the rebels knew that the Blood Eagle had not dispatched any void based reinforcements to the system. A battlegroup comprised of the 2nd, 4th, 25th, 212th, 1025th and a smattering of smaller detachments would be gathered to strike at Tiber.
The broad goals of the operation would be to establish a beachhead on the surface of Tiber and push out against the defences wherever and however possible. The assembled generals knew that their force could not take the world on their own, but they would not be fighting in Alvero alone for very long.
System translation completed on March 4th 2944, with orbital control of Tiber being secured within the week. The spaceport of Ostia was to be the rebels' first target as the logistics infrastructure would enable quick and efficient transfer of the larger equipment. The city also offered unique geographical obstacles that would hinder any land-based assault by the local defences, making it the ideal location to begin the invasion. Orbital drops began in the early hours of March 10th and the rebel assault forces were able to quickly overcome the cities scattered hard-points. The garrison had been entirely comprised of the Tiberian Militia, and had yet to fully mobilize prior to the assault. By the end of the 11th, the city and spaceport had fallen to the rebels.
White Legion forces making planetfall on Tiber, March 10th 2944
After setting up a command center within the city, Admiral Boucher and General Bellicus began to make plans for their offensive outwards. However, before they could make their move, columns of the Tiberian Militia began advancing towards the city of Ostia. The Eridanii militia had always been a force of immense size, but lacked the resources and leadership to mobilize such a titanic entity with any degree of haste. Once the assault began, units from the surrounding territories began the lumbering process of mobilization. Now the rebels were surrounded by a force ten times their number.
The militia divisions began their assault on the morning of the 14th. Although the rebel legions had little time to dig-in and prepare, the first waves were repulsed with little effort. The Tiberian forces had hoped to push back the Aquilan Legions through sheer volume of bodies and as such had not waited for their support artillery to be setup. The fighting was brutal but ultimately at the end of nine hours of combat, the Militia retreated out of firing range of the Legions.
Militia forces would not try a direct assault again, opting instead to dig-in and hold their position while preparations would be made to target and destroy the surviving hard-points and fortifications the rebels had turned into the pillars of their defensive lines. Units would attempt to make approaches under the cover of darkness and plant explosives in order to clear obstacles, debris, or ruins in order to open up the first sections of the Aquilan defences. Meanwhile heavy guns would be brought forward and sighted to known installations, to be used in the opening hours of the next assault.
General Bellicus, an expert at modern siege warfare, had foreseen the Eridanii plans and had made preparations accordingly. Kill-teams comprised of Legion Dragoon marines would scour no-man’s land once the sun had set, while small teams supported by suit Lorica of Legion II would sally out to attack the entrenched militia positions and serve as a distraction. Bellicus’ plan worked and the Eridanii forces began pulling back to their secondary lines in the following morning, the rebels had bought more time, but the containment would continue.
White Legion commanders began planning for their breakout. Attempts to contact the Tax Breaker organization or the left behind Deathless contingent had been unsuccessful, although orbital scans showed signs of active conflict across the planet. In the meantime, more armored battalions began making planetfall and the assembled generals knew it was only a matter of time before the Eridanii attempted another push. General Aquila Legus Marijus proposed a multi-pronged offensive across the Eridanii formations, utilizing a mixture of heavy bombardment and strike craft bombin runs to soften up the enemy lines before initiating an armored assault. This assault would focus at a number of geographic locales which would minimize the effectiveness of opposing artillery. Additionally, groups of commando teams would cross Lake Ostia the night before the assault to target supply depots and communication lines in order to disrupt coordination between garrison elements. These teams would also provide targeting information for aerial support once the operation began.
Preliminary bombardment would begin the morning of the 23rd, and would continue for several days. Under the cover of moonlight on March 27th, squads of commandos began making the crossing. Using equipment recovered during the initial assaults, these teams were able to navigate through the Eridanii reserves and locate their targets. Charges were placed at fuel and munitions depots, relay stations, and connecting trenches. Infrared targeting was used to paint concentrations of armor, as well as various hard-points in the Militia's rear lines. At dawn, the Eridanii militia was sent into chaos as they were seemingly under assault from all sides.
Fourth Legion soldiers begin their advance in the early hours of March 28th, 2944
The armored assault began shortly after sunrise. Battle tanks supported by Lorica teams shattered the weakened front lines, and began tearing into the rear forces. General Legus’ troops quickly followed suit, surrounding what positions managed to withstand the armored onslaught. The second and third lines held the initial attacks, however many of the Eridanii reserve units lacked the heavy weapons necessary to inflict serious damage on the Aquilan war engines. What little armor support they did possess had been targeted by elements of the infiltration teams, or made priority targets for the Fourth legion’s hunter-killer teams. Linking up with what remained of the commando teams was a priority for General Legus. A number of these teams, such as the Ombra under Captain Aquila Atl Juya of the Fourth was surrounded on all sides for hours. Captain Atl’s team would go on to achieve every primary objective, and also hold a key bridge crossing preventing an Eridanii column from reinforcing. This would earn them personal commendations from General Bellicus.
With their front line defences in chaos, and fearing a complete rout the Eridanii commanders called for a general retreat. Rebel air power harassed the Tiberian Militia for miles as they pulled back, however General Legus did not order any follow-up advances, as they were wary of losing everything they had gained through over-extension. Ostia had been taken and the rebel beachhead had held, but the cost had been severe. Word was sent out, the next phase of the Alvero invasion could begin. The rebel forces on Tiber would hold their ground and await relief.
Council of Houses forces begin their advance outwards from Ostia
The general advance by the Aquilans took place over the weeks that followed, with additional forces from House Cygnus entering the system as part of the Aomori task group. These units would bolster the Aquilan invasion force, however the expansion outwards from Ostia turned into a fluid and dynamic front. The Eridanii commanders had adapted from their earlier defeat, and moved to an elastic defence in depth. What followed was a careful dance of planned advances and feints, both sides attempting to coax the other into an over-extension. As time went on the Eridanii numbers continued to grow, as more and more regiments could be mobilized and called to the front. This fluid stalemate would drag on for many months to come.
Invasion of Aomori[]
With the invasion of Tiber achieving their initial objectives, the Council of Houses’ larger plans for the Alvero system began to unfold. Aquilan units from the Tsatsos campaign had been taken off front line duty to refit and rearm. During that period of time, the Aquilan officers were also sent to oversee and train a dramatic expansion to House Cygnus’ military forces. This program began in secret, but as the war progressed was quickly adopted by the majority of the ruling council. Volunteers, and in some cases conscripts, were taken from the various Cygnus territories and sent to the scattered rebel bases and fortifications hidden in the Empire's fringe. In late 2939, House Cygnus had nearly one million men and women under arms and deemed combat worthy.
Their first crucible would be Aomori. An Aquilan battlegroup had been marshaled to establish a bridgehead on Tiber, and this new Cygnus force would be dispatched with what few remaining rebel legions were available to strike at the island world. The 60th, 7th, and 8th had taken the lead during the training phase of development and would be the primary Aquilan contingent, with supporting elements taken from the 3rd legion. General Aquila Reid Igmar of the Eighth legion would be given overall command, having received a personal recommendation from Admiral Sarkar. It has been said that the thought of an Aquilan commanding the Cygnus forces directly was quite controversial among the Cygnus representatives to the Council. These objections seemed to fall to the wayside after Admiral Sarkar’s letter.
The vanguard translated in-system in the closing weeks of March 2945, escorting the relief detachments to Tiber before reforming and awaiting the arrival of the remaining Cygnus forces. By mid April the battlegroup was prepared to begin their assault on Aomori.
What remained of the Alvero system defence fleet had fled to Aomori after the recent invasion of Tiber. After years of reassignments and relocations after the first rebel incursion, the loyalist fleet was little more than an armored patrol force. The Loyalists drew their battle lines in range of the Cluny 2 orbital complex, attempting to leverage what heavy batteries remained in their arsenal. These measures only delayed the inevitable, as the Aquilan forces were among the most battle hardened in the sector, having fought their way across the Empire for decades. With their main line in tatters, and the orbital station under siege, Commodore Barabal surrendered what remained of her fleet to the rebels.
With the Aomori sphere under Council control, plans for the ground campaign could begin. The years of conflict in the Alvero system had worn down the forces loyal to the Blood Eagle, however the loyal 47th legion had spent almost the entirety of the war on the surface of Aomori. General Dalavi had been overseeing the expansion and reinforcement of the Reticulum House guard. Aomori had been turned into a fortress world.
Planning the invasion was more difficult than initially anticipated, as the weapon-masters of House Reticulum had, since the onset of the war, fabricated an advanced array of ground based energy weapons capable of engaging even capital ships in high orbit. This network was not all encompassing however, and the response time of the defensive network increased as the distance from the major population centers increased. Eventually though, any large scale invasion would find themselves under fire and the bulk landers of House Cygnus would be especially vulnerable. Furthurmore the natural features unique to Aomori would make coordinating a planet wide invasion difficult, with the scattered and isolated islands expected to be prime locations for loyalist rapid reaction and guerrilla forces.
Terrata Prime, and its surrounding districts, was identified as one of the areas lightest in coverage, and would be the target for the bulk of the Cygnus troops. Aquilan forces would form the vanguard, and be spearheading separate assaults on surrounding installations, infrastructure, and battery locations. General Reid aimed to stress the Aomori defense grid as much as possible during descent and use the opening waves to disable the orbital batteries. This would enable relief forces and heavy equipment to begin their descent in turn.
Brigadier General Aquila Strnad, Brigadier General Aquila Woltman, and Brigadier General Aquila Ronas would lead the vanguard forces. Drop and assault teams would be formed from the consolidated marine units attached to the Cygnus force and from a number of orbital drop forces taken from the Tiber front. General Reid had anticipated a heavily contested orbital drop and had requisitioned additional allotments of suit lorica from House Fornax.
Security scan of the Aomori defense platforms on April 4th, 2945
The first waves began their descent in the early hours of April 4th. As anticipated, the larger batteries took time to find firing solutions, and had difficulty targeting the smaller drop-ships. However, additional layers of air defences inflicted heavy casualties on the first waves of invaders. On the ground the Loyalists easily held their ground, the brutal fighting would go on for hours with no sign of progress. At 11:32 local time, Aquilan forces under the command of Major Aquila Urakova managed to overload the power station at firebase Kilo-02-D34, opening up a hole in the low altitude air defence grid. This breach allowed the second and third invasion waves to begin their descent. Void-bound gunships followed in their wake and began fire missions in the surrounding area.
An Aquilan gunship performing an air-to-ground support fire mission, April 2945
What started as a small hole in the network was slowly widened. By sundown the rebel invaders had achieved half of their phase one objectives. General Reid began deployment of heavy lorica units, hoping to use concentrated firepower to make up for lost time. This shift proved moderately successful, though much of its success was due to the loyalist forces expedited withdrawal in the face of overwhelming firepower. Fighting in the area continued for days, but the rebels managed to breach the orbital defence grid, and establish a foothold on Aomori.
Reorganising the front lines and preparing for the subsequent the offensive took time. Loyalist forces were unrelenting and would launch probing and harassing attacks at every turn. Reticulum infiltration units were particularly troublesome, capable of striking deep behind the front lines and disrupting rebel movements. These tactics proved particularly effective against the Cygnus detachments, which lacked the experience necessary to respond to insurgency style attacks quickly.
By the 10th, the situation on the ground had stabilized and General Reid began the first general offensive. The first target would be to push into Terrata Prime proper and fully secure the city. Aquilan forces had established firebases after the initial invasion, but had failed to push further into the city. A simultaneous push by Cygnus armored elements would move towards the shore lines for the inevitable invasion of Kahaka. Cygnus commanders hoped to divide the loyalists' attention and gain ground across multiple fronts.
On April 14th, Cygnus forces began entering the outer districts of Terrata Prime. Initial advances along major roadways saw little resistance, but as the vanguard elements began entering high density housing areas they quickly came under fire from all sides. Reticulum militia forces had been lying in ambush across the city. Though not as well equipped as the regular loyalist units, their familiarity with the environment and sheer tenacity proved a more than equal match to the Cygnus forces. The offensive was thrown into chaos, and intense house to house fighting went on unabated for hours. Gunship fire missions provided what support they could, however militia forces quickly deployed ground-to-air defence weaponry. Cygnus forces were able to regroup, but had paid a high price. Subsequent advances made little progress, and the rebels were left no choice but to apply overwhelming firepower and manpower into concentrated sections to devastate the entrenched Loyalists.
Cygnus House Guard advancing through Terrata Prime, May 2945
The resiliency of the Reticulum militia forces surprised many within rebel command. Aomori garrison forces were expected to be dug-in, but the degree to which the general population had been mobilized came at a shock. Aquilan commanders suggested shifting tactics. Rather than focus on seizing ground and seeking the control cities and territory, the rebels should instead opt to grind out the resistance through long range suppression firepower. This suggestion was met with resistance from the Cygnus delegates, who saw the projected levels of collateral damage as needlessly excessive. Their own estimates suggested that the irregular loyalist units could not withstand continued attacks, and that further advances into the city would shatter their morale.
General Reid agreed with the Cygnus sentiment, not wishing to cause any further friction within the Council and was hopeful that this was an opportunity for House Cygnus to gain experience in larger combat operations. Additional incursions were planned to advance along the outer edges of the city, attempting to cut off supply routes. These would be led by Aquilan soldiers, as the more open terrain enabled greater concentrations of armored units. These new campaigns began in the closing week of April, and would stretch on into mid May. Each of these operations met significant delays, as militia counter-attacks were launched across the city. By May 15th, the Aquilan elements had pushed the encirclement of the city to 80% coverage, with the remaining roads leading into the city in range of rebel artillery. Cygnus military units had only managed to advance ten kilometers.
The assault on Terrata Prime was not the only front experiencing setbacks. Loyalist regulars had been unrelenting since the initial invasion. Every front had stalled out, with both sides digging in. Additional units from House Cygnus would be dispatched, reinforced with heavy equipment provided by the production centers of Demnoph. These supplementary forces would arrive in late August, but the fighting would continue to grind on into the following year. Neither side being able to achieve any significant advantage over the other.
The Tide Turns[]
With Tsatsos and Pamita Cha under control of the rebels, and Alvero still hotly contested the war had come to the core worlds in full. The Council had now proved themselves capable of assaulting the Empress and her legions directly. With each victory, rebel supporters began to act more boldly against the Blood Eagle and her loyal military.
Despite this, many within the Council understood that total victory was still far from their grasp. With each world taken more and more would flock to their banner, but if their fortunes changed those numbers would follow suit. By this point in the conflict, almost every noble house that had not joined in the rebellion began to show signs of division and strife. Agents and operatives of the High Church continued to provide information, access, and contacts covertly to the Council of Houses. The web of sedition continued to work its way throughout the sector, and found new purchase in the outer systems, as the Empress began to recall more and more forces to the Imperial Core.
Fueling the wariness of many within rebel command was the continued absence of the Empress on the field of battle. The threat of her skill as a general was ever looming. All of the rebel Aquilans knew that her presence could turn any offensive or front into a rout. One misstep or one over-extension would be all the Blood Eagle needed to reverse every gain they had made thus far.
Liberation of Valua[]
The conflict on Valua had been ongoing for over twenty years, although rebel progress had been glacial after the Imperial Aerie had dispatched a battlegroup to the system back in mid 2936. However, as the civil war progressed, and the rebels began making inroads into the Imperial Core, the supplies the Imperial garrison in Pavvis relied on had slowed to a trickle. The resistance fighters, having been under the tutelage and guidance of White Legion commando teams for many years, had become determined and highly efficient insurgents. As the years wore on, the constant engagements, skirmishes, and ambushes wore the loyalist troops down.
Rebel command saw the opportunity to end the theatre once and for all, but were unable to marshal any significant taskforce. The various campaigns in the Core took priority, and each world required further commitment from the White Legions and the Council. A small strike force was drawn from elements of the 60th, the 44th, and 121st legions. Their task was to infiltrate the Pavvis system and attempt to make contact with the Valuan resistance fighters. Once contact was established the force was to use whatever deemed necessary to overcome what remained of the system defence fleet and defeat the loyalist presence in Pavvis.
Combat vessels were in short supply, but General Xu was able to deploy the carrier WLS Arrows that Dance across the Golden Fields and its escort squadron, as they had just come out of drydock. A small number of other screen squadrons were allocated, with the heaviest line warship being the strike cruiser WLS Burning Embrace. The general of the Sixtieth awarded overall command of the operation to Commodore Nestor, his long history of resourcefulness and independent thought expected to be of great value.
Escort vessels entering the Pavvis system under Commodore Nestor, 2946
The fleet entered the Pavvis system, and to their surprise were able to begin advancing without any loyalist response. Long ranged scans showed energy concentration in high orbit over Valua, however they did not appear to register or respond to the rebel formation. With little intel on the current disposition of the system defence fleet, Commodore Nestor directed his flotilla to one of the gas giants in the outer reaches of the system, and begin launching scout missions before planning their next course of action.
These scouting missions showed a grim picture: what remained of the system defence fleet was positioned at various locations in high to low orbit over Valua. It seemed the Empress’ soldiers had turned the vessels into fortresses. Scans showed frequent travel between the surface and the assembled warships, with occasional barrages and strikes raining onto the planet. It was clear that what the Loyalists lacked in manpower, they had made up for in direct firepower.
Commodore Nestor knew that achieving victory would result in heavy casualties, if victory was even possible at all. The rebel fleet was ordered to maintain stealth and continue observing the loyalist fleet. After several weeks, the Commodore gathered his officers to the Burning Embrace, and began devising the next phase of their operation. Then on the 5th August 2946, the loyalist fleet was alerted to a rebel fleet three time’s their size on approach towards the planet; instead of attacking, the rebels broadcasted a demand for surrender. Well out of engagement range, Nestor halted his ships and awaited any sort of response from the Loyalists.
Unbeknownst to the garrison, the rebels had deployed a recent advancement from House Triangulum: small drones that were ordinarily used to project stealth fields had been modified to reproduce the signatures of Aquilan warships. Using these drones, Nestor attempted to make his fleet seem triple it's size. Knowing any sort of detailed inspection would likely reveal their true nature, the Commodore began coordinating with commando teams that had been deployed onto the surface in advance to distract the Loyalists.
Insurgent attacks broke out across the surface of Valua, the resistance members had been waiting for this opportunity for years. Resistance troops carried out coordinated strikes on several strategic locations, including the orbital weapons and satellite control stations. Ambushes were setup along major supply routes and communication installations were assaulted and destroyed.
Valua Resistance, September 2946
Meanwhile the system defence fleet in orbit was paralysed with indecision. Vice Admiral Aquila Vosloo was convinced he was outgunned and was sure any action the fleet took against the surface would result in the rebel’s moving to engage. The occupation force had been without support for a number of years now, having been left on Valua to deal with the constant resistance, morale was low and the vessels of the loyalist fleet were in desperate need of maintenance. Several hours passed, with both fleets staring down the other. Just as Commodore Nestor was starting to believe the gambit had been unsuccessful he received word from the loyalist fleet of their unconditional surrender.
Several frigates were loaded with marines and sent to occupy the surrendering vessels while Nestor maintained the rest of his ships outside of engagement range, keeping up the appearance of his enlarged fleet and fearing a double cross by the Loyalists. Once the boarding operations began however things in orbit turned calm. The loyalist crew were confined to their quarters while their vessels were commandeered.
With their orbital support gone, a number of loyalist bastions began standing down. Not all gave up however, and for the next few weeks insurgents continued to attack key military forts but now they had the upper hand. Orbital strikes were used on only the most hardened fortifications, as resistance leaders were concerned about civilian casualties and wanted to further distance themselves from the tactics of the Empress’ troops.
With the majority of the planetary garrison destroyed or captured, the people of Valua celebrated their liberation from the Empress. Street parties lasted for days, with resistance fighters and members of the Council's soldiers as guests of honour. The festivities did not last long though, as Nestor’s battlegroup was recalled to the Core, leaving only a token force behind. The defence of the planet would be left largely in the hands of the former resistance groups.
Despite the end to hostilities the violence on Valua continued, resistance fighters now in charge took revenge on those they deemed collaborators. The token council garrison allowed them free reign in enacting punishments, with only one recorded example of intervention: a blatant overreach which saw a dozen civilians executed with almost no evidence presented. Valua had been a warzone for over a decade now, the divisions in those who fought and those who did not were only just coming to the surface. The fallout of the conflict would be felt for years to come.
The Ellis Campaign[]
For years, the Empress’ loyal legions had fought defensively against the nascent rebellion, confident in their hold over the Imperial Core. But as increasingly more worlds fell to the rebels, or became embroiled in conflict, Imperial command became less confident in this approach. The rebellion was gaining more support from the various noble houses, however the advisors of the Imperial Aerie saw that the Council’s bonds were not as strong as they first appeared. If one of the Council’s founding houses were brought low, it could serve as a catalyst to tip the balance not only on the strategic layer, but also in the conflict zones now scattered throughout the Core.
House Cygnus would be the chosen the target: the loyalist commanders identified their expanding contributions to the rebel war effort as a significant but vulnerable threat, and the vicinity to the loyal House Crux would minimize the number of resources diverted from the other war fronts. Elements of ACRE which had remained loyal to the Empress had spent much of the time since the loss of Demnoph re-establishing supply chains and production facilities in and around Diomikato and Imperial Prime. In 2940 their efforts began to bear fruit and by 2947 the Loyalists had amassed a sizeable armada over the throneworld.
Loyalist legionnaires marshaling for the operation in Ellis, Imperial Prime 2948
Admiral Yuhan and his Seventeenth Legion would be put in charge of void operations, and would escort a battlegroup under the command of General Samatov to the Ellis system. There the Aquilan forces would link up with the fully mobilised Crux House Guard and punch straight through to Gats. It was expected that the rebels would respond quickly, and attempt to strike atHiera, as such loyal legion forces would be dispatched months before the operation to shore up the already formidable planetary defences. Once the rebels committed, the Crux defence fleet would leave system for an assault on Maja as system observations had shown little activity over the forge world for many months. Conséc intelligence suggested that the bulk of the Fornax military had relocated to the hidden manufacturing centers. Success on either front would send the Council into chaos.
On January 15th, 2950 Yuhan’s fleet translated into the Ellis system. Cygnus and Crux had long maintained a cold war within the Ellis system, with both forces hesitant to engage the other. However, the Cygnus defence fleet had little chance against the Aquilan heavy warships. While Cygnus fleet fought valiantly, the initial engagement only lasted a few hours. What remained of their fleet was forced to the edges of the system, and Gats was left open.
The Aquilan and Crux forces began positioning over the planet’s major metropolitan areas, but soon came under withering ground fire. Unbeknownst to the Loyalists, House Cygnus had leveraged the expertise of their fellow Council members and prepared their homeworld accordingly. A dozen loyalist strike cruisers were caught in the barrage before the Aquilan commanders withdrew to higher orbit. With the rebel relief force bound to arrive, Admiral Yuhan knew that time was not on her side. Attempting to map the planetary defence grid would be ponderous, while a frontal assault would likely be too costly. However, the Admiral had a devious solution: The largest and most complete wrecks from the initial void engagements would be dragged into Gats' orbit; then these hulks and disabled vessels would be jury-rigged and launched towards the Cygnus homeworld. There they would fall upon the urban centers, devastating the orbital defence system and anything surrounding those installations.
Though the Cygnus batteries intercepted some of the falling debris, the vast majority made planetfall. The Loyalists quickly began invasion operations, heedless of the indiscriminate devastation they had wrought upon the surface. With the defence grid in chaos, loyalist void forces began positioning themselves in low-orbit, and the heavy drop-ships of House Crux began landing. Despite the brutal and atrocious actions of the Loyalist invasion, the Cygnus house guard were able to recover and coordinate an organised defence. But even the most stoic Cygnus commanders knew they could not hold out forever.
Imperial Legions during the invasion of Gats, 2950
On February 5th, the White Legion vanguard arrived in the Ellis system. Though many of the rebel legions were engaged across the Core, Admiral Sarkar and General Bellicus had mobilised as many troops as possible to push back the assault on Gats. The rebels split their advancing fleet: Sarkar would take the bulk of the warships and attempt to pin the Loyalists in place, while Bellicus would land his ground forces on the opposing side of Gats. Admiral Yuhan foresaw the rebel’s plan and quickly moved the bulk of Seventeenth’s fleet to intercept. What Crux house guard remained in orbit also took this opportunity to withdraw back to Hiera, not able to land their forces and unwilling to risk being caught out by the rebels.
The two fleets met late on February 6th. Admiral Sarkar attempted to keep the loyalists at range, hoping to wear down their heavy warships, however Admiral Yuhan pushed into the rebel fleet, eager to tear into the Aquilan traitors. The close ranged engagement lasted hours, all semblance of formation and order was lost soon after the two fleets merged battle lines. Yuhan was unwavering in his pursuit of the rebels, many of his warships had been modified with short-ranged torpedo launchers which unleashed crippling swarm salvos. Others carried surplus assault craft on the exterior hull to carry out near suicidal runs against the White Legion capital ships. By launching these assault craft at extreme close range most point defence systems were rendered useless. While both sides engaged in extensive boarding operations, Admiral Yuhan had brought significant detachments from the 37th Legion whose specialist lorica suits proved to be deadly opponents, filling corridors with volleys of flechette rounds.
The 70th and 44th Legions engaging over Gats, February 2950
As the opposing Aquilan armadas continued to grind against each other, General Bellicus had managed to reach Gats' orbit. What scant resistance he and his convoy had encountered had been quickly thrown off, and the Fourth Legion’s heavy landers made planetfall in the early hours of February 7th. Disembarkation would continue unabated, and White Legion ground forces would reach the front lines in the following week.
Both armadas seemed prime to grind the other down to dust, however Sarkar’s fleet was not the only force dispatched. Admiral Bascio and General Manaudou had mobilized what soldiers they could from the rebel reserve before leaving for Ellis. Thanks to the recent refit by House Fornax, the two legions arrived in system shortly after the first wave. Bascio proceeded directly to the ongoing naval brawl, while Manaudou ordered the 121st to advance to Hiera.
With multiple White Legion battlegroups in Ellis fully committed, the Empress’ Imperial Aerie launched the next phase of their grand counter-attack.
Trap over Maja[]
On February 13th 2950, the Crucian Defense Fleet advanced alongside the 77th, 51st and 43rd legions to attack the seemingly vulnerable heart of spaceship production. News of the Ellis front had reached Prime, and while commanders of House Crux were reluctant to have the most significant portions of their fleet away when their homeworld was under threat, the Aerie demanded a full force of every battle-ready ship Crux could muster - including the flagship of Prince Aiyla Crux.
The latest reports from Conséc indicated a shortage in available manpower on Maja and that the number of operational capital ships around the planet were near their lowest point, the Blood Eagle’s advisors commanded a swift and decisive strike to retake Aeternus’ Chain followed by the planet. What the spies did not know about, however, were the security measures House Fornax put in place a hundred years prior. Exact records are to this day unclear about the exact timing, as House Fornax has never disclosed details.
These now ancient security systems involved the active mining facilities scattered throughout the asteroid fields within the Imperial Prime system and very carefully planned explosive charges. The plan was simple in theory, though costly and hard to realize. When the ships of the houses Aquila and Crux began their advance, warning systems would trigger and the Shiver Protocol would initiate.
As soon as the approaching armada reached the predetermined location on the main approach vector to Maja, detonations in the asteroid fields blasted space debris into the midst of the oncoming fleet. Though the commercial ventures would be destroyed, the damage and chaos the charges wrought would be worth the loss.
House Fornax vessels, Imperial Prime 2950
The loyalist armada had no chance to evade. Asteroid splinters and debris fragments of older space battles tore through the vessels from all sides. Hull breaches vented atmosphere and crew. Explosive decompression crippled countless vessels, while others lost control and collided. Subsequent waves of explosives were set-off, this time closer to Maja, to end the momentum of the shrapnel wave before it could endanger the planet. With the Shiver Protocol complete, the ships stationed on Maja and Aeternus’ Chain took off to deal with the loyalist task force. Though the loyalist fleet had been severely disrupted by the trap, they managed to rally their surviving vessels and form a tentative battle line. The ensuing engagement would stretch far longer than Fornax command expected. Several heroic deeds were achieved that day but one specific action made it into the history books of the sector.
As the battle seemed lost and her flagship rendered immobile, the Crux Prince directed her escape pod to intercept HCS Pride of Throphe, one of the few Crux battlecruisers still operational. She fired the pod off, smashed right into the cruiser and through what historians describe only as superhuman efforts she managed to traverse the chaos of the void and found a way onto the ship. Once on the command deck, Prince Aiyla directed the Pride of Throphe and her remaining escorts on an escape vector. The battlecruiser destroyed three formations of Fornax Hastati frigates on the journey out of the Prime system. The actions of the Crux Prince are to this day studied on Maja as an example of peerless and fearless piloting.
The Loyalists had wished to continue the fight but the numerical superiority of the Fornax fleet proved insurmountable. With the withdrawal of the Crux Prince, what little remained of the Crux Defense fleet scattered, hoping to find whatever path they could to the system's edge. The Aquilan vessels attempted to engage in a fighting withdrawal to the Throneworld. When the dust settled, less than a quarter of the loyalist armada remained, while the Fornax fleet had only lost a third of its total strength.
Many believe this disastrous battle to have been among the main motivators for Crux’s allegiance shift during the war. While distrust and unease had been slowly growing as the war progressed, the direct danger Prince Aiyla Crux had been carelessly subjected to was inexcusable. Others scholars point to the progress made in the Ellis system during this battle. With the rebels having turned the tide on Gats, it would only be a matter of time before the war came to Crux’s doorstep. Regardless, once the remains of the Crux forces returned to Hiera, the decision was made to reach out to the Council of Houses and discuss switching sides.
Intel from Hallger[]
For nearly two decades the Blood Eagle had withdrawn from the conflict and eluded the Council of Houses. Where she had gone and what her activities entailed, no one knew, but in her absence House Aquila and the Empire were effectively governed by the Imperial Aerie. This all changed when in December of 2953, the Council’s joint task force finally traced the Empress to the Pujaya Nita system.
The task force had followed her for years, prepared to warn the White Legions and council forces should she ever make a move, but she never did. Pujaya Nita was different, however, because the task force had been briefed by the Council of Houses on possible Imperial Prime invasion plans, and the Council needed to know if the Blood Eagle would be there or not. To achieve this goal, the task force had planned to infiltrate the ILS Eagle’s Talon.
Infiltrating the Eagle’s Talon would be no simple task, especially when the joint task force knew they would be easily detected should they approach too close. Instead the council operatives decide to bide their time, wait, and observe. The Empress’ retinue were sat in high orbit above Hallger, and though the task force did not know their reasoning, the rebels knew it was not a refueling detour.
Not long after either side’s arrival, a shuttle departed from the Eagle’s Talon toward the planet’s surface. Knowing this could be their only chance, the task force’s leader, a Cygnus operative named Beno Mshindi, ordered his team to follow after it. The plan was simple but high risk: The operatives of the joint task force would locate the shuttle, subdue its crew, and then impersonate them in order to gain access to the Blood Eagle’s capitalship. Once aboard they would hopefully learn of the Empress’ mission. In its haste, the plan failed to factor in multiple variables that would prove to be fatal.
Soon after landing, the Council operatives learned the full extent of Hallger’s corrosive atmosphere and, though unprepared, Mshindi sent two of his subordinates to scout the Loyalist landing site. Two hours after failing to check in, the task force rightfully feared the worst but even then, Mshindi refused to abort the mission. As the remaining members prepared for another scouting attempt, they found themselves attacked.
The Loyalist forces had discovered the joint task force’s existence, presumably through the missing scouts. The contingent of soldiers wasted little time raiding the rebel shuttle and in the firefight that ensued, three of the four remaining Council operatives were killed. The Cygnus leader, Beno Mshindi had managed to survive the attack by hiding but soon found himself stranded on the frozen world as the shuttle’s engines had become inoperable from corrosion. He would not be rescued until 2956, one year after the war ended.
Though the joint task force ultimately ended in failure, the Council of Houses did receive a now known to be forged transmission under their encryption: The Blood Eagle would be at Imperial Prime.
Third Battle of Imperial Prime[]
Though much of the Core remained contested, the recent victories around Maja and in Ellis had many within the rebel command structure looking for a new offensive. Expansions within the various council members militaries had proved worthwhile, and a number of fronts now saw extensive deployments of non-Aquilan forces. The Council assembled in March 2952 to begin evaluating targets. With almost every noble house now part of the rebellion, these deliberations took time. It is unknown who first suggested a strike on Imperial Prime, but once the topic was brought up it quickly became the central theme of the entire conference. The debates would stretch on for days at a time, and as time went on more and more saw the possibilities. The Throneworld, the home of humanity and residence of the Empress, was assailable for the first time.
Though the target had been decided, the Aquilan commanders present made it clear that this would be the most difficult operation yet conducted in the rebellion. Imperial Prime had been shaped into the physical embodiment of the Empress’ vision soon after her coronation. The Council would need to bring the full might of their forces to bear upon the Throneworld to have any hope of victory.
The preparations took over a year, garrisons and reserves across the sector were redirected to the front lines, replaced by militia and conscript forces where possible. The rebels worked tirelessly to mobilise every available unit in their arsenal while maintaining the balance of power within the Imperial Core. The furnaces of Demnoph and Maja worked around the clock to fill countless store houses and armories. Everything that could be sent to Prime was being recalled, and when intel arrived from Hallger to confirm the Blood Eagle’s return, the Council hoped this could be the final blow.
What had started with the Empress’ coronation had only accelerated as the war progressed. The Throneworld had been turned into a fortress of steel. Intelligence outlined massive orbital defence stations alongside the Throne fleet. Some of the most experienced and feared legions still loyal to the Empress had been assigned to guard the homeworld. The centerpiece of the orbital network were three huge orbital fortresses: Simikiel, Sahqiel, and Shateiel. They had been completed in late 2940, dominating the orbit of Prime and an imposing obstacle to any fleet attempting to break through. Months of planning had been dedicated to find any way of sidestepping or quickly disposing of these mighty fortresses. Despite all of the recent advancements, and the best available technology at their disposal, the rebels could find no other way but to engage them by force.
An Imperial Legion patrol on Imperial Prime, 2952
Because of this, the Aquilan commanders were given the task of leading the first phase of the operation. Their mission would be to open a path through to the surface of the Throneworld by any means necessary. Admiral Sarkar was awarded overall command of void operations, and quickly began detailing the operation with the most experienced admirals within the White Legions.
The general strategy would require the rebels to engage across a broad approach vector, minimizing the fortress’ firepower on approach. The fleets would then attempt to break though the Throne fleet. Once an opening could be achieved, strike cruisers and lighter screens held in reserve would punch through the opening and close on the nearest fortress with all haste. These vessels would disgorge their compliments of boarding torpedoes and assault boats and begin sweeping the fire points at close range. The desired aim was to disable large sections of one fortress, enabling the larger capital vessels of the main force to use it as a shield during their approach of the remaining two. The boarder’s first task would be to disrupt the power systems on-board, crippling the stations offensive output and enabling the second and third waves to begin their assaults. The main fleet would be comprised of the Forty-fourth under Admiral Sarkar, the second under Admiral Lyons, and the 115th under Admiral Basico. Significant detachments of House Fornax forces would be distributed between each section of the main fleet, the heavy warships of the venerable noble house acting as rally points and firebases during the advance. The reserve fleet would be under the command of Admiral Thalente with Admiral Boucher providing support. General Xu of the Fire Drakes would be in command of boarding operations, and requested specialist detachments from the 3rd, 25th, and 144th legions. The general of the Sixtieth worked closely with House Fornax in devising new modifications and weapons systems for suit Lorica during the lead up to the operation.
The ground invasion of Imperial Prime would be more difficult, as rebel intelligence had been unable to gather any reliable details after the Ellis campaign. The Council decided to divide the ground campaign into three subsections under a different noble house, each of these would be given their own objectives and tasks to accomplish once the landing zones had been secured. House Fornax, alongside detachments of the Fang as well as the Twenty-eighth and Thirty-fifth legions would target the primary spaceport complex. House Cygnus would be supported by elements drawn from House Triangulum and House Crux and aim to capture a string of power facilities that were theorized to supply the palace. While the rebel Aquilans under General Orianne would strike at the palace complex directly. The General of the Third would be joined by the 4th, 65th, 84th, 121st, and 154th legions. Once the orbital fortresses had been taken, any remaining forces would accompany reserve units drawn from the other houses and reinforce the ground offensive.
On the 17th of February 2954, the rebel battle groups began translating into the Imperial Prime system, rendezvousing with House Fornax's fleet and the garrison of Maja. Though the final mustering and organisation would continue for many weeks. By March 3rd, Admiral Sarkar’s forces had fully mobilised and the operation began the following morning. The advance to Prime was remarkably uneventful, with the Throne fleet responding as expected. As the skirmish lines engaged everything began to unfold as the rebels expected, and morale was high. However, as the loyalists began a fighting withdraw, warship clusters began advancing ahead of the main force. As the pursuit continued, the rebel formations began to tighten, and soon the main batteries of the fortresses opened up. The first volleys found true, sinking the battlecruisers WLS End of all Things, WLS Dark Clouds over a Midsummer Day and WLS Phalanx of Faith and Steel instantly. The battleship HFS Call of the Hunt was caught by a glancing blow, and forced to withdraw. Admiral Sarkar ordered a reformation, rebel ships were to advance along the prescribed approach vectors, in order to disrupt the loyalists firing solutions. By the early hours of the 5th, both sides became embroiled in a deadly long ranged duel. Though the rebels proved deficient in firepower, the Fornax refits gave the rebels the edge in maneuvering.
Admiral Sarkar and Admiral Basico had attempted to push through the loyalist fleet, but had been repulsed each time. The battleships ILS Bringer of the Last Sunrise and ILS Wanderer through Unknown Shores had positioned themselves to be supported by Simikiel station and were coordinating ordnance barrages preventing any coordinated offensive. While the super carrier ILS Sharpe and Focused Steel and its escorts kept the 115th fleet under a constant stream of strike craft. Admiral Lyons saw early delays, but by the end of the 2nd legion had managed to advance farther than the other two detachments. A squadron of Fornax battlecruisers succeeded in a wide flank which caught the battleship ILS Indomitable Fortitude out without support. The loyalist response pushed a number of vessels out of position, and began a cascade that would soon see the entire sector in a general retreat.
With the path to Shateiel station open, Admiral Thalente began her attack. Through the many campaigns in the core, the Steel Falcons had become experts at avoiding heavy barrages. What loyalist strike craft remained operational attempted to harass the swarms of lighter vessels but it would prove ineffective. As the vessels began their final approach, a wall of steel erupted from the mighty fortress as the innumerable point-defence batteries opened up. Cluster and shrapnel charges proved to be only partially effective. The bastions defenses proved formidable, but by 18:27 on the 5th the first wave of boarders began their assault on Shateiel.
It is said that boarding operations are among the most deadly combat environments known to humanity. The halls of the Shateiel are often cited as the clearest and most apparent illustration of this sentiment. Combat footage and after action reports gathered from Fire Drake personnel paint a grim image. Lorica assault teams filled every corridor with shrapnel, flechette, and plasma. What barriers and bastions the Loyalists had constructed or prepared were obliterated. Charges set to vent entire decks, and any unsuspecting crew into the void. What could not be conquered by fire and steel would be smashed under powered fist and boot. Nine hours after the first waves had breached the surface, the Shateiel had been turned into a tomb. Eye witness reports compared sections of the fortress to a slaughterhouse, others to what they imagined hell itself to be. The garrison had been put to the sword in its entirety, with minimal casualties on the rebel side. General Xu had delivered a path to the Throneworld, now the battle could truly begin.
Kill-team of the Sixth Legion, March 5th 2954
General Orianne and the ground invasion force watched the unfolding space battle closely, waiting for the signal that their task could begin. With Shateiel silenced, the drop ships and heavy transports began their advance on the Throneworld, escorted by the reserve fleet under Admiral Boucher. While the invasion force made their approach, lead elements of the Steel Falcons legion detected high density energy readings coming from the surface. What was first thought to be ground based batteries was soon revealed to be corvettes and destroyers from the Throne fleet. The Loyalists were using the planet’s surface to obscure their vessels, and were likely waiting to ambush ground forces as they made their descent. Knowing that the capital ships could not be diverted, Captain Aquila Ramos took her corvette squadron and entered the atmosphere.
What followed was one of the most unusual engagements of the war, with warships maneuvering between the upper spires of humanity's homeworld. For the citizens of Imperial Prime, what had started as flashes of light across the sky was now unfolding before their very eyes. The fighting only lasted a few hours before Captain Ramos succeeded in driving off most of the would be ambushers, but the damage had been immense. Each wayward shot causing havoc on the city below. The destroyer WLS Curiosity Kills had detonated above the city, raining death and destruction on an entire sector. The corvette HFS Fortune’s Favor had been crippled by a lucky torpedo salvo and crashed to the surface. The impact leveled fifteen complexes, with a further forty-five receiving irreparable damage. Fires would rage uncontrolled across twenty districts for weeks to come.
The ILS Pouncing Mantis engaging the WLS Curiosity Kills above the surface of Imperial Prime, March 2954
The invasion fleet reached high orbit by midday on the 6th, with the first dropships descending within the hour. Though the skies above the landing zones had been cleared, the first waves were met with wave after wave of defenders. Progress was slow, but by the afternoon on the 7th, the rebels had cleared their first objectives, and the rebel commanders began pushing towards their larger objectives. The defenders fought for every block, every building, with a fanatical zealotry unseen in previous invasions. Every offensive was further delayed by the indiscriminate destruction and sabotage of any piece of infrastructure deemed valuable.
On the road to the spaceport, House Fornax troops would be ambushed on all sides by loyalist irregulars. Any forward progress would stall as the defenders would bring down entire structures onto the heads of the rebel troops. Every counter proposed by General Suna failed, and the Fornax soldiers were left with no choice but to advance through the rubble on foot.
General Manaudou and the Cygnus house guard slogged through kill-zone after kill-zone on their advance. The rebels had turned the streets into minefields, forcing the rebels to fight for every building on their way. This front initially appeared to be the weakest, as the rebels faced more remote defence systems and traps than regular forces. However that estimate changed as their advance reached District 0-25L-9. Here the loyalists threw wave after wave at the rebel lines. Vanguard forces began to be overrun, as the Empress’ troops paid little heed to the piles of bodies filling the streets. The shock of the sudden assault threatened to break the rebel offensive. The rapid deployment of lorica teams under Captain Aquila Kadiev rallied the rebel forces. Reports from the front horrified the Cygnus commanders, the Empress had enlisted or conscripted entire districts in the defence of the Throne. Man, woman and child had been drawn up for the fight. These suicidal charges by irregulars would be seen throughout the coming weeks.
A Council of Houses patrol on Imperial Prime, 2954
The heaviest fighting would be along the path to the Imperial Palace. General Orianne and Bellicus would face the bulk of the loyalist regulars in addition to the scorched earth tactics being employed throughout the theatre. The rebel Aquilans responded to the defenders brutality in kind, leveling a path forward, and burying the would be ambushers under steel and concrete. In the dust and rubble of humanity's homeworld, the two opposing Aquilan legions traded blow after blow, grinding against each other.
By the 28th of March, rebel forces had pushed to the outer walls of the palace complex. The cost had been high, but victory lay in sight. Shelling over the previous week had destroyed the last of the outer fortifications, allowing Major Aquila Kazu to complete the encirclement of the palace grounds. General Bellicus drew up plans to assault the inner complex in the early hours of the 29th, wary of further loyalist reinforcements being redirected their way. However, at 18:00 local time on the 28th, a transmission was broadcast on all open channels throughout the Imperial Prime system:
“My loyal and just Imperial citizens, I speak to you aboard my flagship anchored high above the place of my birth. As I address you now, the vile and treacherous forces of the so-called Council of Houses are pillaging the very heart of our great Empire! They no doubt seek to eradicate not only my body, but the heart and soul of humanity itself. The former will be denied to them this day, but the latter must be left to you, my children. I beseech you now, take up your swords once more, and protect the jewel of humanity from those who seek to cast it into the void!”
- The Blood Eagle, Sixth Emperox of Humanity
Rebel command was stunned, every piece of intelligence gathered in the years leading up to the invasion put the Empress in the capital. System traffic had been monitored extensively with no translations of the Imperial flagship having been logged or recorded, though the mighty warship had yet to reveal itself on the field of battle. This left the Council with only one conclusion: the Blood Eagle had never been on the Throneworld at all. General Orianne called for a general retreat, the rebels primary objective had been denied to them. Many of the fellow council commanders objected, citing the blood they had already shed to claim the world. The Aquilan generals invited them to continue their efforts to seize the throne, but the war would continue as long as the Empress drew breath.
It took time to pull all of the Aquilan forces off the surface of Imperial Prime. The Empress’ transmission had emboldened the defenders, and throngs of devotees threw themselves at the invaders every step of the way. By April 6th, all of the frontline forces had made their way back into orbit. Reserve forces had been deployed in their stead, and were holding the line against the loyalist assaults. A stalemate would stretch on for months, the rebels leveraging what void power they had to disrupt large offensives but unable to gain any meaningful ground against the defenders.
The Fall of Diomikato[]
The events on Imperial Prime were a disaster for the Council’s cause. Not only had they lost a perfect opportunity to end the war, the majority of their forces were now out of position and worlds that were under their protection now laid vulnerable. The transmission by the Empress had emboldened the Loyalists across the sector, with counter attacks launched on Tiber and Aomori threatening to push back the rebels. Imperial Prime remained a hotly contested theatre, and uncounted skirmishes continued throughout Imperial space.
The Council was in turmoil, with some members demanding that an attempt at negotiating a ceasefire should occur. Others pushed that the Council should retreat to worlds under their control and dig in. There were even rumours of some members advocating surrendering to the Empress and turning their back on the rebellion. Despite this, leadership remained resolute, conscious however they needed to act before the naysayers gained enough influence. A final blow had to be delivered quickly.
So began the planning for the invasion of Aliya and the planet of Diomikato, the home of House Aquila and the destination the Empress had retreated to - it was to be the second largest campaign in post-scream history. Diomikato was a world built specifically to withstand invasion, a fortress world protected by elite Aquilan Legions, the best the Empress could muster, known to many as the Redcapes. The Council wished this to be the final attack, victory on Diomikato would mean an end to the war, defeat would in all likelihood lead to the dissolution of the Council and a counterattack by the Empress. One way or the other the war would be over.
All the forces that had been sent to Imperial Prime were prepared, along with any other garrison, reserve, or recovering assets. The Council sought out the Deathless mercenary company, who had proved their worth on countless fronts. To the surprise of some, the mercenaries provided almost the entirety of their outfit for the coming battle. Anything that could be spared was called forth. In the space of four months an invasion force nearly double the size of that mobilized for Prime had been mustered.
The Noose Tightens[]
August 4th, the vanguard of the rebel armada arrived in the Aliya system. To the surprise of many within the initial Aquilan defectors, the outer system had remained largely unchanged since the days of their departure. The Empress’ fortification efforts had focused around the major celestial bodies, and the void stations located in their orbits. Scans did show a satellite network in and around the outer edges, but it was quickly identified as part of the translation alert system.
Over the next several days, the remainder of the assault force translated in-system. Which gave the assembled commanders time to adjust their strategy. Due to the accelerated nature of this offensive, no true operational plan had been reviewed or approved. Admiral Sarkar had advocated for a direct assault on Diomikato, however many cautioned that would invite a repeat of Imperial Prime. In order to ensure that the Empress could not escape again, a blockade of the Aquilan homeworld would have to be established.
This was easier said than done, as new star fortresses had been constructed around the Diomikato lagrange points, with hundreds of warships in and around the sphere of influence. Admiral Boucher and Thalente would lead the outer contain with the fleet elements from House Fornax. As the main thrust pushed further and further into Aliya, the outer contain would tighten, and increase in concentration. Fornax strike cruisers would prove vital, intercepting any attempt by the loyalists to break the contain. Admiral Bascio would lead a strike against the Rahe 1 station and its accompanying defences. Assets from House Triangulum and House Serpens would accompany the 115th legion. The goal would be to seize the station and as many of the satellite batteries as possible. These would be towed further into the star system and form the rearguard during the push to Diomikato.
Finally, the bulk of the armada would push to grid location N087-152, and hold until the first phase completed. From this location the armada could respond to any loyalist movement with minimal subsequent burns. The advance would move methodically, every Aquilan commander knew one misstep would be the last.
The first phase launched on August 17th. By the 19th, Admiral Bascio had positioned the one hundred and fifteenth just outside of the firing range of Rahe 1. The assault would be across three vectors, the strike cruisers WLS Akupāra, WLS Ájakava, and WLS Echeneis would form the tips of trident, while screen squadrons would fan out and envelop the outer stations. The assault began at 1:46 local time on the 20th, long ranged volleys from the smaller stations proved ineffective against the rebel advance. Swarms of strike craft launched from bays across Rahe 1 cause the lead rebel vessels to break off and engage. This strike enabled the few loyali
Loyalist Strike Craft engaging the 115th, Rahe 1 Station, 2954.
st screen vessels to reposition and launch torpedo barrages with the Echeneis having been struck across the flank, disabling its engines. Admiral Bascio was caught off guard by the sudden strike, but the officers of the one 115th quickly adjusted and reformed. By midday, the rebels had broken through to the station, and assault teams began clearing the outer compartments. Three of the loyalist screen ships had been captured, with the cruiser ILS Thoughts In The Silent Night disabled, and the corvettes ILS Wind that Carries the Storm, Sister of Regret and One Eye Open taken out of action.
The station garrison proved formidable for the rebel marines. Strings of automated gun installations funneled marine teams into tight corridors filled with remote charges. In the larger sections of the station, the Empress’ troops had deployed a number of heavy lorica, taken from the armory stores onboard. These imposing platforms held the invaders at bay for hours, until Fang elements could be brought in to neutralize them. By the 21st, Admiral Bascio had achieved all phase one objectives. What remained of the armories would prove invaluable in the future ground campaign. Triangulum engineers began to repurpose the defence satellites, although early estimates put completion in mid September.
Admiral Boucher’s path was marred by delays, the Loyalists had deployed clusters of the stealth mines encountered in Pamita Cha throughout the outer quadrants. Though the techniques for navigation had been disseminated throughout the Council, it took a considerable amount of time. All the while the fleet would face harassment by ambushing loyalist vessels, or automated weapon satellites. The 212th legion would reach their targets, but over a week behind schedule.
Admiral Thalente encountered what appeared to be the bulk of the Aliya outer defence fleet. The Steel Falcon fleet had opted for a scattered approach to the target positions, this forced the rebels to
Warships of the Steel Falcons legion, on patrol in outer Aliya, August 2954.
employ hit and run tactics against the more concentrated loyalist elements. Thalente relied on the Fornax capital ships to engage the Empress’ forces directly, the positional game of cat and mouse would go on for weeks.
The bulk of the invasion force was left under Admiral Lyons and Admiral Sarkar. The advance saw little delays, as veterans of the Pamita Cha campaign, the Second legion understood the method of detecting and eliminating the stealth mines. The armada reached the launch point on the 19th, and began preparations for the coming push. With the containment forces experiencing delays, the lighter vessels of the 111th were sent out to probe the Empress’ battle lines. These skirmishes were often brief, neither side willing to commit to any protracted engagement. In the interim, a small strike team under the command of Vice-Admiral Mortimer would take a detachment of House Triangulum and begin clearing the main travel vectors behind the main force. This would enable reinforcements to reach the surface faster, and allow for a more direct path of retreat.
Meridian’s Clash[]
The final week of August saw the Council complete the remaining objectives in the first phase of their Aliya invasion. A network of patrols had been established around the outer edge of the system, preventing the Empress or any other loyalist force from egressing the system without notice.
With the bulk of the rebel armada reforming at N087-152, the Aquilan commanders begin planning for the first offensive into the Diomikato sphere of influence. As with Imperial Prime, the Empress and her loyal legions had dedicated considerable resources to fortifying the Aquilan homeworld. Unlike the Throneworld, the defences of Diomikato were focused around a series of star fortresses positioned at the five lagrange points of the tidally-locked world. Rather than a traditional frontal assault, the rebel commanders would target the Meridian Station high above Diomikato’s northern pole. This station had long been the largest anchorage for the Aquilan naval forces, and would prove an ideal bastion from which the planetary invasion could be launched. The approach vector would lie between the L1 and L2 fortresses, known as Sariel and Samshiel. The vector would be well outside the stations firing range, but the defence fleets from both stations would likely respond once the operation began. Task groups under Admiral Aquila Aelius and Vice-Admiral Aquila Mortimer would be tasked with keeping the corridor open, and prevent the Loyalists from surrounding the main force. Once the opening to the surface had been secured, future operations would target the fortresses directly.
Imperial cruiser ILS Weaver of Fates on patrol, Diomikato high orbit, 2954.
The Empress’ forces had established a number of battlegroup patrols between the various star forts. Various supplementary battle groups were also stationed at key orbital facilities, including Meridian Station. The rebels expected the bulk of these patrol fleets to coalesce and intercept the offensive before reaching the primary objective. As a response, the vanguard formation would need to concentrate as much firepower as possible, to strike a decisive blow as quickly as possible.
The vanguard of the offensive would be comprised of the 44th, 2nd, and 115th legions supplemented by the fleet elements from a further eight legions alongside squadrons of House Fornax capital ships. The remainder of Council and Deathless mercenary detachments would comprise the reserve forces, however due to the nature of the advance these forces were to maintain the same pace as the vanguard in order to exploit any opening and quickly as possible.
The Council armada began their advance late on September 3rd. By the early hours of the 4th, the rebel’s approach vector and ultimate target would become clear to the loyalist fleet, with long ranged scans showing hundreds of vessels plotting intercept routes. The rebel advance continued for hours. Loyalist screens and other fast-moving squadrons attempted to disrupt the approaching formations but found little success.
At 16:32 on September the 4th, the White Legion vanguard forces began engaging the Diomikato defence fleet. The loyalist front line was approximately four legions in strength, with staggered reinforcements en route. Because of this disparity in numbers, the Loyalists were left with little option but to shell the advancing rebels, delaying the advance until more assets could rendezvous. Though both sides suffered little sustained damage, this long ranged duel proved an effective strategy. Rebel commanders were forced to slow the general advance, and spread the front formations into a wider arc, lest they allow the loyalists to encircle and isolate vanguard squadrons.
Five hours after the first volleys were launched, the Meridian Station garrison fleet had gathered the bulk of the responding loyalist assets, now numbering a further four legions in strength, and began advancing towards the rebel armada. The loyalist reinforcements advanced in a wide arc around the primary lines of engagement, hoping to catch the rebels in a wide area cross-fire. Admiral Aelius would lead a sizable portion of the reserve assets against this new deployment.
With their swell in numbers, the Loyalists shifted tactics. Now they took the fight directly to the rebels at every point along the engagement line. What had started as a duel of ordnance across the void quickly escalated into one of the largest naval engagements of the war. Hundreds of warships and thousands of strike craft battled across the thousand kilometer long front. With every passing hour, the fighting became increasingly brutal. Both sides giving no quarter and trying to inflict as much damage on the other as possible.
In the center of the brawl, the Forty-fourth legion battlecruiser WLS All is Dust under the command of Captain Aquila Kovac succeeded in outflanking and destroying the cruisers ILS Hong, ILS Bashe, and ILS Teng. This exposed and isolated the battleship ILS Iron Rain on a Clear Day, and although Kovac’s group managed to inflict heavy damage onto the venerable warship, they could not sink it before reinforcements drove them back.
Legio LXIV battlecruiser WLS All is Dust engaging the cruisers ILS Hon, ILS Bashe, and ILS Teng, Aliya 2954.
The battleship WLS Muninn would be brought low under a withering barrage of fire as Captain Aquila Zeisl of the Second legion directed their crew valiantly, but could do little to turn the tide. Second legion marines captured the battlecruisers ILS Curse of Strixia and ILS Sworn Protector, but not before the warships could destroy Commodore Aquila Hamdi’s cruiser squadron. Lieutenant Aquila Jenov’s bomber squadron earned the moniker ‘Fire Eaters’ after disabling the strike cruiser ILS Chaser of Storms while evading a hail of point-defence fire by its cadre of escort corvettes.
The far flank the Meridian garrison, now identified as the Seventieth legion, had been pushing hard against Council assets arrayed against them. The legion’s flagship, ILS Cortez’s Joy, had destroyed a House Fornax strike cruiser group, and was poised to encircle the carrier HCS Silvered Moon over an Open Field and her council escorts. Admiral Aelius’ forces were already fully committed, and could do nothing but watch as the Loyalists began to break through.
As Legion LXX forces began exploiting the opening, the bulk of the Deathless void assets surged into action. The mercenary forces rushed to fill the gap, heedless to the damage inflicted along the way, reliant on speed to swarm over the more ponderous warships. This stunning blitz of boarding actions and short-range broadsides briefly halted the Seventieth legion’s advance, though reinforcements on both sides would allow the ferocious brawl to continue. The Deathless had proven their worth in countless battles during the later stages of the civil war, but it was here that the mercenary group's reputation took on new form. Against the Seventieth legion, the Deathless fought with a fury never before seen from them. No quarter was given as the Deathless fleet pushed relentlessly towards the ILS Cortez’s Joy.
By 2:25 on September 5th, the cruiser DCS Sword of Damocles and its squadron under the command of Captain Marie "Onwards" Zhukov had broken through and began engaging the Cortez’s Joy. Despite the disparity in firepower, the mercenaries engaged the battleship directly, closing in to sweep the decks of the mighty warship in broadsides before launching assault ships and breaching tubes. The flagship of the Legion LXX held firm for hours, until a lucky torpedo salvo disabled one of the primary engines. Now in danger of being isolated, Admiral Napolitano ordered a thrust back to the loyalist positions. The cruiser DCS We are the Navy and its destroyer escorts attempted to block the flagship's escape route, but a concentrated barrage from the main batteries instantly destroyed the Deathless vessels.
The strike cruiser WLS Ájakava of the Legion CXV had caught up to the Deathless strike force and is currently the only known record of the events that followed. As the Cortez’s Joy continued to limp back to loyalist lines, Zhukov’s cruiser plotted what appeared to be a final close attack run. As the vessel powered forward, it quickly became apparent that the mercenary captain had other plans in mind. The Deathless cruiser unleashed the full complement of ordnance on the Cortez’s Joy and continued at full speed directly into the venerable warship. The deathless cruiser struck just below the command deck, and buried itself within the warship before a series of detonations enveloped both vessels. A later review of the Ájakava’s communication logs would reveal that a message was transmitted to the bridge of the Cortez’s Joy shortly before the collision, though the contents of the message have never been recovered.
Last known image of the ILS Cortez’s Joy and DCS Sword of Damocles, recorded by the strike cruiser WLS Ájakava, Aliya, September 2954.
With the destruction of the ILS Cortez’s Joy, the Seventieth legion’s advance had been blunted. Though fighting along that front would continue for some time, the rebels had begun to wear the loyalist fleet down by picking off isolated vessels. With the tide slowly turning against them, the remaining loyalist ships began to break off, performing a series of coordinated fighting retreats towards the local star forts. The rebels declined to pursue, opting to continue what little remained of their advance towards Meridian Station. Admiral Aelius and the Cygnus fleet returned to the rear, pushing to widen the corridor for rebel ground forces.
A concentrated assault by the Forty-fourth legion broke the outer defences of Meridian Station within an hour of contact, though fighting within the station would continue for two days. Admiral Lyons positioned his Second legion in high orbit over the northern wastes, with the remaining rebel fleet elements set on securing the approach corridor. By September 16th, the rebels had secured all phase two objectives. The path to Diomikato had been opened, though the cost had been high. Overall losses were put at just under forty percent, though much of that had been concentrated in the reserve forces. Many of those units would be redeployed to the containment forces in the coming weeks. Scans of the battlefield would show that the loyalist fleets had also suffered extensively. The Seventieth legion had been all but wiped out, with others barely above combat readiness. General projections put Loyalist losses at just below fifty-percent, with a sizable portion of the loyalists heavy capital ships being among the fallen.The bulk of the remaining loyalist void assets would pull back to Sariel station while awaiting reinforcements, including the Empress’ personal armada, en route from the star fortress Gadreel positioned at the L5 lagrange point. Fighting along the corridor would continue for months, with probing attacks launched on either side attempting to find and exploit any weakness.
The Rebel’s Descent[]
With a path to the planet now open, General Orianne ordered the advance. Troop transports made their way into close orbit and the planetary invasion began with all haste. Hundreds of drop ships ferried units from the dozens of legions present. The objectives for the vanguard was to secure more landing zones and spaceports for landing heavier equipment and to engage the nearby ground based defensive systems.
The first wave met heavy resistance from loyalist strike fighters. Squadrons from both sides danced across the upper atmosphere of Diomikato in bitter dogfights. The rebel squadrons doing all they could to escort the drop ships. Captain Tomás Valiente of the 212th legion recorded the highest tally of kills in the White Legions during this engagement before he was killed in action. Speed was of the essence in this drop, as the vessels packed with troops sped through the atmosphere they met with an increasing amount of fire from defensive batteries. Despite the rebel squadrons best efforts, countless drop ships never made it to the surface and those that did were often scattered far off course. However, the chaos of the drop was not unexpected. The majority of the units involved were veterans of the Council's campaigns across the sector and well versed in planetary invasions. Once planetside, the scattered units coalesced and proceeded to attack the nearest objective. Rebel troops would often find themselves fighting with a multitude of other legions and house guard elements during the initial phases of the landing.
White Legion drop ships landing in the Ash Wastes under heavy fire, September 2954.
The area the landings took place in are known as the Ashwastes. A harsh region on Diomikato covered in ash and dust from volcanoes. Rivers of lava flow across the land and valleys cut through high cliff passes. An extremely difficult region to land large formations of troops. The focus of the vanguard were three forts protecting cliff passes that led towards the Greenbelt. Due to the isolated nature of the region, each of these contained small spaceport facilities. Securing these forts would not only open up a path to the rest of the planet but also act as the perfect staging point. General Orianne remained in orbit coordinating the subsequent landings, and the support fleets efforts in softening up loyalist positions. General Xu, General Bellicus and General Reid were given the task of assaulting one of the primary fortifications.
General Bellicus was tasked with taking Redcliffe Fort, most of his heavy lorica were either lost in the drop, destroyed, or landed far off target. What lorica made it to the surface managed to link up with General Reid's forces which left Bellicus having to rely primarily on his infantry elements to break the fort. He designated several artillery positions to be set up on positions overlooking the fortress. With little heavy equipment, these mainly consisted of a few mortars and portable missile launchers. The fortress was shelled near continuously for two days, while infantry units advanced into the area. On the third day, his bombardment would be joined by strike craft and limited orbital strikes. In an inspired feat of coordination and trust between the various council armed forces, the barrages were scheduled to stop just before the infantry would reach the fortress walls, allowing the troops to swarm shell shocked defenders. The bold plan worked perfectly, the defenders were slow to react to the sudden infantry assault. The defences were quickly neutralized by several engineer units and the fort quickly fell to the rebels.
General Reid had a slightly easier task. With the inclusion of Bellicus’s lorica units, Reid’s army quickly overwhelmed Fort Ashen Keep’s defences. Using the quicker suit mechs and lighter lorica, Reid harassed the outer defences while mustering his heavier units into a single formation that would focus on a point of the fort and smash it open. After two days of harassment Reid ordered his frontal attack to begin. Colonel Thorne Alexandra, commander of the unit personally led the charge, smashing through the defences and allowing the infantry to swarm into the fort. Fighting continued for hours as the defenders fought to the last but within the span of two days the fortress had fallen to the rebels.
General Reid’s heavy Lorica begin their assault on Fort Ashen Keep, 2954.
General Xu was given the task of capturing Fort Eastwatch. Xu had long been a proponent of shock assault tactics, her aim was to hit the fortress as hard as possible as soon as her forces made planetfall. To facilitate this, the Sixtieth legion dropships would descend as close to the fortress as possible. Cutting down the time for her troops to reach the fort's defences but subjecting the ships to more defensive fire. The Sixtieth legion took twenty-five percent more casualties in the initial drop than any of the other formations, however her troops were able to engage the defences of Fort Eastwatch four hours after landing. General Xu personally led the charge against the defences, coordinating her suit lorica elements to shatter the outer defensive lines. After twelve hours the fortress fell to Xu’s army with most of the defences having been leveled.
With the forts captured and the spaceports secured, further landings could begin in earnest. Heavy equipment such as armoured divisions and heavy artillery made their way to the surface and the White legions began pushing further towards the Greenbelt. A beachead onto Diomikato had been won, though the invasion was far from over. These opening salvoes would pale in comparison to the bloodshed that was to come.
Hill 814[]
With the landing zones secured, the rebel forces began a general advance in all directions. The main aim was to push to the major metropolitan areas of Diomikato, however the White Legion commanders knew that the Loyalists would fight for every yard along the way. General Bellicus would oversee the construction of the central command facility in and around the main drop site. Air strips and logistics depots would need to be established quickly in order to prevent any stall or delay in the offensive.
General Orianne would push towards the darkside of Diomikato, with the ultimate goal of seizing the Mars Corridor. Though the White Trine lacked strategic targets on a cursory examination, many of the Aquilan commanders knew that strings of bunker complexes and storehouses were spread throughout the darkside of the planet. Failing to cut off this supply line would mean the sieges of Amiheim and Infernum could stretch on for years.
Generals Lali, Ophir, and Legus would target the InterTrine causeway, the primary overland route through the Greenbelt. Once the main push reached the thoroughfare, the offensive would split and follow the route in either direction. Rebel command knew that controlling the causeway would be vital for the future offensive on the Aquilan capital.
Reaching the causeway would be no easy task. This area of the Aquilan homeworld had been critical for the flow of goods and arms for centuries. Countless battles have been fought over every hill, crest, and valley since the time of the Scream. What had once been a labyrinth of bunkers, trench lines and ruins had been reformed into a complex interlocking network of fortifications by the Empress’ legions.
Orbital support was non-existent this far from the drop-zone, and the airfields were still weeks away from full operation. This left the rebel commanders with little options outside a direct assault. Initial scouting by the Twenty-fifth showed the loyalist army had little in the way of armored support, instead relying on heavily entrenched artillery supported by dug-in infantry elements. An armored assault was quickly ruled out, loyalist legions had engineered every approach to turn into a quagmire for heavy vehicles or lorica units. What made their way through the trenches, steep terrain, and minefields would likely be disabled by the pre-sighted artillery or dug-in infantry teams.
By the 23rd of September, the three legions had established themselves along the now 30 kilometer front line. The broad strategy would be to pin the Loyalists in place with broad barrages while teams of infantry would attempt to disable or clear what frontal barricades they could. Initial assaults would prioritize a string of bunker complexes turned fortress known as Ludgrab, follow up advances would push to secure the western high ground overlooking causeway itself. Of these positions, Hill 814 would be the most critical. It had the clearest view overlooking the InterTrine, and steep cliffs on the opposite face would help protect against any loyalist counter-attack.
White Legion forces prepare for the bombardment of Ludgrab, 2954.
September 25th saw the beginning of the White Legion barrage. Thousands of heavy guns, self-propelled artillery, and siege mortars would rain artillery shells on the fortress over seven days. Counter-battery fire was attempted only sporadically by the defenders, instead they were reliant on their positions to see through the storm. The Twenty-fifth legion launched multiple probing attacks, identifying exposed installations, or other loyalist fortifications to be targeted by the engineering teams in daring night assaults. Despite the near totality of the barrage, these infantry assaults were brutal on rebel forces. Every hill, every shell hole, or dugout was a kill zone for any number of machine gun nests or pillboxes. Day by day the rebels peeled back layers of the outer defences, but the cost was enormous.
By the first week of October, the stage would be set for the main offensive. Lieutenant General De Furio and the Twenty-fifth would spearhead the assault on Ludgrab. Suit lorica teams would advance up the center, engaging any of the remaining surface bunkers. Their primary objective was to support the infantry advance and take the fortress’ summit. Once surface entrances were identified, assault teams would begin sweeping through the corridors of the lower complex. It would be vital that every inch of the fortress was clear, exposing the flank of the subsequent advances would spell doom for the rebels. Lighter infantry elements would advance along the flanks and attempt to reach the rear lines of the Loyalists under a creeping barrage. Generals Lali and Legus would launch advances along their respective sectors at the same time, with Lali targeting the road along the Meanerway crevasse and Legus attempting to carve an opening through the lowlands to the south. If Ludgrab could be taken, General Lali would be able to advance his reserves of heavy lorica and dispatch what remained of the first and second lines.
At dawn on October 4th, the assault on Ludgrab began. Despite the weeks of raids and shelling, the Twenty-fifth advanced slowly up the steep terrain. Three hours after the advance began, the frontline forces under Brigadier General Aquila Bescond had only reached their midpoint objectives. Though the advance to the summit stalled, loyalist ambushes had revealed a number of hidden sally ports at elevations lower than previously expected. Bescond shifted tactics, putting his lorica to the task of seizing these entrances.
Twenty-fifth Legion forces beginning the assault on Ludgrab, October 4th, 2954.
Progress had also stalled along both flanks, as the creeping barrage had proved to be inaccurate and insufficient. Rebel forces were quickly pinned down by a string of entrenched pill-boxes. The advances past the fortress were called off, opting to dig in along the outer edges and prevent the loyalist reserves from surrounding the fortress.
Nearly five hours after the first entrances were secured, Bescond gave the signal. The fortress batteries had been silenced, though fighting within the lowest levels would continue. As De Furio’s reserve units began to advance, assault teams within the fortress uncovered a number of unusual corridors. What was first thought to be a series of storage alcoves was quickly identified as channels connecting the fortress with the secondary lines.
Under assault from above and below, the second line of defences fell in a matter of hours. The Twenty-fifth legion had broken through, creating a five kilometer long salient. Breakthrough forces from all three legions began to flood into the gap. The next few hours saw the bulk of the outer defences fall into the hands of the rebels. An Eighty-fourth legion detachment under the command of Brigadier General Aquila Tarasov led the charge towards Hill 814.
Tarasov’s push through the rear lines was fraught with peril. Every depression was a kill-zone for multiple bunkers, while remote charges and mines lined the high ground. Loyalist reserves had been seemingly untouched by the previous week’s bombardment. By the morning of the 5th, the rebels had reached the base of Hill 814. Though their positions were holding, Tarasov knew that they could not wait for reinforcements, the Lorica teams under Major Haarhoff had been delayed by the rough terrain leading up to the hill.
Under a near constant barrage of shell and bullet, squads of the Eighty-fourth legion advanced up the bare slopes. Rebel troops were left with no choice by to crawl up the slopes towards the various pillboxes and bunkers. Flames and explosives proved effective, but each emplacement was well covered by those at higher elevations. The assault dragged and progress was gradual with the price in bodies mounting. By noon, crew-serve teams from the fourth battalion had made their way to the front. Rebel counter-battery fire offered some small relief those climbing. Lieutenant Seeha and her 9th platoon were the first to reach the summit. Though the Loyalists had primarily relied on Hill 814 as an artillery position, the summit had been reinforced with concrete bunkers and barracks. Twenty minutes after Seeha’s charge began, a cataclysmic explosion erupted from the complex, engulfing the top third of the hill. As smoke, ash and rock rained from the sky, chaos erupted across the battlefield. Tarasov did all he could to regain control, but it appeared his brigade teetered on the brink of collapse. Six minutes after the explosion, a green signal flare rocketed into the sky from the epicenter of the crater. By some miracle, members of the 9th platoon had survived and maintained control of the top of Hill 814. A cheer erupted across the rebel positions, and the tide instantly turned.
Sergeant Aquila Armin, one of the few survivors of 9th platoon’s assault on the summit of Hill 814, October 2954.
With Hill 814 under rebel control, breakthrough forces under Lieutenant General Natana advanced onto the InterTrine. Fighting would continue in pockets for a number of days, but the rebels had succeeded in breaking through Ludgrab. The way into the Greenbelt now lay open, but the cost had been immense. Casualty rates among the Twenty-fifth and Eighty-fourth legions exceeded eighty percent. General Legus and Legion MXXV could only just maintain the rebel’s hold on the causeway. Loyalist casualty figures were estimated at roughly two legions, with a further fifteen thousand taken prisoner. Generals Lali and Ophir were left with little choice but to pull back to the drop-zone. More legions would need to be diverted if the push towards the Greenbelt could continue.
Lyon Pass[]
Wanting to capitalise on the breakthrough on Hill 814, the 8th, 121st, and 154th legions were mobilized and sent to the front. Their objective was Lyon Pass, an area of the InterTrine highway likely to be heavily defended. General Reid of the Seventh Legion was given operational command of the advance. His plan consisted of performing a blitzkrieg of armoured and mechanized divisions that would push ahead in order to prevent the Loyalists from organising a proper defence.
Two days into the advance, the lead elements engaged loyalist armies, resistance was fairly light and the divisions made quick work of the enemy. The open ground and highway enabled the armored divisions to advance at max speed. This offensive allowed for the rebels to hit the Loyalists unexpectedly, but also widened the gap between the vanguard and the remainder of the legions.
Main battle tank of the Eighth legion, pausing during the initial advance on the Lyon Pass. October 2954.
Unknown to the rebels, a vast tunnel network had been built around the InterTrine. Loyalist soldiers had been using the tunnels to shift their forces around Diomikato completely concealed. Once the armoured columns had passed, loyalist units re-occupied the fortified positions along the route. Expecting no resistance, the trailing elements of the advance were shocked when fighting erupted across the InterTrine. With little armoured support, the infantry and support units of the rear element were heavily damaged by ambush. Loyalist special forces used the tunnel network to carry out hit and run attacks on the supply convoys and support units. One particular convoy was completely wiped out, the lead and rear vehicles were destroyed simultaneously by hand held missile systems and then seconds later coordinated small arms fire ripped through the lightly protected vehicles. Ammunition and fuel carried by the trucks exploded and in only a few minutes all the vehicles were either disabled or destroyed and the ambushers fled the area. All along the InterTrine these attacks were launched. The rebels had become overextended in their rush to seize Lyon Pass and the Loyalists were making them pay dearly for it.
Supply convoy of the one hundred and Twenty-first legion under assault from loyalist ambushers. October 2954.
Once the spearhead discovered they had become separated, the advance halted. Several hours were lost as the commanders of the vanguard were caught in indecision. It was integral that Lyon Pass was captured quickly but continuing to move at the speed they were would leave them completely cut off and the advance would be in vain. It was decided that two battalions would split from the spearhead and move back along their advance. Their objective would be to engage the flanking Loyalists as well as destroying any sign of the tunnel network along the way. The rest of the spearhead would maintain their advance, slowing considerably to make sure any further anbushe tunnels were utterly destroyed.
The double-backing battalions, under the command of Colonel Aquila Gisla, made quick work of the reinforced positions, but finding and destroying the tunnel network proved challenging. A wide area had to be searched for the tunnel entrances. Once found, engineering units were ordered to lace the tunnels with explosive charges, but the loyalists put up heavy resistance at each site. Entrenched positions and heavy guns protected the entrances and took concentrated fire to destroy before infantry could rush the tunnels. Slowly over five days, the battalions continued their push to link up with the rear elements. Small independent units were left along the way to protect the opening, and fight off any further loyalist attacks.
Recon and rapid reaction units of the sSxty-fifth legion were deployed as rearguards along the entire InterTrine. These forces could respond at a moments notice to any report of loyalist elements operating behind the front lines. Their secondary task would be securing the routes of supply and retreat. What was envisioned as a lightning assault was turning into yet another hard slog.
Yet the spearhead was still advancing, reaching the defences of the Lyon Pass in five days. While supply lines were extremely fragile, the prospects were improving. The units deployed to protect them were making quick work of any flanking force and they could expect the reserve elements to reach them in six days. General Reid decided to press the attack with his most forward elements, a mix of Lorica and armoured units were sent to probe the defences.
This first foray met fortified bunker emplacements paired with heavy artillery support. The pass funneled any attacking force into a killing field, expertly covered with overlapping fields of fire. General Reid and General Wolf agreed that a frontal assault was likely to be devastating but options were limited. As they planned the probing attacks were maintained, with units being rotated giving the rebels time to rest but putting the defenders under constant threat. On the third day, the rebels disguised the assault as a normal probe. Heavy lorica and mobile artillery units provided counter battery fire, attempting to destroy the enemies artillery as the heaviest armoured units advanced on the left flanks bunkers. Once ground had been gained, mechanised infantry attempted to flood the bunkers. Armoured personnel carriers raced ahead of the advance through swathes of fire, at the last minute deploying their troops. As the assault reached its most critical point a flight of rebel strike craft appeared over the horizon. The airstrips at the drop-zone, now operational, provided the ability to launch air units in support of the rebel’s offensives.
The strike craft wreaked havoc among the defenders, the majority of the loyalist aircraft were still deployed with the fleets in orbit. Although their air defences took a heavy toll this new threat was tipped the balance of power in favor of the White Legions. A handful of bunkers fell into the rebels hands and soon the rest would fall like dominoes. As the rebels rushed the last of the fortifications most of the remaining defenders began to flee. Some using the tunnel network that led further into the Greenbelt, destroying the tunnel entrances as they went, hoping to prevent any rebel pursuit. Some units, however, fought to the last. These soldiers fought with fanatical fervor, some even leading suicide charges into the advancing rebel forces. Each one of these units wore the red capes of the Empress’s elites, soldiers that had been largely held back during the early phases of the war but now with Diomikato on the line had been deployed en mass. They showed no mercy and expected none back, often leaving booby traps on their dead hoping to kill the Empress’s enemies even in death.
White Legion gunships, legion markings not visible, on station over Lyon Pass. October 2954.
The mop-up operations would take some time, but Lyon Pass had been captured. The rebels had taken heavy losses but the Greenbelt now lay open to them, eight days to the east lay Infernum. Fifteen days to the west Amiheim, the capital of Diomikato. More and more forces were needed to secure the supply lines of the advance but reinforcements were on the way. Waves of rebel forces were still making planetfall. The invasion was progressing but there was a long way to go yet.
Samshiel Station[]
With the campaign on the ground continuing at full pace. Rebel void forces began planning to strike the remaining star fortresses within Diomikato’s local sphere of influence. This would allow more direct naval support for the ground campaign with less ships being needed to maintain the corridor. The 1001st legion under Admiral Thalente was tasked with assaulting the Samshiel station. Though her legion comprised mainly of light vessels she had shown great aptitude in taking on heavier opponents and winning. Additional assets from House Cygnus and Fornax forces would be deployed as support.
On the 28th of October Admiral Thalente and her task force made a show of pulling back towards the containment fleet on the outer edge of Aliya. Her ships showing signs of intense damage, leaking atmosphere and plasma fires burning. Yet this was soon revealed as a ruse, once the fleet narrowed the distance to the station, made a sudden course change bringing them onto a direct approach vector. The light destroyers and frigates pushing their engines to the limit bringing them into range of the station in a surprisingly short amount of time. The local area around Samshiel was quickly filled with warships as the loyalists defence fleet began to engage in full.
Strike craft that had been locked onto the hulls of the task force were released and raced alongside Admiral Thalentes ships. The defenders were caught off guard by the sudden concentration of force. In the opening salvoes, the loyalist cruisers ILS Valliant Hope and ILS Golden Chariot were disabled, their power plants taking hits from torpedoes launched by strike craft squadrons. But while the loyalists were taking a heavy toll, the batteries of the station and the battleship ILS Pride of Aliya scored a number of lucky hits on the fast moving White Legion vessels. The WLS Enduring Ideal was hit by a singular shot from the stations main battery and the warship was nearly torn in two.
The WLS Enduring Ideal being engaged by the Samshiel and its defence fleet, October 2954.
The battle continued for hours, and with each passing minute the rebel casualties climbed ever higher. Many tried to weather the storm, and inflict as much damage as possible. The most dramatic example was Captain Aquila Zala Alvi of the WLS Herald of the Storm. After sustaining critical damage across the stern, Zala ordered the warship to be abandoned but stayed behind on the bridge. Captain Zala then maneuvered the Herald of the Storm in order to shield the lifeboats from crossfire. He set course towards a group of three loyalist cruisers and set his reactors to critical, managing to engulf the enemy warships in the explosion.
The 8th Escort Squadron were tasked with taking out point defence turrets on Samshiel station. Using their speed to get past any screening ships they strafed the outer hull of the station. Hitting point defences, sensor blisters and shield emitters. The 8th were so successful that portions of the station’s defence grid began to fail. Admiral Thalente ordered all her ships to focus their efforts and try to exploit the opening. Hundreds of torpedoes were sent hurtling towards the station, but the defence fleet soon readjusted, all but three were intercepted and destroyed. The explosion tore through the stations lower compartments and while damage was extensive it wasn’t critical. The station had been wounded, but was still operational.
Thalente’s ships were left in disarray, with the scramble to get into firing positions all sense of formation had been lost. The rebel’s point defence arcs now had noticeable gaps, and were quickly exploited by loyalist ships. In quick succession the WLS Fortune Favors, HCS Summer’s Bounty and HCS Heir Apparent were hit by multiple torpedoes. WLS Summer’s Bounty losing all power leading to the crew abandoning ship. HCS Heir Apparent was hit amidship multiple times doing enough damage to crack the ship in half. Fortune Favors lost all weapons and was left no choice but to retreat.
It had become quite clear that the assault had failed, Admiral Thalente ordered all her ships to retreat. Priority was given to the most damaged warships still capable of maneuvering, with the remaining ships providing cover. One by one vessels peeled away from the formation until only Admiral Thalente's ship and her escorts remained. In acknowledgment of her defeat Admiral Thalente ordered her flagship to power down its weapons and flash her docking lights, the loyalists understanding her actions responded in kind, they had won the day and were being honoured on their victory.
Admiral Thalente and the surviving ships of the 1001st legion headed for the containment fleet. Her ships battered as they were would remain on the outskirts of Aliya for the remainder of the siege. During this time four vessels were scuttled, so heavily damaged they were deemed unsalvageable. The Legion’s personnel were shuffled throughout the ships, making up the numbers of those lost. Thalente's focus now being to minimize future casualties and maintaining the containment of Diomikato.
Greenbelt Ablaze[]
Though fighting within the Ashwastes and the push towards the darkside of Diomikato would continue for many weeks. The capture of Lyon Pass gave the White Legions a direct route to the largest urban centers on the surface, Infernum and Amihiem. The offensives on those cities would continue into mid November, and become the primary focus for many within rebel command. Council forces would also carry out broad advances within the Greenbelt itself, looking to occupy as many towns, settlements and townships as possible in order to limit loyalist supply routes and troop movements in the region.
Lieutenant Colonel Aldegund Rais was ordered to take his battalion along the banks of the Mur and seize the town of Alten. While initial enemy contact was minimal, the battalion’s advance was marred by delays. Improvised explosive devices, drones, and other remote fire weapon systems ambushed the lead elements during the opening stages of the operation. In the fields surrounding the village, the battalion came under direct fire by loyalist forces for the first time since entering the Greenbelt. Sporadic mortar, rocket and sniper attacks hit the battalion on all sides. These new assaults were spearheaded by loyalist irregulars, militias or other conscripted units.
Four days after their initial advance, the 8th battalion of the 1025th had reached the outskirts of Alten. Though initial recon reported the village itself to be quiet, the battalion soon found itself under heavy fire. The loyalist regulars had fortified themselves in and around Alten. The battalion fought valiantly, but was vastly outnumbered. Aldegund ordered the use of incendiary ammunition on the town and surrounding fields, using the growing inferno to cover his retreat. The fires would rage uncontrolled for weeks, spreading throughout the region.
Legionaries of the 1025th on the outskirts of Alten.
With more and more strike craft being redeployed from orbit, the skies over the Greenbelt became home to an ever escalating air war. With most of the loyalist attention drawn to the advances on Infernum and Amiheim, the skies in the Iberus were firmly in the hands of the rebels. The 121st maintained airborne patrols over the grid-sector. Utilizing airborne infantry and gunships to engage loyalist ranger and light infantry forces. On the 5th November one of these patrols under the command of Captain Romana Nelson came under heavy ground fire near the Verata hamlet. Two transports were disabled and a third destroyed. Despite heavy losses, the patrol managed to make their way back to a rebel FOB. Navigating the heavily wooded terrain while avoiding the attention of loyalist patrols. Follow-up gunship assaults leveled Verata and spread anti-personnel mines in the surrounding highlands over a period of days. Subsequent loyalist activity in the region decreased dramatically.
Survivors of the 121st airborne patrol, November 5th 2954.
Loyalist regulars, later identified as the 18th Legion, launched an extensive guerrilla campaign beginning in early November. Independent grav detachments, sometimes as small as a single squad, spread out across Diomikato. They targeted supply depots, convoys, relay stations, and power distribution throughout the Greenbelt and even as far as the Ashwastes. Numerous raids were performed throughout conflict on Diomikato. Major Ernesta David would earn the moniker “Dusk Reaper” among many rebel units after a string of attacks on supply convoys in the Abon Valley. His squads would launch attacks in the shadow of a ridge, or otherwise have sunlight obscured in some way. Fire and blood would be all that remains in their wake, with headless corpses of the rebels strapped to the burning wreckage.
Distorted pic-feed, recovered from the remains of a 4th Legion supply convoy. Believed to be footage of an 18th Legion raiding force.
While the White Legions typically met resistance when attempting to occupy settlements, in many places they were welcomed with open arms. Steirhold, having a long history with the Xu family dating back to the days of the Aquilan warlords, opened their ancient gates to the Sixtieth legion. Celebrations lasted days, as iconography, decorations, and symbols used by the Empress and her loyalists were torn down and destroyed. General Xu took in the throngs of volunteers from her one time home and proclaimed her legion to be the first to set foot in the Red City.
Sixtieth Legion assets making planetfall onto Diomikato, November 2954.
The 2nd division of the 84th Legion under the command of Colonel Sydne Markov launched their assault on the city of Vena in early November. The city had turned into a slum town over the years, and fighting filled the twisting alleys and streets. Though initial intelligence reports indicated that the civilian population had all but evacuatted, shortly after the assault began swarms of refugees poured out of tunnels, dugouts and other ramshackle shelters. Many were caught in the cross-fire, or in traps laid by loyalist militia forces. By the end of the fourth day much of the city lay in ruins, bodies from all sides lay strewn throughout. Fighting would stretch on for another week as loyalist reinforcements pushed to counter. In the end, the 2nd division would achieve their objectives but at a staggering cost. The 2nd would spend the remainder of the war in a reserve role as the 1st division would relieve them in the coming days, and push on into the rural areas to the south, attempting to root out loyalist cells in the region.
84th Legion forces assault the city of Vena, November 2954.
An armored offensive spearheaded by the 155th Legion recaptured vast swaths of rebel territory after managing to cross the Tripat River. The blitz threatened to cut off the legions advancing on Amiheim. General Bellicus reallocated as many airborne forces as possible to stall the advance until ground forces could be deployed. Flights of gunships and strike craft devastated armored columns caught along the main roadways. Drop troops from the Forty-fourth made planetfall in the early hours of the 8th November, striking the largest fuel depot and motor pool miles behind the front. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the shock troops held the line for days, wreaking havoc on the loyalist reserves. Fearing a near total route, General Eteri Volkov in overall command of the loyalist advance, assembled his personal lorica guard and moved to suppress the rebels personally.
Eteri made contact with the Forty-fourth in the evening of the 16th. The rebels had made short work of the reserve forces, but had lost the element of surprise. The drop troops stood little chance against the wall of steel advancing on their positions. Despite the odds stacked against them, rebel soldiers managed to disable three of the venerated war machines before being wiped out. The threat to his reserves had been crushed, but Eteri had lost the initiative. He had failed to reach the high ground of Mesonheim before the rebels. The counter-offensive did not deliver the killing blow, but had succeeded in taking pressure off Amiheim and the Emperox Line.
Strike Craft on station above the Meson Lowlands. Air operations and the orbital insertion by the Forty-fourth legion are credited with halting the 155th legion’s armored assault.
Lieutenant Armstrong Tamara would earn the title of ‘White Scourge’ after single handedly downing a loyalist bomber squadron over the River Mur. They would go on to earn twenty-five additional strike craft kills in the closing weeks of the war. On 11th November, Armstrong would be shot down in the skies over Lumund. Though first reported killed-in-action by his squadron, they would be discovered by rebel commando teams six days later. In a miraculous display of skill and spirit, Armstrong had traveled thirty kilometers over some of the harshest terrain on Diomikato. All the while evading loyalist patrols. Armstrong would go on to have one of the highest kill tallies among rebel pilots during the entire invasion.
In an effort to breakthrough and push to the far south of Infernum, General Wolf and the 154th Legion moved to take the town of Helven. Intelligence reports suggested that the civilian populations had all but evacuated, with loyalist forces taking up positions in the ancestral garrison complex in the center of the settlement. Hoping to avoid a quagmire, Wolf directed heavy artillery companies and bomber detachments to begin a systematic shelling of Helven. Incendiary and high explosive ammunition would be intermixed in order to ensure total saturation. The bombings lasted three days and not a single structure was left intact. When the 154th moved in, they were shocked at what they found. There had been no loyalist military presence, and no civilian evacuation order had been given. With little in the way of detection, the town’s population had been taken by complete surprise.
Lieutenant Armstrong Tamara’s interceptor squadron on-station over Diomikato, November 2954.
With Helven obliterated, Wolf continued to push south. Despite a string of early victories, the offensive would stall out in the Ember Mountains. Unable to push back against loyalist militia and special forces teams occupying the region.
Years after the end of the war, Aquilan investigators would conclude that 90% of the population had been killed in the first 30 minutes of the bombardment. To this day, the truth behind what led up to the attack is unknown. As the official records are incomplete, or in some cases missing entirely.
Battle of Infernum[]
On the 29th of October, Council advance units entered visual range of Infernum. Defensive fortifications ringed the city and covered every conceivable approach. The Abon Cordillera had been turned into a fortress and over the River Garonne, the two main bridges had been destroyed to further complicate the Council’s plan of action. Initial ideas were to strike quickly overwhelming the defenders, however the offensive had been delayed too long giving ample time for the defenders to dig-in. Probing attacks by the 5th Recon Battalion of the Sixty-fifth were easily rebuffed and showed little weakness in the lines. With the initiative now lost, General Aquila Wolf Reimann ordered the defenses to be surrounded and the city to be besieged.
Armoured columns from the 65th and the 154th spread to the east and the west of the city, the major roads in and out of the city were blocked off, all the while harassing attacks were made on the defensive lines to prevent breakout attacks. The council forces began digging in, in preparation to wait out the defenders for however long it took. For weeks the two sides exchanged artillery fire and occasional skirmish, but neither side had superiority of numbers nor adequate air support to make a difference. Despite calls from General Wolf, reinforcements were slow to arrive as the focus for the main offensive on Diomikato was Amiheim.
On the 18th of November, a raid undertaken by the 10th infantry battalion of the 154th was surprisingly successful. What started out as an attempt at harassment became a chance to push the defensive lines of the Loyalists. The 10th battalion had caught the defenders of Andrew’s Point rotating with fresh troops and realising their good fortune, the battalion made quick work with the distracted defenders. The fortifications fell into their hands but without support they did not last long. The 7th Mechanised division of the 8th battalion was ordered to advance and secure this new pocket, holding the 10th’s flanks and alleviating the pressure they now found themselves under. The Loyalists had soon responded to the loss of Andrew’s Point funneling fresh reserves to try and close the pocket. Loyalist armour advanced to hold Bluestone Ridge overlooking Andrew’s Point at the very edge of their range. Over the next few days the armour pounded the fortifications, raining plasma fire and railgun slugs into the center of the 10th battallion's position. Despite all of this, the pocket had held. The 7ths APC’s had returned back from the Council's lines and picked up the 126e Régiment d'Infanterie of House Cygnus along with the Vigil Ignis Combat Engineer company of House Fornax further reinforcing the beleaguered 10th battalion.
General Wolf then ordered the 1st Artillery Company to concentrate around the Trévaresse hills as their heavy guns would be in range of the enemy armour on Bluestone Ridge. The 2nd Recon platoon of the Sixty-fifth legion was given orders to advance on the ridge and relay back the artillery's effectiveness and accuracy. Once the guns of the 1st began firing, they did not stop for three days, and when the smoke cleared the ridge had been scoured of enemy forces. Husks of tanks and other armored vehicles were all that remained on the blackened ground. Reinforcements that had been slowly arriving to join the rebel’s siege of Infernum were hastily redirected to take advantage of the salient. The entire 154th was ordered to occupy the surrounding area and push the defenders, at the same time a general offensive would be launched towards the settlement. Council forces broke from their fortifications and assaulted the loyalist positions aiming to prevent the pocket from being reinforced. With Andrew’s Point now firmly in the hands of the Council, the 1st Artillery company was relocated to the former loyalist fort, not only had the loss of this fort opened the loyalist lines, the summit of Andrew’s Point provided enough range for the Councils heavy guns to hit Infernum itself. By the first of December 2954, rebel artillery began firing into Infernum, shattering the defensive walls built during the Warlord period of Diomikato by the great Anais Obruchev themself.
Guns of the 1st artillery company, Sixty-fifth legion, preparing to fire on Bluestone Ridge
After two weeks of bombardment, and the capture of the forts at Saint-Malo, Rosemont, and Andrew’s Point, preparations were made to storm the city. General Aquila Cimber Dion was to lead the operation, allocating the Sixty-fifth and the Thirty-fifth to make up the taskforce codenamed Forlorn Hope, who would be the first units that would storm the breaches into Infernum. However, three days before the operation was to begin, General Cimber received an interesting proposal. The Deathless mercenaries had built a quick reputation for accepting even the hardest tasks, and rumours had recently been begun about their origins, had labelled them as survivors of Legion I. It was not surprising to Cimber, that if these rumours were to be believed, that these mercenaries would want to form the Forlorn Hope instead. Infernum was the home of Legion I, its officers and leaders made up from the lineage of Anais Obruchev. General Cimber acquiesced, giving the Deathless the honour of being the first to step into Infernum, knowing that the death toll was to be mighty and wishing to spare the White Legions as best she could.
On the 17th December, units of the 1st Infantry Regiment "Stonewallers" and the 2nd Mechanized Light Infantry "Hornets" arrived on the outskirts of Infernum. Artillery strikes along with limited sorties from strike craft saturated the three breaches designated Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. In just over twelve hours, five thousand shells, rockets, and missiles were launched, with the Deathless creeping forward just outside of bombardment area. Seconds after the last shell landed the order to advance was given, the last mad dash before engaging with the enemy. Fighting in the breaches was brutal, as despite the bombardment. the loyalist defenders were still prepared for the assault. Bunkers and trenches sitting just inside the breaches awatied the mercenaries. Buildings that were once homes and businesses had been turned into fortresses, streets blocked with barricades funneling the assaulting troops into crossfires and killing fields. Yet the Deathless carried on, methodically advancing through the obstacles, nearly two thousand were reported to have died or been wounded in the initial assault on the breaches, but one by one the bunkers were cleared and the Deathless moved further into the city. Reinforcements were rapidly moved to follow the assault, the two legions first chosen as the Forlorn Hope made up the majority of the units assigned.
The Forlorn Hope rushes the breach in Infernum's defences.
The main objectives for the Council forces were to occupy the Central Plaza De Aquila, a site that was used as the HQ for the Loyalist defences, Infernum’s spaceport known as Port Bastion, and the Vulcanal, the area were most of the electrical power for the city was produced. With these objectives held it was believed resistance would crumble. House-to-house engagements soon broke out across the front, street after street had to be taken quickly in order to maintain the momentum of the assault. Lorica and armoured vehicles were largely ineffective in such a small enclosed space, too easily ambushed or caught in dead ends, it was largely left to the infantry with lorica acting in support by use of obliterating any fortified strongpoints encountered on the advance.
Assault teams from the Sixty-fifth led the way to the Vulcanal's large foundries and industrial compounds where defenders blocked their path to the power stations. Elite units from the Nineteenth legion were entrenched there. Using the open sightlines and the many vantage points to their advantage, the snipers of the 2nd ranger division made a heavy toll for the rebel legion. So effective were the loyalist marksman, that Colonel Aquila Victoria Haase ordered his division to level any vantage point before confirmation of enemy occupation, over one hundred buildings were levelled in the assault, leaving the Vulcanal a pile of rubble. Eventually units form the 21st Guards battalion of the Sixty-fifth reached the main power stations of the Vulcanal. The loyalist garrisons largely depleted by the early attacks fell within a day of fighting. Elements from the 3rd Engineer Corps of the Eighth legion quickly shut down the facilities, cutting the majority of power to the rest of the city.
Loyalist marksman, 2nd Ranger Division, December 2954.
The rebel armies pushed hard to reach the other major objectives in the city but the loyalists' defences were well made. The 1st Infantry Regiment "Stonewallers" led an assault on the Plaza de Aquila. What was once a serene locale, full of sculptures of famous Aquilans, food stalls, and street entertainers had become a killing field. The open ground of the plaza was riddled with shell craters, covered by makeshift defences to house the Loyalists. The mayor's residence and surrounding buildings situated on the north corner of the plaza had been extensively fortified, providing excellent sightlines across the open area. The initial attackers became pinned down almost as soon as they entered, even the use of mortars did not lessen the fire from the defenders. Colonel Neaera ordered the front line to pull back while the rest of his forces provided covering fire from the southern edge of the plaza. Of the initial assault only twenty five percent of the company made it back and Colonel Neaera knew he could not afford to take that many casualties again. Instead he sent out squads to recon the flanks of the plaza, hoping that the buildings there could provide cover for another assault. Meanwhile reinforcements of lorica had been requested, the heavy weapons of the mechs would provide some respite from the defenders' constant fire, yet any attempt at moving forward across the plaza was still met with an increase in intensity. The recon of the surrounding buildings proved fruitless, the Loyalists had left traps in many of the buildings, or outright levelled any that would give an advantage to their enemies. The only way across to the HQ was over that open ground.
Loyalist troops defending the Plaza de Aquila.
Colonel Neaera prepared his men for another attempt. Lorica laid down covering fire, along with mortar shells, and the rare strike craft sorties available to the Council's armies. As the smoke cleared from the strike crafts' final attack run, the ground battle began. Infantry units rushed into the plaza from the south, expecting to be mown down by Loyalist fire. But no shots were fired, instead from the roof of the mayor's residence flew a flag of truce, a call for a ceasefire.
After weeks of being surrounded and then six days of intense fighting, the Loyalist defenders had begun to run low on ammunition, food, and medical supplies. The majority of able defenders were now congregated in and around the Plaza de Aquila and Port Bastion. With their forces surrounded, low on supplies, and suffering extensive casualties, General Aquila DeVillepin Leslie of the Fifth, supreme commander of the defence of Infernum, offered a ceasefire to the Council of Houses. Negotiations for the surrender began on the 24th of December, it was agreed that hostilities would cease while the negotiations were held and the wounded from both sides as well as any civilians still left would be evacuated.
The ceasefire largely held, General DeVillepin's legion was largely made up of regular Aquilan troops, however there were several units of Redcapes in the city occupying Port Bastion. Refusing to adhere to the ceasefire they continued fighting until the 26th of December when a huge explosion occured in the port. The port was ruined, the underground facilities collapsed in on themselves, hangars and those few ships docked crushed by falling debris. Investigations undertaken after the war determined that members of the Redcapes defending the port deliberately overloaded the fusion generators on the small vessels docked at Port Bastion. Luckily one reactor reached critical before the others, detonating early and lessening the overall power of the explosion. Still the force of the explosion flattened buildings five kilometres away. The majority of the Thirty-fifth were wiped out in the blast.
Unknown soldier after word of the ceasefire was delivered, December 2954.
A day later on the 27th of December, the formal surrender of Infernum was accepted by General Aquila Wolf Reimman in the Plaza De Aquila. Over the course of the battle an estimated forty thousand soldiers on both sides had perished, with a further fifty five thousand civilian deaths. Easily one of the bloodiest battles of the war so far, Infernum had been devastated, both the Council and Loyalist forces had taken heavy losses and the civilian population that had fled to the city for safety had been caught in the crossfire. Despite the victory in Infernum the war raged on across Diomikato, Amiheim still stood and the Empress had yet to be found, Victory was still beyond the grasp of the Council forces.
Battle of Gadreel[]
While the fighting on the surface had intensified, in orbit things had remained relatively calm. Neither side had the numbers to win a large engagement and with the bulk of the loyalist fleet left recovering at Sariel station, the Council’s forces could focus on their main objective of offloading troops and supplies onto Diomikato. However by the 27th of November, the majority of the transports were now empty and so reinforcements would have to be collected from out of system, but to do so would either leave Diomikato’s orbit uncontested or the transports undefended. It was therefore decided that the rebel forces would engage the small though thus far undamaged loyalist garrison at Gadreel Station. The goal of the attack would be to free the last astronomical causeway and allow the supply lines total system freedom.
Vessels of the 111th legion, known as Talon Fleet, led the operation, Admiral Admiral Aquila Aelius Hedrianus was a relatively new member of the White Legions and had much to prove before he was truly accepted. On the 28th of December after a month of probing attacks, vessels of Talon Fleet engaged the pickets near Gadreel Station. The patrol boats and frigates were quickly overwhelmed by the fast moving battlecruisers, WLS Wings of Stellar Dust and WLS Means to an End and their escorts. The loyalist ships defending the station were spread in a standard formation, far apart from each other in order to extend their sensor grid. So fast was the initial engagement by Talon Fleet, that Commodore Gornes Muire believed they could threaten the station with a simple hit and run strike before the majority of the loyalist defense fleet could coalesce and run them off.
The two battlecruisers launched a large torpedo salvo at the station, with the defence fleet still spread far apart the point defence grid was vulnerable. The station was hit by eight torpedoes from a salvo of thirty two, heavily damaging the central core of the station. Believing the hit and run could be pressed further, Commodore Gornes called for reinforcements to rally point Echo-Four-Two, just outside Gadreel’s weapons range. Answering the call was Commodore Royale Nell of the Third Legion who soon moved with Gornes to engage the defence fleet, which was in disarray at the attack. The White Legion ships used their speed to pull in close to the Loyalist ships, and as Commodore Gornes’ ships came level with the centre of the Loyalist formation they turned, breaking the formation into two halves to surround Gadreel’s defense fleet.
WLS Wings of Stellar Dust breaking through the loyalist line
The first section of loyalist ships were caught in the crossfire, each vessel unable to bring all their weapons to bear against a singular ship while the rear section were occupied defending against Commodore Royale’s ships thus preventing them from rendering assistance. The ships of the first section were destroyed or disabled allowing the entire combined fleet of the 111th and 3rd to maneuver and concentrate on the rear section. With the flagship of the defence fleet lost, command fell to Captain Pascoal Netuno, but seeing his ships outmatched and fearing a complete encirclement, he began ordering the surviving vessels to retreat before receiving communication that Loyalist reinforcements had arrived.
New contacts appeared on all ship sensors around Gadreel. Confusingly for the rebel fleet though, these contacts came from just past Soarus and not from Sariel, where the remaining Loyalist fleet resided. As the unknown enemy force got closer, its identity signature became clear: In the centre of the fleet, surrounded by escorts, bristling with weapons signatures was the ILS Eagle’s Talon. The Empress had entered the field of battle.
After the war it would be revealed that the Empress had hidden her fleet in orbit around the moon Akaris. Waiting and biding her time to strike, her ultimate aim was to have the Council of Houses fully commit to the invasion before revealing herself. Now that the rebels had landed the majority of their forces onto Diomiakto, losing control of their supply line corridor and orbital superiority would mean the invasion forces would be cut off and trapped. The invasion would fail and so would the rebellion.
The two White Legion commodores immediately disengaged from the Loyalist fleet around Gadreel in order to enter a defensive formation. This however left them open to a counter attack as Captain Pascoal became emboldened by his empress’s arrival. Finding their plans turned against them, Gornes called for help from any other Council forces that could answer, sending news that the Blood Eagle was attacking. Meanwhile the squadron under Commodore Royale were under heavy fire from the Eagle’s Talon. The Commodore’s ship, the WLS Dawn’s Chariot, would have its hull pierced and reactor struck by a mass driver round. With their reactor containment field failing, Commodore Nell ordered the ship to be abandoned. With the crew rushing to the escape pods Royale and several volunteers manned the bridge stations and attempted to push the vessel out of formation and into the oncoming Loyalist ships. However, it was too late as the Loyalists concentrated their fire on the battlecruiser. The ship was hit several more times which disabled all onboard control systems. The reactors finally went critical, causing the vessel to explode and killing everyone left on board. The electromagnetic fallout caused by the explosion disabled three other nearby ships, allowing them to be easily picked off by the Blood Eagle’s personal retinue.
The WLS Dawn’s Chariot shortly before its destruction.
As the Legion Augusta squadron was destroyed, Commodore Gornes ordered a last ditch assault on the Eagle’s Talon. Their vessels swarmed the ancient behemoth but proved ineffective against its armor and shields. Again they called for help, only to be told that reinforcements would not arrive. Word of the Blood Eagle’s attack had spread across the various rebel fleets but knowing the danger she represented, nearby forces instead moved to consolidate into a defensive line. Left alone and without support Gornes’ squadron soon perished under the devastating guns of the Empress’ battleship.
Admirals Sarkar, Aelius, and Bascio coordinated their fleets in preparation of the Blood Eagle’s further assault, as they knew she would not relent with a single victory. Like the Council of Houses, she was ready to end the war. Several small engagements followed and each time the Council’s forces were vastly overpowered. The Empress’ first move was to push out the rebels that divided her forces by securing the astronomical corridor between Gadreel and Sariel. Knowing that sending a fleet to intercept would be suicide, the three admirals instead ordered a withdrawl from the region and simply gave the area of space to the Loyalists. This exchange however would soon prove disastrous as the Loyalist armada, now comprising of the Blood Eagle’s retinue, the survivors from Gadreel and the main fleet from Sariel, would launch multiple offensives to take back even more space in the Aliya system.
Debris in orbit after an engagement with the ILS Eagle’s Talon, believed to be the WLS Shores of Greely.
Over the course of a week, the Blood Eagle and her armada advanced on the more distant Council forces while ignoring the main defensive line around Diomikato. Four Fornax and two Crux squadrons on the outer edges of the supply corridor were completely destroyed. Every strike force sent to probe for weakness in Gadreel and Sariel were forced to retreat. Soon nearly half of the Aliya system was back under Loyalist control.
Emperox Line[]
While the Empress’ intervention had begun to tip the scales in the orbital theatre, the ground campaign had not been going to the Loyalists' favor. Infernum and the Abon Cordillera had been lost, the rebels controlled the Ashwastes and the Meson lowlands, and now Council forces threatened to cut off the Hinterlands from the Greenbelt. More pressing than all of this, however, was the fact that the rebels began pushing into the Reach. The heart of the Empress' traditional power base and capital city of Diomikato, Amiheim, was now under threat.
Long before the Battle of Gadreel, on the 25th October Council forces had opened an offensive into the Reach. Armoured task forces had been diverted from other theatres, spread across a frontline from leeward to sunward spanning the Reach. The entirety of the Third, Fourth, and Eighth legions spread their forces across this front. The wide open plains of the Reach allowed fast moving armour to play havoc with static defences. The opening stages of the offensive remained fairly mobile on both sides, territory would change hands frequently as the two sides maneuvered and advanced.
Decisive engagements were uncommon, with most ending in one side retreating in good order. The fighting was no less fierce though. Over the course of three weeks the 5th Armoured battalion of the Third Legion had been involved in over forty five engagements, yet could only confirm ten enemy vehicles destroyed. Both sides were conscious that this could be the decisive theatre of the entire invasion.
Eighth Legion armour stationed on the Emperox Line, October 2954.
By mid November it was clear something would need to change. Council forces were making little headway and the Loyalists were shoring up their defences, fortifying the approaches to Amiheim. It was decided that a general advance would be ordered across the entire front, now dubbed the ‘Emperox Line’. Rebel elements would attack loyalist positions wherever encountered. Air squadrons would be called in, or diverted from across Diomikato depleting other regions and local orbit but enabling a massive assault in the early hours of the 14th of November. The Third, Fourth, and Eighth legions primary objective would be to achieve a breakthrough, and wherever possible cut the loyalist supply lines and encircle as many loyalist formations as possible, follow up advances by reserve elements would pin and eliminate the pockets of resistance.
The morning of the 14th was quiet, the past few days had been relatively calm with only minor skirmishes reported along the line. At 0500 the operation began, code-named Ash Storm. squadrons of mixed strike craft began their sorties, hitting fortified positions all along the line. Kinetic strikes from WLS Never-ending Fury and WLS Argonaut targeted the headquarters of the Eleventh Legion defending the approaches to Toui. As soon as the initial strikes were completed Council forces began their attack. Knowing an all out offensive would be futile, loyalist command searched for the main assault force. With the destruction of the 11ths HQ it was believed the city of Toui and the sunward edge of the line was to be the focus of the rebel’s attack. Reinforcements were quickly routed to bolster their defences, all the time being harried by the councils air forces. Loyalist squadrons were mobilized to take back control of the skies over Toui.
Lorica involved in the general offensive along the Emperox Line, November 2954.
The Council’s feint worked, while the loyalists reinforced Toui the main assault forces began their advance on the city of Murc. The leeward edge of the line was the true target. Only when the loyalists began to shift their reinforcements and had committed their strike craft reserves the combined White Legion force began their advance. The priority was speed, the force was largely made up of light armoured vehicles and lorica. Their objective was the three main routes out of Amiheim and into Murc, code-named Jade, Ruby, and Emerald. Eighty kilometers into Loyalist held territory these three routes were the main arteries of the Leeward defenders.
The coalition force aimed to break through at Paulton’s Gap, a fortified position near the banks of the Tripat river, crossing ground that General Eteri Volkov had used only weeks before. The initial engagement was brutal, artillery from the 15th Support Battery of the Eighth legion bombarded the area for half an hour slowly decreasing in volume as the combined force advanced. Lorica of the Third legion spearheaded the assault, rushing across the river with ease and sweeping aside the surviving defenders. Engineers from the Fourth legion deployed a bridge across the Tripat for the armour of the combined force to cross, in the space of two hours the force had crossed the river, secured Paulton’s Gap and began the dash into loyalist territory.
Loyalist command was in chaos, falling for the feint towards Toui, their troops were out of position and unable to respond. Council forces began to pour through the broken line, reinforcing the vital breakthrough and engaging the beleaguered defenders of the leeward side of the Greenbelt. The rebel vanguard made it 50 kilometres into enemy territory before encountering any significant resistance. Reserves from the 155th legion were fortified in and around the town of Thiviers, recovering after their failed advance weeks ago. The spearhead engaged the fortified troops, opting to strike from long range while the bulk of the combined force advanced closer to the town.
Not wanting their advance to be outflanked, the Council forces had no choice but to attempt an assault on the town. Infantry of the 2nd Mechanised Battalion of the Third Legion led the assault, striking for the centre of the town hoping to overwhelm the defenders and ensure any delay was minimal. But the 155th were battle hardened veterans, despite the speed of the attack they managed to repel the assault. Their heavy tanks were well concealed and covered the major routes into the centre of the town making easy work of the rebel lightly armoured personnel carriers. Twelve APC’s were knocked out in the initial attack, groups of infantry were left stranded as the assault was repulsed.
Infantry of the 2nd mechanised battalion, Third Legion enter the town of Thiviers.
Realising the strength of the defenders and fearing the entire advance would stall here, Lieutenant General Iman Ataneq, the overall commander of the combined force, instead decided to bypass the village. Reserve units would surround the town, ensuring the defenders could not strike out unopposed, then the vast majority of council forces continued towards their objectives. Leaving behind several units to maintain the encirclement and if possible overwhelm the defenders. Fighting continued for days until the 155th began to run out of supplies. Their defence of this tiny Diomikatan village is still taught to this day in the Academia Ardenti Arbitrium as an example of an improvised fortified position withstanding a superior force.
Although fighting continued, the combined force was able to reach their objectives and secured the vital supply routes. With their supplies cut off and now threatened with defending on two fronts the leeward edge of the Emperox line began to collapse. In the space of a week, fifty thousand loyalist troops had been surrounded and cut off from Amiheim, many surrendering as their fate became clear. With the salient expanding every passing hour, rebel command could divert more troops onto the sunward edge of the line. The city of Toui would fall a week later. What was once a mobile front on both sides became a rapid retreat for the loyalist forces.
Loyalist forces pulling back to Amiheim, December 2954.
Though forced to retreat, the loyalist forces resisted at every turn. Roads and bridges were destroyed, remote emplacements, explosives and mines were prepared to slow the rebel’s advance. Much to the frustration of many within rebel command, loyalist forces were able to withdraw the vast majority of their forces to Amiheim.
By the end of December the first council units entered into visual range of Amiheim. The capital of Diomikato, the home of the Empress Alejandra Ari was the most well defended city on the planet. As the council poured more and more troops towards the city, surrounding it on all sides news was delivered of the events at the Gadreel. The Empress had arrived and the Council was losing the system.
The Last Gambit[]
The situation in space was threatening to reverse all of the rebel’s progress thus far. The Blood Eagle and her formidable dreadnaught were terrorising the council forces. Several attempts to engage the ILS Eagle’s Talon had proved disastrous and the monstrous pretech behemoth seemed unstoppable. But as more of the Aliya system fell back into Loyalist control, the commanders of the Council of Houses became increasingly desperate. The Eagle’s Talon needed to be destroyed if victory was to ever be achieved. Thus a meeting of all the rebel commanders was called, to be held in operational command center deep in the Ashwastes. Commanders from all the primary militaries in the Council of Houses were present to discuss how to respond.
The deliberations stretched on for days. All present understood that the Empress and her spaceship must be dealt with in some way if the invasion, and with it the war, were to end in victory. Multiple plans was proposed, detailed and cross-examined. A grand pitched battle concentrating every council warship in Aliya against the Eagle’s Talon was favored by many within the House Fornax delegation. Though direct in addressing the problem that lay before them, it would leave Diomikato and the ground forces exposed, such a vulnerability would no doubt be exploited by the Blood Eagle’s commanders.
Others suggested a more duplicitous ploy. Careful maneuvering and positioning would draw out and isolate the Empress and her warship. It could then be picked apart piece by piece before the Loyalists could mobilize a response. This plan would, in theory, enable the rebels to maintain their current positions in the system. However, many of the Aquilan commanders pointed out that the Empress was the most experienced military commander the sector had seen in centuries. Such base levels of deception would be obvious to her, and she would no doubt use the opportunity to ensnare the ambushing forces and annihilate them.
The third, most audacious plan, required elite strike teams to make their way onboard the Empress’ flagship. These teams would use the chaos of an engagement to cover their approach, and once inside the teams would destroy or disable as many critical systems as possible. The goal would be to turn the Eagle’s Talon into a floating hulk. The logistics of this plan proved unattainable. The engagement force would need to be sufficiently large to buy enough time for any infiltration team. To maximize stealth, the teams would need to be small in number, but would be hopelessly outnumbered once inside. As with the others, this deployment could be outmaneuvered, exploited, or simply obliterated and leave the rebellion in ruin.
With each passing day, the rebel’s situation became increasingly dire. On the ground, the offensives towards the darkside of the planet had stalled. Loyalist elements had navigated their way through the wastes and launched an offensive attempting to relieve Amiheim. Though the siege of the capital city held firm, rebel command knew the capital could hold out for years if need be. In orbit, the Empress looked to be moving to strike out at any moment.
Armoured advance of the 187th Legion, December 2954. The Legion would succeed in breaking rebel lines and reaching the Greenbelt, but would be stalled en route to Amiheim.
While the rebels were locked in debate, the Loyalists made their move. On 1st January 2955, Major Aquila Corcetti Isaure and an elite strike team infiltrated the Council command center. Their goal was simple: kill the leadership gathered in the base by any means necessary. Using captured armour and uniforms, the infiltrators made their way through the complex and into the command fortress. Once inside they split up and began placing charges at the supporting columns. In an odd twist of fate, one of General Orianne’s subordinates discovered one of the infiltration teams. They had exited the main briefing room with two other aides and were making their way back to the General’s staff office when they noticed Legion Augusta soldiers away from their post. As the staff approached, one of the infiltrators attempted to draw a sidearm. The rebel officers quickly subdued the loyalist agents and sent out an alert.
Rebel leadership was rushed out of the building, but not before two of the explosive charges went off. The Loyalist plot had succeeded, but only partially. A number of rebel commanders had been caught in the blasts, including the main delegates from Fornax and Cygnus. Generals Orianne and Bellicus, who were among those who managed to escape, ordered the base into high alert. The remaining loyalist strike team escaped undetected; it is unknown if Major Corcetti believed their plan had succeeded or not.
Interrogations by House Serpens agents would reveal that the apprehended soldiers were not defectors as some believed but were instead infiltrators. With the Council command base now compromised, rebel leaders decided they could no longer delay on devising a plan to destroy the Empress’ dreadnought. They needed to select a course of action before the Blood Eagle or the Imperial Aerie could send more assassins to finish the job.
Further inspired by and using information extracted from the infiltrators, rebel command surmised that a compromise between a number of the more popular propositions would yield the highest chance of success. From the interrogations, the Council now knew that the Eagle’s Talon would be docking at Sariel Station for resupply before moving off to engage the main rebel force. A strike team would be sent to infiltrate Sariel Station, during a small feint attack, and make their way onboard the Eagle’s Talon. Meanwhile rebel ground assets would begin a major offensive against Amiheim while the bulk of White Legion armada converged to support them. The rebels hoped to pin as much of the loyalist elements as possible and force the Blood Eagle’s hand.
A squad of was quickly put together with General Bellicus of the fourth legion requesting command, a request that many knew was personal. From there the saboteurs used a set of redundant codes on a White Legion shuttle to dock at Sariel Station. Though no reports could be given directly to the Council of Houses, so as to not compromise the strike team, after the war former Loyalists confirm that the “shuttle crew” made their way onboard the Eagle’s Talon.
On January 5th, with General Bellicus out of contact, the rest of the operation was left to Admiral Sarkar who would order all naval forces to converge on the Red City, while General Orianne helped organize the ground assault. The feint attack on Sariel had indeed tricked the Blood Eagle and once news of the massive offensive reached her, she immediately abandoned the station to relieve the city with her entire armada.
The attack on Amiheim was utter chaos. For weeks, the capital and been ceaselessly shelled and bombarded. Despite this volume of fire, the Loyalists held the outer perimeter of the city. Armoured infantry would advance at full speed into the city, supported by concentrations of lorica. Heavy armour would sweep the wider flanks. Though the city had been surrounded, the loyalists had been able to retreat from the Emperox line with much of their heavy assets. The massive armies on both sides suffered extensive casualties from artillery and aerial bombardment, but rebel command predicted the loyalists would not hesitate in launching a counter attack.
Loyalist forces hold the line in Amiheim, January 2955.
As the onslaught on the ground continued, the battle above was equally destructive: The HCS Duty and Pride managed to overpower the battlecruiser ILS Simmering Torment, crippling its engines and sending it tumbling onto the fields of Diomikato. A lucky shot from Commodore Aquila Mitra’s escort squadron knocked out the command deck of the cruiser WLS Tempest of Woes sending it on a collision course with the battleship HFS Steel Showers on the Indecisive. The resulting reactor detonation crippled a further dozen smaller vessels. All the while, Empress’ battleship laid waste to the rebel ships above. By the 7th, the rebel fleet had begun losing control of the air above the city. Uncertain if the infiltration had succeeded, Admiral Sarkar maneuvered her vessels to try and piece the Talon’s defenses while the behemoth cut straight through the heart of the Council’s formations. The battleship HFS Fires of Creation Burn Eternal managed four barrages before structural damage forced a retreat, and the HCS Pride of Gats caught a full broadside and cracked under the withering fire. All around the battle played out the same, the rebel’s largest vessels tried to face the pre-tech capital ship only to be sunk. But finally, at 10:26 on the 9th of January, the shields of the mighty flagship suddenly dissipated. The strike team had succeeded in their mission.
The ILS Gorgon’s Scorn pursuing an unidentified Fornax vessel in the heavens above Amhiem, January 2955.
With the flagship now vulnerable, Admiral Sarkar pushed her fleet to finally sink the once invulnerable vessel. Despite the titanic volume of fire, the Eagle’s Talon still refused to die. Its armor was still nigh impenetrable even with the combined fire of an entire fleet. Still no ship could last under such a barrage and eventually the armor of the ILS Eagle’s Talon began to crack. Its shields were gone, its armor sundered, its engines failing, the once mighty ship was on the verge of death. Everyone however was still aboard, not a single escape pod was ever used.
Stories of the infiltration team’s exploits are still told in Aquila today. No one knows for certain what happened aboard the Eagle’s Talon as none of them survived, many assume there were undoubtedly some complications. Scattered comms chatter, data records, and post-war interviews from sailors on other vessels have given historians only a very basic level of understanding of what transpired in the sinking of the Empress’ flagship. Many feared the saboteurs were simply discovered and executed, some believe they willing sacrificed themselves to the cause, but one of the more popular tales tell the story of General Bellicus, fighting his way to the command deck. Then in a fateful reunion, the Empress and her former mentor would engage in a dramatic duel as vessel crashed to the planet.
Back outside the, Talon’s hull was suffering catastrophic damage and the ship began to fall out of the sky. Many stood in awe as the most powerful warship in the sector descended the heavens toward the capital of Amiheim. Its crash into the Red City would be catastrophic, a majority of the city was destroyed in an instant. Thousands of, if not more, soldiers and civilians would be killed instantly. The sinking of the ILS Eagle’s Talon was the singular act embodying the conclusion of the civil war. The Red City’s defences were obliterated allowing the rebel troops to flood the city, loyalist morale shattered as many believed none could have survived such a crash, but as the armies on the ground reorganized themselves, the fighting did not cease immediately.
The fall of the Eagle’s Talon, forever immortalized by this image, taken by Sergeant Aquila Joal Kass. January 9th 2955.
The ash and dust cloud engulfed the city and surrounding areas for weeks. Tens of thousands would be killed, and what had already become a charnel house had now become awash in a new level of chaos. Reports on the battlefield indicated that the Blood Eagle had miraculously survived the fall from orbit. It is believed she somehow made her way to the crumbling Imperial Palace, loyalist forces rallied on the palace harried all the way by advancing Council forces. Legionnaires struggled through the wreckage and destruction left by the ILS Eagle’s Talon, eventually finding themselves in the Throne room, there on the throne sat the Blood Eagle, the Empress Aquila Alejandra Ali, tyrant and saviour, dead.
Victory[]
To the soldiers who found the Empress’ body, her cause of death was not immediately visible. Those assembled dare not touch the body instead calling for the priests of the High Church while the remaining Loyalists left in the palace grounds were allowed entrance into the throne room. At the sight of the Empress’ body, many collapsed, and wept with grief. As news of her death spread, Loyalists across the planet simply stopped fighting. It was on the steps of the Imperial Palace on Diomikato that the Blood Eagle was declared officially dead by priests of the High Church before the gathered masses.
A loyalist legionnaire collapses after receiving news of the Empress’ Death, January 2955.
After her body was secured away for transport to the High church and Neshmets of House Lyra, military commanders of both sides gathered in the ruins of the Imperial Aerie and agreed that a ceasefire should be signed. Knowing that the news of the Blood Eagle’s death needed to be spread quickly to secure the ceasefire, witnesses on both sides were gathered to record a broadcast to be sent across the sector. In orbit the opposing fleets floated in uneasy silence. The majority of ships ceased all operations as soon as word reached them and those that did not found themselves targeted by both Loyalist and Council ships before being quickly overwhelmed.
Across Diomikato, the events on the steps of the palace caused Loyalists to lay down their arms and surrender. With the death of their Empress many lost hope, but even with the widespread surrenders, small pockets of diehards continued to fight. Some did so out of blind loyalty to the Blood Eagle, while others were in abject disbelief at the news. Most of these holdouts were from the most elite and fanatical legions who believed that without the Empress their lives were already forfeit and therefore would rather die fighting than surrender. The most notable of these was a group of soldiers and cadets at the Imperial Academy. These few barricaded themselves on the grounds, and held out for weeks. As their food and ammunition ran low, they attempted one last assault. Despite the overwhelming odds, they fought to the last, refusing to surrender. It was during this uneasy period that the bodies of the Fourth and Twenty-third legion commanders were discovered impaled atop a statue of Emperor Diomikato within the Imperial Gardens. To this day it is unknown how either of these individuals made their way to this place, or how they met their fate.
The Council wasted no time in spreading the news of the Empress’ death throughout the sector. Though some worlds, like Aomori, had already achieved peace by this time, many other planets and theatres were still embroiled in heavy fighting. Over the coming months, the fighting would cease and peace talks would begin between all parties. A fragile peace would slowly spread across Acheon Rho.
Mars Corridor[]
One of the last holdouts was not on some far flung frontier, but on Diomikato itself. The Mars Corridor, one of the most developed links between the Greenbelt and the White Trine. Fighting continued for a month after the declaration of the Empress’ fall. The battle here had been forced to close quarters, often devolving to brutal hand-to-hand combat as the White Legions pushed through the enclosed valleys and mountain passes that made up the hinterland region. Communications with the rest of Diomikato had been hampered by a near ceaseless storm that covered the battlefield and thus neither side knew of the ceasefire.
The White Legion forces were under the command of General Xu Asteria of Legion LX. Her brutal and efficient tactics were well known throughout the sector, yet the Loyalists held their ground. On the twenty-eighth of January, General Xu devised a plan to finish the battle once and for all: An all out assault would be carried out on the loyalist positions in the valley, meanwhile the General would personally lead the first and third battalion through a narrow adjacent mountain pass allowing them to bypass the valley’s main defences and arrive behind the loyalist fortifications.
The pass was treacherous, the cohort’s elite commandos were barely even able to march in single file. Without the distraction of the assault they would have been sitting ducks for the loyalist defenders. Through the pass, the cohort gathered on the far side of the loyalist defences though still high on the side of the valley. They needed to rapidly descend the valley walls to engage the enemy that was still distracted by the frontal assault from the Council soldiers.
Sixtieth Legion pathfinders navigating the mountain passes of the Mars Corridor, late January 2955.
The daring descent has become famous within House Aquila as the only use of bayonets in the war. The task force was discovered with only half its number in position on the valley floor. Knowing they needed to take the initiative, General Xu ordered those on the ground to pin the defenders while the remainder of her small force descended. Using fixed bayonets, the Fire Drakes charged. The loyalist defenders were caught completely off guard, frozen in shock at the unorthodox tactics. The outer lines were shattered, and General Xu urged her legionnaires to continue the charge toward a chain of fortified guns that covered the valley entrance, blocking their way to the main Loyalist encampment.
The string of charges and fierce hand to hand fighting started to take a toll, but the guns of the defenders fell quiet, bringing a moment of respite for the descending assault force. Suit lorica of the vanguard shattered the defender’s front line and the Loyalists surrendered soon after. The day had been won and as the fighting ceased and the smoke began to clear, so to did the storm: comms systems were immediately inundated with messages about the Blood Eagle’s death and the ceasefire. In the aftermath of the battle, General Xu’s body was discovered in one of the central bunkers. Her personal lorica was surrounded by rubble and the corpses of loyalist defenders. Several members of the Fire Drakes’ first cohort would become the first awarded the newly created Imperial Wings for their actions on that day but many remember the Mars Corridor differently. A perfect microcosm of the entire civil war, so many lost in the chaos and bloodshed that was ultimately pointless.
Aftermath[]
In the end, the Second Imperial Civil War had cost uncounted billions of lives. Nearly every planet in the Empire had seen direct combat or been impacted in some way, and the Empire would reel from the death and suffering for many decades to come. Of the planets in the Imperial Core, Diomikato had seen the heaviest and most brutal of the fighting. Whole towns had been wiped out and the capital of Amiheim had suffered annihilation. The loss of civilian life on Diomikato was immeasurable and has yet to ever fully recover to this day. Combined with the casualties suffered from the War Against the Artificial, it is clear why Diomikato has the smallest population of any inhabited planet within the Imperial Core.
The Peace and Reconciliation Conference would be held on Imperial Prime, delegations from every noble house as well as the High Church would come together to determine the next steps forward. The process of writing out an official peace treaty was however an arduous task that would take many months of peace talks. Though the White Legions had been allied with the Council of Houses, the rebel legions were forced to negotiate as the losing House Aquila. All of the Aquilan delegates feared that a total loss of House Aquila was possible, and knew that showing divisiveness would result in the other belligerents forcing through the most absolute terms possible. Because of this, both the former Loyalists and White Legions banded together after the ceasefire. Prominent generals and admirals such as General Orianne, Admiral Sarkar, General DeVillepin, and General Volkov had formed an interim council to govern House Aquila. The two sides stood firm in the peace negotiations against the rest of the Empire.
Noble delegates debate the fate of House Aquila and the Empire in the post-war era, 2955
Although the Council of Houses had maintained unity of purpose during the war, tensions, grievances, and ambitions founded during and even before the conflict began to bubble to the surface. Eventually, at the behest of the High Exarch, it was agreed that House Aquila would maintain its independence and right of nobility but relinquish all claims to the throne. A new Imperial House was then to be chosen from amongst the other houses. Further concessions would also include the relinquishment of all territory gained during both civil wars and the return of all lands and property seized by the Empress from those deemed traitors. Conséc de Sécurité Impérial would be disbanded and House Aquila was forbidden from ever organizing a similar program, including the use of so called ‘covert’ or ‘black ops’ units.
The majority of those that had remained loyal to the Blood Eagle were eventually pardoned upon an oath of loyalty to the new government and the Empire. However, certain prominent members of the Imperial Aerie and Conséc were tried and convicted of treason; warrants for their arrest were issued and over the course of the following years many were captured, tried, and imprisoned on Gleipnir. The most famous of these arrests was that of former Lieutenant General Elionor Ginard who had gone into hiding on Imperial Prime before forming a small militant group. In a joint operation known as Operation New Dawn, House Aquila and House Crux worked together in rooting out her stronghold deep in the bowels of the city-planet. The militants resorted to urban guerilla tactics reminiscent of the early days of the civil war and the resistance fighting on Valua. In response, House Aquila formed multiple special operations teams that could be rapidly deployed. These ‘spec-ops’ units were tasked with searching for and destroying the militant cells on the Throneworld. In 2959, Lieutenant General Elionor was apprehended and tried. The experience of these spec-ops teams would lay the groundwork for the beginnings of the Umbra Protocol.
After the creation and formation of the Major and Minor House distinctions, a new Emperox was crowned. House Lyra was chosen for the task of leading the Empire out of its darkest time. The Masked Emperox served a reign of mourning and reflection but also of rebuilding and reconciliation. It was under the Masked Emperox that the Formal Agreement of Noble Grievance Resolution was brought into being, a process that sought to allow conflicts to resolve without leading to total war. Theirs was a largely peaceful reign, the bloodshed of the last few centuries of history replaced with a unity and purpose not seen for generations.
Celebration on Imperial Prime after the crowning of the Masked Emperox
Reformation of House Aquila[]
Over the decade of the 2960s, House Aquila’s interim council government would eventually formalize into the Convocation which would be led by the generals and admirals of the Imperial Legions. Initial oversight was maintained by the Council of Houses which largely ended upon the formation of the Houses Minor and the Astral Synedrium in 2961. The Convocation continues to govern House Aquila to this day, continually evolving with the times and maintaining the stability of the House.
The creation of the Convocation was the beginning of a reformation within House Aquila. Adoption of Latin as the official government language, recognition for the help and support of the High Church both during and after the war, altered large parts of the House’s culture and traditions. For the Imperial Legions, the Flavian Reforms would establish the Legion High Command and slightly restructure the Legions to follow with Latin adaptation. The tradition of the House Aquila swearing fealty to the Throne rather than the Emperox also stems from this time period. The central guiding principle of the Imperial Legions would be to do what is best for the Empire at all times and remember that they serve the Empire and Humanity not the Emperox.