First System War
Template:Battle (fixed)"This is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty minutes." ~ Imperial Star Marshall Jordok, following the end of the first phase of the System War and the 'expulsion' of Battlefleet Kerbol from the Kerbin system.
The First System War, also known as the Inner System War or derogatively as the Fool's War, was an interplanetary conflict which lasted from 2092 to 2093, however it was marked by correlated skirmishes from before the declaration of war, and subsequent engagements after its official conclusion. The First System War is a unique conflict because it is the only major war in Kerbal history so far to have been fought almost entirely off-world from Kerbin, with engagements taking place on the surface of the Mun, Duna, Eve, and elsewhere across the solar system, including the Oort Cloud.
North Grestin, which aimed to dominate the Inner Systems, attacked Imperial and Solari assets on Korfu Island in 2090, however after retreating from Kerbin neither side declared war on each other. The First System War is generally considered to have begun on 27 March 2092, with the Siege of New Comberth and Kolonija Maj on the Mun, and the subsequent declarations of war upon Valoria by the Imperium and Strelka. After a series of conquests of colonies in Moho, Duna, and Gilly, the Valorian advance into the Kerbin system was halted after losing surface fleets to Tau Coalition battlegroups and once orders to withdraw from the Munar siege were issued. For the following year, a series of counterattacks from Imperial solar forces liberated Duna and Moho from Valorian occupation, eventually culminating in their surrender.
Although the First System War officially ended in February 2093, many Valorian units on Eve refused the surrender order and reformed into the Valorian Republican Army, igniting an insurgency against the garrisoned territories of the Imperial Occupation Authority in a period of extraterrestrial conflict known as the Valorian Troubles. Imperial liberation of Moho revealed the Mohocaust, a previously-unknown genocide and interplanetary slave conspiracy in which 2.5 million 'undesirable' Kerbals were rescued by Imperial forces, prompting a system-wide investigation from UIF intelligence agencies to ascertain the full extent of the atrocity.
Background
North Grestin - Tau Coalition Relations
In the years prior to and leading towards the interplanetary conflict, relations between the Tau Coalition and the Confederacy of North Grestin--the predecessor state to Valoria--had significantly been strained. In 2088, an illegal communications was intercepted between the State Department of North Grestin and senators of the United Continental Federation, the predecessor to the modern Imperium, in which North Grestin authorities were attempting to conspire towards a conflict between the UCF and Arcadii-Zokesia.
"After researching the anomalous situation involving the theft of a zokesian carrier the council has met and come to the most dangerous conclusion of all. Zokesia either leaves their carriers unguarded or is actively collaborating with this vile communist in an attempt to sell more war gear by destabilizing the world. We do not wish to presume; however we have chosen to hold zokesia liable based on the fact that no armed resistance was put up against Gregory nor has the government after the fact attempted to re-acquire the carrier Based on this evidence we have decided to issue the following ultimatum to Zokesia. Hand over gregory to be properly killed by UCF officials or prepare for war."
~ The transcript of the infamous 2088 "Martin Telegram," in which North Grestin unsuccessfully attempted to spark a conflict between the UCF and her allies.
The plot was uncovered by UCF intelligence agencies, leading to the arrest of several Continental nationals on sedition and intent to commit conspiracy charges, and drastically soured relation between the two powers, with the Confederacy accused of trying to ignite war between its two most powerful rivals. The conspiracy surfaced at the same time in which the Continental Navy 1st Fleet, with flagship carrier Fort Grace, was deployed alongside Zokesian naval assets to locate the rogue aircraft carrier Arkadii-Soyuz, which had been stolen by neo-Sithlovists earlier in the year. The fallout of the Martin Telegram resulted in the Federation cutting official ties with North Grestin, and the failed conspiracy ultimately became the catalyst of the governmental shift from the UCF into the modern Imperium.
Kolus War and Nautilus Strikes
In 2090, following the foundation of the Coalition for Supranational Democracy, a joint armada of Vocavian, North Grestin, and HKA forces initiated the Kolus War with the ratification of Operation Vengeful Liberty. Accusing Zokesia and its Steel Pact leadership under Francisco Grail of genocide, the CSD issued a blockade of the country, and a full-scale siege commenced. A series of air and naval engagements between Zokesian and CSD forces occurred, and eventually the conflict escalated when a series of asteroid strikes bombarded cities of several CSD nations, including the Vocavian capital of Windsteer and multiple detonations in North Grestin territory. In the aftermath of the strikes, surviving naval assets from the Zokesian Phosphor Fleet attempted to negotiate a ceasefire with the CSD, which ended in failure. Giving up on the conflict, the Phosphor Fleet surrendered to the Imperial and Solari garrison on Korfu Island, the location of the Autumn Canton and Imperial Senate. The UIF and Solaria, members of both NEOCON and CSD, remained neutral in the conflict, and the fleet was peacefully disarmed for internment for the remainder of the war. Simultaneously, the Grail administration ordered a second salvo of asteroid attacks at CSD targets, which resulted in another wave of population centers struck, including North Grestin colonial holdings on Moho.
In a retaliatory strike, North Grestin leadership ordered the orbital bombardment of the Phosphor Fleet, despite the fact that it was interned in neutral territory. On the morning of December 7, 2090 precisely 326 tactical missiles were fired at Korfu from the North Grestin orbital fleet Battlefleet Kerbol--the miniscule island, with a population of 100,000, was densely populated, and with the questionable accuracy of orbitally launched warheads a significant portion of the missiles detonated over the urban coast of the Autumn Canton. The Imperial Senate, which just finished construction months prior, was heavily damaged in the attack, Halcian kerbalitarian assets were lost at the island's international airport, and the Phosphor fleet was destroyed alongside most other ships in harbor. In total, 10,096 dual Imperial-Solari citizens were lost in the attack, with roughly double the amount injured.
Following the attack, the Imperium and Solaria were furious at North Grestin, and prepared to assemble their spaceborne assets for conflict. For the first time in their history, Imperial Star Command issued full mobilization orders and the entire fleet of the Tau Coalition joint space command congregated in Kerbin orbit, alongside the Solari Warfleet Ravenor. Imperial Space Marines dropped into Grestin-occupied Minmus, which was taken from Zokesia as part of the Kolus War, capturing the colony and ultimately returning it to Zokesian authority in Operation Dawnstar. Elsewhere in the system Battlefleet Kerbol ordered a full retreat back to Eve, fearful of an unwinnable conflict. Battlefleet Kerbol had 21 cruisers captured and scrapped by Solari forces, and the remnant of the fleet was prohibited from entering the Kerbin system indefinitely. The Confederacy failed to be reprimanded for their attack against a neutral population center by the CSD, which resulted in the Imperium accusing the other members participating in Vengeful Liberty of being collaborators in the attack. The post-Korfu skirmishes remained an undeclared conflict, as both sides had became more invested in what slowly grew to become the Great Crusade between NEOCON and the CSD. As such, North Grestin diplomats were recorded as saying they "got off easy" after the attack, enraging Imperial delegates in the CSD to the point of leaving the organization.
Pre-War Events
Establishment of Valoria
In 2092, during the Great Crusade, the government of New Grestin re-established control of most of its Kafrican territory in a countercoup against the North Grestin Confederacy. This resulted in the North Grestin government, and roughly 700,000 Confederate loyalists, evacuating Kerbin in a massive solar exodus, and travelling to Eve as the Great Crusade concluded elsewhere on the planet. This escaping population rendezvoused at Evian territories guarded by North Grestin warfleets, which still retained control of the inner systems, and the loyalists established a colonial government-in-exile. Abandoning the name of their Kerbin territories, the Confederate admiralty adopted the name Valoria for the new solar nation, named off the newly-established Evian colony, which doubled as its capital.
Upon establishing full control of Eve, the Valorian Navy consolidated all of the once-Confederate solar assets of Battlefleet Kerbol into new naval armadas, referred to as Battlefleets Venus, Mercury, and Sol. Valoria quickly used these fleets to assert control of Moho. Controlling both planets, Valoria established a gross domestic product of $50 million, comparable to most nations on the surface of Kerbin. Later in the year, Valoria announced its intentions to continue its Slow Bomb initiative, using deep space transports to tow an arsenal of over a hundred asteroids into Moho orbit for use as orbital defense posts and kinetic bombardment devices.
Initial Conquests
Once direct rule of Moho and Eve was secured, the Valorian Navy began a series of campaigns to secure the inner systems. Wo', the independent solar nationstate on Gilly, was quickly brought into Valorian occupation due to its close proximity to the Evian capital. Soon after, Battlefleet Venus burned to Duna and occupied the Mechani colony of New Carthage. Smaller than colonies like Revenant or Zokesian Rhodes, New Carthage was not adequately equipped to withstand an invasion from Eve, which struck at the exposed colony while the Mechani Union was heavily occupied on its mass exodus program to Jool, and thus could not respond to the attack effectively. Mechani diplomatically protested, unable to commit to military action due to their ongoing migration effort; Valoria officially apologized for invading New Carthage, however continued with their occupation nonetheless. The Moho, Eve, and Duna systems were all secured quickly by Valoran fleets. None of these systems could realistically expect reinforcements from Kerbin, meaning their demoralized colonial garrisons surrendered quickly and without much bloodshed.
A week after New Carthage was realigned, a fleet of 300 Valorian warships burned into the Kerbin system, on a rendezvous to the Mun. On March 25, the force was identified and tracked by OAI long-range sensors from the Kairo orbital defense platforms in geosynchronous orbit over the Imperium. The massive armada was originally believed to be one of the numerous migration convoys observed transferring through the Kerbin system, and was dismissed. However, upon readjusting their burn to arrive in Munar orbit, the unknown fleet was identified as the Valorian Battlefleet Venus. Violating the post-Korfu prohibition with its warships entering the Kerbin system, the armada was classified as hostile. The sound of general quarters was blared in every orbital Tau Coalition asset within 250 Kerbin radii, and the first armed confrontation of Valoria's inner system expansion would begin.
Course of the War
Opening Strikes
The war officially started when Battlefleet Venus commenced the Siege of New Comberth. The first casualties included Imperial Star Command's array of naval anchorages, Helium-3 refineries, and ship tethers in Munar orbit, with most personnel escaping to the surface to avoid the carnage. The only military presence in Munar orbit at the time, the Munar Congressional Republic Navy scrambled from its stations; however, outnumbered six-to-one and critically out of position, the MCRN was scattered and forced to withdraw. Until reinforcements could arrive, the MCRN maneuvered into polar orbit and only committed to guerilla strikes against Battlefleet Venus. Every Imperial Star Command detachment was already burning support, with Solari allies and Tau Coalition partners notified about the orbital conflict. However, reinforcements were long in coming: the first relief would not arrive for twenty hours, and by sixty minutes into the siege, the Valorians had already begun a titanic stardrop operation of 200 exotanks onto the Munar surface.
As the Valorian assault entered New Comberth itself, the attackers found themselves on the receiving end of a more formidable defense. Imperial Space Marines of the 2nd "Daredevils" Interplanetary Assault Unit were garrisoned in the colony's underground levels, its leadership determined to not be caught off-guard again after the Korfu Strikes. The Daredevils acted alongside the Munar locals to construct fortifications with only two hours of advanced warning. Enemy stormtroopers piercing the upper levels of the city were met by coordinated Marine fire. Opting for a defense in depth, the Imperial and Munar units slowly withdrew to lower levels, making the Valorian advance brutal. Rooms cleared of TC defenders were depressurized with Valorian personnel inside; catacombs of occupied floors were vacuumed clean of nitrogen, turning the pure-oxygen environments into incineration chambers.
The 20 hours between the beginning of the Siege and the first arrival of reinforcements have been considered "20 hours in hell." As Imperial garrisons slowly withdrew into deeper catacombs of the subterranean city, they eventually fell out of broadcast range with Imperial commands off-world, and the colony went dark. The first reinforcements to arrive in Munar orbit were the dozens of Solstice-class destroyers from the 2nd Imperial Solar Fleet, accompanied by the Kestrel dropships of Task Force Albion and the 1st Interplanetary Assault Unit. Coordinating a counter-attack strategy with the MCRN, the two opposing armadas found that the numbers in Munar orbit had become favorably even, and initiated an orbital pincer move on Battlefleet Venus from northern and southern orbital inclinations. Before an engagement even began to determine orbital supremacy, the "Roughnecks" were already preparing a combat drop directly onto the Valorian landing site, to relieve pressure on the scattered MCR surface brigades and restore contact to the city.
With Kestrels descending to the surface, the Valorians found themselves in a tough position. Their fleet relied on a quick capture of the planet to solidify control before reinforcements could arrive, a problem they did not have to face on their previous conquests. Unlike those cases, the Mun's proximity meant reinforcement was feasible, greatly amplifying colonial morale. Neither did they expect any garrison on the colony, which stalled the siege long enough for Tau Coalition relief. Increasingly shadowed by Basilian, Strelkan, Imperial, and Solari naval units, the Valorian armada gave the order to retreat. Shock units withdrew with haste through New Comberth, and within an hour most surface units had either evacuated or surrendered. Battlefleet Venus initiated an emergency burn back towards Eve, and the Imperial Star Command declared the Siege of New Comberth a total victory.
Counterattacks
The Imperium declared war on Valoria immediately after the Siege of New Comberth concluded. On Kerbin, the Valorian Surface Navy set sail for the DFK, which was also attacked on the Mun, for a Kalban amphibious landing, hoping to gain favor with the Imperium in the process for a more amicable peace deal. Initially opting to travel through the Hook Island Straights, the Valorian Navy retreated after being engaged by the Basilian Navy and the Imperium's Baskay Fleet. They maneuvered to launch an assault on the western Veiid coast, with marines striking eastward to reach the Kalban border. Once the fleet movement was ascertained by Arkbird recon aircraft, the Imperial Tau Fleet set sail from the Northern Tau to meet them south of the Bravis Gap.
The carriers INS White Valley and Eureka, began sailing southwest, rendezvousing with the Strelkan Navy off the coast of Bravis and the Imperial Deassic Fleet with its flagship Fort Grace arriving from the Kolus Sea. The naval battle was over quickly; UIF naval fighters on long range patrols engaged the Valorian fleet with anti-ship missiles once they were encountered. Following a round of skirmishes and realizing the political gamble was not going to work, the admiral of the Valorian fleet gave orders to scuttle all ships, resulting in a Tau Coalition victory by default. In space, 20 Valorian cruisers positioned to support the assault from low Kerbin orbit retreated to Eve after the UIF's 2nd Solar Navy pivoted towards the planet to engage them.
With the Kerbin sphere of influence secured, Starmarshal Jordock of Imperial Star Command was placed in charge of the combined Tau Coalition space fleet, initiating a 'planet-hopping' campaign to liberate the inner system colonies one-by-one from Valorian occupation in force. A majority of Imperial Star Command burned towards Moho in a grand armada, while a smaller flotilla named Task Force Albion burned towards Duna, with a division of Space Marines accompanying them. While in transit through deep interplanetary space, Valorian Naval Command in Evian orbit fired over 1,000 long-range kinetic strike missiles towards Star Command. This missile launch was detected quickly by the UIF's Office of Astral Intelligence, and with weeks of advanced warning Star Command was able to gradually drop decoys and sporadically maneuver en masse as the armada drifted towards Moho. By the time the Eve missile swarm arrived, they had depleted their delta-V reserves and flew by harmlessly, scoring no hits.
In retaliation for the strike on New Comberth, a flight of sixteen 'Arkangel' exofighters burned from Kerbin to Eve. Slipping into the system, the 16 Arkangels evaded the Valorian orbital defenses and entered the planet's atmosphere over the capital, striking the surface colony with an array of tactical missiles. Though damage to the colony was light, the attack served as effective propaganda for the Kerbinside Imperium, proving it had the capability to strike anywhere; this also had the effect of lowering the already-faltering Valorian morale. The second operational goal, a diversionary ploy, also worked to the Imperium's advantage; following the 'Eve Raid,' the Valorian Navy's 700 remaining ships amassed into Evian orbit, leaving the orbits of Duna and Moho undefended from the Tau Coalition.
Coalition Offensives
One indomitable heart, Brothers all.
We, the wrath of Comberth, Brothers all.
And glory! Eternal glory,
We shall bear its weight together!
Forged like the saber in the fires of death, Brothers all!
~ Battle chant performed by Imperial Space Marines as they made final preparations to stardrop into Duna.
The first Imperial flotilla which burned out of the Kerbin system, Task Force Albion, arrived in Dunatian orbit within weeks of the Eve strike, signaling the shift of initiative in the System War. After passing Ike, the task force's Kestrels loaded up with their first-wave Calliopes and Space Marines; establishing contact with the Zokesian colony of Federal City to obtain up-to-date photo reconnaissance of the surrounding territories, in order to identify landing sites for the dropships. With lanzing zones and safe corridors to the surface identified, the Star Command fleet initiated Operation Orion's Sword, dropping onto the planet's surface. Prime Minister Turner, upon personal request, was appointed by Jordock to lead the operation, permitted due to her veteran status within the Solari Void Navy before entering politics.
The primary target of Orion's Sword was the liberation of New Carthage, the Mechani colony which was occupied by Valoria earlier in the conflict, and had since been extorted in order to further the resource procurement and power projection of the Confederate forces. The task force's fleet of dropships successfully landed the 2nd Interplanetary Assault Unit within range of the colony, as Arkangel escorts suppressed Valorian anti-air defenses inside the atmosphere. The Space Marines cautiously advanced on foot towards the gates of New Carthage, engaging in direct contact with Valorian garrison brigades and utilizing their Calliope exo-armor as mobile cover.
'Citizen-Marshal' Turner landed on Duna in the second wave, accompanied by a personal guard of three hundred 501st Legionnaires. Outer layers of Valorian defense were eliminated quickly; within hours of the first Kestrels entering the atmosphere, the Space Marines were prepared to breach the colony. Not wanting to make the same mistakes the Valorians did at New Comberth, the 2nd IAU waited until the Solani attaché could procure interior layouts of the settlement. Afterwards, the first Imperials entered the colony once electrical systems were suppressed, and the barebones garrison surrendered soon after, refusing to fight with the same ferocity as the Daredevils did on the Munar surface. New Carthage was soon declared liberated and Mechani authority was re-established immediately, sparking a period of celebration across the planet--however, the MU government failed to give thanks for, or even officially recognize, the rescue of their colony.